Symbol of Sacrifice Marks Day of Rescue Deerfield Ope Doors On
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ServingSpringfieldandMountainside SPRINGFIELD, tU,, VOL, 74 NO, 03 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2002 TWOSE Symbol of sacrifice Deerfield ope marks day of rescue doors on Tuesday By Joshua Zaitz year ago, 25,000 people were saved By Joan M. Devlin Staff Writer because the rescuers "were not run- Staff Writer Springfield emergency service per- ning away but were running to" those By Monday morning, Deerfield School in Mountainside was announcing to, sonnel conducted a remembrance collapsing towers. all callers that yes, schoor would be open on Tuesday. Tuesday uume and the ceremony on the morning of Sept 11, At 10 05 and 10 28 a m , three sets happiness was unmistakable. The operator could not help adding. "Thank God." to honor the New York City response of five bells were sounded, signifying The tension suspicion and anger had been' building i'rom the last Board of teams who heroically gave their lives the collapse of the twin Towers. Education 'meeting on Sept. 10 when the board confirmed the Tuesday opening in the wake of die terrorist attacks of Everyone was silent. date, which extended past the original date of Sept. 4. There had been hundreds one year ago. AH across the country, other fire of parents present, and teachers as well, at the meeting. : "The events of Sept. 11, 2001. will departments followed^ similar proce- One of them, veteran kindergarten teacher Ann Carding, had calmed down forever be in all of our minds," said dures, mandated by the National the situation when she stood to assure parents, "I promise you that 1 will be Deputy Fire Chief Donald Schwerdt. Association of Fire Chiefs, to comme- there for the children, with a smile and a welcome, and on the black top as they "This ceremony is going to allow us morate emergency service personnel come in. J will take them to the class myself, and the other kinder;;;irten teachers to remember those firefighters, police victims. aie going to do the same thing." officers and EMS workers who made "This day also allows us to take our I ater, she said, "I have been teaching kindergarten for 29 years and I love the the supreme sacrifice on that fateful own spiritual temperature," said the children; they will be brought to the classroom and made welcome. \\s\ill he day."' Rev. Robert Stagg of St. James the line" Apostle Church in Springfield. "What Members of die Springfield Fire After this harried meeting, board President Richard Kress personalh thanked are my life goals? Where am I going'' Departinent, Police Department, First her for her warmth and understanding, saying, "Ann, you are wonderful: thanks What am I about? Who do I spend Aid Squad, and Office of Emergency for helping tonight," Management, read the names of the time with? Life is precious." After dealing with the .school's delayed opening, Kress said he did not'want 343 firefighters, 23 New York City Office of Emergency Management the job of being the board's president next time around, "I have had u summer police officers and 34 Port Authority Coordinator John Cottage announced from hell, and alter 14 years of serving on the Board of Education. I think it is police officers who gave their lives so that in die very near future, a memor- time for you young parents to step up and do it." that others could live. ial will be established on the lawn in Several parents hud questioned the board's communications with them, or front of Town Hall, honoring die "This is a day of rememberance," lack thereof, and its preventative actions, although both Kress and Chief School emergency service personnel who lost said the Rev. Remo Madsen of Holy Administratoi Gerard Schallar kept explaining that they. too. were heing their lives saving people on Sept. 11 Cross Lutheran Church in Spring- assured the school would open on time. Meanwhile, the '-contractor. Rundn/m 2001. ••••••"• field, "This is a day of honoring. This To honor emergency service personnel who heroically Construction, was'being penalized with a Sl.OOO-pOUuy fine lor the laic is a day of remembering who we are "It's been a tough year for all of gave their lives to save others on Sept. 11, 2001, opening, - and to seal ourselves for the days us," said Schwerdt. "We've all gone Springfield firefighters place an American flag on top of t Anthony Randazzo did appear at the meeting, and when one of the parents ahead. Today — today we prepare for forward and we have to keep going the new Springfield firehouse, which is still under con- questioned him directly, as to whether or not the school