##VIDEO ID:diEPKChGjm4## e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e welcome to the business meeting of the wal Township Public School District Board of Education for Tuesday January 21st 2025 please stand for the flag salute the unit States of America stand Justice for Mr SMI Sunshine announcement and roll call please yes and welcome this is the Wall Township Board of Education meeting for which adequate notice under the open public meeting Act was provided by publication of a notice in the co-star Asbury Park Press Township clerk's office all wal count of public schools and in the board Administration office on January 9th 2025 take a roll call Miss Adams here Mr anesia miss barbier here Mr buron here Mr buffer here M dgani here Mr wandra Mr Mali here thank you all right uh please be advised that this evening there are five candidates for the board vacancy created by the resignation of Mrs shimko all right uh the deadline to submit a letter has passed and candidates are uh here tonight to uh participate in a uh open interview in front of the board at this time I would like to call our uh first candidate Mr Keith hunk to please come down and take a seat up front Mr H Mr just for the record to show that Mr adio has joined the meeting thank you thank you Mr SM welcome Mr hunger thank you for your for your interest in uh applying for this uh uh vacancy I have a few questions for you to answer all right so let's just get started uh every board member brings different strengths and ideas to the board uh please tell us a little bit about yourself and how your strengths can benefit the district okay I am a born and raised Wall Township resident I went to school right here in wall intermediate uh graduated wall High School in' 06 uh I've been an instrumental leader in the community uh various acts of community service uh fundraising organizing all that um as well as being very active in the Wall Township committee I actually even ran for Wall Township committee last year unsuccessfully but still uh independently so I believe that I have the type of you're not going to be able to find somebody that loves more Wall Township more than I do or has dedicated more of their time and passion than I have and I truly believe that what is your understanding of the role of the Board of Education and the role of a board member my understanding is that you mostly uh deal with the curriculum budget concerns things of that nature things that uh I believe that I would be pretty good at what do you believe are a few of the most important issues facing our school system now and for the next five years um I feel like especially with the internet there's a lot of disinformation out there that uh the schools have to kind of weed through um I feel like also another thing is uh budget concerns I feel like schools all around the country are going underfunded teachers are uh not as appreciated as they used to be so I feel like that's something that uh you know really should be addressed what do you see as the strengths of our school district and what do you see as the areas perhaps most needing Improvement in the school district um as a wall graduate myself I can say that uh wall has a great school system I feel that they have for many years uh things that I feel like could be [Music] improved that's that's a tough question um I I feel like you all do very fantastic job and have for years so I I really don't have a I don't really know I I feel like wall as far as the reputation of the school system uh it has been quite Superior for quite a long time so I feel like there's not if there is room for improvement I feel like that would be something that would be something I would go as it came you know if I were to spot an issue that would be something that I would want to work on but as far as what I can see now I feel like you all do a very wonderful job and I would want to Aid with that any way I could one last question certainly if you wanted to add anything else that you've forgotten please do so at this time uh what do success for wal Township schools look like to you I think it's largely kind of going off what you've already been doing and adding on to that maybe uh with a few fresh ideas I know that me being uh a millennial uh means that I'm going to have a different view than a lot of you no offense that's not a dig at anybody that's just I'm I'm a bit younger so I'm going to have a little bit more fresh ideas so I feel like that might help um bring a new blood to the situation uh thank you very much Mr huner uh what we're going to be doing here is we're going to be interviewing all the candidates and at the conclusion of that we have a little business that we're going to take care of uh starting at 7 o'clock uh when we finish that we're going to go into executive session uh to discuss the uh uh the candidates for the vacancy okay thank you very much thank you for your interest have a good night thank you e right down here in front welcome Mr langua hello and I'm saying that correctly langa sir okay thank you very much for coming and for your interest in the uh uh position the vacancy on wal Board of Education uh we have a few questions I have a few questions that uh sounds to ask of you and uh you know take as much time as you uh need to uh to answer okay all right uh every board member brings different strengths and ideas to the Board of Education please tell us a little bit about yourself and how your strengths would benefit the district well um my name is Justin I'm a wall resident I grew up here um my parents raised me here I went to West belmare Elementary and this school which I realize I haven't been in in about 30 years and uh and then I went to wall High School um you know I'm a teacher my parents are both teachers um I definitely understand the value of a good education I'm lucky enough to have gone to you know many schools that were you know I think molded me pretty well I'm pretty I'm happy with how I turned out I don't know if everybody else would agree but um but I do know how important it is to um you know have a good school system to have um you know good support good uh understanding to have many different viewpoints out there so that uh everyone is represented um I think personally I like to think of myself as open-minded I like to think of myself as um passionate about you like I said um providing for the students who you know obviously need um as much as possible when when possible and um yeah I mean like I just think that my biggest asset would just be coming in with an open mind and the effort to try to make it as the school district as good as it can be what's your understanding of the role of the Board of Education and the role of a board member well I do understand that you are responsible for implementing um a lot of the uh initiatives and to you know manage the U Personnel um and the buildings and uh that's kind of where my full understanding is probably you know limited I wouldn't play off like I know the ins and outs in the full details other than I've said I've worked in the school and um I think I've worked in a few different places where you can kind of see when the leadership is listening to what the teachers want and tempering that with what the cons uents want um and then you can see where sometimes um it's not always working as smoothly as it should so sometimes uh maybe it's a little confrontational or people don't feel like they're being heard um so like I said the idea of in my opinion would be to listen to everybody and to