ATHLETE OF THE DAY: Roman Ammirato

Roman Ammirato is The Daily Journal's Athlete of the Day.

He is a junior at St. Augustine where he plays a wing on the ice hockey team.

Ammirato led the Hermits to a major 4-2 upset over Delbarton in the semifinals of the Gordon Cup on Wednesday.

The left winger scored all four goals against the Green Wave, which entered the contest riding a 42-game unbeaten streak. Ammirato scored once in the second period before adding three goals in the third.

CBS3 meteorologist speaks at Mennies

Carol Erickson, a meteorologist at Philadelphia TV station CBS 3 and also an author, was a guest speaker/reader at Mennies Elementary School on Tuesday.

Erickson read a book she recently published about adopting shelter animals titled, “Not a Used Dog at All.”

In honor of Erickson's visit, Mennies students held a fund drive - “Coins for Cumberland County SPCA”. School staff members also put up a display of their pets prior to the visit.

According to information on the CBS 3 website, Erickson is a passionate advocate for family pets and other animals.

Profits from her new book benefit area animal shelters and rescue groups.

Star Student: Marcus Stuart

Marcus Stuart

Marcus Stuart is The Daily Journal's Student of the Day.

He is a 16-year-old Franklinville resident. He is in the 11th grade at Delsea Regional High School.

Stuart was a member of the 2009 New Jersey state championship football team.

Read more about today's Student of the Day and past participants here.

Athlete of the Day: Shavonne Davis

Shavonne Davis

Shavonne Davis is The Daily Journal's Athlete of the Day.

Davis is a junior at Vineland High School and plays on the girls' basketball team as a center.

Davis grabbed 14 rebounds to go along with five points to spark Vineland's 57-30 win against visiting Absegami on

Wednesday. The Clan moved within a win of capturing a share of the Cape-Atlantic League American I title.

Read more about today's Athlete of the Day and past participants.

Cumberland Christian hosts 13 exchange students

The Korean exchange students at Cumberland Christian School pose with their host families. Submitted photo.

Thirteen Korean students enrolled with Cumberland Christian School for a four-week mini-semester as part of an exchange program.

Each Korean student chose a random American name to make it easier on their American friends, said Elaine Hannan, the school's acting elementary principal.

In two years, Cumberland Christian has opened its doors to 40 Korean students who wanted to experience an American education, she said. This year, the visiting students ranged from the fourth- to ninth-grades.

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Snow cancels several school events, programs

Here's a list of the latest cancellations and closings as reports another potential snowstorm head for the area.

- All Vineland Public Schools are open today on a half-day schedule. All Vineland Public Schools' after-school activities, including athletic events and practices, have been canceled because of the inclement weather.

- Because all Vineland Public Schools are on a half-day schedule today, "wrap around" services at Leuchter and Dallago Preschools will end at 3 p.m.

- The YMCA will offer "wraparound" child care at regular hours today. Parents of Vineland Public Schools students are urged to pick up their child as soon as possible following dismissal because the inclement weather is expected to worsen in the afternoon and early-evening hours.

- The Vineland Ministerium has canceled its Lenten Luncheon program for Thursday. It was scheduled to be held at Redeemer Lutheran church starting at noon. The six week program will resume on Thursday, March 4. For more information contact Eileen at (856) 691-4278.

- The Gloria M. Sabater Elementary School dinner dance originally scheduled for Friday has been postponed until April 23.

- Visions of Hope and the Vineland Boys & Girls Club will be closed today. The program will resume when Vineland Public Schools re-open.

- The Landis Middle School play "Songs and Dance of Broadway, Landis Style" has been canceled tonight. The Friday performance is still "on" depending on weather and road conditions tomorrow.

See the full list of cancellations here.

Star Student: Katherine Bell

Katherine Bell

Katherine Bell is The Daily Journal's Student of the Day.

She is a 9-year-old fourth-grader at Milanesi Elementary School of Buena Regional School District.

She lives in Richland.

Katherine continues to be on the Principal’s List and again received the Student of the Month Award at her school. She attended the National Young Leaders Program at Villanova University last summer and has been invited back for the National Young Scholars Program this summer.

