Schools

Lawrence Township Public Schools News Roundup

Crystal Lovell's term as Lawrence Township's new superintendent of schools began last Thursday when she welcomed faculty back to work.

Lawrence Township Public Schools recently released the following news items:

Lindsey Meyer Teen Institute Award

The Lawrence High School (LHS) chapter of the Lindsey Meyer Teen Institute (LMTI) was selected as one of the top five “Most Outstanding Prevention Action Groups” in New Jersey for 2010-2011. The mission of LMTI is to guide young people to realize their leadership potential and become empowered to create positive changes in themselves, their schools, and their communities. The award was presented to Tonia Moore and her students at the Summer Leadership Conference on Aug. 26, 2011.

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LES Kids’ Used Toys & Clothing Sale Registration

The Lawrenceville Elementary School (LES) PTO will hold its semi-annual Kids’ Used Toys and Clothing Sale on Saturday, Oct. 1. Over 100 families from the community will participate by selling gently-used fall and winter children’s clothing in sizes Newborn to 16, maternity clothing, baby equipment and accessories, toys, books, videos, and much more.

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The LES PTO hosts this event every fall and spring, giving community members an opportunity to recycle gently-used items and find great bargains. Remaining items are donated to organizations that support local families in need.

Registration for sellers will open Sept. 9-12. To register, please visit www.lawrencevillepto.com  and click on the “Fall Clothing Sale Registration” link. For any other information, please see the attached flyer or email inquiries to les.clothing@yahoo.com.

New Superintendent Lovell Addresses Returning Staff

Dr. Crystal Lovell welcomed district staff on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2011:

It was Sept. 1 and time for all 10-month Lawrence Township Public Schools (LTPS) staff to join their 12-month colleagues and head Back-to-School. This Opening Day was filled with the usual excitement and anticipation of a new year; however, it was different than those of the past six years as staff members were not addressed by Superintendent Phil Meara. His retirement, announced at the end of June, was effective Sept. 1, 2011.

Having served as the LTPS Assistant Superintendent since 2005, Dr. Crystal Lovell now takes the district’s helm and welcomed the almost 700-member LTPS staff to the 2011-2012 school year. The Board of Education (BOE) worked with the New Jersey School Boards Association to conduct a regional superintendent search and appointed Lovell as the LTPS Superintendent at their August 8th meeting. The appointment was effective September 1, 2011.

Lovell holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, Management and Policy from Seton Hall University with a dissertation focus on Title I-funded extended day programs, an MS in Chemistry from Rutgers University, and a BS in Secondary Education from Penn State.

As Assistant Superintendent Lovell oversaw areas of curriculum, instruction, assessment, grants, federal programs, extended-day programs and professional development. Some of her prominent endeavors include the High School Career Academies, the Talent21 mobile device 1:1 initiative, the NWEA assessment system, curriculum alignment with the new standards, and the Robotics programs.

Lovell’s education career spans 25 years, the first five of which were teaching biology in East Orange. The next nine years found Lovell teaching high school chemistry, biology, earth science, and laboratory techniques in Hillsborough.

While in Hillsborough Lovell continued participation in summer internships for teachers working at Union Carbide and Hoechst-Celanese. She also teamed with Rutgers University to act as a facilitating teacher for the RU-MAPPS program, an initiative designed to attract more minority students to the field of biomedical science.

In 2001 Lovell joined the Metuchen School District as Supervisor of Math and Science and after two years, became the Director of Math and Science for the Highland Park School District. Much of her work at Highland Park focused on raising the academic performance of at-risk students.

“We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Crystal Lovell will be our new superintendent,” related BOE President Laura Waters. “A thorough and efficient search across the region proved what many of you already knew: the top candidate for the job was right here all the time. Dr. Lovell’s leadership skills, curricular knowledge, fiscal acuity, and passion for educational excellence make her the perfect choice for the Lawrence Township Public Schools.”

“I am thankful to have the opportunity to be a blessing to the children of Lawrence,” stated Lovell. “It’s a great district with a visionary and dynamic Board of Education, dedicated and talented staff and administration, wonderful students and families, and a highly supportive community,”

Lovell spends her free time with her family and friends. She enjoys outdoor activities and going to amusement parks with her three daughters.


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