It was November 1990 and then-head coach Howard Endelman was leading his women’s tennis team in an early morning sprint workout at Dodge Fitness Center. The team was unhappy and questioning why they needed rigorous training sessions before most of students had even gotten out of bed. Endelman took his team to the squash courts in order to address the issue. The words he spoke that morning have never left the memory of one of his all-time best players, Janette Kizer-Antiles.
Endelman spoke about the importance of giving your absolute best in everything that you do; that if you work hard, believe in yourself, and have a positive attitude, doors will be opened and good things will happen. And as long as you give 100%, regardless of the outcome, you can feel proud of yourself.
Kizer-Antiles took these words to heart as a student-athlete at Columbia. In 1991, she was named first team All-Ivy League, becoming the first Columbia women’s tennis player to receive the honor. She was once again named to the first team as a senior and was the recipient of the Columbia Tennis Award, given annually to the team’s most valuable player. In addition to her commitment to tennis, Kizer-Antiles excelled in the classroom as well. Upon graduating in 1992 with a 3.83 grade-point average, she was awarded the Marion Phillips Scholar-Athlete Award, presented annually to the senior female and male student-athletes with the highest GPA.
Fast forward to 2009. Now a teacher at the Marylawn of the Oranges Academy in New Jersey, Kizer-Antiles inspires her students with those same lessons she learned under Endelman.
After graduating from Barnard College in 1992, Kizer-Antiles began a career in finance, working at Goldman Sachs as an analyst in investment banking for years, and in treasury for one year. In 1995, she returned to Columbia to pursue a master’s degree in business administration. After finishing her MBA coursework in 1997, she spent the following two years working at the U.S. Trust as an analyst/assistant portfolio manager on their Latin American Fund.
It was at that point that Kizer-Antiles decided to take some time off to raise her children. One of those mornings running around the track at Dodge, and away from the grueling practices put on by Endelman, she met a member of the men’s tennis team named Seth. The two wed two years after graduating from Columbia and had three children.
While raising her kids, she was very active in a number of volunteer endeavors, serving as a board member of her synagogue, co-chairing the management of the Oheb Shalom Food Pantry, as well as coaching the U.S. men’s and women’s tennis teams that participated in the 2003 Pan American Maccabi Games in Chile.
As her youngest of three children entered kindergarten, Kizer-Antiles decided she was once again ready to return to the work force. But she was looking for something different. Having volunteered on the international tennis circuit, she felt she had a significant influence on the lives of others, and it was this sentiment that pushed her to pursue a path that involved helping others. She wanted a career where she could shape the minds and characters of young people, and therefore decided to become a teacher.
“I chose to become a teacher to inspire kids,” said Kizer-Antiles. Just like Endelman, she wanted to motivate and challenge her students to be believe in themselves.
Kizer-Antiles teaches at an all-girl school where a majority of the students are minorities from the inner cities of New Jersey.
“As a teacher, I play an important role as motivator to my students – encouraging them to take risks and become more self-confident, to take pride in their work, and to work towards their potential and not to settle for anything less.”
Just as Endelman did for her, Jane Kizer-Antiles is impacting the lives of youths – and she doesn’t need a squash court to do it.
The observance of Black History Month came to its culmination at Marylawn of the Oranges Academy in South Orange on Friday Feb.27 as MaryBeth Ciccone's history classes presented an assembly honoring the contributions to American history made by African-Americans.
The program was a mixture of video, music, and text focusing on the founding of the NAACP, the Civil Rights Movement, and on three major figures in Black History: Daisy Bates, Thurgood Marshall, and Angela Davis. The latter was a centerpiece of the assembly as part of Davis' trial was re-created on stage, giving her story an immediacy as the audience felt they were a part of the event. The program ended with a stirring performance of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," sung by Anje Thompson '12.
Tonyae Burks '09, who portrayed Angela Davis, summed up the experience this way: "Being involved in the assembly was such an honor because it allowed me to contribute to a display glorifying past events that helped make African-Americans what they are today."
Much more than merely reading facts in a textbook, the program ingeniously showed the myriad accomplishments of African-Americans and brought home the fact that Black History should be celebrated every month, not just once a year in February, as the history of African-Americans is woven into the fabric of the history of our country from its earliest days to the present.