Read more about today's Student of the Day and past participants here.

ATHLETE OF THE DAY: Dillan Berghof

Dillan Berghof

Dillan Berghof is The Daily Journal's Athlete of the Day.

He is a freshman 130-pound wrestler at Buena Regional High School.

Berghof advanced to the quarterfinals of the Region 8 wrestling tournament Tuesday by scoring a 2-1 decision over Clearview's Dan Cornew.

In perhaps one of the toughest matchups among local grapplers for the first night of the tournament, Berghof scored two third-period points and managed to fight off Cornew's late takedown attempts to seal the victory.

Berghof will wrestle in the quarterfinals Friday.

Mennies raises $2,000 for Haiti

Suzanne Kristoff-Buchanan, who was in Haiti at the time of the earthquake, spoke to Dr. William Mennies Elementary School students today. 

Her slideshow presentation acted as a reward for the Mennies students who, along with students from Cumberland County College, made it their directive this month to collect money to help the victims of the January quake.

Mennies collected $2,000 to donate and the college collected its own amount, though the total was not disclosed.

Wednesday's event helped the college close its Wear Red - Give Green campaign that lasted throughout the month of February.

Star Student: Madison Craig

Madison Craig

Madison Craig is The Daily Journal's Student of the Day.

She is a sixth-grader at Wallace Middle School of Vineland Public Schools. She is 11 and lives in Vineland.

"Madison is ready to tackle any assignment with a positive attitude and a smile,” her math teacher, Ms. Kouhoupt, says. “She maintains excellent grades and was on the Principal’s List during the first marking period.”

Read more about today's Student of the Day and past participants here.

Athlete of the Day: Brett Pedersen

Brett Pedersen

Brett Pedersen is The Daily Journal's Athlete of the Day.

The St. Augustine Prep junior is on the swim team and specializes in the butterfly.

Pedersen qualified for the Meet of Champions in the 100-yard butterfly in the Hermits' 108-66 victory over Don Bosco in the Non-Public A semifinals on Tuesday.

Pedersen won the event in 54.67 seconds.

Read more about the Athlete of the Day and past participants here.

Vineland’s ‘High School Musical’

Promoting the upcoming play are cast members, from left, Ashley Birmingham, Deanna Denelsbeck, Adrian Lelli, and Jennie Crescenzo. Submitted photo.

The Vineland High School “Cap ‘n Dagger” club will perform “High School Musical” on stage in the Vineland High School South auditorium on March 11, 12, and 13.

Doors open at 6 p.m. on all three nights. The curtain rises at 7 p.m. for all shows.

Reserved seats are $15 and general admission is $10. Call (856) 692-9231 for tickets.

Click below to read more about the show.
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Landis students plan own night on Broadway

Check out this song and dance routine at Landis Middle School.

Students from the school will perform "Songs and Dance of Broadway -- Landis Style" on Thursday, Feb. 25 and Friday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $5 each and will be sold at the door. The school is located at 61 W. Landis Ave.

According to director Mark Melamed, students in the show will perform a mix of song and dance from 14 Broadway productions, including "Annie," "Grease," "Seussical" and "The Sound of Music."

Goodbye party for middle-school principal

A retirement celebration honoring Belinda Hall, Wallace Middle School principal, has been scheduled for Friday, May 21, from 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. in the grand ballroom at Buena Vista Country Club.

Tickets are $40 per person, including gift. There will be a cash bar.

For tickets, please contact Debi Flumenbaum or Lori Koons at Wallace Middle School by May 1 at (856) 362-8887. Please make checks payable to Wallace Middle School.

Star Student: Asia Byrd

Asia D. Byrd

Asia D. Byrd, 14, is The Daily Journal's Student of the Day.

She is in the ninth-grade at Delsea Regional High School and lives in Elk.

Byrd was Miss Elk Township 2008 and Miss AtlanticShore Preteen Princess 2008. She is class president for the ninth grade at her school. She volunteers for Habitat for Humanity and Habitat Restore in Pitman. She is a member of Mount Zion Baptist Church, a cheerleader, and member of the spring track and field team.

Read more about today's Student of the Day and past participants here.