"Marlene has done so many things above and beyond teaching library skills," Miskelly said. "She brought in the Reading Is Fundamental Program and started teaching the kids to use computers. Marlene has such a sweet personality and is an 'A-Number-One' school librarian."
Her current principal at Silver Run School, Pamela Moore, said: "Marlene provides a warm environment for students to learn in the library. She gives them the opportunity to open the world through books."

Paladino recalled: "I always liked to read. I grew up in North Vineland. I would take a bus for 25 cents to the Vineland Library to get books. My favorite was 'Little Women.' "

Though she graduated ninth in the Class of 1957 at Sacred Heart High School in Vineland, she chose to marry her husband, Vito, instead of go to college, much to the dismay of her teacher.

"He had graduated from the Pennsylvania Military College (now Widener University). After we were married, I went to Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas," Paladino said. Besides various assignments in the United States, the Paladinos lived on military bases in France, Germany and Italy.

And they had four children, with whom Marlene Paladino shared her love of books as she read to daughters Francine, Stephanie and Danielle and son Vito Jr. She and her husband, a retired Army officer, now have seven grandchildren to whom she has read whenever she had the opportunity.

"When Vito went to Korea and other places I couldn't go, we'd come back to Vineland to stay. And when he was assigned to Fort Dix (Burlington County), I decided I wanted to go to college," Paladino said. "It took me five years, but I got my bachelor of science degree as an education media specialist in 1978 from the then Trenton State College."

After a brief stint as a substitute teacher in Vineland, Paladino was hired that December by Miskelly as the Culver School librarian. For a number of years, she shared her time with Bacon School, as well.

A fire in March 1982 caused extensive damage to Culver School and many of the books were ruined.

"Mr. Miskelly, Betty (his wife) and I spent hours cleaning books and were able to save some," Paladino said. Pointing to a picture on her desk that she had saved from the fire, Paladino said it was of her grandson, Daniel Parks, as a child. Next to it was his wedding picture.

Paladino has fond memories of her years at Culver, including being a coach of the Gifted & Talented Program and introducing the Reading Is Fundamental program. "Every student received a least three paperbacks to keep," she said. "Some of them never had books of their own."

Culver later closed as a school and is now the administration building. When Silver Run opened in March 1992, Paladino made the new spacious library into an inviting, comfortable place for students.

"I see a lot of potential discipline problems, but when I read a story to them, the children calm down and listen," Paladino said. "I have 30 scheduled classes - 40 minutes each - a week," Paladino said.

"We have the 'Accelerated Reader Program,' which emphasizes not just reading a book, but comprehending it," Paladino said. It also ties in with the use of computers.

Although she's planning to retire at the end of this school year, Paladino said: "I've loved every minute working in Millville. When Dr. Moore told me that I was chosen teacher of the year for the school and the district, I started to cry. I could not believe it."

But being retired doesn't mean she won't continue her other varied activities, including being a member of a quilting group and a cooking group.

"I've taught CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) classes at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Newfield for about 15 years to third-graders and I love doing it," she said.

Paladino also participates in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Cumberland and Salem counties. She's a "Big Sister" to Fahren Rilley, 8, a third-grader at Silver Run School.

Besides having more time to read, Paladino and her husband plan do more traveling, which she hopes will include trips back to France, Germany and Italy where they lived during part of the time that he was in the Army