State Education Leader is Honored at The North Ward Center’s 12th Annual Gala

Dr. Lawrence S. Feinsod, the executive director of the New Jersey School Boards Association, was honored at The North Ward Center’s 12th Annual Gala.

The April 4 gala raised more than $500,000 for the expansion of the Robert Treat Academy campus in the Central Ward. Founded by The North Ward Center in 1997, Robert Treat is a nationally recognized charter school with two campuses in Newark. 

The Central Ward campus on William Street will be renamed the Jackie Robinson Academy, after the baseball player who became the first African American to play Major League Baseball in 1947. A second school on the Central Ward campus is in the planning stages and will be named for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.

Feinsod, the former Essex County Executive Superintendent of Schools, was appointed in to head the NJSBA, a federations of school boards that educate 1.4 million students. Feinsod called Robert Treat Academy one of the finest schools he has ever visited. The veteran educator, who was a teacher, principal and superintendent, said the school is a model for others to follow. 

He noted that Robert Treat this year is the only charter in the state Department of Education to be recognized as a “Reward School.” It has received the designation for two years in a row.

Adrianne Davis, the executive director of The North Ward Center, said Feinsod was honored because of his longstanding commitment to education, especially to children in urban settings.

“Dr. Feinsod has been a consistent ally in our efforts to provide a quality education to Newark’s children,” Davis said.

Feinsod was awarded a replica of “Behold,” a 10-foot bronze statute by local artist Patrick Morelli that is on the grounds of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta, Ga. The award is presented as a special keepsake to dignitaries honored by The North Ward Center.

State Sen. Teresa Ruiz, who heads the Senate Education Committee, presented the award to Feinsod.

“It is such an honor to receive this award from The North Ward Center,” Feinsod said. “The North Ward Center and Robert Treat Academy are extraordinary institutions that provide tremendous value to the community.”

During the gala, students from Robert Treat Academy’s girl’s basketball team were recognized. The team won the 2013 Charter School Athletic League championships. Students who qualified for the Johns Hopkins Center for Teaching and Learning were also recognized. This year, 64 students from Robert Treat were accepted into the program, which provides three weeks of instruction on a college campus over the summer.

Guests were entertained by the Robert Treat Academy Chorus and seventh grader Dorothy He, a violin virtuoso who played the Hungarian Dance No. 5 in G Minor.

Stephen N. Adubato, the founder of The North Ward Center and Robert Treat Academy, said he has never been more excited about the future than he is now.

“Robert Treat has proven that all urban children can excel,” Adubato said. “I am thrilled that the successful model that we developed at Robert Treat Academy will be expanded so more students can have access to a quality education.”