Page 12 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • October 20, 2010 Franklin Lakes Trustees laud staff and student in bus incident by Frank J. McMahon The Franklin Lakes Board of Education recently honored a school principal, five teachers, and a student for what Superintendent Frank Romano described as their “selfless and heroic acts” during a bus incident at the Franklin Avenue Middle School on Sept. 24. The incident occurred while students were arriving for school that day, and many of them were milling about on the Franklin Avenue Middle School Plaza. According to Romano, on that Friday morning, a bus driver lost control of her bus while standing and facing students to try to quiet them from their noisy state. Apparently, the brake was not in position, and the bus came up onto the sidewalk. Four teachers, one principal, and one student responded immediately by moving students out of harm’s way, rushing after, and then boarding the bus, or standing and redirecting the driver, telling her that the bus was moving. “As a result, no one was injured” Romano emphasized. At a recent public school board meeting, Romano paid tribute to Principal Marco Cera; teachers Cory Banta, Stephen Giessuebel, Richard Slade, and Susan Spagnuolo; and student Robert Resto for coming to the immediate rescue of the students. “We have some heroes on our hands,” Romano said. In a letter to each of them, Romano stated, “You are one of those six individuals who, with a single selfless act, changed the course of what could have been a tragedy to remember for a long time to come. I am proud to recognize you today for your honorable actions. Even these words cannot express how thankful I am that you came to the immediate rescue of so many children placing yourself in harm’s way while doing so. You serve not only as a hero but a role model for all to follow.” Each of the honorees received a Certificate of Recognition from Franklin Lakes Mayor Maura DeNicola in which DeNicola recounted their heroic actions and stated, “Because of their quick responses, Pictured from the left, Franklin Lakes Schools Superintendent Frank Romano and school board President Kathie Schwartz recognize teachers Cory Banta and Stephen Giessuebel, student Robert Resto, teachers Richard Slade and Susan Spagnuolo, and Franklin Lakes Middle School Principal Marco Cera on their efforts that recently avoided a potential tragic school bus accident at the school. ������������� ������������������� ��������������������������������������� �������������������� ����������������������������� ������������ alerting the bus driver and immediately moving students out of harm’s way a tragedy was averted.” An anonymous donor donated four $100 gift certificates for dinner at DelPino’s, and the restaurant donated the fifth one for the principal and four teachers. The middle school Parent Teacher Association donated a $100 general gift certificate to the student. Romano also emphasized the need to recognize the other teachers, the assistant principal, the central office staff, and guidance counselors, whom he described as “unsung heroes” for helping to avoid the tragedy or for counseling the students after the incident to minimize the psychological trauma of the event. He explained that such an incident is scary for the kids and it stays with them longer than adults. “As adults, we move on, but kids don’t always do that,” he said. School Board President Kathie Schwartz also added her thanks and comments about the quick action of the individuals who averted a potential accident. “We are extremely proud of our staff and student’s timely actions. Their quick thinking and selfless responses averted a potential tragedy,” Schwartz said. “There were many heroes at FAMS that day, and we are incredibly appreciative of all of the actions taken by them to ensure the safety of our children.” Franklin Avenue Middle School serves 494 students in grades six, seven, and eight. ���������������� ����������������� ������������������� �������������������������� �����������������������������������������