Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • October 2, 2013 Waldwick Greater identity sought for MPHS football players The lack of the distinctive green and white colors on the uniforms of Mid- land Park High School football players prompted a resident to ask the board of education last week to take steps to estab- lish a Midland Park identity. “There is no Midland Park ID on the Waldwick team,” said Les Barber of Pine Street. “We should play games at both fields,” he added. Under a cooperative agreement with the Waldwick Board of Education which began in the fall of 2005, Waldwick is the lead agency for the team. As part of the Waldwick team, Midland Park players wear the school’s blue and white colors. All varsity home games are played at the Waldwick field. Periodically, a fresh- man or JV team will play a home game at the Midland Park”Sonny” Santorine field. Three JV games were played in Midland Park this year. Board President William Sullivan said that the issue of increasing the identity is being addressed. Trustee Robert Schiffer said that one option would be to pull out of the arrange- ment with Waldwick and go back to field- ing a Midland Park team, noting that only 25 players would be needed. The agree- ment is revisited every two years, Sulli- van said. Playground dedication The new special needs playground in Borough Park in Waldwick was dedicated in memory of Sean Fisher on Sept. 21. A Waldwick resident, Sean passed away in 2008 on his 13 th birth- day of an undetected heart condition. Pictured in top photo during the dedication ceremony with Mayor Tom Giordano are Sean’s parents, Jim and Sheila, whose charitable foundation provides children with a complete Free Heart Health Screening to help detect undiagnosed issues in children to prompt additional testing. The playground was spearheaded by Mayor Giordano. Bottom: Sheila Fisher distributes flowers to attendees following the ceremony. “We can only do that if we have the numbers,” said trustee Tim Thomas. He said 25 players is not enough to field freshman, JV and varsity teams. “The safety of the kids is a priority, but let’s take a look at it,” he said. Sullivan said that student participation and budget would have to be considered in restarting a team at MPHS. “We do realize we have made a com- mitment to this coop, and pulling out could have a detrimental effect on the Waldwick program,” Sullivan said. Waldwick High School Principal Kevin Carroll said Midland Park students are an integral part of the team, with captains coming from both towns, newspaper list- ings naming both towns, and cheers sen- sitive to the team makeup. The associate head coach and two assistant coaches are supplied by Midland Park High School. “If you asked the student athletes, they would tell you they have been accepted by Waldwick as our own. The coaches treat them as team members, not as students from one school or another,” said Carroll. “We’ve had a great experience with the Midland Park coop. We enjoy having their students as part of us, and I hope to see it continue long term. Without Midland Park, we would not have a team. We both need each other.”