34 / matters magazine / school 2017 make.’ But when I applied to the Fund the second year, they found a different donor that was a match with me, and I was able to make that transition.” Today, Fagundez continues to reap the rewards of her education, and now invests in the future of others. After spending three years as a teacher in Newark, where she became close with a number of her students, Fagundez currently works at Donorschoose.org, a crowd-funding platform for teach- ers that helps bring supplies into their classrooms. Meanwhile, her sister Sam Fagundez was awarded a 2017 CHSSF scholarship and is now attending Rut- gers University. Barry-Austin thinks it is the very nature of the CHS student body that enables scholarship recipients not just to realize their own dreams, but to con- tinue to pay it forward. “Our students have benefited from being educated in a diverse community that, I believe, prepares them to be citizens of the world,” she says. “They have the power to be agents of change in our commu- nity, our state and, perhaps, even the world.” As the new school year un- folds, the CHSSF will continue to be part of that transformation. Joanne Fisher, a freelance writer with two sons in the district, is continually amazed by the talent and dedication of the Maplewood-South Orange community. n A proud mother (left) and her daughter, CHS grad class of 2017, at the CHS Schol- arship Awards Ceremony and Reception. Photo credit: Joanne Fisher 401Valley Street, South Orange | 973-378-5906 | villagebabies.com • Curriculum-based Pre-K program • Certified teachers • Infant/toddler program • Spanish in the fall and spring • Before and after school care • Full-time registered nurse on staff AtVillage Babies Development Center, we pride ourselves on providing a safe, multicultural, educational and family-oriented atmosphere. Spanish Music with Mr. DJ Swimming (Summer) Soccer (Spring, summer and fall) Exceptional Care for Infants,Toddlers & Preschoolers Ages 6Weeks - 6Years Weekdays 7 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. “It takes a Village” BASS FAMILY CHIROPRACTIC 491B Valley Street, Maplewood • 973-378-BASS (2277) • www.BassFamilyChiro.com DR. WAYNE BASS Treatment and Rehabilitation for Headaches • Neck Pain • Back Pain Sports/Gym-Related Injuries Disc Problems • Pinched Nerves Auto Injuries • Pregnancy-Related Aches MASSAGE THERAPIST ON SITE. CALL NOW FOR AN APPOINTMENT. 10% OFF your Order with valid student i.d. Open for lunch and dinner, 7 days a week BGR Burgers 9 West South Orange Ave., South Orange 973-762-0050 bgrburgers.com Calling all Columbia High Students CHS