Maurice Hawk School

Maurice Hawk School, 2022, from Paul Ligeti.

Historical Overview

Standing at 305 Clarksville Road is Maurice Hawk School - one of the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District's educational institutions. 

​In the early 1960s, West Windsor was at the start of its suburban growth. As more and more families moved in, the youth population grew as well. As early as 1961, West Windsor began discussions for the construction of a new school. That year, the decision was made to name the new school after Maurice H. Hawk.[1] Born in 1881[2] - reputedly at the Schenck Farmstead[3] - Maurice (pronounced "Morris") joined the West Windsor Board of Education in 1914 and served as its Secretary for the next 44 years.[4] He was also West Windsor Township's Treasurer for 39 years (1931-70).[5] 

On May 8, 1962, referendum voters approved the construction of this $725,000 school to be built on a 20-acre tract on Clarksville Road, directly next to the mid-1800s  "Princeton Junction Parsonage" schoolhouse.[6] Plans for the structure, designed to accommodate 425 students, had by then been architects Albert Micklewright and Samuel Mountford, architects of Trenton.[7],[8] See the rendering lower on this page for the original design.

Maurice H. Hawk.

Back then, Maurice Hawk was to be just one of three schools in West Windsor - the other two being Dutch Neck School and the long-gone Penns Neck School, both opened in 1917.[9] As Maurice Hawk School was being built, talk accelerated about relocating the Penns Neck School's students to Maurice Hawk, due to the Penns Neck School's outdated and smaller facilities.[10] 

Maurice Hawk school opened on April 6, 1964, to a class of 64 students.[11] Its first acting principal was Superintendent Frank J. Walton,[12] succeeded by Shelton Stern as the first permanent principal a few months later.[13] However, by 1966, Anthony Razzano had assumed principalship.[14] Following him were:

• Arthur C. Downs (from 1969-1978)[15],[16]
• Donald M. Rizzo (1978-1998)[17],[18]
• Denise A. Mengani (1998-2013)[19],[20]
• Patricia Buell (2014-2022)[19],[21]
• Sara Bright (2022-Present)[22],[23]

Click to enlarge.

Over the decades, the school has grown with West Windsor's population. In 1967, two wings with more classrooms were added to the rear.[24],[25],[26] In 1987, eight more classrooms were added to the east.[27],[28],[29] Further expansions were made in 1995 and 1998.[30] Finally, in 2018, construction began on a 30,000 square foot addition designed by FVHD Architects - a descendant of Micklewright and Mountford's business. This expansion, wrapping around much of the original portion of the school, houses more classrooms, resource rooms, an administrative office, and a secured main entry.[31],[32],[33],[34] Yet, despite all this growth, the school remains a legacy of a longtime local leader and continues to serve local children, as it's done since the beginning.

Architect's conceptual rendering of Maurice Hawk school in 1962.

