After Hurricane Sandy hit Verona, the Board of Education juggled the public schools’ calendar to provide for a snow day. Thanks to a mild winter, we didn’t need it, so now the BOE is giving it back: Verona’s public schools will be closed on Friday, May 24.
Here’s hoping it’s good weather that day.
Thursday, May 9, was the night of Laning Avenue School’s spring art show. The title of the evening was “Peace, Love and Art”. The evening featured an art gallery throughout the school and art activities, all spearheaded by art teacher Lisa Varuolo.
The most stressful and highly anticipated time of high school is finally upon us: decision time. To make this process a little less painful, the North Essex Chamber of Commerce and Chyten Premier Tutors and Test Prep of Montclair are offering a $1,500 scholarship for students within the North Essex district. One student from each of the high schools—Verona, James Caldwell, Mount St. Dominic Academy, Montclair, and West Essex—will be awarded the scholarship.
“We’re very excited to give these seniors this tremendous opportunity,” said Roger Ochoa, chamber member and owner of Chyten Tutors and Test Prep in Upper Montclair. “This time of year is demanding enough for these students, we’re delighted to help them out.” Applications for the scholarship should be located in students’ local guidance department. The deadline for submission is MAY 28, 2013. No applications will be considered after this time. On or before May 31, NECC Scholarship committee will select the successful applicant from each school. Winners will be notified and names will be announced the week of June 3, in time for the scholarships/awards ceremonies at the high schools and the NECC leadership banquet on June 12, 2013.
The scholarship reflects the NECC’s goals of establishing a solid relationship with the community. Steve Forte, superintendent of schools in Verona, pointed out the importance of “getting more involved with the local businesses,” and was pleased to know that this relationship “will benefit a Verona family.” The criteria for the scholarship are as follows: an essay involving the mission of the NECC (30 points), economic need (20 points), academics and extracurricular activities (20 points), work experience volunteerism (20 points), and recommendations (10 points). The essay will have a maximum 500 word limit. Recommendations are required, and as shown, need-based students will be given additional weight.
The sponsor, Chyten Tutors and Test Prep Montclair, offers premier quality tutoring for a range of topics and exams. Its individualized tutoring approach guarantees significant academic improvement for each one of its clients. All Chyten teachers hold masters degrees and above. Recently, Chyten of Montclair programs have helped students raise their SAT scores as much as 450 points, and ACT scores by up to 8 points.
Since its creation in 1969, the essential mission of the North Essex Chamber of Commerce has involved working to develop the success of the local business community. Through education, networking and volunteer initiatives, the Chamber empowers businesses to grow and make a positive impact in our communities and beyond. As a result, all residents and businesses can benefit from the positive influence that the NECC exercises in the community.
For information about the NECC, visit www.northessexchamber.com. Application for Chamber membership is available on the website. Annual dues for non-profits, schools and municipalities is $250.
For more information about Chyten of Montclair, please contact Roger Ochoa (973) 744-7737, or rochoa@chyten.com. Chyten of Montclair is online at chyten.com/UpperMontclair-NJ, or on Facebook at fb.com/montclair.chyten.
There’s a letter going around Montclair asking parents to petition the town’s new superintendent for a return to live instruction of foreign languages.
According to BaristaKids, the former super cut language teachers from all schools but Nishuane/Hillside in the 2010-2011 school year and replaced them with computer programs, such as Rosetta Stone, that are now being regarded as inadequate and not in compliance with state mandates. The letter says in part that:
“It is embarrassing that other neighboring districts such as Belleville, Elizabeth, Glen Ridge, Livingston, and Verona, fully comply with the state requirements for regular elementary world language instruction and Montclair does not.”
Of course, foreign languages have been under threat in Verona too. Laning Avenue Elementary had to stop teaching French this past September and switch students to Mandarin. Parents of Laning fourth graders have been advised that if they want their children to switch back to French in middle school, they will need to participate in a lottery. There also was a plan to have all Verona elementary schoolers alternate between Spanish and Mandarin in the same school year, but that appears to be on hold.
You can read more about parents’ objections to the computer-only language learning on BaristaKids.
