THANK YOU PISCATAWAY! 2011 REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest GREETINGS Thank you… gracias… danke… merci… Thank you… The community’s aspiration for student achieve- ment drives every decision made by the Board No matter how you say it, “thank you” goes of Education, administrators and staff. As you will a long way in the Piscataway School District see in the following pages, Piscataway graduates Community. Thank you to our taxpayers, parents have gone on to excel in science, the arts, tech- and teachers. nology and sports. See how tomorrow’s gradu- From the moment a child enters a classroom, ates are following in the footsteps of those who wide-eyed with wonder and a touch of fear, to came before them. the ultimate prize of receiving a diploma from Finally, we are committed to providing high-qual- Piscataway High School, every student reaps the ity customer service, i.e., delivering non-instruc- benefits of community support and alumni who tional services such as transportation and food have walked the halls and paved the way for service with efficiency and courtesy. In a sense, those who follow. our students, our parents, and the public at large, This Annual Report is an opportunity to high- are the “customers” we all pledge to serve. light the success of our alumni who give back to This Annual Report recognizes the support of all Piscataway students through mentorships, finan- Piscataway residents and blends the best of the cial aid, and guest lecturing. The graduates and past with the hope for the future… Thanks to you, current students featured in this Annual Report the Piscataway community, for helping along the epitomize the ideals of our school district and journey. the three goals of our Strategic Plan – academic achievement, high quality customer service, and a community united strong in favor of public edu- cation. INSIDE THIS REPORT Our community makes a significant difference in Paula A. Y. Maas, public education every time residents volunteer DISTRICT SNAPSHOT........................................ 3 President, Board of Education in a classroom or on a Board of Education com- ALUMNI HIGHLIGHTS ....................................... 4 mittee, when they attend student performances and athletic events, and when civic organizations A COMMUNITY that CARES ......................... 13 lend their talents to our students. SUCCESS STORIES .......................................... 14 Robert L. Copeland, Superintendent of Schools HOW ARE WE MEETING YOUR NEEDS? ....... 18 2 appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. —John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States The mission of the Piscataway Public Schools is to prepare 2011-2012 SCHOOL YEAR DISTRICT SNAPSHOT students to become confident, Enrollment ......................................... 7,343 Graduates – Class of 2011 .................... 521 Pre-K - 8th Grade ................................ 5,064 Piscataway High School ..................... 2,239 FUTURE PLANS productive members of a global Out of District Special Education ........... 40 Colleges & Universities ........................ 89% Decrease of 42% in the past 3 years Technical Schools .................................. 2% society by developing each child’s Teachers ................................................ 592 Employment .......................................... 3% Includes all classroom teachers, special Undecided ............................................. 5% unique abilities in a learning education, art, music, English as a Second Military .................................................. 1% Language, technology, speech, librarians/ Percentage Continuing Education ...... 91% environment that also includes media specialists, nurses and counselors. NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM RECOGNITION the New Jersey Core Curriculum Class of 2011 .......................................... 17 Content Standards. ENROLLMENT IN ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES 312 students were enrolled in at least one AP course with a total enrollment of 473 students in 19 courses. 3 A STRONG FOUNDATION ACROSS THE GENERATIONS Education in Piscataway has come full circle for to study every day, to achieve your potential… Chanelle Scott McCullum. A graduate of Piscat- It allowed you to excel and gave you what you away High School and longtime resident, she needed to be successful,” remarks Chanelle. holds a doctorate in Pharmacy from Shenandoah She notes that, these days, school counselors University, and currently serves in a managerial have increased their efforts to involve parents position at Merck, a global healthcare company and families early in their children’s education with offices in Piscataway, where she develops and to prepare everyone for the college experi- budgets for clinical trials. ence. Chanelle sees students, teachers and the Chanelle’s children, Alexis and Larry, are also home in a “triangle of support.” thriving as students at Piscataway High School She sees her own children benefitting from early and Conackamack Middle School. exposure to Spanish language instruction, in- “You can’t build a house on a foundation that’s creased accessibility to technology, and college weak… Piscataway provides you with a strong preparation programs such as Freshman Founda- foundation, and, if you have that, it allows you to tions and Sophomore Experience, both products stand a whole lot longer,” says Chanelle. of the High School Redesign project. Summer math programs reinforce knowledge gained dur- Growing up, Chanelle appreciated the caring en- ing the school year, and school-based overseas vironment of Piscataway schools, and, when she travel opportunities offer a global view of world continued her undergraduate education at How- cultures. ard University, she realized how her hard work Chanelle Scott McCullum, Piscataway High School Class of 1985 with her children Larry, grade 6 at Conackamack prepared her for college and beyond. In addi- According to Chanelle, one of the most impor- tion to a strong academic high school schedule, tant messages that Alexis and Larry have learned Middle School and Alexis, grade 11 at Piscataway High School. she participated in basketball and track, activities is to study every day to ensure that the knowl- which gave her a competitive advantage in to- edge gained in school is retained. day’s environment. Chanelle notes that, “the Piscataway School “Piscataway provided tools, such as the discipline District listens and adapts with the times.” Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow. —Melody Beattie, author 4 REACH FOR THE STars… Cathy Bahm, an aerospace engineer for NASA and member of Piscataway High School Class of 1991, recalls how fortunate she was to have so many strong Piscataway female teachers who were “really good” in the areas of math and sci- ence and “pushed us to excel.” Today, Cathy coordinates a variety of high-level NASA projects, including the Orion Abort and Pad Abort Projects, which test launch escape systems for NASA’s next generation of vehicles taking humans into space. Last spring, Cathy returned to Piscataway to speak with students at Arbor and King Intermedi- ate Schools, and Piscataway High School, shar- ing insights and photos of her projects at NASA. She stressed the importance of setting goals and Cathy Bahm, Piscataway High School Class of 1991 at Arbor School with Anna Stalenyj Jennifer Amory, Piscataway High School Class of 2018, working hard to take advantage of the opportuni- and Masai Mouzon, Piscataway High School Class of 2019. reads about the solar system at the Quibbletown ties offered in Piscataway. like those in the recently released film “TopG un,” Middle School Library. As a second grade student at Piscataway’s New to her teacher, Carole Molchan. Cathy then con- Market School, which closed in 1981, Cathy and nected with Mrs. Molchan’s sister, an electrical ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN, ONE her classmates were asked, “What do you want engineer working on F-14s, who suggested that to be when you grow up?” Cathy replied, “I want she consider aerospace engineering as a career GIANT LEAP FOR WOMEN to be the first female astronaut!” and was not put option, and the path was paved for Cathy to fol- “Going to space must be AMAZING! Those astro- “Cathy started in Piscataway and here she is now, off when a boy in her class said that girls couldn’t low her dream of working at NASA. nauts must be so excited!” exclaims Jennifer Amory. working at NASA!” says Jennifer, adding “I also be astronauts. Her teacher at the time, Francine like strong women leaders like Eleanor Roosevelt Piscataway High School prepared Cathy for col- Inspired by Cathy Bahm’s (left) visit to King Inter- Goldberg, told her that she could be whatever because they changed history,” opening doors lege at Texas A & M University, where she en- mediate School last spring, Jennifer sat by her she wanted to be. for future generations of women like Cathy and rolled in every math class she could possibly take television last July, eagerly awaiting the launch of herself. Cathy participated in the Academically Talented as well as physics. spacecraft Atlantis, the final space shuttle to be Program in elementary school, a perfect educa- sent into orbit. She knew that she was watching Jennifer looks forward to the possibility of people Today, Cathy looks back and says, “I believe when tional opportunity for engineers in the making. history in the making. inhabiting the moon and