001[Music] All right. And hello. Good evening. Good evening. Welcome to tonight's board of education meeting. We called our meeting to order earlier in our closed executive session. So, we are ready to begin. Uh, I'll save my comments for a little later. Um, Dr. Adhole, do you have some comments to start us off with? Uh thank you very much. Uh just wanted to make two announcements. One is that uh just yesterday we sent out an update for the 2425 school year calendar. Um as you know we had one remaining weather related closing day. Um we have now given that back uh to the community. So schools will now be closed on Friday, May 23rd. Um, and that means that's a 4-day weekend with schools also closed on Monday, May 26th in observance of Memorial Day. So,
002again, we will reopen on the 27th, but we will be closed Friday the 23rd and Monday the 26th, reopening on the 27th. And, uh, every year um, in the early May, we announce our West Windsor Plainsboro Regional School District uh, educators of the year. So, at this time, I'd like to share that with the public. Um, these announcements have already happened at faculty meetings in the past week. Um, and that co coincides with teacher appreciation week. Um, at Dutchneck Elementary School, kindergarten teacher Amy Kefir at Maurice Hawk Elementary School, uh, first grade teacher Crystal Russo. At Town Center Elementary School, board certified behavior analyst Amy Woodward. At Wyoff Elementary School, teacher resource specialist for mathematics, Becky King. And Milstone River School, uh, band teacher Barbara Whitmer. At Village School, special education grade four teacher, Maria
003Shoot. At Community Middle School, grade eight math teacher uh Aaron Di Casperis. At Grover Middle School, grade 8 math teacher Zack Kumar. At High School North, special education teacher, uh Jana Culpini. And at High School South, social studies teacher Naj Gallazan. Congratulations to all of our teachers of the year at all respective buildings. Thank you for that. So, now I'd like to turn it over to our high school North and South student representatives for their last report of the school year. Good evening and thank you for having us. We are well rested from spring break and are looking forward to wrapping up the school year, especially AP exams. Starting off with sports, we have many accomplishments to highlight. First, our boys tennis team is undefeated with the record of 17-0. They recently participated in the
004CVC tournament and took first place home with a full sweep of awards in each event. As for our spring track team, both girls and boys placed well at the CVC meet and are continuing continuing to break records. At Pen Relays, our girls 4 by 100 relay team broke their um school record with the fastest time in the CVC now, while our boys 4 by 100 relay team hit their personal best. Other spring sports are beginning to close the season with some of our teams like girls lacrosse having their final games today. South athletes are looking to close out their season strong with the CBC and county tournaments and recruited college athletes anticipate for South's official signing day. Likewise, our academic clubs have also received numerous accolades. Our mockt trial club competed in the Princeton Moot
005Court and placed first and second. In addition, the F WWP first robotics club um qualified for the world champions for the 10th year in a row. We are so proud to that our student body is being recognized for both athletics and academics. We would also like to showcase our arts program. One acts and pirate players have held performances for the elementary school students and the freshman class and plan to continue performing throughout May. For our music department, the orchestra ran their spring concert. Meanwhile, the band and choir are looking forward to their spring concerts later this semester. A few weeks ago, SASA ran their annual show, which was a huge success. We saw many amazing dance performances, singing showcases, and skit acting. Everyone had a great time, and we look forward to seeing the show
006improve every year. Not only this, but SASA visited elementary schools in the district. Many other clubs and classes have as well. The Chinese for honors classes spent an afternoon engaging with the Chinese dual language immersion classes at Morris Hawk. To continue a little bit about spring spirit, a little throwback to our spring spirit week, student council ran it with the spirit day themes where Monday was pajama day, Tuesday was back to the8s which was an homage to our spring musical which ran wonderfully. Uh Wednesday was pastel day, Thursday was beach day, and Friday a tradition class colors. and we were able to celebrate the final pep rally of our school year and we were fortunately able to hold it outside this year because of good weather. Lastly, for clubs, student council concluded their first bingo