ABOUT Marylawn of the Oranges
Marylawn of the Oranges is an all-girl, private, Roman Catholic high school situated in the historic Montrose district of South Orange. Sponsored by the Sisters of Charity, Marylawn is a college preparatory high school for young women. Nearly 75 years old, the school maintains academic excellence steeped in value-based education. Our students, along with their teachers and the administration, form a vibrant community of learners who are committed to the challenge of a rigorous curriculum which fosters initiative, creativity, self-respect and personal integrity.
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ: The following is an article written by a 12th grade Marylawn student, Jasmine Crenshaw, reflecting on Black History Month.
Year after year, February rolls around and flies by without anyone giving too much thought to the speed with which time passes. However, February holds a particular significance, as it has been dedicated to the cultural and historical celebration of the progression of the “Black Race.” More times during the month of February than during any other month, students learn in their schools and communities the contributions made by their ancestors so that generations to come may be free and capable of achieving whatever it is that they set out to accomplish. Hearing these tales, youth find pride in the past, inspiration in the present, and hope for the future that they, too, can be able to conquer many obstacles with which they are certain to be presented.
Young Americans in the 20th century, especially African-Americans, have been faced with many obstacles, such as World War 1 and 2, the Women’s Suffrage Movement, the Great Depression, and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, just to name a few. Though some progress was made, a new challenge was presented, seeming to hinder the amount of that progress. Being looked upon as minorities by the majority, African-Americans were treated unfairly, immorally, and unequally as they were denied the “unalienable rights” allotted to the other citizens of America, and even being segregated simply on the basis of race. African-Americans were frequently called names and labeled derogatorily. Today’s youth learn about and hear the tales of the great Civil Rights leaders and how they fought so diligently to achieve equality for us in the nation that is so often labeled as the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.
In 2008, the year of a very important presidential election, Americans witnessed and were a part of a democratic voting process in which only a century prior, African-Americans were not allowed to participate. Taking part in making history, Americans elected the first African-American to the presidency of the United States of America, Barack Obama. He brought to the office a sense of hope and change needed in a time during which the country is experiencing many difficulties. Inaugurated on January 20, 2009, President Barack Obama, a well-educated man with a successful wife and two young daughters, has become a positive role model for not only young African-Americans, but for the youth of American as a whole.
This Black History Month, as young African-Americans tend to be cast more often than not in a negative light, teenagers and young adults are presented with a strong, intelligent leader who is the Chief Executive of the most powerful country in the world. The youth are given the increased incentive, motivation, and assurance that, with hard work, courage, and determination, anything is truly possible. Becoming more interested in their past, they are able to understand more about how exactly it is that Black people have come so far, and where exactly the future lies.
ABOUT Marylawn of the Oranges
Marylawn of the Oranges is an all-girl, private, Roman Catholic high school situated in the historic Montrose district of South Orange. Sponsored by the Sisters of Charity, Marylawn is a college preparatory high school for young women. Nearly 75 years old, the school maintains academic excellence steeped in value-based education. Our students, along with their teachers and the administration, form a vibrant community of learners who are committed to the challenge of a rigorous curriculum which fosters initiative, creativity, self-respect and personal integrity.
CONVENT STATION, NJ- To me Basketball is a ’labor of love’. Vocationally, my profession is in education, specifically as Guidance Director at Marylawn of the Oranges Academy. Marylawn is a small all girls catholic high school in South Orange, New Jersey. Just under a mile away is Seton Hall University and Marylawn shares, with the Hall, the same blue and white colors and patron saint, Elizabeth Ann Seton. Run by the Sisters of Charity of St.Elizabeth, Marylawn through the years has produced a respected and competitive basketball program.
This past Friday it was an opportunity to be a fan and follow the Lady Knights, coached by Deb Ferguson (coach ‘Ferg’), as they faced Benedictine Academy in the championship game of the North Jersey Catholic School Girls League (NJCGL) at the College of St.Elizabeth.
The past two years Benedictine of Elizabeth defeated the Lady Knights in the final. This season Marylawn swept Benedictine, including a decision three days prior that gave the Lady Knights the regular season title.
The night of the finals it was great to see recent alumnae and parents of present and past students out at ‘St.E’s’ following the Lady Knights. A good student contingent with the cheerleaders and drill(dance) team also made the trip.
