Colonia girl, 13, to sit on board of student magazine Teen awarded spot on Junior Scholastic advisory board BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer KATHY CHANG Thirteen-year-old Morissa Schwartz was one of 10 middle school students chosen from across the country to serve on the student advisory board for a year for Junior Scholastic, a current events classroom bimonthly magazine for sixth- to- eighth-graders. WOODBRIDGE - Thirteen-year-old Morissa Schwartz was one of 10 middle school students chosen from across the country to serve on the student advisory board for a year for Junior Scholastic, the leading current-events classroom bimonthly magazine for sixth- to eighth-graders. "I was so surprised that I was chosen," said Morissa. "When I got the phone call, I could barely speak. My dad was in the other room and I told him right away." Morissa, a seventh-grader at St. John Vianney School in Colonia, said the school librarian introduced the contest that was in the Oct. 2 issue of Junior Scholastic to her class. She joins students from Connecticut and New York to Florida and California on the board. The magazine, which has been serving the needs of students and teachers of grades six to eight for almost 70 years, is the leading publisher of educational magazines with 33 publications for grades pre-K- 12, reaching over 25 million students and teachers across the country. Teachers rely on these publications to enhance instruction in such subjects as science, reading and language arts, math, social studies, current events, history, geography, world languages and art. Scholastic News Online, the magazines' online companion, gives teachers, students and parents an additional resource with which to learn about and discuss current events in the classroom and at home. "Junior Scholastic has a long tradition of inviting our student advisers to articulate their views on issues in news," said Suzanne McCabe, editor of the magazine. "Thoughtful responses like Morissa's encourage our young readers to engage in matters that affect their lives and futures." "I definitely knew I wanted to enter the contest and I wanted to win," she said. "My mom told me I had as good of a chance as anyone else." Morissa had to submit a letter to Junior Scholastic editors describing why she would be a good adviser and offering her ideas for the magazine and list topics that she would like the magazine to discuss. "I suggested the magazine to discuss backpack weight, should kids use cell phones, and if the Iraq war should stop," she said. "Three weeks after I submitted my application, I received the phone call that I made it." Morissa offered her two cents on how she feels about the three topics. The magazine has already chosen to discuss the Iraq War for one of its upcoming issues. "I think the [U.S] troops should stay in Iraq a little longer before we make a decision to pull out, since we have been there so long," she said. "The second topic is whether or not kids should use cell phones. I don't see why kids should have cell phones. I think it's only needed when you are older and for emergencies. I don't like speaking on the phone; I like talking face to face. The other topic is backpack weight. It should only be 20 percent of a person's body, but most of the time kids carry more than 20 percent." Morissa's parents, Sherri and Leon, are proud of their daughter, who just a year ago was struck with third-stage Lyme disease. The once-active, bubbly girl who took gymnastics, dancing and karate classes, plus piano and singing lessons, was subject to doctor appointments and seizures. "Morissa didn't have a life," said Sherri. "She couldn't walk, stand, write, or even hold a book. She had to be home-schooled." Even though Morissa could not write, she was able to write a story for the Discovery Girls magazine about her experience with the disease. "I had to talk to the computer and have the computer write the story," said Morissa. "That was how I was able to write the story." In June 2006, Morissa was able to go back to school for the last week, and by September, she was back to school full time and back to what she loved - learning and activities. Morissa gets straight A's at St. John Vianney, is on the honor roll, takes a chemistry course at Middlesex County College in Edison, plays tennis, will be attending a Johns Hopkins University camp in the summer, and in her free time, she likes to make jewelry. Morissa also helps her mom and dad at their mom-and-pop store, Carpet Maven, on Main Street in Woodbridge.