The parking lot and media center at Olson Middle School in Tabernacle were filled to capacity with parents, staff and students for the Monday, May 21 board of education meeting.
Many scholar athletes were recognized at the meeting.
The Olson Middle School girls’ soccer team had its best season yet this year with 12 wins, a tie and a loss.
All team captains were presented to the board and gathering as great role models for their positions as leaders.
Classroom leaders were also applauded for their work.
EvaMarie Deeney, a fourth-grade special-education teacher at Tabernacle Elementary School and Lisa Misselwitz, a math teacher at Olson Middle School, were recognized as Teachers of the Year.
Deeney takes the extra step in her classroom, Rafferty said, and Misselwitz is a team player that gets results.
The teachers are the epitome of passion and dedication, he said.
Skills can be taught, he explained, passion cannot.
“They bring passion to their job each day,” Superintendent of Schools George Rafferty said. “That’s what makes them stand out.
District looks for smart energy saving techniques
Board vice-president Michael Lee detailed a report on the continued efforts of the Solar Project Ad Hoc Committee, which he leads.
For 14 months, energy savings routes have been the focus of the committee, he said.
Solar panels, he said, are not the way for the district to go.
Other in-house, cost-saving measures, such as weatherproofing, may be more ideal.
The committee applied for the “Green Backs to Go Green” pilot program through the Burlington County Bridge Commission on June 20, 2011.
“It’s been a process,” Lee said.
With the grant, there could be an approximate savings of 23 percent in energy costs. Each year, approximately $247,000 is spent on energy.
With participation in the bridge commission’s program, a savings of $60,000 could potentially be seen.
Over a 15-year period, the district would be able to pay off the loan to the commission, thus creating no tax impact to area residents, Lee said.
Further information about the bridge commission can be found at www.bcbridges.org.
More details about the district’s energy plans will be available in coming weeks.
