By Matthew Sockol
Staff Writer
MILLSTONE – As part of a life skills program for students, a functioning supermarket has opened in the Millstone Township K-8 School District.
On Jan. 6, a grand opening ceremony was held for a ShopRite supermarket in the Millstone Township Middle School. Students will work at the supermarket, which was created through a partnership between the middle school, Wakefern Food Corporation and Saker ShopRites Inc..
According to Tom Saker, senior vice president of operations at Saker ShopRites, the life skills program was established in 1988 as an educational initiative for vocational schools and the population of children who have special needs.
Saker said the Millstone Township Middle School is the 20th educational institution to take part in the program and the first middle school.
Although the ShopRite program is primarily intended for students who have special needs, school district administrators view the program as an opportunity for all students to learn the functions of running a business, in addition to learning job skills and life skills.
The goals of the program are to establish a lab and mini ShopRite where students who have special needs will be trained for entry level supermarket positions, to train students in a classroom setting to become productive and successful ShopRite associates, to satisfy the needs of the student, the school, the student’s family and the supermarkets of the community and to provide the students with real life work experiences.
“A term that has been frequently used in education circles over the last decade or so is career readiness,” Principal Christopher Huss said. “And while that phrase is all too often associated with a college degree, those of us in this room understand and recognize there are valuable and meaningful careers that do not require a higher education.
“There are an abundance of jobs that people are successful in because they have social skills, show determination and grit, and demonstrate a strong work ethic,” Huss said. “That is the goal of this program. The objective is to offer vocational, social skills training within these walls to develop those traits and give our students a chance at having a meaningful career, whether it be in the supermarket industry or somewhere else of their choice.”
For their role in helping with the opening of the ShopRite in the middle school, Huss thanked special education teacher Mary Jane Russo, Director of Curriculum and Instruction Karen Barry, Director of Special Services Laurie Hall, Business Administrator Bernard Biesiada, Assistant Business Administrator Andrew Polo, Supervisor of Building and Grounds Michael Coolidge, architect James Nichols, the maintenance and custodial staff, the secretary and support staff, the Millstone Board of Education and Superintendent of Schools Scott Feder.
“This is my sixth year here,” Feder said. “I don’t know if I fully understood what a partnership between a school district and a company could look like until we came into contact with Tom and Kristen (Saker) and ShopRite. You don’t know half of what they do, but nothing has been as big as this.
“Our hopes are pretty high for this,” Feder said. “I am waiting for when people come in here after school; kids coming together to make it happen and parents who need food and supplies.”
“It chokes me up to see these young men and women have a purpose,” Saker said. “What a great day for Millstone. What a great day for the Millstone Board of Education. What a great day for the surrounding community of Millstone. What a great day for ShopRite. But most importantly, what a great day for these young individuals.”