As we brainstorm our New Year’s resolutions and optimistically look toward what 2016 may have in store, it’s important that we take a look back at the year that was.
Last year was a busy one for the township of Medford.
From the action-packed school year to the numerous issues of significance handled by town council, there is plenty on which to reflect.
Cemetery purchase discussed, not done
The beginning of the year played host to a wildly popular topic of discussion that often took center stage at the Medford Town Council meetings.
A proposal was introduced to residents in early March — that the township had been discussing the potential purchase of a cemetery as an effort to find new sources of revenue.
Deputy Mayor Jeff Beenstock initially described the project as purely an investment opportunity, as the township was looking to bring in extra revenue from sources other than taxes.
Beenstock described the amount of potential revenue created from the cemetery for the township’s general fund as “substantial,” potentially around $1 million on an annual basis and nearly $80 million over 50 years.
The Medford Cemetery Association approached the township about purchasing the cemetery more than a year before it was publicly announced.
The MCA is a non-profit organization formed in 2008 to manage the OddFellows Cemetery in Medford Village. The organization opened the Park View Cemetery at Kirby’s Mill in 2013.
The Park View Cemetery consists of two locations, one in historic Medford Village and the other in the Kirby’s Mill location.
Unfortunately, the cost of this cemetery would also be substantial, with the original purchase price coming to about $10.88 million.
This had several residents up in arms about a potential large tax increase. Many disagreed with the purchase because they argued the revenue numbers were skewed and were often referred to as totally unrealistic with the township’s steady decline in population.
However, council confirmed it had done its homework after creating a presentation to a packed meeting on April 1.
“We wouldn’t be bringing this up if it wasn’t in the township‘s best interests,” Councilman Chris Buoni said.
News broke on April 16 that the president of the Medford Cemetery Association notified Medford officials that the association had withdrawn its offer to the township to purchase the cemetery.
“It was a relatively quiet meeting. A handful of people came up and commented that had spoken at previous meetings who were pleased by this outcome, and a few people thanked us for our efforts,” Beenstock said.
The township released a statement saying it received and accepted the notice from the MCA.
“The Medford Township Council has accepted this notice and expressed its appreciation to the Medford Cemetery Association for its willingness to explore the feasibility of working with the township on a unique investment opportunity which was expected to benefit all concerned,“ the statement read.
In its final statement, The Medford Cemetery Association concluded that after careful consideration, the false information, negative statements and misrepresentations that have appeared in newspapers and social media could have a negative impact on the cemeteries.
A storm brewed
After everything began to calm down with the storm that was the cemetery project, one of the most devastating storms this area had every seen struck on June 23.
Wind gusts were recorded up to 70 mph, leaving a wide path of destruction throughout Burlington County.
More than 200,000 power outages were reported by Atlantic City Electric throughout South Jersey as of the morning of June 24, and many didn’t regain power until almost a week later.
Communication became a large obstacle with many cell phone towers going down, so township offices took to social media to reach as many people as it could with updates.
The debris left behind created a large obstacle for Medford and surrounding towns. The cleanup process went on for several months.
Folks who had been working in these townships for more than 30 years said it was the worst storm they’ve ever dealt with. Many compared this storm to 2012’s Hurricane Sandy, but this storm was more concentrated, and the towns that were hit had little to no time to prepare.
Township officials held meetings with neighboring towns after the fact to discuss what they could have done differently.
“Any weakness that we feel we showed in dealing with the circumstances will certainly be addressed and be corrected,” Tabernacle Township Administrator Doug Cramer said.
“Hindsight is always 20–20,” Shamong Township Administrator Sue Onorato said. “Unlike snowstorms or hurricanes, we had no time to prepare for this. We are doing everything we can for residents and will look to make improvements moving forward.”
Changes at ‘cranberry’ locations
The popular “cranberry” locations in Medford underwent some major change during 2015.
Early on in March the Pinelands Garden Club announced that it would be installing a butterfly garden at Cranberry Park to help preserve a creature that has been experiencing a population reduction after being around for 40 million to 50 million years.
To combat this issue, the garden club came up with a possible solution to allow butterflies to flourish in Medford.
