Richard Cook
Richard Cook was born and raised in Montville Township. He attended Montville Township High School and graduated with the Class of 1981. He graduated from the County College of Morris with an Associates degree in criminal justice. He is also a graduate of the West Point Command and Leadership School. He was a member of the Montville Township Police Department for 1 years, having retired in 2014. Richard served in all aspects of the police department including Juvenile Officer, Traffic Bureau Commander, Detective Bureau Commander, and Operations Commander. He served as the Department's Police Chief for ten years, and is an exempt member of the Montville Township Fire Department.
Cook also served on the Board of Directors of the Montville First Aid Squad and was a Liaison to the Drug Awareness Council. He was a past little league coach, a member of the Morris County Police Chiefs Association, and received the Montville Township's Chamber of Commerce Public Service Award in 2013. He is also a current member of the Montville Township Planning Board and the Historic Preservation Review Commission. In 2016, he ran for Township Council and was elected to office. He is now a sitting councilman working full time as a Director at the Morris County Sherriff's Department. The Cook family comes from a long line of public service that has been dedicated to Montville Township for well over 250 years. His family settled in the Montville area in 1740 and has remained here ever since.
James McNabb
James McNabb attended Montville Township High School from 1999 to 2003. He was a four-year varsity wrestler and senior captain. In the classroom he excelled in the arts, especially his first woodworking class with Robert Levchick. After graduation, McNabb went on to study Woodworking and Furniture Design at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in New York, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. As a novice woodworker, introduced to the crafts by his father, the arts program at RIT was an incredible opportunity to further his creative skills. During his time at RIT, he developed technical expertise as well as acquired a love for vintage machinery that continues to influence how he works in his studio today.
Following RIT, he spent two years working for an industrial manufacturer in New Jersey. In 2010, McNabb decided to go back to school and earned a Masters degree in Studio Art from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). While at IUP, he developed a new body of city-inspired artwork that he continues to produce today. McNabb uses his background in traditional woodworking techniques combined with experimental mark making to create new visions of the urban landscape- a collection he calls The City Series. James' urban-inspired work grabbed the attention of the art world in 2013 when the New Yorker magazine commissioned him to create his own version of the Manhattan skyline. The 12-foot long piece was photographed and displayed across billboards in Times Square, magazine ads, and various marketing collateral in promotion of the annual NYer Festival. This exposure was the catalyst that set his career as a professional artist in motion.
For the past six years, McNabb has showcased his work in major contemporary art exhibitions and fairs in Miami, Switzerland, Paris, New York, and Los Angeles, as well as private collections across the world. His artwork currently represented by Danysz Gallery in Paris. McNabb currently lives in Philadelphia with his wife, Stephanie, and their two dogs.
John Schulien
Montville has been home for the better part of my life. My family moved to Montville in 1957, and I graduated from Boonton High School in 1969 as there wasn't a Montville High School as of yet. I was fortunate to follow Jim Kick (a Boonton grad and a member of the Miami Dolphins) on a football scholarship to the University of Wyoming. There I spent my next 8 years. After receiving my BS in Physical Education, I worked in the Cheyenne and Laramie school districts as a physical education teacher and coach. I returned home to Montville in 1977 and was hired as a physical education teacher. My unique ways of teaching to enhance the enjoyment of the class involved putting on a referee shirt and roller blades to referee hockey, participating with the students to challenge and motivate, and providing music to enhance the activity. During my tenure as a PE teacher I had the opportunity to develop many programs to enhance the curriculum. I introduced a high adventure course which involved repelling, belaying, rope fundamentals, and challenge courses. Using the limitations of the gym, I designed a program that kids found both challenging, safe, and fun. (I even involved the principal and superintendent to participate in the program activities) Taking advantage of the state's introduction to archery, I attended a course, and was awarded the necessary equipment to begin an archery elective for the students. Trying to think "outside the box" of the typical gym activities, I introduced a small games elective which involved cooperative interaction and relationships within the students. When the department instituted the President's Physical Fitness challenge, I researched the fitness entrance tests of several military establishments and included selected fitness activities to be added. With the help of several staff members, we organized a freshman field day, which enabled a fun and meaningful introduction to the high school. Because of my love for the outdoors, I helped organize and chaperone the ski club, which took the students to many resorts in the surrounding area. In addition to my teaching responsibilities, coaching was my second love. For many years I was the defensive coach for the football team and lacrosse team.
My personal mission to all my students was to challenge, develop a sense of individual accomplishment, and increase a better self image that would carry them on for a lifetime commitment to health and well being. I hope that, by receiving this award, my mission was a successful one.
