Above, Noel Yumang (left), Amanda Poulson, Johnathan Holmes and Justin Feldman, all 8, work on writing a picture poem in their class at the Howard R. Yocum School. At left, freshman Sam Nieves, 15, (left) and sophomore Sue Hilbert, 16, tape a mock news broadcast for their mass media class at Maple Shade High School.

Maple Shade population, 5-14 1990: 1,799 2000: 2,059 Change: 14.4% Source: 2000 Census

It has a lot going for it - in particular, the community spirit that has spilled over into every one of the district's four schools.

"Maple Shade is a very unique town with an incredible amount of pride. It's reflected in the fact that so many of our graduates go on to college, the work force or the military," said Superintendent Cheryl L. Smith.

Most of them, she added, move back to Maple Shade to settle down, with the goal of enrolling their children in the school system.

When summer band, field trips for all grades and sports for grades 7 through 9 were cut from the school budget, parents fought to have them returned - noting how they enjoyed those activities when they attended Maple Shade schools. The district kept money from the capital reserve account to fund the activities, and the 2003-04 budget passed on April 15.

According to the 2000 Census, the ranks of school-age children in the township grew by 285 in the 1990s. They are continuing to increase in the first decade of the 21st century. In fact, Smith said, there are 400 more students in the district than there were 10 years ago.

With a new senior citizen complex going up on Main Street, she expects more young families to purchase homes from seniors moving into the complex.

Smith anticipates a kindergarten enrollment of 160 in September - 14 more than this year's kindergarten class - and noted that the incoming eighth-grade class is almost double the size of this year's 107-member graduating senior class.

In 1999, the townspeople passed a bond referendum allowing a $7 million addition to be built at Howard R. Yocum Elementary. The addition, which opened in 2001, tripled the size of the school and allowed the district to reorganize its elementary grades for maximum academic potential.

With the Yocum addition, Maple Shade was able to implement full-day kindergarten. All 2,200 district students now attend Yocum through second grade, then go to Maude Wilkins Elementary School for grades 3 and 4 and Ralph J. Steinhauer School for grades 5 and 6. They then move on to Maple Shade High School, which has a junior high section for grades 7 and 8 and the senior section for grades 9 through 12.

"This is a small town, and it's important for teachers in one grade to be in one place. It has really allowed us to move ahead academically in a positive manner," Smith said.

There are 510 students at Yocum School, including 24 preschoolers.

Yocum Principal Daniel P. Gaffney said the state recently monitored the school and was impressed by the small-school atmosphere.

The school includes a mini-lab with 12 computers, and a minimum of three computers in each classroom.

"We want to make this a fun place for kids - and we challenge them," Gaffney said.

Fun and challenges go hand in hand in Carol DiCugno's kindergarten class.

"I like to play housekeeping," said 6-year-old Anudeep Kaur, pointing to a play kitchen/workshop in a corner of her classroom.

Said her classmate Jazmyne Rice-Cauley, 5, "I work on my journal."

Ricardo Flores, 6, said his favorite part of class is playing computer games.

Added Jennifer Lee, 6, "I like coloring and reading."

There is a reading club for the kindergartners, who can also participate in other clubs and in a "Little Shaders" program before and after school.

In Betty Procopio's second-grade class, students have been using computers to augment their studies.

"I study about history on the computer," 8-year-old Deanna Duran said.

Joshua Stibi, 8, likes conducting computer searches.

"Sometimes I go on games, and sometimes I search for animals," he said.

From Yocum, students continue at Maude Wilkins. Modern bathrooms were recently installed at Wilkins, whose oldest section was built in 1919. Now, the district is discussing a referendum that will focus on expanding the school.

"It is bulging at the seams and needs work done. It needs a separate cafeteria and gymnasium, and we need more classrooms," Smith said.

Cost of the referendum has not yet been projected, but the vote will occur within two years, she said.

Following two more years at Steinhauer School, students spend six years at Maple Shade High School, including two at the junior high level.

District pride is also evident at the high school, which opened in 1972.

The high school has renovated its science labs and will turn another classroom into a new science lab this summer. The auditorium has also just been renovated, with the installation of air conditioning, and new sound and lighting systems.

There are currently 907 students enrolled in junior/senior high, principal Ray Marini said.

The high school has a large Human Relations Club, with 80 to 90 members. It focuses on raising awareness and understanding of the different cultural backgrounds represented at the school. There is also an International Club and a high school diversity festival.

The high school has four computer labs. It also has its own television station which broadcasts throughout the district through the local cable system.

About 84 percent of the district's students go on to college or other continuing education, Marini said.

"Our students are into everything, and are diverse in their talents," Marini noted.

Senior Dawn Minchin, 17, takes honors classes.

"The honors classes here have really helped prepare us," said Minchin, a track team member who plans to major in graphics design at Arcadia College.