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This thread is HILARIOUS.... Millburn v. MSO. I knew one day the towns would fight to the death but i didnt think it would be on City Data. I pity the person from Nevada who asked the question. You must be so freaked out by our craziness. BTW im from Cherry Hill. HAHAHAHA
I'm not sure why some are trying to convince themselves and others that South Orange, Maplewood, and Summit are bad areas with bad schools.
A lot of people just have a lot of hate in their hearts.
And this isn't just exclusive to NJ. Check out good performing diverse communities in other regions...they are usually also unfairly bashed. On LI, there are districts such as Valley Stream, Baldwin and Malverne that rank pretty good and have some pretty damn good performance but some people still choose to tell ppl to avoid them.
So it's not exclusive to North Jersey. Such diverse school systems will unfortunatley always be targeted but it's up to students in these school districts to do well and continue to prove to people that they will not be the scum that so many people out there want them to be.
This thread is HILARIOUS.... Millburn v. MSO. I knew one day the towns would fight to the death but i didnt think it would be on City Data. I pity the person from Nevada who asked the question. You must be so freaked out by our craziness. BTW im from Cherry Hill. HAHAHAHA
Damn straight!
I hear that Cherry Hill is very nice. Too bad my husband must commute into midtown NYC.
So far, I have learned that Jersey folks are loyal to their towns and strong with their opinions.
I'm sorry, but are you sure you live in South Orange/Maplewood? It was well publicized when A&P closed, and have you walked or driven there since? It is now Dollar Variety Store. I still don't see what is wrong with students there. People are on sidewalks hanging out in almost any town, what is wrong with that? Yes they may use bad language, but is that a reason to separate yourself from patronizing downtown? It is a relatively safe area, and next to no crime happens in Downtown Maplewood.
While SOMA is far from perfect, why do you live here if you apparently completely dislike the community?
A lot of people just have a lot of hate in their hearts.
And this isn't just exclusive to NJ. Check out good performing diverse communities in other regions...they are usually also unfairly bashed. On LI, there are districts such as Valley Stream, Baldwin and Malverne that rank pretty good and have some pretty damn good performance but some people still choose to tell ppl to avoid them.
So it's not exclusive to North Jersey. Such diverse school systems will unfortunatley always be targeted but it's up to students in these school districts to do well and continue to prove to people that they will not be the scum that so many people out there want them to be.
That is the point I always try to make on these boards with diversity in school systems. And there are just as many bad areas with underperforming school systems that are predominantly white. Skin color has nothing to do with it in the end.
You can get shot anywhere. We live in a society today where a bunch of angry kids are shooting up movie theaters, supermarkets, shopping malls and schools every other week now. Doesn't matter where you go now, the world is not a safe place anymore.
That is the point I always try to make on these boards with diversity in school systems. And there are just as many bad areas with underperforming school systems that are predominantly white. Skin color has nothing to do with it in the end.
You can get shot anywhere. We live in a society today where a bunch of angry kids are shooting up movie theaters, supermarkets, shopping malls and schools every other week now. Doesn't matter where you go now, the world is not a safe place anymore.
I agree, robbers can target anywhere and robberies occasionally do get violent and result in shootings. No matter where you are and how safe you think your location is, you are not safe from robberies.
so??? crime happens everywhere. just because you don't hear about it happening in millburn doesn't mean that it doesn't happen period.
you know what the real story about this forum is. it seems like many people assume that if there are black and latino people that live in a town that it automatically makes it unsafe. that only shows that those people that are saying that are racist.
so??? crime happens everywhere. just because you don't hear about it happening in millburn doesn't mean that it doesn't happen period.
you know what the real story about this forum is. it seems like many people assume that if there are black and latino people that live in a town that it automatically makes it unsafe. that only shows that those people that are saying that are racist.
The news stories I saw show people commenting on other problems in the area with crime. Has nothing to do with what people look like, but their behavior. A similar thing is happening in my community. These new people moving in live 20 to a home, loiter around outside at night drinking (especially in summer), blast music, and throw trash everywhere. There's also gang tags popping up too. For every crime you hear about, there's alot that goes unreported. Especially if illegals are involved, since they are often afraid to report crimes. Now I've never been to Maplewood but I'm curious if others are seeing similar things there. I've seen talk of loitering and problems. Now with schoolkids that can be anywhere, but if they are grown men sitting around town drinking and staring at nothing then its a problem.
As a resident of South Orange, with a child in Middle School and one in Elementary, I want to say the schools are great. Where the problem exists is not in the diversity, but the track your child is on. My kids started in Marshall Elementary and after grade two moved to Jefferson. That particular path worked very well for my youngest who embraces everything academic, but not so much for my eldest who is more creative in nature. The Marshall/Jeff track unfortunately puts your child in an academic box which doesn't always allow for creativity. Both schools are diverse, ethnically, socially and in terms of family composition. I have friends who have their kids in South Mountain and believe they are richer for the experience. I don't know as much about the Maplewood schools boarding Union. When we first moved to the area in 2001, Tuscan was a great school and by all accounts still is. The schools that were considered troubled were Clinton Elementary and Seth Boyden. Personally my belief is they both housed a large number of Black kids and the district didn't know how to either handle the students culturally or academically. We moved to this area because of the diversity as well as the educational system. When my family bought our house in the Montrose section Columbia High school was rated 75 it is now rated 47th. The Elementary schools are slowly learning to deal with cultural issues however unfortunately have lost two great educators in Marshall's former Principle Ms. Angelica Allen, and in the Columbia principal. South Orange Middle is a better school with the placement of the new principal. Anywhere there is no open discussion on race there are bound to be some issues. But I will say I have found the school system and the residents of South Orange welcoming and accommodating. The biggest issue I have found is that friends complain cultural differences in learning aren't taken into account. Therefore more black kids, especially black males are being placed in special education which is a relatively new area for the district. There also seems to be a push to label kids ADHD if they do not respond to the methodology of teaching at the individual schools. All schools have good parental involvement. Welcome to the SOMSD. I hope you and your family find the experience satisfying.
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