try to do you know what you think is best as best as you can but also understanding that you're not alone out there there's obviously many other people whose opinions are also valid and should be talked through so just the idea of compromise and understanding you know how we're supposed to work together to do what's best and knowing that your opinion might not always be everybody else's opinion what do you believe are a few of the most important issues facing our school system now and for the next five years so I mean personally uh having moved back into Township about five years ago having a little guy who's going to be starting in in kindergarten next year um I think the most important things are probably you know utilizing the taxpayers dollar most effectively making sure that we have adequate Staffing um for me I always feel like coming out from the other side class size is always an issue obviously having enough faculty to provide for the students um is always I think an important thing to take into consideration also understanding that you know you can only hire so many people um and you only have so much space so um I mean I it's complicated and that part I I do know that that's one thing I will say for sure I know so I think personally like I said um providing quality buildings um and the Staffing I think is is is essential you know the smaller your class sizes in my opinion I think the better off you're going to be what do you see as the strengths of of our school district and what do you see as the areas most in need of improvement well speaking as someone who who went here um I always felt safe I always felt uh like I was um like I was seen like I always felt like you know wherever you were whether it was West Belmar or the middle school or the high school um I never felt left out personally um I'm sure that wasn't everybody's experience but I do think that the people I know would would probably agree with me that uh you could always find your place and there was always people there who would like represent you or your interests or would support you um so I think those are the strengths that that I experienced and that talking to people who children go here that they still feel the same way um as far as as weaknesses go um you know that would be tough as somebody who like I said my son doesn't isn't in the school system yet um I can only speak from my experiences coming from other schools um I've been to the high school recently I've um like I said have lots of friends who are raising their children um it does seem like everyone for the most part is pretty happy I know that uh yeah I'm it's it's tough I gu if I have would have to pick one thing it's just it is a it's a good-sized district right and it's getting bigger right more people are moving into wall um I know they built those big apartment buildings over there by Central school and I would imagine that's maybe putting a strain on that building which I don't know haven't driven past it recently but I'm not sure if it's been enlarged so maybe we need to work on something like that not a cheap solution I'm sure but something that might benefit okay and and finally uh what does sucess success for wall schools look like to you and at this time if you anything that you maybe wanted to say but forgotten you'd like to add this would be a good time to do it um yeah I mean I think a successful School District you know the the the students are leaving and they're having a good experience and they are successful going forward in whatever it is they choose to do whether it's forther education or uh military service or whether they're going into a trade um that they feel prepared to go out and and do whatever it is that they've chosen to do so I think that's probably the best metric for for any any school district is how prepared the people are who are leaving so yeah I mean as far as anything I would add um know stuff I probably already said but you know I said I grew up here um I moved back here um after you know going to college and being away for a little while I fully intend on you know raising my family we're going to stay around here and um I just think being involved knowing you know how the sausage is made for lack of a better term um would be beneficial right to just understand that like you know these are the schools that everyone's going to how do we make them successful how do we make them you know productive for everybody considering that there's tons of people's opinions and viewpoints and approaches to life that need to be recognized and and valued um and that's a tricky tricky task right for any group group of people to you know thousands of people that you're responsible for how do you make sure that they're all being hurt much like you know the students in in the school so that's probably the extent of what I would have to say thank you for your time I appreciate being asked to come in thank you very much just uh for your information there were there were five candidates we we're going to interview all five and then we're we're going to see where we are with time but likely uh we will at some point tonight be going into to Executive session uh to uh discuss the uh uh the vacancy and when we come back from executive session we'll we will announce uh the person who will fill that vacancy okay okay so I should stick around stick around thanks very much thank you so much appreciate it e good evening good evening Mr Smith how are you good evening and and welcome I want to thank you very much on behalf of the board for your interest thank you for having me the board vacancy and for your uh presence here tonight uh there are five uh candidates and uh we're going to be asking the questions of these uh uh candidates and it's some I'll explain a little bit when we're finished how we're going to go uh about uh uh the process of selecting the candidate okay okay so let's start out with this uh every board member brings different strengths and ideas to the Board of Education uh please tell us a little bit about yourself and how your strengths would benefit the district uh so a little bit about myself is I'm born and raised in Walt Township um I attended all the schools Old Mill this wall intermediate um wall High School um the what I got from the school system here has made me um what I am today uh it gave me um guidance and everything that I needed um I just retired from law enforcement I'm a big believer in community service so now that I'm retired I am looking to give back to the community that was so good to me um my strengths are I've uh obviously working in community service for so many years um It's Made Me well-rounded working with different types of people uh different groups um I also have three children who are in the school district at this time too so um their education is my top priority right now okay what is your understanding of the role of the Board of Education and the role of an individual board member um the the role is to be um a voice and a mentor for the students and that to um to be there to for personnel uh curriculum and um just just to be there for the educational part of the students in the uh School District what do you believe are a few of the most important issues facing our school system now and for the next 5 years um right now the the biggest issues I see that we're getting some upgrades to some of the buildings here uh the high school uh the the roof the bathrooms the um some of the things that need to be updated for the future of our students and um