It was no ordinary first day of school on Wednesday morning in Peapack! For the first time since March of 2020, the Matheny School is back to operating fully in-person five days a week.
There was an excited buzz on campus as school leadership, teachers, paraprofessionals, and other school staff awaited the students’ arrival. And as the students entered and greeted staff, the halls quickly filled with the welcome sounds of a bustling school building – sounds that have been very missed over the last two and half years. For Director of Curriculum and Assistant Principal Katie Hardgrove, the best part was the smiles on everyone’s faces.
“The resiliency of students and staff has just been so amazing – through virtual learning, and then a hybrid period, as well as quarantines and other hurdles”, she said. “As you go around the classrooms today, you can see how excited and engaged the students and staff are. Everyone is just so excited to see one another.”
The Matheny School currently has 39 students enrolled. The community is also growing, thanks to the recent addition of five new school staff who are eagerly getting to know their new students and colleagues.
When asked what she’s most excited about for the school year, Hardgrove emphasized the re-establishment of a routine. It will certainly take time and patience to fully adjust to this new normal. But as always, the Matheny School maintains its fundamental belief in the students’ talents and potential, as well as its commitment to encourage growth and maximize independence. We can’t wait to see the great work the students will do this year!
David Karner, Vice President of the Lord Stirling School, and board of trustees members, Michael Hecht and Joe Garlayda recently presented a check in the amount of $60,000 to Matheny. The board of the now closed Lord Stirling School disbursed funds to several charities. Their donation to Matheny is earmarked for the Matheny School and life enrichment.
Pictured from left: Anne Bruno, Matheny School Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction; Michael Hecht; Matheny President and CEO Bill Kent; David Karner; Joe Garlayda; and Aimee Hunnewell, Chief Development Officer at Matheny.
Matheny, headquartered in Peapack, NJ is a special hospital and school providing exceptional care and an optimal quality of life for children and adults with special needs and medically complex developmental disabilities.
Somerset Shell gas station raises funds to help people with disabilities
Restas Car Care is participating in Shell’s The Giving Pump promotion. One gas pump at the station will be specially branded as The Giving Pump. Fill up at that pump and part of the purchase will be donated to support Matheny. The promotion runs through September 30th.
Owner Frank Restas has participated for many years in a holiday party hosted by the CARS auto enthusiasts’ organization at Matheny. “Making Matheny the beneficiary of this promotion was an easy choice,” says Restas. “My family and I have enjoyed celebrating the holidays at Matheny for many years.” Matheny’s Chief Development Officer, Aimee Hunnewell, thanked Mr. Restas for his generosity, “We are so lucky that Mr. Restas chose us as a recipient. He is a longtime volunteer and friend to the people we serve and for that we are extremely grateful.”
Restas Car Care is located at 1873 Amwell Road in Somerset, NJ. A family owned business, it is a full service automotive repair shop providing quality car care. Restas Car Care recently celebrated its 75th anniversary.
a special hospital for children and adults with medically complex developmental disabilities
a special education school providing academics and functional life skills for students, ages 3-21
a comprehensive non-profit organization serving people with different abilities from New Jersey and beyond.
Our main campus in Peapack, NJ is home to 101 children and adults with developmental disabilities. Our five group homes, located in Somerset and Warren counties, provide a residence in the community for an additional 30 adults.
Each and every day, our mission is to provide exceptional care and an optimal quality of life for all of our residents, patients, and students.
Matheny offers a comprehensive benefits package along with competitive pay. Benefits include:
Check out our full Miles for Matheny 2022 Photo Album! Thanks to everyone who helped make this wonderful event happen! It was great to gather with our community and supporters.
Did you attend Miles for Matheny 2022? If so, did you stop by for a picture in our special 25th Anniversary picture frame?
Find your photo here, and be on the lookout for even more snapshots from this awesome event next week. Thank you for being there, supporting us, and helping us capture these beautiful moments.
We couldn’t have asked for a better day. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to everyone who showed up this weekend to show love and support to our amazing students, patients, and families! For this special Faces of Matheny feature, we are showing you some of our favorite moments from this beautiful Miles celebration. More photos to come later this week.
Special thanks to the Bernardsville News for their coverage, and to CBS 2 News New York and meteorologist John Elliott for their live broadcast from Miles at the Far Hills Fairgrounds! Check out the videos below.
We at Matheny are heartbroken by the recent tragedies in Uvalde, Texas; Buffalo, New York; and Laguna Woods, California. We send our heartfelt condolences and support to all who have lost loved ones and all who are suffering. Safety and security are so important, across all communities. Here at Matheny, as always, we will continue to work each and every day to protect our wonderful students, residents, patients and clients, as well as our extraordinary colleagues who work so tirelessly to provide them with compassionate and safe care and education.