The project did not cost taxpayers any money, as it was paid for through a butterfly tea fundraiser on April 11. It was also supported by various township businesses and organizations.
The garden club played host to a large butterfly launch on Saturday, June 6.
Cranberry Hall will also be enduring some change as it has been made official that the name of the historic landsite will be undergoing a change.
The building will be renamed after Dr. James Still, a self-taught physician in the Medford area during the 1800s who was widely known as the “Black Doctor of the Pines.”
The idea was originally brought to the attention of council by members of the Medford Historical Society who believed Still’s impact was deserving of a township landmark being named after him.
“A lot of this history is good for our children. Whether they are white or black, they need to hear this story,” descendant of Dr. Still, Sam Still said. “I think this would be a privilege for this township to honor him, and I would support that in any way that I can.”
Council took the notion into consideration, and after some brainstorming, came up with the idea of renaming Cranberry Hall, the original courtroom of Medford that is nearly 100 years old.
Lenape Regional High School District was active
• Out with the old, in with the new. As the class of 2019 began their high school careers, the Lenape Regional High School District looked back at the year that was.
The class of 2015 was a special one that has gone off in their separate directions to chase their dreams but not before leaving a distinct mark on the district.
Students from this class earned an average score of 1591 on the SAT. This is noteworthy because, according to the College Board, a student with an SAT score of 1550 or higher is more likely to get a B- their freshman year of college.
“This is indicative of college success and completion,” Lenape Regional High School District Director of Programs and Planning Matthew Webb said.
The class of 2015 had a graduation rate of 96 percent. This qualifies as above average for Burlington County, New Jersey and on a national scale.
Each school widely celebrated its students’ college acceptances a number of different ways, using its websites, videos, pennants, shirts, tweets and even ceremonies such as the academic award night some schools held.
“I have to say I am extremely pleased with our principals and how they have celebrated their students’ college acceptances,” Webb said.
Last school year was also the best one the district has ever had in terms of students taking AP classes and AP tests.
• Academic tests were not the only thing on which these students scored highly. Last year’s students also scored well on the harassment, intimidation and bullying assessment, being awarded 74 out of 78 total potential points.
Each school has to provide a self-assessment to the state for review, and once this grade is approved by the state, it has to be posted on each school’s website.
“We have an award-winning harassment, intimidation and bullying program that we are proud of,” Webb said.
Webb is referring to the district’s “Step Up and ID program” it plans to continue to build on through seeking teen input.
“Our program encourages every student to walk the walk and defend their friends and classmates if they’re ever harassed or bullied for any reason. It empowers every student and all four Lenape high schools to stand up, step up and be an ‘upstander’ not a bystander,” District Superintendent Carol Birnbohm said.
For the third consecutive year, all four schools have been deemed a “no place for hate” by the Anti-Defamation League Program. Each school will receive its award for this accomplishment during the week of respect in October.
These exceptional students shined outside of the classroom as well, excelling in different things such as community service. Students from across the district partook in in the fifth annual Senior Day of Service last year. They also participated in a clothing drive for Goodwill, collecting an overwhelming 56,373 pounds of clothes to donate to the organization. Cherokee High School edged out Seneca High School in pounds per student and was awarded a plaque from Goodwill.
“We enjoy a friendly competition, but this is for a great cause,” Webb said.
• School officials could not say enough about their excitement for the 2015–2016 year to get underway. The new schedule was a particular highlight on this list of new initiatives.
It was a very long, collaborative process that lead the district to this schedule change, a process that included 48 teachers, 47 students and 23 editors — administrators, custodians, sports staff and child study team members, to name a few
The district made it a point during the 2014–2015 year to focus on communicating the schedule and finalizing the details to be ready to roll when the 2015–2016 year began on Sept. 8.
“We feel there are several benefits to this new schedule,” Webb said.
Increasing instructional time with longer periods, increasing staff collaboration, having a common lunch and reducing academic stress are a few advancements Webb touched on.
• The district was also proud to announce its participation in the statewide “You Got Brains” competition. Fifty-nine New Jersey schools competed in the fifth annual You Got Brains competition sponsored by the Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey.
LDTV won for the third year in a row and the fourth year in the last five years of the competition with its “heads up, eyes forward” message.
