MOUNT OLIVE (11/21/06) – The Board of Education, in a special meeting last night, appointed one of four applicants to fill the two year unexpired term of Trustee Miffy Ruggiero, who resigned earlier this month. She is engaged to be married and is moving to Florida.

The board named in her place Mrs. Rene Gadelha, a comely mother of two small children, one, Daniela, a first grader in the Sandshore School and Nina, who is three and a half. Her husband, Edward (Duda) Gadelha is employed by Verizon where he works with large businesses.

Rene, 35, a Virginia native, was raised there and in Washington, D.C. and has lived here nine years. She is a free lance writer of education materials for school textbooks, working on assignments from publishers.

She holds an undergraduate degree in English and Psychology from Radford College and a graduate degree in Instruction and Curriculum from Kean University.

She says she’s always had an interest in education, having taught at Ridge High School in Basking Ridge and Jefferson High School in Jefferson. She also taught one semester at Sussex County College. She was a substitute teacher at Sandshore and a member of the Home and School Partnership there.

She feels strongly about being a "stay at home mom," and at the same time maintains a strong desire to apply her education, experience and interest in education in a positive way. Her work and being a member of the school board will allow her to do that.

Three other candidates applied and were interviewed by the board… Frank Pignatero, Ruth Ann Fulton and Jack Abbott.

Board President Anthony Strillacci thanked all for applying, expressed the difficulty of picking just one and urged those who weren’t picked to retain their interest in serving on the board and run in future school board elections.