Less than a month until our 25th Annual Miles for Matheny!
This exciting event wouldn’t be possible without sponsorships from families, supporters, and businesses in our community. Please join us in thanking:
The Lavine and Gordon Families, one of our devoted and enthusiastic Matheny families.
The Poses Family Foundation, which is dedicated to bringing about significant positive impact in five focus areas, the largest being learning disabilities, through a combination of business disciplines, nonprofit expertise, funding and passion.
Pfizer, one of the world’s premier biopharmaceutical companies who pursues breakthroughs that change patients’ lives.
Thank you to these incredible people and organizations for supporting us as we work to enrich the lives and nurture the unique abilities of our students and patients.
There’s still time to register! Join us on Saturday, June 4th!
This week, for the first time in over two years, day students returned to The Matheny School! While some precautions remain in place for the safety of our students and staff, we are thrilled to welcome these students back! We are incredibly thankful to everyone who helped get us through two years of distanced and virtual learning, and all who made this return possible.
This week also happens to be Teacher Appreciation Week, with Special Education Week following next week. We are endlessly grateful for our Matheny teachers, who notice and nurture each and every student’s unique skills, talents, and aspirations. Without them, our work would be impossible. So, for this edition of The Faces of Matheny, we wanted to highlight the voices of two of our essential Matheny School educators. Why did they become teachers? What do they love about working at the Matheny School?
“I have worked at Matheny now for four years. Teaching and working with children seemed to come naturally to me in my life as the oldest of a large family. I became a teacher because I value education and helping children learn. Matheny is a special community with dedicated and kind staff. It is great being part of the Matheny team!”
-Noelle Barry
“I started at Matheny in 1990. I became a teacher because I had the opportunity to observe a special education class several times while still in high school and loved it. What I have always loved about Matheny and being in the education department, is that administration always allows and encourages opportunities for creativity. Also, I have appreciated that sense of Matheny being an extension of home and being like family.”
-Darlene Tammara, 2019 ASAHEducator of the Year
Noelle Barry
Darlene Tammara
This week and all other weeks, we are thankful for Noelle, Darlene, and all of our devoted teaching staff! Happy Teacher Appreciation Week, and we hope you’re enjoying have students back in the classroom. We can’t wait to see what’s next at the Matheny School!
Do you have any favorite Matheny stories that you would like to share for The Faces of Matheny? Would you like to be featured in this series (or know someone you’d like to see featured)? Get in touch at marketing@matheny.org or on social media @mathenymedical.
Tomorrow, April 9th, 2022, marks the 110th anniversary of the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants (NJCPA)’s first female member, Dora Roworth. To commemorate her achievements, NJCPA dedicated an episode of their IssuesWatch Podcast to speak with five female members about their personal career stories, how to support women in the accounting profession, and their advice to the next generation. And we’re thrilled to share that Kathy Powers, Matheny’s Chief Financial Officer and President-Elect of NJCPA, was one of the women on the panel!
Matheny is lucky and grateful for Kathy’s expertise, leadership, and passion for both her work and Matheny’s mission. We encourage you to watch the video below to hear her stories, insight, and advice.
In the spirit of excitement and optimism, you are invited to join us on Saturday, June 4th for the 25th annual Miles for Matheny event.
Miles is an uplifting day that allows our residents to interact with, and be celebrated by, the surrounding community. Especially on this milestone anniversary, this year’s event is sure to be a joyful day for our patients, students, residents, families, and friends. At Miles, absolutely everyone is welcome to participate and free to be themselves.
In 2022, we are planning to hold all events in person and everything will be done with the health and safety of the people we serve in mind. We are hopeful and excited to bring back the Lu Huggins Wheelchair Walk to the park. The day’s events include 12.5, 25, 35, and 50-mile, and “Hills of Attrition” cycle rides, a 5K Run, Kids Fun Run, and of course the beloved Wheelchair Walk.**
We’re thrilled that this year’s Miles for Matheny will be held at the J. Malcolm Belcher Fairgrounds in Far Hills. It is only fitting that we celebrate our 75th anniversary in the same town where it all began when Matheny was known as the Burnt Mills School for Paralysis Correction. Walter and Marguerite only had a dream and a GI loan of $3,000 to create this amazing organization. Today, Matheny is a comprehensive non-profit organization offering life-saving and life-enriching services that touch the lives of hundreds of people with special needs every day.
