WLB resident heads special-needs school Sheryl Gavaras named principal at medical and education center BY DANIEL HOWLEY Staff Writer WEST LONG BRANCH - One West Long Branch woman calls her recent promotion to head the educational department at a medical and learning center for the developmentally disabled the pinnacle of her career in education. Sheryl Gavaras was named principal at the Matheny Medical and Educational Center School in Peapack in September. In her new role at the center, Gavaras said, she can continue to monitor the educational progress of students as well as follow their physical well-being. "It's all about the children," Gavaras said last week. "I will never lose that touch with working with children in the classroom. "The day I can't do that is the day I think I'll walk out," she added. The Matheny Medical and Educational Center offers learning opportunities for children and young adults who suffer from a variety of developmental disabilities, including muscular dystrophy, spina bifida, cerebal palsy and Lesch-Nyhan disease. Matheny serves both the educational and the health-care needs of its students, according to Gavaras. The center's focus is to improve the quality of life of people living with disabilities, in an atmosphere that fosters both emotional and educational growth, according to the Matheny Web site. Gavaras said that watching the children grow and learn is what keeps her dedicated to her job. "The big pull for me is that they are so enthusiastic about learning," Gavaras said of the students at Matheny. "[It's] great to see the progress our kids make." Gavaras was first hired at Matheny in 2002 as a program coordinator, and while working at the center, she was instrumental in introducing a computer program to address the special needs of the students. The program was developed by Gavaras and Matheny's technology coordinator, Alex Fraumann. The idea for the program came to the two while attending the National Educational Computing Conference, according to Gavaras. "The conference's keynote speaker spoke of a program which was put together to send $100 laptops to underdeveloped countries. Gavaras said she is aware of how technology benefits students and thought that purchasing laptops would be extremely beneficial to the students at Matheny. The nature of the students' disabilities at Matheny leaves some of them unable to communicate verbally, according to Gavaras. "With the one-to-one program, students are able to use a specially modified laptop," Gavaras said. "The laptops open such a world to them. "By using a specialized application that allows the students to preprogram voice commands onto their computers, they are able to go out into stores and purchase items or order food at a restaurant, things that most people seldom think twice about," she said. Gavaras said the school purchased the computers through a grant from Verizon. The laptops at the school are being used in a select class of older students, but Gavaras said that at some point she would like to see them used more widely. "Technology is the best way to go for our kids," she said. "And that's why you see them excel." Gavaras earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology/social work with departmental distinction from the Christopher Newport College of the College at William and Mary, now known as Christopher Newport University. She went on receive her Master of Social Work from The School of Social Services at Fordham University. Gavaras also recently completed the New Jersey Expedited Certification for Educational Leadership program, a postmaster's certification that requires candidates to have five years of experience before they can be considered qualified to participate in the program. Anyone interested in making donations to the Matheny Medical and Educational Center can contact Fay Mackey at the Development Department at (908) 234-0011, ext. 214, or Gail Cunningham at ext. 282.