West Orange Board of Education Members Give Summer Update

WEST ORANGE, NJ — On Monday, July 22, the West Orange Board of Education held a meeting in which they gave a summer update.

In his report, Superintendent Hayden Moore said that the district's summer programs are operating smoothly and that the Extended School Year program, ESY, has been going well. Athletic boot camps and practices will begin in the upcoming weeks.

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He also mentioned the passing of Montclair Public Schools' superintendent, Jonathan Ponds, and extended West Orange's collective sympathy to Mr. Ponds' family and to the West Orange BOE.

Board member Robert Ivker acknowledged the efforts of Principal Oscar Guerrero, Superintendent Moore and President Brian Rock in making the recent West Orange High School graduation a "spiritual, fun and brief" ceremony.

Vice President Maria Vera talked about her experience at the recent award ceremony for the West Orange financial literacy program and thanked the organizers for her invitation.

Next, President Rock began his president's report and introduced Maritza Brown, the founding president and chairperson of the Circle for Rainbow Sisters (CORESSWC), an organization that offers a financial literacy program for students in the West Orange area. The goal of the program is to ensure that its students gain the financial skills to thrive in college and beyond, through the engagement of schools and parents.

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Brown then called one student and two parents who have participated in the program up to the podium to offer their personal testimonials. Brown stated their goals were to influence the board to leverage the organization to increase communication on academic awards.

A parent of a former recipient of the program's scholarships discussed her and her daughter's experiences with the CORESSWC and also called for increased transparency about the district's ranking of the top 10 students of each graduating class. This would allow every student to be aware of how CORESSWC can help them in the future and to apply for scholarships in a targeted manner.

To conclude, President Rock recognized Felix Plata and the West Orange Hispanic Foundation's recent Hispanic Night on July 13 and gave a shout-out to Superintendent Moore for officially completing his first full year as superintendent.

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