those things are being taken care of and they're going to continue to we're going to have to stay on top of things and continue to make it a great environment for all the students great what do you see as the strengths of the school district and what do you see as the areas needing Improvement um the strengths are that um there's a lot of opportunity for the kids um there's the teachers the staff is great um I can speak personally um both for both my kids in the system the communication's great um the environment that they um come home and they never have any complaints they enjoy going to school they don't have um to worry about anything um whether it's getting on the bus in the morning everything's um always run very smoothly um as far as improvements um I don't really see any improvements I mean I guess communication could always get better between uh the staff and um the teachers but overall um everything's good okay and lastly um what does success for Wall Township schools look like to you and and if you have anything else you'd like to add that you haven't done so and would like to do it that would be a good time to do it so what do you see as a success for wall schools uh success for wall SK schools is um again to give every student the opportunity uh to learn and have a healthy environment um to give them opportunities to excel in areas whether it be music Sports academics um um and especially for kids that you know maybe have some struggles at home this is a place where they can come and feel safe um I can speak personally that I got involved in athletics and um the rewards it gave back to me from coach Barnes um who I eventually coach volunteer coached years later with him and Coach careri most recently um I think it's important that um and I still have contact with a lot of my teachers today I think that is um something that is makes a successful District okay thank you uh just so that you're that's it okay that's it I don't want to cut you off okay uh just so you're aware after we interview the candidates uh tonight at some point uh the board will go into executive session to discuss the vacancy and then when we return from executive session we will uh U make an announcement regarding that vacancy so I would stick around for a while okay yes sir thank you very much Mr Smith thank you e good evening Mr fa thank you for uh for your interest in coming out on this uh you know fridge night yes uh we appreciate your interest in the uh uh vacancy in the Board of Education we have a couple questions for you here you know take your time to answer them and uh uh and when we're finished I'll let you know the the the procedure will go through going forward sounds right uh every board member brings different strengths and ideas to the Board of Education please tell us a little bit about yourself and how your strengths would benefit the district so my name is Michelle Papa I've been living in wall for the last nine years um I've been working at Motion Center for Independent Living for the last six years this past January um and I have helped bring our preemployment training programming uh called the Yes program and paid internship programs through um the Department of Labor and DVRs to I think over eight schools between Mammoth and Ocean County we've served over 700 students in helping them find um permanent employment internship opportunities and I'm really um advocating for themselves um going into we do groups at the high schools in both Mammoth and ocean some are after school some are during school the after schools are a little more difficult than the during schools and we talk about Job exploration and counseling with students with IEPs and 504 plans um advocacy and inclusivity is deep within me since I was growing up I have a brother with special needs and I always jumped right into working with that Community um now being in New Jersey and seeing how some schools work um I am really excited to see how the school system that my children will be going to and be a part of that my strengths are I'm strong with leadership I have great communication skills I work with students at every level of disabilities I work with child study teams hand inand I work with State agencies uh the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation uh New Jersey Council developmental disability and I do programming in Ocean County vocational schools and a bunch of other districts in Mammoth and Ocean County as well um really just modifying our curriculum uh we have a curriculum where we had to quickly move from in person in 2019 to 2020 and make everything virtual so I worked with our team in making everything our pre-employment training program um be adaptable that way and to students needs you know depending upon their disabilities so I have been working with school systems and students for quite some time I have been a power in the past as well so I've been in schools to kind of see you know all the different workings and I really am just excited to bring what I've learned um to this District um really have I watched a bunch of the board meetings um over the C from that were taped online and what I found to be the most exciting piece is when the students are up here advocating for things they want to have and having a voice and being able to to implement that would be awesome um so I truly truly listen to the community I TR listen to my students um and I'm really excited to be here tonight and for your consideration uh thank you uh what is your understanding of the role of the Board of Education and the role of a individual board member is to understand the processes right so we and answer to one uh superintendent is our employee and then everything else is a process which I understand um and that's how I see the board and being able to be a part and vote on you know important matters in our community um is something that I really would love to be a part of what do you believe are a few of the most important issues facing our school system now and for the next five years I pretend attention for teachers I think is one of them um I think inclusivity and having inclusive programming for students who have IEPs 504s also with um you know the students that are in general education having programming such as that um really Dei things such as that nature so that everyone feels safe and supported in their school system um that's first and foremost the safety and everyone in the school system deserves to have feel safe and supported in every classroom in every event in every extracurricular so I really near and dear to my heart what do you see is the strengths of the school district and what do you see as the areas most needing Improvement well I have my uh niece and nephew are already in the school district and I see how beautiful your athletic programs are as they attend those and also um how much Community is like the F like my brother-in-law wears wall everywhere he goes that logo is everywhere um and just having that sense of community uh I grew up in New York City I went to New York City um public schools and that really didn't exist so being down here in New Jersey and seeing how much the parents and the students and all of the pride that comes with being a KN and being you know having your students go um through school together and they're and meet up in high school and really just build that Community from you know K through 12 it's really nice to see okay thank you and finally uh what does excuse me what does success for Wall Township schools look like