Elementary Schools.Students at D’Ippolito and Mennies Elementary School will be greeted by new assistant principals when district classes resume on Sept. 4.
The Vineland Board of Education, voting at its July 9, 2008, meeting unanimously approved Melissa Painter in that position at D’Ippolito School and Kristen Estep at Mennies School.
Painter has worked in the district for 17 years, and was most recently a literacy coach at Winslow and Marie Durand Elementary Schools.
She started her career in 1992 as a kindergarten teacher at Oak and Main School. She later worked as a staff development facilitator for five years and as a basic skills teacher for kindergarten and first grade prior to serving as literacy coach.
“I’m really excited to take on this new position and I’m looking forward to the experience,” she said. “I feel like I’m going home.”
“D’Ippolito has an exceptional staff and a very active parent community outreach,” she said. “I wish to continue D’Ippolito’s involvement as a member of the National Network for Partnership Schools with Johns Hopkins University for which I have been a key contact for several years.”
Painter said one of her priorities would be to continue a “safe school environment,” working closely with Gail Curcio, the building principal.
“My view on discipline is that students don’t come to school wanting to behave inappropriately,” she said. “They behave inappropriately when a need is not being met. I will work with teachers and other building staff to make sure to meet those needs, both academic and social.”
A native of Secaucus, Painter graduated from Glassboro State College, now Rowan University, with degrees in public relations and elementary education. She later earned a master’s degree from Nova Southeastern University. She also completed the New Jersey Expedited Certification for Educational Leadership (EXCEL) program in 2006. NJ EXCEL is an innovative state-approved program that provides alternatives to the traditional graduate coursework required for supervisor certification and the master's degree in educational administration that has been required for principal and school administrator certification.
Estep, a Cumberland County Teacher of the Year in 2006-2007, has worked at Mennies for the past 11 years, 10 of those as a grade three teacher.
The ne
w assistant principal completed her undergraduate and graduate studies at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. She also participated in NJ Excel.
“I’m very excited, but I have mixed feelings,” said Estep. “I love the classroom. I am just moving on to a bigger stage now. I will still be in the classrooms and I know the kids and the families here so it will be an easy adjustment.”
“The biggest challenge will be from leaving my happy little Room 14 world and having to deal with K-5 and parents and all grade levels,” she said. “I feel very comfortable with the staff here. They are very supportive and they are my biggest fans. I think they were more excited than I was.”
Mennies also has a new principal this year, as Lisa Arena moves up from assistant principal following the retirement of Annette Rudd. Estep said she is confident the two will work well together.
“I think we both have the same philosophy,” said Estep. “Lisa and I started working with character education with the grant we received from Rutgers (University). We are very excited to continue that and move forward.”
Estep said the two administrators have developed a code of conduct and a list of rules for the students and plan to implement that in the fall.
“We are also planning to have the opening of school become a celebration where parents are invited to spend time with their children,” she said. “We are going to have outside community agencies for an open house and invite members of the community speak to everyone. It will be really cool and different.”