By Stephanie Vaccaro, Staff Writer
Students at Community Park School in Princeton are celebrating the school’s 50th anniversary this year.
To mark occasion, each grade level adopted a decade for the monthly assembly to represent Community Park throughout the decades as follows: 5th grade, the 1960s; 4th grade, the 1970s; 3rd grade, the 1980s; 2nd grade, the 1990s; and kindergarten and 1st grade, 2000s.
The first assembly featured the 4th and 5th graders in decade-appropriate attire sharing songs, TV commercials including, Oscar Meyer and Charmin bath tissue, and facts about their decades. There were appearances from the Supremes, the Beatles, Michael Jackson and others.
Both the Community Park PTO and the faculty planned an array of activities to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the school. Each grade is completing a bulletin board scrapbook that details popular events, products, music, interests and opinions of a specific decade.
”As this is the 50th anniversary of Community Park School, we thought it would be meaningful to assist other children around the world in their quest for knowledge,” said Lisa Sarachman, co-president of the PTO.
To that end, the PTO’s community outreach chairperson, Stephanie Chorney, organized a collection for a charity in Madagascar.
Chad Lebo, formerly a science teacher at Community Park, went to Madagascar to live and has been working in an orphanage called Akany Avoko. For more than a year, he has been updating the Community Park students with things that have been going on at the school and ways that students can help.
On May 14, the PTO is planning a 50th anniversary gala and silent auction for adults only at the Paul Robeson Center for the Arts.
”There, we will celebrate 50 great years of exemplary education. On May 20, the PTO is also hosting a spring picnic birthday extravaganza for all of our families and staff. The picnic will take place on school grounds and will feature a potluck dinner, activities for the children and a 50th birthday cake,” said Ms. Sarachman.
”Students are so excited about the 50th anniversary,” she said. “Way back in December, students voted on a special logo to mark our 50th anniversary. A banner with the new logo now hangs in the entrance to Community Park. The logo, too, was printed on Community Park T-shirts. At the beginning of our celebration in January, the PTO distributed T-shirts to every student and staff member in the school. Both students and staff continue to wear their T-shirts for assemblies and to mark spirit days at Community Park.
”The children are especially excited about their decades. Guided by their grade-level teachers, they have had a terrific time learning about our important years past. The sheer effort and enthusiasm surrounding the assemblies is amazing. So far, every single student in every single grade has participated somehow in our 50th anniversary assemblies.”
”It’s very important to mark the longevity and successes of our great institutions. And Community Park School is certainly one of them,” said Ms. Sarachman. “The excitement from students, parents, and staff surrounding our 50th anniversary is a testament not only to the quality of our public education, but to the plain fact that Community Park School really serves as the heart of our community. The families and staff are really involved at Community Park School. In today’s day and age, it’s extraordinary really. All of us look forward to 50 more happy, successful years as we educate the world’s next group of leaders.”
In April, the 2nd and 3rd graders will put on an assembly about the 1980s. In May, the 1st graders and kindergartners’ assembly of the 2000s will be presented.
”The history of the past few decades are becoming more meaningful to the children as a result of the celebration,” said Principal Sharon Goldman.
”It has become a community effort, which is really nice,” said Ms. Goldman. “Learning about the history of the school is nice for the children. They’re having a lot of fun with it because they’re doing the research” as they learn about the music and dances of the time, the dress, the popular products and what was happening politically.
Ms. Goldman also said that they are trying to get in touch with those who either attended or taught at Community Park.