would open on time, he the future by remembering the past." forward. Keep your head up high and struction, as part of memorial ceremonies in be proud to be an American." Springfield. said, "The certificate of occupancy will be here Thursday or Friday and the Madsen said that on this day one Deerfield School will open Tuesday as planned," District hopes to stay on track with school expansion plans of which were finalized Sept. 9. "We have to Caldwcll School and Thclma L. Sandmeier school's library. school's special education room will be con- By Brian Pederscn start looking at these projections and see how and sixth- through eighth-graders would "We lake two classrooms and what we' re verted into an an room. Enrollment tor the Managing Editor many classrooms we have," said Mahler. remain at Florence M. Gaudineer Middle proposing to the stale is we renovate those school is expected to be 312 students. As the date gets closer for finalizing expan- 'The more kids we get in now, the only thing School. two classrooms and make them into a library," The school's library, at 900 square Veet, sion plans for the Springfield School District, that could possibly happen is class size In the Walton School, total enrollment is at said Mahler.- will be converted to a music room and the Walter Mahler, superintendent of schools, increases." 292 students. Four pre-K classrooms will be Parking at Walton School is another area school's new library is'estimated. Vo be about said the board is on schedule for submitting In all but two classrooms in which is 'the sanle as it is now, with :that.,wiH be expanded to meet the growing 4,700 square feet. the schematic plans t,p the Department of Edu- ton High School, every single elojjsrobm is ^/UJVU. 20 students to each c>is's. Mahler .said needs of the" parents who will be visiting the The current library at lames Caldwell cation. He hopes to have them senijby the end being used for instruction. No major renova- he would like to see, if possible, less than 20 school and the teachers who will be working School is J,400/square'feet, sJi^lnJy large; of September. tions or projects will be taking platfe at'the students per class. there. Mahler said the school will peed (o dou- than a regular classroom. "We arc proposing Doing so will help facilitate the Board of hiph school, since the majority of renovations Eight kindergarten classrooms will be built, ble the current parking. More parking wi/1 be to move the library from the second floor to Education's plan for a Dec. lQYeferendum for and expansions are planned for schools in the with two classes set aside tor Sprout, or pre-K added to tiie front of the school to give more the first floor," said Mahler. The new library schpol expansion. The state whl then have district's lower grades. The high school's pro- handicap. Kindergarten will be expanded access to the courtyard. Improvements to the will {fieri encompass what was three different until the beginning of December tOsreview the jected enrollment is 512 students. from two to four sections. drainage system are also at (he top of the list, classrooms, one for second grade, one for speech and one for first grade, increasing the plans and make any necessary To create extra space, the expansion and Walton also will have eight classrooms of since extraordinary amounts of rainwater will cause Hooding. size of (he library by at least a third, said recommendations. renovation project would result in ai grade first grade in the existing rooms. On the sec- ond floor will be the second grade, alon£ with The Sandmeier School also will have park- Mahler. Central to the planning aspect ( of the shift. Pre-K through second-graders v/ould designs are each school's enrollments projec- attend the Edward V. Walton School, third- the gifted and talented classes and the art ing added, as well us a new lobby, storage area Sec SCHOOLS, Page 2 tions for the 2003-04 school year, the statistics thiough fifth-graders would no to both James room. Plans are also under way to expand the and confeit-'nce mom. At 400 squaie led, the After all these years, he's still Borough their critical life-saving device honors By Joshua Zaitz Springfield had older models that while he was selling insurance that Staff Writer were still functioning, but the new Kalem's true devotion to the First Aid all-stars For the past 50 years, Daniel Kalem units are much better, she said. Squad can be shown. "I was the only businessman who has been busy. He's been saving peo- "They're one of our more critical tty Joshua Zaitz was on the First Aid Squad during the ple, resuscitating them, rushing them life-saving devices," she said.