Jacqueline Martin
MANALAPAN — The Educational Media Association of New Jersey has chosen Jacqueline Martin, principal of the Wemrock Brook School, Millhurst Road, as its outstanding administrator for 2001-02.
Wemrock Brook School library media specialist Esther Peck nominated Martin for the award and gave some of the reasons she believed Martin should be chosen.
"For supporting libraries with energetic and insightful leadership," Peck wrote in a program distributed at the association’s award ceremony. "She was able to take the library media center from a fixed to a flexible schedule for several grades."
Peck noted that Martin encouraged teachers to use the media center and its resources not only with their classes, but also for their own purposes.
The principal made sure the media center was funded properly so that there were adequate furnishings, books and other materials. She supported and helped to create reading incentive programs and provided an environment in which the school media center was the core of all learning.
"I am honored to receive this award," Martin said. "Like all recipients of this honor, I do not stand alone…I am fortunate to work in the Manalapan-Englishtown Regional School District, which recognizes the importance of literacy.
"This is not something new, because the federal government has a ‘No Child Left Behind’ initiative. This district recognizes that literacy is the key to a child’s success, which (leads to) the success of our country," she said.
Martin gave credit to Joseph Scozzari, the district’s former superintendent of schools whose belief in literacy and technology was recognized only a few years ago. Martin noted that Scozzari had also received the association’s administrator of the year award and said she believed his award had an effect on her.
During the award program, Martin said that during the past 11 years she had the opportunity of opening two media centers in the district, first at the Milford Brook School and then at the Wemrock Brook School.
She explained that she had just become the principal of Milford Brook during a time when the school was being changed from a fourth- through sixth-grade building to a kindergarten- through third-grade school. When Martin came on board, all that was left in the media center at Milford Brook was the furniture.
Martin and Peck worked to get the media center in shape for the pupils.
"Were we ever proud," Martin said. "We had the first computerized media center in the district. We now needed computers in the library for students and staff to access books. The old card catalog system was removed, (and) the media center changed forever."
Peck said opening a new media center is a monumental job.
"Creating a new library collection is an arduous task, usually assigned to a media specialist," Peck said. "Most principals would have said, ‘You have X amount of dollars. Do the best that you can.’ "
But, she said, Martin was part of the team and became involved in all aspects of creating the new media center.
A year ago, Martin was named principal of the new Wemrock Brook School, and the task of setting up another media center was there before her once again. Peck was there too, and the duo drew from their experience at Milford Brook to have the new school’s media center ready and set to go on opening day.
Martin has also promoted reading incentive programs such as Book-It!!, Elect to Read and Passport to Reading and has in the past worn crazy hats to celebrate "Hats Off to Reading Day" and pajamas for "Snuggle Up With a Good Book Day."
The principal has read to students, invited community members and administrators to read to students, and worked with her school’s PTA to bring authors and illustrators to school.
"Students and faculty are encouraged to read, do research and enjoy literature," Peck said in thanking Martin for her continued devotion to reading and media centers.
— Dave Benjamin