MO Students Celebrate Black History Month With Lessons

By Cheryl Conway

As many would agree, politics is one arena that has taken center stage in America lately and how fitting it is that this year’s theme for Black History Month focuses on the right to vote.

Every year centers on a different them for Black History Month with this year's theme: "African Americans and the Vote," which recognizes the struggle for voting rights among both black men and women throughout American history.

According to chiff.com, “2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Fifteenth Amendment (1870) which gave the right of black men to vote following the Civil War. It also marks the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment and the culmination of the women’s suffrage movement.”

Originating in the United States, Black History Month is an annual observance, also known as African-American History Month. It has spread to other countries such as Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. It began as a way of remembering important people and events in the history of black men and women.

President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976, to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

February is the chosen month, according to informational sites, to celebrate Black History as it was the birthday month of two individuals that greatly influenced African Americans: Fredrick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.

Since 1976, every American president has proclaimed February as Black History Month.

While Mt. Olive Township has no activities planned, the school district has a multitude of lessons, books, slides, writing assignments, research projects, movies, performances, music, study groups, posters, google slides and poetry in all grades- from the elementary schools, middle school and high school levels.

According to information collected by the Mt. Olive Township School District administration office, under Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Zywicki,  Black History Month is being celebrated in the following ways:

At Chester M. Stephens Elementary School:

Kindergarten will be reading about Ruby Bridges and Rosa Parks and talking about how they are similar and different. The students will be writing about both women. Books to read include: “Rosa Parks” by Cynthia Klingel and Robert B. Noyd; “Rosa Parks Hero of Our Time” by Garnet Nelson Jackson; and “The Story of Ruby Parks,” by Robert Coles.

First grade will be learning about various famous African Americans. They will begin with a google slide presentation describing how Martin Luther King Jr, Rosa Parks, Sojourner Truth, Jackie Robinson, Maya Angelou and Aretha Franklin changed the world. They cover their talents and contributions to the country, show them real pictures and talk about their lives. They will make a book called "Be the Change."  They will also learn about Michael Jordan and create a poster about him; an will research George Washington Carver and create a peanut with facts. 

Second grade students are learning about five different famous Black Americans and are writing biographies for each. 

Third graders will work in pairs researching influential black heroes and creating a class banner highlighting their achievements/contributions.  In addition, students will interpret quotes from several influential black Americans. 

Fourth graders will be assigning one famous African American to study and research. The students will complete a graphic organizer about their person to be displayed. They will then prepare a google slide sharing their person's accomplishments and present it to the class, so the students learn about many important people. Finally, they will show the movie "Ruby Bridges" and have the students respond to a prompt of what it would have felt like to be in Ruby's shoes, citing evidence from the movie. 

Fifth grade students will be focusing on the importance of equality by participating in discussion groups, creating freedom quilts and reading related texts (e.g. Henry’s Freedom Box) prior to seeing Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad at the Morristown Performing Arts Center on February 18.

Tinc Elementary School:

First grade does a group study on famous people, like Harriett Tubman and Jackie Robinson. They read "Scholastic News" as a group, and they play online games focused on this month. They spend a lot of time on Ruby Bridges, who at age 6 was integral to the Civil Rights movement.

Second through fifth grades all do research projects on a specific person and present to their respective classes. Second grade focuses on what a biography is, while fourth grade highlights the Leaders of the Underground Railroad by using task cards and taking part in simulations. Each grade either creates a poster or Google Slide on their person. 

Sandshore Elementary School:

Black History month lessons will be ongoing in the library.

A Bulletin Board of famous African Americans is being displayed in the primary hallway.

Read alouds are being conducted in the classroom featuring Influential African Americans, grade appropriate. 

There is also a school wide activity in which teachers will receive a copy of the book 28 Days by Charles R. Smith, Jr.   Each day is a short passage describing the life of an influential African American. At the end of the month the students will participate in a reflective activity (flip grid, journaling, multimedia presentation) where they will discuss the person they found to be most influential with reasoning and answering the question "Why do you think this person is considered to be influential?"

Students are provided with a variety of quotes from influential black heroes. Throughout the month they will reflect on three quotes that spoke to them the most. They will respond to the quotes and interpret them to explain how these words of wisdom are reflected in their lives. For the younger grades this can be done in small groups or as a whole class.