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Bibliography

1. “Windsor Township To Name School After Maurice Hawk.” Trenton Sunday Times-Advertiser, December 31, 1961. 
2. ​Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church. (n.d.). Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church graveyard. West Windsor. Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church graveyard gravestones, which often list birth dates, death dates, and ages of those buried there - including those of many of West Windsor's oldest families.​
3. Mitchell, James. “Maurice H. Hawk,” 1963. 
4. “Maurice H. Hawk, School Board Aid.” Trenton Evening Times, August 30, 1972. 
5. ​​“West Windsor Township Meeting Minutes, 1797-2012.,” n.d. Original Township Committee meeting minute database located in the Municipal Center.
6. ​“West Windsor Voting Today on New School School.” Trenton Evening Times, May 8, 1962. 
7. “Maurice Hawk School.” Hand-drawn conceptual rendering of Maurice Hawk School, 1962. Minklewright and Mountford, n.d. 50 Southfield Road, West Windsor NJ. 1962. Located (in 2023) in the West Windsor History Museum.
8. ​“May 8 Tentative Date To Vote On New School.” Trenton Evening Times, March 27, 1962. 
9. ​“To Vote on Sale of Four Schools.” Trenton Evening Times, October 29, 1917. Mentions that "...the children of the township (are) now being taught in the fine new graded schools at Dutch Neck and Penn's Grove."​​
10. “Hawk School Opens Doors Tomorrow.” Trenton Sunday Times Advertiser, April 5, 1964.
11. Ibid.
12. “West Windsor Narrows Field For School Post.” Trenton Evening Times, May 19, 1964.
13. “School Board Opposes West Windsor Center.” Trenton Evening Times, June 16, 1964.
14. “Principal Named.” Princeton Herald, August 4, 1966. 
15. “Hawk School Opens Doors Tomorrow.” Trenton Sunday Times Advertiser, April 5, 1964.
16. “Principals Switched.” Town Topics, May 31, 1978.
17. ​Ibid.
18. ​Alvarado, Ivette P. “Curriculum Chief Hired; Principal Switches Schools.” Home News Tribune. July 24, 1998. 
19. Ibid.
20. Kim, Hye-Jin. “New Leadership at Maurice Hawk.” West Windsor and Plainsboro News. Community News Service, August 8, 2014. https://www.communitynews.org/news/new-leadership-at-maurice-hawk/article_2580210c-0025-50f4-bde3-a24162975a11.html. 
21. Ibid.
22. “Sara Bright Twitter Post: Aug. 17, 2022.” Twitter. Twitter, August 17, 2022. https://twitter.com/saralizbright?lang=en. Sarah Bright's Twitter post from Aug. 17, 2022. Full text: "During the fall of 2006, I accepted my first teaching position at @MauriceHawkWWP. Today I am lucky to return and serve the community as principal. #FullCircleMoment #HawkIsHappening"
23. “Maurice Hawk Elementary.” MAURICE HAWK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District. Accessed January 27, 2023. https://www.west-windsor-plainsboro.k12.nj.us/schools/maurice_hawk_elementary. 
24. “Bank Gets Bond Issue.” Town Topics, July 27, 1967.
25. "West Windsor Aerial Photography Composite Map, 1965.” Map. Historical Society of West Windsor - Map Archives. West Windsor, NJ, 1965.
26. "West Windsor Aerial Photography Composite Map, 1975.” Map. Historical Society of West Windsor - Map Archives. West Windsor, NJ, 1975.
27. “Growing West Windsor School District Awaits Opening of New Middle School.” Town Topics, March 25, 1987.
28. "West Windsor Aerial Photography Composite Map, 1985.” Map. Historical Society of West Windsor - Map Archives. West Windsor, NJ, 1985.
29. "West Windsor Aerial Photography Composite Map, 1990.” Map. Historical Society of West Windsor - Map Archives. West Windsor, NJ, 1990.
30. “DISTRICT LANDMARKS: SCHOOL OPENINGS/RENOVATIONS ,” 2015. Accessed online at: https://www.west-windsor-plainsboro.k12.nj.us/common/pages/DisplayFile.aspx?itemId=45611092
31. “FVHD Architects-Planners, Serving New Jersey (NJ) & Pennsylvania (PA).” Fraytak Veisz Hopkins Duthie, P.C. FVHD Architects & Planners. Accessed January 27, 2023. https://fvhdpc.com/about/history. 
32. “Maurice Hawk Elementary School.” Fraytak Veisz Hopkins Duthie, P.C. FVHD Architects & Planners. Accessed January 27, 2023. https://fvhdpc.com/portfolio/details.aspx?projectid=829. 
33. "West Windsor Aerial Photography Composite Map, May 2018.” Map. Historical Society of West Windsor - Map Archives. West Windsor, NJ, May 2018.
34. "West Windsor Aerial Photography Composite Map, August 2018.” Map. Historical Society of West Windsor - Map Archives. West Windsor, NJ, August 2018.