Can you help identify these veterans? May 8, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 27 The above photo of area servicemen in World War II was hanging on Pete’s Corner’s walls for decades until its closing earlier this year. Midland Park native Dave Vanderbush, now a Ridgewood resident, took custody of the photo and is trying to identify these servicemen, of great majority of them believed to be from this area. If you recognize any of the men pictured, please email Vanderbush at jdvander@optonline.net or drop off or mail a note to the Villadom Times, 333 Godwin Ave., Midland Park 07432. Vanderbush hopes the photo can ultimately hang in the borough’s museum or at Veterans Hall. Superintendent resigns (continued from page 3) O’Reilly said the district’s test scores “are disturbing.” She commented on the number of hours teachers have to spend out of the classroom for professional development. She expressed the opinion that the district’s teachers are professionals and they and the children would be fine and would move forward without a curriculum director. Koenigsberg countered that the board has held no discussion of a plan to be without a superintendent and a curriculum director. He asked, “What is the plan? Can somebody tell me that?” Best and Joseph Keiser, the principal of the Franklin Avenue Middle School, received support from many of the 200 members of the public who attended the meeting. One parent, Vicki Holst, provided the board with a petition that contained 198 signatures of parents who supported the reappointment of Best. In addition, the four presidents of the Parent Teacher Associations of the four district schools issued a joint statement of their support prior to the meeting. PTA Presidents Felice Yeshion of Franklin Avenue Middle School, Christina Tillsley of Colonial Road School, Sarah Katopodis of High Mountain Road School, and Rebecca Rund of Woodside Avenue School, stated: “We are finally beginning to see improved consistency across our K5 elementary schools. Our schools, until recently, operated as independent institutions, but curriculum coordination is happening across the district and communication and coordination among principals, teachers, and the PTAs is the new norm. “The K-5 and FAMS teachers are working together, diligently, to ensure all students are equally prepared and equipped for the middle school curriculum. Similar coordination and preparation (are) happening between our middle school and regional high schools. Also, our fifth grade students are now entering FAMS on a level playing field and all three of our elementary schools are now utilizing resources and support provided by Best and our central office in a consistent manner.” Those words of support from the public and the PTA presidents, and a last minute plea from Koenigsberg for the new members of the board to abstain from the vote on Best did not, however, sway the votes of the majority of the board members. Best thanked all those who supported her, saying, “I want to thank those of you in the audience, and those of you on the board who have had the intelligent focus to see good work unfold and the understanding of what it means to your children. I want to thank those of you who have had the good judgment and insight to know which voices to listen to, and which voices were being initiated by the small handful of self-serving obstructionists who are afraid to move forward and are perpetually resistant to being held accountable.” During the meeting, the school board approved the appointments of Jaclyn Bajzath as principal of High Mountain Road School and Keiser as the FAMS principal, both for the 2013-14 school year, and Bridget Pastenkos as the district’s technology coordinator. Bajzath will receive a prorated salary of $120,000 and Keiser will receive a prorated salary of $133,475, while Pastenkos will receive a salary of $118,409 all effective July 1.