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Superintendent and athletic director recognize coaches and student achievements at April 29 board meeting

Ridgefield Park Board of Education · April 30, 2026
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

The superintendent highlighted district events and the athletic director recognized coaches and student-athletes for milestones — including two coaches reaching 100 career wins and a player surpassing 1,000 career points — and community partners presented student essay awards.

Superintendent Dr. Vespignani used the April 29 meeting to highlight recent district programs and to invite tech director Mike Romundi to present winter athletics recognitions. Romundi praised coaches and athletes across programs, noting several milestone achievements: coach Amanda Lacks reached 100 career victories with the girls' basketball program; a player identified as Nadia surpassed 1,000 career points, totaling 1,194 points; coach Seuss recorded his 100th career wrestling victory; and coach Gaskin announced his retirement after a 33‑year coaching career during a season in which the boys' team went 25–5 and reached the state sectional semifinals.

Why it matters: the recognitions underscore the district's athletic and extracurricular successes and acknowledge coaching continuity and staff transitions heading into the next school year.

Community partnerships and student awards: Kendi Ramba, representing the local Elks lodge, presented certificates and gift cards to essay contest winners Aviana (Lincoln School, sixth grade) and Rania (Roosevelt School, fifth grade). The superintendent thanked elementary principals for their support.

Student voice and events: student representatives Zayd Awaouda (senior class officer) and Sayan Hiradakanrelli (junior class officer) summarized recent student activities, including a spring student showcase, National Honor Society ceremonies, and trips to regional venues; they also provided spring-sports updates and individual athlete statistics.

Next steps: the board will incorporate these recognitions into district communications and personnel records will reflect announced retirements and hires.