VOL. 103, NO. 18
Friday, May 11, 2018
cranburypress.com
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Districts working to finalize send-receive agreement By Philip Sean Curran Staff Writer
Representatives of the Cranbury and Princeton school districts are continuing to work toward an agreement that will extend the send-receive relationship the districts have had since 1991. The districts are in the midst of an agreement that will expire at the end of June 2020. Administrators are looking to extend the deal for 10 years past that date so Cranbury students of high school age can continue to attend Princ-
eton High School. On May 8, Cranbury Chief School Administrator and Principal Susan L. Genco said she could not provide an exact date when the deal will be finalized. She said it is hoped the new agreement will be finalized by the end of the current school year. Cranbury Business Administrator Nicole Petrone said, “We’re trying to move it along as quickly as possible, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it will happen before the end of the school year.”
On May 9, Princeton Public Schools Superintendent of Schools Stephen C. Cochrane said attorneys representing both districts “have been fine-tuning the agreement.” Princeton Board of Education President Patrick Sullivan said the board may vote on the new agreement during its May 22 meeting. The Cranbury board would follow with a vote at a subsequent meeting. Cochrane said if the item is on
the May 22 agenda, board members may discuss the agreement. He called the pending deal “a pretty standard send-receive relationship.” During the current school year, Cranbury is paying Princeton $4.8 million in tuition, a sum that represents the second largest source of revenue in Princeton’s school budget. As of early April, there were 276 Cranbury students attending Princeton High School. Cochrane and Sullivan have talked of supporting a continu-
ation of the arrangement with Cranbury. Cranbury Board of Education member Evelyn Spann, who is her district’s representative to the Princeton board, said, “Cranbury fully wants the agreement to go forward. I can’t speak for the (Princeton) board, but given the legalities of what it would take to sever the agreement and the time it would take to sever the agreement, from my seat and my perspective, Princeton will also go forward with the send-receive.”
Students learn to put community first By Philip Sean Curran Staff Writer
When students at the Cranbury School raised nearly $2,255 in April for the Make a Wish Foundation of New Jersey, it represented just one way they are trying to help their community and the world around them through a student club. “Cranbury Café for a Cause” was a fundraiser sponsored by the Kindness Club, a group that, true to its name, seeks to do acts of kindness. Students spoke about carving out time from their school work and other activities to participate in a club that looks to have them give of themselves. Nichole Ball, a teacher at the school, serves as a faculty adviser to the club. She said the club aims to spread kindness in and out of school and “to teach our members the value of service and selflessness, helping others.” Membership generally numbers between 15 and 20 students, Ball said. Meeting weekly, the students learn about the importance of being compassionate, having empathy “and how they can make a difference in the world,” she said. “We focus on kids helping kids,” Ball said. “A lot of the things are to help their peers, to see what they have and to understand the importance of being grateful for what you have.” The Kindness Club, which is one of many extracurricular offerings at the school, is open to students when the enter fifth grade. That’s when Erin Carney, now a sixth-grader, said she joined. Erin recalled she was new to the school, having moved to Cranbury from Hightstown, and said she saw the club as “a good way to make friends and have fun.” Gianna DiGioacchino, a seventh-grader and Kindness Club
member, is a student in Ball’s social studies class. Knowing about her teacher’s involvement in the club, she was interested in seeing what the group was about. “And I thought it was a really great cause to just go and do the community service and help the Make a Wish Foundation … ” Gianna said. Sammy Kandel, who is a softball teammate of Gianna’s, also got involved. “It’s just like a really fun opportunity,” Sammy said. “You learn how to be non-selfish and help toward your community and think about the bigger picture and how small things can still affect people.” For Valentine’s Day, students made cards for residents of a local nursing home, the Elms. The youngsters walked to the facility to hand-deliver the cards, “just in case the people didn’t have anyone to celebrate with,” Gianna said. Club members also made a book of inspirational quotes and messages and sent it to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, which was the scene of a mass shooting that left 17 dead in February. Ball said participating in the club helps students with their communication and collaboration skills. “It’s great to see them learn and grow,” she said. “Seeing their excitement and their drive with everything just makes it all worth [it] to me.” “It showed me the value of hard work and community service,” Gianna said of being part of the Kindness Club. “This has shown me different ways I can help my community.”
Courtesy photo
Scouts’ honor
Amanda and Michael Gonzalez are the first twins in Cranbury to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award and the Boy Scouts Eagle Scout rank.
School board honors past and current members By Philip Sean Curran Staff Writer
Former Cranbury Board of Education members Ash Hadap and Jennifer Cooke were honored during the board’s May 8 meeting. Together, they served the community for nearly 13 years. Both attended the meeting and later addressed the crowd that showered them with applause in the Cranbury School’s auditorium. “I’ve never seen a mic I haven’t seized,” Hadap joked when given a chance to speak. He said sitting on the board was “probably one of the most wonderful, meaningful things
I’ve done in my life. It was truly a privilege to be a part of this community and to serve it in my own little way. I truly miss it.” Cooke thanked “everyone for their support over the years, the teachers, the community, for your faith in me.” Earlier in the meeting, Chief School Administrator and Principal Susan L. Genco feted Hadap and Cooke. She recalled that Hadap, who was chosen to fill a vacant seat on the board, interviewed for the opening. “With Ash, every answer he gave was a child-centered answer and that was something we were looking for,” she said. “He was
interested in how he could make a difference for students.” Hadap served on the board for three-and-a-half years. He did not run for re-election last year, citing professional reasons. “This is a wonderful community,” he said. “We should all be very proud of being part of it.” Of Cooke, Genco said she had served stints as board president and vice president during her nine-year-tenure. During that time, the board hired Genco, in 2011, to lead the district. “I will always be indebted to you for believing in me,” Genco said to Cooke. “Over the seven years I have known Jennifer, she
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has done nothing but bring joy to the job. No matter what time, no matter how long it took, she got the job done.” Cooke did not seek re-election in 2017. Hadap and Cooke were succeeded on the board by Amy Dixon and Lisa Rue, both of whom were elected in November. Later in the meeting, the board recognized 10 years of service by board member Evelyn Spann, who is also Cranbury’s representative on the Princeton Public Schools Board of Education. Spann missed part of the meeting in Cranbury because she was in Princeton for a board meeting, before returning to town.
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