007event this afternoon. Participants were able to win a variety of prizes from prom tickets to South merch. And despite the many South extracurricular activities, the student body will continue to be busy through ABS and state testing for freshman and juniors next week. We would also like to give a shout out to the South PTSA. A few weeks ago, the PTSA ran a successful flea market to help raise funds for scholarships, senior events, and our sports teams. And they also held a lunch last week for the staff in honor of teacher appreciation week. We're so thankful for their efforts to make so many fun events possible. Speaking of fun events, our seniors are really excited for a slew of events. Um, first is senior awards. There's the senior scavenger hunt and of course prom. Uh for
008the underclassmen, the PTSA and staff are working are in the works of planning the first salebration uh sort of schoolwide uh wellness day that South is uh inaugurating this year. With so many acknowledgements for our student body and our PTSA, we cannot forget our staff. As Dr. Adhold said we would like to highlight our educator of the year, Miss Gallison. She's involved in numerous activities including advising for National Honor Society and Red Cross, and we are so thankful for her dedication to teaching at South. And last but not least, we are so honored that Miss Sinata has been our principal for the past couple years. And although we will miss her at South, especially as a senior, she came in as I was a freshman and she's leaving with me as well. But we are
009very excited for her and her next chapter. And as a senior, I do want to say since it's our last board meeting, I want to thank all of you for getting the opportunity to present and speak every month. It is definitely something that I will remember and that I will carry with me as I go into college. But that's about it from us and I'll pass it off to North. Thank you. Good evening everyone. To start off, our high school students have been working diligently over the past couple weeks to prepare for their AP exams, which began last week and run into this week. So, this week will be our last week of exams. And many students are looking forward to the good weather and free time afterwards. And I can't say that we'll miss
010exams because they are hard. But unfortunately for our freshman and juniors, they continue to have exam season go into NJSLA testing which will start next week which is during a graduation requirement. And for the rest of us, we get to sleep in for the week and have a delayed opening. But in the wakes of our many weeks of testing, High School North Students Council has been working with our administration and our PTSA to host North Day next Thursday in an attempt to kind of release some of the stress. North Day will be an opportunity for our students to experience a field day kind of day as a throwback to elementary times and de-stress from all the testing by being able to play outside and have lots of fun. Speaking of student council, we have elected
011a new executive board for next year's school year. And we want I would like to congratulate ANISA who will serve as next year's student body president. Class councils will also be hosting their own elections this week and their term will officially start in June. Student council isn't the only term that will be starting soon. Tomorrow, our National Honors Society will be holding their in annual induction ceremony to celebrate the past class and introduce the new class of National Honors Society for the class of 2026. Moving on to sports, high school North students are looking forward to the game of the season. This Friday is the North versus South volleyball game as North looks to continue their dominant winning season. They are currently ranked second in their conference. at the game. Re relay for Life will
012also be fundraising for cancer awareness. So, we look forward to not only supporting our volleyball team as a student body, but also a good cause. Now, I will pass it on to Ana. Thank you. North volleyball seniors are also celebrating their senior night in a night versus night game today against Sterling High School. Special congrats to the girls track and field who take home first place in the Colonial Valley Conference Championship meet. Looking at some more outstanding accomp accomplishments by our WWP students, the Midnight Inventors are is a group of both North and South students who went to Worlds last month where they won many different awards, one of which was being ranked top 200 out of the 3,000 plus robotics team there. Another cause for celebration in High School North was teacher appreciation week.
