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Garfield board recognizes students and athletes; approves facility purchases and starts esports planning
Summary
The Garfield board presented student awards and recognized Special Olympics athletes and a Team USA athlete. The district reported building maintenance updates, ordered guardrails and backstop extensions, approved custom gym padding and windscreens, and included an esports lab purchase order and LED lighting upgrades.
The Garfield Public School District on April 28 recognized student achievements and approved several facilities-related items, including safety and athletics equipment and initial spending for an esports lab.
Student recognition and athletics: Superintendent Dr. Tomko and faculty honored Rebecca Delgado Berano as April 2025 Student of the Month. Rebecca, an 11th-grade student, was described by her teacher as a National Honor Society member, Rutgers Business School course completer and Stockton University business-plan competition winner; she accepted the award and thanked staff and family.
The district also recognized eight Special Olympics athletes who competed at Mountain Creek in Vernon, N.J., with multiple podium finishes. Coach and staff named participants and results (examples from the transcript): Adam Alatiott — third place in the 100m and 200m; Lexi Bonin — second (100m) and third (200m); Raynard Rogers — first in the 200m. The board and superintendent presented medals and thanked coaches and families.
Gianna Evelina, an eighth-grade student and multi-discipline martial arts competitor, was recognized for winning a gold medal and earning a spot on a Team USA roster for an international event in the United Arab Emirates. The middle school principal said the family faces travel costs and that Garfield Middle School planned a schoolwide dress-down day to raise donations to help offset the trip.
Facilities and program updates: Miss Dierich (buildings and grounds report) said two water bottle filling stations have been installed at Garfield High School, and painting and ceiling work at the Frank M. Dawson Memorial Gymnasium are about 95% complete. The district placed purchase orders on the April 28 agenda for custom gym wall padding and logo windscreens for the exterior athletic complex and bleacher covers.
For safety, the district ordered 100 feet of guardrail for Semmel Avenue and the adjoining Palisade corner; the superintendent said the guardrail should be installed by the next meeting. Dakota Contracting notified the district that a backstop extension is on back order; administrators said it should arrive soon and that balls entering neighboring yards remain a concern.
New programs: The agenda included a purchase order to equip an esports lab at Garfield High School; the board described this as an initial step to start an esports program. Separately, the district said it is conducting an updated energy audit and plans to begin LED lighting upgrades districtwide to reduce energy costs.
Why it matters: The facility purchases aim to improve student safety and extracurricular offerings. Community members and board members asked for progress on long-standing infrastructure needs — some speakers urged the district to pursue state resources (SDA) for major capital items such as boilers.
Ending: Board members congratulated students and coaches, thanked maintenance staff for spring-break work, and said the district will follow up on outstanding procurement and installation timelines.
