Remember Ukraine? Seeing this NJ show will help those children

In America we are notorious for a short attention span. I don’t think that’s our fault. The rapid-fire media culture in our country dictates it. The human brain will only hold on to so much information before making room for the new.

So it may be easy to have not thought much in the past few weeks about how there’s still a tragic war going on in Ukraine and, sadly, all based on one lunatic’s ego.

Thousands of civilians have been killed and more injured. Many of them children. Still more children have been left orphaned or homeless. Refugees have come to New Jersey.

A New Jersey theater group is doing their part to help, and a local New Jersey high school is playing host to their event. Franklin Theatre Works is putting on a production of "Oliver!" this month and all proceeds are going to help the children of Ukraine.

It’s taking place at a local New Jersey high school where my son and daughter attend so this hits home for me and I want to help get word out. Hunterdon Central Regional High School in Flemington will host the musical on Saturday, June 25 and Sunday, June 26.

Franklin Theatre Works Ensemble Theatre of New Jersey via Facebook

The Saturday show is at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday is an afternoon show at 2:00 p.m.. If you’d like to enjoy a great production and help out the most innocent of victims at the same time you can purchase tickets here.

The performance ought to be great. Franklin Theater Group is paid professional actors and has taken on shows like "Sweeney Todd," "Pride and Prejudice," "Jane Eyre," "The Hunchback of Norte Dame" and "Wizard of Oz," just to name a few.

Also, the venue of Hunterdon Central Regional High School has an amazing auditorium. I saw the students’ production of "Les Misérables" there (many of whom were as good as any Broadway actor) and the seating is comfortable and lighting, sound and overall production top-notch.

Tickets range from $25 to $50 and remember proceeds will go towards the very noble cause of helping the children of Ukraine.

Hunterdon Central Regional High School is at 84 Route 31 in Flemington, New Jersey. If you can’t make it but know anyone who might want to see a great show and help out a great cause share this link.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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New Jersey high school graduation rates

The lists below show 4-year graduation rates for New Jersey public schools for the 2020-21 school year. The statewide graduation rate fell slightly, from 91% in 2019-20 to 90.6%.

The lists, which are sorted by county and include a separate list for charter schools, also include a second graduation rate, which excludes students whose special education IEPs allow them to qualify for diplomas despite not meeting typical coursework and attendance requirements.

Columns with an asterisk or 'N' indicate there was no data or it was suppressed to protect student privacy.

Gallery Credit: Michael Symons

Average SAT scores for all NJ high schools, 2020-21

Average SAT scores for the 2020-2021 school year are listed by county, from highest to lowest. Data includes the combined score, as well as the average scores on the math and reading/writing sections.

Participation rates show the share of 12th graders in the Class of 2021 who took the SAT in 2020-21 or in prior years.

High schools aren't listed if there is no data or the number of students participating was low enough that average scores were not publicly reported to protect student privacy.

Gallery Credit: Michael Symons

2022 primary for U.S. House elections in New Jersey

The filing deadline for candidates to run in the June 7, 2022 primary was Monday, April 4.

Sixty-three candidates met the filing deadline, including 41 Republicans and 22 Democrats, but some petitions were ultimately disqualified because they didn't have the required 200 signatures from eligible voters in their political party who reside in the district.

In total, there are 56 candidates: 36 Republicans and 20 Democrats. A few have recently suspended their campaigns but will remain on the ballot.

Gallery Credit: Michael Symons