O.C. Schools Hire Interims for High School and Athletics

By MADDY VITALE Ocean City schools welcomed two new senior-level administrators to the district this month -- both interims. At the Oct. 19 Board of Education meeting, the board approved the appointment of Kenneth Silver as interim high school assistant principal. Silver will receive $425 a day for the position. In addition, Michael Pellegrino became the interim athletic director while Athletic Director Geoff Haines is on leave from October through December. Pellegrino will receive $450 a day. The district has had its share of interims over the last couple of years. Matthew Jamison retired in 2021 as the principal at the high school at the same time as Schools Superintendent Kathleen Taylor. The position of principal is being filled -- in an interim capacity since the spring of 2022 -- by Dr. Wendy O’Neal, the assistant principal at the high school since 2015. The two interim positions were approved through resolutions at the October meeting. Schools Superintendent Dr. Matthew Friedman began in July. Newly hired Schools Superintendent Matthew Friedman has led the district since July 1. He, along with the Board of Education, participates in the selection process to hire qualified candidates in the district, school officials say. “This year was a unique circumstance. We had an extremely difficult decision,” Dr. Friedman said of the selection process for who would be student representatives on the board. “We have three amazing student representatives.” At the Oct. 19 meeting, the district welcomed student representatives to the Board of Education for the school year. They are Christian Ganter, Isabella Pero and Lauren Knopp, who is also the 2022 Student Representative to the New Jersey State Board of Education. The student representatives will report the happenings of the high school, and in Lauren Knopp’s case, Friedman noted that she could also report back to the district state Board of Education information. For more information about Ocean City schools visit oceancityschools.org. Isabella Pero, Christian Ganter and Lauren Knopp are the 2022-23 student representatives. (Photo courtesy of Ocean City Schools)