Hit-and-Run Arrest, Fake Bomb in Haddon Twp., Top Local News

Also in the news, local runners pay tribute to Boston victims, alleged burglar chased through Haddonfield neighborhood and more.

Haddonfield police say Barbara Messerschmidt hit a preteen pedestrian and fled without helping the injured girl. One eyewitness described experiencing a high-frequency noise on the scene. Authorities are still investigating. Runners ran a silent mile in memory of the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. The foot pursuit happened in the unit block of Truman Avenue in Haddonfield. Closed since September, the Haddon Township roadway's reopening was delayed by faulty concrete. Warmer weather means construction will begin again. Spring crops are in the ground. Haddon Township's midweek market has taken off in its five years, and organizers are busily preparing for the season's upcoming opening day. The Central Elementary School team is the …

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Haddonfield Students Go to Odyssey of the Mind Championship

The Central Elementary School team is the first from Haddonfield to reach the championships—but the students need community support.

Seven Haddonfield students from Central Elementary School will go for the gold at the Odyssey of the Mind world championships, and you can help them get there. The students won silver at the New Jersey competition on April 13. Now, they move on to the 2013 Odyssey of the Mind World Finals, May 22-25 at Michigan State University. The team is the first from Haddonfield to reach that level. Odyssey of the Mind has student teams learn creative problem-solving through interdisciplinary projects. The Central School team designed a solution to a problem called “ARTchitecture: The Musical.” The students wrote and performed an original musical comedy that features a replica of an architectural structure built between 1000 and 1600 AD. In the …

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4 Principals in 4 Years Raises Some Eyebrows at Central School

Shannon Simkus is the fourth principal to lead the Haddonfield school in as many years.

For the fourth time in just as many years, students returning to Central Elementary School were greeted by a different principal on their first day of school. “You want some consistency, like a business,” said Rob Leimkuhler, a parent at Central School. "Shareholders don’t want a different CEO every year, each CEO has their own spin. The same can be said for having a different principal each year.” Sharon Dostmann, who has two children at Central, echoed Leimkuhler's concerns. “I hope the current principal stays," she said. "When Chuck Klaus left after one year, it was easy for my children to understand his move back to the high school but now, they wonder why there is a different principal each year.” The revolving principal door began …

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5 Things You Need to Know About Christie's Visit to Haddonfield

The governor will hold a town hall meeting.

Gov. Chris Christie will be in Haddonfield today for a town hall meeting at 3 p.m. at the middle school gym at 5 Lincoln Ave. Here are five things you need to know about the visit, even if you don't go. 1. The event is free and starts at 3 p.m., but the doors open at 2:15 p.m. Getting there 30 minutes before that might be wise. The gym capacity is about 650 people. 2. While the gym capacity is 650, only about 200 parking spaces will be available at the school and in the adjacent Presbyterian Church parking lot. Borough officials are urging town residents to walk to the event, or park several blocks away. 3. The middle school dismisses at 2:50 p.m. and the Central Elementary School, which shares a connecting building, dismisses at 3 p.m. …

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Whiz Kids

Whiz Kids: How Do You Say Justin Bieber in Spanish?

Two Central elementary school students have the prize-winning answer.

Names: Nina Wolf and Kyle Smart School: Central Elementary School Accomplishment: Second-graders, Nina Wolf and Kyle Smart, from Central Elementary School, starred in a creative video. Speaking in Spanish, the students gave their differing opinions of pop-star sensation Justin Bieber. Key to Awesomeness: Nina, like most girls her age, has a case of Bieber-Fever while Kyle is not as impressed. Wooing the judges with their enthusiasm and Spanish speaking ability, Nina and Kyle won first place in the elementary school category. The Foreign Language Educators of New Jersey (FLENJ) invited all world-language teachers to submit a one-minute video podcast of their students speaking in a foreign language. Haddonfield elementary students won the …

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Just 10, She Fiddles Her Way to Musical Success

With energy and enthusiasm, Haddonfield's Julia Chin juggles many interests, including classical music.

Julia Chin picked up a tiny violin when she was just 2, an age when many children have yet to hum a nursery rhyme. At 6, she was “seriously” learning the violin, said her father, Carlton. Now 10, Julia is a fifth-grader at Central Elementary School. She’s a fan of spelling bees—she won the local spelling bee at the Haddon Fortnightly in February—Skype, math, cooking, art and classical music, of course. In May, she will perform as a soloist with the Manhattan School of Music Repertory Orchestra. The pony-tailed performer is prepared, rather than nervous. “Usually, when I perform, I’m really ready, and it’s really fun for me,” she said. Julia, who plays in the elementary and middle school orchestras, loves playing with others, hearing the …

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School Board Adds Teacher to Central School Faculty

School board members said an additional teachers needed because of growing class sizes. A deadline was also set for nominations to fill a vacant seat on the school board.

The Haddonfield Board of Education voted 5 to 3 Monday night to create a third fifth grade teaching position at Central Elementary School. The additional post is needed, said Superintendent Richard Perry, because of increased enrollment within the boundaries of the school. Voting against creation of the new position were board president Steve Weinstein and members Dennis Kelleher and Joe Ehrhardt. Once the post was approved by the other five members of the board, however, all members approved the hiring of Perry’s recommendation, Lauren Farrell, at a salary of $52,200. Before the vote on the new post, board members discussed the possibility of handling the staffing needs with a substitute teacher. Class limits have been kept below the 27-…

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