If the center of town seemed a little quiet and a little more sparsely populated than usual around 3 p.m. last Friday, it’s because 299 H.B. Whitehorne students were not around. By the time that school let out, the students were enjoying some well deserved free time at Great Adventure after loading onto buses at 6 a.m. and beginning concert performances for Music in the Parks at Monroe High School by 8:15 a.m., just as their peers were starting their day. The morning was quite busy for students, teachers, and chaperones but well worth every minute of concert time.
If you’ve never been to this event in person and are wondering what all the excitement is about, perhaps comparing it to a sporting event will offer some perspective. Imagine an all day soccer or lacrosse tournament. The early wake up with plenty of coffee, a long drive to your destination, circling the parking lot of a town sports complex to find your field, and then, finally, the warm ups. Then, with the blow of a whistle, it’s game time. Watching your child play his or her best, fists clenched and eyes glued to the field. Cheering for an excellent play, applauding team work, and waiting. Waiting for the next half with the same level of anticipation and even more hope for a winning moment. In the end, after several matches, you relax until it’s award time. The anticipation builds anew and when your team, and the other teams from town in different age brackets, are announced as winners you couldn’t be any more proud of your child and the team efforts put forth. The Music in the Parks band festival was no different, and with plenty of rewards at the end.
HBW’s White, Maroon, Gold, and Jazz bands, as well as the choirs HB Voices and Acoustics have been participating in the Music In The Parks Festival for more than 20 years. By the end of the day, the White, Maroon and Jazz bands all received performance ratings of “Excellent” and the Gold Band received ratings of Superior and Best Overall Concert Band performance. The HB Voices choir and the Acoustics choir both received ratings of Excellent. In total, the bands and vocal groups walked away with seven concert performance awards. Two individual medals were awarded to Michael Petillo (jazz soloist) and Alexis Duhaney (student accompanist) for outstanding solo performances. A school year’s worth of early morning practices, weekly music lessons and several concert performances proved that hard work reaps its own rewards. The students’ accomplishments were noted at this week’s Town Council meeting by Michael Nochimson, who said, “A real congratulations to those students. They did an excellent job competing.”
Winning awards is exciting, but the depth of dedication from the teachers and students spans well beyond one day in the park. For Brian Michalowski, the event is representative of a true community, “being part of something that is bigger than just yourself,” he said. For Dan Halpern, the true reward of excellent concert band performances is watching “everybody working together to create something beautiful, something awesome,” he said. Congratulations to the teachers and students of H.B. Whitehorne’s concert bands and choirs for a job well done.
The terms of Board of Education members Glenn Elliott and Michael Unis expire this year, which means that there will be an election for two seats on the board in November.
If you want to run–neither incumbent has yet indicated his intentions–you’ve got to file a nominating petition with the county clerk by 4 p.m on Tuesday, June 4. To get information for the petition, click here, and scroll down to Essex County.
Prospective school board candidates can also get a “School Board Candidate Kit” online Published by the New Jersey School Board Association, the School Board Candidate Kit includes a nominating petition, information about legal qualifications for school board candidacy and
the role of the school board member. Information about the New Jersey School Ethics Act and
important dates in the school election process are also included in the kit.
The election is scheduled for Tuesday, November 5, 2013, and those elected will serve a three-year term. If you have any other questions, e-mail Cheryl Nardino, School Board secretary, at cnardino@veronaschools.org.
Last month, at the Verona Community Center, 50 of Verona’s senior citizens and 25 Verona High School students enjoyed a lovely afternoon of dinner and dancing together.
The First Annual Verona High School Intergenerational Prom was the brainchild of Judy Szybist, VHS Jazz Choir director, and was created to strengthen the connection between school and community and give each generation the chance to gain a new sense of respect, understanding, and compassion for one another.
There were group songs, solos and duets by the VHS Jazz Choir, dancing (including a conga line), dinner and the selection of a prom king and queen.
Many local businesses and restaurants, as well as the Verona Community Center, donated space, food and supplies free of charge to all attendees. Donors included Holsman Physical Therapy Center, DiPaolo’s Bakery, Healthy Food Asian Cuisine, Esposito’s Pizzaria, Trattoria Bella Gente, Costco, ShopRite, Richfield Regency, Giuseppe’s Pizzaria, Frank Anthony’s, Calandra’s, Eight Hills Caterers, Towne Scoop, Eagle Rock Lanes, Camille’s Floral Boutique, Foodtown and Jack’s Cafe.
