Emily Cerankowski Named Lincroft School
TEACHER OF THE YEAR
Emily Cerankowski has been
16 APRIL 2020 | TheJournalNJ.com
named Lincroft Elementary
School’s Teacher of the Year. She
teaches third grade and has been a
member of the faculty for four years.
Prior to coming to Lincroft Elementary,
she taught third grade in the Nutley
Public School District for ve years.
She was born in Nutley and moved
with her family to Pennsylvania where
she graduated from Notre Dame High
School in Easton, Pennsylvania.
She attended Fairleigh Dickinson
University, receiving a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a masters in elementary
education.
During this writer’s interview, Cerankowski casually mentioned that she
played basketball for FDU and said nothing more. A bit of post-interview research
proved there was more to the story.
Cerankowski led the FDU Devils in scoring all four years and her career
free throw percentage of 79.3 percent still tops the school’s all-time best. At
the time of her graduation, she was second all-time in career points scored
(1,726) and rst all-time in three-pointers made (153). She was inducted into
the FDU Hall of Fame in 2014. Be advised – do not be lured into a one-on-one
pickup game with this third grade teacher.
Cerankowski resides in Long Branch where she shares her home with a
10-year-old beagle mix named Stella.
“She has been my sidekick for nine years,” Cerankowski exclaimed. She
has a brother who is an attorney in New York City. “I would like to credit my
parents for instilling a strong work ethic in my brother and me,” she stated.
She is also a certied personal trainer. She trains clients at Fresh Personal
Training in Little Silver.
In her leisure time, she enjoys surng year-round and being near the ocean.
“I am very active and workout daily,” stated Cerankowski. “I love hiking,
being outdoors, and spending time with friends and family and of course my
fur baby, Stella!”
Commenting on her experiences as an educator, Cerankowski said, “I
have always had a passion for learning, teaching and working with children. I
especially enjoy teaching third grade because I have the ability to make such
a huge impact on my students’ lives. I am so grateful to form unique relationships
with each of my students and their families that extend far beyond
their third grade year. It was so very humbling to receive the Teacher of the
Year honor, but I truly have to thank my students, past and present, for giving
me the opportunity to teach them each and every day and for making it fun
to come to work each day.”
Middletown High School South’s Stephanie Mayerhofer and Kayla
Richardson have been named to the Shore Conference A-North
All-Division basketball team. Both athletes are seniors bound for
Division 1 programs. Divisional team selections were based on voting by
the Shore Conference Basketball Coaches Association.
Mayerhofer engineered the Eagles’ offense while averaging 10.4
points per game. She was credited with changing the momentum of several
contests with 46 three-pointers on the season.
A 61-49 home win over Howell showcased her best performance of
the season. In that game, she scored 20 points, with two buckets coming
from three-point land. The senior guard also swept ve rebounds, was
credited with three steals and dispensed four assists. Mayerhofer will be
joining the Bryant University Bulldogs next year.
Richardson was a dominant force under the rim, leading the squad
with 15.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. She was also a threat from
the outside with 20 three-pointers during the 2019-20 campaign.
Richardson scored 397 points on the season and netted her 1,000th
career point in a game against Rumson-Fair Haven High School. On defense,
she was credited with 26 blocks and 30 steals this year. Richardson
has committed to La Salle University.
“Both will be sorely missed,” South Head Coach Tom Brennan said.
“They left legacies of strong work ethic and showed tremendous growth
over their four years. They prepared the underclass teammates to make a
traditional Middletown South run these next couple of years.”
BY LES PIERCE
Middletown South’s Mayerhofer and Richardson
NAMED TO ALL-DIVISION BASKETBALL TEAM
BY LES PIERCE
Lincroft Elementary School Teacher
of the Year Emily Cerankowski
(LEFT) Stephanie Mayerhofer (RIGHT) Kayla Richardson
/TheJournalNJ.com