New Arthur L. Johnson High School Leadership
Clark Public Schools
At the August 11, 2022 Special Board of Education Meeting, the new Arthur L. Johnson High School Principal and Assistant Principal were appointed.
Mrs. Tara Oliveira (Gerstner) will be the ALJ Principal. An alumnus of the ALJ Class of 2000, she pursued her post-secondary education at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. While at Lehigh she earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English, a Master’s Degree in Technology Education, and a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership.
After holding positions as both a high school and middle school English Teacher in Pennsylvania, she returned to New Jersey and secured a position as an English Teacher at Governor Livingston High School in Berkeley Heights.
Most recently, she has served ten years as the Assistant Principal of Governor Livingston High School, during which time she was named the NJ Visionary Assistant Principal of the Year, as well as the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) National Assistant Principal of the Year for New Jersey.
Mrs. Oliveira has held several district-level leadership positions, including School Security Specialist and District Testing Coordinator. She resides in Clark with her husband and two daughters.
Mrs. Katrina Poskay will be the ALJ Assistant Principal. She began her teaching career with the Clark Public School District in 1998. During her 24-year tenure as an English teacher, she instructed English IV, English IV Honors, AP Literature and Composition, and AP Language and Composition students. She was selected as ALJ’s recipient of the Governor’s Educator of the Year award in 2017.
She served as the head field hockey coach for 22 seasons, amassing 297 wins for the Crusaders and received multiple coach of the year accolades. Her teams won numerous divisional titles, three state sectional championships (2008, 2010, 2011) and the school’s first Union County Championship in 2009.
She also advised the district newsletter, The Pride, since its inception in 2007 and the school’s literary magazine, The Quest, since 2001.
Mrs. Poskay has a B.A. in English with a concentration in Creative Writing and an M.A. in Educational Administration. She resides in Clark with her husband, Matthew, and her three children.
Mr. Steven Donkersloot, Board of Education President, said, “I am excited to see all that Mrs. Oliveira is bringing to both ALJ and our district. I am also happy to see Mrs. Poskay, one of our own ALJ staff, stepping into becoming our Assistant Principal. They are both going to be great additions to our administrative team. I wish them the best of luck.”
Mr. Thomas Lewis, Board of Education Vice President and Personnel Committee Chair, said, “These two individuals are role models for our students and staff. I am happy for them but even happier for us. This is a true win for the Clark School District. I applaud the fact that they are stakeholders in the Clark community.”
Mr. Edward Grande, Superintendent of Schools, said, “Mrs. Oliveira and Mrs. Poskay are certain to lead ALJ in the most positive of directions. They are coming into their new positions with the backgrounds and skillsets needed to realize true greatness. Their energy is contagious, and I am beyond excited to work with them in their new positions and learn with and from them.”
