Marie Rem named Cerebral Palsy employee of year

Montclair — Cerebral Palsy of North Jersey presented West Milford resident Marie Rem with the Employee of the Year Award for their Horizon School at the agency’s annual conference at Montclair State University. The award recognizes the employee who exemplifies “a passion for enhancing the lives of individuals with disabilities, an appreciation of the importance of collaboration with others to achieve the most effective outcomes for our consumers, and an irrepressibly positive attitude towards their job, their program and their life.” Recipients of the prestigious award are selected by their program director for consistently influencing others in a positive way to accomplish agency goals and objectives. Marie was selected for her outstanding work as a teacher at the organization’s Horizon School in Livingston. The school serves more than 80 students ages 3-13 with multiple disabilities (older students attend Horizon High School, also in Livingston). “Marie’s ability to teach and affect others goes well beyond her students,” said Peggy Walsh, principal of Horizon School. “She has repeatedly helped staff members to develop and expand their skills. She has also been a leader in strengthening our curriculum, most recently by introducing music therapy to her class.” Cerebral Palsy of North Jersey provides specialized programs to meet a wide range of educational, therapeutic and social needs of people with various disabilities. In addition to Horizon School and Horizon High School, the agency offers a variety of programs that include: three adult day programs that serve more than 170 individuals with developmental disabilities; an early intervention program that serves more than 600 infants directly in their homes; a community therapy program that serves almost 200 students in 33 public schools; three community residences and a specialized 24-unit apartment complex.