There was a lot of news coming out of Cranbury Township in 2016: a new mayor, the advancement of a new library project, a blue ribbon designation and a couple of retirements by beloved employees were among the highlights.
And so the year began . . . .
January
The township named a new mayor during its annual reorganization meeting.
“I’m pleased to nominate Dan Mulligan as Cranbury’s next mayor,” said Committeeman Glenn Johnson.
The Town Hall meeting room was filled Jan. 4 with family, friends, residents, as well as local and state dignitaries, which included New Jersey Sen. Linda Greenstein of the 14th District, Assemblyman Dan Benson, former Mayor Alan Danser and former Committeeman Jim Taylor.
Sen. Greenstein administered the oath of office to returning Committeeman David Cook with his daughter, Olivia, 17, and son, Jackson,19, by his side both holding the bible.
Retired Superior Court Judge C. Judson Hamlin administered the oath of office to returning Committeeman James “Jay” Taylor as his daughter, Gracie, 6, held the bible.
The floor was then opened for nominations for mayor. Mr. Mulligan was the only member of Township Committee nominated for the position. Committeeman Cook seconded the nomination.
Local middle school students participated in the fourth annual Geography Bee Jan. 11.
“This morning now marks our now annual Geography Bee,” said Principal Dr. Susan Genco as she addressed the students sitting in chairs ready to watch the event.
She said it was the first time that fifth-graders had been invited to this assembly. And she thanked teachers Danielle Burke and Sara Fernandez for “all their hard work.”
Ms. Fernandez said that on behalf of team social studies they want to wish all the contestants the best of luck and let them know that they are “super duper proud of them for getting to this place.”
“Each year, the Nat Geo Bee empowers four million students to be informed, curious, and knowledgeable global citizens,” she said.
The National Geographic Bee local competition featured 15 finalists – Ayub Ahmed, Anthony Berloco, Emma Borden, Jack Callahan, Jonathan Chen, Rohun Chivate, Grace Cooke, Chris Engelbert, Timmy Evidente, Evan Kohut, Uma Mani, Priva Patel, Haylee Resnick, Samantha Resnick, and Nate Sawant.
February
Wax sculptures of living and historic figures looked eerily realistic during the wax museum held at Cranbury School.
That is, until one realizes the sculptures were actually more than 68 seventh-graders portraying the figures ranging from Vin Scully, Sergey Brin, George Lucas to Louis Armstrong, Gabby Douglas, to Jacqueline Kennedy.
“Nearly 30 years, it was founded by Carol Malouf, former chief school administrator, while she was an English teacher at Cranbury School,” said English teacher Elizabeth Grimaldi, the organizer of the event in an email on Tuesday.
The event was held Feb. 11 in the classrooms. Students could be found in six different rooms, and guests were invited to sit and listen as each student performed their person.
Chinese families of Cranbury gathered Feb. 27 to provide homemade food and cultural performances in honor of the Chinese New Year – The Year of the Monkey – and in support of the campaign to build a stand-alone library in Cranbury.
The Chinese families teamed up with the Cranbury Public Library Foundation not only to raise funds, but to raise awareness of the project and its progress within the greater Cranbury community.
The campaign for the new library is more than two-thirds of the way to breaking ground for the new facility. Engineering drawings are completed, and the project will break ground when $2.9 million is raised.
Given the success of last year’s celebration, the event this year was moved to Fellowship Hall in the First Presbyterian Church. More than 100 participants enjoyed the food and entertainment, and almost $4,000 was raised to support the new library.
March
Guest celebrity readers and a variety of Dr. Seuss-related activities helped celebrate the annual “Read Across America” week at the Cranbury School District.
Throughout the week, readers from the community served as “celebrity readers” for the students and school administrators pitched in as well according to district media specialist Kelly Fusco.
She said that students started off the week with the program “Reading is Relaxing,” which featured students being allowed to wear their pajamas or sweatpants to school.
Tuesday was “Wacky Socks Day in honor of Dr. Seuss’ “Fox in Socks” book; Wednesday was “Vocabulary Day,” where students dressed up to represent a vocabulary word from a favorite book; Thursday was “Read My Shirt” that featured students wearing t-shirts with a positive message; and Friday was “Drop Everything and Read Day,” where students wore wacky glasses.
