The first day of public school in Hoboken is this Tuesday, Sept. 8, although – much to the chagrin of parents scrambling for child care – public school preschoolers only attend half-day classes for all four days the first week. During the new year, students can expect new Chromebooks, new sports (including lacrosse), and new programs.
Hoboken’s new superintendent Christine Johnson – so dedicated to her post that she met with The Hoboken Reporter despite fracturing her wrist the day before – said nothing can dampen her spirits.
“It’s an exciting time because the start of the year provides a sense of newness for kids and adults too!” said Johnson. “Every single year kids can create and renew a whole host of things.”
Johnson, who took over for Hoboken interim superintendent Dr. Richard Brockel on July 15, 2014, said this year students at Hoboken High School can look forward to lacrosse being added to the sports as well as a new international travel program – which will take students to Italy later this year.
In addition all the libraries have been retrofitted with new desktop computers, a number of new Chromebook laptops have come in, and by the end of September a new district website and mobile app will be up and running.
“I’m going to really spend the year collecting a lot of input.” – Christine Johnson
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The district, which joined the Kean Diversity Council in September to promote workshops that celebrate diversity, also hopes to expand on its STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) program this upcoming year.
Another facet of change the district hopes to implement is what Johnson describes as “the sharing of good ideas” among the elementary schools: Joseph F. Brandt School, Salvatore R. Calabro School, Thomas G. Connors School and Wallace School.
For instance, NJ Cares plans on working to offer wellness activities as well as creating a mural with students at Connors School. Calabro School will now offer piano and keyboarding lessons. The idea is to find a smooth way for these kinds of programs to crossover between the schools.
From Boom Town to the mile-square city
Johnson, who came here from the Boonton school district, aims for the monthly Board of Education meetings to act as a liaison among what she describes as the district’s “stakeholders” – students, parents, teachers, staff, and members of the community.
“Stakeholders will give me a better understanding of what their hopes are for the district,” she said. “Rather than me coming in with a pre-conceived set of goals and objectives. I’m going to really spend the year collecting a lot of input, getting feedback from people on things that they think need to be modified or changed.”
“I’m really interested in knowing the things that people value, honor and want to maintain, so that those things can be built upon as opposed to pushed aside. I’m not going to bring ‘new’ in for the sake of change,” she added.
Although budgetary issues have plagued Hoboken, Johnson is no stranger to such problems. After Boonton saw $1.2 million in state aid cut in 2010, Johnson froze her own salary for five years and convinced the local teachers’ union to accept a nine-month pay freeze in order to avoid cutting educational programs and 25 jobs in the district.
She also had Boonton participate in a pre-honors Medical School program with Rutgers Newark for the last three years – a 13-week course that she has made possible for Hoboken High School students for this upcoming year.
“It was such a great experience for high school kids because within the 13 weeks,” she said, “they did everything from rounds with resident-students to a range of courses and lectures with doctors from the medical school, and some hands-on experiences as well.”
‘Every person I’ve met has been great’
Still new to the area, the new superintendent says so far what she loves most is the people.
“Every person I’ve met has been great. From the mayor, to her assistant, to City Council people, to the board, to parents, even some kids already in the summer. Going from school to school and around the city, it’s clear that everyone has such a high level of pride about Hoboken in general.”
Locals can hear and provide their input over many of the school district’s new initiatives at the upcoming Board of Education meeting Tuesday, Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. at Hoboken High School auditorium, at 800 Clinton St.
A host of events, open to the public, are also slated for the upcoming year including Hoboken High School’s Class of 2016 Tricky Tray Fundraiser on Friday Sept. 11, the Wallace School’s block party on Friday, Sept. 18 and a number of productions including the district’s rendition of “Beauty and the Beast” from May 20 to May 22. To learn more visit www.hoboken.k12.nj.us/hoboken.