Museum walk of various influential African American figures in history is being held. Fifth grade students will choose an individual and research their contributions and importance to African American history. They will then choose a way (essay, oral presentation, flip grid, etc.) to present to the class. Students will then have the opportunity to do a museum walk to learn about other figures.

The Physical Education classes are doing lessons on famous African American athletes.

Mountain View Elementary School

Pre K-first grade students are reading stories about famous African Americans.

Second graders are highlighting Famous African Americans each day through differentiated reading passages and will create a class banner of all they learned. 

Third grade is researching a famous African American and writing a report.

Fourth grade created a bulletin board and they are going to choose a person, research and choose a project.  These range from posters, speeches and reports. They also read about Ruby Bridges and wrote about what they would tell her about their life now. 

Fifth grade is including Black History Month in their Morning Meeting Discussions. 

Mount Olive Middle School:

Social Studies classes are recognizing famous black figures who have made major contributions to American Society and have had an impact on a global scale.

Social Studies classes will also focus on the challenges of diversity.

Language Arts - Grade 8 – just finished reading “Rolling Thunder” and will continue following up with activism themes and service projects.

Art classes are making posters of famous black authors, performers, and leaders and pioneers.

Music, instrumental students, will be performing selections written and/or performed by black artists. 

Mount Olive High School:

Thursdays, during unit lunch, jazz band will be playing music from multiple black musicians.

Fridays, during unit lunch, members of NHS & NEHS will be reciting poetry and other works from famous black authors.

Social Studies classes are recognizing famous black figures during the entire month. 

Working with TV production to produce segments highlighting famous black figures throughout the month. 

Morning music will trend the influence of black artists through the decades in all genres including Gospel, Folk, Jazz, Soul, Hip Hop and Dance.

By Cheryl Conway

Her messy room triggered a positive idea for one local 10-year-old girl.

Ruby Turner, a fourth grader at Mountain View Elementary School in Flanders, celebrated her tenth birthday on February 15, but instead of birthday gifts this year, she decided to ask for adult sweatshirts to donate to the homeless.  As of Tuesday, Feb. 18, she had collected 80 sweatshirts.

Satisfied with all that she has in her life, Turner decided to help others that are not as fortunate.

“Every single week my room is a mess cause there’s so much stuff so I wanted to give to someone stuff that I have,” says Ruby Turner during a telephone interview with “Mt. Olive Online.”

“It was all Ruby’s idea,” says her mom Kelly Turner. “After Christmas she realized all the stuff that she has.”

Why sweatshirts?

“I have a lot of sweatshirts and I just wanted to give back,” says Ruby Turner.

Her mom helped by posting her daughter’s idea on Facebook and then making a wish list on Amazon.

Kelly Turner’s Facebook post on February 13 states: “Our rainbow girl hits double-digits this weekend and we are so proud of her. In lieu of gifts, presents or cash, Ruby humbly requests a donation of a sweatshirt (men or woman’s sizes) to be donated to Midnight Run, an outreach organization that supports the homeless living on the streets of Manhattan.”

She had learned about the organization from a post she saw on Facebook from another woman who was collecting jeans, so she asked the woman what else they needed “so Ruby chose sweatshirts,” her mom says.

For her birthday party, Ruby Turner celebrated at Chef It Up in Budd Lake on Sunday, Feb. 16. She had invited 15 friends from her class.

“We had to make cake and decorate them,” says Ruby Turner about the delicious vanilla cakes they made. She chose that theme “because it’s one of my favorite shows.”

Her friends brought sweatshirts instead of gifts so she can donate, and other sweatshirts have been shipped via mail.

“We put a note on Facebook and people that we are friends with mailed us some,” they say. 

“Family members are still donating,” says Kelly Turner, adding that she hopes to get to 100 sweatshirts.

“We actually had no idea” how many sweatshirts would be as their goal, she says. “When we counted them on Saturday we had 60; one person donated eight today,” with several people donating five to eight at a time. “Eight came in one box today.”

Why adult sizes?

Midnight Run does not collect clothing for children, says Kelly Turner, hence why her daughter was collecting adult sizes. 

The plan now is to go to New York City to help deliver the donated sweatshirts, the Turners say.

