Board of Education Meeting Recap
November 8, 2023
Suffern Alumni Showcase 6oth Reunion
Four distinguished Suffern High School graduates attended the board meeting on November 7th to update the community on the most recent reunion they held which honored the Class of 1963. Sixty years ago they graduated from the high school (which was at that time, the current Suffern Middle School building) and in early September this year, about 40 former Mounties and spouses, spent the day exploring downtown Suffern and reminiscing about their days in high school.
Last night, Dr. Nancy Grosselfinger shared the details and introduced three other alumni, including this year's Alumnus of the Year, Dominick Ferrara ('63), owner of the longest running business in Suffern, Rocco's Shoe Repair. In addition, John Wallach ('63), former alumnus of the year winner and longtime volunteer wrestling coach and Tim Gulick, ('62) Suffern Alumni Association liaison, were also in attendance.
"We put together bios of our alumni and what I think you'll be most impressed by is the enormous amount of community engagement and service, said Dr. Grosselfinger. "It is overwhelming in the course of a lifetime how many hours people have given in all kinds of ways through all of their vantage points and careers. It's impressive to know that that value that was instilled in us at Suffern is still there."
We look forward to exploring the careers and service of our Class of '63 graduates and sharing their stories in the months to come.
(Pictured L to R: Dominick Ferrara, Tim Gulick, Nancy Grosselfinger, John Wallach)
Board Votes to Move Forward with Elementary Restructuring Proposal
In a 6-1 vote, the Board of Education, approved the elementary restructuring plan that will close Viola Elementary School and repurpose our four other elementary schools into a new model offering more consistent educational opportunities for our students beginning in the 2024-25 school year.
Board president Matt Kern thanked everyone who reached out to the board either in favor or opposed to the plan and spoke about how this new plan will provide the best possible educational experience for all students, providing an enhanced, equitable, educational environment that all our young mounties deserve.
Suffern Central Security Update
Director of School Safety and Special Projects, Mr. Pat Breen, gave a brief presentation on how the District has been maintaining and updating its security protocols this school year. He discussed the critical components needed to develop and maintain safety plans and protocols across the District and buildings. Throughout the year he'll be working to continuously improve best practices, including examining and improving technology, infrastructure and our partnerships with local law enforcement.
He also shared our Emergency Information Guide, which was sent to families last month and reviewed some of the additional professional development our administrative team will be working on throughout the year as well as how we'll be working with Altaris and the regional safety consortium throughout the year.
UPCOMING BOARD MEETING DATES:
- November 21
- December 5
- December 19
All board meetings will take place at the District offices, 45 Mountain Ave., Hillburn at 7:30 pm.