EDISON — Janessa Mendoza, a 2014 graduate of St. Matthew’s School, said the strong academic foundation at the parochial school helped her reach the top of her senior class at Union Catholic High School in Scotch Plains.
“I came to St. Matthew’s as a shy four-year-old,” she said.
Mendoza said the school prepared her to grow into the young teenager she is now with high academic standards as she entered Union Catholic.
Now she is ranked first in her class among 200 or so students. She serves as president of the student council, is team captain of the basketball team, among many other activities she is involved in at Union Catholic.
As St. Matthew’s geared up for Catholic School Week that runs from Jan. 28 through Feb. 3, the school held a celebration on Jan. 24 with remarks from Mendoza, Pastor Father George Targonski, Principal Tom Welsh, seventh grader Sierra Smith and eighth-grade teacher Joyce Schaefer.
The celebration also honored two long-time educators, Laura Bassano, a pre-kindergarten and first grade teacher; and Angie Muscolino, a science, math, reading and religion teacher. Both teachers have taught at St. Matthew’s since 1986.
Edison Mayor Thomas Lankey visited St. Matthew’s School and presented Bassano and Muscolino with proclamations recognizing their service.
Lankey said he is glad to see traditions have been kept alive by dedicated teachers like Bassano and Muscolino.
“People are in awe of how well prepared [St. Matthew’s alumni] are,” he said, noting that a huge reason is the stability of teachers like Bassano and Muscolino teaching for 30-plus years.
Schaefer told the crowd of students, faculty, staff and dignitaries that her whole family are graduates of St. Matthew’s, which includes her husband and three adult sons.
“It was only fitting that I became a teacher here,” she said.
Schaefer said she has known Bassano and Muscolino forever. She said her older son was nervous about school, but Bassano pulled him through those years.
Her other son said Muscolino was the best math teacher he has ever had, fair and balanced. Although, Schaefer said her son did not think it at the time, but he recalled Muscolino fondly. In college, Schaefer said her son even asked if he could come by the school for Muscolino’s help in his economics class.
Along with academics, social activism plays a big part at St. Matthew’s School. Students are collecting donations for students at a school in Puerto Rico that was devastated by Hurricane Maria last year. Schaefer said they are also working on a community relationship with the school to put a face to the people they are helping.
During the celebration, the school’s band played patriotic songs to lead off the celebration and ended with the school song.
