Nicole Gonzalez

Despite a hint of drizzles and lingering gray skies, students of Irving Primary School and their families were nonetheless cleared for take-off.

Irving Primary School principal Nancy Romano didn’t bat an eye last week when police detectives, fire department officials and a state trooper took seats in classrooms throughout her school.

She didn’t wince to see students – and staff! – strolling the hallways in pajamas and slippers. And she didn’t interfere when an 8-foot tall cat entered the building and riled up the entire student body.

The rows of extra folding chairs set up in the Irving School Media Center were the first indication that the December PTO meeting would be atypical. That the chairs were filled completely before the start of the meeting was the second sign.

Despite its diminutive size, Highland Park prides itself on being global minded, on emphasizing the success of our students, and for being progressive on issues such as the environment. So it comes as no surprise that three of Highland Park’s own alumni are integral employees of one of the smartest and greenest raw material export companies in the country, Anbakam Metals, based out of East Brunswick.

The company name comes from a word that means “house of love” in Tamil and Indian dialect. Though, with its ever-growing ventures, its international recognition, and a goal of growing into a billion-dollar-a-year company, Anbakam Metals seems more a budding empire than a simple house.