013Last week, students had the chance to write a letter to their favorite teacher to show their appreciation and gratitude for some of the most influential figures in our lives. In addition, administration and staff also chose an educator of the year. We would like to congratulate Jana Kulpini for educator of the year from our school. It's one of the highest achievements and thank you for everything you've done. Looking towards the future, juniors are getting excited for their Washington Seminar trip from May 28th to May 31st. Seniors are also getting excited for all of their events with Disney leading the way coming up on June 7th to the 11th. Following Disney, they have prom which will take place the following Friday on June 13th. To wrap it up, seniors will have senior sunset on June 19th to
014commemorate their last year together. Thank you. Well, you guys aren't slowing down at all. Um, tonight is the last bittersweet meeting for two out of four of our board of education student representatives as Johnson Lynn and Rachel Joseph will be graduating just a few short weeks. Johnson is a member of the high school north class of 2025 and Rachel is part of the high school south class of 2025. It has been a pleasure to have had Johnson and Rachel here as our student representatives for the past two years as high school north and south liaison. I'd like to take this opportunity to share a bit about each of our student representatives this evening and thank them for their time and efforts this year. Ana Sl is a junior at High School North and a dedicated
015leader both in and out of the classroom. Ana has served on student council for the past three years and will take on the role, as Johnson said, of executive board president in her senior year. A three-year member of the volleyball team, Ana has served as team captain twice. Outside of school, she is the logistics director for Vessel, a student-led nonprofit organization and a camp counselor at the New Jersey Association of Student Council's leadership training camp where she helps mentor aspiring student leaders. Ana has also been involved in Girl Scouts since fifth grade, continuing to serve her community through service and mentorship. Johnson Lynn, a high school North senior, has served as board of education representative for the past two years. Johnson also had the privilege of serving as student council president. He has had the
016honor to guide his peers through the year's events and watch them thrive in their infinitely unique talents. He is also an officer of both Nort's Model Congress and Model UN teams and loves research and debating pressing political issues and mentoring other club members. In the future, Johnson hopes to take his unique skills learned and experiences here in WWP and apply them to the real world. Johnson plans on attending Georgetown University next year where he will study and pursue a degree in international politics and security. Both Ana and Johnson exemplify dedication and leadership. In addition to being standout leaders in their extracurricular endeavors, both Ana and Johnson have key roles in student government at High School North. Their enthusiasm and commitment have helped foster a sense of purpose and unity among their peers that will inspire
017future students at High School North. Anna Chen is a junior at High School South. Anna is an artist, athlete, and dedicated student who brings passion and heart to everything she does. She works hard in school, but what makes her stand out is how she balances her love for learning with her creativity, athletic drive, and commitment to her community, showing that well being well-rounded is not just possible, but meaningful. Rachel Joseph is a senior at High School South. Rachel has made a huge impact in every aspect of her high school journey as a peer leader, athlete, and student council president. The list goes on and on. Both Rachel and Anna are masters of balance. On top of being avid soccer and basketball players, there are also leaders in the student council. President for one, leading representative
018for the other. Together, they have put together countless events for the students and community of High School South. Whether it be movie nights, sporting tournaments, bingo events, homecoming, and a lot more, Anna and Rachel always put their best foot forward and have continued to build upon years of South tradition in engaging with and creating lasting memories for everyone at South. To our seniors, Johnson and Rachel, on behalf of the board of education and the WWP community, thank you for your service and commitment for to your schools, your peers, and your community. We look forward to seeing the impact you will have on the world when you graduate high school next month. Ana and Anna, thank you for your service and commitment as well. We hope to welcome you back to our board meetings next year