Ms. Fusco said among the most exciting events of the week “Seussology,” a program celebrating the works of Dr. Seuss, for pre-kindergarten through fourth-grade students.
Fifth grade students had the opportunity to Skype with the CEO of Hatponics who was in Swaziland, Africa, on March 10.
The school has been working for the past two years with Ryan Cox, CEO of Hatponics who installed the aquaponics system at the school, according to fifth-grade teacher Susan Lepardo.
According to its website, Hatponics uses modern applications with the ancient technology of aquaponics (the combination of hydroponics and aquaculture) where fish and vegetables are raised together in a closed-loop system that is its own self-contained ecosystem. Fish raised in tanks naturally produce waste in the water which is pumped through plant beds where it is absorbed as fertilizer by the plants and filtered to return safely to the fish.
There are several schools in Georgia and Tennessee that have systems similar to the Cranbury system. Last summer, Ms. Lepardo attended a STEM Engineering and Design Educator’s Camp at a research farm in Georgia and was met other educators from around the country who also teach sustainability and aquaponics.
April
After three decades of service, Cranbury Police Department Lt. Frank Dillane, who was instrumental in creating the township’s first Traffic Safety Bureau in 2003, is retiring.
Lt. Dillane, who was hired by the township on June 1, 1986, was recognized and presented with a resolution by Mayor Dan Mulligan at the Township Committee meeting.
The veteran law enforcement office was promoted to sergeant on Oct. 21, 2002, and then lieutenant administrative commander on Aug. 23, 2010.
Mayor Mulligan said that throughout Lt. Dillane’s career with the township, the lieutenant had been instrumental in helping implement many great programs, such as “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,” “Click-It or Ticket” and many others.
The Cranbury Presbyterian Nursery School hosted a gala this past Saturday to celebrate Dorothy Klotzbeacher, or “Mrs. K” as the children call her, for her more than 30 years of service.
“The event was proposed to me by Janice Parker, CPNS director, to create, plan and organize,” said Cori Pisapia, chair of the event in a follow-up email on Monday. “The concept was initiated by Ms. Parker and the CPNS board.”
The April 23 event was held at the Cranbury Inn and featured food and a silent auction to raise money for future playground improvements for the children of CPNS and the community in Mrs. K’s honor.
In 1983, Dorothy Klotzbeacher, a teacher at the Sunday school of the First Presbyterian Church of Cranbury, had an idea of filling empty seats during the week with nursery school children.
The school is on the church grounds at 22 South Main Street and provides enrichment programs during weekday mornings and afternoons to children 2, 3, and 4 years old.
May
Erica Kauffman is the teacher of the year at the Cranbury School.
Ms. Kauffman, a middle school English and language arts teacher, was presented her award at the school board’s May 10 meeting.
“I don’t believe that teaching is a profession, I believe that teaching is a calling and I think that all of our educators have been called to serve our students,” said Susan Genco, who is school principal and chief school administrator.
“I think it’s a wonderful way to connect this calling with our children’s achievements tonight and to fully recognize Mrs. Kauffman, I would like to recognize all of our teachers for everything that they give to our children every day,” she said.
Cranbury School students can now play in style, thanks to the addition of a new playground at the school.
“We are excited to announce that the newest addition to the Cranbury School playground equipment has been installed and our children could not be happier,” said Dr. Susan Genco, chief school administrator and principal.
She said that Phase I of the new “playscape” was funded by the Cranbury Education Foundation (CEF), an organization that works on behalf of Cranbury School students and staff.
“In the past, the CEF has funded technology purchases, as well as the stage lighting system in the auditorium,” she said. “The CEF raises funds through donations as well as through fundraising events such as the Fall Festival and the annual Craft Show, which serves as the CEF’s capstone fundraising effort.”
Collectively, hundreds of adult and student volunteers worked together to ensure the success of each event, she added.
The cost of the playground project was $75,000 and equipment was purchased through General Recreation, Inc., said Jill Frost, president of CEF.
Residents lined Main Street and side streets Monday to watch the annual Memorial Day parade, sponsored and organized by the Cranbury Lions Club.
“It’s a privilege to be able to host this every year,” said Cranbury Lions Club President Phyllis Johnson and parade organizer.
