John J. Marciante Jr. fondly recalls being an eager eighth-grader, sitting in a cap and gown in the Pine Brook School auditorium in Manalapan along with the other graduates of the class of 1968.
John J. Marciante Now, 39 years later, Marciante has returned to his roots as the superintendent of schools in the 5,500-pupil Manalapan Englishtown Regional School District.
Marciante said that as a youngster his favorite pastimes included walking down Main Street in Englishtown to go for lunch at the old Jack Frost restaurant; biking around Old Queens Boulevard in the Yorktowne development in Manalapan; and visiting the old Gordons Corner store on Route 9. Boyhood paychecks, he said, were spent at the Englishtown auction.
Marciante said he has witnessed vast changes to the local landscape. However, he said he believes the community’s “nurturing and welcoming spirit will continually make Manalapan feel like home.”
Marciante, 53, earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Rutgers University, a master’s degree in clinical school psychology from Hofstra University and a doctorate in clinical psychology.
He has worked as a school psychologist in South River and as the director of special education in that Middlesex County district. Marciante later became the director of an alternative education school in Hamilton Township, before moving on to Children’s Specialized Hospital and working as a psychologist for children who had experienced head trauma injuries.
Marciante came to the Manalapan- Englishtown Regional School District in 2003 as the director of pupil personnel services. He took over the job of superintendent in July.
In an interview, Marciante shared his enthusiasm and the goals he has set for himself in his new position, as well as the goals that have been set for the school district.
“My first goal is to maintain the excellent academic tradition that has already been established,” he said, noting that in the past district schools have been recognized as New Jersey Best Practices schools and two buildings, the Pine Brook School and the Manalapan Englishtown Middle School, have been recognized as New Jersey Star Schools.
Marciante’s second goal, which it appears will be realized this week, was to make certain there was a smooth opening of the John I. Dawes Early Learning Center, a new building for the district’s kindergarten pupils.
“Primary education is the foundation upon which a child is able to achieve success in later grades,” the superintendent said.
Marciante said the opening of the early learning center coincides with the implementation of a new reading curriculum that will be introduced to the kindergarten pupils.
He said the new curriculum is a “multisensory approach to instruction with a traditional curriculum that will allow these children to have a strong foundation upon which to build future success.”
Marciante said he recognizes that school funding will be a “significant challenge” over the next few years and said recent state legislation will make it “increasingly difficult to maintain the same level of programs in this fiscal environment.”
Given that economic reality, Marciante said, “It is my goal to minimize the negative impact of the changes on the quality of education in Manalapan.”