BY LARRY HLAVENKA JR.
Staff Writer
MARLBORO – James Mullevey feared the worst.
Mullevey, the principal of Marlboro High School, had just been informed that the school sign outside on the front lawn had been damaged and defaced.
However, when he walked outside of the building on the morning of Sept. 26 to inspect the damage he found something quite different waiting for him.
Mullevey found an adoring public, including Freehold Regional High School District Superintendent of Schools James Wasser, and a fully operational sign that proclaimed he has been named Administrator of the Year by the New Jersey Association of Student Councils (NJASC).
The broken sign ruse, perpetrated by members of the Marlboro student council and other members of the administration, fooled Mullevey. He was nominated for the award by those same students and teachers.
“I’m totally shocked and stunned,” he said immediately after the big surprise. “I had no idea. I thought the sign was vandalized. When I saw my boss (Wasser) out here, I thought I was in real trouble.”
Mullevey came to the FRHSD in 1996 as Marlboro’s principal.
Diane Huff, Marlboro’s student council adviser, said it is clear why the principal was nominated for the NJASC honor.
“He is the student council’s most avid supporter and ardent fan,” Huff said. “By his excellent example he shows the students what student council is all about in leadership, commitment, dedication and service to others.”
In a letter to the NJASC nominating Mullevey for the honor, former student council president Scott Rog said the principal “is all about respect and leadership.”
Wasser also said Mullevey is deserving of the recognition.
“He is outstanding,” Wasser said. “He is the best at creating relationships with students and parents. He is a true educator. He really cares about his students.”
Still surprised, Mullevey was none-theless humbled.
“I’m honored to be nominated for this prestigious award,” he said. “I can’t believe it has happened. I’m shocked.”
The recognition will continue on Oct. 23 at the NJASC’s fall conference at The College of New Jersey, Ewing, Mercer County. Mullevey will be presented with a plaque during an awards ceremony.
NJASC, established in 1927, is the oldest student leadership organization in the country. The NJASC encourages middle school and high school student councils to be more active and engaged in their schools and communities.
Throughout the school year, the NJASC works with student leaders and student council advisers to encourage participation in student government and to provide a forum for students to network and share ideas for successful projects and events.