By the start of the Memorial Day weekend, Ms. Johnson was already fielding questions and concerns over the upcoming weather and if the parade was a go.
“I was getting questions about that before Friday,” she said. “I consulted with a few other club members. We decided to make the decision at 9 a.m. Monday morning after checking various weather services.”
Once organizers decided to go ahead with the parade, they notified Police Chief Rickey Varga and spread the word through phone calls, emails and social media.
According to officials, this year marked the 83rd annual event, bringing the community together to honor the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect their country.
Approximately 32 organizations participated in the parade, which was led by Police Chief Varga. Marchers included several local and state dignitaries, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, local businesses and organizations, local veterans, bands — marching, pipe and drum – Civil War re-enactors, decorated bicycles, antique cars, floats, and various fire companies and first aid squads.
June
The students enjoyed a new way and approach to their annual field day on June 7.
“Ultimate Field Day was an opportunity for our student school community to come together to celebrate a day of wellness,” said Dr. Susan Genco, chief school administrator and principal in an email on June 10.
Field Day was all new this year, and it included an assembly, team sports and much more.
Dr. Genco commended health and physical education teacher and athletic director Cathy Elliott for her leadership and the entire physical education department – Jay Gilligan, Greg Anderson and Marybeth Manfredi – for facilitating the events throughout the day.
Bob George has always handled things with care.
Before he retired the first time, he worked for a moving company as a packer. If a family was moving to a different part of the country, Mr. George was the guy who carefully packed the fine china for the journey so that it would survive the trip with no damage.
And he took just as much care in his second career, as a crossing guard at Cranbury School, when it came to a family’s most valuable possessions — its children.
“I just wanted to do something and I thought it would be a good thing,” said Mr. George of being a crossing guard. “Cranbury is just a super town, the kids were super kids and the families are great. I enjoyed that, I felt that I was doing something real good.”
Indeed he was. And the Cranbury School community, as well as the Cranbury Police Department, recognized Mr. George at the end of the school year, when he once again retired, this time leaving the community to move down the shore to be closer to family.
With the help of the Cranbury School and its PTO, Mr. George was presented with an engraved jar. As students left school on his last day, they each put a penny in the jar to “wish him luck” in his next chapter of life. The students also made a large crossing guard sign and signed it with thank you and good luck notes.
“It was really a surprise. I wasn’t expecting all of that,” said Mr. George.
Groundbreaking for the newest Cranbury Housing Associates (CHA) affordable housing project was held on June 12.
Applewood Court, as it will be called, is being built on a four-acre site on the southbound side of Route 130 and is helping to meet Cranbury’s third round Affordable Housing requirements. The project will have 32 rental apartments consisting of one, two and three bedrooms.
As a child, Jan Murphy loved petting zoos. Years later, when she grew up and became the Youth/Community Outreach librarian at Cranbury Public Library, she decided to try and find a petting zoo that would fit into a summer library theme.
An online search turned up What-Knott Farm, located in Perkiomenville, Pennsylvania, which specialized in breeding miniature animals and then taking them on the road as a petting zoo for people to experience.
Ms. Murphy determined What-Knott Farm owners Martha and Gregory Knott and their traveling petting zoo might be a good match for the library.
“About 20 minutes before their first scheduled arrival, I panicked,” said Ms. Murphy. “Never having met them, and with only having seen a couple of online testimonials, I was sure a marauding band of flea-bitten animals was on its way to Cranbury.”
Nothing could have been further from the truth, according to Ms. Murphy.
That was 10 years ago, and the What-Knott Farm petting zoo has been featured at the library four times in the past decade, the most recently on June 27.
David Beamer’s final high school football game turned out to be one he’ll always remember.
The Princeton High School graduate garnered Most Valuable Player honors after completing 16 of 18 passes for 178 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead the West team to a 31-6 win over the East in the 20th annual Sunshine Classic, which was held June 30 at The College of New Jersey.
“It was great,” said Beamer, a Cranbury resident who also ran for a pair of touchdowns. “All week in practice we all seemed to have that sort of connection like everyone was on the same page at the same time. We were all able to pick it up pretty quick and get things down pat.”
