School year opens with many changes

Terry Fitzpatrick, the new high school principal, is just one of many new faces in Manville’s schools.

By: Krzysztof Scibiorski
   The start of a new school year will see many new faces in Manville’s schools, including Terry Fitzpatrick, the new high school principal.
Manville High School
   The Board of Education hired Mr. Fitzpatrick this summer to fill the position vacated by the departure of Dan Lane. Many hope that the long-time educator will bring a renewed sense of stability to the high school, which has undergone numerous transitions in recent years.
   Before coming to Manville Mr. Fitzpatrick was an assistant principal in Freehold Regional High School District’s Howell High School for six years and a supervisor in Freehold’s Manalapan High School for two.
   In an earlier interview, Dr. Francis X. Heelan, schools superintendent, described the high school’s new Discipline with Dignity program as the board’s main tool in the district’s initiative to refocus on the high school. Mr. Fitzpatrick also cited the program as his main objective for the year, hoping that it will help the teachers and students "both earn, and, give respect to each other."
   According to Mr. Fitzpatrick, 14 new teachers have joined the high school this summer and with the aid of "a tremendous amount of staff development activities and in-service events" will help create a stronger Manville High School during the year. While exact enrollment figures were not available before the start of the school , Mr. Fitzpatrick believes that around 440 students will attend the school. This figure does not represent a significant change from previous years, according to the new principal.
   Mr. Fitzpatrick was originally an English teacher, and holds an English degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University as well as a master’s in administration and supervision from Montclair State University. Although he’s been an educator since 1968, Mr. Fitzpatrick took an 11-year hiatus from public education to pursue a career in Florida, where he owned and operated a real-estate licensing school and business.
   In 1993, he returned to public education and began his employment in the Freehold school district.
   Mr. Fitzpatrick enjoys home renovation and restoration project and often helps his family and friends in bringing older homes to their former glory. He sees his hobby as a "good break from sitting behind a desk and looking at papers during the week."
ABIS
   According to Dr. James Brunn, the ABIS principal, students in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades will begin the school year with several new teachers, two exciting new academic programs and an ice-cream party at the end of their first day of school.
   According to Dr. Brunn, one of the major innovations this year will be the creation of a sixth-grade writing program. The district has hired an additional teacher, Margaret Balzano, to lead the program in its first year and all ABIS sixth graders will attend the writing class five times a week.
   Dr. Brunn is also excited about the introduction of "cycle classes" for all ABIS grades. As Dr. Brunn explains, students will take marking period-long courses in art, world languages, music and technology. At the end of each marking period students will switch their courses so that everyone will be exposed to these different academic areas.
   Seven new teachers, who will lead classes in social studies, science, physical education, art and special services, have joined the staff at ABIS. Dr. Brunn estimates that this year’s enrollment "will be about stable compared with last year" with around 300 children attending ABIS.
Roosevelt School
   Fred Volpi, the Roosevelt School principal, decided to welcome all of the students to the school year with gradewide assemblies on Wednesday morning. Mr. Volpi, not facing staffing changes on the same scale as some of the district’s other principals, focused his remarks on "describing the new additions to the school and going over some of the procedures."
   Mr. Volpi is excited about the arrival of Spanish classes into the fifth grade curriculum that will complement the World Languages program in place for grades K-4. The Roosevelt School is also at the heart of the grades K-8 mathematics program overhaul which will be the other main academic change during this school year.
   During the summer, the Roosevelt School benefited from "numerous renovations and additions," such as the establishment of a technology/computer lab and the re-establishment of the school’s art and music room. According to Mr. Volpi the school was able to accommodate the new facilities "without making additions to the building by moving offices and classrooms around."
   According to Mr. Volpi "while at any point, someone could walk into the building, at last count the school’s enrollment seems stable with 105 kids in fourth grade and 101 in fifth." Mr. Volpi sees this number as fairly typical, saying that "while the size of particular grades varies, in recent years, Roosevelt has had between 200 and 210 students attending."
Weston School
   At the Weston School, principal Don Frank sees "maintaining the high standards that parents have gotten used to" as the biggest challenge during this school year. Mr. Frank’s situation is particularly acute with the "the highest number of new teachers at the school" that he has ever seen in his eight years at Weston.
   Nine new full-time teachers will join the staff at Weston this month, with "an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher being probably shared with the high school." Two more changes will be made in October, when two second grade teachers going on maternity leave will be replaced. Mr. Frank assures the parents that "children will not be taught by 60 college-credit substitute teachers throughout the year, but by fully-certified replacement teachers."
   Mr. Frank was "hoping for another clear and sunny day to open the school year" as has been the case for his first eight years at Weston. The first day of classes was to start without an opening assembly as Mr. Frank wanted the children to get "right into the classroom routine." He plans to speak to all of the classes individually during the first week of school.