Catholic School Profile
By Erick Rommel
Head Staff Writer
Innovation keeps school at top of class
Through success and tragedy, school’s family spirit remains strong
HACKETTSTOWN — Sometimes the best way to learn about the quality of a school is to ask its students what their lives would be like if they went elsewhere.
Students who attend St. Mary of the Assumption School say they would miss both the academics and the faith component of their education. “I’ve been here most of my life,” said seventh grade student Victor Magdaleno, who began attending in kindergarten. “I can’t imagine being in any other school besides this one. I’ve learned to be a person who speaks out and participates.”
“They teach us values,” said Bethany Wall, an eighth grade student. “That will help us get along with others.”
Distinguished educator
The person ensuring those values are taught is the school’s principal. For almost three decades, Marilyn Walsh has worked at St. Mary of the Assumption School. Over the first few years she taught many subjects before becoming the school’s math teacher in the upper grades for 22 years. After serving as assistant principal for one year, she took a year off before returning as principal in 2002.
Whenever she can, Walsh stands outside the school office during the period change between classes. “The kids know I care very much, but I have expectations for their behavior,” she said.
When those expectations are not met, the students know they have misbehaved. “You’ve just broken two rules, roughhousing and touching each other,” said Walsh to two students one morning. She immediately turned to the office secretary. “Can you put them down for lunch detention?”
As the result of her tenure at the school, Walsh is in the unusual position of remembering the parents of current students when they were young. She estimates that more than five percent of the students she’s taught over the last ten years were the children of parents who she had taught as well. “The kids always want to know how their parents were,” she said.
That longevity gives her an advantage when recruiting parents to send their children to her school. “Knowing how the school has evolved is important,” Walsh said. “The first thing I tell prospective parents is how long I’ve been here. I have a connection to this school. My four daughters graduated from here. It’s a good part of my life.”
Best buddies
Students are taught to make that connection the day they enter the school, as early as pre-kindergarten. The school’s buddy program partners seventh grade students with those in pre-K and eighth grade students with those in kindergarten.
The older buddies read books and draw pictures with their younger friends. They also go to church together for Mass. “The young ones learn how to behave and encourage the older kids to sing,” Walsh said.
The bond between younger and older students can also be seen when they are not expected to be together. “It’s so wonderful to see kids on the playground when school starts,” Walsh said. “You see the little ones high-fiving the big kids.”
“It’s good for them. They get to meet the big kids,” said Wall, who entered the school in second grade. “When I was that age I was scared of them.”
“When I was in kindergarten I looked up to the older people,” said eighth grade student Eric Burke. “Now, my buddy tells me I’m his best friend.”
Adding it up
Another reason St. Mary of the Assumption School’s students excel is the academic program that’s in place. A large part of the curriculum is based on Gardiner’s multiple intelligences. According to the theory, there are eight different areas in which a person may be smart and that everyone excels in at least one of the areas.
“It not only enhances the academic program, but also our respect for each person. We value each person for who they are because of the area or areas where they are smart,” Walsh explained. “It shows we are all to be valued and need to address different learning styles.”
The school has also introduced a program called Singapore math into the first grade classroom. “I have students doing multiplication and they understand it,” Walsh said. “It’s all about problem solving. It’s a unique way of learning the basic concepts.”
Use of the Singapore math program has led to a significant jump in students’ standardized math test scores. “When I saw the Terra Nova scores, I said ‘Whoa,’ that’s a big jump,” Walsh said.
Next year, the Singapore math program will be expanded to kindergarten through fourth grade. Christian Charity Sister Mary Elizabeth Robbins is coordinating the expansion. Her work with Singapore math in the school is one reason she was a finalist last year for the N.J. non-public school teacher of the year award. “The younger the child, the easier to get into it,” she said. “I’ll have to work more with the third and fourth grade, but they’ll get it. There will be a little backing up and moving forward as they adapt.”
Civic responsibility
The social studies program at St. Mary of the Assumption School has also advanced. Since his arrival last year, Matt Marciano, who teaches the subject for grades five through eight has created an interactive youth and government program.
In sixth grade, students prepare a court case and present it to local judges. In seventh grade, they conduct a Home School Association meeting. They create the agenda and present their ideas for improving the school. “They get a better appreciation for the work their parents do volunteering and the sacrifice they make to send their kids to the school,” Marciano said.
In eighth grade, the students run a meeting of the Hackettstown council. They run for office as mayor or assemblymen and run the meeting. “They get a packet like the councilmen do from the town clerk,” Marciano said. “I go over each proposed law so they know what they’re voting on.” After the meeting, the “real” council rules that everything the students did was legal.
Students also have the opportunity to meet public figures and learn about their jobs. Among those who have visited the school as part of the program: former governors Christie Todd Whitman and Richard J. Codey; Assemblyman Scott Garrett; Rutgers quarterback Ryan Hart, and Alpha Mayor Harry Zikas, who at 27-years-old is the youngest mayor in the state.
“I don’t just like to do the textbook,” Marciano said. “This goes beyond and gives practical experience.” He hopes meeting public figures teaches his students that there is more to history than just lists of accomplishments and that individuals can make a difference. “They need to get involved with community service,” he said. “They can do that now.”
Strong in faith
Faith also plays a big role in the school community. “We begin and end our day as a school family praying,” Walsh said. “Prayer in the classroom is important to me.”
Every morning, the eighth grade leads the school in community prayer. Walsh also searches out what she calls “prayer opportunities.” Every month the school gathers for Mass with a different class serving as host. The school also conducts a half-day Ash Wednesday retreat. In the afternoon, after the students go home, the faculty delivers soup to homebound members of the parish.
One reason religion is strong in the school is the pastor, Father David J. Pekola. “He visits us frequently,” Walsh said.
In addition to the monthly school liturgy, Father Pekola is also involved in many of the school’s special religious activities. He also assists the students with their instruction about the sacraments, including first Communion.
Students also learn from the example of Sister Mary Elizabeth, the only member of her order assigned to the school. “I think just being a sister has witness value in itself,” she said.
Because she stands out in her habit, Sister Mary Elizabeth occasionally draws the attention of students. “With the younger kids it’s curiosity,” she said. “They ask, ‘What’s that on your head?’
“Sometimes they ask questions as if I’m the expert,” she added. “I explain that we’re all learning and we’re all on the same path.”
Strength in each other
The past year has been filled with difficulties for the school community. The families of several students have experienced illness and death; a parent and a teacher were both diagnosed with cancer; and Walsh’s husband James died unexpectedly two months ago.
“One of the biggest things is the tremendous amount of support that’s here,” Walsh said. “Everyone was so compassionate and supportive and caring.
“The support was always there,” Walsh added, “But this year, it came to the forefront and blossomed.”
“The fact is that everyone is in it together,” she said. “The faculty, staff, administration, parents. Everyone does the best they can because the children are the ones who benefit. We are very much a family.”
*The attached/referenced article was originally published in The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, and is protected under U.S. and international copyright law