State Assemblyman Balvir Singh paid a visit to Westfield Friends School in Cinnaminson last month, where he spoke to an assembly of fourth- through eighth-grade students about state government and what his job entails.
Students at Cinnaminson’s Westfield Friends welcomed and asked questions of a state assemblyman last month at the oldest Quaker school in the nation.
Balvir Singh took a tour of the school, which enrolls pre-K to eighth grade, and is committed to experiential learning, civic engagement and nurturing change makers. Founded in 1788 at Route 130 and Riverton Road, it has taught students for 238 years.
Singh spoke to an assembly of fourth- through eighth-grade students about civics, state government and what his job entails. Questions to him included “What does your day consist of?” and “What are the responsibilities of an assemblyman?”
The students also asked if it’s possible to change the state flag because some critics feel it’s too cluttered and uninspired. One student opined that there should be a New Jersey tomato on it to signify the state’s agriculture richness.
Singh – whose district includes Cinnaminson, Burlington Township, Delran, Edgewater Park, Moorestown, Mount Laurel, Palmyra, Riverside and Riverton – said he enjoyed the back and forth with students.
“Civics is a big topic at our school,” said Lily Taylor, director of Advancement and Communications, adding Singh’s visit marks the second year for Westfield Friends’ middle-schoolers participating in the FCNL (Friends Committee on National Legislation) legislative priorities process.
For the 119th Congress, students are discussing priorities that include promoting diplomacy to prevent war, lobbying for universal health care, ending poverty and hunger and increasing funding for mental-health services and awareness.
“The middle-school students are also concerned about school safety and the environment,” noted Taylor, adding that spring will be exciting time at the school. Eighth-graders are working on creating a marketable product or service, including making a budget and creating marketing materials. Those efforts culminate in the Shark Tank pitch event during the third week of May.
“The project is starting to pick up speed,” Taylor explained. “Students are settling on their ideas and researching how much material will cost, what market they want to break into, and who their competitors are. They use everything they’ve learned in algebra, from the angles used in the product to balancing a budget with variables and algebraic functions.”
Students are also donating items and funds to the Animal Welfare Association, South Jersey’s oldest and largest no-kill shelter. AWA will visit the school with live animals.
Upcoming student trips include overnights to the Pocono Environmental Education Center and the Philadelphia Zoo, Johnson’s Farm for strawberry picking and visits by the third and fourth grades to Liberty Science Center in Newark. Another popular event is the All School Spring Bowling Fundraiser at Laurel Lanes on Saturday, April 25. It funds a school tuition program that helps make Westfield more affordable and inclusive to every family.
For information, visit westfieldfriends.org.
The school is also getting ready for commencement.
“The eighth-grade students are starting to prepare their graduation speeches,” Taylor said. “A rich tradition.”