019as board of education student representatives. We wish you all a wonderful closure to the 202425 school year and much success if as you begin the next chapter in your adventure. Thank you all for joining us this year and have a safe and enjoyable summer break. So, thank you. We have a little something for you guys and yes, let's give them a round of applause. [Applause] Okay. So, do you want to come on up and then um Oh, okay. We'll put you around there. [Laughter] [Applause] Bless you. And that takes us to our first opportunity for public comments. The board invites thoughts and reactions on agenda items and items of concern from members of our committee who are present. Each participant is asked to give his or her name and address prior to making a statement
020which will be limited to three minutes in accordance with board policy 0167. All statements shall be directed to the presiding officer. This public comment period shall be limited to 60 minutes. Any public comments? Come on up. Might be better if it's on. Yes. Uh proms might be are very exciting from some kids, but um growing up in the uh LGBTQ community, um many folks there never really saw themselves reflected at the prom. Um prom dances came with some unwritten rules about who you could bring, uh what you could wear, how you were expected to behave. even for queer youth, especially those just beginning to discover and embrace their identities, that environment could be very isolating and and sometimes hostile to them. Um, but now we are creating new spaces, joyful spaces, affirming and fabulous spaces,
021and and I'm proud to say that one of the most exciting of these is happening right here in our community on May 31st in partnership with High Tops. Uh they are holding a queer prom at the Princeton Arts Council or the Arts Council of Princeton. That's uh the 31st Saturday of May from 5:00 to 8. Uh it's going to be hosted by the incredible team at High Tops. It's it's themed the Queer Naval. Um and it promises to be a night of colorful celebration and unapologetic self-expression. Um, it's designed for and by LGBTQIA youth and it creates a safe and exclusive inclusive and empowering space that every young person deserves. So, I encourage you to spread the word about that. Uh this coming Monday, uh the West Windsor uh council meeting which is held uh
022at the um at the municipal complex at 7 p.m. Uh we will be declaring or issuing a proclamation um for June being Pride Month. Uh we started this for the first time last year. So, this is now an annual tradition and uh I welcome uh all of you and uh your families and community to come celebrate that proclamation with us on Monday at 7 p.m. Thank you so much. Thank you. Anybody else? Seeing none, I'll close this opportunity for public comments. And since the committees have not met since the last board meeting, we don't have any board of education committee reports and we can move on to the voting po portion of our meeting. Uh can I get a motion for administration items numbers 1 through six plus the purple addendum? Uh Dana and Liz,
023any questions or comments? Okay, we'll start with Miss Krug. Yes. Excuse me. Okay. And jeez, I'm stuttering all of a sudden. And okay, so so next is Miss Chiniera. Yes. Miss Ho, yes. Miss Maliga, yes. Miss Sha, yes. Miss Zovich, yes. Miss Mchuan, yes. Uh, we have no curriculum and instruction items to vote on. So, can I get a motion for finance items numbers 1 through 10? Uh, Louisa and Robin. Um, any questions or comments? Nope. Okay, we'll start with Miss Hoe. Yes. Miss Sovich? Yes. Miss Shaw? Yes. Miss Chenier? Yes. Miss Krug? Yes. Miss Maliga? Yes. Miss Mcuan? Yes. Next. Can I get a motion for personnel item number one plus uh agenda one, two, and three, the green, pink, and yellow agenda. Um Jonta and Ly. Any questions, comments? No. Okay, we'll start
024with Miss Sha. Yes. Miss Maliga, yes. Miss Chinier, yes. Miss Ho, yes. Miss Krug, yes. Miss Dovich, yes. Miss Mcuan, yes. And before we move on, I do want to take this moment to acknowledge a couple of retirements we just approved. Sharon Revson, our Wyoff Elementary School teacher, is retiring from WWP after 33 years of service to the district. Enay Cohen, instructional assistant at Grover, is retiring after 25 years of dedicated service to our district. We wish you both well uh much luck, happiness, and uh adventure in your new next chapter. And uh thank you so much for your years of service. And next, can I get a motion to approve the board of education minutes from April 29th? Uh Liz and Louisa. Uh all in favor say I. I. I. Okay. Unanimous. So um
025I'd like to move on and ask if we have um any board leaison reports. And I see Dana has one because I want to make the meeting longer. Um, as the schoolboard liaison to the uh, West Windsor Recreation Commission, I wanted to share a collaboration between the uh, West Windsor Recreation Commission and Dutchneck Elementary School with support from the West Windsor Public Works. Um, it's a summary of the project. Um, after a lengthy grant process, NASA awarded to Dutchnick School an artmus um, Moon Tree. Mr. Um, Eichel Burner's third grade class was named was named as steward of the for the West Windsor's new Artemis moon tree, a sweetgrum seedling germinated from a seed flown on a 2022 NASA mission around the moon. The tree was sent to Dutchnik school as part of the federal