to you and and then at this time if you anything that you had forgotten or anything else you would like to add this would be the time to do it can you repeat the question I'm sorry I'm a bit nervous and I'm usually not it's like me too I'm nervous what does success for Wall Township schools look like to you success is you know I looked over your graduation rate I saw our students with the IEPs um weren't as high or even half as what you would like them to be so I think getting that up there um would help um because a lot of your students I saw it's like 98% graduation rate and that's amazing um so that's an attestment to you all and to your school system but really kind of bringing that barrier um that the students with IPS in 504 plans maybe meeting up there to really make everyone flourish um together because it seems like you guys are doing something right and they're just a little bit bits and pieces that I think can use some of my TLC great thank you very much uh what we're going to do is we're going to interview all the uh the candidates this evening and at some point uh the board will uh go into executive session where we will discuss uh the vacancy and then we will return to public session and and make the nomination uh so uh uh I would stay around for a while sure and uh we'll you know you'll hear from us shortly all right thank you so much thanks very much yes e okay we have uh just received word that one of the uh candidates has uh withdrawn U his application so so so what we're going to do now is I'm um I'm going to ask for a motion uh to go into executive session for the uh items listed on the agenda can I have a motion for that I'll make the motion Mr buffet and the second Mr wandra uh all in favor opposed right at this time we're going to go into uh executive session for uh up to uh 30 minutes and then we will I'm sorry we will return at 7:00 for the public session thank you e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e good evening welcome to the business meeting of the Wall Township uh School District Board of Education for Tuesday January 21st 2025 would everyone please rise for the flag salute and the color guard the nnd DCC coloror sound 10 march on the colors forward March [Music] of the United States of America and to the repu for it stands na God indivisible andice for the colors rightel arms [Applause] cut I thank the color guard nice to have you back with us to start the school year at this time I'm gon to ask Mr SMI to do the sunshine announcement in roll call okay we announced this earlier sorry meeting commence at 5:45 this is Walltown to Board of Education meeting for which adequate notice under the open public meeting Act was provided by a notice to the co-star Asbury Park Press Municipal Building all Wall Township Public Schools and in the board Administration office on January 9th 2025 I'll take a roll call Miss Adams Mr anesio here miss barbier here Mr buron here Mr buffer here M djovani here Mr wandra here Mr Aon Richie here Mr Michael southwell here and president Mr mouth here thank you okay thank you earlier this evening uh the board had the opportunity to interview candidates for the uh the board vacancy uh we did uh anticipate that we might have had to go into uh executive session later on this evening for the purpose of uh selecting a candidate we were able to do that uh prior to 7 o'clock so at this time uh I'm going to ask for uh a nomination for the uh education Board of Education vacancy Mr malof I'd like to nominate Mr Cody Smith for the open seat to the Wall Township Board of Education okay thank you Mr djovani do we have a second uh thank you do I ask are there any other nominations okay hearing none take a roll call Miss Adams yes Mr anesia yes M barbier yes Mr bton yes Mr buffer yes Miss D Giovani yes Mr wandra yes Mr Mali yes motion carried thank you uh Cody Smith please come down congratulations [Applause] conratulations Mr Smite is going to okay the oath of office uh please repeat after me I Cody Cody Smith do Solly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States Constitution of the state of New Jersey and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same to the governments established in the United States and this state under the authority of the people so help me guide I Cody Smith to Sol me swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of New Jersey I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same and to the governments established in the United States and this state under the authority of the people so help me God I Cody Smith do solemnly swear that I possess the qualifications prescribed by law for the office of member of a board of education that I am not disqualified as a voter pursuant to rs1 1941 nor disqualified due to conviction of a crime or offense listed in njs 1881 12-1 and that I will faithfully impartially and justly perform all the duties of that office according to the best of my ability so help me God I Cody Smith do solemnly swear that I possess the qualifications prescribed by law for the office of member of a board of education and that I am not disqualified disqualified as a voter personent to rs1 1941 nor disqualified due to conviction of a crime or offense listed in NJ s18a 12-1 and that I will faithfully impartially and justly perform all the duties of that office according to the best of my ability so help me gu welcome to the Board of Education thank you so [Applause] much okay congratulations uh to Mr Smith I just like to comment that we we had some excellent uh candidates for the vacancy uh tonight uh and it was a difficult job to uh to El among those candidates I appreciate uh the uh interest that all the candidates had in in the position I thank you very much uh for showing your interest uh in becoming a member of the Board of Education we the board greatly appreciates it okay at this time I'm going to turn it over to Dr handran for student uh staff showcase thank you so much Mr malof thank you Mr adio uh take a roll call Vote with the new board of education once again miss Adams here Mr anio miss barbier here Mr Bron here Mr buffer here M djovani here Mr wandra here Mr Smith here Mr Mouse here thank you thank you Mr SMI for keeping me on target here and uh now back to Dr handran thank you Mr mof um 2025 is starting out in an amazing way and uh you know tonight we have a lot of really exciting exciting uh things to share with you um first I um I I'm so incredibly impressed by what we have to share with our community tonight uh I'm going to ask our assistant superintendent of curriculum instruction Miss Jennifer mccan to approach the day and also to the podium thank you it is with great pleasure to introduce a remarkable student who has achieved something truly extraordinary Ary tonight we celebrate na Nathan gloth a young scholar whose dedication and passion for history have propelled him to Peak the to the peak of academic success during the 2023 2024 school year Nathan was one of the prestigious National History B winners the National History B is a quiz competition for individual students testing their knowledge of history and of all eras in all all parts of the world this achievement is both rare and impressive his deep knowledge of historical events figures and Trends has set him apart as one of the brightest young minds in the field of history but Nathan's Journey doesn't stop here this summer he will represent Wall Township Public Schools at the international history B in Paris where he will compete against the