Cedar Hill 5th-Graders Urge Peers To Treat Each Other With Respect

Dressed in the school’s signature red “Connect with Respect” T-shirts, the 330 students of Cedar Hill Elementary School, in Towaco kicked off the 2015 school year with two “School of Character” assemblies.

Organized by students on the school’s 5th Grade Character Education Committee, the start-of-the-school-year assemblies set the tone and outlined goals for Cedar Hill’s on-going “School of Character” initiatives.

Named a “New Jersey State School of Character,” Cedar Hill Elementary School is part of the Montville Township Public Schools district. The elementary school was honored for its unique and dedicated character instruction last May at Rider University in Lawrence Township.

On Friday, September 11, just days after the launch of the new school year, Cedar Hill welcomed a “National School of Character” -- Oxford Central School -- from Oxford, NJ. Oxford’s team of CORRECT Superheroes travel to schools throughout NJ to help share Oxford’s motto of “Talk It, Walk It, Pass It On” -- a message of core values and how students can apply those values to everyday life.

Through performances and role playing, and with the help of exercises and prizes, Oxford’s students engaged the Cedar Hill community. Cedar Hill’s students learned how to be “CORRECT” (Courage, Optimism, Respect, Responsibility, Empathy, Citizenship, Trustworthiness) Superheroes. Cedar Hill students received the message of motivation and self-esteem from Oxford’s performances and interactive approach.

Cedar Hill alumnus, Zach Matari, further fortified the elementary school’s character education message on Friday, September 25. Matari performed his renowned anti-bullying rock concert for Cedar Hill’s entire kindergarten to grade five community. The concert’s theme was “Just the way you are.” Students and teachers danced and sang along with Matari.

Cedar Hill’s 5th Grade Character Education Committee is a group of seven fifth-grade students who serve as leaders and mentors for the entire student body. The seven 2015 5th Grade Character Education Committee members are: Ian Glennon, Milo Hricay, Savannah Olsson, Jake Shenkman, Allison Szwagulinski, Zack Waltsak and Hailey Zuckerman. Cedar Hill’s 5th Grade Character Education Committee is co-chaired by Cedar Hill faculty members: Heather Praml (School Counselor), Dr. Cathy Lundquist (Kindergarten Teacher) and Trudy Coppola (Grade One Teacher). Alumnus Shane Harper serves as the Character Education Committee Consultant.

The 5th Grade Character Education Committee is responsible for coordinating activities which provide clear messages about being a good citizen by demonstrating positive character traits. The committee also organizes a variety of service learning projects throughout the year for the students and faculty at Cedar Hill Elementary School.

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CAPTIONS: (Photos by: Jennifer Dickson)

1. Members of Cedar Hill Elementary School’s 5th Grade Character Education Committee launched the 2015 school year by organizing two character education assemblies for the school’s entire student body. Cedar Hill, a “New Jersey State School of Character,” invited “National School of Character” -- Oxford Central School -- from Oxford, NJ, and Cedar Hill alumnus, Zach Matari, to perform on September 11 and 25. Members of the Cedar Hill Elementary School’s 5th Grade Character Education Committee: First Row (L-R)- Zack Waltsak, Hailey Zuckerman, Allison Szwagulinski, Savannah Olsson, Jake Shenkman, Milo Hricay and Ian Glennon. Second Row (L-R)- Shane Harper, Cedar Hill Alumnus & Character Education Committee Consultant; Heather Praml, School Counselor; Dr. Cathy Lundquist, Kindergarten Teacher and Trudy Coppola, Grade One Teacher.
2. Students from Oxford Central School, a “National School of Character,” in Oxford, NJ, performed at Cedar Hill Elementary School in Towaco, NJ on Friday September 11, 2015. The Oxford performers taught students at Cedar Hill, a “New Jersey School of Character,” how to be “CORRECT” (Courage, Optimism, Respect, Responsibility, Empathy, Citizenship, Trustworthiness) Superheroes. Cedar Hill is one of the five elementary schools in the Montville Township Public Schools district.
3. Students at Cedar Hill Elementary School in Towaco, NJ dance to the music of Zach Matari. Matari, a Cedar Hill alumnus, performed his acclaimed anti-bullying rock concert on Friday, September 25, as part of the school’s September character education initiatives hosted by the Cedar Hill’s 5th Grade Character Education Committee.
4. Cedar Hill Elementary School Principal Dr. Michael Raj, Cedar Hill alumnus and acclaimed performer Zach Matari, and Dr. Cathy Lundquist, kindergarten teacher and co-chair of the award-winning Cedar Hill Elementary School 5th Grade Character Education Committee. Matari performed his renowned anti-bullying rock concert for Cedar Hill’s kindergarten to grade five community on Friday, September 25, 2015.
5. Dr. Casey Shorter, Assistant Superintendent of Schools for Montville Township Public Schools, attended the Character Education assemblies on September 11 and 25 at Cedar Hill Elementary School in Towaco, NJ. Cedar Hill, one of Montville Township public Schools’ five elementary schools, has been named a “New Jersey State School of Character.” Shorter is holding one of the school’s signature “Connect with Respect” T-shirts.