Frank Janitz, a student at Marshall Hill School in 1985, enjoys seashore exploring on a trip to Sandy Hook with his classmates. Photo Ann Genader (
)
During an unknown number of years before and after 1985, when William F. Koy was Superintendent of Township of West Milford Schools, district staff people had the opportunity to voluntarily share and receive information through in-service sessions after their assigned teaching day ended. Over 40 years ago, I taught a history/science course that included a session at the New Jersey shore and meetings at West Milford off-campus locations with local leaders. About 20 elementary school teachers participated in the meetings. Later, some teachers used materials and information they had gathered to enhance their student classroom lessons and projects.
After teachers explored state and national history at the shore, Marshall Hill School Fourth Grade educators Norine Hall, Florence Flanagan and Arlene Beringer took their students to Sandy Hook on school buses in a district approved field trip. Dave Grant, Brookdale College Director of Education at the time, and other staff members helped the students explore the water areas and adjacent sandy earth. They collected algae, crabs, small fish and shells while experiencing seining, a traditional worldwide method of spreading long nets into shallow water, then pulling them to shore by hand. It was the first shore trip for some of the children. Possible careers discussed including marine biology and oceanography fields.
When the teacher in-service session was held earlier, participants met at the “Twin Lights” lighthouse museum in Highlands. Studying about significant historical happenings in New Jersey history they viewed the first Fresnel lenses used in an American lighthouse. They learned about early sea rescues. Guglielmo Marconi, inventor of the wireless telegraph, first demonstrated its use at the Highlands site. The teachers saw a replica of it and heard a taped talk by Marconi’s daughter Givia Marconi Bruga.
The educators, as part of their in-service course study, toured Fort Hancock, Sandy Hook, a major military installation dating back to Revolutionary War times. They visited a historic museum there and went to Sandy Hook Lighthouse, said to be the oldest lighthouse in the nation. Educational materials for classroom use were provided, along with sources for obtaining more information on state history. The educators tour included a stop at the information center at Sandy Hook, where they learned about available field trips and programs scheduled throughout the school year. Along with lots of information about the state, teachers completing the series earned two in-service education credits.
In other history phases of the course the teachers met important West Milford leaders and visited historic local, historic homes. One of the memorable sessions was at the Idylease building with Dr. Arthur Zampella. He was well and enthusiastically shared local historical information with the township teachers. His son Richard Zampella, then a young man, was present at the session helping his dad share information. Arthur passed on and Richard is now guardian of the historic building. At other times course participants met Dick Herbert and heard about local history as guests in the still beautiful colonial style home on Herberts Flats, Union Valley Road.
The teachers met Francisco Pacheco, who brought his grandson Edwardo to assist as he demonstrated his hydrogen generator for them in my classroom. These meetings, after school hours, were just one of many classes given by teacher-instructors and participants who volunteered their time to investigate new and additional learning experiences for their students. The final meeting of this local history series was on long-time Township Attorney Lou Wallisch’s 75th birthday. The participating teachers met at his farm for a surprise party with other guests including Police Chief John Moeller, Township Clerk George Eckhardt, Mayor Gilbert Terhune and others. Hopefully, in-service class participating teachers and the students they taught over 40 years ago have good memories and still recall interesting learning experiences from those times.