026agency's uh moonree project and the US Department of Agricultures forest service. Back on Earth, the Forest Service germinated the siege with which also included sycamores, Doug, Douglas furs, and lobly pines and giant sequoas, nurturing them until they were big enough to send to public and public education institutions across the country. Dutch neck school third graders in Mr. Eel Burner's class made a moonree presentation to celebrate the moonree and Earth Day. The moon tree was planted um at the West Windsor Arboritum and its purpose is to inspire future generations of scientists and environmentalists. Mr. Eichelurner and Terresa Loreno who is the vice chair of the West Windsor recreation board collaborated on the NASA application project together. That's the first one. I got another one. Um so as the lessison on to the uh New Jersey school
027board association since our last board meeting I've attended several meetings and assemblies on behalf of our district on May 2nd I attended the NJSBA board of directors meeting in which spring training opportunities were shared including the spring workshop and AI conference and the spring law forum. Updates on the fall workshop, which will be October 20th to the 23rd in Atlantic City, were also revealed, including the keynote speaker. On May 10th, I participated in the NJSBA delegate assembly where we reviewed and discussed three resolutions brought to the assembly by three different school districts. All three passed with one passing by just one vote. State officers were sworn in for the next two-year term, including um the new president, which is Tamisha uh Smith, who's from Warren County. Um I also attended the New Jersey Schoolboard Association,
028County Association leadership meeting on May 5th. There the speakers and discussion centered around effective leadership practices. And last night I participated in the Mercer County Schoolboard Association's last meeting of this school year which was held at the Lawrence High School and also was virtual. Um updates uh on the meetings previously mentioned were shared as well as government relations issues and NGSBA positions on these government relation issues. We honored the Mercer County Teacher of the Year who is from Trenton School District. We also honored the recipients of the school leader award and Mercer County school board members who achieved certifications and milestones. And lastly, I was sworn in as a Mercer County president for the 2025 2027 term along with colleagues from Lawrence and Trenton who will serve as vice presidents. Congratulations Dana. Thank you for
029representing. Do we have any other leazison reports? Go ahead. Good evening everyone. So some of us board members were invited. I think many of us were invited but some attended the uh guru vandana which was on Saturday. It was a ceremony to celebrate teachers and it was a really great way to celebrate teacher appreciation. There was several students from West Windsor Plains sort of honoring and paying homage to their teachers. It was a lovely ceremony with some performances explanations on the importance of education and the importance of teachers. So we are just very thankful that we were invited and we were able to learn a lot and see a lot of our students and our teachers there celebrated and appreciated. That's awesome. Thank you. Uh any other lison reports? Go ahead, Liz. Um I just
030wanted to mention that there are so many different um upcoming events and groups across the different uh schools and I just noticed one that was relatively new that I wanted to just mention. uh Community Middle School's Unified Grief Support Group is holding an event this uh this weekend. It's a 5K runwalk on May 18th, 8:30 to 12:30 at Mercer County Community College. And it's a fundraiser that raises money to provide resources for children and families who are coping with loss, including staff members and families within our district. So, I thought it was a great initiative and uh for those who can join, please do. Thanks for sharing. That's good. Um any other leazison reports? Nope. Okay. All right. So that takes us to our second opportunity for public comments. The board invites comments from members
031of our community who are present. Each participant is asked to give his or her name and address prior to making a statement which will be limited to three minutes in accordance with board policy 0167. All statements shall be directed to the presiding officer. This public comment period shall be limited to 15 minutes. Any takers from our audience? Seeing none, I'll close this public comment period and move to adjourn. So, can I get a motion to adjourn tonight's meeting? Uh, Ly and Dana. All in favor say I. I. I. Thank you so much and good night. [Music]