best and brightest history students from all over the world this accomplishment is a testament not only to Nathan's intelligence and hard work but also to his enthusiasm for Learning and his commitment to Excellence Nathan's success is a source of Pride for all of us and we have no doubt that he will continue to shine at the international stage Nathan we are incredibly proud of you and we can't wait to see all that you will accomplish in Paris and Beyond at this time I'm going to invite his history teacher Miss Jamie Campbell to come and speak about him as well Nathan I'm thrilled to congratulate you for your exceptional performance in the history Bay Nathan was one of three regional finalists here at wall Intermediate School who then competed in the National History B in Orlando through his hard work and determination Nathan earned a well-deserved spot in the prestigious International Olympian which will be held in I think London going to London or Paris next year London it is Paris Paris next summer this is an incredible accomplishment and we couldn't be more proud of Nathan's dedication and passion for history as he prepares for the ultimate Challenge we wish him the best of luck as he represents our region on the international stage Nathan we are all rooting for you and as your social studies teacher if the board would like to send me to Paris this summer um I I would happily attend Nathan congratulations and come on down [Applause] well I told you 2025 was going to start off in a banner way congratulations Nathan we're so excited to hear all about your journey and U if you sneak a croissant in your suitcase you know but 1640 18th Avenue okay um and the next part it's actually the next part of our meeting is the presentation of um our Educators and educator service Professionals of the Year this is such a special recognition for people that work so incredibly hard um I believe we're all queued up okay so in an effort to really uh really showcase uh really our our recipients this year we prepared a video and we hope that you will enjoy it [Music] Mrs Erica lazinski finally known as Mrs Al is one of our beloved teachers at Wall primary school she emits a positivity that is contagious and continuously puts her students first you will often find Mrs Al at my door discussing ways to ensure everyone is included and every individual need is met for both the students and staff at Wall primary school she is flexible open-minded and Incredibly hardworking if your child has or had Mrs Al in the past I am sure she has become a household name she has touched the lives of every child and their family that has come through her door over the past 15 years she encourages a positive homeschool connection and supports an open line of communication Mrs Allen fuses language social skills and positivity in every aspect of her day with her students she's a team player who both shares her excellent ideas and takes feedback from others she is knowledgeable in the area of Child Development and inclusive in her practices she runs a well-organized efficient and most importantly fun classroom she has a fabulous Report with all of her students and as such they're always excited to join in any activity she is leaving Mrs Al has the ability to take an everyday activity such as the calendar and make it extraordinary we are incredibly lucky to have her at Wall primary school congratulations Mrs Erica lazinski miss Karen odonnell fondly known as miss Karen is a valued dedicated power professional at Wall primary school she has been in the district since 1999 and an instructional power professional for over 25 years she has been in almost every school moving where needed and most recently at Wall primary school for the past eight years she makes great connections with her students ensuring that they feel safe and comfortable at school Miss carer is one of the first to arrive and she does not rest or leave until she has finished what was asked of her every day she ensures that the students in Mrs L's class have exactly what they need to be successful she is detail oriented and willing to support the staff and students in whatever way she can she often lends a helping hand especially with all the fun projects that happen at Royal Primary School Miss Karen is professional positive and Incredibly committed to her job she cares very much for her students and strives to ensure the classroom is ready for them each and every day congratulations Mrs Karen odonnell [Music] today we celebrate two exceptional individuals who have made an extraordinary impact in their school and Community Mrs Shanklin and Mrs cross Mrs Shanklin is a true leader and role model for all she's a district grade level leader a fifth grade who inspires and connects with students through a positive demeanor and genuine care for the wellbeing she's earned the respect of and admiration of students parents colleagues and administrators alike a dedicated advocate for Education Mrs shenlin has served as head of the Union at Allenwood and contributes to numerous committees beyond the classroom she plan beautiful Veterans Day ceremonies to honor three World War II veterans a testament to her commitment both education and Community Mrs Shanklin also serves on the Wall Township planning board and promotes hard work and teamwork through her involvement in Youth Sports proving that her dedication goes far beyond the walls of the school her impact in the school and community truly makes her very deserving of this recognition Mrs cross with over 20 years of experience as a school of psychologist in wall public schools has transformed the educational experience for countless students through her implementation Innovative programs like social thinking and zones of Regulation she has helped create a more inclusive and supportive learning environment Mrs cross Fosters of the culture of empathy empowerment and emotional resilience advocating tirelessly for her students educational needs her involvement in school committies further highlights her dedication to the well-being of every child she supports she communicates with families and other stakeholders to ensure that her students various needs are always met together Mrs shenlin and Mrs cross exemplify excellence in education and community service inspiring us all with their unwavering commitment and compassion Miss Wagner has been with the Wall Township District for four years in such a short time her impact has been dramatically felt in Central School Miss Wagner as our teacher has transformed the program into a strong exploration for students whether they are Avid artists themselves or those who have never found their voice through their work Miss Wagner diligently attends to all her students in the school she builds their creativity their perspective and their knowledge of all aspects of the world of art her lessons frequently feature inclusion of famous artists from around the world to bolster their understanding of form medium and color she strives to have all her students Find meaning in the projects they produce her art show is a highlight for the school year the theme this year is literally out of this world Miss Wagner volunteers her time for school of and there always a colleague that can be depended upon for these Reasons I'm pleased to celebrate Miss Wagner's designation as the 2024 2025 Teacher of the Year miss Toler joined the Central School community in 2022 as our school nurse immediately our students and staff connected with her on all levels nurse Mimi is well