The Cougar Chronicle

Dear Cranford Community,

In Cranford Public Schools, we all look forward to this time of year. While the spring weather is enjoyable, minus the rain, it’s the flurry of fun and celebratory activities that is the real highlight. The next several weeks will bring field trips, spring concerts, field days, and end-of-year ceremonies and celebrations.

Soon, we’ll celebrate the Class of 2025 as they reach exciting milestones — from prom and award ceremonies to graduation. We are incredibly proud of our seniors and support each of them in the path they’ve chosen — whether that’s college, career, military service, or another meaningful direction. As they move forward, we look forward to seeing them apply their Cranford education to shape bright and successful futures.

The ability to share many of these events with our community makes them even more meaningful.

Enjoy the long weekend and spend lots of time with friends and family. We have a lot to look forward to when we return!

Sincerely,

Dr. Scott Rubin

Superintendent of Schools

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On March 12, Stephanie Kile, MS, RDN, shared her path to becoming a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, highlighting the key steps and diverse opportunities within the field with CHS Biomedical Career Academy & Medical Club students.

She provided students with information on how the career landscape for RDNs is broad and varied, encompassing areas such as Medical Nutrition Therapy, Food Service Operations, Community Nutrition, Research and Tailoring Nutrition to unique groups such as athletes, military personnel and those with diet restrictions.

Stephanie's personal journey offered a compelling illustration of this multifaceted field. She described her experiences with a County College Dietetics program, experiences teaching nutrition, her time in the culinary world as a chef, baker, and health food store operator all which enriched her understanding of food from a practical perspective. The students enjoyed hearing about Stephanie's journey to becoming a RDN and engaged in a thoughtful Q & A session.

Mrs. Calabrese-Roberts' Period 6 Biology class at CHS showcased a deep understanding of biological concepts by creatively connecting them with culinary arts. The project utilized household materials, showcasing students' ability to visualize and represent the structure and function of a plant cell as a biotic factor. This hands-on approach provided a concrete understanding of cellular components.

Additionally, the class collaborated with Mrs. Barbera's cooking class to explore the relationship between biology, diets and food design. By learning about the importance of carbohydrates and proteins, they then applied this knowledge to prepare oatmeal and eggs making direct connections between biological macromolecules and everyday nutrition.

The culminating part of the project on the cell cycle consisted of students constructing a graphic organizer and then baking and decorating cakes to represent the stages of interphase, mitosis, and cytokinesis. This multi-sensory approach not only reinforced the stages of cell division in a memorable way but also integrated essential skills such as measurement, cooking techniques and scientific inquiry. Baking the cakes from scratch further emphasized the connection to living organisms and the processes of growth and development.

On March 21, members of the Cranford Engineering Career Academy program participated in the NJIT David Good 3D Printed Bridge Competition. Students Brian Guterl, Jayden Ciuba and Anthony Daniello, were tasked with making a bridge and presentation. They received a second-place award for predicting the failure load of their bridge.

Students used 3D modeling software, Autodesk Fusion, to develop a design that needed to conform to specific criteria including specific size and weight requirements. The bridge also needed to be assembled from smaller parts at the competition.

Advisor Mr. Rosenblum said he was pleased by the improvement in this year’s performance and by how motivated the students are to improve. “They are already planning for next year’s competition.”

Additional members of the Academy attended tours of the NJIT campus and makerspace and supported the competition participants.

During Bring Your Child to Work Day at CHS, Mrs. Santomauro facilitated an engaging math activity about Mobius strips. Students used paper to create Mobius strips, engaging in a fun, hands-on activity that revealed surprising properties of geometry and surfaces.

In Mrs. Sforza’s class at HAS, students had a blast learning to tell time using manual clocks. They eagerly moved the hands to match different times, turning a math lesson into an exciting, hands-on experience.

Over the past two weeks, elementary and middle school students at Orange Avenue School delivered outstanding performances in strings, orchestra, and band concerts that drew standing-room-only audiences. Under the expert direction of Ms. Holodak, Mr. Jackson and Ms. Mockoviak, these young musicians showcased not only their talent and discipline, but also their ability to master and perform increasingly complex musical selections.

The level of musicianship displayed is a testament to the students’ hard work and growth over the years, as well as the commitment and guidance of our exceptional music educators. These performances reflect the strength of our district’s music program and the inspiring collaboration between students and directors. Congratulations to all involved on a truly impressive season of performances. We look forward to our upcoming Chorus concerts under the direction of Mrs. Thomas.

Staff at Hillside Avenue School transformed the school into the thrilling world of Masked Reader earlier this month to promote reading and fun for students and their families. Mrs. Waxmann and Ms. Sandoukas kept the energy high and the laughs coming as the night's emcees. A huge round of applause goes to the talented masked readers: Ms. Cepparulo, Ms. Pascual, Ms. Schweitzer, Ms. Siciliano, Ms. Urbanski, and Mrs. Vaccaro. Each of them brought their unique flair to the stage, with a special shout-out to Ms. Schweitzer, whose out-of-this-world rapping truly brought the house down! The discerning panel of judges provided insightful commentary and helped us crown our reader champion.

Principal Mr. Deacon noted, “Events like these wouldn't be possible without the dedication of our amazing behind-the-scenes team. A heartfelt thank you to Ms. Nord, Mr. Petrucceli, Mrs. Pires, Mrs. Smith, Mr. Bregartner, Mr. Grassi, Mrs. Martinez, and Mrs. Lengner for all their hard work and support.”

Masked Reader was a wonderful evening of fun for the entire community!

Throughout the school year at Bloomingdale Avenue School, we proudly recognize students who carry out the Bloomingdale Pledge and practice the Full Value beliefs in the classroom. To celebrate students’ positive actions, teachers hand out 'Thumbs Up' raffle tickets when they see students put these values into action. A ‘Thumbs Up’ ticket recognizes students for demonstrating honesty, care for others' feelings, engaging in learning, working toward their academic goals, and showing empathy.

Here's the exciting part: when a student's name is drawn at the Bloomingdale Gathering from the raffle, they get to have lunch and play games with Principal Mr. Litz. Also, for every student who receives a raffle ticket, they add their name to the growing ‘Thumbs Up’ Wall of Fame, showcasing all the amazing students making a difference.

In this school year alone, we've already handed out over 800 ‘Thumbs Up’ tickets! That's a whole lot of students demonstrating what it means to be a Full Value student!

The district has been recognized as one of the 2025 Best Communities for Music Education by the NAMM Foundation. This national award highlights school districts that go above and beyond to provide high-quality music education to students of all ages.

Each year, the NAMM Foundation celebrates schools across the country that demonstrate a strong dedication to music education. This designation reflects the collaborative efforts of our teachers, administrators, students, parents and community members in making music a vital part of a well-rounded education.

The Best Communities for Music Education program honors those who ensure students have consistent access to music learning, setting a standard for other districts nationwide. We are deeply honored to receive this recognition and proud to continue fostering a community where music thrives.

The NAMM Foundation works to support lifelong involvement in music through research, philanthropy, and advocacy – helping to strengthen music programs in schools and communities everywhere.

Congratulations to the Class of 2025 student athletes continuing their athletic careers in college!

Congratulations to Girls Track & Field, 2025 Conference Champions Mountain Division!