Warren County School Boards Association Honors the County Teacher of the Year, Conducts Other Business

The Warren County School Boards Association met May 22 at The Architect’s Golf Club in Phillipsburg. WCSBA President Lisa Marshall (Warren Hills Regional) called the meeting to order and welcomed attendees, virtually and in person, to the final meeting of this school year.

Dr. Rosalie S. Lamonte, interim executive county superintendent, provided an update from the Warren County Office of Education. Gwen Thornton, field service director at the New Jersey School Boards Association, also delivered an update.

Karen Cortellino, M.D., NJSBA president, attended and offered warm greetings on behalf of the NJSBA. Dr. Timothy Purnell, NJSBA executive director and CEO; Dr. Tom Connors, NJSBA vice president for finance; and Barry Fitzgerald, NJSBA vice president for county activities, were also in attendance.

Jessica Swaim, principal at Hackettstown Middle School in the Hackettstown School District, introduced Colleen Grzywacz, the 2023-2024 Warren County Teacher of the Year. Grzywacz is a vocal music teacher at Hackettstown Middle School. She shared a powerful message on what every school board member should know from the eyes of a teacher.

Ray Pinney, lead director of member training and engagement at NJSBA, and Robert Acerra, county activities coordinator at NJSBA, presented the milestone awards and all NJSBA Board Member Academy certification recognitions, acknowledging the hard work and dedication of the board of education members in Warren County. The recognitions were followed by honoring Paul Williams, whose 12 years of service as an NJSBA board of directors’ representative ended that evening.

Vickie Mendes-Branch with the Phillipsburg Board of Education and also a member of the WCSBA Nominating Committee, presented the slate for the 2024 -2027 NJSBA board of directors and the alternate from Warren County. They are Scott Nodes, Greenwich Township Board of Education, who will serve as the member, and Jaclyn Rowbotham, Harmony Township Board of Education, who will serve as the alternate. WCSBA President Lisa Marshall conducted the elections, and Acerra performed the oath of office for Nodes and Rowbotham.