By Marie Collins, South board member
It is with great pleasure we recognize the incredible outpouring of support the community showed for South Hunterdon Regional School District on Sept. 13.
The official dedication and celebration of South’s newly renovated and expanded middle and high school facility was, by all accounts, an unprecedented success.
The auditorium was filled for the morning ceremonies, which included warm expressions of gratitude to and from past and present school administrators, the school board and community supporters; an appreciative speech about rural communities by Assemblywoman Marcia Karrow; musical performances by the school vocal ensemble and band; and an official ribbon cutting.
Throughout the morning and into the early afternoon, crowds toured the school as their schedules permitted, learning about “the new blue” from students stationed throughout the facility and stopping to have a delicious picnic lunch with neighbors, local dignitaries, school staff and school officials.
This memorable community celebration was made possible by generous donations from numerous sponsors, including the South Eagles ($1,000 or more): Commerce Bank of Flemington and Dandrea Construction of West Berlin, N.J.; South junior varsity team members ($500 to $999): Dean Equipment & Furniture of East Hanover, N.J., Simon and Riggs Mechanical Contractor of Audubon, NJ and Sunnyfield HVAC & Plumbing of Eatontown; South freshman team members (less than $500): Butler Balancing of Thorndale, Pa., Focus Architecture of Pennington, Hermitage Press of Trenton, Maschio’s Food Services of Flanders, Munds Landscaping of Lambertville, River Signs & Designs of Lambertville, Schwartz, Simon, Edelstein, Celso & Kessler of Morristown and ShopRite of Flemington.
We would like to thank the members of South’s Dedication Committee, who worked under the direction of Superintendent Nancy Gartenberg in various capacities since the winter to organize and produce the event, including marching band parent Dave Burd, parent Nina Cally, board members Cheryl Carpenter and Marie Collins, marching band parent Robin Deal, parent Audrey Frankowski, Acting Principal Mike Godown, football Booster Club parent Karen Heinemann, PTSO President Lollie Hoagland and parent Rich Warwinsky.
We also wish to thank the many South Hunterdon teachers who gave their free time to attend the dedication, who prepared students and their classrooms for the event, who directed student performances and who were on hand to demonstrate specific equipment, such as the new technology in the science labs and the sound and lighting equipment in the new auditorium.
The celebration went off like a well oiled machine thanks to the many hours contributed by local volunteers.
While we are unable to individually name all of the community members who pitched in, we wish to thank the volunteers who helped “dress” South Friday night — Nina Cally for her detailed organization of the dedication picnic; those who helped with the delivery, storage and serving of food; and the many, many school parents who without complaint parked cars, cooked hamburgers and hot dogs, hauled boxes, greeted and directed guests, kept the Caesar salad dressed and the water chilled, mopped spills, monitored student volunteers, cut cake and cleaned up.
A special thanks goes to the South Hunterdon students who volunteered to share their enthusiasm about their school with dedication visitors and to the Girl Scouts and sixth-graders who earned community service by helping prepare the school for the dedication and carrying out endless chores throughout the day.
Thanks to school staff Barbara Engish and Pam Baker for being on hand on several occasions to help volunteers help South; to school custodians Patrick Connelly and Peter Marro who worked overtime to put a shine on South that was befitting of the occasion and made sure it was still there when the event concluded; and to mother-daughter team Nancy and Dain Sylvestri who recognized in the 11th hour that our school sign needed a makeover and stepped in with friends and supplies to give it a fresh coat of paint.
Thanks to board members and administrators, past and present, from the high school and elementary schools, who were on hand to talk to visitors and share in the joy of our recent accomplishment and who helped embody the spirit of a unified community that we attempted to symbolize with four delicious cakes iced with photos of South and the sending schools.
The sense of community carried through to the afternoon football game, when crowds filled the stands.
Finally, the Board of Education is especially grateful to both former Superintendent Lisa Brady, who successfully engaged the community in the passing of the referendum that made the newly completed construction project possible, and to current Superintendent Nancy Gartenberg, whose vigilance saw through completion a project that had been designed and redesigned a host of times across nearly a decade and whose insistence on educational functionality and vision is, in the end, responsible for the structure that stands before us today.
Marie Collins
on behalf of
South Hunterdon
Board of Education
and administration

