With 2024 coming to an end, the Deptford Sun is taking a look back at some of the year’s top stories.
Remembering a fallen officer
Friends and family of fallen officer Bobby Shisler gathered on Deptford High School’s varsity baseball field on May 3. The field was renaming for Shisler, who died on May 7.
May 7 marked the one-year anniversary of the passing of Deptford police officer Robert “Bobby” Shisler, who died two months after being shot in the line of duty.
The year marked a number of events dedicated to his memory. One was a ceremony on May 3, when the township high-school varsity program renamed its field after Shisler, who played baseball for the school. Friends, family and Shisler’s colleagues and coaches were there to pay tribute to a soul taken before his time.
“People forget often that Bobby wasn’t just a police officer,” said his sister, Ashley. “There’s a lot of emphasis on Bobby the cop, but he was so much more. He was a son, a brother, a grandson, a cousin, a friend, D1 baseball player, a bodybuilder, a hunter – the list goes on.
“Bobby liked to teach,” she added, “and on his days off, he often went out on his own to teach the fundamentals of baseball because he cared about the next generation of athletes. He should be remembered for all of the things that made him who he was, not just the profession that he chose.”
In August, the Shisler Strong Foundation, a nonprofit formed to raise money for law-enforcement scholarships, hosted its first charity softball tournament. About 500 teams participated, according to the foundation’s Dave Kryszczak, and township police officers and firefighters volunteered their time to honor Shisler in their own way.
“The support on Facebook and all that was just amazing,” Kryszczak recounted. “You got police, non-police, fire, you got military units, you got everything. It’s great.”
Deptford soccer champions
Deptford Premier FC 2007 boys’ soccer team gathered after winning their first national title on July 16 in Wichita, Kansas.
July was a huge month for the Deptford Soccer Association, as the Premier FC 2007 boys team won its first U.S. Youth Soccer (USYS) Presidents Cup Championship in the 17U national competition in Wichita, Kansas.
After a scoreless 90 minutes against SAC Boys 2007 Premier Blue from Columbia, Maryland, the July 16 match went to a shootout that also was scoreless. Deptford would finally seal the deal after 14 penalty kicks.
“It was an incredible feeling among the staff, players and parents,” said head coach Luke Tyler. “Tears, excitement, disbelief – and every emotion you could think of was on display when the final whistle went, and we knew we were national champions.
“What these kids have done is so special,” he added. “I have coached this group for 10 years now and what they have put together is remarkable: the traveling to games, the training, the ups and downs, bumps and bruises. “Blue skies don’t exist every day in soccer, so what collectively they have done as a group there are simply no words for.
“Just amazing.”
The win marked the end of a long journey for the township team that included taking the state championship and the Northeast regional title before beating other regional champions. The boys were honored for their wins by council at a Nov. 25 meeting, when they were also named citizens of the month and received certificates and gift cards for their accomplishments.
“It meant everything,” Tyler noted. “To say that you are the national champion over everyone in the United States at this age and level is remarkable. I’m so happy for these kids, the club, the parents, Deptford Township and everyone that is involved in our program.
‘We have high expectations of all our players and teams, but this does push us to the next level to make sure we continue to get better.”
An unpopular school bus plan
School Superintendent Kevin Kanauss reads a statement to parents on Aug. 20 about the board’s decision to repeal a controversial bus plan.
Parents and residents alike united in droves against the township school district in August, when they learned of a controversial bus plan for the 2024-’25 school year that would require students within a 2-mile radius to walk to their respective schools.
““This year,” said Superintendent Kevin Kanauss, “our district has been compelled to spend over $3 million on budgeted funds for the 2023-’24 school year for additional transportation services. This includes $1.65 million in contracted bus services and $1.35 million dollars in loss for reimbursement for students transported within two to two-and-a-half miles distance from their school.”
But parents were upset because the plan would have required their children to walk along major roadways that lacked sidewalks. The news also upset the township, which claimed it did not have advance notification of the policy change. Mayor Paul Medany hosted a press conference on Aug. 12 addressing the issue and sent out a letter to residents on Facebook.
“We’ve been hearing about this plan since the letter was sent out on Friday (Aug. 9),” Medany noted of the policy’s introduction. “Immediately, we have safety concerns on the plan. There’s 1,800 students involved in this, walking to school in Deptford Township, which is an untenable situation.
“Deptford is a large suburban town and most neighborhoods don’t have sidewalks and curves,” he added. “There was no plan presented to us; it wasn’t vetted through for safety reasons. One of the other reasons for this (the press conference) is the disruption to our family.”
The district would abandon the plan not long after the conference. But dozens of residents still turned out to the Aug. 20 board of ed meeting to voice their concerns and frustrations with the lack of communication.
“The safety of our children cannot be overlooked,” said one resident, Brandon Monahan. “We’re in a school district with limited sidewalks and surrounded by busy streets and state roads where drivers often disregard the traffic laws.”
The backlash would cause the district to draft a new bus plan that – despite some issues at the start of the new school year – would eventually satisfy parents. In order to improve communication, the district began hosting family forums on various topics. The first took place on Oct. 29 and focused on school security.
“”We had a great talk and conversation with members of the community,” Kanauss explained. “It was very candid, very open, very honest. We were able to have some frank discussions with the community, and it was a great sit-down.
“I’d like to thank the administrators who participated in the event as well,” he added. “It was very well-received and we’re hoping to get a better turnout each time we have a meeting.”
