The Vibe
Although Warren’s residents are spread out over several square miles, they come together when disaster strikes. In 2012, after Hurricane Sandy knocked out power for more than a week, Ms. Weiniger started the Warren Township Community Forum on Facebook, so neighbors could help one another recover from the storm damage. Over the years, the forum has evolved into a site for job postings, finding lost pets and supporting local businesses, which became the primary thrust of WarrenCares, a group of 200 volunteers who sprang into action during the pandemic. By last summer, the group had raised $43,000 to buy 7,250 meals that were distributed to the area’s service providers.
“We had one set of volunteers buying food at local restaurants to help them get through that initial period, when the loss of business was so devastating,” said Ms. Weiniger, a 23-year resident of Warren. “Then a second group of volunteers delivering those meals to emergency medical workers. It was very successful.”
Similarly, gardeners leasing plots at Wagner Farm Arboretum’s community garden grew more than 60,000 pounds of produce that they donated to local food banks last year.
Much anticipated public events, like the annual Lions Club Expo carnival in June, may be postponed again this year because of Covid-related restrictions.
The Schools
Public school students in Warren attend one of four elementary schools from prekindergarten through fifth grade, then go on to Warren Middle School for sixth through eighth grade.
High school students go to Watchung Hills Regional High School, in Warren Township, which also serves students from neighboring Watchung, Green Brook and Long Hill. With 1,936 students, the high school offers 24 Advanced Placement courses, plus 65 clubs and extracurricular activities, including Model United Nations, robotics and an award-winning performing arts program. The average SAT scores for students at Watchung Hills in 2019-20 were 594 in reading and writing and 596 in math, compared with state averages of 536 in both.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nytimes.com
