For Jessica Smith, a sophomore at Fair Lawn High School and entrepreneur extraordinaire, joining the Future Business Leaders of America Club “was a no-brainer.” Smith is at the organization’s national competition in Orlando, Florida. She was chosen to represent Fair Lawn after placing first in a marketing competition at the state level.  The Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) was founded in 1937 with the goal of preparing students for business-related careers. There is a high school division with 215,000 members, a middle school division with over 20,000 members, and a college level …

The championship-winning Fair Lawn High School boys volleyball team continued an offseason full of recognition at Tuesday night's Borough Council meeting—but this time shared the spotlight. Previously honored by the Board of Education and nationally ranked by ESPN, the Cutters received more certificates for their 37-2 season that ended in a state title against Southern, New Jersey's two-time defending champion. Nicole Pachner, Jennifer Stefanik and Megan Rodriguez were also recognized at the meeting for earning the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award. Pachner set up a display to honor fallen …

Will Scully, junior at Fair Lawn High School, is on his way to achieving an Eagle Scout rank that few Boy Scouts ever even attempt. On June 5, 11 and 12, Will supervised and participated in a cleanup at the Fair Lawn Memorial Cemetery and Mausoleum. This project took over 200 hours of work by 27 people, including Boy Scouts from Troop 53 as well as friends and family. Four hundred and fifty veterans’ graves were cleared. According to Will's mother, Katie, his “family members have served in every military conflict since the Revolutionary War and this is Will’s way of remembering them.” Will …

Zachary Stein, a sophomore special education student at Fair Lawn High School, wants to attend culinary school and have his own cooking show when he graduates. Those lofty goals come as no surprise because he is used to being in the spotlight—as an ambassador for the March of Dimes.  When Bob and Lynn Stein began bringing their son to March of Dimes’ fundraising events, they never thought that at age 16, he would be an accomplished fundraiser. For his years of service to the non-profit organization, Zachary was recently invited by the New York Yankees to meet the players, receive autographs …

Daniel Nugent, a senior star on the top-ranked Fair Lawn High School boys volleyball team, was recently honored as one of 335 high school athletes who earned a total of $120,000 in college scholarships from the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association. Recognizing scholar-athletes like Nugent "epitomizes our organization’s core mission, which is to provide education-based interscholastic athletics which support academic achievement, good citizenship and fair and equitable opportunities for students," NJSIAA Executive Director Steve Timko said in a statement. The scholar-athletes …

The local chapter of Garden State Grandmas donated $300 on Tuesday to the cause of 12-year-old borough resident Adam Ehrhart, who is raising money to help defray costs for the treatment of an 11-year-old cancer patient. At the Fair Lawn Senior Center, Terry Davis—president of the chapter—presented the check to Ehrhart and Zack Latteri of River Vale, who is suffering from leukemia. For his mitzvah project at Fair Lawn Jewish Center, Adam is selling orange bracelets that say "Attack for Zack" for $3 each and giving all the money to his new friend. So far, he has already raised over $600 for the…

It's one thing for a 12-year-old piano player to be applauded for performing at a school play, assembly, or other local function. But seventh grader David Belkin of Fair Lawn is on another level—he received a standing ovation a New York City's Carnegie Hall. David, a classical pianist who attends Thomas Jefferson Middle School, was invited to play at the famed venue after winning an international piano competition, in which young pianists from eight other nations took part. It is the third major competition he has won this year. He also placed first in the esteemed Young Pianist Competition, …

Earlier this month, 9-year-old Naomi Kutin of Fair Lawn competed in the 100% Raw National Masters and New England Powerlifting Championship in Burlington, Vt. Watch videos of her squats and deadlifts at right. At a bodyweight of 88 pounds, Kutin competed in the youth category. Her squat of 187 pounds not only set a new youth category record, but also set a new record for the women's open category (the previous mark was 180). She attempted an all-time raw record of 205, but that will have to wait for another day.   Kutin benched 66, which was a personal best, and deadlifted a new youth …

As a sophomore at basketball powerhouse Paterson Catholic High School, David Rosado of Fair Lawn witnessed the school's closure, and upon transferring to Saddle River Day School (SRDS) "had to play a lot of catch-up because he wasn't known in this area," Rosado's stepfather Mike Martocci says. The sixteen-year-old Rosado certainly caught up, and then some. He averaged 26.3 points per game this past season as a junior for SRDS, leading all high school players in North Jersey. In the process, the 6-foot-3, 185-pound Rosado has helped turn around the SRDS basketball program, leading a team that …

Know a great kid kid who made Eagle Scout? Did the youth basketball team win a weekend championship? They may be our next Patch Whiz Kid honoree or honorees. Each week, Fair Lawn Patch will seek suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens and even sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments. We want to hear about these amazing children and teens, and select one each week as the Patch Whiz Kid. Submit your nomination in our comment box below or email the information to Jacob.Kamaras@patch.com. Be sure to include all of the following information: Nominator's Name …

Legos. Just about everyone grew up playing with those colorful interlocking plastic bricks that you could fit together to create all sorts of things like vehicles, buildings, and robots. But for seven-year-old Sam Gross of Fair Lawn, Legos are about more than just having fun. This second-grader at Warren Point Elementary School is what the 1980s coined a “Lego Maniac.” Last summer, at age six, Sam constructed a 6,000-piece Lego Taj Mahal—a set that is geared toward kids at least twice his age. Sam then moved onto the Lego carousel, which had fewer pieces but was much more difficult. Still, he…

Know a great kid kid who made Eagle Scout? Did the youth basketball team win a weekend championship? They may be our next Patch Whiz Kid honoree or honorees. Each week, Fair Lawn Patch will seek suggestions from readers for individual kids, youth groups, teens and even sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments. We want to hear about these amazing children and teens, and select one each week as the Patch Whiz Kid. Submit your nomination in our comment box below or email the information to Jacob.Kamaras@patch.com. Be sure to include all of the following information: Nominator's Name …