Board meeting filled with special presentations
By:Michael Arges
Hightstown High School Spanish teacher Donna Ratner was named 1999-2000 Teacher of the Year in the East Windsor Regional School District during the presentation of annual awards at the district’s school board meeting Monday night. Her award was a highlight among several special recognitions made at the meeting.
Ms. Ratner graduated Summa Cum Laude from SUNY at Albany with a BA in Spanish and French education. She studied in Madrid in the spring semester of 1991. Ms. Ratner taught at Fontbonne Hall Academy in Brooklyn, N.Y., before beginning her service at Hightstown High School in 1984. She also received a Governor’s Teacher Recognition Award this year and has been listed in the 1999 and 2000 Who’ Who Among America’s Teachers. In 1986 she attended the summer-long World Languages Professional Development Institute at Princeton University.
The board recognized McKnight School art teacher Sharon Henneborn for her selection as a New Jersey Governor’s award in Arts Education for this year. In addition to her teaching duties, Ms. Henneborn serves as the Elementary Chairperson for the Art Educators of New Jersey. She was named the “Governor’s Teacher of the Year” for the McKnight School for the 1998-99 school year, and has served East Windsor students for 31 years.
The school board thanked and presented a plaque and flowers to senior Becky Kramer for her two year’s service as student representative on the East Windsor Regional Board of Education.
“I can count probably one hand the number of meetings she’s missed, and those absences were always school related — a test the next day, a paper due the next day; she has sat with us until the wee hours of the morning — not a voting member — just a student representative sometimes giving us feedback,” commented board chair Sheri Grunwerg.
Kim Lippman, a sophomore at Hightstown High School, received special recognition for her participation in the May 6th Monmouth University Forensics Tournament. Although HHS does not at this time have an official forensics team, Kim took the initiative to form a “one woman” forensics team and single-handedly placed sixth out of nine teams in the team competition at the tournament.
Although this was Kim’s first attempt at forensics competition, she placed second in the Oral Interpretation of Prose Literature competition and fourth in the Impromptu Speaking competition.
Special recognition also went to Hightstown High School senior Heather Kulik, for being one of only three Presidential Scholars from New Jersey this year and one of only 141 nationwide. Her teacher Linda Zalewitz was recognized for receiving a Presidential Scholars Teacher Award, for being named as the teacher who most influenced and guided Heather through her school years.
The School/Community Relations Council announced the winners of its annual Photo Contest. The Winning photos will appear in the 2000-2001 School District Calendar/Handbook. The contest is open to employees, parents and students, and there was a photo chosen from each district school, plus a photo from district employees not representing a particular school. Teacher Vicki Bane won the award for Walter C. Black School, teacher Lisa Rothman won from Perry L. Drew School, teacher Ellen Ogintz won from Ethel McKnight School, parent Karen Trast won from Melvin H. Kreps Middle School. Teacher Jill Neaton won from the Kreps Middle School and teacher Joan Rodgers won from Hightstown High School awards. Harriet Hirschfeld won representing Kidcare.