Countrywood’s 50th Anniversary ceremony took place on Friday, June 5. Ms. Barbara Kenney, Principal, welcomed the guests and shared the history leading up to the celebration. The program was live-streamed into all of the classrooms, so that our staff and students could be part of this historic event. On display for all to see were photo albums, scrapbooks, and other memorabilia of former teachers, support staff, and students from the 1960s through 1990’s. Everyone was excited to see each other, to reconnect with former classmates and long-lost friends, and to reminisce about their cherished years at Countrywood.
There were several distinguished guests present for this special event: Superintendent Dr. Bennardo, Deputy Superintendent Jacqueline Harris, and Board of Education members: Mr. Nicholas Ciappetta and Ms. Lisa Brieff. Also in attendance were Assemblyman Chad Lupinacci; Councilman, Mark Cuthbertson, and Councilwoman, Susan Berland; former principals: Ms. Karen Siegel, Dr. Emily Rodgers, and Mr. Robert Bird, Principal, and former Assistant Principal, Ms. Fran Hyde.
After a greeting from the Superintendent, Mr. Ciappetta addressed the audience and spoke about his years at Countrywood. Dr. Rodgers and Ms. Hyde were on hand to unveil the contents of the 1990 time capsule, as they were the leaders in 1990. Back then, a metal box proved to be too costly, so a Coleman cooler served as the time capsule. Prior to opening the time capsule, Ms. Hyde read, “A Letter to the Future,” which began with, “Whoever is reading this letter is going to share in the lives of those of us who are burying a time capsule on June 8, 1990 to mark the 25th birthday of our school. We want you to know about life in our time. We also want to “touch” the future.” And that is exactly what the school community did to celebrate Countrywood’s second quarter of a century. All focused and waited excitedly with much curiosity to discover what they had put in the time capsule so long ago.
Grade by grade, Dr. Rodgers identified items to include a Snow White script, a copy of the school song, a picture of President Bush, Three Bears Talking Story, a T. V. Guide, a class video, the 6th grade class of 90 T-shirt, to name a few. Dr. Rodgers spoke of the stained glass window, which still hangs in the main corridor, as well as a framed wall of 6th grade class photos recalling these special moments in time. This celebration brought back a lot of fun memories for so many. This would not have been possible without the backing of our School Based Management Team and our PTA liaisons.
In celebration of Countrywood’s 50th Anniversary and keeping with tradition, our kindergarten, first grade, and second grade teachers/students collected artifacts to be put into a new time capsule. Ms. Njenga identified the items, which were put on display for all to see. The new time capsule was buried in front of the school on June 15th in front of families,’ staff, and students and will be excavated in the year 2040.
Hopefully, when the children, staff, and community of the future open the capsule during the 75th Anniversary, they will know that an incredibly talented and dedicated group of teachers and support staff worked tirelessly on behalf of the children. Countrywood’s spirit, character, and true sense of community will undoubtedly live on forever!
Photo Gallery50th Anniversary
Photo GalleryNew Time Capsule ceremony
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