Schools remain proactive
despite financial troubles
Volunteers will help
with libraries in light
of staff cuts in Jamesburg
By tara petersen
Staff Writer

JAMESBURG — Borough schools this year will see administrative changes, a more essential volunteer program and an ongoing emphasis on character education programs.

For starters, the school district has a new superintendent, Shirley Bzdewka, who will also be principal of the Grace M. Breckwedel (GMB) Middle School. Bzdewka was formerly the principal at the John F. Kennedy Elementary School.

Taking over as new principal at the elementary school is Al Perno, who was the school’s previous vice principal. Wendy Ogaard will then become vice principal and serve as assistant curriculum director.

Some of the other changes in the schools were necessitated by budget cuts.

Since both schools have lost their librarian services during the past year, a group of local senior citizens is expected to volunteer to run the school libraries this year. Bzdewka said that a volunteer program was already in place, but that the program was expanded once budgetary constraints eliminated the librarian positions.

The seniors are part the Rossmoor adult community’s Live and Learn organization, which became actively involved in the schools after Bzdewka made a presentation to the group last year.

"Between 25 and 30 volunteers offered services from checking out books to reading to the children," Bzdewka said. "We’ve set up schedules. We told them to select a day, in two-hour blocks."

There will always be at least two volunteers on hand at a given time, Bzdewka said.

The PTA will continue to sponsor school basketball and soccer teams, also as a result of financial constraints.

"Continuing participation [at the middle school level] allows students to compete at the high school level [once they enter high school]," Bzdewka said.

Despite the cuts, Bzdewka has maintained a focus on proactive, character-enhancing learning methods. Two programs stem from this overall philosophy — the "Future City" program and the middle school landscaping program.

The emphasis is on "trying to help students to be proactive in their community," Bzdewka said.

"Future City" has seventh- and eighth-grade students working with Rutgers University, New Brunswick, and using computer software to create simulated cities.

"Students will work with engineers at Rutgers on coming up with cities that are functional," Bzdewka said. "They will create models and compete in a statewide competition."

As part of a service project, Bzdewka said that GMB students will also be involved in landscaping their school.

"We tried to think of ways to [emphasize] honesty, integrity and responsibility," she said.

Bzdewka also said that enrollment has increased at the elementary school level, which she believes is the result of transfers from a nearby parochial school that raised its tuition, causing parents to choose public schooling this year.

"There will be around 400 students at JFK, and just under 200 at GMB," she said.

Bzdewka said that another goal of hers is to better integrate the Jamesburg and Monroe school systems, since Jamesburg students attend Monroe Township High School.

"We are looking to improve the communication and participation between the two districts," she said.