Summit Kicks Off 2019-2020 School Year (Photos)

SUMMIT, NJ - Summit students have barely settled into summer camp or applied a second coat of sunscreen for a beach trip but the Summit Public Schools have already begun work for nbext year.

The district held its annual Custodial/Maintenance Kick-Off event the morning where more than 50 staff members joined together for breakfast and presentations, to kick off preparations for the next school year.

Assistant Superintendent Louis Pepe gave a presentation titled, “Accomplishing The Ultimate Objective: The Mission.” To begin, he detailed the differences between managing and leading.

“You manage resources and incident response, and you lead people,” Pepe said.

Leading people involves teams who continually reflect and analyze what is working and what can be improved. Through idea generation and staying current on research and trends, improvements can be made.

Pepe stressed that communication is key; it is both expressive and receptive. Message sending and message receiving are equally important and these skills are critical in all positions throughout the school district. He reviewed with staff that when sending messages, maintain eye contact and send clear messages, both verbal and nonverbal. Body language should be in line with what is being said. “Being direct and honest is important. People need to say what they mean and mean what they say,” Pepe explained. He added how important it is to ask for feedback, to ensure the message is received as intended.

Pepe went on to talk about receiving messages. Make eye contact. Wait for the person to complete a thought without interrupting. Feel confident to ask questions and seek clarification. Lastly, paraphrase what was heard, so the sender can be sure the message was correct.

Over the last decade, a common theme in Pepe’s presentations has been the importance of attitude. A positive attitude goes a long way.

“Don’t go it alone. It takes passion, teamwork, and planning. It takes self-awareness too; know your strengths and contributions, along with areas you can strive to change,” he said.

Officials said it is clear that the custodial and maintenance staff have their footprints throughout the district. Facilities Director Angelo Palumbo outlined district projects. The majority this summer are at Summit High School and include the new turf field. There will be new bleachers installed at the high school and middle school. At the elementary level, projects include refreshes such as paving, carpeting, and tile, and building additions such as storage sheds and stage curtains. Palumbo shared that his staff makes cleaning their priority so classrooms and shared learning spaces are ready for the fall.

To conclude the event, Christina Messina, Senior VP Marketing at AllRisk Property Damage Experts, was the featured speaker. With the support of her colleague Lisa Ortiz, she spoke to the custodial and maintenance staff about reporting incidents and response procedures.

As is tradition, staff members were recognized for a combination of "a job well done" and "going above and beyond" in their respective roles. Board President Vanessa Primack and Superintendent June Chang congratulated the following:

Summit High School

• Luis Andrade *
• Ricky Cooper
• Charles Frank *
• Donald Germain *
• Rodrigo Palomo (Head) **
• Ricardo Parra Sanchez
• Ronald Rodriguez *
• Carlos Salguero (Night Supervisor)
• Wilberth Sequiera
• Jake Wellbrock *

LCJSMS

• Barry Bridges
• Jemel Brinson
• Anibal Calderon
• Stefan Dodrv *
• Bob Kersting (Head) **
• Sean Mulligan (Night Supervisor)
• Nick Oczkowski
• German Ruiz

BES

• Adam Filich
• Dave McKoy (Head)
• Dean Nano-Amburgo

FES

• Brandon Kokoszka (Head)
• John Mazza **
• Adrian Phillips

JES/JPC

Angelica Figueroa
Paul Henning
Bill Malhosky (Head)
Manuel Salguero

LH

• Gerson Gomes
• Gamel Nash(Head)
• Brandy Rushton

WES

• Doug Maddy (Head)
• Nick DelDuca
• Eric Frazier

WPC/BOE

• Marcelino Brand
• Milagros Lopez
• Bob Stankwich (Head)

Maintenance Department:

• Sal Errante
• Rich Hughes
• Vince Inzillo
• Mike Martino
• Anthony Mastrocola ***
• Sam Trapani

* Certificate of Appreciation

** Leadership Award

*** Achievement Award

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