Board of Education Meeting January 17, 2019
At the January 17 Elizabeth Board of Education meeting at Elmora School No. 12, the meeting opened with Board President Stephanie Goncalves introducing Director of Curriculum and Instruction and AVID District Director Aaron Goldblatt to present the School No. 12 AVID Program. Goldblatt began by recognizing that School No. 12 had recently earned the designation of AVID National Demonstration Site, a distinction “that culminates many years of hard work.”
The first performance was the AVID Culture Domain Piece, a compilation of several small skits pertaining to the dream of attending college and the State of New Jersey, performed by School No. 12 AVID students. Goldblatt then introduced School No. 12 Principal Melissa Kulick who shared the significance of being part of the AVID program. She highlighted the elements of the School No. 12 AVID program, including the Elmora University Mission Statement, which is, “all students will leave Elmora University well prepared with the skills needed to be successful college and career ready individuals.” Kulick also introduced a video that offers a glance of the School No. 12 AVID program.
During the meeting, the Board celebrated and recognized excellent achievements of members of the School No. 12 community. Among those honored from School No. 12 at the meeting were:
Elmora School No. 12 AVID Student Recognition
Jacob Rivera- Grade 8- National Junior Honor Society President
Amira Caballero- Grade 8
Ashly Caballero- Grade 8
Bryan Castillo- Grade 8
Pierre Paltin- Grade 8
Daniela Ramirez- Grade 8
Maylin Rodriguez- Grade 8
Katie Castro- Grade 7
AVID Video Contest Winners and Student Presenters at the Summer Institute
Magali Altamirano
Chelymar Rivera
Elmora School No. 12 AVID Site Team
Lauren Depp – AVID Coordinator
Melissa Kulick- AVID Leadership Team
Dr. Mari Celi Sanchez- AVID Leadership Team
Dawn Sandholm- AVID Elective
Catarina Lopes- AVID Elective
Eric Price- AVID Elective
Magdalena Dabrowski- AVID Data Reporters
Steven Litchfield- AVID Data Reporters
Stephen Marotta- College Liaison
Jennifer Defillippis- AVID Trained Teacher
Marsha Henkel- Culture Directors
Elizabeth Duda- Culture Directors
Sharon Calixto- Committee Member
Nicole Rodrigues- Committee Member
Gabriela DaSilva- Committee Member
Michele Illmensee- AVID Science Implementer
Elmora School No. 12 Support Staff
Iris Reyes- Security Guard
Nickolla Kolani- Security Guard
Sixto Batista Head Custodian
Rene Alas Custodian
Sonia Gonzalez Custodian
Angelica Rios Custodian
For community excellence, the Board welcomed the Union County Division of Youth Services, from which former Students Helping OUT Union County (SHOUT-UC) Program Coordinator and current Public Health Communications Administrator Marline Edmond, along with current SHOUT-UC Program Coordinator Catherine Firaez to present the most proactive school award to Principal Michael Cummings of Elizabeth High School – Frank J. Cicarell Academy. EHS was recognized for having the most students participating in community service and for dedicating the most hours to community service.
Board President Stephanie Goncalves shared that in the months ahead, she would be participating in a President’s Tour during which she will visit each district school to introduce herself to students, teachers, and administrators and learn more about the educational activities taking place at each site. She also, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s approaching birthday observance, thanked her colleagues on the Board for their outstanding service to the Elizabeth community as well as all those who take the time to give back to this community while encouraging everyone to find a way, big or small, that they can serve their community.