When they toss their mortarboards into the air on June 21, most members of the Verona High School class of 2013 will be looking forward to several weeks of rest and relaxation. For Luke Sniatkowski, the break will be only several days: He has set his post-graduation cap on the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and his studies in New London start on July 1. It’s a commitment that will last for the four years that his friends are in college, and at least five years beyond.
The Coast Guard Academy is, with West Point, the Naval Academy, Air Force Academy and the Merchant Marine Academy, one of the so-called federal service academies. Their job is to train commissioned officers for the different branches of the U.S. armed forces, but students get a top-flight degree–most often in an area of engineering or science–and the education is tuition-free. While several VHS graduates have enlisted over the years, it has been rare for any to apply to the service academies. According to Kimberly Ferlauto, director of school counseling at VHS, since 2007 only two students have applied to the Naval Academy, and four to the Coast Guard Academy. There have been no applications or appointments to the Air Force Academy or West Point.
“It is about serving our country,” says Sniatkowski. “My father’s uncle was in the Coast Guard during Vietnam and my grandfather served in the Army during the Korean War. It wasn’t a huge emphasis in my family. It was my choice.”
And if you think applying for college is tough, consider what has to happen to get into a service academy. Sniatkowski began planning his applications to the Naval Academy and Coast Guard in his sophomore year. “I had to take an engineering-oriented schedule and as tough a schedule as I could while balancing varsity sports and a lot of leadership stuff,” he says.
The academies look for students committed to serving their country but also to those who are strong in academic, sports and community service. Sniatkowski was a four-year starter on football, a three-year starter on basketball and baseball, an honor roll student and a member of the leadership committee of the Youth Group at Our Lady of the Lake. He participated in both football and baseball camps at the Naval Academy, as well as its Summer Seminar between his junior and senior years at VHS. “You go down and get a taste of what it is like too be at the Academy,” he says.
A college application may need letters of recommendation from a teacher, but applications to all of the service academies except the Coast Guard demand a nomination from a member of Congress. Sniatkowski’s application came as Verona was being shifted from one Congressional district to another. He got a nomination from Rep. Bill Pascrell, but VHS underclassmen will now have to apply to the office of Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen–who holds an “academy night” every April–or Senators Frank Lautenberg or Bob Menendez.
Luke Sniatkowski
Sniatkowski made it all the way to the third round of the Naval Academy but did not secure a spot. He only learned that he was a potential finalist for the Coast Guard in mid-April, and when the academy’s offer came on May 1, he had to quickly weigh it against playing football for Wagner College or baseball for Fordham University.
Sniatkowski knows that his post-graduation choice is unusual. “I like to think that my friends support me because they know that I want to do it,” he says. “I think they understand that it is a big commitment and that it is something that I want to do.”
Since June 2010, the “What’s Next” series has explored many of the choices made by graduating seniors at VHS. You can read all of the stories here.
Coast Guard hat photo copyright U.S. Coast Guard Academy. Luke Sniatkowski photo copyright Fred Goode. Both used by permission.
Clemson University: Julianne Garner graduated summa cum laude from Clemson University on May 10, 2013, with a bachelor of science in secondary education (History). Garner was among 3,053 students who received degrees at three commencement ceremonies at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Macalester College: Hana Masri graduated cum laude from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota on May 18, 2013. Hana was a double major (International Studies; Political Science) and completed two concentrations (Human Rights and Humanitarianism; Critical Theory). In her time at Macalester, Masri completed three Capstone projects and an honors thesis entitled “The Performative Speech and Silence of Rape Trees: Staging Sexual Violence Against Migrant Women in the U.S.-Mexican Borderlands”. Masri presented another paper entitled “The Relationship of Contestation Between Women and the State in Nicaragua” at the National Latin American Studies Symposium in Birmingham, Alabama in April. She also won a grant, in her senior year, to continue her work with a women’s rights group she co-founded in Nicaragua. Masri will spend part of her summer assisting with another grant-funded program in Mexico City before beginning a fellowship with MATCH Corps in September where she will be tutoring students in an urban school in Boston.
