Latest / Lawrence Together / Celebrating the Class of 2026, Jamie Ding Comes Home & Summer Plans – June 4, 2026
Transcript
- Welcome to Lawrence Together, your community podcast for Lawrence Township, New Jersey. Today's episode covers news and updates from Latest in Lawrence, dated June 4th, 2026, and the Lawrence Township Public Schools QuickNews, also dated June 4th, 2026. Let's get started. We begin with township news from Latest in Lawrence. There are two important public meetings coming up this Monday, June 8th. The first is a Special Meeting at Town Hall, starting at 6 in the evening in the Main Meeting Room. This meeting is focused on the future of the Lawrence Neighborhood Center. Township officials will take public comment and discuss final considerations before a formal Request for Proposals is put together for Council review. No votes or official actions will be taken at this meeting. Residents are encouraged to attend and share their input before the process moves forward. The second meeting on June 8th is a Historic Preservation Committee meeting at 7:30 in the evening. Then, on Thursday, June 11th at 7 in the evening, the Township will hold a Lawrence Township Master Plan Meeting at the Lawrence Senior Center, located at 30 East Darrah Lane. This is your chance to hear an update on the Master Plan, ask questions of the panel, and share your thoughts on the direction of our township. If you would like to speak, simply sign in at the meeting. Speakers will be called in sign-in order and will have 5 minutes each. If you would like to submit a question in advance, you can email B giglio at lawrencetwp dot com by Monday, June 8th at 6 in the evening. Here is an important update for anyone who mails correspondence or payments to the Township. The P O Box 6006 mailing address is being discontinued. All future correspondence, including payments, should now be sent to: Township of Lawrence, 2207 Lawrenceville Road, Lawrence Township, New Jersey, 08648. If you have any scheduled payments set up, please update them to reflect this new address. From the Recreation Department: Spring and Summer programs are now open! The Township offers a variety of fun and engaging activities for youth and adults. One highlight is Safety Town, a program now open to both kindergarten and first-grade students. Kids learn about everyday safety through visits from police, fire, and E M T professionals, covering topics like home safety, fire safety, and how to call 9-1-1. Safety Town runs from June 25th through July 3rd, from 9 in the morning to noon. You can register through the Township Recreation Department. For our senior community, the Lawrence Senior Center has a great new fitness option coming up. Senior Zumba classes with instructor Sylvia will run every Wednesday from 2 to 3 in the afternoon, starting June 17th and ending July 29th. That is a 7-week series for twenty-eight dollars. Classes are modified for residents 60 and older, no experience needed, and you must be a registered Lawrence resident to participate. Visit the center or call 6 0 9, 8 4 4, 7 0 4 8 to sign up. The Senior Center is located at 30 East Darrah Lane. From the Health Department, a couple of helpful reminders. First, if you have a dog in Lawrence Township, please make sure your pet is licensed. Animal Control is reaching out to more than 500 dog owners with delinquent licenses, and starting this month, summonses may be issued for unlicensed dogs. A nine-dollar late fee is currently in effect, and rabies vaccinations must be valid through November 2026. For questions, contact the Township Clerk's Office. Second, free at-home COVID-19 test kits are available at the Lawrence Health Department, provided by Mercer County, while supplies last. You can reach the Health Department at 6 0 9, 8 4 4, 7 0 8 9. A wonderful story from our Police Department: the Lawrence Township Police Department and Fraternal Order of Police Lodge number 209 raised more than one thousand dollars for the 43rd Annual Law Enforcement Torch Run benefiting Special Olympics New Jersey. On June 5th, officers participated in a 4-mile leg of the Torch Run, which concluded at The College of New Jersey and marked the start of the 2026 Special Olympics New Jersey Summer Games. Congratulations and thank you to everyone who contributed. For our community resources this week: the Mercer County Cooling Centers list is available and updated whenever excessive heat is in the forecast, so check in if you or a neighbor needs relief. The Medi-Cool Program, supported by Mercer County, provides air conditioning units for eligible low-income seniors and adults with disabilities. Call 6 0 9, 4 4 3, 4 4 6 4 or email for an eligibility screening. And if you are a homeowner struggling with mortgage payments due to financial hardship related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Emergency Rescue Mortgage Assistance program may be able to help. Visit the Township website for details. Also coming up this Saturday, June 6th, is the David Brearley Fun Run. Come celebrate the birth of American Founding Father and Constitution signer David Brearley with a scenic 5K run or walk starting at 8:30 in the morning at the Brearley House, located at 100 Meadow Road. The course follows the Delaware and Raritan Canal to the Port Mercer Canal House. It is a beautiful way to spend a Saturday morning. Now, let's turn to news from Lawrence Township Public Schools. The school district has one last opportunity for community members to shape the future of Lawrence Township Public Schools. Strategic Planning Session number 3 is coming up on Monday, June 8th. The first two sessions brought together more than 160 community members, including staff, parents, students, and residents, for thoughtful conversation about the