At the Delran Board of Education meeting on Monday, Sept. 23, Superintendent Brian Brotschul and the board honored several students and school crossing guards for their hard work.
The meeting opened with a remembrance and reflections of Morris R. Burton Jr., who recently passed. A few words were spoken by board of education speaker Joseph Biluck Jr. in remembrance to Murton, who, it was was stated, was a fixture in the community and as simply a good person.
After a moment of silence, several students were honored for their achievements in Boys State, Girls State, Governor’s School, 2020 National Merit Scholarships and their efforts in painting the cafeteria of Millbridge Elementary School.
The first students to be honored were the volunteer students for Millbridge. Together with their teacher, Lindsay Dunham, Allison Duff, Mikayla Leal, Rachel Nahila, Krisha Patel and Kylie Perez turned a bland entrance into a vibrant and colorful walkway. The group was honored by Millbridge Principal Jennifer Lowe.
The next two groups to be honored were the Boys State and Girls State representatives from the high school. Presented by Daniel Finkle, Boys and Girls State are two organizations that teach students about politics at the county, local and state levels. Representatives are chosen to run for a position within those categories, for example, board of education or council.
After these programs are over, two students are chosen from each state and sent to Boys and Girls Nation, which then teaches students about the politics of state and federal government.
The students who were honored included Sera Lukens, Mia Lanzilotta, Emily Jellison, Brooke Hennegan, Brennadette Beebe, Trinity Governa, Colin Kremus, Anthony Lavery, Ryan Wachter, Connor Shanahan, Alessandro Gonzaga and Ethan Chou.
Colin Kremus was also honored with Justin Ma in the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program for placing in the top 50,000 students in the country in the PSAT. Ma was also honored for his role in Governor’s School.
Following the honoring of the students, Brotschul wanted to appreciate the crossing guards.
“We want to point out the great service that the district and township crossing guards serve for all the various schools and students that walk to school,” said Brotschul. “Tonight we invited all of the crossing guards that served well over 800 students that walk to school. There is nothing more important than student safety and having another set of eyes on the young men and women as they navigate there way to school.
“I talk to a lot of kids and certainly principals and teachers around town, and it’s not rare that they point out the great service in our district with our crossing guards,” Brotschul continued. “They point out who their crossing guards are and they know them by name. They’re certainly happy and fortunate to have a great group of people who serve our students every second of every day, whether its beautiful like it was today or raining or snowing, whatever the conditions are, they are always there.
“So it’s with great importance that as the board of education and Delran School District Administration that we stop and pause and say ‘thank you,’” said Brotschul. “Also, to say the service you provide, not just to the students but the township, is invaluable.”
The board of education and the superintendent honored Joan Benett, Roosevelt Brown, Ann Marie Galletti, Dawn Gaven, Annette Haggerty, Karen Harper, Linda Holman, Joyce Kuhn, Fred Neuman, Judy Ogozalek, Fred Pfeffer, Mary Lou Schofield, Walter Smith, Colleen Bowman, Diana Kaluhiokalani, Donna Levin, Ann Masucci and Barbara Miller.