Montclair State University: Montclair State University conferred degrees on Sara M. Bennett, Max H. Brandt, Ryan Camlin, Tatiana Crawford, Justin A. Danser, Kevin J. DeJong, MariaElena Dyer, Tara L. Evenson, Colleen E. Heiser, Jessica A. Hill, Heather A. Hryb, Wendi F. Kaplan, Emma L. Kaptein, Megan E. McGinley, Alexandra N. Petruzziello, Thomas J. Rademaker, Jacqueline J. Ruff, Nicole M. Staselewicz, Eric M. Staudinger, Jennifer A. Symons and Eleni M. Zapantis. The Class of 2013, which is the largest in University history, includes 3,273 undergraduates and 1,047 graduate students. Katharine Menton, a 2004 graduate of Verona High School, received her master of business administration degree in finance from Montclair State University. Menton works for Time Warner as a financial analyst and currently lives in Nutley.
Quinnipiac University: Kevin Spano graduated with a bachelor of science in health/science studies from Quinnipiac University during the 82nd Undergraduate Commencement held May 19.
Salve Regina University: Mitchell Roshong was awarded a master of business administration degree in Management during Salve Regina University’s 63rd commencement on Sunday, May 19. Sister Jane conferred 439 baccalaureate degrees, 191 master’s degrees, 19 certificates of advanced graduate studies and six doctorates.
University of Scranton: The University of Scranton conferred 1,735 degrees – the largest number of degrees in its history – at two commencement ceremonies, including more than 900 bachelors and associate degrees at its undergraduate commencement on May 26 at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre. Christina M. Celfo of Verona earned a bachelor of science in middle level teacher education. Joseph G. Laraja earned a bachelor of arts in history. John L. Sheehan earned a bachelor of science in accounting. Kathleen P. Sinram earned a master of science degree with a major in curriculum and instruction.
Has a Verona resident that you know earned an undergraduate or graduate college degree this May? Send us the information at news@myveronanj.com.
The 2013 Montclair State University commencement at the Izod Center. (credit: John Munson)
Aidan Dyer speaking at Brookdale
“He has had an amazing response, and children have been reaching out to him to ask questions about their own writing,” says his mom, MariaElena Dyer. In all his stops, Aidan Dyer takes time to answer questions about the process of writing the book and more specifically about dyslexia. One of his goals is to help students understand that some of their classmates learn differently than they do.
Aidan Dyer unveiled his book, The Adventures of Dustin Dust and Larry Lint, at Time Warp Comics last December. The Cedar Grove store has told the Dyers that a local third grad boy just published a comic book, after being inspired to do after seeing Aidan at a book signing.
Aidan Dyer’s book can be purchased at Time Warp, Watchung Booksellers, Learning Express, and on Amazon.com.
While Verona is putting the finishing touches on a five-year plan for the public schools, Montclair’s superintendent has given her board of education specific goals for students during the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 school years.
According to BaristaKids, Superintendent Penny MacCormack wants to have 80% of Montclair’s K-12 students show progress in the district’s quarterly assessments in reading and writing, math, social studies, and science. She wants students in grades three to eight scoring at the proficient or advanced proficiency range on the NJASK in language arts literacy and mathematics by June 2014. She also wants 80% of third grade students to score at or above the effective range in classroom management, instruction, monitoring assessment and follow-up, and family/community outreach by June 2015.
You can read the full story here.
There is an election for two seats on the Verona Board of Education in November, and four candidates have filed to contest the spots.
Incumbents Glenn Elliott and Michael Unis are both seeking re-election. They will be joined on the ballot by, James Day, a Windemere Road resident, and Judith DiNapoli, a former school district employee who lives on Hillside.
DiNapoli has, most recently, been involved in legal action with the Board of Education. After working for Verona schools for 35 years, DiNapoli accepted a promotion to assistant business administrator in 2009. Charles Sampson, Verona’s superintendent, eliminated that job in March 2011 and all non-tenured administrative assistant positions–which DiNapoli could have been re-hired for–were later eliminated by the BOE. DiNapoli sued on grounds that she had been wrongfully denied another position. A state administrative law judge issued a summary judgement in favor of DiNapoli in April 2012. The BOE appealed and the case is still on appeal.
