It is important to celebrate Black excellence and produce a positive image for students and colleagues of color sitting in the same desks Kingsway Alumni once did. Two inspirations to Kingsway Black students are Mel Carter and Robert Page.

Coach Mel: The Pillar of Kingsway Community and Athletic Success
Have you ever met someone who can represent minorities in more ways than one, inspiring individuals to overcome physical disability and life as a minority? Kingsway Regional High School´s Class of 1988, Melvin Carter had outstanding performances in Track and Field, Football, and Basketball throughout high school. Carter always admired the individuals who have gone through Kingsway and come back to serve the community. Therefore, Carter did exactly that. To further his academic and athletic career in football, Carter went on to Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, which he proudly admits is the first Historically Black University. Unfortunately, a life-threatening car accident altered the direction of Carter’s life, as he became handicapped. However since graduating, Carter is most glad about returning home and his involvement with the youth and community. He is a paraprofessional, assistant Cross Country coach and Track and Field Sprints coach at Kingsway. Carter is father of one son who is also a Kingsway graduate and had the pleasure of coaching, continuing his athletic legacy of all Conference, all Gloucester County, all South Jersey Group II in Football and Track, South Jersey Group II Champion in Hurdles and 4×100 Relay, and Dragon Award winner. Carter expresses, ¨I hope to have an impact on students’ lives¨. Carter reminisces on his glory days at Kingsway, describing it as, ¨Amazing¨, when asked to put his experience in one word. Carter advises for Black students attending Kingsway today to, ¨Keep your head up and keep moving forward. Don´t look back on negativity and think positive, always¨, as he would ¨not turn back anything that he has done or been through¨ at Kingsway.

Coach Page: The Legacy of Robert Page Jr. ¨RJ¨
How many Kingsway graduates can boast about being a triple threat academically and athletically? How many of these triple threats are minorities? How many of these minorities return to Kingsway to inspire others? Robert Page Jr., to the Kingsway Regional high school Class of 2008 better known as “RJ”, is the epitome of black excellence. With an incomparable work ethic, Page describes his experience at Kingsway in one word, “work”, as from the first day of ninth grade to graduation, on and off the field, that was his devotion.

In the classroom, Page was an Honor Student, making the principal’s list each year, and had perfect attendance— never missing a single day out of one-hundred and eighty all four years. He was a star varsity athlete, being an asset to Kingsway’s Football, Basketball, and Spring Track and Field teams. After four individuals state titles in Track and Field (breaking Kingsway records), “crowned” fastest man in New Jersey (2008), Dragon Award winner, Senior of the Year and Month winner, and graduating within the top eight percent of his class, Page went on to further his academic and athletic career at Boston University, a Division I NCAA Track and Field, with a dual major of Bachelor of Science Business Administration and concentration in management information systems, as well as, a Bachelor of Arts in economics.

Page’s success exceeded  Kingsway, as he became Boston University’s top male scholar-athlete, 2013 USTFCA NCAA Academic All American, multiple dean list honors, 3.5+ cumulative GPA, several conference championships, shattering records, and NCAA qualifiers. However, since graduating, the most positive change in Page’s life is “being blessed with a beautiful family, a great career, and an inclusive community”. Page said, “I have a beautiful wife Jasmine, and 3 crazy kids, Blaine (4), Logan (2), and Brody (7 months)”. Page owns a lawn and landscaping company, Page Property Group, LLC, with a mission of serving the local community.

In addition to his company, he serves the community he grew up in by coaching a Winter Track and Field at Kingsway and serving at First Baptist Church of Swedesboro. When Page has downtime he enjoys spending time with his family and friends. Although Page does not recall anything specific that Kingsway administration did to celebrate Black History Month, with an exception of the Black Club he was a part of, he believes the “intentional(ness) of dedicating an entire month to focus on something so important that is not taught or discussed enough. Each and every year during Black History Month people are learning more about black history and culture and being proud because of it”.

In recent years, Page is glad Black individuals are “deciding to ‘own the culture’ and move it forward”. If Page had to choose a Black idol, his choice would be “Barack Obama and Colin Kapernick in recent years for all he’s done”. Similar to Page’s inspiration from those Black monumental figures, he advises the Black students currently attending Kingsway to “Work hard, do your best and give your all in any and all things you do. Be grateful for what you have and not be concerned with what you don’t have. Take advantage of opportunities that come your way, believe in yourself and faith over fear”.

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