By Barbara A. Preston | Posted March 26, 2026
Montgomery Lower Middle School (LMS) hosted a joyous, and at times tearful, naturalization ceremony on March 25, welcoming 26 new citizens to the United States. Students, led by the LMS 5th grade band and chorus, sang the National Anthem, God Bless America, and “Land of Dreams.”
New citizen Zahra Sultan (right) with her husband Usman Khawar and two children. The family lives in Somerset. She is originally from Pakistan.
LMS student Lucca Parpinelli Freitas led the pledge of allegiance, which was pertinent given that his mother, Carolina Parpinelli of Belle Mead, was one of the new citizens taking the oath of allegiance.
Montgomery School District Superintendent Mary E. McLoughlin gave the welcoming address. Incidentally, she is a first generation American who was born in Brooklyn, the third of nine children, and moved to New Jersey when she was in eighth grade. Her mother, Bernadette, was an orphan born in Dublin, Ireland, who was adopted by Irish Americans in the 1950s.
She greeted new citizens, who represented 12 different countries around the world.
Flags on display at LMS.
“This is especially exciting to us because here, at Lower Middle School alone, we have seven different countries represented in our student body. We feel incredibly comfortable having you here today and thank you for permitting us to witness history.”
All smiles as a new citizen receives her certificate.
“Choosing to become a US citizen is an exciting opportunity. It means democracy, freedom, free speech, and one of our most important rights, the right to vote.”
“Our beloved rule book, the Constitution, tells us how to behave. It guarantees certain inalienable rights,” she said, noting that these rights apply to all people equally, regardless of age, race, religion, creed, socioeconomic status, education level, or employment status.
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Field Office Director John E. Thompson of the Newark District of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services presented the applicants with their naturalization documents, noting that each individual had been personally examined under oath and demonstrated an understanding of the English language and the fundamentals of U.S. history and government.
“Becoming a citizen is a significant achievement,” he said. In contrast to the diligence of the new citizens, the official pointed out that surveys of born American citizens who have gone through the United States school systems found approximately one-third of them would not pass the test required to become a citizen.
New citizen Carolina Parpinelli of Brazil with her husband Fabio Freitas and son Luca Parpinelli Freitas, who is a student at LMS. The family resides in Belle Mead.
Before administering the Oath of Allegiance, the official provided context on its history. The first official recording of the oath occurred on May 30, 1778, at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, during the Revolutionary War.
He pointed out that the 26 citizens come to America from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Columbia, Egypt, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, India, Pakistan, Peru, and Russia. Once they take the oath, they will arise as citizens of the “greatest country this civilization has ever seen,” Thompson said.
The ceremony culminated as the individuals rose and took the Oath of Allegiance, formally being admitted as citizens of the United States.
