LHS grad responds to school board member comments
To the Editor:
I am writing in response to a letter that appeared in the paper last week. Mr. John Gregg, one of the newest members of the school board, wrote to express his concerns for Lawrence High School and all of the schools in Lawrence Township. I actually know several students who attended private schools and were unsatisfied with the education offered there. Those students returned to Lawrence High School.
Mr. Gregg asserts that not enough Lawrence Township students go on to top-rated colleges and universities. He also asserts that our AP and SAT scores are not high enough to "predict success." As a graduate of the AP program, I am unaware of any problems with it. I have many friends who took several AP classes along with me, many of whom went on to top-rated and Ivy League colleges and universities.
I would not assert that the schools do not need improvement; education is a field that is constantly changing. Schools must always work to evolve and adapt in order to give students the best possible education. However, I ask that Mr. Gregg give his schools and his fellow board members the credit they deserve. The Lawrence Township School District has provided an exceptional foundation for my education and future career.
As a result of the dedication and guidance of so many of my former teachers, I was able to choose among admission to several highly rated universities. I chose to attend Fordham University-Lincoln Center in New York, a leading Jesuit institution, where the curriculum is rigorous. I feel that my education at LHS prepared me well for this and my co-curricular activities, including assistant editorship of my award winning college newspaper, interning at Seventeen Magazine, and my work on a pilot project with the United Nations.
I believe that the measure of success goes far beyond test scores and awards. I owe much of my current success and happiness to the encouragement of both my parents and my teachers. Across the board, Lawrence Township educators pushed my fellow students and me to pursue even our most far-reaching aspirations. We were taught the importance of respect toward others and ourselves. That lesson of respect instilled in us an obligation to serve others and work to improve the world for all people, not just a select few.
The Lawrence Township School District has served as an example of excellence in education for many years. I ask only that this history and the people who shaped it not be devalued.
Kathryn H. Cusimano
LHS Class of 2005 graduate
New York, N.Y.
‘Bullying tactics’ not beneficial to Lawrence school system
To the Editor:
Was anybody else offended by the tone of the letter submitted by John Gregg in last week’s Lawrence Ledger? As parents who have been involved with the Lawrence Township schools for many years, we felt quite offended on behalf of the wonderful teachers and staff who have worked with our children. We also have to wonder how productive it is for a recently elected school board member to publicly demean the staff of the schools that he has been chosen to serve. Is there room for improvement in every school district? Always. However, the bullying tactics used by Mr. Gregg are not likely to be beneficial. This is not the way to motivate people and to inspire students.
Mr. Gregg clearly did not do his research since he overlooked many of the recent accomplishments of our students, which are clearly available on the LTPS Web site. Among some of the accomplishments of the music department are three of our high school students who were recently selected to the All Eastern Honors Choir, including students who were selected for the Eastern Regional Orchestra. Our theater students recently participated in the Bucks County Drama Festival Competition, winning two of the top awards and three honorable mentions. LHS has a long history of excellence in the Mock Trial Competitions every year where they place among the top teams. DECA students routinely make it to regional, state and national competition against other high school business and marketing students. Lawrence Township Odyssey of the Mind teams have made it to the elite level of competition. We recently have had success at the Science Olympiad as well.
Several of our athletic teams excelled this year including football, golf and tennis. In recent years, some of our top athletes have been awarded scholarships to major universities. Academically, our high school students number a National Merit Scholar, several National Merit letters of commendation, 25 Bloustein scholars, a Coast Guard commission, five MCPCA Scholarships (10 were awarded countywide; five were given to LHS students) as well as numerous other scholarships and awards. The 2007 senior class has students who have been offered admission to Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania and other prestigious universities.
It also is important to note our schools provide many opportunities for service learning projects starting at the elementary school level. Eldridge Park School raised money for Alex’s Lemonade Stand and Angel’s Wings this year among many other projects in the elementary schools. The high school has an annual auction for Operation Smile, in addition to other activities for this charity. This year the band and orchestra participated in Katrina Relief activities in New Orleans. This is a very limited partial list of what our students and staff does each year.
Perhaps Mr. Gregg should take a closer look at what this community defines as excellence before accusing the school system of inaction.
Janet and Anthony Cusimano
Paddock Drive
Parent: Board member’s letter about schools ‘demeaning’
To the Editor:
I would like to respond to the opinion letter posted in the Ledger last week by Mr. John Gregg. I thought his letter was demeaning to those of us who do not aspire to speak Mandarin Chinese.
