Under the banner, “One Nutley,” Nutley High School hosted a historic tour of the first step in the Nutley Board of Commissioners’ joint service agreement with the Nutley Board of Education “Toward a Goal of Educational Excellence.” Mayor Joseph P. Scarpelli, along with Commissioners Mauro G. Tucci, Alphonse Petracco, Thomas J. Evans and John V. Kelly III, gathered with members of the Board of Education and the general public to tour the newly updated gymnasium, weight training center and media center.

“This is an exciting day to be the Mayor of Nutley,” Mayor Scarpelli said. “The improvements we have seen tonight in this building are just an example of how the district is moving forward.

“When Superintendent Kent Bania came on board, he and Board of Education President Salvatore Ferraro presented a vision of how they’d like to see the district move forward,” the Mayor continued. “That presented the perfect opportunity for these two boards to align our objectives and work cooperatively to upgrade our facilities. This agreement paves a way for a stronger partnership that will benefit the community as a whole.”

The Mayor went on to mention several projects that had been completed in the past year, including the pre-K playground at the John H. Walker Middle School, the Nutley High School entrance way and the multi-purpose room at Radcliffe School. “This is what ‘One Nutley’ is all about. By combining our resources and expertise, we can proactively address the evolving needs of our residents and ensure a better future for our children.”

Commissioners Tucci and Evans were actively involved in subcommittee work and shared their views. “This concept of ‘One Nutley’ and working with the Board of Education is a fulfillment of a dream for me,” Commissioner Tucci said. “I’ve been in office for 24 years and I have never seen the level of cooperation between two independent boards with one common goal. Tonight we can see the results when people are all pulling in the same direction for the same purpose. And that purpose is to make this the finest school district in the state. We’ve only just begun.”

“Everything that we are doing now,” stated Commissioner Evans, “is not about us. It’s not about some special group. It’s about the future of our town and the generations that will go through our school system. We want them to know that we care, that we are proud. That to me is what ‘One Nutley’ means. We have more to do and we will get it done.”

Along the tour, there were visual presentations of the many current and future projects that will fall under the “One Nutley” banner. The impressive display was organized by several of the Nutley High School students in attendance.

Looking proudly around the new media center, Commissioner Petracco added, “The future belongs to our children and we have to continue to invest in them. I am so glad that we are united in that goal.”

Commissioner Kelly was equally impressed. “Education is our foundation,” he said. “Our students are our most important resource, and our most important asset. ‘One Nutley’ is about continuing to build a foundation for them to go out and make the world better. I’m proud to be a part of it.”