“I think Trinity Church in Hackettstown does runs for Midnight Run and I asked if we could come along if she’s not too young,” says Kelly Turner. If she is too young, then they will just give them the sweatshirts to deliver for them.

This was the first year that Ruby Turner decided to donate to a charity in lieu of birthday gifts, says her mom.  

 “She really did not get any gifts for her other than from us,” says Kelly Turner. “She was quite adamant about it.  We are taking her to get her ears pierced tonight and that is what she was most excited about.”

Perhaps the greatest gift is teaching her children, including Ruby’s 13-year-old brother Jack who donated a bunch of his sweatshirts for Ruby’s cause- to be mindful that there are people out there who are in need of life’s basic necessities.

One year they collected food to donate to the local food pantry, she says, by placing a bin on their front doorstep.

“We give to the food bank; we’re actually always giving clothes to clothing drives,” says Kelly Turner, adding that her mother-in-law Mindy Turner in Randolph, collects items for the Jersey Battered Women’s Association.

Their goal as a family is to participate in one project per year, says the mom.

Why donate to the homeless?

“It was the connection I made,” says Kelly Turner, through Facebook and the church, as well as what her daughter has seen when they visit New York City.

“We visit New York a lot,” says Kelly Turner, to eat dinner or attend plays. “She sees people on the street; that people don’t have homes. She doesn’t see as much of that here.”

Seeing homeless people on the streets makes Ruby Turner feel “sad,” the birthday girl says. “There’s a bunch of people who have so much and don’t know where to spend it and they [homeless people] are just living on the streets.”

Like the sweatshirts that will hopefully provide warmth to the homeless, their kind donation warmed Turners’ hearts.

“It opened our eyes that it’s good to give back,” says Kelly Turner. “We are average middle Americans; we really have a lot” and other people do not.

“It makes me feel really happy,” says Ruby Turner, a member of the Girl Scouts, singer in the show choir and lacrosse player. “I just like giving.”  
To donate a new or gently worn sweatshirt email kellyturner@verizon.net; or order through Amazon on Ruby Turner’s wish list page:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2X17584HT7F4T?ref_=wl_share

By Cheryl Conway 

The following is a wrap-up of issues raised at the last Mt. Olive Township Board of Education meeting held Monday, Feb. 10.

Concerned Bus Drivers

Several bus drivers employed by the Mt. Olive School District attended the last Mt. Olive BOE meeting to raise their concern regarding safety, discipline and communication breakdown.

Rob Sherman, husband of one of the bus drivers, was asked to be spokesperson by some transportation members to raise their issues at the board meeting.

The “core of the issue is child safety,” said Sherman. “They are grateful for their job,” he says of the bus drivers, however, maintains there is a “systematic failure for providing safe transportation for some of the students they transfer.”

When one African American bus driver was called a racial slur earlier this school year the student was placed on a different run with no mention of any other disciplinary action, Sherman said. The driver said she felt like “this was a slap” in her face,” he said.

Another bus driver who is Spanish was called a “a b..ch,” and “they [students] continue to ride the school bus.”

Sherman suggested that students be reprimanded by having to serve detention if they misbehave on the bus.

“They [the bus drivers] are asking for your help,” said Sherman. One bus driver, who happens to be Sherman’s wife, resigned “after being under distress,” he said. She had worked for transportation for 11 years, but “rather than looking into it,” and after having to wait two and a half months to meet with administration to discuss the incident and being allotted just 30 minutes, she resigned, he said.

“Two-and-a- half months went by, not one person said we care what you feel, what you think,” said Sherman.

His wife, along with the other drivers, have been told that they need to fill out a form whenever an issue arises on their bus route, he said.

“No one knew the existence of the form until the meeting last week,” he said.

When it comes to the safety of the kids, the bus driver is liable. They are driving “25 pounds rolling steel glass machines. They are being left liable of what is happening on the bus,” if a bus gets wrecked, if a child gets hurt.

“They are asking for help to make the bus a safe place for the children,” said Sherman. “If you have one, two, three who can’t meet the code of conduct, if they are putting other children, bus driver in danger…why are they waiting for someone to get hurt? Why were they not given the form?”

Continued Sherman, “If you can’t put students’ safety first; if you can’t give them the support from the top down, someone’s going to get hurt. The form is great; no one has a copy of the form; no one knows it exists.”

