So, we all know what is going on in Waldwick and athletic director Mike Mayer. I’ve said it before, but Boards of Education are undefeated. And frequently unfair. I’ve seen this situation play out all over North Jersey over and over again.
My bet is that Mayer isn’t liked by a certain small number of Board of Education members because he probably let go of a coach that they like.
Can you imagine that conversation?
Fired coach says, “Hey, you’re on the board of ed right? Can you fire the AD? I mean, I know the superintendent likes him, but this way, I get him back. And even though he’s done tons of great things for our district, it’s better that he knows I have the power and I get revenge.”
Board of Education member. “Sure! We’ve been buddies since 8th grade (or whatever), and my loyalty is to you, not the district I was voted to serve.”
So there you go. The Board of Education always wins. They want you out. You’re out.
My guess is that another school district gets an opening and Mayer lands on his feet. Waldwick gets a black mark. The protests always die down. It always kills me though how BOE members can not be swayed by all the people that come out to speak on someone’s behalf. Isn’t that what public officials are supposed to do? And I get it if there are mitigating circumstances (see, what BOEs can do is say it’s a ‘personnel matter’ so that way they leave it open to speculation) but there’s no secret mark here, just another power trip for members of a Board of Education.
I’ll close with this, obviously every school has Signing Day ceremonies now, and we try to print/publish as many as we can. Only 1 athletic director in the last five years has ever written a full release on the kids his school has signing detailing their accomplishments. His name is Mike Mayer from Waldwick. I’ve always printed the full piece because it was so good. This is what high school athletic directors should do, it shows how connected they are to their school and kids. Mayer certainly didn’t need to do this in light of what is happening, but he did. This is the type of person Waldwick is losing.
Christopher Borgese – Iona College
Chris is a senior on the boys soccer team. He earned first team NJIC honors and second-team All County this past season. He gave Waldwick a boost during their Bergen County run by scoring four goals and always drew the most attention from the other teams as a forward, leading his team to a semi-final appearance. He started this season slowly due to a lower back injury that he battled all season but as the season progressed, he became an integral part in Waldwick’s Sectional State Championship title. Chris is a “coach on the field” running Waldwick’s midfield as a starter for the past 3 years. He covers a lot of ground and makes the game simple by always finding the right pass and has helped his team dominate the midfield in the majority of games. He wins the majority of 50/50 battles and is quick to help his team transition from defense to offense. He is extremely hard to handle 1v1 and unselfishly transitioned well with his move up to forward this season for the sake of the team when we need his attacking skills. Chris will bring his playing style and desire to win to Iona and Waldwick celebrates his success.
Garrett Mironenko – Drew University
Garrett is one of the rare 4 year starters in Waldwick Soccer History. He has clearly left his mark on the program and was directly responsible for 3 sectional final appearances and 2 championships during his career. He also captained his team to a final four Bergen County appearance this season and helped Waldwick qualify for the county tournament all 4 years he played while winning 2 league championships. This season he was selected 1st team all-league, 2nd team all-county, and a senior all-star.
Garrett is one of the most versatile players to go through the program and has been able to make a huge impact on the game at both defense and midfield, playing in whatever position helped the team win. He plays with both a high technical level and with passion and heart. The combination has been a pleasure to watch during the 4 years at Waldwick. Drew University is lucky to have him!
Kelly Moran – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Kelly is a three-sport athlete here at Waldwick. She has been accepted to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where she will continue her track career. Kelly has been a key part of the girls track team for the last four years during the Winter and Spring Seasons. This season as the lead 400m runner, she earned first team all league for that race as well as first team honors in the 4x400m relay. She was a part of the 4x400m team that medaled at Penn Relays for the first time in school history, and part of the 4x100m and 3×400 Intermediate Hurdle relay teams that both hold the school record. Her work ethic and positive outlook has served as a great example for the underclassman especially this season as she served as one of the Girls Spring Track Captains. Her coaches and teammates can’t wait to see what she achieves as the collegiate level.
