NJ high school students get a ‘dream’ surprise at American Dream

🎬 NJ high school students got quite a surprise while on a field trip

🎬 They were at the NJHOF American Dream exhibit

🎬 The actor was kind enough to take a photo with them

EAST RUTHERFORD — Students from one New Jersey high school got the surprise of their life while on a field trip with their teacher on Tuesday afternoon.

Union High School history and cultural studies teacher, Nicholas Ferroni took a group of students on a field trip to the New Jersey Hall of Fame at American Dream in East Rutherford, where they ran into and got to meet actor Paul Rudd.

The 55 year old actor from Passaic, who is known for his movie roles in “Clueless,” “Ant-Man,” “Ghostbusters,” as well as playing Phoebe’s husband on “Friends,” was at the mega mall filming his acceptance remarks for the 16th Annual New Jersey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which will air on TV on Nov. 13.

“What could make our field trip to the @newjerseyhalloffame Entertainment and Learning Center even better? How about 2024 inductee, Paul Rudd surprising my students? And seriously, he really doesn’t age,” Ferroni wrote on his Instagram page.

Typically the NJ Hall of Fame induction ceremony is live and has been held at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), The Newark Museum of Art, and The Paramount Theater in Asbury Park in years past.

But this year, the inductees will be honored at the 16th Annual New Jersey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in a pre-taped television special on location at the 10,000-square-foot American Dream facility, which is the permanent home for NJHOF inductees, boasting state-of-the-art exhibits.

These include a simulated space ride called “Fly Me to the Moon” where visitors can experience the thrill of space travel. There’s also a karaoke stage where music enthusiasts can sing along to holograms of Gloria Gaynor, Frankie Valli, and other legends.

Interested in the arts? Visitors can interview holograms of Danny DeVito, Jason Alexander, Connie Chung, Laurie Hernandez, and others in the “Late Night Jersey” television studio.

“The 2024 class of inductees of the New Jersey Hall of Fame illustrate the New Jersey ethic of hard work, determination, and grit,” said Jon F. Hanson, chairman of the NJHOF.

The New Jersey Hall of Fame Class of 2024 is:

Arts and Letters

Gay Talese, Ocean City, author-journalist

Education and Science

Elizabeth Coleman White, Whitesbog, botanist who developed the nation’s first cultivated blueberry

John Forbes Nash, Princeton, genius mathematician who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for Economics

Avi Wigderson, Princeton, computer scientist, mathematician, and Turing Award winner, known for his groundbreaking insights into computer science

Enterprise

George Cooney, Bogota, chairman emeritus of EUE/Screen Gems Ltd, a visionary who built industry-leading entertainment service businesses for over 50 years catering to Madison Avenue and Hollywood

Peter Cancro, Point Pleasant, founder of Jersey Mike’s Franchise Systems, Inc., entrepreneur, businessman, and philanthropist

Donald Katz, Newark, founder of Audible, Inc., award-winning journalist, and author

Performing Arts and Entertainment

Lesley Gore, Tenafly, singer-songwriter known for top-chart hits including “You Don’t Own Me” and “It’s My Party,” she received an Academy Award nomination for “Out Here On My Own,” from the movie Fame, and three Grammy Award nominations.

Warren Littlefield, Montclair, NBC Entertainment president who oversaw the groundbreaking “Must See TV” lineup, including “Seinfeld.”

Paul Rudd, Passaic, actor who has been nominated for a Golden Globe, two SAG Awards, and won a Critics’ Choice Award.

Kevin Smith, Red Bank, director, producer, writer, and actor who helmed the Jersey-based comedy Clerks

Meryl Streep, Bernardsville, actress who has won three Academy Awards, eight Golden Globes, is a Kennedy Center Honoree and received a Presidential Medal of Freedom

Public Service

Father Edwin D. Leahy, Newark, Benedictine monk and Catholic priest, headmaster of St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark

Geraldine Thompson, Lincroft, social reform pioneer and founder of VNA Health Group who earned the nickname “First Lady of New Jersey” due to her philanthropic and social service activities

Sports

Dick Button, Englewood, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist in figure skating, five consecutive gold medals from the World Championships, and an Emmy Award-winning former TV sport commentator

Tim Howard, New Brunswick, former goalkeeper for the United States Men’s National Team, is regarded as one of the greatest American players of all time

Ron Johnson, Summit, all-American running back and captain at the University of Michigan, twice earned all-pro honors with the New York Giants, included in the College Football Hall of Fame, and served as chairman of the National Football Foundation

Phil Simms, Franklin Lakes, former New York Giants quarterback, Super Bowl MVP, and sports analyst

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