known for having an extremely welcoming and comfortable environment for her students who see here for a wide variety of needs she not only attends to the occasional headache or upset stomach but administers life-saving medicine and monitors student health throughout the school day she's a safe space for all students who come to her at their most vulnerable she is loved by the staff and the community and is a wonderful addition to our school I'm so happy to celebrate Miss toler's designation as the Education Service professional of the 2024 2 school [Music] year we are proud to have Mr Fisco As Old Middle School's teacher of the year he has consistently demonstrated a remarkable ability to differentiate instruction he understands that each student possesses unique strengths and challenges and he has taken the initiative to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and engaged for instance during group activities he skillfully modifies games to accommodate various skill levels ensuring that all students can participate and have fun this adaptability not only enhances the learning experience but also Fosters a sense of commodity among our Learners Mr fco's passion for physical education is evident in the way he approaches each lesson he brings an infectious enthusiasm that makes our PE classes enjoyable and meaningful whether they are working on teamwork and relay races or practicing individual skills in sports he encourages our Bulldogs to push their limits while maintaining a positive attitude his ability to motivate others is a testament to his leadership qualities and his commitment to encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle Mr Fisco has taken on the role of leader and organizer for our annual field day and Fun Run he goes above and beyond to ensure that every student participates in a fun and meaningful way his ability to coordinate activities and engage students is truly impressive he not only manages Logistics but also Fosters a sense of community among participants making sure that everyone feels included and valued his unique ability to differentiate instruction his passion for physical education and his leadership qualities make us very proud to call Mr Joseph Fisco our teacher of the year Mrs Lisa ventrella stands out as a true advocate for literacy consistently demonstrating her commitment to best practices and reading and writing instruction her thorough understanding of phonics and phic awareness is evident this knowledge is crucial for developing students reading skills and ensuring that they can decode words effectively she skillfully utilizes data to tailor her instruction which helps her meet the diverse needs of our students and enhances their learning she not only excels in her own teaching but also actively seeks opportunities to support her fellow teachers in enhancing literacy skills across the school for instance she has been instrumental in leading workshops designed to equip teachers with effective strategies for teaching reading and writing and using data to meet the diverse needs of Learners her ability to provide clear actionable guidance has been invaluable in fostering a Collaborative Learning environment moreover Lisa ventrella makes every minute count in our efforts to reinforce literacy skills often transforming the hallways into informal learning spaces whether she is engaging her Learners in discussions about books or sharing tips on comprehension strategies her enthusiasm for literacy is contagious we are honored to have Mrs Lisa ventrella as our Educational Service professional of the [Music] Year this heartfelt recognition celebrates Mrs Allison EBR as West belmar's Teacher of the Year this highlights her exceptional qualities and dedication to education enthusiasm kindness compassion and creativity Define her approach as an educator for the past 19 years Mrs eons has motivated and inspired home multilingual Learners creating a caring and supportive learning environment where students Thrive her Innovative teaching methods and positive attitude serve as a powerful tool to encourage her students to excel every day beyond the class classroom Miss edin participates in special events like holiday celebrations Mother's Day tees and Community Gatherings fostering meaningful connections with students and their families her dedication to her profession and her role as a teacher leader have earned her admiration for students parents colleagues and administrators alike West Belmar school is proud to honor her as the teacher of the year year a testament to her profound impact on the school Community congratulations Miss eons on this well-deserved achievement Miss Tron alone's exceptional dedication and contributions to education as an instructional par professional for the past 14 years have been invaluable to the bear cubs her traits of caring thoughtfulness attention into detail and passion have shaped her approach to supporting her students her remarkable patience and work ethic enable her to guide students toward academic Excellence across various subjects including reading math social studies and science furthermore her involvement in promoting schoolwide character education emphasizes values such as this responsibility kindness peacefulness respect and caring this reflects her commitment to fostering a positive and supportive learning environment recognizing her as the Educational Service professional for West Belmar school is a well-deserved honor celebrating her invaluable impact on the school Community congratulations Mrs tronolone [Music] this year Wall Intermediate School is proud to recognize Mrs Noble as our teacher of the year so I would guess that the public wonders what we look for in a staff member for this award it's pretty simple when it's all said and done it's the person that we present the award to that has the students cheering for them it's the person in the building who the staff says absolutely or I would put my kid in that teacher's class any day and it's the person that the parent of a student says my child really really love that class while hard to quantify it it's easy to qualify it Mrs Noble you're a giver one who cares deeply about your kids and one who loves them to no end it's that simple congratulations on a well-deserved recognition as this year's teacher of the [Music] year congratulations Mrs springle for being selected as this year's Educational Services professional of the year as I mentioned earlier it's not very hard to see why someone is selected we all see how the students that you work with feel about you and we see how you feel about them yes you help run small academic groups and yes you deal with Middle School personalities and behaviors but you are reliable you are consistent but more than anything else just like Mrs Noble you are a giver you are one who cares deeply about your kids and you're a person who just loves being at the intermediate school as a parent myself of a student with special needs I would be proud to have my son be with you any day of the week congratulations Mrs springle for being recognized as this year's Educational Services professional of the [Music] year we are very excited and proud to honor Mr Justin Santiago as the wall High School teacher of the year Mr Santiago has been a special educator and social studies teacher at wall High School since 2013 Mr Santiago is dedicated to creating rigorous history curriculum that meets the diverse needs of his students and engages students with his energetic style and passion for