A longtime teacher at the Moorestown Friends School will be forever remembered by the school, as a new classroom will bear his name.
The Moorestown Friends School Committee (board of trustees) approved a resolution to name the school’s new classroom building on the Greenleaf property for Neil Hartman, who taught at the school for 33 years.
The official dedication of Hartman Hall will take place on the afternoon of Friday, May 4, to kick off the school’s alumni weekend.
The near $4 million refurbishment of the Greenleaf property will cater to students in the sixth- through 12th-grades.
The school has been at full capacity for several years now, Communications Director Mike Schlotterbeck said, and math and science teachers have been sharing classrooms and using conference room space to teach students.
Hartman taught math for decades at the school, but his legacy goes far beyond just a mere math teacher.
“Neil Hartman was one of the larger-than-life teachers who made MFS a very special place in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. He had a huge influence on me and on an entire generation of Moorestown Friends students. Naming the new classroom building for Mr. Hartman is a fitting way to honor his memorable achievements and contributions as a teacher, coach and person,” said Larry Van Meter, head of school and 1968 alum.
Hartman Hall will house eight math classrooms, a choral music suite, a faculty workroom and a student lounge. The ,middle and upper school math department faculty will be moving to the new facility in April.
Hartman Hall will also contain a new technology lab, conference room, office space and student lockers.
Students will make the estimated 1.5 minute walk between Hartman Hall and the main MFS campus on a paved trail originating just outside the tennis courts near the field house.
“It’s not a goal in your life to have your name on a building. It was the farthest thing in my mind. I was quite shocked,” he said.
One of the best perks though is hearing from students and colleagues from his past. Many have been writing him letters and calling him to congratulate Hartman on the honor, he said.
Hartman joined the MFS community in the fall of 1952. In addition to teaching math, he taught scripture, science and coached tennis. His countless extra-curricular contributions to the school include acting in faculty-student productions, leading square dances, co-chairing the school’s Bicentennial Celebration, co-editing the school’s history published in 1986, being a mainstay at the lobster dinner and Dinner Among Friends, and teaching the May Pole Dance to scores of MFS students.
Hartman retired from the math department in 1985 after 33 years in the classroom. He served on the MFS School Committee from 1997 to 2005.
