By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
The school district will seek public input on whether to name Riverside Elementary School after longtime principal Bill Cirullo, who died last year.
The district is responding to a group of Riverside teachers and others who proposed the school board honor Cirullo in that way. School board member Dafna Kendal, the chairwoman of the board’s facilities committee, said last week that the district would survey the public school community and advertise in a local newspaper.
“We really want to get as much feedback from the community as we can,” she said.
Ultimately, the decision rests with the school board, Superintendent of Schools Stephen C. Cochrane said last week.
Officials were approached in December by a group of Riverside teachers and others who proposed changing the school name to “The William D. Cirullo Riverside School.” The recognition would honor a man who had deep roots in the community and touched many, the “Bill Committee” said.
Cirullo grew up in Princeton, attended local public schools and worked for the district starting in 1970, including serving as Riverside principal beginning in 1986. He was active in coaching sports, too.
“The Riverside community has just been a dream,” he said in a 2013 interview with a district publication. “It’s a dream come true for me to work here, in Princeton and in the Riverside community.”
He died Feb.15, 2016, at 67.
“From the outpouring of love and support to the conversations with the Riverside Family and greater community, it has become clear that we are charged with recognizing Bill beyond his achievements as an outstanding educator to reflect the impact he has made,” the “Bill Committee” wrote in a Dec. 9 letter to the facilities committee. “Bill loved people and never lost sight of his passion to teach and give back to those for whom he cared so deeply.”
At the moment, John Witherspoon Middle School is the only public school named after a person. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and past president of Princeton University.
