Principals discuss programs, list new staff members
By Ruth Luse, Managing Editor
When schools open Sept. 6, Timberlane Middle School, which serves grades six-eight, can expect about 970 students, about 20 more than in September 2006.
Hopewell Valley Central High School, which serves students in grades nine-12, began last year with an enrollment of about 1,223. Projected enrollment at this time is 1,238.
TIMBERLANE
MIDDLE SCHOOL
At Timberlane, Principal Pat Coats said last week, “we are excited about the many opportunities awaiting our students when they return.”
”Building a better world, one student at a time “ will be the school’s theme. “This theme fits beautifully with our new daily schedule, which provides for increased instructional time and thus the ability to provide more teacher-student interaction and opportunities to help each individual student succeed. Our new schedule also provides for grade-level lunches so that students will be able to meet with and socialize with all of their friends at lunch time,” said Ms. Coats.
The theme is also reflected in the character education program and the school’s continuing focus on community service. “This year we will be expanding our peer mediation program as well as our anti-bullying Social Norms Project. We will also continue to develop our relationship with the Usizolwethu School in South Africa,” the principal said.
Thanks to the continuing support of the Hopewell Valley Foundation, Timberlane will benefit from grants that will support a student-developed organic garden, the addition of a GameBike Pro for wellness classes, and a language arts/theater workshop for eighth-graders. This is known as “The Odyssey Experience,” conducted by professionals from Princeton’s McCarter Theater.
Back-to-School Night will be held Sept. 27. The third annual parent-student Dare2Dine evening is slated for Oct. 26.
TIMBERLANE will welcome the following new staff members:
— Cecilia Cardano has transferred from Hopewell Elementary to replace Terry Stimmler as seventh grade counselor. She has been a counselor at Hopewell Elementary for eight years.
— Katie Ciampa is a special education teacher who is a graduate of York College and has been teaching at Lawrence High School. She will teach eighth-grade special education mathematics.
— Susan Corvo-Miller is a speech teacher who has been working in Ewing public schools. She will be working at Timberlane and at the high school.
— Amanda Palmer is a special education teacher who is a recent graduate of Muhlenberg College. She will be working with the autism program.
— Andrea Pfancook is a special education teacher who is a graduate of Temple University and has been teaching special education language arts and reading in Pennsylvania. She will teach seventh-grade special education language arts.
MS. COATS has been serving as Timberlane principal since late April 2005. At that point, she had been working as acting principal since the departure of former principal, Steve Cochrane. A local resident, she was involved with the school’s transition from a junior school to middle school 12 years ago. A former language arts teacher at Timberlane, Ms. Coats once served as district staff and program development specialist and staff development leader at the middle school. She supervised English for CHS and Timberlane prior to her appointment to middle school vice principal in 2003. A one-time market researcher for the Gallup Organization, Ms. Coats has a bachelor’s degree in English from Wake Forest University, a master’s degree in education from Converse College in Spartanburg, S.C., and a master’s degree in education administration from Rider University.
CENTRAL
HIGH SCHOOL
This fall marks the second year for the Virtual High School program, which offers “valuable distance learning opportunities for motivated students,” said JoAnn Meyer, school director of communications and development.
”We have 20 slots for qualifying students interested in courses currently unavailable at CHS,” said Ms. Meyer. As of last week, 11 students were signed up — the majority of them for AP government and politics, a full-year course — but the registration period remains open until Sept. 6 and program coordinator, Douglas Brower, anticipates all openings will be filled.
The high school will serve as the host facility for the first satellite program offered by the Mercer County Technical Schools for students interested in automotive careers. Beginning this fall, students may sign up for one of three courses taught by county school instructor Lou Carnation. “Automotive Technology,” a four-period, 20-credit course restricted to juniors, will be offered in the mornings. The class is open to all students registered through the county school, but the majority of signups have been CHS students.
The two elective classes taught in the afternoon — the five-credit “Basic Automotive Technology” and the 10-credit “Automotive Technology” – are restricted to CHS students.
ACCORDING TO CHS Principal Michael Daher, new staff members are:
— Kay Widmer has returned to CHS as a long-term substitute in science. She will teach field ecology and environmental science. She has 30 years of teaching experience in the Hopewell Valley Regional School District. She received her bachelor’s degree from Tufts University where she majored in biology and chemistry.