Beamer gained MVP honors and West Windsor-Plainsboro High North graduate Malik Thompson was named the Offensive Back of the game. Thompson shared quarterback duties with Beamer and completed three of five passes for 57 yards, ran the ball eight times for 54 yards, and also caught a pass from Beamer.
July
In the days leading up to Cranbury’s annual Fifth of July celebration, Mayor Dan Mulligan heard from many folks that they were planning on attending the fireworks show at Village Park.
As the mayor, that’s good for Mr. Mulligan to hear. Certainly he and the town’s movers and shakers want to put on a good holiday show for the local residents and any others who may be visiting.
“Most tell me they look forward to Cranbury’s July 5th celebration as it’s a great way to wrap up the overall Independence Day celebration for the year,” said Mayor Mulligan.
The township has traditionally held its Fourth of July event the day after the official holiday. According to the mayor, one of the reasons has to do with cost.
“Our cost is lower than the cost for having fireworks on July 4 or the days leading up to the Fourth of July. Thus, we get more bang for our taxpayers’ buck,” deadpanned the mayor.
August
Andy Moutenot and his wife Karen traveled the world. She was a flight attendant and his company was based in Switzerland, which afforded the couple and their family the opportunity to travel all over Europe and much of Asia.
Cranbury residents since 1982, Andy and Karen had always thought that once they retired, they would make a bucket list of places they’d like to visit in the United States.
But then Karen contracted breast cancer and died in February 2016. They were married 46 years.
“We had a wonderful life together and we always thought we were going to save the United States for last and see parts of the country that are on everybody’s bucket list,” said Mr. Moutenot. “When Karen passed, I started to think that maybe I’d take a trip in honor of her. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that seemed a little bit shallow. That maybe there was some way I could combine it with something else to make it more meaningful.”
So he reached out to the Susan G. Komen Central and South Jersey organization in Lawrenceville, a nonprofit that supports local breast cancer services that’s also dedicated to finding a cure for breast cancer.
The group was there when Karen first got sick, providing support services to her and the family. And Andy wanted to find a way to give something back to the organization.
“I kind of thought that putting both of these things together might not be a bad idea. I could use the trip as kind of an awareness thing that would give people more opportunity to be aware of the whole issue of breast cancer and also maybe, if they felt so moved, to make a contribution.”
Andy left on a cross-country trip Tuesday morning, Aug. 23, from the Komen Lawrenceville office, on a trek that will eventually take him to Washington state. He will visit family and friends along the entire route, while documenting the trip on his Facebook page and raising awareness of breast cancer.
September
The tradition holds: It never rains on Cranbury Day.
That’s what happened for yet another year as Cranbury celebrated it’s annual community day Sept. 10 on Main Street.
“Despite the extremely hot weather, we had a really fantastic turnout. We had great support from the business community and all the vendors and all the residents from Cranbury and the surrounding towns,” said Mayor Dan Mulligan.
Christine Thompson, co-owner of Cranbury Limousine Service and chairwoman of the event, said prior to the festivities that it’s sometimes difficult to estimate just how many folks come to Cranbury to celebrate the day. Usually, she said, the guesstimate is based on how many hotdogs and hamburgers the Lions Club sells at its booth.
But this year, Cranbury Chief of Police Rickey Varga said it was the biggest crowd that he had seen at Cranbury Day and estimated that between 1,500 and 1,800 people visited town throughout the day.
Once again, the Lions Club Rubber Duck Race and the helicopter rides proved to be among the popular attractions.
Dr. Michael Young has been a friend to many pets and their owners for a long time. But now it’s time for the veterinarian to hang up his stethoscope.
Mayor Dan Mulligan read a resolution thanking Dr. Young for his many years of service to Cranbury Township upon his retirement during the Township Committee meeting Sept. 12.
Dr. Young first moved to New Jersey in 1992, but it wasn’t until 1994 that he moved to Cranbury Township and first opened Prospect Animal Hospital. In 2007, Dr. Young purchased Windsor Animal Hospital and combined the two practices, forming today’s existing Cranbury Animal Hospital.
Cranbury Township’s Village Park, located in the Village Center along the North Shore of Brainerd Lake, has Boy Scout Michael Frost to thank.
The Cranbury resident presented and discussed his proposed “Village Park Beautification Project” for his Eagle Scout Award before the Cranbury Township Committee in a work session during its bimonthly meeting Sept. 26.