district's goals for the next five years. This third and final session will go even deeper into what the community needs and wants. All are welcome, and you can register on the district's website. The session is in the evening on June 8th, running from 6 to 7. Also on June 8th, the Board of Education will hold its regular meeting. On June 10th, the Lawrence Middle School Spring Concert featuring band and 8th grade chorus runs from 6:30 to 8:30 in the evening. And on June 11th, the orchestra and 7th grade chorus perform their spring concert, also from 6:30 to 8:30. Spring concerts have been a wonderful tradition across the district this season, with students from every grade level taking the stage. From the youngest chorus performers at the elementary level to middle and high school band and orchestra musicians, it has been a season full of growth, creativity, and beautiful music. A big congratulations to all student musicians and music educators. Congratulations are also in order for the Class of 2026 at Lawrence High School. The Senior Awards Ceremony, held on May 28th, brought together students, families, faculty, and staff to honor graduates for academic excellence, leadership, service, artistic talent, and athletic achievement. And on June 1st, the annual Sports Awards Banquet recognized student athletes for an outstanding year that included record-breaking performances, championship seasons, and Colonial Valley Conference Tournament titles. The evening's keynote speaker was Brett Brackett, a Lawrence High School Class of 2006 alumnus, who spoke about leadership, perseverance, and the impact of athletics. Thank you to the Lawrence High School Athletic Booster Club and the Lawrence Township Public Schools Athletic Department for organizing such a special evening. Looking ahead: on June 16th at 6:30 in the evening, doors open at 6:15, the Lawrence High School auditorium will host A Night with Jamie Ding. Jamie Ding is a Lawrence Township resident who became a Jeopardy champion, finishing 5th all-time for consecutive games won with an impressive 31-game streak. He also earned eight hundred eighty-five thousand, six hundred five dollars in total regular-season winnings, placing him among the very best in the show's history. This is a free event open to students and families. Note that this is a new date, so even if you registered previously, please register again on the district's website. For graduating seniors, there are two exciting events to know about. The Lawrence High School Project Graduation Seat Raffle offers two winners V I P seating for a family of 10 at graduation at the Cure Arena. Tickets are twenty dollars for one chance, fifty dollars for three chances, and one hundred dollars for seven chances. The drawing takes place on June 15th at 7 in the evening. If you donated one hundred twenty dollars or more this year, you are automatically entered. For questions, email L T P S project graduation at gmail dot com. And Project Graduation itself takes place on June 23rd, running from 11 in the evening until 5 in the morning, right after commencement. It is free for all Lawrence High School seniors and features games, karaoke, prizes, raffles, food, and more. Seniors who attend will not need to come to school on June 24th. Seniors, not parents, must complete the registration form on the district's website. Lawrence High School seniors only, no guests permitted. There are also several community programs worth knowing about. A Community Lunch with a Youth Mental Health Panel is coming up on June 11th at noon at the Community Well, co-located with the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville. The discussion will focus on teen anxiety and the pressures facing today's youth, guided by mental health and advocacy professionals. All are welcome to attend and register through the link provided in the newsletter. The 2nd Annual Lawrence Pride Fest is Sunday, June 14th, from 9 in the morning to 2 in the afternoon at Lawrence High School. Organized by Lawrence Neighbors Together, the day features live music, local vendors, food and drinks, and a Pride Fun Run and Walk starting at 9. Everyone is welcome to join. For families with rising 4th graders, the Lawrence Intermediate School Rising 4th Grade Open House is on June 9th from 6:30 to 8 in the evening. And Unity Day, a beloved tradition that brings 3rd graders from all four elementary schools together for a day of games and new friendships before the transition to Lawrence Intermediate School, already took place this week. In one memorable moment, a student ran across the playground shouting "I love it here," which says it all. For families with summer plans in mind, there are several programs highlighted in the newsletter, including Camp Westrick for music lovers running August 3rd through 7th, the Primetime Summer Basketball Camp for students entering grades 3 through 9 at Lawrence High School, and the S E A L Academy S T E A M Summer Camp at the Princeton Jewish Center running July 6th through August 14th. Details for all of these programs are available in the district's Online Backpack. Finally, a note for all district families: starting in September 2026, the Away for the Day policy will take effect in all Lawrence Township Public Schools. Personal electronic devices, including cell phones, smart watches, earbuds, and similar technology, must remain put away and unused throughout the entire school day, from first bell to last. The goal is to help students stay focused, build stronger connections, and fully participate in the school experience. That's all for this edition of Lawrence Together. If you haven't already, be sure to subscribe so you never miss an update from our community. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next time.