Distracted driving is one of the leading causes for brain injuries. LDTV’s message has been displayed on 160 state Department of Transportation digital message boards.
• The LRHSD also had a new app that debuted this past year.
The creation of this app was a yearlong process that has included input from various students. The app includes several features such as being able to customize it to your respective schools, receiving timely news from your school, parents being able to sign up for grade alerts, parents being able to deposit money in their child’s lunch accounts and parents being able to view the four-day rotating schedule.
“This is just scratching the surface of what this app can do,” Webb said.
• Another project that debuted in all four schools this past year was the Project Lead The Way Program, which was only implemented at Lenape and Seneca last year. It is a national program that develops STEM curriculum in high schools.
“STEM is where jobs are today and where the growth is going to be,” Webb said.
• Lastly, the district wanted to show its gratitude in regard to donation numbers from the 2014–2015 school year totaling almost $88,000. This adds to the nearly $2.5 million that has been donated to the school district since it started keeping track of donations in 2007.
A large chunk of these donations have gone to things such as turf fields at Shawnee and Cherokee high schools, and numerous driving simulators for drivers education classes at all four of the high schools.
• 2015 also marked the maiden voyage of the new standardized test that the district will now be using, the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career test.
The PARCC tests were presented to the students exactly as the state Department of Education mandates, according to Birnbohm.
The district did not enforce a “sit and stare” policy. Birnbohm said the district’s staff provided quiet, gentle encouragement for all students to take the test. However, the district did not single out students for refusing the test, as it will not be a graduation requirement for students in high school until 2019.
Birnbohm said Common Core and PARCC’s increased difficulty is not different from changes the state has made in standardized testing in the past.
“We have a history of increasing rigor in our standards,” she said.
Birnbohm described PARCC as an opportunity for students to perfect their skills. She noted other tests such as the SAT are being aligned to Common Core State Standards in 2016 and will feature questions similar to PARCC.
“This is another chance for them to practice and show their proficiency,” Birnbohm said.
The test took place on March 2 and the results were recently released to the public.
LRHSD students in grades nine, 10 and 11 exceeded or equaled statewide percentages of students scoring Level 4 or better and average overall scores for all English language arts assessments.
District-wide math results varied by subject. LRHSD Algebra II results exceeded the state average percent of students scoring Level 4 or better, while LRHSD Algebra I and Geometry results were below the state average percent of students scoring Level 4 or better.
Justin Smith, the district’s assessment, accountability and planning coordinator, noted approximately 33,000 New Jersey students took the PARCC Algebra I and/or Geometry assessment in middle school. Those advanced students’ scores do not factor into LRHSD’s outcomes.
“A more equitable comparison for PARCC algebra and geometry would be to compare the LRHSD average to the New Jersey average of students in grades nine through 11 and not the entire cohort of algebra and geometry test-takers in New Jersey,” Smith said. “This comparison, of LRHSD scores to scores of only high school students in New Jersey, revealed the LRHSD met or exceeded the New Jersey average percent of students scoring Level 4 or better for both Algebra I and Geometry.”
A lot went on in K-8 schools as well
The Medford Township Public Schools also made leaps and bounds this year, as it implemented a full-day kindergarten program and achieved “sustainability.”
It was one of five districts in the state that had each one of its schools recognized for the first ever Sustainability Jersey for Schools certification.
The district has been pursuing the effort to go green for more than a decade by being a leader in utilizing solar projects in most of its facilities to enable sustainability for cost savings in an effort to put money back into classrooms.
The Sustainable Jersey for Schools organization is a new nonprofit that certifies schools in sustainability based on efforts in achieving environmentally “green” practices.
There are numerous requirements these schools must achieve that the organization describes as rigorous.
“Becoming certified with Sustainable Jersey for Schools is a significant achievement for schools and their school district,” co-director of Sustainable Jersey Donna Drewes said. “They are leaders in implementing sustainability measures that save money, improve the learning environment and prepare today’s students to address the challenges of tomorrow.”
“I commend the schools that have achieved certification for their demonstrated commitment toward the long-term goal of a sustainable New Jersey,” co-director of the Sustainable Jersey program Randall Solomon said.
After years of discussion and planning, the full-day kindergarten program finally came to Medford Township Public Schools.
