Millburn Ed. Foundation Recognizes 4 Community Leaders

MILLBURN, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of the Education Foundation of Millburn-Short Hills. Send local news tips, photos and press releases to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Millburn-Short Hills Facebook page here.

The Education Foundation of Millburn-Short Hills is proud to announce the four extraordinary individuals of our community who will receive its Crystal Apple award at the fourth annual Evening of Honor on Tuesday, November 14th. Detective Ed de la Fuente, Michael Palardy Jr., Ana DeMeo and Peter Mercurio will be honored for their leadership in education, community building and safety.

The Evening of Honor will take place on Tuesday, November 14, 2017 at The Crystal Plaza in Livingston. The evening will include cocktails, passed hors d’oeuvres and buffet stations beginning at 6:30 pm followed by the program and a seated dessert at 7:45 pm. New this year will be entertainment provided by NY NY Dueling Pianos.

Police Detective Edward de la Fuente is well known by Millburn students as “Detective Ed.” Detective de la Fuente is Millburn Police’s Juvenile Detective who oversees the police department’s DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program. He has designed innovative programs to combat today’s teen and tween issues of internet bullying and the frightening perils of social media. Detective de la Fuente organizes assemblies for students throughout the eight district schools. He also educates parents about the dangers of social media at MMAC and PTO meetings.

Michael Palardy, Jr. is the Millburn Schools Director of Safety and a 25-year veteran of the Millburn Police Department. He joined the district as its first Director of Safety in 2013. He has brought a renewed energy to our schools in updating our security equipment, drills and best safety practices. To keep our students safe, he helped the district develop and institutionalize emergency plans and fortify the safety measures at our schools.

Ana DeMeo has been a dedicated volunteer and leader in our school community. Throughout two decades in which her three children were educated in the district, Ana volunteered her time to countless programs and organizations. Her passion and leadership benefitted events such as Strawberry Festivals, Teacher Appreciation Luncheons, TGIF, College Night, and New Parent Connection. Last year she chaired the Senior Celebration committee that organized and funded Senior Week for the class of 2017. She is a past High School PTO president, past president of the Millburn Conference of Parents and Teachers, an Ed Foundation Grant Liaison and currently serves as a Board Member of the Charles T. King Student Loan Fund.

Peter Mercurio is principal of the Washington School, which opened this September for all 5th graders in the district. Mr. Mercurio was selected to lead this school after successful tenures as principal of the Wyoming School and assistant principal of the Millburn Middle School. He was instrumental in instituting an innovative character-building program for this year’s 5th graders called “Leader in Me.” Mr. Mercurio works tirelessly to bring learning, creativity and fun to the newest of our eight schools.

The Education Foundation of Millburn-Short Hills’ is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to enhancing continued educational excellence for Millburn Public Schools by providing financial support for innovative and progressive improvements that enrich the academic experience. Last year, the Ed Foundation provided $185,000 in grants to Millburn’s eight schools and has donated nearly $3 million since its inception in 1993.

To purchase tickets to the Evening of Honor as well as ads for our Tribute Journal, please click on this link:

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You can visit our website and find out more about donating and volunteering at: https://www.edfoundationmillbu...

In this, the 25th anniversary of the Ed Foundation, more than ever, your contributions are needed to ensure that progressive and innovative programs can flourish in our eight district schools.