Shelley Herman, Natalie DeRosa, Kelly Elizabeth Hogan and Frances Metzger, Verona High School Mandarin students have been selected to attend the Chinese Bridge Summer Camp.
This is a two-week structured program to enhance understanding between American and Chinese high school students. Through a combination of classroom study and excursions, students will have a unique opportunity to expand their language skills while experiencing China’s rich culture, tradition, and history.
Forest Avenue’s three fourth grade classes turned hard work into some beautiful gifts that will give back to their school for many years to come. The students held a car wash last month and then voted to purchase trees and plants for the school’s gardens, a tree plaque and balls for the playground.
The Forest SCA’s Environmental Committee coordinated the purchase and planting of two native trees and nine plants in the school’s Butterfly Garden. Cedar Grove Garden Center gave a 20% discount and planted an Eastern Redbud tree in the front of the school and a large Red Maple in the playground on June 5. A pile of free mulch for the garden was delivered by the Board of Education. The car wash event was organized by the SCA Legacy Gift Committee comprised of Courtney Williams, Toni-Lynn Alfano and Nancy Gonzalez Slawski. 
The Redbud tree has heart-shaped leaves and deep magenta flowers in spring. George Washington was a great admirer of this tree, and several entries in his diary speak of his fondness for its beauty. He spent a good deal of time attempting to dig up seedlings and transplant them successfully in his landscape.
Pictured above are fourth graders visiting the garden (from left to right): Trevor Spinelli, Renee Schuldiner, Faith Fauerbach, Kelly Nulty and Antonio Belotta. Cedar Grove Garden Center planted one of the trees and First Grade teacher Mrs. Bavolar released butterflies in the school garden that she raised with her students in class.
Verona High School inducted 27 juniors and five seniors into the National Honor Society on May 30, 2013. The achievement is based on the student’s scholarship and character, as well as the leadership they have shown and their service to their school and community.
Each student is inducted by a member of the VHS faculty and the teachers’ speeches about the students are a lesson in lives worth celebrating. They chronicle not only the students’ efforts to learn in the classroom, but the steps they have taken beyond the classroom to further than learning. They portray students who manage to manage high grades and leadership in sports and extracurricular activities.
Please click on each student’s name to read about their accomplishments. We will add more speeches as we receive them from the teachers.
Class Of 2014
Brianna Andolino (inducted by Danielle Mutovic, mathematics)
Parthenia Bogdady (inducted by Jon-Eric Burgess, science)
Madelyn Boyle (inducted by Mark Russo, mathematics)
Nicholas Cariani (inducted by Richard Wertz, math/computer science)
Matthew Carroll (inducted by Alison Quick, language arts)
Luke Catania (inducted by Christopher Tamburro, history)
Phoebe Chu (inducted by Richard Wertz, math/computer science)
Juliana R. Conlon (inducted by Eugenie Mordkovich, world language)
Ciarra Davison (inducted by Eugenie Mordkovich, world language)
Brett Drozdowski (inducted by Christopher Tamburro, history)
Melanie Egan (inducted by Gene Leporati, coach)
Emily Gagliostro (inducted by Alison Quick, language arts)
Soufieh Hakimzadeh (inducted by Janan Wehbeh, science)
Shelley Herman (inducted by Richard Wertz, math/computer science)
Kelly Hogan (inducted by Janan Wehbeh, science)
Jillian Lanese (inducted by Fran Young, language arts)
Dan Li (inducted by Richard Wertz, math/computer science)
Dianka Cassandra Moczula (inducted by Marie Meyer, language arts)
Chelsi Napoli (inducted by Rose Ann Prendergast, science)
Jasmine Okafor (inducted by Richard Wertz, math/computer science)
Daniel Smillie
Alexandra Smith (inducted by Richard Wertz, math/computer science)
Jillian Sprong (inducted by Marie Meyer, language arts)
Christopher Sweeney (inducted by Richard Wertz, math/computer science)
Jane O. Szybist (inducted by Eugenie Mordkovich, world language)
Briana Tedesco (inducted by Jorge Valcarcel, science)
Natalie Wertz (inducted by Janan Wehbeh, science)
Class Of 2013
James Corbett (inducted by Marie Meyer, language arts)
Nicole Farbaniec (inducted by Christopher Tamburro, history)
Laura Hart (inducted by Patricia Hemsley-Cartotto, health and physical education)
Steve Rust
Sydney White (inducted by Alison Quick, language arts)
The Verona Board of Education meets tonight, Tuesday, June 11, and there’s a full agenda. DeCozen Motors President Mike Cerino will present the Verona Foundation for Educational Excellence with a check from the results of his car sale donation offer.
