Application will allow renovations at the school
At the final Monroe Township Board of Education meeting of 2018, another step was taken toward remediating the mold situation at Holly Glen Elementary School.
The board passed a resolution to send an application to the state Department of Education to allow engineering firm Federici and Akin to begin alterations and repairs to Holly Glen. All nine board members voted in support.
Ed Knorr, an outspoken resident when it comes to the Holly Glen situation, spoke during public portion regarding the resolution.
“Finally something is moving with Holly Glen,” he said. “I have to acknowledge Mr. Perry for his actions in getting things done in two months.”
This was the final meeting for two board members — George Adams and James Henderson. Board member Jeff Simpler spoke on behalf of the two.
“Jimmy Henderson and George Adams, this is your last board meeting. To say you won’t be missed is an understatement because you will,” Simpler said. “I appreciate your service; I appreciate everything that you did. Know this, regardless of how many times the board has been told this — you can take away from here with your chins held high knowing that you care. As much as I want to thank you two gentlemen, I want to thank your families even more for the sacrifices they gave by allowing you to sit up here and do the work for our school district. Thank you.”
Board President George Caruso noted Adams has served on the board since 2012, Henderson since 2016.
Henderson addressed the board and community with a heartfelt note.
“I’d like to give thanks to God for life, health and strength. He has truly blessed me — I had the opportunity to serve this district in two different positions: one as a director of secondary schools and the other as a board member,” he said. “My family and I have had a long and positive history in this district. I graduated class of ’65, my brother class of ’66, my wife class of ’67, my son class of ’95, my twin girls class of ’97, my oldest grandson class of 2016. My youngest grandson is in the fifth grade. The quality of education we received in this district provided us with the opportunities to move on to post secondary schools. This district has the potential of being the №1 school district in the county. We have experienced administrators, we have fantastic teachers and we have a great support team.”
Henderson discussed the reorganization meeting in January as well. He advised the board to set politics and personal feelings aside when choosing officers and committees to make this district reach its potential.
Adams kept his address short and sweet. He thanked everyone for the warm wishes and for allowing him to serve on the board.
In other news:
- Councilman Joe Marino, who is the liaison to the board of education, suggested the board have a liaison to attend council meetings.
“There’s times where the council liaison can’t make your meeting. It might be a better way for us to communicate as time goes on. You guys would nominate somebody on the board to come to one of our council meetings monthly to let us know what’s going on. It might be a better way to share information back and forth.”
Caruso said the board will discuss the matter after the reorganization meeting.
- Ryan Carlin, director of the Williamstown High School Chamber Choir, said the choir placed third in B101’s Christmas Choir Competition. For finishing third, it received $1,000 for the music program. The song submission was “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
- Simpler thanked Radix Elementary School/Holly Glen students for their donations of hats and gloves for underprivileged children. With their support, along with the community, he and his wife were able to help 162 children this year for Christmas.
- Caruso ended the meeting by looking toward the future.
“This district is a sleeping giant. The past is gone — 2019 and beyond is going to be a pleasure here. Everyone is going to be very, very happy with the results.”
