New principal will lead Markham Place
Administrator's aim: 'Make every student feel special'
BY SHARON LEFF Staff Writer

Dennis Morolda, the new principal of Markham Place School

When Markham Place School, Little Silver, opens its doors this September, it will do so with Dennis Morolda as its principal, the first new principal the school has had in about 20 years.

Morolda replaces Principal Don E. Merce, who died in a car accident May 6 in Oceanport. Merce was beloved by the students and staff of Markham Place School, and a memorial service was held in his honor in June.

"I heard what had happened and I felt drawn [to it], like I could help the school come out of a terrible situation," Morolda said.

Morolda was the assistant principal at the Bordentown Regional Middle School since July 2005. He graduated from Rowan University in 2000. After graduation, he taught sixth-grade math for 41/2 years at the Fountain Woods Elementary School in Burlington Township before taking the post of assistant principal in Bordentown.

"After my third year of being an assistant principal, I was ready to be a principal. I felt I was ready to take that next step," Morolda said.

He said one of his goals is for the staff, community and parents to see how much he cares about the students and that he is a genuine person with integrity.

"The previous principal … leaves a legacy here and he's a legend, and he leaves some big shoes to fill. And hopefully I'll do my best to honor him and do things he would have done," he said.

The fifth - eighth grade Markham Place School is smaller than Bordentown Regional Middle School. Morolda said his previous school had about 550 students whereas Markham has about 375.

"One of my philosophies is every student needs to be known, not only their name, but something about them," he said. "You really have to go out of your way as principal to make every student feel special."

He said he believes in knowing most of his students' names by November. His first day at Markham was Aug. 1, and among his first actions was going through the previous years' yearbook and associating the students' photos with their names.

Morolda was also familiarizing himself with both the staff and the building and reading up on the school's procedures.

"I'm trying to get my feet wet right now. [I'm] going through a lot of the files [Merce] had and what had been going on at the time of the tragedy to see where everything left off," he said.

Morolda said one of his main goals is to build relationships with the students, teachers and community.

"This is the first time the school has opened without Mr. Merce as principal in 20 years. Most people here, most teachers here, have never had another principal besides him. Coming in and being able to show I can help out the situation and start the school year is my number one challenge," he said.

He said he is already looking forward to a trip the school sponsors to Stokes State Forest in Branchville. It's a trip he led while in Bordentown and he was happy to learn students from Markham also make the annual visit.

Though he just started, Morolda said the community seems tight knit and the administrative team works well together. While he wanted to make the transition to principal, he said it was difficult to leave Bordentown, the place where he enjoys living.

"I feel like we built a lot of good traditions and built strong relationships with my teachers," he said.

Despite the tragedy the school and community has endured, Morolda said the reception he's received has been nothing but positive.

"Just the embrace that I got from the community members that I met, and the staff members I've worked with has been overwhelming and so positive," he said.