Board of Ed, Union to Enter Paraprofessional Health Care Talks

Situation 'brought to bear by the Affordable Health Care Act,' Montville school board president says.

Concerns over how the Montville Township Board of Education will deal with a new law requiring employers to provide healthcare coverage for full-time employees and what that will mean for Montville paraprofessionals' hours and compensation led several parents of special education students and members of the Montville Township Education Association to speak in support of paraprofessionals at a school board meeting Tuesday night. Among their concerns are that paraprofessionals' hours will be cut to below the threshold that requires healthcare coverage, which would disrupt the number of days, or times of day, they spend with students who have special needs. School board President Dr. Karen Cortellino and MTEA President Peter Porter said they …

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William Mason Shows How Garden Grows

First- and fourth-graders recently enjoyed a beautiful salad they grew themselves.

Students in Clarissa Shell's first-grade class and Jeffrey Dekoyer's fourth-grade class at William Mason  Elementary School in Montville recently enjoyed a salad of radishes, carrots, onions, lettuce, potatoes and other vegetables they grew themselves. The  students were learning hands-on how to maintain a garden by planting, weeding, watering and picking their own crops. As for the salad, "They say it was delicious," said Betsy Steckelman, public relations coordinator for William Mason Elementary Home and School Association.

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Retiring Principal Gets Standing Ovation at BOE Meeting

Hilldale employees sang and shared memories about Marianne Dispenziere, who's retiring after a 45-year career.

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Grant Amps Up School of Rock's Equipment

Montville Education Foundation award will let program's sound evolve, adviser says.

The Montville School of Rock has been awarded a grant by the Montville Education Foundation for new equipment that will allow students to “sound like the bands they listen to on the radio,” School of Rock adviser Anthony Sia said in a news release about the award. The School of Rock grant application was successful partly because of testimony from alumni of the program, which was created by Sia in 2005. “The outstanding component of Mr. Sia’s application was the interview,” MEF President Michael Abramson said. “We had asked that he come prepared to explain how the grant would satisfy student’s educational needs. "He brought several alumni with him who shared their experiences and explained why and how the group’s sound needed to change.” …

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Superintendent Endorses Ending Class Rank

Policy change could be in place by September; valedictorian and salutatorian tradition would remain.

Montville Township School District Superintendent Dr. Paul Fried has recommended ending the practice of ranking high school students by GPA and said a new policy would be drafted for the school board to vote on before the start of next school year. He made his recommendation at Tuesday's Board of Education meeting, which came after town meetings, the creation of a task force to explore the issue and additional town meetings. Fried said it was a "long and thorough path." "The evidence has been both overwhelming and compelling for positive reasons to eliminate that practice and the benefits will benefit all children no matter where they may fall with their class rank," he said at the meeting. He called it an "unofficial recommendation" …

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CCM Will Graduate More Than 1K Students This Spring

Commencement ceremony will include Peace Prize announcement, speech from college president.

The County College of Morris (CCM) will graduate more than 1,100 students Thursday as the college hosts its 44th annual commencement ceremony. CCM President Edward Yaw will serve as the speaker of the event, which begins at 7 p.m. To highlight the graduation ceremony, the school will announce this year's Peace Prize winner, Alisa Brescic of Budd Lake. "Students were invited to create works focused on the general theme of world peace while expressing themselves through a number of artistic forms including writing, music, dance or visual arts," the college noted in a press release. Brescic will be honored for working to advance world peace through her video essay, "The Peace of the U.S." (Watch Brescic's video attached to this article.) This…

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Denobin

11:01 am on Friday, May 31, 2013

Snobbish, boorish comment. CCM and other community colleges are there for those who wish to get and education and improve themselves and their prospects in life. I'd rather hire an 'A' graduate form CCM than a 'C' grad from Princeton.   more ›

Drew University Graduates Class of 2013

"Never allow yourselves to say ‘I’ve done my part,'" Shakespeare scholar tells grads.

Diplomas were awarded to 599 Drew University graduates Saturday on the school's campus in Madison. Michael Bressman, communications associate and special assistant to the president at Drew, shared this account of the ceremony. Drew University’s 145th annual Commencement was held Saturday, marking the graduation of its Class of 2013. The open-air ceremony, which began at 10:30 a.m., was held on the rear lawn of Mead Hall, Drew’s iconic 19th-century campus centerpiece. With University President Vivian A. Bull presiding, graduates heard from keynote speaker Frank Occhigrosso, an acclaimed scholar of Shakespeare who retired this spring after 43 years on the Drew faculty. Speaking to graduates, Occhiogrosso paraphrased Ernest Hemingway, urging…

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Montville Girls End Morristown's LAX Winning Streak

The Colonials fell to the Mustangs 23-16.

After coming off of a high from defeating Randoph on Monday, Morristown girls lacrosse had a bit of a let down with a loss Tuesday on the road against Montville, ending their perfect season. The Mustangs defeated the Colonials 23-16.  “Because of our win today, we got a piece of the conference title,” said Montville coach Jen Mulvaney. “They were the only undefeated team in the conference. We had one loss and Roxbury had one loss so us beating them today gave us a three-way tie for the conference title.” In this three-way tie, Morristown lost to Montville, Montville lost to Roxbury, and Roxbury lost to Morristown. The last time Montville Township High School girls lacrosse won a conference title was 2009. As for Morristown, the team is …

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Seniors May Graduate on New Synthetic Turf Field

'We're almost there,' district business administrator says.

When Montville Township High School seniors graduate on June 20, they could be walking on a new synthetic turf field to collect their diplomas. Installation of the field is on schedule and, weather permitting, the field could be ready for use in June, the school district business administrator said this week. "If anybody has been out towards the front of the high school, I'm very proud to say it looks like we have a synthetic turf field," school district business administrator James Tevis said at Tuesday's Board of Education meeting. "We're almost there," he said. Asked by school board Vice President Dr. Matthew Kayne if the field would be used for the graduation ceremony, Tevis said he expects it will. "At the moment, I foresee graduation…

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New Hilldale Principal Brings Literacy Coach Background

Jill Cisneros has been an assistant principal in Paterson for five years.

An educator from Paterson has been approved by the Montville Board of Education as the new principal for Hilldale Elementary School next year and is scheduled to start the job July 1. The incoming principal, Jill Cisneros, has experience as a teacher, literacy coach and assistant principal in Paterson, and the Montville school board unanimously approved her appointment at its meeting Tuesday. Assistant Superintendent Dr. Casey Shorter said Cisneros stood out as the clear choice in a field of more than 100 applicants. Cisneros was at the meeting and thanked the community for its support. School officials began screening applicants in early April as part of the search, which followed the announcement from Hilldale Principal Marianne …

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