Fencing approved as Montgomery High School sport

One-year pilot program will not tap district funds, advocates say

By: Jake Uitti
   MONTGOMERY — The Board of Education on Tuesday unanimously approved a one-year pilot fencing program at Montgomery High School for the 2006-2007 school year. The program is intended to add no cost to the district the first year.
   "Our district continues to get larger, and we all recognize the value of extracurricular activities for children, both for personal development and for marketability," said board member Andrea Bradley. "This is exactly the kind of program we need."
   The fencing program will be a way to involve more students in sports who may not have previously been involved, she added.
   Parents of the students who are looking to get involved in fencing will bear the cost of the first year of the program and, depending on its success, the district will look to integrate fencing into its budget plan in future years, board member Charles Jacey said.
   Steven Caputo, a parent of two former Montgomery High School students who fenced, and who has been involved in instituting a fencing program, said a committee of parents submitted a budget that relies on donations to the Montgomery Booster Club to fund the program for the first year and to fund a portion of the program for three succeeding years.
   Mr. Caputo said most of the money to pay for the program will come from parents whose children fence or have fenced in Montgomery. In addition, a donation was made by one former Montgomery High School student toward the program.
   "It is a particularly good recruiting or college-placement opportunity," said Mr. Caputo, "because the top universities on the East Coast and elsewhere are recruiting fencers. New Jersey has more high schools fencing than any other state."
   He added, "Fencing attracts a different kind of student athlete. Kids who fence are not the traditional athlete. Kids who ordinarily wouldn’t go out for contact sports often find fencing provides the mental and physical challenge they are looking for."
   There has been no decision on a coach, Mr. Caputo noted.
   In other business Tuesday, the board discussed the possibility of having an additional late bus depart after the 4:15 p.m. bus for student athletes who have practice after school.
   The board over the next few months will also be looking at the use of the district school buildings, which, they said, are nearing capacity, specifically Village Elementary School.
   The board also noted that it will be meeting with the Township Committee and representatives of Weston Solutions Inc., the firm the township is looking to hire for the cleanup of the former North Princeton Developmental Center, to ensure the cleanup does not hinder any of the children in Village Elementary School, which is located on the property.
   "We take this issue very seriously," board President David Pettit said of the cleanup endeavor.