Visitors to Borough Hall on Wednesday April 22nd may have been surprised, if they asked to see the Mayor, to find out that she was a fifth grader and her top advisor was a Bartle School teacher.

Grace Smalley, a student at the Bartle School, served as 'Mayor for a Day' and learned about the many challenges our town's top elected official faces in her work.

The Mayor for a Day activities were part of Highland Park's observance of NJ Local Government Week, an initiative of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities. The Borough of Highland Park is an active member of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, which advocates for town interests in the NJ State government, and Mayor Elsie Foster serves on their Executive Board.

In her time as Mayor for a Day, Grace met with Mayor Foster and learned about the Borough's years-long efforts to advance redevelopment on Raritan Ave and to build a town square on South 3rd Ave., met with Highland Park Community Center Director Kim McGraw and heard about the many activities and services of the center, and reviewed, approved, and signed a proclamation in honor of the Bartle School's Student Peer Leadership Council prepared by Borough communications staff.

Grace also met with Assistant Borough Administrator Jacob Callahan and learned about a (fictional) problem with the Borough budget that the Mayor for a Day had to address. Later that day Grace met with six other Bartle School students, serving as 'Council for a Day,' and discussed how to address the problem - with coaching by actual Borough Council Member Jason Postelnik. The Mayor for a Day and Council for a Day then met with 'members of the public,' a group of additional students from Bartle School, to whom they presented the problem, shared their solution, and took questions.

The Borough is very grateful for the assistance of Bartle School Principal Jennifer Knapp and Student Peer Leadership Council Advisor Lindsey Scilleri in organizing this innovative and fun civics education activity.