Superintendent’s Report

Erskine R. Glover, Superintendent

March 25, 2026

Volume 12 Issue 8

 

Olympic Trailblazer Inspires Arbor Students

Students at Arbor Intermediate School met their “new favorite Olympic athlete” when Olympic trailblazer and medalist Gail Marquis made an inspiring visit on Tuesday, March 10. Ms. Marquis was a member of the 1976 women’s basketball team that won the silver medal – the first time that women’s basketball was included in the Olympics – and participated in the Olympic torch relay for the 1996 Atlanta Games. She shared her inspiring journey – from standout basketball player to successful businesswoman and education leader – while encouraging 4th and 5th graders to pursue their goals with determination. Thanks to 4th-grade teacher Neal Bennington for arranging the visit, which fit in perfectly with our district’s celebration of Women’s History Month. Ms. Marquis spoke during two assemblies about the importance of teamwork, perseverance, and managing emotions both on and off the court.

 

Permanent Art Show Spotlights District’s Talented Artists

Congratulations to all the students whose work was selected for this year’s Permanent Art Collection. A student from each K-8 school and several from Piscataway High School were celebrated on Thursday, March 12, along with their families, in a ceremony in the newly renovated Piscataway High School Media Center. The event displaying their beautiful artwork was hosted by Supervisor of Visual & Performing Arts Rebekah Sterlacci and attended by the Board of Education, Superintendent Erskine R. Glover and district administration, and the students’ principals and art teachers. “It was so joyful to celebrate our student artists with our community and to engage with our students’ storytelling through art!” Ms. Sterlacci said. “Thank you to our art educators for all of their work with our student artists.”

Learn more and see all the art on our website’s News page.

 

‘Empty Cups’ Raises Enough

for 5,700 Meals for the Needy

Congratulations to the Piscataway High School “Empty Cups” event for raising $1,900 to help feed the hungry of Middlesex County. The event on Saturday, March 14, was organized by PHS ceramics teacher Mary Wartenburg. Cups designed and created by her students were sold along with hot beverages to raise money for Feeding Middlesex County. About 40 community members and families attended the event to purchase handcrafted cups, enjoy a hot beverage, and participate in interactive art activities.

A team of about 115 ceramics and sculpture and National Art Honor Society students and supportive friends and family volunteered to operate the event, including coffee and snack stations, student artwork sales, and interactive art activities.

 

PHS Brings Chinese Culture

& Excitement to Eisenhower

Eisenhower Elementary School second-graders had so much fun learning about Chinese cultural traditions from the Piscataway High School Chinese Club. On Friday, March 6, the PHS students performed beautiful Chinese music for our younger students and wowed everyone with an exciting dragon dance highlighting the Year of the Horse. After the performance, our 2nd graders had the opportunity to participate in several hands-on activities, including making origami, practicing calligraphy, and learning how to use chopsticks. Thanks to Eisenhower support specialist Janelle Burley and PHS Chinese teacher Piao Zheng for organizing the experience.

 

SADD Joins Police to Spread Word About Driving Safety

Thank you to the Piscataway High School Students Against Destructive Decisions for presenting their safe driving campaign to the community. They joined the Piscataway Police Department at a forum about speeding on March 16, at the Piscataway Community Center. SADD is also hosting Parent & Teen Safe Driving Night at the PHS PAC on March 25, at 6 p.m. SADD will again be joined by the police to address teens about how to handle traffic stops, along with other important teen driving info. All PHS students who attend will receive extra credit for physical education class.

 

2 Middle Schoolers Perform with Regional Ensembles

Congratulations to two Piscataway middle-schoolers who were selected to perform with the Central Jersey Music Educators Association Intermediate Ensembles. Jonny Bonilla from Quibbletown performed with the CJMEA Symphonic Band for the second year in a row, and Claire Duan from Conackamack played with the CJMEA Chamber Orchestra for the third year in a row. Thank you to instrumental music teachers Fabian Schulz of Quibbletown and Grace Lee of Schor for sponsoring our students for CJMEA Intermediate Ensembles.

 

Coming Up

March 26: Quibbletown Pops Concert, 6 pm

March 26: PHS Choir Pops Concert, 7 pm

April 1: Fiscal Planning & Operations Committee Meeting, 7 pm

April 1: PHS Chamber Music Concert, 7 pm

April 3: All Schools Closed for Good Friday

April 6-9: All Schools Closed for Teachers and Students for Spring Break (Schools are open on Friday, April 10)

April 13: Curriculum Committee Meeting, 6:30 pm

April 15: Marking Period 3 Ends

April 30: Board of Education Budget Hearing, 6:30 pm

April 30-May 1: PHS Theatre Fest, 7 pm

May 6: Fiscal Planning & Operations Committee Meeting, 7 pm

May 4: Report Cards Available in Genesis Parent Module

May 5: Schor Band Concert, 6 pm

May 7: Quibbletown Choir/Orchestra Concert, 6/7:30 pm

May 7: Schor Choir Concert, 6 pm

May 7: Policy/Legislative Committee Meeting, 6:30 pm

May 8-9: PHS Dance Concert, 7 pm

May 11: Schor Orchestra Concert, 6 pm

May 12: PHS Orchestra Concert, 7 pm

May 13: Quibbletown Band Concert/Art Show, 6 pm

May 14: PHS Band Concert, 7 pm    

May 14: Board of Education Meeting, 6:30 pm

 

‘SpongeBob’ Makes a

Splash at Conackamack

Audiences were wowed by Conackamack Middle School’s production of “The Spongebob Musical” March 12-14. The show was directed by vocal music teacher Amanda Jago.

