Marlton saw key changes in government, police and board positions in 2023. The township also had several celebrations of its residents’ countless achievements and introduced its inaugural holiday light parade.
New police leadership
At the start of the new year, longtime Marlton resident and Evesham Township police Sgt. Trevor Short called it a career after more than two decades of protecting the community.
Short was hired out of the police academy in December of 1997 and held a number of positions – including about three years as an investigator – before his promotion to corporal in 2004. Seven years later, Short was promoted to sergeant and assigned to the department’s patrol division, where he supervised a number of units.
He spent about 12 years of his career with the police department’s Special Response and Southern Regional Special Response teams and served on the Burlington County Civil Response Team. For most of his career, he was a firearms and taser instructor and played an important role in training officers on use-of-force options and scenarios.
Police Chief Walt Miller reflected on his time working with Short and the latter’s connection to the community where he lives.
“Trevor and I have worked together pretty much his entire career, (and) all but six months of my career,” Miller recalled. “He grew up in this town, so that was a huge asset for him and the department.”
Short looks forward to the next chapter in his life, but the friendships he formed in his career make retirement bittersweet.
“I’m definitely going to miss the officers … the camaraderie I had with all of the men and women of the department,” he noted. “I’m happy that I left a good department I know is in good hands with a very high-quality chief who really has the department going in a good direction.”
The “next mountain”
The 2023 Cherokee High School graduating class took to the field on June 16 at William H. Foltz Stadium, where the scoreboard displayed their class year.
More than 550 students received their diplomas during Cherokee High School’s June 16 graduation at William H. Foltz Stadium.
Salutatorian Anton Smolyanyy read his speech to the Lenape Regional High District staff, the graduates and their loved ones, comparing his love of rock climbing to the obstacles the class faced over their four years to reach graduation.
“I feel that, in many ways, our high-school experience as a class can be related to the process of scaling a tiring mountain,” Smolyanyy remarked. “Four years ago, we all arrived at the base of the formidable mountain of high school. The dangerous and rocky slope ascended high into the air toward graduation, its daunting peak covered with snow and ice.
“Looking up at this mountain, at what seems like an eternity ago, this peak seemed unattainable,” Smolyanyy noted. “It seemed distant, and no obvious path presented itself amidst the unknown terrain. Yet, before we knew it, months and years flew by. Day by day, week by week, we conquered this mountain.
“As you walk across the stage tonight to accept your diploma, look upwards toward your next mountain and be inspired by the climb that awaits you,” he added. ”Class of 2023 – the mountains are waiting.”
School board transition
The Evesham Township Board of Eeducation announced the resignation of its president, Lea Ryan, in September and named Vice President Aneesh Kanthan its new head.
Ryan could no longer hold the position of president because of her recent relocation out of the township. Superintendent Dr. Justin Smith read a statement from her at the board’s late August meeting.
“With regret, it’s time for me to announce my resignation (as board president),” Ryan wrote. “I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who elected me to this position. It has been a pleasure working (with members) to make our schools and district great.
“I’m sad because I had every intention of completing my term,” she added, “but unfortunately, since I have moved out of town, I am no longer able to serve.”
The board accepted only one nomination, for Kanthan, so he was unanimously elected president. Board member Joe Fisicaro will serve in Kanthan’s previous role as vice president.
Kanthan closed out the meeting by addressing his relationship with the former board president.
“Thank you to Ms. Ryan for all of her service (on the board),” he noted. “I would’ve been very pleased to have served as her vice president for the rest of my term. She was my president, mentor, and friend.
“So thank you for that, Lea.”