Kathleen Williams
Kathleen Williams does not like to talk about herself, and she especially does not like to write bios, at least if she herself is the subject of them. She was a 1993 graduate of Montville Township High School, and while she was there she was forced to read a lot of Hemingway with Mr. Soriano; ran a lot of hills as part of an intense if not technically illegal girls’ lacrosse training program; and learned to drive with Mr. Hauser, although maybe not that well. She recalls French teacher Ms. D’Innocenzio’s advice “it’s just as easy to marry a rich man as a poor man” as probably the best advice she received, and then promptly ignored, in high school. (Sorry, honey.) She vaguely remembers being a member of the National Honor Society and picking up attendance cards every morning as a member of the Key Club, though it was really just a ruse to see future singer/songwriter Pete Yorn on a daily basis. Her favorite things about high school were history class, playing sports and eating Joe’s pizza, sometimes just before playing sports, which she now realizes was probably not a good idea. After high school, Kathleen was accepted to Dartmouth College, where she majored in history and was frequently asked what the heck she would do with that when she graduated. (Note she was never asked this by her parents, who were always very supportive.) After graduating, she was promptly ignored by corporate recruiters but finally got a job with A+E Networks after faxing an unsolicited resume to the human resources department. Before long, she was managing the History Channel website, where she realized that knowing about history and how to write (thank you Miss Tamson and Mr. Lucibello) were actually somewhat valuable skills. After getting married and moving to Tokyo, Kathleen completed her masters in teaching at Columbia University Teachers’ College, taught social studies at an NYC public school, and then returned to the History Channel. That’s when someone decided she should start making videos for the interweb. Several of these videos were nominated for Emmy Awards, and one, about the items salvaged from the wreckage of the World Trade Center, and what they say about people who found them and that tragic day, won an Emmy Award in 2013. Kathleen’s digital work has also won a couple not-very-coveted Webby Awards. More prestigious, the website she produced about the 150th anniversary of the Civil War was honored by the Library of Congress with inclusion in the library as part of the permanent historical record. Kathleen is also very proud of the work she has done to bring the stories of military veterans to life, including the 2016 series The Last Word, featuring interviews with some of the last Pearl Harbor survivors. In 2017, after 20 years living and working in New York City, Kathleen decided to step off the hamster wheel and moved to the countryside of Massachusetts with her husband Mark, a, legendary pesto maker and her two objectively adorable daughters. She runs her own small content production studio, where she helps companies create and execute editorial strategies and continues to tell stories, most recently about subjects like the unknown contributions of our nation’s first ladies and Ona Judge, a slave who ran away from George Washington.
2013 Girls Tennis Team
The 2013 Girls' Tennis Team took a "magic-carpet-ride" to New Jersey's Tournament of Champions. It was a first for MTHS. Despite losing a nail-biter to Haddonfield High School in the semifinals, the team accomplished what no other team in the history of Montville Township had ever done: Group 3 State Champions! Led by senior captains Kaitlin Sanzone and Kirstin Godau, the team completed its prolific season with an overall record of 23-2, losing only to Haddonfield and to Millburn High School, the only 2 teams to be chosen ahead of them in The Star Ledger's final "Top 20." The team earned several distinctions during its remarkable run: Conference Champions; State Sectional Champions; and, the aforementioned Group 3 Champions.
Coach Sachs said the following when asked about his "favorite team EVER": "I have been blessed to have been the coach of 93 teams during my 32 years of teaching and coaching. I have always made it my number one priority to imbue my teams with the importance of 'family.' The 2013 Girls' Tennis Team personified that philosophy. Best friends on and off the court, the team exhibited their superiority over opponents, even those with more individual talent, by being emotionally and spiritually connected at all times. Collectivity and mindfulness emerged as the glue that kept our family together. What meant the most to me was when we all unsuccessfully tried to suppress our muffled cries on the 45-minute trip back to campus following our final match. The tears had nothing to do with losing; instead, they represented the reality that one of the most cherished times of our respective lives had ended. It was a moment in time that will be collectively remembered by all of us. The girls had become surrogate daughters to me and sisters to one another. I am truly honored to have been a small part of something so special.
It was a 'once-in-a-lifetime' experience for which we will all be eternally grateful."
The 1973 & 74 Boys’ Basketball Team
In the early days of Montville Township High School, the athletic programs worked to gain a footing with other long-established area High Schools. A noteworthy team stood out in gaining the respect of competitors. In that period, MTHS had not been accepted into any conference, hence playing an independent schedule and ineligible for any league championships, this team strove to establish Mustangs as winners.
The boys’ basketball “Dream Team” compiled an extraordinary record over a two-year period and brought wide recognition to the school. Led by an outstanding core scoring trio and supported by a cast of dedicated players the team compiled a record of over 40 wins in 2 seasons and caused some schools on the independent schedule to choose not to continue playing MTHS.
Anyone who saw the “Dream Team” in action would attest to the skill, speed, motivation and quality of their play. Not just a scoring machine, the Mustangs brought tenacious defense to the court. Many games were played to SRO crowds and admittance closed at game time. In the two year span the team was noted for never having lost a game on their home court. A caravan of busses filled with students, parents and faculty followed the team to road games.
College scouts now paid attention to the Mustangs of the new MTHS. Several team members went on to play at the college level and make their mark at the intuitions they represented in both athletics and academics. These players then brought the lessons learned on the hardwoods of MTHS to a host of professions and accomplishments.
2-year record 21 - 4
20 - 5
Players:
Tom Cinnella Tom Huyler
Mike Carbery Bob Leslie
Pat Carbery Jim Magee
Wayne DelGrosso Matt Morra
Jim Elenz Steve Pfister
Bill Gooding Will Puentes
Pete Gryzbowski Chuck Spinnella
Barry Freligh John Sullivan
Dan Hall Doug Van Ness
Matt Holway Rick Warren
Head Coaches:
Hal Fischbein
Pat Houston
Assistant Coaches:
Mike O'Brien
Tom McCall
Bob Sueter
Manager:
Gary Tucker