Current Bordentown
SEPTEMBER 2014
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On the fast track
BORDENTOWNCURRENT.COM
‘Super’ start to school year By scOtt MOrGan
Edward Forsthoffer sees promise in new ways of educating students. The former superintendent of the East Windsor Regional School District, Forsthoffer took over the Bordentown Regional School District on July 1. With him he brought the perspective that the ways of learning are not static. “I spent so much time, when I was a kid, on knowledge,” Forsthoffer said. “Now the thing is to get students to analyze and build a deeper understanding.” Forsthoffer, as one of the first generation of school administrators to teach children raised entirely in a wireless world, is “worried that we’re raising a
cubicle society,” he says. He’s referring to a society in which people shy away from face-toface communication and opt instead to text or use social media outlets. “Faceless communication worries me,” he said. “That lack of interaction. Kids don’t even want to talk on the phone, they’d rather text. People are losing their interpersonal skills.” It’s a heavy load to bear, trying to walk the line between teaching according to society’s ways and engendering the kinds of skills kids will need as adults, when they have to interact with people directly. But Forsthoffer sees more promise than peril and has high hopes for Bordentown. He takes much of his educational philos-
ophy from business leadership. “We can learn a lot from business,” he said. “Understanding how good your staff is and how we can make it better.” In other words, teamwork, solid leadership, and a finger on the carotid of society, combined with humanity’s most basic social interactions. “It all comes down to the human element,” he said. Forsthoffer’s tenure in Bordentown will be something of a homecoming for him. “I kind of grew up in Bordentown,” he said. “I feel like I’ve lived my childhood milestones here.” Forsthoffer grew up in Hamilton and enjoyed post-Communion and post-Confirmation meals at diners like Mastoris and Town & Country. AdvenSee SUPER, Page 6
After 50 years, Papp’s set to close By MicHaeL nUnes
Bordentown residents Tyla Latimer, Skyler Pennypacker and Alexis Leggio came out to enjoy the carnival, organized by Hope Hose Humane Co. #1, Aug. 21, 2014. The carnival was held Aug. 20-23. For more photos, turn to Page 7 or go online to bordentowncurrent.com. (Photo by Albert Rende.)
From the outside, Papp’s Bowling Center might not look like a bowling alley. Step inside, though, and you’ll be taken aback by the well preserved, old-fashioned bowling lanes that look as if they were cut and pasted from a bygone decade. After 50 years, the family-run bowling alley is set to close its doors for good and reopen as a Cheyenne Mountain Outfitters. The doors were to officially close for Papp’s on Aug. 28. “Expenses have gotten to be too much,” said Andy Papp, the owner of Papp’s Bowling Center, who owns the alley along with his wife Betty. He said they reluctantly made the decision to sell the familyrun business, and accepted an offer on their beloved alley. The couple, now in their 70s, feel it
is right to close the doors in the event anything might happen to them. “If anything happens to one of us, the other won’t be able to run this alone,” Betty Papp said. Over the years, the bowling alley has seen a drop in business, as interest in bowling has
plummeted in recent years. With interests in other sports along with home entertainment, it’s difficult for bowling alleys to turn a profit. With the attendance for bowling leagues and open bowl nights down, it is hard for lanes to compete. At one point, Papp’s used See PAPP’S, Page 8
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