Said Sherman, “My wife has been out of employment for two-and-a half months; she would love to do her job” but asking the bus driver to take the liability of the kids without the support from the administration is too much.

“No one wants to put their neck on the line,” said Sherman. “Why can’t one of them come up here? They’re grateful, they are thankful,” but they “don’t feel they can safely transfer the kids.

Disciplining the kids “shouldn’t be any difference on the school bus,” said Sherman. Students on the bus should get the same punishment as those kids in the classroom who misbehave.

BOE President Anthony Giordano responded to Sherman and the bus drivers at the meeting and said, “We do respect you,” and suggested that they get the form to file so that any complaint “can be properly investigated.”

BOE Member Liz Ouimet thanked the bus drivers for the great job that they do, especially for transporting her four children to and from school.

“It’s documentation,” she said regarding their issue. “Get the forms in.”

BOE Member Anthony Strillacci spoke about when he was board president in 1998 and had a similar complaint about an incident on the bus. So the next day, he rode the bus, took the misbehaved kids off the bus and told their parents.

“We will look into it because we want everyone to be safe,” said Strillacci. “The superintendent has your interests at heart.”

BOE Member Dr. Antoine Gayles said “my daughter still rides the bus today. I rely on the skill of the bus driver to get my 10-year old to school.” He suggested that if there is an incident, the bus driver should call security or police.

“You pull over,” said Gayles. “Distracted driving is dangerous driving. If your safety is in danger, you call police, in my opinion. Looking through a manual, not the first thing to do. I just gave my non legal-opinion.”

The school board attorney disagreed and said bus drivers need to follow the manual on how to deal with situations.       

Mt. Olive Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Zywicki responded by saying bus drivers can get the form from the district Business Administrator Gail Libby. The form needs to go to administration once filed and then to the school principals for action.

“I rely on administration who are educators with masters’ degrees and certifications” when it comes to student code of conduct, Zywicki said on a telephone interview after the meeting.

While he reserved comment regarding the personnel issue, Zywicki said bus drivers have procedures they are supposed to follow in the district. They attend multiple days of safety training, such as with N.J. police, and they are all certified, licensed and trained annually. 

Full Day Kindergarten

The issue of full day kindergarten was raised again as the board steps closer toward making it a reality. 

One woman spoke up during public comments and said she supports full-day kindergarten as it provides more consistency for the kids, a chance to build relationships with their friends as well as more time for activities like art and music.

Another woman, who works as a realtor, said homebuyers would choose a town such as Long Valley to reside rather than Mt. Olive since there is no full-day kindergarten here.

How to expense full-day kindergarten in Mt. Olive continues to be the burning questions.

BOE Member William Robinson said “I have a problem with full-day kindergarten because of the cost.

“We have a loss” in revenue, he said, adding that he wants “to know how much more it’s going to cost us?” Providing full-day kindergarten will affect other things such as too many students in a class, the need to hire more teachers.

“Teachers told us they don’t want 25 kids in a class,” said Robinson. It is a problem “if it causes us to lose programs or intervention. When our kids leave here they are doing a very good job; they are ready,” when they get out there whether in college or professions.

“I understand more playing time, more music,” said Robinson, “I just don’t want to screw up on what happens afterwards. This is a very big issue for us. I’d like it to be very specific report. I’ve been fighting this for 20 years because I want it to be paid for.

“We’re getting a lot more kids, will be a larger kindergarten, will need more teachers,” said Robinson adding that the recent demographic study showed growth after five years. “It’s no different than what we had last 20 years.”

Giordano responded to Robinson saying that when the budget committee has it, they will look at the numbers.

“Just wait for the report to trust the information,” said Giordano. 

As his assessment of the district when he first came on board, Zywicki recognized full-day kindergarten as one of its needs.

“When I came into the district, I assessed our elementary program and our needs,” said Zywicki. Those included the need to teach world language at the elementary level, which is now being offered, as well as provide an inclusive special education environment and full-day kindergarten.

He said he is “trying to fill those needs. Our students will benefit with full-day kindergarten, as well as our community.”

The district has the space without having to add another building or even add onto a building, says Zywicki.

Mt. Olive is the only district in Morris County that does not offer full-day kindergarten, Zywicki confirmed.  

Test Scores

Zywicki briefed board members Monday night, Feb. 10, about the most recent NJSLA scores in math and language arts for each grade level.