his content he does an amazing job of differentiating and adapting lessons and he assures that all students can engage with the material perhaps more importantly Mr Santiago formed strong relationships with all of his students and those relationships help to motivate students and Foster academic success in the classroom Mr Santiago also F Fosters strong relationships with parents colleages colleagues and he creates a supportive and Collaborative Learning environment his enthusiasm and school spirit are unmatched and infectious inspiring both students and staff alike if you've ever been to a wall High School pep rally you would have surely noticed Mr Santiago leading a section of students in a cheer or participating in one of the games on the field in addition to his teaching responsibilities Justin actively participates in the school Community his involvement in student council and as a class adviser highlights his commitment to student advocacy and Leadership his support for both students and colleagues demonstrates his dedication to the education profession and his desire for professional growth Jus in Santiago exemplifies the qualities of an outstanding educator making a lasting impact on his students and the school Community as a whole we are proud to recognize Mr Santiago as the wall High School teacher of the [Music] year Wall High School is also incredibly proud to recognize Brendan McDermot as the wall School Educational Service professional of the Year Brendan is the athletic trainer at wall high school and his dedication and extensive knowledge make him an invaluable asset to the entire School Community Brendan's attentiveness and excellent communication skills ensure that athletes receive the best possible care and support while also advocating for their educational needs his commitment is evident in his presence at every sporting event where he plays a crucial role in each Athletics program as an educational services professional he Bridges the gap between Athletics and and academics helping students Bal balance their commitments effectively Brendan's ability to handle every situation with care and confidentiality instills trust among students parents and coaches alike his proactive approach not only promotes athlet safety but also Fosters a positive and supportive environment for all involved Brendon mcm's unwavering dedication and professionalism greatly enhanced the athletic and educational experiences at wall High School making him a vital member of the community we are proud to recognize Mr mcdermit as the wall High School Educational Services professional of the year okay so it is um first of all I I'm so grateful to see so many members of our school Community here this evening and U I would be remiss if I did not thank a few people that were instrumental in uh the video production and also the um the program itself um I'd like to start with thanking Miss sertz Miss Wier Miss Chim are our uh TV production teacher and I'm sure her students were involved in the production as well um I think they did a fantastic job and I'd also like to thank the principles for really endorsing um you know members of their school communities so wholeheartedly in the video so I appreciate that um and I also uh would very much like to thank uh Miss Kim keer uh who works side by side with me day in and day out because Kim keer my assistant U she coordinates the program for our school district and she does an outstanding outstanding job so um I would like to give them all a round of applause if you wouldn't mind indulging me so the Board of Education might have a little token for our recipients here this evening um as Mr malof our board president is uh going to be joining me I would like to mention that this was a tough night for some people and some of our recipients are not able to be here this evening between actually uh fulfilling the duties of their actual positions for Wall Township Public Schools um for coaching responsibilities for um other family commitments and uh some just it's cold and flu season and yeah it's January so so we so uh while they may not be here we are absolutely uh celebrating them um cele celebrating them in this room tonight and we'll be sure to make sure that we get their tokens to them as soon as possible so without any further Ado it is my pleasure to introduce our educator of the year at wall High School Justin [Applause] Santiago congratulations okay Mr mcder could not be here this evening so again um he's in our thoughts this evening for representing wall intermediate school with wall intermediate school's educator of the Year Miss Amy Noble come on down conratulations Miss sprangle could not be here with us this evening so we wish her well representing Allenwood would our educator of the Year from Allenwood Miss Christine Shanklin please please come [Applause] down also representing Allenwood school what our Educational Service professional of the Year Miss Elizabeth cross please join us representing West Belmar school with their educator of the Year Miss Allison eons come on down also representing West Belmar can we have our Educational Service professional of the Year Miss Lisa tronolone [Applause] Mr Fisco and Miss ventrella from Old Mill school both could not be here this evening so we'll be sure to um to uh reach out to them shortly but representing Wall primary school would the educator of the Year Erica lazinski please join us also from Wall primary school would Educational Service professional of the Year miss Karen odonnell please join [Applause] us okay would our educator of the year for Central School Miss Kristen Wagner please come on [Applause] down okay and from Central School our Educational Service professional of the Year metria Toler nurse MIM [Applause] me well I for one am so grateful that I get to um see all of our recip i s and their colleagues you know in action uh supporting our students each and every day um recipients you're really not off the hook yet because there is a giant couple a couple of big photos that we want to take so where is Miss Wier there she is okay so if you would this would be a nice uh we'll take a nice pause in the meeting because we really would love to get some lovely pictures for all of our recipients this year so if you would indulge me and follow Miss Wier out e e plays in central section and which he was nominated as a top 20 player in the state in the Sports World in the Sports World our boys basketball team are 10 and three with a game against Neptune tonight the girls girls basketball team is thriving under new head coach Mr Pagano hockey is doing great with senior James Burns scoring his 100th point and finally on the mat wrestling is off to a great start with an 11-2 record and a big congrats to coach Fischer on getting his 200th career win our girls track team also won the 400 meter distance medley relay with a time of 12 minutes and 48 seconds the team consisted of Molly luer Carly Maser Cali buck bomb and Madison chatus great job girls okay thank you very much uh for that report and certainly you are welcome to stay but if you have work to do I'm sure you do thank you and good night thank you midterm that's midterm week okay okay at this time we're going to open the floor for public comment this public comment is on any school related issues anybody who would like to uh make a public comment we have a microphone down here at the bottom and one up at the top please make your way to the microphone if you would like to make public comment and if you just give