Superintendent Joseph Del Rossi sent a letter to parents on Feb. 4 informing them full-day kindergarten will debut at all five of the district’s elementary schools for the 2015–16 school year.
Del Rossi believes the timing is right to implement a full-day kindergarten program. He said the new program will increase class time for kindergarten students to better prepare them for their academic futures. In addition, Del Rossi said the program will result in no additional cost to the taxpayer.
The district is able to pay for the program mostly through cost containment and a reduction of class sections in the older grades. With the district experiencing a decline in enrollment, the elementary schools will have fewer class sections across the board, which has freed up resources for full-day kindergarten.
With the district now offering full-day classes, half-day classes and the extended kindergarten option will not be continued.
With full-day class, kindergarten students will have more instruction time. However, Administrative Director of Programming and Planning, Thomas Olson stated that there will not be changes to the amount of material the students are learning.
Instead, the additional instruction time will be used for better reinforcement. Olson said teachers will be able to do more enrichment and focus on individual students better. The increased instruction time will also allow classes to put more focus on science, music, art and physical education.
“We want to be attending to the whole child,” Del Rossi said.
Del Rossi described the reaction from parents as “overwhelmingly in support of the full-day program.”
Sports
Medford athletes recorded a number of accomplishments in 2015, from Little League to the professional level.
Medford native Steve Vasturia made it all the way to the Elite Eight of the “March Madness“ NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament.
The University of Notre Dame sophomore shooting guard played a vital role in the success of the team during their remarkable run.
“Everybody wants to play in the NCAA tournament as a kid and win games. Regardless of how far along we were in our college careers, we all had the same mindset, and it ended up being a tremendous experience,” Vasturia said.
Vasturia started every game of the season and averaged more than 10 points per game doing so.
The Irish streak led them to a matchup against an undefeated Kentucky team in the quarterfinals. No team had ever gone 36–0 in NCAA history prior to that season.
Vasturia’s team fought tooth and nail but came up just two points short of the wildcats as they improved to 38–0 on the season.
Another former basketball player from the Medford area who had success at the collegiate level published his first book about his experience with the game this past year.
Tyson Hartnett received a full scholarship offer during his junior year at Shawnee High School to play with a Division-I basketball team at the University of Maine.
However, his experience at the school was not quite what he expected it to be, and after two years of only getting on the court three times, he decided it was time for something else.
During the offseason, he received a call from Rowan’s Head Basketball Coach Joe Cassidy who was interested in having Hartnett play for his team.
He decided to return home to the state of New Jersey where he would finish his college career at Rowan as an all-conference player.
He went on to play professionally after his college days in Sweden, Argentina and Chile all for one year each.
“I tell people I played pro basketball and they want to hear all about it,” Hartnett said. “I’ve experienced all of these things that aren’t normal, and I figured a book would be the best way to express these experiences with people.”
After many years of experiencing life as a professional basketball player, he discovered much of it to be unlike how people described it to be so he decided to write a book based on what he felt to be the truths of being a pro athlete called “Hoop Dreams Fulfilled.”
“There’s a lot that goes on inside the minds of athletes and their families during a career. I want to bring light to these things that people are scared to talk about, or they just don’t know enough about, “ Hartnett said.
Hartnett’s former high school had another successful year on the playing field, accounting for more trophies and banners to decorate the school.
• The Shawnee boys tennis team put together a dominant 21–1 season as they won their fourth consecutive South Jersey Group IV championship, defeating district-rival Cherokee, 5–0.
The title was the culmination of a season head coach Jim Baker described as a total team effort.
“We had to be a real team this year,” Baker said. “More than most years without a doubt.”
The Shawnee Boys Lacrosse team snatched the South Jersey Group III championship back from Moorestown this year, winning their second South Jersey Group III title in three years.
The Shawnee and Moorestown battle for the title has quickly become an annual tradition.
For the third year in a row, the two teams faced off in the title game. For the third year in a row, the game was decided by one goal. For the second time in three years, the game went to overtime.
