Longtime SOMSD staff member Ann Bodnar appointed as new assistant superintendent

Longtime SOMSD staff member Ann Bodnar appointed as new assistant superintendent

SOUTH ORANGE / MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Superintendent of Schools Ronald G. Taylor announced the appointment of Ann Bodnar, a more than 20-year South Orange–Maplewood School District employee and district alumna, to the position of assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction effective immediately, according to an Aug. 30 press release. The SOMA Board of Education approved […]

SOMSD holds virtual safety and security forum

SOMSD holds virtual safety and security forum

MAPLEWOOD / SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — On Monday evening, Aug. 29, the South Orange–Maplewood School District held a virtual safety and security forum. Though there were some technical issues with the video, the event provided a lot of reassuring information regarding the safety of district students and staff. The event’s panelists were Superintendent of Schools […]

Petition asks SOMA school district to restore courtesy busing

Petition asks SOMA school district to restore courtesy busing

MAPLEWOOD / SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — As the South Orange–Maplewood School District moves into the second year of implementing its Intentional Integration Initiative, parents and guardians are pushing back on the elimination of courtesy busing for the upcoming school year, which begins on Sept. 8. The Board of Education voted in April to eliminate the […]

South Orange–Maplewood schools to hold forum on safety, security

South Orange–Maplewood schools to hold forum on safety, security

MAPLEWOOD / SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The South Orange–Maplewood School District will host a virtual town hall forum on school safety and security on Monday, Aug. 29, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. During this forum, representatives from the school district will share general information regarding safety and security practices within the district with a more […]

Achieve’s Newstead 5K scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 17

Achieve’s Newstead 5K scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 17

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Achieve’s annual Newstead 5K will be held Saturday, Sept. 17, beginning at 9 a.m. in South Orange’s historic Newstead neighborhood. Now in its 20th year, the Newstead 5K race has kicked off the new school year in South Orange and Maplewood, attracting hundreds of enthusiastic runners and walkers of all ages […]

South Orange Performing Arts Center’s spring appeal raises $65,000

South Orange Performing Arts Center’s spring appeal raises $65,000

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The South Orange Performing Arts Center’s spring appeal for fiscal year 2022 raised $65,000. That sum includes $40,000 in donations and a $25,000 match from Edrington, a company based in Glasgow, Scotland, that makes and sells whisky and other spirits. “We are eternally grateful to Edrington for their ongoing generosity and […]

Jefferson Elementary School renamed to Delia Bolden Elementary School

Jefferson Elementary School renamed to Delia Bolden Elementary School

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The South Orange–Maplewood Board of Education, as per Resolution 4320, approved the renaming of Jefferson Elementary School to the Delia Bolden Elementary School during its meeting on Wednesday, June 29. Delia Bolden was the first African American woman to graduate from Columbia High School, which she did in 1912. Upon her graduation, […]

Achieve thanks volunteer tutors at awards ceremony

Achieve thanks volunteer tutors at awards ceremony

MAPLEWOOD / SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — On Tuesday, June 7, the Achieve Foundation gathered to celebrate its volunteers at the Achieve Volunteer Tutor Appreciation Reception. The Achieve Foundation of South Orange & Maplewood is a nonprofit organization that promotes high-quality education that prepares local students for the future. For more information, visit achievefoundation.org. “It was […]

SOMSD superintendent: Data shows suspension moratorium is a good start

SOMSD superintendent: Data shows suspension moratorium is a good start

SOUTH ORANGE / MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Seven months after the South Orange–Maplewood Board of Education passed a resolution that placed a moratorium on most suspensions and school removals, Superintendent Ronald Taylor said in an update at the board’s May 16 meeting that the pause reduced the risk of suspensions across races, even though there are […]

Officials, leaders in Essex County call for stricter gun laws following massacre

Officials, leaders in Essex County call for stricter gun laws following massacre

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The nation was again plunged into despair on May 24 when a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, injuring many others. This was the third-deadliest school shooting in a U.S. school, after the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007 and the Sandy Hook Elementary […]