50 candles and a class reunion for Cambridge
Assembly brings back former faculty members to celebrate school's history
BY CHRIS GAETANO
Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY CHRIS GAETANO Cambridge School students mounted candles made of cardboard and tissue paper on a multitiered "cake" during the school's 50th birthday celebration on Monday. Written upon them are students' observations on the past and predictions for the future.

SOUTH BRUNSWICK - In 1957, Sputnik became the first man-made object in space, President Eisenhower began his second term, and Cambridge Elementary School opened its doors for the first time.

Students and staff at the South Brunswick school celebrated its 50th anniversary during a special assembly on Monday. The assembly brought not only current staff and students together, but retired teachers and district officials as well. The event focused on both where Cambridge had come from as well as where it was going.

Assistant Principal Amanda Rosenberg noted to bewildered students that there have been over 9,000 days of school since the doors first opened, with report cards coming home some 150 times. The time scale impressed the gathered children, who oohed and aahed at the thought.

Cambridge school class leaders await their turn to regale classmates with a fun fact from 1957 and a prediction for the year 2057.

A movie put together by faculty and staff at Cambridge further went over how things have changed in 50 years. Technology, it was pointed out, is definitely different, with computers in the classroom now a common thing. Activities also have changed, as have the grounds themselves - the school has undergone several construction projects since its opening, with the most recent round having been finished in 2006. The school experience itself was also different: the school used to have three grades to a class, before the population demands necessitated a more atomized approach that is commonly seen in contemporary classrooms. It was generally agreed that much has changed in 50 years.

"Of course, the size of it has changed and from my viewpoint, some of the teachers don't look much older than the kids," said Jane Clute with a friendly laugh. Clute taught at Cambridge from 1966 to 1989.

Not everything has changed, though. While iPods have replaced records and the USSR is no more, kids are still kids.

"The children haven't changed that much. Children are still children, just as noisy as they were before and enthusiastic," said Alice Baionno, who taught from 1968 and 1982.

After a brief musical interlude, class leaders from each grade lined up, awaiting their turn to reveal to the assembled students one fact about 1957 and a prediction about 2057. Students had written both on

oversized birthday candles they made from posterboard and bright orange tissue paper. Front and center was a multitiered "cake" topped with a large "50" that would hold the candles students made.

Students learned that Elvis was still going strong, "The Cat in the Hat" was published, "Leave it to Beaver" was first aired, and the first Toys "R" Us store opened. It is the prediction of Cambridge students that in the year 2057, people will get around with jet packs, robots will do most of the manual labor, students will sit in floating chairs, and Elvis will be cloned to save rock and roll. One class brought forth a dire warning about the fate of the environment, saying that in 50 years, 37 percent of the planet's species will be gone if the Earth keeps warming.

Once all the candles were on the cake, attendees joined together in singing "Happy Birthday" to Cambridge school.

Reflecting upon the afternoon's events, Principal Glenn Famous said that Cambridge, throughout all its years, has always been about the staff and students who make it special.

"It seems to me that it's always been about the people. The children and the families they come from are special and just good, salt-of-the-earth people across the board, and that just seems like the kind of people we've hired over the years. … It's always been about good people who want to help and who care about the kids and help them learn, grow and have fun, and the goal for today was to make that evident for all people," Famous said.