KEARNY –
A delegation of 21 representatives from the Korea Education and Research Information Service (KERIS) visited Lincoln Middle School in Kearny Dec. 2 to see firsthand how education is delivered in the United States and to understand the financial aspects of public education.
According to Wikipedia, KERIS is “a governmental organization under the South Korean Ministry of Education, Science and Technology that develops, proposes and advises on current and future government policies and initiatives regarding education in South Korea.”
The KERIS delegation was on a planned study trip to the U.S. to benchmark the best practices of excellent school districts to support the educational environment in different countries.
The Korean delegation was composed of teachers and officers from different regions of Korea. Upon their arrival, visitors were welcomed by Kearny’s Superintendent of Schools Patricia Blood and Lincoln School’s Principal Robert Zika.
Lincoln Middle Schools peer leaders served as ambassadors as the group toured the classrooms.
Among the highlights of the tour were performances by the Lincoln Middle School Chorus and Band, visits to science, math and computer classrooms and an assortment of treats prepared, displayed and served by Kearny High School’s Culinary Department under the direction of chef Matt Barone.
Blood said a student demonstration of a 3-D printer was among the more enjoyable aspects of the delegation’s visit. Using computer technology, students showed how they designed a key fob with the Lincoln Middle School initials.
“As a parting gift, students presented each of the delegates with a key fob that had been made by students the prior week, each containing the delegate’s name,” Blood said. “This gesture was especially appreciated by our guests.”
Kearny was chosen as a host for this visit by the N.J. Department of Education’s Chief Academic Officer Laura Morano through the recommendation of Hudson County’s Executive Superintendent Monica Tone. Morano spoke briefly to the delegation and thanked Blood and Zika for welcoming KERIS and providing an informative visit.
In addition to the time spent at Lincoln Middle School, the delegation had an opportunity to ask questions of the district’s Interim Business Administrator Ron Smith, Director of Technology Neil Brohm and Director of Curriculum and Instruction Flora Encarnacao.
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, a place where he has served on and off since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on Facebook Live, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to West Hudson to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.