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Bagel Express receives $10K grant which helped it to spruce-up its storefront on Diamond Bridge Avenue, Hawthorne, NJ: Feb. 2025

Bagel Express receives $10K grant which helped it to spruce-up its storefront on Diamond Bridge Avenue, Hawthorne, NJ: Feb. 2025Photo Credit: Courtesy of Neighborhood Preservation Program

Bagel Express receives $10K grant which helped it to spruce-up its storefront on Diamond Bridge Avenue, Hawthorne, NJ: Feb. 2025Photo Credit: Courtesy of Neighborhood Preservation Program

Bagel Express receives $10K grant which helped it to spruce-up its storefront on Diamond Bridge Avenue, Hawthorne, NJ: Feb. 2025Photo Credit: Courtesy of Neighborhood Preservation Program

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By Rebecca Greene

Published February 13, 2025 at 12:37 PM

Last updated February 14, 2025 at 4:40 PM

HAWTHORNE, NJ - Frank Scola, owner of Bagel Express, gave his business a facelift.

“We are thrilled to announce that Frank Scola from Bagel Express is the first grant recipient of Hawthorne's Neighborhood Preservation Program Signage and Facade Improvement Project!” NPP Coordinator Nancy Agnello said.

With the $10,000 he was awarded, Scola revitalized his storefront, 210 Diamond Bridge Avenue.

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What did his updates entail: The awning was updated and expanded, replacing a faded version. The façade behind the awning was repaired and refreshed, and the entire building front was power washed and repainted to enhance its appearance.

“This marks a major milestone in our ongoing efforts to beautify and enhance the local business community,” Agnello said. Bagel Express is one of seven storefronts, thus far, who have taken advantage of this incredible opportunity!"

“We can’t wait to see more businesses flourish with the support of the NPP project, and we look forward to continuing our work to bring fresh energy and vibrancy to Hawthorne's Gateway District.”

“Thanks to Mayor Lane’s cooperation and enthusiasm, we are able to advance this initiative with great anticipation for its continued success,” Agnello said.

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HAWTHORNE — An educator with proven experience in another part of Passaic County was hired Tuesday to be the next superintendent of schools.

Matthew Mignanelli, the director of secondary education for the Wayne K-12 district, was appointed by the Board of Education at a public meeting in the high school auditorium.

Mignanelli, 45, who holds a master’s degree in education administration, and who is pursuing a doctorate from Saint Peter’s University, beat out nearly four dozen applicants for the job. Eight candidates were interviewed, trustees said.

The incoming schools chief said he was charmed by the small-town vibe in Hawthorne. “I’m really excited about being part of the community,” he said after the meeting. “It seemed like a really great fit as soon as I met the board.”

Story continues below photo gallery.

He will succeed Richard Spirito, who announced his retirement in December after more than 30 years in the field and a decade as the leader of the local K-12 district.

Mignanelli, whose employment takes effect on July 1, will be paid an initial annual salary of $200,000 under a four-year pact. He will be in charge of a five-school district with an enrollment of just over 2,400 students, a faculty of 268 certificated employees and an operating budget of $57.7 million.

He and his 9-year-old son, Jack, were in the front row of seats in the auditorium as trustees voted on the contract. He nodded his head and thanked them for placing their trust in him. He later introduced himself to the principals and other school administrators who were there to meet him.

“We look forward to your leadership and the new opportunities that lie ahead,” said Marco Totaro, the school board president. “We’re confident that under your guidance, we’ll continue to build on the strong foundation and great work achieved by Dr. Spirito during his distinguished tenure.”

Mignanelli began his career as a social studies teacher at Iona Preparatory, a Catholic school in New Rochelle, New York. He climbed the professional ladder in Wayne for the past 15 years — first, as a high school history teacher before becoming a principal at Schuyler-Colfax Middle School, where he helped to create a TV studio and implement a STEM program.

He has been in his current role since December 2020. In that capacity, he is responsible for developing new curricula and overseeing student assessments.

Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news in your community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: devencentis@northjersey.com

HAWTHORNE — The local movie theater will host a free screening next week of “No Other Land,” an acclaimed film that examines the destruction of a Palestinian village over the course of five years.

