PHOTO GALLERY

Congrats To Roger Leon New N.P.S. Leader

On July 25th. 2018, Roger Leon, the recently selected superintendent for the Newark Public Schools, attended a community forum at the Ironbound Community Center. The event was sponsored by the Ironbound Community Corporation, the Newark Public Schools Historical Preservation Committee, the Newark Preservation & Landmarks Committee, the Newark History Society, and a Coalition of Newark High School Alumni Associations. It provided Mr. Leon with the opportunity to interact with community members and share his vision for the Newark Public Schools, having recently been selected as the first superintendent since the state returned the control of the school system back to the district

Early in the evening time was allocated for informal interaction between the superintendent and community members. Marion Bolden, former superintendent and chairperson of the Newark Public Schools Historical Preservation Committee, then formally introduced Mr. Leon to the attendees.

At the outset Superintendent Leon indicated that he was very pleased to have the opportunity to be at the meeting, but also noted that there was little need to introduce him to the people in the room, since he knew most of them, having lived his whole life in Newark, and having dedicated his entire professional career to Newark’s children. He made it clear that he understood the challenges the district faced, but also knew the district’s rich history and heritage, as well as the many positive programs and success stories that had existed in the past.

He then shared a recent experience he had had. “I recently had a meeting with Barringer High School students and held up a picture of a blue bear.” The blue bear is the school mascot, and he used this image as a metaphor for the school. The students were then shocked when he ripped the photo in half, a demonstration of how in recent years the school had been divided into 2 separate schools. Leon re -joined the 2 halves of the bear photo, telling the students, “This is Barringer today, and we are going to bring these 2 academies together as one Barringer High school again, but I need your cooperation.”

From this starting point the superintendent went on to talk about the importance of keeping the focus on the students, identifying their needs and providing programs that addressed those needs. He mentioned that he had lived his whole life a few blocks away from the Community Center, and knew Newark well He discussed his experiences in attending Hawkins Street School and Science High School, and how his experiences as a student in Newark helped bring him to where he is now, and prepare him for success.

He noted, however, that that success could not happen by his efforts alone. There was a critical role every part of the community needed to play to make that success a reality. He stressed the significance of the high school alumni associations, and the importance of maintaining a school archive, and promised that he would be meeting regularly with students, alumni and community members.

He ended his comments by again stating that improving the city’s educational system will be a challenge, but that it is one that he is eager to embark on.