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JUNE 28, 2013 WEST WINDSOR & PLAINSBORO NEWS Headliners: Dancer Anitra Das, page 9; Music Teacher Cynthia Westbrook, 9; Actor Steven Leshchanka, 26 Seal Appointed To Replace Flynn As Athletic Director by Sue Roy ajor personnel changes continue throughout the MWW-P school district. At its meeting on June 11, the Board of Education appointed Jean Marie Seal as the new director of athlet- ics, replacing current director Mar- tin Flynn, who is retiring after 15 Words of Wisdom: Valedictorians Alexander Clifton (South) and Daniel Liu (North) address their classmates. years. Board of Education President South Class of 2013 North Class of 2013 Hemant Marathe expressed his ap- proval of Seal’s appointment. “She he 406 members of the High School South Class of igh School North held its graduation ceremony comes with a different back- T2013 graduated at the Sun National Bank Center on Hfor 402 seniors on Friday, June 21, at Sun Na- ground, an academic background Friday, June 21. Below, the graduates are listed alphabeti- tional Bank Center. The members of the graduating in language arts and social studies, cally. class are listed alphabetically below. rather than an athletic director background. We were all very im- was asked to head up the English pressed with her during the inter- department for the past two years, I A A view. We have always had an ex- did less teaching, but I did teach a Maria Isabella Abiad, Divya Agarwal, Tarika Aggarwal, Omar Abdelhady, Scott Joshua Abrams, David Jay cellent athletics program, but her Alison Aimers, Ayza A. Akhtar, Peter Steven Altamore, Anu- Adlai-Gail, Akash S. Aggarwal, Anitha Fathima Ahmed, sports history course just for fun.” sha Amaravathi, Shiori Ambe, Neil B. Amin, Xintong An, Neha Ahmed, Brian J. Alba, Shashank Alladi, Alexander background is what we need to get “I see a parallel with the posi- Martin R. Armenta, Jacob Armus, Tara Lynn Ashford, Ali Atif. C. Ameri, F. Ryan Angley, Arjun Reddy Annapureddy, to the next level. As a district, we tion of athletic director. I have just Juan Pablo Stevens Araya, Arvind Arikatla, Prasanth- are always trying to improve upon come from the coaching ranks so I reddy Arikatla, Victoria Marie Armstrong, Rohan Arora, our traditions of excellence.” am tuned in to what coaches and B Priya Ashish, Kristen D. Aviles, Veronika M. Avloshen- Currently Seal is the head coach Maymur Baig, Sarah Michele Bailin, Kiran Bains, Paul ko, Daniel Ayoub, Melisa Azak. players experience. I think that is Balestrieri, Natalia Katryn Barker, Kiley Jo Barone, Christo- for varsity field hockey at Ranco- very important,” she says. cas Valley Regional High School, a Seal’s educational background Continued on page 20 Continued on page 21 position she has held for four years. is not in athletics. She earned a She has been part of the field hock- bachelor’s degree from Penn State ey’s coaching staff for 15 years. “I in secondary education with a mi- played field hockey in the 1970s, nor in sociology, and holds a mas- under legendary coach Sheila ter’s degree from LaSalle in educa- PLAINSBORO COP RETIRES, REFLECTS Murphy, at Neshaminy High tion. She has completed all of the School in Bucks County,” Seal coursework for supervision and by Detective Eric Potts getting hired as a police officer. It says. “I learned so much from her. principalship and will be applying took me 10 months from the time I Rancocas’ field hockey program for principalship certification. ’ve spent my entire adult life as got out until I was hired. Over was struggling, so when I took “My love of education also a police officer. I left for the 1,000 people applied for the job in over, I used what I learned from comes from Neshaminy High IArmy and the military police Plainsboro when I got hired — Coach Murphy to bring success School. All of the teachers there 29 days after I turned 18. After six three of us made it. I felt good about and to build traditions.” were phenomenal. My favorite years as a military police officer I my choice about my career and the Seal did more than coach field subject was — and still is — social left the service to become a police path my life was heading down. hockey at Rancocas. She also studies. I look at history from the officer in Plainsboro, which I have But I soon realized if you are taught social studies, and then be- ‘human perspective,’ not just at been doing 25 years now. not careful, if you don’t watch out came the supervisor for both the dates; it is fascinating to see how I didn’t know I was cut out for for yourself, this is a career that world languages and social studies history has affected