Fourth of July

Grandfa introduced the boys to the joy of setting off firecrackers and
bottle rockets in the backyard...amazingly no fingers were lost!

Viola

Ben starts the viola during the summer with lessons from Mr. Labelle

Happy Mother's/Father's Day

Letter from Ben's 2nd grade teacher.

Ben, we were stunned to receive this letter from your 2nd grade teacher. You have truly distinguished yourself as a really nice and considerate person. This is FAR more important than being a great athlete, scholar or musician. Mom and Dad are so very proud of who you are on the inside!!  Keep it up kiddo!

Ok, so by now, you know how fond I am of Ben and how lucky I feel to have been his teacher. Yet, I still feel the need to sing his praises. (Lucky for you, that is a figure of speech because my voice is so bad I don't even want to hear my own echo!) 
The other day one of my students was not packed up and we were in line ready to go. This is a student who sometimes struggles to keep up with the class in some ways. On many occasions Ben has offered to help this student and does it in the most kind, appropriate and helpful way. When Ben realized this student was not packed up and the rest of the class was, he got out of line and said, "Hey buddy, can I help you with something? Can I get your snack for you?" The boy was thankful for Ben's help and I was thankful to have students working together to make a loving and supportive community.

This morning, a girl in our class was finishing her Father's Day craft and turned to Ben and said, "Is this how it is supposed to look?" Ben turned to her and said, "Oh yeah!" with a smile on his face. A few seconds go by and Ben is looking at her craft and says, "Actually Ana, that is really, really GREAT!" She had the biggest smile on her face and felt so good about herself. I could tell Ben was happy to for filling her bucket. Once again, my heart was full and I stood in the background smiling.

I didn't stay in the background for long because I felt the need to fill Ben's bucket. I addressed the class and told them how often I see Ben being kind, helpful, courteous, generous and so on and so on. I said that a day doesn't go by that Ben doesn't lend a helping hand or make others feel good about themselves. I asked the kids in the class to raise their hands if Ben has filled their bucket recently. EVERY KID in the class had their hand up. One kid raised both hands!  It was such a good moment.

After, I asked Ben to come to the back with me and I told him how proud I was of him and how much I loved him and would miss him. He really is such a special little kid and he impresses me every single day. I wanted to let you know what an integral part he has played in making our classroom community a caring and loving place for us all!

Please let me know to what address over the summer  I can send the rest of my "fan mail" to Ben....hahaha.  :)

Sincerely,
Lauren Oricchio

Ben's Prezi "The Hyena"

One night in Times Square

Our room at the Marriot Marquis

BAS Field Day

Mother's Day airshow McGuire AB

Refueling controller

Piloting the stratotanker

Piloting the stratotanker

Spring break American history road trip

Williamsburg stockade

James River, Jamestown

Bartholomew Gosnold

Monitor Museum, Hampton Roads

Norfolk Harbor

Luray Carverns

Gettysburg

Early mornings with Mom

A technical entry on the the present (and your future) economic times

Boys, here is just a quick aside on today's economic realities and the ways in which Mom & Dad are trying to prepare for your future.  The effects of computer technology, which began changing the world in our childhoods have greatly accelerated the pace of economic change and so we hope we are doing a good job of preparing for your future. Here are a few charts:

The cost of education and healthcare have risen dramatically which means we are trying to save as much as possible for your education and also keep abreast of other options such as online education and alternate career development paths. Also, we are trying to educate ourselves about healthcare and healthy living so as to minimize the amount we spend on healthcare.

Another effect of technology is the way it has greatly increased the productivity of individual workers while not leading to concomitant increases in wages. Much of the economy consists of low wage jobs and so we are trying to make sure that you have a good education and will be able to access jobs with higher wages.

Lastly, technology has made it easier for corporations and banks to grow across international boundaries. This recent expansion of global banking and corporate business has led to a 'financialized' world where small population of shareholders are reaping great profits while the vast majority (99%) of the rest of the world have become mired in debt and so-called 'debt-servitude'.  Mom and Dad are trying to save money for you and also educate you about the many ways in which a person can become mired in too much debt.

We want you boys to understand information technology and the related economic realities of the world you are going to enter and so thought it would be good to let you know that we are planning for a future where (a) taxes will be very high, (b) education and medical care will be very high (c) easy credit and other financial debt servitude traps will be lurking everywhere.  Educate yourselves using free resources where ever possible. Take good care of your health. Keep your costs of living as low as possible.

Pfizer pfellas

Jamestown (NY) Jammer

Ben's first MiLB cap!

"The Black Bar Business" by Nate

PAL Basketball season's end

Great job Nate and team for ending season by making it to the finals of the Clark Basketball Tournament!

Jump shot!

Pinewood Derby 2014 - Ben & the "Falcons Mobile" #88 Tony Gonzalez tribute car

Ben, we were so delighted to see your #88 Tony Gonzalez car win 3rd place fastest car at the Pinewood Derby! It was an exciting morning. We love you!

Student of the Month

We were so proud to be with at your award ceremony for OAS Student of the Month. Congratulations Nate!!

P.A.L. Basketball Tournament

Cranford wins! Dunnellen basketball tournament. Nate we were so proud to watch you play and to see you awarded the MVP for your team. 

Holiday Concerts

Ben, we really enjoyed your holiday choir performance!

Nate, we enjoyed listening to you play with the 5th and 6th grade orchestras!

The Sound of Music Fan Letter

Ben, You wrote Michael Nigro a fan letter for his performance on the T.V. show "The Sound of Music". It turns out it was his first fan letter ever, and he kindly wrote you back!