Midland Park August 29, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 17 The Midland Park High School administration has made changes in the traffic patterns at the back of the school to enhance safety during student drop-off/loading/unloading. Changes will be in effect in the front parking lot as well. The new procedures will be in effect on the first day of school, Sept. 6, and a staff member will patrol the area during the first week to assist with the flow of traffic and help guide those unsure of the new procedure. Principal Nick Capuano asked parents to familiarize themselves with the changes to assist with a smooth transition. A one-way drop-off zone has been established by the New traffic pattern expected to enhance safety cafeteria doors at the rear of the school, directing traffic around the horseshoe driveway which circles the courtyard and out. Bright arrows have been painted to show the way. Passenger loading or drop off is allowed only along the striped lines in front of both cafeterias. No parking or three-point turns are permitted in the striped lines, and no three-point turns are allowed in the parking lot. After dropping off passengers, drivers must proceed out of the drop-off zone and make a right turn out of the parking lot. Parents may continue to drop students off in the front of the school the same as in the past. was named the Teacher of the Year by the Ramapo Indian Hills School District. Bitten has only taken one sick day in his 45 years of teaching, but he says his most important accomplishment was motivating students to excel in their studies. “I’ve always been impressed by the accomplishments of individual students and what they are doing after finishing college,” Bitten said. He explained that three of his students have graduated from Harvard Law School, and one of those students was first in his class. Two of Bitten’s former students have been editors of the Harvard Law Review, and one former student from Ridgewood High has become a well-known film producer and dedicated one of his documentaries to Bitten. Bitten advised that he has taken students to Princeton University each year to study the Thomas Jefferson papers. He takes pride in having brought distinguished historians from universities, including Princeton and Columbia, to address the students. “I just feel blessed with the schools in which I served, the students I’ve been able to teach, the support of parents and the administration,” Bitten said. “Wherever I’ve been, it has been an extremely rewarding experience.” In his retirement, Bitten said he might write a book or a blog to help supervisors by creating some “best practice lessons” and making them available to teachers. He may also study the 1940 census, which he said is the first census that is fully online, and compare it to the 2010 census to try to put them in historical context. He also said he might do Staff members parking in the front lot, which was recently paved, will now be assigned spaces, with the selection done by lottery, according to Capuano. Students will have to register to receive permission to park, with spots initially assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, with seniors getting priority. “We haven’t worked out all the details, but this requirement is sure to get all the students’ paperwork in,” Capuano said. He explained that getting students who drive to register their cars has been an ongoing problem in the past. He said a lottery system for the students might be instituted at a later date if necessary. some consulting work if he has time. In a recent issue of Drumbeats, the school newspaper, reporter Nicole Kelly wrote, “Mr. Bitten takes the initiative to create activities in which each and every student can be involved. He expresses an incredible amount of passion for each class he teaches and each activity he takes under his wing. Indian Hills has been blessed to have Mr. Bitten. His friendly face, clever jokes, and words of encouragement will be greatly missed in the halls and the classrooms of Indian Hills every day. He made a positive impact on everybody that he has reached out to and for that, the community is forever grateful.” ‘Man of history’ (continued from page 7) audience to all writers, including students and teachers. The center remained open until 2002. He also created the Fed Challenge Team, a program sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, that encourages students compete nationally by making presentations to the executives of the bank and, ultimately, to the Federal Reserve Bank in Washington, D.C. His students were finalists in that competition once and have been semi-finalists for 12 years. He also created the Euro Challenge program, which allows students to participate in a similar competition with the European Central Bank. Bitten also started the American Studies program, through which he took students to George Washington University for a week each February. Program participants learned about U.S. history, international issues, and the economy. As director of the International Studies University Program, he created an exchange program with students from Denmark, Japan, and Germany. He was one of three educators who started the New Jersey Council for History Education in 1993. Today, there are 450 members of that council. Bitten serves on its board of directors. In the 1990s, he was recognized by the New York Council of Social Studies as the Teacher of the Year. In 2009, he Fireworks display (continued from page 5) of 100 volunteers. Each volunteer receives 140 hours of basic firematic training at the Bergen County Law & Public Safety Institute and continues to train every Monday evening in Wyckoff to develop and fine tune skills such as search and rescue, fire suppression, fire attack, fire ground communications, and advanced vehicle rescue techniques. These skilled volunteers serve the community by assisting their neighbors in the protection of life and property. This is the 105th year that the Wyckoff Volunteer Fire Department have served the Township of Wyckoff and its residents.