I believe the measure of a good school is the environment it creates to partner with parents to produce well rounded, caring, good citizens of the world who have a firm grasp of educational fundamentals. The job of a school system is to prepare its students for life. Life sometimes does not take our students to Ivy League colleges or any colleges at all. Life sometimes is taught on football fields, in music rooms, in hallways and in cafeterias as well as classrooms. A good school teaches our children to be productive adults. The path that the students take after high school may not lead all of them to the same place, but the fundamentals of life taught by our wonderful and caring teachers, staff and parents should prepare them for many eventualities. Society seems to expect high school graduates to behave as adults, so we must prepare them for that.
Here at Lawrence, our diversity is a gift to all of our students. It is not measurable by test scores or college attendance, but it is a most important component of our school. It makes LHS more special than any private school could ever hope to be. In my opinion, it is one of our most valuable teaching tools. Not only are we diverse in ethnic and social backgrounds, but our diversity is also evident in the variety of post-graduate choices our students make.
Our LHS friends have gone down so many paths. We have Ivy Leaguers, soldiers and vocational post grads among the many visitors to our kitchen table each and every weekend. I embrace that. My children are better people for having been raised in such a diverse climate, as life will expose them to so many types of people.
"It takes a village to raise a child" is an old African proverb that seems to be appropriate to the experience they had here. Our village is strong, and having gone to Lawrence High School has made them better adults, and for that I will always be grateful. Good luck to the Class of 2007. We value each and every one of you, no matter where your path leads.
Marybeth DiLorenzo
Lawnside Drive
Are those who work with hands a failure in board member’s eyes?
To the Editor:
As the parent of two young men who both attend Mercer County Vocational-Technical School, I was insulted by John Gregg’s letter to the paper last week. His focus on the most competitive colleges, high SAT scores and Advanced Placement classes dismiss my sons’ accomplishments. They live here too, and they are part of the success story of the Lawrence Township Public Schools.
I have to wonder who does Mr. Gregg’s electrical work, plumbing, lawn care, etc. I also have to wonder who built his home, put in his air conditioning and made the car he drives. Is the man or woman who works with their hands a failure in Mr. Gregg’s eyes?
I don’t understand how someone with this narrow view can be on the school board of a public school. His views do not represent all the students of Lawrence Township. If Mr. Gregg thinks he’s going to represent me and my boys, then he’d better not expand his elitist view of the world.
Bill McClister
Titus Avenue
Resident: School board member woefully uninformed
To the Editor:
I would like to respond to John Gregg’s letter, in which our new and woefully uninformed school member proposes that the Lawrence school system adopts a philosophy of elitism and exclusion.
In part, Mr. Gregg suggests that "the world" will only judge our schools to be "great" when "the high school newspaper’s been awarded a gold medal by the National Scholastic Press Association" and the high school yearbook’s been awarded a "gold crown by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association" and "the debate team qualified for the National Forensics League grand-national tournament by winning County, League, or State Tournaments."
These are all fine things. But what a superficial, shallow, arrogant measure of the achievements of our children! What an insult to our great teachers and staff! And as a senior citizen, I wonder how Mr. Gregg thinks he will fund these expensive initiatives. Mr. Gregg, you are on the school board to represent all the children of Lawrence Township. You are not there to serve just for your own agenda.
Angeline Burby
Barclay Court
School Board member recognizes achievements of LHS Class of ’07
To the Editor:
This Tuesday we will celebrate the graduation of the Lawrence High School Class of 2007. This class has been graced with a National Merit Scholar, five National Merit Finalists, and six National Merit Commended Students. We boast a "Caring for Humanity" award winner and a graduate who has won an appointment to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
We point with equal pride to our students who have focused their efforts on community service, through our high school groups like Operation Smile and Darfur Watch Club and S.A.V.E., and we salute our students who are relatively new English speakers. Our students with disabilities have achieved great success in spite of significant obstacles.
Some of our wonderful graduates attended Mercer County Vocational-Technical School and others are budding thespians. We cheer for the athletes on our championship football, swim, ice hockey, cheerleading and wrestling teams. Our Red Scare participants have won our hearts, as well as the musicians who enliven our jazz ensemble, orchestra, band, and choruses. The Class of 2007 includes American Legion Americanism Award winners and the highest achieving Science Olympiad Team in Lawrence’s history. Among this class are students who will be continuing their education at Princeton University, Dartmouth, Johns Hopkins, Carnegie-Mellon, Brandeis, Rutgers, Rider, The College of New Jersey, Cleveland Conservatory, Penn State, Mercer County Community College, and countless other fine schools.
Finally, we congratulate all of our great students for their accomplishments that have escaped public recognition.
Laura Waters
President, Lawrence Township Board of Education
Ivy Glen Lane