“I knew that I wanted to help the town in some way,” Mr. Frost said of his inspiration for the three-part project. “So, then I thought about Village Park, where I’ve spent so much of my time over the years and it just made sense.”
For the first component of the project, the 17-year-old planted shade trees along the first base line of the C1 Baseball Field.
For the second component of the project, Mr. Frost made signs, which now clearly label the active recreational park’s three sports fields – one regulation Little League baseball field, a softball field and a t-ball/minors baseball field.
For the third and final component of the project, Mr. Frost put together an official park map. He will be placing copies right at the park’s main entrance.
October
Everybody is seeing blue at Cranbury School these days.
The school is one of six New Jersey public schools that has earned the Blue Ribbon School designation for high student achievement and quality programs from the U.S. Department of Education for 2016.
And Dr. Susan Genco, chief school administrator/principal, wants to make sure everyone knows that it was a total team effort.
“I was beyond thrilled for everyone here, including most importantly for our students. Really, it’s everybody’s contributions that come together for something like this. And to be able to celebrate it with our whole community is really a blessing. We’re very excited,” said Dr. Genco.
It’s the third time in the school history — along with 1996 and 2009 — that it has earned a Blue Ribbon School designation. It currently has an enrollment of 462 in kindergarten through eighth grade.
The Cranbury Township Committee has drawn a line in the pavement. And the elected officials hope local residents will take time to notice.
For some time now, the Township Committee was looking for a way to honor its police force. Recently, a local resident suggested that the township draw a blue line on one of its most-traveled roads as a way to show appreciation for local police.
“It’s been a difficult time in history for police around the country. We felt this was the least we could do to honor all the hard work that they do to take care of us,” said Mayor Dan Mulligan.
So on Oct. 29, the township partnered with Cranbury School to paint a blue stripe down a stretch of Main Street from Schoolhouse Lane to Park Place, right in the heart of the town’s business district.
The Cranbury School, in collaboration with its respective Parent-Teacher Organization hosted its Charity Toiletry Drive.
After Cranbury School students and their families were prompted to collect toiletries during their summer travels thanks to the PTO, the successful drive collected 294 pounds of toiletry donations for two local state charities, the Covenant House of New Jersey and Womanspace.
“My passion is to bring awareness and support for those that are very desperate in society,” Cranbury School PTO Co-President, Sasha Weinstein explained of the inspiration behind the drive. “It’s easier to look away because the reality is so grave and vast, but when you tackle this together as a community, it makes it easier to help.
“That’s what I want our students to take away from this experience and still have fun. Our school administration is very special in that it allows the PTO to bring this awareness to the students. I am very grateful for its support throughout this whole process,” she said.
During school hours from Oct. 26 through Oct. 28, students collected items for donation and assembled individualized toiletry bags, while PTO Volunteers managed the workflow and dropped off the assembled toiletry bags to their respective locations.
November
A poster designed by Elaina Phillips, an eighth-grade student at the Cranbury School won honorable mention at the Lions Club International District 16-J meeting Nov. 7 at Costa’s Restaurant in Roselle Park.
Her poster was among more than 600,000 entries submitted worldwide in the 30th annual Lions International Peace Poster Contest. Lions Clubs International sponsors the contest to emphasize the importance of world peace to young people everywhere. Elaina advanced to the district level of the international competition after winning a local competition sponsored by the Cranbury Lions Club.
There were 10 other clubs submitting entries as well. The posters were selected for originality, artistic merit and portrayal of the contest theme, “A Celebration of Peace.” This year’s theme is most appropriate since 2017 is the Centennial Year of Lions Clubs International.
December
Cranbury Public Library officials offered local students an opportunity to brainstorm recently and the students exercised their creativity.
On Wednesday, Nov. 30, Library Foundation President Michael Ferrante and technology librarian Joanne Dera met Nov. 30 with the Cranbury School Student Council to hear what students would like to see in the new library and community center.
“As the new building gets closer to being a reality, we are imagining the possibilities for the new space, beyond what is possible in the current combined school/public library space,” said Mr. Ferrante. “The new library and community center can be a place where Cranbury School students can go after school and enjoy indoor activities, outdoor recreation, gaming, and creative activities with their friends, in a welcoming, non-retail space.”
