5 West Orange Students Who Deserve A Round Of Applause

WEST ORANGE, NJ — From #BlackGirlsBooks to a tenacious JROTC cadet, West Orange students continue to raise the bar for success in their community.

The West Orange Public School District recently shared the following stories about five, high-achieving students. Have your own success story to share? Reach out to eric.kiefer@patch.com.

NAACP IMAGE AWARD

West Orange High School student Marley Dias, internationally known for her #1000BlackGirlsBooks movement, her own book "Marley Gets it Done," and being named as one of Time Magazine's "25 Most Influential Teens of 2018," is again in the news with the nomination of an NAACP Image Award for her Netflix show "Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices."

According to the Chicago Tribune, Dias hosted her very first Netflix show called "Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices." Dias served as the host and executive producer of the series, whose books and conversations center on themes of identity, respect, justice and action."

Guests on the program included rapper, actor and writer Common; actor and author Lupita Nyong’o; comedian, actor and author Tiffany Haddish; actor and ”Little” executive producer Marsai Martin; singer, actor and poet Jill Scott; actor and activist Kendrick Sampson; actor and author Grace Byers; actor Caleb McLaughlin; TV personality Karamo Brown; ballerina and author Misty Copeland and author Jacqueline Woodson."

The public is invited to cast their votes for Dias' program and a host of others. Programs and individuals with the highest number of votes in a category will be announced as the winners during the 52nd Annual NAACP Image Awards, to be broadcast on BET live on March 27 beginning at 8 pm Eastern time.

To vote for Marley Dias and "Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices," go here. The program is nominated in the Children's Programming category.

1,000TH CAREER POINT

Last month, West Orange High School student-athlete Kiley Capstraw joined an elite club, scoring her 1,000th career point.

Capstraw (class of 2022) finished the game with 44 points and had 12 rebounds.

‘INSPIRED TO BECOME A MILITARY OFFICER’

West Orange High School Class of 2016 graduate Justice Rooney has completed the United States Army Basic Officer Leader Course and has been named a Second Lieutenant Field Artillery Officer.

Rooney was a four-year cadet in the Air Force JROTC program while at the high school.

“I was inspired to become a military officer by my instructor Maj. Joseph Marchesini (Ret.),” he began.

“I applied to West Point but was denied,” he continued, “and they told me to enlist and try again later but I didn’t want to enlist – I wanted to be an officer.”

“Immediately I contacted Seton Hall University to enroll in their Army ROTC program and received my commission four years later as an active duty Field Artillery Officer,” he explained.

The Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) is a college program offered at more than 1,700 colleges and universities across the United States that prepares young adults to become officers in the U.S. Military.

In exchange for a paid college education and a guaranteed post-college career, participants, or cadets, commit to serve in the military after graduation. Each Service branch has its own take on ROTC.

Several of Rooney’s fellow WOHS Jr. AFROTC cadets have chosen to become officers in the military through the ROTC pathway or military school.

“Some of my friends from West Orange who are following similar paths are Jasmyn Lettman (Army), Valerie Giovine (USAF), Gina Arrabito (USAF), Andrei Rosu (Army) and Marshall Lipsey (Army). I also can’t forget to add my dear friend Chris Morgan, whose energy I feel the most when things get tough and stressful,” he added.

Morgan was killed in a training accident at West Point on June 6, 2019.

With his graduation from BOLC on Feb. 3, 2d Lt. Rooney is now certified to execute his job. To be a successful Field Artillery Officer, an individual must become an expert in the tactics, techniques and procedures for the employment of fire support systems.

2d Lt. Rooney shared the next steps in his journey.

“On Feb. 7 I leave the states to my first duty station in the Republic of Korea and I’m very excited. I’m not sure exactly what kind of position I’ll hold once I get to South Korea; however, I hope I get the chance to travel despite COVID-19 because I am very interested in photography and filmmaking. I want to be able to document my travels through this skillset,” he stated.

When asked why he decided to join the Army, Rooney concluded, “I joined the Army because I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself, to be part of a team, and ever since I’ve joined I have made tons of friends who make it hard to say goodbye when an assignment is over.”

SILVER KEY FOR WRITING

West Orange High School senior Tyra Hughes has been awarded a prestigious Scholastic Silver Key in Writing in the annual 2021 Scholastic Awards competition.

