On June 4, Indian Mills Elementary School welcomed state Department of Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf.
As commissioner of education Cerf oversees 2,500 public schools, 1.4 million students, and 110,000 teachers in more than 600 school districts throughout New Jersey. Needless to say, face time with the commissioner is at a premium, especially for a smaller school like Indian Mills.
“We’re lucky to have had him here,” school board president Melissa Ciliberti said. “We only had a limited amount of time with him but I definitely think we made an impact.”
Cerf mentioned that he had wanted to take time to tour some of the schools in Burlington County that may not have gotten the attention in years past. Shamong School District wanted to ensure it used his time effectively.
“We wanted to show him something that we were really proud of, and for us that has definitely been our full-day kindergarten program,” interim superintendent Dolores Szymanski said. “We know they have a strong desire to have the kids entrenched in their schools and full-day kindergarten helps with that.”
Along with Cerf were, executive director of the school board association Larry Seinsod, president of the New Jersey school boards association John Bulina, and state board of education member Joseph Fisicaro. The group stayed for a presentation made by kindergarten teacher Theresa Gibbons.
Gibbons’ presentation focused on the life cycle of a butterfly and integrated both science and reading projects as well as lessons the children had learned throughout the year.
“It was an extremely upbeat and energetic presentation,” Ciliberti said. “It was fun for the kids. They definitely enjoyed it.
The visit was arranged by members of the state board of education to see the highlights of what the school had been working on this past year. Cerf was at Indian Mills for more than 30 minutes before departing to visit Seneca High School. He had come from visiting schools in Evesham Township.
Ciliberti said that Cerf did not say much during his visit, using the time to observe the students and what they were working on.
“It’s a great opportunity for a little school like ours,” Ciliberti said. “Helps put us on the map, so to speak.”