In his student performance update, he summed up that scores between PARCC and NJSLA are vastly different.

“There are a lot of validity issues,” he says when looking at the data that came in September that examined scores from 2019 and compared them to 2018 scores. “You can’t compare PARCC to NJSLA.”

While they are both “standardized tests, they are “very different.” Zywicki notes that the NJSLA is a “more difficult test.”

The ELA scores for fourth graders received an 80.7 percent, which is the highest in the county, while math scores came in at 50 percent in the elementary grades. Considering that the state average in math yields 40 percent of the students passing, Mt. Olive is still ahead of the pact, he says.

Last year, a new math program was introduced at the elementary level called Envisions, which provides a lot of online resources, says Zywicki.

“It’s been an adjustment for our teachers,” he says. Middle school students continued to struggle with math.

The district remains proactive in trying to improve student test scores. When there was a major decline in writing scores, it introduced more writers’ workshops, he says.

Test scores, such as NJSLA,  is a “general thumbnail of progress” that school leaders use to gage students’ performance, notes Zywicki. There is a “lot of data that we use.”

The district uses Response To Intervention Success, Mt. Olive Success Academy and even offers remediation in the classroom as tools to improve students’ performance.   

“We’ve made steady progress,” comments BOE Member Dr. Antoine Gayles. Looking at the past five years, “one year of data is nothing to ring an alarm bell. Test scores are not the end all be all,” and education leaders can look at curriculum, personnel and finance to make adjustments. 

By Cheryl Conway

Jumping in just one month ago, the new athletic director at Mt. Olive High School is settling in his role as an active team player.

Mark Grilo, 42, of Long Valley is the new athletic director replacing David Falleni after 13 years who got promoted to vice principal at MOHS. Grilo started on Jan. 24 after being hired by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Zywicki and approved by the Mt. Olive Board of Education on Nov. 25, 2019.

Out of 40 candidates, Grilo was hired after a six-phase interview process involving administrators, coaches, parents and students, explains Zywicki. Based on his background as having master’s degrees in business administration and education, player and coaching resume, capability in managing a large populated parade- The Portugal Day celebration in the U.S.- and communication abilities, Zywicki says Grilo was his leading candidate for the spot.  

“He’s a guy who can a handle large scale events,” says Zywicki, and he possesses “tremendous communication skills,” both essential abilities to have as an effective athletic director.

Coming from a sports background from his upbringing and passion, Grilo knew the vacancy for AD in Mt. Olive would be an ideal position for him to fill.

“I have a very diverse background in sports,” says Grilo. “We’ve always been a very enthusiastic sports’ family. It’s something I grew up with and love.”

Grilo’s father, Fernando Grilo, played for a semi-professional soccer team in Portugal, and also played and coached in the United States.

His brother played baseball and soccer in high school. Grilo played soccer, ran track and cross country and played lacrosse in high school at Seton Hall Preparatory School in West Orange.

During his collegiate years at Drew University in Madison, where he earned his bachelor’s in political science in 1999, Grilo was a four-year starter of the lacrosse team, and captain for two years, yielding two ECAC Championships in 1998- 1999.

He then went on to Wesley College in Dover, Del., for a master’s in business administration and sports management in 2003. While at Wesley, Grilo served as the head lacrosse coach and director of Intramural Athletics and Athletic Department Game Day supervisor 2003-2004; and was the assistant lacrosse coach 2001-2002.

“I really fell in love with coaching,” says Grilo who tells how the role fell into his hands during an unfortunate time. While serving as an assistant lacrosse coach at Wesley College, the head lacrosse coach, Dave Reynolds, had a fatal accident at the age of 24 while surfing at Ocean City on Easter Sunday 2002. 

Grilo took over as head coach during this tragic time. The devastating loss of their coach forced the team to band together with a mission to play in the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC) championship game that year under Grilo’s leadership, he explains.

Despite that “We lost the championship game,” says Grilo, the team would have never made it to play in the championship game if it were not for the tragedy that gave them such an enormous purpose. “A close friend of mine passed away but we still had a goal to achieve.”

This impactful event steered Grilo toward athletics and coaching.

 “I just really realized my love of coaching and really guiding young men achieving a common goal,” he says. From the experience, he learned the importance of team-work and overcoming adversity.

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