Two presentations were given at the Moorestown Public Schools Board of Education Sept. 20 meeting, informing the public of positive happenings throughout the community.
The first presentation highlighted the Moorestown Breakfast Rotary Club’s contribution of filling 112 backpacks for students in need within the school district. At the meeting, Superintendent Scott McCartney and Board President Kathy Goldenberg thanked Dr. Benjamin Blank, president of the Moorestown Breakfast Rotary Club, for the club’s efforts.
The Breakfast Rotary members packed each backpack with every student’s specific grade supplies, and the district then distributed these finished backpacks to the homes of the students. Ultimately, 65 males and 47 females were recipients of these backpacks.
“I’m very grateful for the generosity and kindness of the Breakfast Rotary Club in making sure that our students were prepared at the beginning of the school year with what they need,” Goldenberg said. “Being able to be prepared during the first day of school like all other students is a wonderful gift.”
Maria Appalucci, administrative assistant from McCartney’s office, helped Rotary Chairman James Gertie coordinate all the supplies needed for specific students in the beginning of August, and Michael Iaquinto from Edward Jones donated school supplies.
In the second presentation, Moorestown graduate Ben Farber of BioStream Technologies, LLC, explained a new software development that he and the CEO and co-founder, Michael Farber, are developing. They asked the board for permission to field-test their software with a voluntary autistic student population, along with their parents, after school.
These completely voluntary tests would involve no cost to the board, and the software could potentially help Moorestown students and others across the country. BioStream is conducting its research along with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
“I think this new development is very exciting and that innovation and creativity is being explored that will help students with specific needs,” Goldenberg said. “I hope it will be successful in helping students, not only in Moorestown, but all over the country.”
In other news:
• McCartney spoke of the successful opening of school and the wonderful ongoing Back to School nights.
• Goldenberg thanked the staff for their hard work and congratulated them on the publicized achievement in the Newsweek assessment and ranking Moorestown High School as the 112th best high school nationwide.
• Goldenberg shared information of enrollment decreasing from 3,937 last school year to 3,878 during this school year.