This year, it was Shawnee coming out on top. After dropping the 2014 South Jersey Group III title game to Moorestown, 10–9, the Renegades got their revenge, defeating the Quakers, 8–7, in double overtime on May 23 for their first sectional championship under second-year head coach Erik Stilley. David Smith scored the game-winning goal for Shawnee to bring home the title.
“It was a big deal for those guys,” Stilley said. “That was my freshman group when I came in, so getting to create success is really special.”
• The Shawnee girls soccer team overcame its past playoff disappointments by breaking through and winning its first sectional championship in nine years.
The Lady Renegades defeated Eastern, 2–0, in the South Jersey Group IV championship on Nov. 12.
The previous season ended in heartbreak as Shawnee was tied with Lenape High School for nearly the entire match in the South Jersey Group IV championship game before the Indians scored with less than five minutes left to stun the Renegades, 1–0.
2015 proved to be a different story for the team that finished with a 20–3–2 record.
After losing to Eastern earlier in the year during a regular season game, the resilient bunch was able to pull off the victory when it mean the most.
“This means the world to us,” senior Alexis Palladino said. “It’s so special right now. It’s just an amazing feeling.”
“After four years, we finally beat them, we finally got it done in the finals, we finally won,” senior Amanda Hartwell-Miller said.
• Resiliency quickly became the motto for the Shawnee Athletics program in 2015.
The girls lacrosse team was also able to bounce back from a huge loss, the loss of one of their teammates.
Katie Kernan, an accomplished defender and team leader for the Renegades when she was diagnosed with brain cancer, passed away at the age of 19 during the summer before the season.
The girls decided to keep Kernan with the team by honoring her through giving co-captain Caroline Farley the opportunity to wear her jersey number.
For the selection, each senior on the team would write an essay nominating a teammate who they thought had characteristics best resembling Kernan. The coaching staff read through the essays and made their selection based on them.
“When we looked to pass it on, we were looking for a player (who was) not only skilled, but exemplified the teamwork,” head coach Aimee Seward said.
Farley wore the number with great pride and the team was able to rally around her and the passing of their teammate to win a remarkable 13 total games in 2015.
• The resiliency also trickled down to the Little League ranks as the Medford 10-year-old baseball team was finally able to overcome losing to their cross town rival, Marlton.
After two years of finishing runner up, Medford beat Marlton by a score of 6–5 to win the 10U Cal Ripken District 5 Title in Southampton.
“When we finally beat Marlton in the district tournament the boys were elated and they really started to believe in themselves, which gave them a lot of confidence going into the state tournament,” head coach Rich O’Brien said.
The irrepressible bunch went on to take home the 10U Cal Ripken southern New Jersey State title after defeating Washington Township by a score of 5–4.
Goodbyes
Medford said goodbye to a few familiar faces in 2015.
Former township manager Chris Schultz was replaced by Kathy Berger after his abrupt resignation in August.
• Schultz was appointed by the former council in 2011 and came on board during a difficult economic time when the town faced a $2.3 million deficit and layoffs in the police, fire and public works departments.
Following a drawn out interview process, the council decided on Berger.
“We are very happy with the job that she is doing filling in our last manager’s shoes, and she continues to do a great job,” Mayor Charles Watson said.
• The township also said goodbye to a cornerstone of the Medford Police force who has dedicated his life to ensuring the safety of the township and its schools since 1990.
Lt. Jeff Wagner began with the Medford Police department as the communication officer in 1990 and became a police officer in 1992.
“Jeff was a consummate professional and was always willing to do anything that was asked of him,” Police Chief Richard Meder said. “He always put the best interest of the township first.”
He also served as a school resource officer, detective and later supervised those units, working intimately with all schools.
“With seven schools, we made calls to the police department several times for a number of reasons,” Del Rossi said. “And even when Jeff was not working, you could bet that Lt. Wagner would be here in less than two minutes.”
• Medford also said goodbye to Thomas Corbi and James Geiger, who served as chairperson and vice chairperson, respectively, of the Neighborhood Services Advisory Committee.
It was a general consensus that no one anticipated these resignations when they were announced at July 7’s town council meeting.
“I wish you would take a hard look at the fact that these people who have worked so hard for the town and so hard for the council and so hard for people of Medford are now resigning,” resident Mike Panarello said. “And if you do not do that, I think you are making a mistake.”