Superintendent Steve Forte will give the annual report on incidents of harassment and bullying in Verona schools and Elizabeth Jewett, director of instructional studies, will present the district’s new five-year strategic plan.
The meeting starts at 8 p.m. in the Verona High School media center.
Charles Miller, Verona’s new director of curriculum.
Miller was most recently the principal of Glenfield Middle School in Montclair. He resigned from that position on May 3, several days after he dealt with a student who brought a BB gun to school. The incident was widely reported in Montclair news sites, and many commenters on the stories expressed the belief that Miller had been forced out by Montclair Superintendent Penny MacCormack because of the way he handled the matter.
According to a report on BaristaKids on April 25, Miller confiscated the BB gun upon learning of its presence in the school, but did not immediately call Montclair Police.
After Miller’s resignation, a group of Montclair parents started an online petition to demand his reinstatement. They called Miller “one of the finest principals we’ve had in Montclair” and defended his handling of the BB gun incident, saying in part that:
The fact that Charlie Miller did not lock down the school and wait for the Montclair Police to arrive to disarm a 6th grader of a non-lethal hobby gun was a judgment call. One, frankly, that we all agree with. In this case, if Charlie Miller had abdicated the responsibility that he surely felt to use his judgment, the school would have – by dint of bureaucratic necessity – gone into ‘lockdown.’ With students pouring out of busses, half the kids would have been locked inside the school, and half outside. Nothing would have been accomplished – save for more chaos and more squandered hours that might have been spent on something valuable: education. Of course the very thing we need is thoughtful leaders who have the sense and skill to exercise judgment. At the moment of this supposed crises, Charlie Miller swiftly and simply ensured that the school was safe – and once it was, he got back to his one true mission. Dr. MacCormack said herself that it was within his discretion on how to best respond to protect the students and faculty.
Miller, a South Jersey native, begins his new job July 1. He said at the BOE meeting that he was excited to begin work on implementing Verona’s five-year strategic plan, which Jewett presented to the board Monday night. “I am here to work with you,” he said.
Montclair Kimberley Academy held its commencement ceremony on Sunday, June 9, 2013 at the First Congregational Church in Montclair. Among the 106 graduating seniors were the following local residents.
Nicole Crilley will attend Lafayette College, Matt Lane will attend Syracuse University, Yazata Bhote will attend Lehigh University, Kristin Morisseau, who graduated Cum Laude, will attend Boston College and Bridget Velez, who received a Head’s Award will attend Lehigh University.
Yazata Bhote
Nicole Crilley
Matthew Lane
Kristin Morisseau
Bridget Velez
Kevin Jennings gets his 2J shirt
Hired in 1979, soon after graduating from college, Jennings accepted a third grade position at Forest Avenue school and remained–happily–in the same building for 34 years. After a brief stint teaching fifth grade (in the same building to the kids that had previously been his third graders), Jennings switched to second grade and pretty much stayed put. “I started out wanting to teach middle school,” says Jennings recalling his storied Forest Avenue career as everyone’s favorite teacher. “But in the end I decided I really like 7 and 8 year-olds!”
Jennings signature curriculum was the second grade solar system project. It began in the Starlab that travels through all Verona elementary schools every winter, and invited students to draw pictured of aliens (Jennings’ favorite), write stories about travel to outer space and build space ships from things they found around their home.