 

Welcome to Pway!

Greetings to the newest members of our staff

Alexandra Kilkenny, 2nd from left, was confirmed on Thursday, March 12, by our Board of Education and joins our district as a special education teacher at Knollwood Elementary School. She is pictured with Board President Nancy Salgado-Cowan, Superintendent Erskine R. Glover, and Director of Human Resources Colleen Pongratz. New staff members are publicly recognized at Board meetings to let them see right away that they are joining a welcoming school district and are a valued member of the team.

 

Grandview Dragon Parade

Celebrates Chinese New Year

Students in the Gifted & Talented art program at Grandview Elementary School spread the joy of the Chinese New Year through the school with a dragon parade. The students designed and created a traditional dragon and paraded through the school on Friday, March 6, collecting red envelopes from teachers. The red envelopes traditionally contain money, but these were filled with Grandview Gecko Tickets, which give students chances to win prizes. Thanks to art teacher Chris Lee for giving his students a chance to use art to highlight this cultural celebration.

 

Children’s Corner Roars with

Excitement for BEAR Night

Preschoolers enjoyed a fun-filled evening of stories, crafts, and special visitors when Children’s Corner hosted BEAR Night (Be Enthusiastic About Reading) to promote early literacy. Children and their grown-ups brought their teddy bears and gathered on Wednesday, March 4, for story time, reading “Going on a Bear Hunt,” then completed hands-on craft activities led by teacher volunteers, and visited with children’s book star Clifford the Big Red Dog. Visiting author Jennie Misko hosted an assembly in the all-purpose room and the Piscataway Public Library joined the celebration with giveaways and information about upcoming programs. Every attendee received a free book to bring the love of reading home. The event was sponsored by the New Jersey Education Association FAST program (Families and Schools Together).

 

King Tech Class Gets Creative

The Technology Enrichment class at Martin Luther King Intermediate School got excited to explore their creativity in 3D. Students used Tinkercad.com, a computer-aided design platform, to manipulate 3D space by dragging, dropping, and grouping geometric shapes to build their own designs, then printed them on their 3D printer. Thanks to technology teacher Edwin Salcedo for using digital tools to inspire our students.

 

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2 Wrestlers Make History at State Tournament

Congratulations to Piscataway High School wrestling for an outstanding showing at the NJSIAA State Tournament in Atlantic City. Senior Jane Rodrigues became the first Piscataway girl to reach the podium at the States when she took 8th place in the 120-pound weight class. She was still able to finish on the podium even after sustaining a shoulder injury. On the boys side, Sean Love finished 3rd in the 157-pound weight class. Along the way, he avenged a loss he sustained in the Regional Tournament by beating the champion from Region 5. He is just the 10th wrestler in Piscataway history to place in the Top 3 at the State Tournament. Congratulations to head coach Dan Smith and his staff for reaching some team milestones at the tournament the weekend of March 14. This was the first time since 2012 that Piscataway had more than one placer on the podium at States, and the first time the current coaching staff had two wrestlers on the podium in the same year. Sean is the highest placer this coaching staff has ever had.

 

Pway Fast Fact

Did you know: Our Community Education Office offers a wide range of enrichment programs in addition to our vital Before & After Care and Summer Camp. Programs update frequently, so click the Community Education tab on our district website to see what’s coming up.

 

Schor 8th-Graders’ Projects Journey to Ancient China

8th-graders in Mike Simko’s social studies classes at Schor Middle School took a trip back in time to learn about the culture of ancient China. Students created artifacts including paintings of Chinese dragons, 3D dioramas of landscapes and Buddhist temples, clay and origami dragons, rattle drums, and more. Students displayed their items with information cards during a silent gallery walk in class, providing their classmates with the history and the purpose of their artifact.

 

King Teacher Gets Creative with Randolphville Students

Randolphville Elementary School kindergartners and first-graders discovered new ways at looking at the world during a special visit from Megan Froio, a math teacher at Martin Luther King Intermediate School. Kindergarteners turned into puzzle creators, using their artistic skills to make subtle modifications to ensure their puzzles were extra challenging. It was wonderful to see them considering how to make their changes just tricky enough to stump a friend. The first-graders were challenged to create the longest possible paper chain using only one piece of paper, scissors, and tape in just 12 minutes. The students strategized about thin strips versus wide loops. The winning group managed to engineer a 70-inch paper chain.

 

Quibbletown Mentors Connect with Students over Food & Fun

The Golden Knights Mentoring Program at Quibbletown Middle School recently hosted its “Game and Hang” event, bringing mentors and mentees together for connection and community-building. Students and staff volunteers enjoyed a variety of activities, including board games, card games, and cornhole, along with themed “game day” snacks such as a nacho bar and hot pretzels. The event provided a relaxed and engaging environment that strengthened relationships, fostered a sense of belonging, and reinforced positive bonds. Special events supplement the individual mentor-mentee meetings that occur regularly throughout the school year.

 

Reading Was in the Cards

at Knollwood Book Bingo

Reading is in the cards for Knollwood Elementary School – the Bingo cards. The Knollwood PTO hosted Book Bingo on Thursday, March 5, during Read Across America Week. Lots of families came out to enjoy pizza and play 3 games of bingo. Student were able to win books or gift certificates to pick out a book at the school book fair, which was held the same week. The event was free for PTO members.