North Region

Come From Away: Lessons in Empathy, Leadership, and Community

Friday, March 28, 2025, 5:30-7:00 PM

Location: The Woman’s Club of Morristown: 51 South St. Morristown, NJ

Cost: $47


On September 11, 2001, 38 planes carrying over 7,000 passengers were diverted from the US Air Space and landed in the small town of Gander in Newfoundland, Canada. The story of how the community rallied to support the “plane people” is the inspiration for the musical Come From Away.

Join us for a pre-show workshop facilitated by Dr. Matthew Mingle to learn about themes presented in Come From Away. The workshop will feature special guest appearances from Kevin Tuerff and Tom McKeon, real-life inspirations for characters in the show. Participants will leave the workshop with ideas on how to incorporate themes of kindness, empathy, and leadership at home and in the classroom. 

Light dinner will be served. All attendees will receive access to Pay it Forward 9/11’s 11 Days of Kindness for Kids lesson plans.

100% of ticket proceeds will be donated to Pay it Forward 9/11, a non-profit, charitable organization inspired by compassionate Canadians on 9/11 with a mission to promote random acts of kindness and compassion every September 11th to honor lives lost in the 9/11 attacks.

Come From Away will play at the Mayo Performing Arts Center Friday, March 28 through Sunday March 30. Show tickets can be purchased from the venue and are not included with this event. 

As part of our own Pay It Forward Initiative, workshop attendees are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item to donate to the Interfaith Food Pantry in Morristown.

Contact us: NJASCDNorth@gmail.com

Regional Officers

  • Jessica Nathan

    CO-DIRECTOR

    Supervisor of Elementary Education, Montville Township School District

  • Freddie Shaker

    CO-DIRECTOR

    Curriculum Supervisor, Somerville

  • Corey Cohen

    TREASURER

    Dean of Students, Franklin

  • Courtney McGovern

    SECRETARY & PUBLICITY CHAIR

    STEM Teacher, Somerset Hills School District

  • Neel Desai

    PUBLICITY CHAIR & MEMBER-AT-LARGE

    Principal, Piscataway

  • Monica Crudele

    MEMBER-AT-LARGE

    Principal, Morris Plains

  • Matt Santos

    MEMBER-AT-LARGE

    Supervisor, Green Brook

  • Jamil Maroun

    MEMBER-AT-LARGE

    Superintendent, Manville

  • Matthew Mawn

    MEMBER-AT-LARGE

    Supervisor of Science, Engineering, Technology, Design, & Visual Arts, Roxbury Township School District

  • Tom Sharples

    IMMEDIATE PAST CO-DIRECTOR (2021 - 2023)

    Assistant Principal, Bernards Township

  • Truc-Lan Vu

    IMMEDIATE PAST CO-DIRECTOR (2021 - 2023)

    Assistant Principal, Edison

Educational Leadership Blog Series

Feature articles written by colleagues of NJASCD North aligned with ASCD’s monthly EL magazine. Click the images to read the blogs!