Sixth grader Violet Walsh, who was recognized as citizen of the month, shakes hands with Mayor Paul Medany during the May 5 council meeting.
Deptford council presented multiple awards during its May 5 meeting that included citations for business and citizen of the month, as wll as the library’s poetry contest winners.
Business of the month went to the U.S Army recruiting office on Clements Bridge Road, represented by Sgt. First Class Aduba Umar, who spoke about how joining the Army has benefits that include funding a college education.
“I joined the army in 2010,” he recounted. “I just wanted to change something that would benefit the community. So going back and forth in deployments, I decided to become a recruiter. Recruiters are there to help change the life of other people.”
Citizen of the month went to sixth grader Violet Walsh, who recently sang the national anthem at Oak Valley Athletic Association’s Little League opening day on April 5 and took part in the township’s Earth Day cleanup on April 26. She also performed the national anthem at the council meeting and earned a standing ovation.
“She volunteers in the township whenever she has the opportunity,” Mayor Paul Medany said of Walsh. “We were so impressed, we wanted her to sing at the meeting.”
The library’s poetry contest tasked kids in grades preschool through 12 with creating poems around the theme of loving the library. The facility’s board of trustees president, Dina Zawadski, and library director Jenna McAndrews were both in attendance at the meeting where winners were announced.
The winners are preschooler Emily Blanco, kindergartner Etai Levin, first-grader Cecilia Holdbrook, second-grader Charlotte Kline, third-grader Delaney DeVillasanta, fourth-grader Nathan Seibert, fifth-grader Avery Maiese, sixth-grader Esmeralda Estrada, seventh-grader Jacob Raiden Averion, eight-grader Mikayla Clark, ninth grader Katrina Hogan, 10th-grader Yaw Nyanin, 11th-grader Aula Assaedi and 12th-grader Robert “RJ” Mousley.
Each winner read their poem for the meeting, which included friends and family. The contest is done in conjunction with the Deptford school district and the prizes are a certificate for accomplishment and Chick-Fil-A gift cards.
Council also presented a township proclamation to Township Clerk Michelle Hack, recognizing Municipal Clerks Week in the township.
The next council meeting is scheduled for Monday at 6 p.m.