In the opening half, Marylawn missed about 10 free throws but due to a solid zone defense built a nine point halftime lead in the final. The remaining 16 minutes were ones to forget. Benedictine came out the second half using screens to free shooters. The rim became a teacup for the Lady Knights as they got looks but nothing dropped. Once Benedictine got the lead late in the third quarter the momentum shifted. Benedictine then held the ball to get their opponents out of a zone then used dribble penetration to exploit the man to man. For the half Marylawn scored just 11 points as Benedictine captured the 48-37 decision.
There was sadness among the Marylawn players in coming so far and not getting another championship banner back in South Orange. There was sadness in a season ending. Especially for yours truly who officiated some of their scrimmages and would stop by daily before practice on the way out to wish the ladies well. Invariably they would ask what game I was officiating or covering (as a writer) that night. More than once senior co-captain Kishawn Archie would say,” Mr. F if you are covering Duke and have an extra press pass let me know.” Officiating and writing requires objectivity but the Lady Knights game me a chance to be a fan. And one with pride in watching them play (schedule permitting) hard with exemplary sportsmanship.
The sadness starts to leaves as you look at the total picture. A regular season league title, a third straight title game appearance and , more important, five senior starters all with at least one partial academic scholarship on the table. A team with a reputation of being humble in victory and gracious in defeat. From the coaches right on down.
Following the game students and alums consoled the players regarding the game but also reminded them of their admirable accomplishments. The players filed out slowly making their way to the team bus. They all had their blue warmup shirts that proclaimed ‘forever a Lady Knight’. The seven seniors ; Kishawn Archie, Jasmine Crenshaw , Abriel Culver, Danielle ‘DJ’ Johnson, Abimbola Olawale, Dasha Superville and Courtney Sweat, all ended their Marylawn basketball careers on this night. Again, they take solace and pride knowing they are part of the Marylawn family. Forever.
ABOUT Marylawn of the Oranges
Marylawn of the Oranges is an all-girl, private, Roman Catholic high school situated in the historic Montrose district of South Orange. Sponsored by the Sisters of Charity, Marylawn is a college preparatory high school for young women. Nearly 75 years old, the school maintains academic excellence steeped in value-based education. Our students, along with their teachers and the administration, form a vibrant community of learners who are committed to the challenge of a rigorous curriculum which fosters initiative, creativity, self-respect and personal integrity.
“Janette Kizer-Antiles inducted into Columbia University Athletics Hall of Fame”
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ: On Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008, Marylawn of the Oranges faculty member, Janette Antiles, was inducted into the Columbia University Athletics Hall of Fame.
A graduate of Barnard College, class of ’92 and the Columbia Business School, Janette is one of only two athletes in the University’s history to win back-to-back 1st team All Ivy tennis honors. In addition to her athletic prowess, Ms. Antiles proved her mettle in the academic arena as well, receiving the Marion R. Phillips Watch as a senior, an award given to the female student-athlete with the highest grade point average.
Janette is married to former Columbia men’s tennis player Seth Antiles and is the mother of Jessica, 11, Michael, 9, and Andy, 8. After graduating from Barnard, Janette worked for Goldman Sachs as an analyst, returned to Columbia, was awarded her MBA in 1997, and then worked for U. S. Trust in portfolio management. Before starting her career in education, Ms. Antiles took some time off to stay home and raise her children, during which time she coached the U.S. men’s and women’s tennis teams that participated in the 2003 Pan American Maccabi Games in Chile.
When asked about her greatest accomplishment since graduation, Janette mentioned that she is especially proud of her role as a faculty member in the Math department at Marylawn of the Oranges Academy. She believes that “beyond the actual mathematics/algebra knowledge that I impart, my goal is to make my students feel that they can be successful, that they are immensely capable, and that with hard work and a positive attitude, amazing things can happen, and what once seemed impossible can become possible.
ABOUT Marylawn of the Oranges
Marylawn of the Oranges is an all-girl, private, Roman Catholic high school situated in the historic Montrose district of South Orange. Sponsored by the Sisters of Charity, Marylawn is a college preparatory high school for young women. Over 74 years old, the school maintains academic excellence steeped in value-based education. Our students, along with their teachers and the administration, form a vibrant community of learners who are committed to the challenge of a rigorous curriculum which fosters initiative, creativity, self-respect and personal integrity.