people’s lives, the job until I faced a moment in can eat you up from the inside. It departments, serving 10 years in past and present. Twenty people the military my first tour of duty in can make you a very jaded, cyni- the latter position. Currently she is that I was friendly with became Germany in which an individual cal, bitter person. Obviously the supervisor of English and the educators. That tells a lot about the threatened us with a baseball bat Plainsboro isn’t big city; it’s a professional development coordi- high quality of education we re- and without hesitation I tackled moderate size town in New Jersey. nator. ceived.” him and we handcuffed him. It We have roughly 27,000 resi- tions ranging from murder, huge “Working at Rancocas has been “I also have my parents to thank. was at that moment that I thought dents, but a daytime population thefts, robbery, rape, child abuse, a fantastic experience,” she says. I was an only child, born and raised I might be pretty good at this job approaching three times that attempted murder, and suicides “It is a great district, both academi- in Bucks County, where my par- and I might want to make it a ca- amount. We have an extremely and deaths. I’ve been kicked, cally and athletically. I was a ents still live. My mother was a reer. So I did, extending my tour in busy highway running through punched, slapped, spit at, thrown ‘teaching supervisor’ for many homemaker for many years, and Germany once and then re-enlist- our town and we have our share of up on, ignored, called every name years, so that I taught alongside the then worked for an insurance com- ing for three years. calls that can be a challenge. in the book, been told I was good teachers I was supervising. It was pany. My father owned his own I took a deep breath after six Since I have been on the job I not a top-down style of leadership Continued on page 17 years, got out, and set my mind to have been involved in investiga- but a collaborative one. When I Continued on page 11 SUMMER SCHEDULE: WW-P’S FREE COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER WWPINFO.COM Letters: Sidewalks Wanted in West Windsor 2 THE NEWS WILL COME OUT OUT FRIDAYS, WW-P Debates Language Arts Instruction 13 JULY 12 AND JULY 26, FOLLOWED BY Teachers’ Contract: Pay Up, Benefits Trimmed 14 A THREE-WEEK BREAK. Plainsboro’s Raturi Helps Congo Through Music 24 REGULAR BI-WEEKLY PUBLICATION Police Reports 29 Classifieds 35 RESUMES WITH THE BACK-TO-SCHOOL ISSUE FOLLOW WWPINFO ON FACEBOOK & TWITTER FOR TIMELY UPDATES ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 16. ISSUE DATE: JUNE 28, 2013 NEXT ISSUE: JULY 12 2 THE NEWS JUNE 28, 2013 Joan Eisenberg Office: 609-951-8600 x110 Cell: 609-306-1999 Views & Opinions [email protected] www.JoanSells.com Greater Princeton forced out for an hour’s walk each Owner/Sales To the Editor: Associate day, as we, the citizens are, on our Save Some Space dangerous and uninviting road- West Windsor Value ways and sidewalks, they would For the Public put more priority on our comfort. uring these first beautiful I watched adults who tried to days of summer, I am so make their way from the train sta- Sara Hastings Editor happy to see people peek tion up Washington Road, only to D find the sidewalk discontinuous on Lynn Miller their heads out of doors, trying, as should be their natural right in a one side and largely missing on the Community News Editor civilized society, to get out and other. I saw middle-school aged chil- Dan Aubrey about in their public spaces. Features Editor Unfortunately, most are turned dren, off for an adventure on their bicycle from Birchwood Estates, Samantha Sciarrotta back by thunder- Sports ing traffic that unable to find a has totally co- Why can’t the citizens safe path down Suzette Lucas opted all public to the library a Photography who pay $5 million for short half-mile spaces. No room Vaughan Burton away. The road West Windsor: 4 Bedrooms + Library, Lge Conservatory & Fin- seems left for municipal building im- Production ished Basement, 3.5 Bath Colonial. Two Story Entry with gran- people. provements have invit- widened in the Jennifer Schwesinger ite tile flooring. Formal Living Room & Dining Room, Vaulted After years of last few years is Family Room with floor to ceiling brick fireplace. Eat-in Kitchen ing sidewalks so people wrangling and a great improve- Michael Zilembo with newer stainless steel appliances, Granite counters & Island can enjoy walking ment, but is the Account Executives granite tile flooring. 1st Floor Library, Large Conservatory with tile well over $100,000, the around their town? town too impov- Stacey Micallef flooring.