Sussex Skyhawks honor 100 local student authors

Augusta - The Sussex Skyhawks honored 100 fourth-grade students from Sussex County who participated in the Celebrate NJ! school program, during a recent game at Skylands Park in Augusta. After working for four months, the students won spots for their news articles to be placed in several area newspapers. Each child was given two tickets to the game. Karen Melito, Celebrate NJ! coordinator, threw out the first pitch. “These students worked so hard and learned so many wonderful things about the place that they call home,” she said. “They deserve to have a night that is all about them. It’s a great life lesson that if you do the work, you get rewarded.” Tommy Reid, a fourth-grader from the Durban Avenue School in Hopatcong, said he enjoyed participating in the project. “I really like going to museums and learning things about the past,” he explained. “I had such a great time writing my article because I was able to learn so much about the history of New Jersey.” Eight local minor and independent league baseball teams have been hosting Celebrate NJ! game nights throughout June for the 8,000 students who participated in the program. For information, log on to CelebrateNJ.org.