According to their website, "The Scholastic Awards look for work demonstrating originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision. Regional recognition includes Gold Key awards, Silver Key awards, and Honorable Mentions. Gold Keys are automatically forwarded for consideration at the national level of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards."

Over 100 arts and literary organizations partner with Scholastic annually to select top works of art and literature from students spanning grades 7-12 in 29 categories. Panelists look for works that best exemplify originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision. Last year, Scholastic received over 3,600 entries for review.

“I submitted a six-piece writing portfolio entitled, ‘Her Expressive Mind,’ which showcases my versatility as a writer,” began Hughes.

“My six pieces consisted of critical essays, vignettes, flash fiction, personal essays and short stories which express my unique coming-of-age experience as a young Black teenager. I delved into topics surrounding sexuality, being the child of immigrants, growing up in a technology-driven society, and the ins and outs of high school to hopefully give a fresh perspective in the literary scene. A lot of the pieces included in my portfolio hit really close to home, and were all heavily based on things I’ve observed and took note of during my high school years,” she explained.

“It feels really fulfilling to receive an award for my writing because I worked really hard on all of the pieces in my portfolio,” Hughes went on to say.

“A lot of the pieces I wrote were personal to me, so getting an award for it feels like my experiences really resonated with the Scholastic Art and Writing Contest. During the creative process of making this portfolio, there were definitely times when I didn’t think I’d ever complete it. I’m forever grateful that I had the guidance of my newspaper teacher, Ms. Dahl and my School of New York Times Summer Academy teachers/ NYT journalists, Mallika Rao and Liz Robbins, during my writing process. Knowing that my writing is being recognized on a platform that has praised creative icons like Andy Warhol and even this year's presidential inaugural poet, Amanda Gorman, is a great feeling. I can definitely say that all of the long nights of writing and rewriting were worth it,” she added.

Since 2018, Hughes has been the Co-Editor-in-Chief of the WOHS newspaper, The Pioneer. Tyra is also the Student Council secretary, a member of the Escriptus National English Honors Society and part of the Rho Kappa National Social Studies Society.

Although she has not committed to a college yet, Hughes has been accepted to Temple University or The Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts At The New School. She plans to major in Media Studies and Productions or Culture and Media depending on what school she attends. She has also been accepted into the New School's Bachelors-Masters program. She plans to minor in Creative Writing.

“I definitely have a big decision to make before May 1,” Hughes stated.

In addition to being a writer, Hughes is also passionate about filmmaking.

“I have a YouTube channel called Her Expressive Mind (the same name as my portfolio) which houses all of my short films, documentaries and commentary videos. I mainly use it as an outlet to give representation in the media for girls like myself and invite people to view the world through my self-expressive thoughts,” Hughes concluded.

2021 SCHOLASTIC AWARDS

West Orange High School senior and AP Art student Julia Spellman has received Honorable Mention in the annual 2021 Scholastic Awards competition.

According to their website, "The Scholastic Awards look for work demonstrating originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision. Regional recognition includes Gold Key awards, Silver Key awards, and Honorable Mentions. Gold Keys are automatically forwarded for consideration at the national level of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards."

Over 100 arts and literary organizations partner with Scholastic annually to select top works of art and literature from students spanning grades 7-12 in 29 categories. Panelists look for works that best exemplify originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice or vision. Last year, Scholastic received over 3,600 entries for review.

Spellman was recognized for two of her art works, "Still Life Study" and "Bubbles." Her recognized works will be part of her AP Art portfolio, a required component of successfully completing the AP Arts program.

The senior is pleased to receive an Honorable Mention for her work. "I hope to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design or DePaul University. My interests are film, art, and music," Spellman stated.

"I am so proud of Julia's accomplishment, said WOHS AP Art teacher Heather Young, "and her passion for art and hard work deserves much recognition."

Students receiving Gold Keys, Silver Keys, Honorable Mentions, or American Voices & Visions Nominations are celebrated within their communities through local exhibitions and ceremonies. Julia's work, along with other top artists, will be on view at the Montclair Art Museum during the Virtual Scholastic Arts reception on Feb. 25 beginning at 6 p.m.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

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