— Ann Bemis will be a part-time media specialist. She has a bachelor’s degree in environmental biology from Rutgers University and a master’s degree in library sciences from the Rutgers School of Communication, Library and Information Studies in New Brunswick. She has worked in the New Brunswick Public Schools, as well as the Monroe Township Public Library, and South Brunswick Public Library. She has also worked as a reference/instructional librarian at Rutgers University.
— Susan Corvo-Miller is a graduate of Penn State University where she majored in secondary education English. She also attended the College of New Jersey where she received a master’s degree in speech/language pathology. Ms. Miller will be the speech therapist for Timberlane Middle School and Hopewell Valley Central High School. She previously worked in the Ewing Township School District, Lawrence School District, and West Windsor-Plainsboro School District.
— Bari Frydman will teach applied academics in the Special Education department. She received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. Her master’s degree is in special education from the University of Phoenix, Phoenix, Ariz. Her work career includes being a job coach with the Mercer County Special Services School District. She also has worked as a substitute teacher in the Hopewell Valley district.
— Lucy Jameson will teach physics. A graduate of Princeton University, she has a bachelor’s degree in physics. While at Princeton she was a Quest/Connect Ed Fellow and served as a Physics Laboratory assistant in the Physics Department. She did her student teaching at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South. She also taught physics as a substitute teacher this past spring at Central High School.
— Loreen Holstein has joined the science department as a chemistry teacher. She previously taught chemistry at Monroe Township High School prior to coming to Hopewell. She also has taught at Jackson Township High School. She received a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. She also attended the University of Pennsylvania as a member of their Masters of Chemistry Education Program. She has been accepted into the Penn Science Teacher Institute beginning in September 2007.
— Lindsey Makofka comes to CHS from Hatboro Horsham High School in Pennsylvania, where she taught English. She is a graduate of Drew University with a bachelor’s degree in English with minors in education, classical studies, and western heritage. She received her New Jersey Certificate of Eligibility with Advanced Standing, Teacher of English from the College of Saint Elizabeth. She did her student teaching in the Columbia Middle School and Governor Livingston High School.
— Mark Manning is a graduate of Rider University where he received a bachelor’s degree in environmental chemistry with minors in biology and chemistry. He will teach physics. Previously, he taught in the Hamilton Township School District, the Northern Burlington Regional School District, and Ewing Township School District. He also worked as an analytical chemist at Envirogen Incorporated.
—Linda Papa Young has joined the world languages department. She will be teaching Spanish at the high school. A graduate of Trenton State College, where she majored in elementary education, she completed her Endorsement in Spanish at Longwood College in Virginia. She has taught Spanish in the Chesterfield County Public School System in Midlothian, Va.
—Jeff Parkinson is a first-year teacher who will begin his career at CHS teaching social studies. A graduate of Gettysburg College, where he was a history major with a concentration in Early American and Modern European history, he did his student teaching at the Gettysburg Area Middle School and Littlestown Area Middle School. While at Gettysburg he served as a History Department research assistant.
— David Sherwin joins CHS after having taught the last three years at Friends Academy of Westampton. He also has worked as an SAT teacher for Princeton Review. He will teach English. He attended the College of New Jersey, where he received his bachelor’s degree in secondary education English. He also served as a science and social studies teacher at the New Hope Carolinas School in Rock Hill, S.C.
— Leslie Silverman is one of two new social studies teachers at CHS. Prior to joining Hopewell, she taught at the Princeton Friends School, South Brunswick High School, and the Lab School in Washington, D.C. She is a graduate of Princeton University where she served as team captain of their women’s softball team. She also was chosen as the Ivy League player of the year in softball in 1992. She received her master’s degree in education from Rutgers University.
PRINCIPAL DAHER is beginning his second year as CHS leader. He officially joined the district on Aug. 7, 2006. He replaced Joseph Mangiaracina, who resigned in spring 2006.
Mr. Daher began his education career teaching middle school math in the Chatham School District in Morris County. He left Chatham in 1986, after working there for 11 years as both teacher and athletic coach, to become assistant principal at Perkiomen Valley High School in Pennsylvania. After two years there, he moved to Wissahickon High School in Ambler, Pa., where he was assistant principal and athletic director. In 1995, Mr. Daher and his family relocated to Upper Moreland High School in Willow Grove, Pa., where he was assistant principal for four years and principal for seven years, before coming to Hopewell.