your your uh your name that would be great thank you my name is Keith Hunsinger I was one of the four candidates for the vacant seat I just wanted to thank everybody for their consider fation tonight and for their continued work to make Wall Township the great town that it is thank you so much thank you Mr hinger we appreciate your your interest is there anyone else for public comment seeing none I'm going to close public comment and it is time for the president's report y okay this is the president I have just have a very brief uh president's report uh tonight first of all uh I would like to welcome for the first time for uh a uh uh the regular public meeting I know Mr Bon was here for the uh uh reorganization meeting but I want to welcome Mr Bon to his first meeting and Mrs Samantha Adams to her first meeting and congratulations to Mr Cody Smith uh for your uh uh appointment and we certainly we look forward to working with you and we're very happy to have you aboard uh just a couple other things as far as uh wall high school students of the month for grade nine Eloise pavier grade 10 Ariel etko grade 11 Brendan McKay grade 12 Chase keneki uh the night of the week for grade 12 is Charles Mahoney for uh also grade 12 Ava Grant also grade 12 Kevin GES and uh Christian in Matthews uh grade n those are for the uh December uh students of the week uh and just one other thing that I want to mention we have a couple of uh uh upcoming events that I just wanted to make note of uh this Thursday January 23rd right here in the wall Intermediate School uh Auditorium there is an elementary orchestra concert and I've attended many of those when my uh children were in the orchestra I found them to be uh terrific that elementary kids uh you know really perform at at a high level and that's worthwhile to come out to also on uh the 28th we have the wall High School uh band concert which is Tuesday uh uh at 7M at the high school and I know that there is coming up a class of 1929 uh information night at w high school and that will be held on January 29th at uh 6:30 and that uh concludes my report uh superintendent hand toan thank you so much Mr malof good evening I'd like to thank the wall High School color guard and Colonel Jax for opening up our meeting I would also like to thank our student Representatives Michael southwell and Aon Richie for joining us on this very very chilly January evening I wish to extend a huge congratulations to our very own Nathan gloth for achieving history greatness on the international stage um I just I'm am so impressed by that young man and for all of our educators of the year and Educational Service Professionals of the Year thank you for coming out tonight and thank you for all of your professionalism and inspiration we are so happy and grateful that you were a part of the wtps family congratulations to you all I also wish to welcome our new board of education members to our first to um our first business meeting of the Year Mr Burton Miss Adam and Cody Smith welcome Attention Parents guard of Elementary age children the district elementary administrators and the office of student wellness have sponsored an Internet safety presentation wtps parents and Guardians are invited to an extremely informative session on the importance of technology and Internet safety for elementary age students the presenter is senior special agent of the United States Secret Service Tom Todd Heiser this presentation will be held twice the the first will be held this Wednesday January 22nd at 6:30 p.m. at Central School for both Central and West belmare families and again on Tuesday February 4th at Allenwood school for Old Mill and Allenwood families if you are unable to attend the evening of your school's designated night please feel free to attend the alterntive alternate evening the most important thing is ensuring that our wtps families receive this information in fact the information is so so important Transportation will be provided if a parent is in need of it so please visit our website for additional information on this very very um very informative evening and um I can assure you that our um presenter secret service agent uh Todd Heiser is um is incredibly knowledgeable and uh there'll be a lot of learning that takes place for parents throughout the district attention to all families that will be registering an incoming kindergartener kindergarten registration begins Monday February 3rd and for those looking to register their child for Wall primary prek registration begins Tuesday February 18th for detailed information regarding registration please visit our website start at the students and families tab along the top and then click on registration I encourage these parents to complete these registrations as soon as possible so so that we can use the most accurate enrollment counts as we prepare the budget for next year speaking of enrollments our total District enrollment numbers for December 2024 are as follows prek 74 kindergarten 229 first grade 221 second grade 232 third grade 250 fourth grade 234 fifth grade 281 sixth grade 241 7th grade 260 8ighth grade 258 9th grade 220 10th grade 219 11th grade 256 12th grade 233 also I'd like to just um give you a friendly reminder that there is an early dismissal for all students on Wednesday February 12th thank you Mr M thank you Dr hhan uh this is the Board of Education update is there any board member who uh wishes to make a comment Mr President I'd like to make a a comment uh I will have uh at the next meeting a um uh a little more feedback on the referendum updates and things of that nature um my last meeting uh fnf was my first meeting as chair so um kind of taking a a few to get my feet wet here before I start giving the monthly updates on that but the uh the minutes are uh posted uh in the agenda and on the website um I just wanted to thank um the uh candidates tonight the the people that interviewed tonight Mr Hunsinger langua uh and papa um it was it's a very challenging thing to do do um what you did uh putting your putting your name in the ring to sit in front of people and and interview um thank you for doing that um it's great to see people actually stepping up and and wanting to serve their Community the Wall Township community um Mr Smith congratulations welcome um and Miss Adams while we already spoke and I said welcome to you as well earlier I want to uh just again say it welcome and I look forward to to serving with the both of you um on the board here that's it thank you Mr Buffa uh the committee report which uh this uh month we only had the one committee uh uh fnf was the only committee meeting we had this month we will have all four committee meetings in uh February okay uh at this time I want to open the floor for public comment on any uh agenda item any item on the agenda if there's anybody that wishes to address any agenda item please come to the microphone seeing no one I'm going to close uh public comment all right at this time I'm going to ask for a uh motion uh to approve the consent agenda for uh items 14 15 through 20 I believe through 19 sorry I'll make the motion I'll second okay Mrs uh D djavan Mr buffer roll call please take a roll call Miss Adams yes but I'd like to abstain from noted Mr anesia yes Miss barbier yes Mr Bon yes Mr buffer yes M dgani yes Mr Smith yes Mr wandra yes Mr mouth Yes and at this time I would like to make a motion I'd like to hear if there is a motion to adjourn the meeting Mr Adano I'll second Mr Baron second all in favor post meeting adjourned