School News

Additional Franklin Township Police Officers have been deployed to the district’s elementary schools as part of a new “School Security Initiative” announced on Feb. 22. The program is effective now, said FTPD spokesman Phil Rizzo. The joint announcement came from FTPD Chief Richard Grammar and schools Superintendent John Ravally. The program will not only provide additional security, it will allow …

By PJ Parker. “Innovation Within” was the theme of Franklin High School’s inaugural TEDx event held Feb. 17. Based on the TED Talk concept, the event was organized by Franklin High School Future Business Leaders of America and Model UN student leaders Arnav Tolat and Sneh Patel, and their team. TED Talk, a media organization whose mission is “Ideas Worth …

Two Franklin Middle School students face school disciplinary action after they modified a school-assigned video to include what district officials regarded as “disturbing images.” District spokeswoman Mary Clark said the students used some video footage created during a school assignment to create a new video, an action which schools Superintendent John Ravally labeled as “poor judgment” in a message to …

Editor’s Note: Normally, we would not cover a story outside of the township unless it involved a Franklin resident. But a trip to south Florida for a family gathering found me about a 20-minute drive from Marjory Stoneman Douglass High School in Parkland, Fl., the scene of last week’s horrific mass killing in which a gunman murdered 17 students and …

Amanda Lake, a resident of Somerset, was honored for academic achievement by being named to the Dean’s List at Delaware Valley University for the Fall 2017 semester. Briana Johnson of Somerset was named to the Cedarville University Dean’s List for fall 2017. This recognition requires the student to have a 3.5 GPA or higher for the semester, and carry a …

Central Jersey College Prep Charter School is planning to weigh its upcoming enrollment lottery in favor of children from low-income families. The plan is still pending final approval from Lamont Repollet, the acting state Department of Education Commissioner, said Namik Sercan, the school’s chief education officer. Students who qualify for free or reduced breakfast or lunch, live in Section 8 …

Starting in the fall, Central Jersey College Prep Charter School will begin participation in a program designed to help students succeed in college. CJCP will be one of approximately 1,500 schools worldwide to implement the AP Capstone diploma program, a program that allows students to develop skills that matter most for college success, such as research, collaboration, and communication, according …

The Board of Education dipped into the district’s “farm team” Jan. 25 to pick principals for Franklin High School and Franklin Park School. Frank Chmiel, a vice principal at Franklin Middle School, was named to take the helm at FHS, and Purvi Shah, a Franklin Park School vice principal, was named to be that school’s new principal. Chmiel replaces interim …

Franklin High School was once again transformed into an exhibition center for the school district on Jan. 13 for the annual district showcase. Displays of various programs, clubs and organizations in district schools, information about new programs and initiatives and the a finale featuring performances by groups from each of the nine township schools highlighted the event. Among those on …

Cedar Hill Preparatory School celebrated its designation as a National Blue Ribbon School by throwing itself a party on Jan. 13. The Cedar Grove Lane school was one of 17 New Jersey schools to win the designation for 2017 from the U.S. Department of Education. Nationally, 342 schools were announced to be Blue Ribbon winners in September 2017. Music, food, …