Siddarth Perikala

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Andy “Dean” DeNicola, J.P. Stevens band director for 50 years, dies at 72

Andy “Dean” DeNicola, J.P. Stevens band director for 50 years, dies at 72

EDISON, N.J., Aug. 11 (ZFJ) — Andrew “Dean” S. DeNicola, 55, band director at John P. Stevens High School for 50 years, died on May 20, 2024, after many years of battling heart disease. “His devotion toward music, the band program, and his students was unparalleled, and anyone who had the pleasure of getting to know Andy knew he was having fun and living his life to the fullest,” wrote the Central Jersey Music Educators Association on Instagram.
Edison High assistant principal accused of threatening Muslim students

Edison High assistant principal accused of threatening Muslim students

EDISON, N.J., July 24 (ZFJ) — Muslim students from Edison High School are alleging that one of the school’s assistant principals intimidated them over their club’s annual iftar event during a February meeting. Iftar is the breaking of the daily fast during the holy Islamic month of Ramadan. The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ), a Muslim civil rights group, says that Assistant Principal Nicole Himmelstein met with eight board members of the school’s Moon and Stars Association (MSA) following their request to hold a joint iftar event and invite students from Piscataway and North Brunswick.