At the Moorestown Township Public Schools Board of Education meeting on June 16, students were honored for their work with Moorestown’s Relay for Life, and a quick update was given on construction projects at the schools according to the Building Excellence Bond Referendum.
Moorestown High School students’ original Relay for Life goal was to raise $15,000 for the American Cancer Society, but they ended up doubling that amount, raising more than $30,000 for the fight against cancer.
“The biggest highlight is that they started out with a goal that was relatively aggressive for $15,000 for a first-time event. And I am absolutely ecstatic to report that as of the last report from Mat (Ogin) of the American Cancer Society that this group has achieved over $30,000, surpassing their goal,” MHS Principal Andrew Seibel said.
Jason Hicks, the advisor, announced the names of those who were honored: Sophie Bewley, Kayla Binnachio, Clare Craven, Chrissy Donahue, Emily Foreman, Katie Foreman, Caroline Forzley, Caitlin Kelleher, Lana Kolchinsky, Arianna Labetti, Judy Lam, Jordan Lewis, Cassandra Lis, Talia Martianou, Sara Phillilps, Allison Schurr, Jesse Wun and Sarrah Zaman.
“I am so proud of all of the committee. I want to thank them all. They’ve done an amazing job. We’ve doubled our goal, and we’re only shooting higher for next time, so thank you,” said Schurr, the student lead of the event.
Rob Notley of New Roads Construction gave another update on the district’s bond referendum projects. He went through each school and gave an update.
At Baker Elementary School, South Valley Elementary School, Mary E. Roberts Elementary School, William Allen Middle School and MHS Packages 1, security vestibules, and 2, data/technology upgrades, are on schedule. Package 1 started after schools were closed, beginning at MHS, to be done over the summer for all schools. Package 2 has started at MHS and WAMS and plans to be done by the end of December for all schools.
Package 3, roofing, will begin and end in the summer at all schools. Package 4, toilet room upgrades for Mary Roberts and South Valley, has begun and should end in the summer. Package 5, HVAC upgrades and improvements for the elementary schools, is planned to begin in the summer and end around October. They are holding off for UES and WAMS because they could potentially get a rebate for the updates. With Package 7, drainage improvements for South Valley, the contractor is scheduled to start and end over the summer.
The board also rejected the bids for the Moorestown High School athletics field improvements project, which was a part of the second question of the bond referendum and listed as Package 6. The board received the initial bids for the projects, which ended up being over the estimated amount. The Operations and Facilities Committee decided to revisit those projects, with some changes, and go out to rebid.
“The rebid process is very common and normal. We’re confident based on our assumptions, and the assumptions from our consultants, that we’ll be able to come in at the right number and keep those projects on track,” board member Matthew Simeon said.
The board is hoping bids come in at budget, and if they do, work will begin early in July and be completed in October.
To view the full construction calendar, go to the school district’s website at www.mtps.com and click the link under Construction Calendars. A calendar for each school is available there.
In other news:
MTPS is going through its initial stages of its five-year strategic plan. On Aug. 11, there will be a presentation and more information on that strategic plan. To learn more, visit www.mtps.com and click the link next to Strategic Plan Process.