“As far as I concerned Kevin Jennings was the heart and soul of Forest Avenue School,” says former Forest principal Tom Valente, who retired in 2010. “He not only cared for the children that he taught in his classroom, he cared for the school as a whole. He was our technology guru for many years. When the elementary technology position was eliminated and the stipend was removed, Kevin continued to help Forest Avenue School with our technology concerns.”
“He is an unselfish man with a big heart,” Valente adds. “My sons are now 35 and 37 years old. I asked them on separate occasions to name their favorite three teachers from their Verona school days…Kevin Jennings was on both lists. I’m sure his name would appear on all of the lists of former students. I wish Kevin all the best in his retirement and in his future endeavors. He will be missed at Forest Avenue School.”
Jennings was known for his all-encompassing solar system project
Though he admits to having mixed feelings about leaving–”I’ve absolutely loved my job. There’s never been a dull moment and I love the people here. Forest Avenue School has been my second home and I will miss it terribly”–there’s one thing he won’t miss: the long commute. Driving such a long way north on the Parkway from his exit–117A–has become tiresome as traffic has noticeably worsened over the last five years.
On behalf of the SCA, Jacqui Schuldiner presented Jennings with a football jersey featuring the school mascot–the Forest Avenue bulldog–and the school colors, green and white. His number? 2J, of course.
If you’re concerned Mr. J will be lonely basking in the September sun at the Jersey Shore while the rest of us are back in school, rest assured that won’t be the case. His wife will likely be at his side. After a long career working at for the postal service, she, too has decided to retire. “We both just decided that now is the time,” Jennings says with a smile.
Good luck Mr. Jennings.
On Tuesday, June 11, 2013, the Verona Board of Education accepted the retirement of Marilyn Varallo. It was just a small item on the agenda, buried in resolution 4. Almost as small as the first graders that Varallo has been teaching since anyone in Verona can remember.
As the news got out, MyVeronaNJ.com’s Facebook page and the “Old Verona” Facebook group filled with memories, as vivid as if the writers had walked out of her Laning Avenue classroom a minute earlier. They wrote of a teacher who had nurtured them and inspired them to learn, and in many cases to become educators themselves.
Any childhood anxiety over a new teacher melted quickly in Miss Varallo’s classroom. She embraced the children in her charge and they embraced her back, year after year.
Don’t get the wrong idea: There has been plenty of love for Laning’s other teachers too. But Miss Varallo became a member of the extended family of many families in the northeast corner of Verona, teaching often all the siblings as they came through over the years, and then, more recently, the children of her first students. 
And as the years went on (don’t ask how many, it’s not polite) a new worry developed for those first students: What if Miss Varallo left Laning before their children got to enter her classroom? Beth Shorten was in Miss Varallo’s 1973 first grade class and she wrote about that dilemma on her blog:
Two years ago I heard the rumor that Ms Varallo was going to retire. I was devastated. My son was in kindergarten at the time and I wanted him to have Ms Varallo. I knew that her nurturing style was exactly what he needed. So when I saw her in the school hallway one morning, I stopped her and said that I realized that she probably didn’t remember me, but she said my face was familiar and when I told her my name, she lit up and gave me a hug. I told her how much I wanted her to have my son who would be entering first grade that next year and I’ll never forget how she said, “I would love to have your son.” Just the way she said it warmed my heart because it wasn’t just words, it was honest and heartfelt.
She did have my son last year. And just like all those years before with me, she nurtured him and instilled in him a sense of pride and love of reading. I know that she has a laid a solid foundation for my son to continue to grow on.
Verona is known for its long-serving educators: Joel Throne retired last June after 40 years at VHS, Kevin Jennings leaves this year after 34 years at Forest Avenue and Frank Albano, Laning’s principal, departs now after a 34-year career, all but four years of which were spent in Verona. But Miss Varallo’s record may go unmatched in Verona history.
“I’m so very grateful for having the opportunity to help our children,” Miss Varallo says simply. “It’s been my life’s work and I have loved every minute.” She loves to travel, and expects to be doing lots of exploring in retirement. “I can not, however, imagine my life without children in it. I expect I will be searching for places to be with them, in whatever capacity that may be.”
1V in 1973
Photo of Marilyn Varallo courtesy Cindy Kramer. Photo of 1V courtesy Lana Fuller Nguyen.