The film, which won the Oscar for best documentary feature last month, shows at close range the squalid living conditions and violence in the West Bank as its inhabitants are forced to flee Israeli occupation. It takes place before the current war began.

The screening will be on April 10 at 7 p.m. at Hawthorne Theaters, at 300 Lafayette Ave.

The event is co-sponsored by borough residents Janice and Jack Lohr and Wider World Circle, the charitable arm of The Unitarian Society of Ridgewood. Donations will go to Mercy Corps, an international nonprofit that has aided Palestinians in occupied territories for nearly 40 years.

Jack Lohr said he and his wife are renting the 289-seat auditorium because they want the important film to be available to their neighbors. He said they were also inspired by a story covered by The Record and NorthJersey.com in November 2023 about an imam and rabbi who called for mutual understanding amid raging hostilities in the Middle East.

“We hope that viewers will come with open hearts and minds,” he said.

The event, Lohr said, has the dual purpose of boosting the nearly century-old movie theater — one of the few remaining examples of an independent cinema in this area.

George Sayegh, its owner, said he appreciates the support.

“We’re living in a time when small theaters are closing up at a rapid and concerning rate,” he said. “Independent cinema is the backbone of the film industry, and it should be treated as such.”

“No Other Land,” which debuted at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2024, zeroes in on the village of Masafer Yatta and a young man, Basel Adra, who resists the forced migration of his people.

Adra co-directed the film with three other activists, including Yuval Abraham, an Israeli journalist. Their friendship serves as the basis for the documentary being produced.

Despite its positive appraisal by critics, “No Other Land” has been condemned by the Israeli government and by the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

In response to the film winning an Oscar, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, part of the larger boycott movement, said in a statement that “Palestinians don’t need validation, legitimation or permission from Israelis to narrate our history, our present, our experiences, our dreams and our resistance.”

The triggering film continued to make the news days later.

Just last week, one of its co-directors, Hamdan Ballal, was attacked and temporarily held captive by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank. Adra said he was among several witnesses to the alleged ambush.

Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news in your community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: devencentis@northjersey.com

HAWTHORNE — Richard Spirito, who has been at the helm of the K-12 district for a decade as its superintendent of schools, announced that he will retire this summer.

A search committee of the Board of Education received 45 applications, and trustees are expected to choose a candidate to replace him at a meeting this month.

Under his command, the district equipped students with their own laptops, partnered with the borough to put armed guards in schools and passed a $24.4 million bond referendum in resounding fashion.

Spirito, 55, who entered the profession as a mathematics teacher for the Norwood K-8 district in September 1993, also established the Bear Cave program for 18- to 21-year-old students with special needs who need help to transition from school to adulthood.

The unique program, based on Lafayette Avenue, is regarded as the first off-campus setting of its kind in Passaic County.

Spirito, a borough native who holds a doctorate in education leadership from Seton Hall University, said having to announce his retirement was bittersweet because the local school system has played such a significant role in his life.

“Being the superintendent in Hawthorne is more than a job to me — it’s personal,” he said, addressing the public at a recent meeting.

His father, also Richard Spirito, was the assistant superintendent and superintendent here for 18 years while his mother, Patricia Spirito, was a longtime teacher at Roosevelt School. He graduated from Hawthorne High School in 1988, and each of his four children — plus seven nephews and nieces — are enrolled in or have gone through the district.

Spirito is paid a salary of $220,588, according to pension records. His administration oversees an annual budget of $54.1 million and a faculty of more than 400 employees. His retirement takes effect on Aug. 1.

Passing the bond proposal in September 2019 was one of the high spots of a successful tenure.

The funding package covered improvements at all five schools, including renovations to science labs and repairs to leaky roofs. Asbestos was abated at three buildings, and at Jefferson School, an art and music classroom was upgraded.

Prior to his appointment in September 2014, Spirito was the superintendent of the Hillsdale K-8 district. He also coached varsity football in Hawthorne and at Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan.

Spirito shouldered a new challenge in January, becoming an adjunct professor of education at Passaic County Community College.

But his experience working in Hawthorne is among the “most rewarding” of his long career, he said.

“As I close this important chapter in my life, I leave with a sense of pride in all that we’ve accomplished together,” Spirito said. “And I say ‘together’ because that’s been the key.”

Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news in your community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: devencentis@northjersey.com