January/February 2013 - Park Ridge High School

The Owl Press
Park Ridge High School Newsletter
January/February 2013
The second half of the academic year is underway! February and early March mark the beginning of the Starting a new semester is occasion for students to scheduling process for us at Park Ridge. On Thurs‐
begin with a fresh, new attitude and perspective. It day, January 31, a letter was sent home to all high is a time to review successes and challenges and set school parents outlining the scheduling procedure new goals for the remainder of the school year. This for selecting next year’s courses. The tentative 2013
mid‐year point is also a great time for you to open a ‐2014 Program of Studies is available at dialogue with your son/daughter and review his/her www.parkridge.k12.nj.us/hs as a PDF file. Please read through the Program of Studies and guide your progress. Communication is the key to favorable results. Be sure to contact your child’s teachers and child in selecting courses that will meet the District request a conference through Guidance if necessary. and State requirements while accommodating per‐
Achievements are at the highest levels when parents sonal goals, interests and abilities. Online course and teachers are on the same page and work in part‐ selections have been available from Monday, Febru‐
ary 11, 2013, and will remain open until Friday, Feb‐
nership to witness success. ruary 22. If you have questions or concerns, please The second semester is also a significant do not hesitate to contact the Guidance time of year for our junior and senior office. Class meetings were held on students. Our seniors are making plans Wednesday, February 13, to provide stu‐
for their life after high school, eagerly dents with an overview of the entire waiting to hear from their colleges of scheduling process. Departmental Su‐
choice. For many seniors and their par‐
pervisors presented all electives offered ents, this experience is as stressful as it is exciting. within our curriculum, including several new courses Being uncertain about the future can be scary for for the 2013‐2014 school year. It is our hope that some yet alluring for others. No matter what emo‐ the instructive sessions have provided students with tions you may be encountering, the administration ample information to make scheduling a construc‐
and staff at Park Ridge stand ready to provide sup‐
tive and unchallenging experience. port and wish you the best of luck along the way. As you guide your son/daughter through his/her Over the last few weeks your son/daughter’s Guid‐ preferences, don’t hesitate to encourage them to ance counselor held “Junior Conferences.” These implement new ideas and select electives that may meetings gave juniors and their parents a chance to open new horizons and interests for them. In the discuss and make initial plans for the college search words of Vincent Van Gogh, “What would life be if strategy or for any postgraduate plans they wish to we had no courage to attempt anything?” pursue. I hope you took advantage of this opportu‐ nity to consider future plans and learn as much as I look forward to the opportunity of seeing you possible about the services they can provide. While soon! the preparation for life after high school is vital, I often like to remind students and parents about the Sincerely, importance of “balance” and “moderation” in their Troy Lederman, Principal Park Ridge Jr./Sr. High lives. School PEAK (Parents, Educators, Administrators, and Kids) is an organization
whose goal is to create an inclusive environment for children with special needs
and their families. Mrs. Lisa Bernardo
leads the organization with parent advisor Stacy Laxer and teacher advisor
Cora Bautista. The organization’s success relies on devoted mentors who volunteer their time to interact with these
children and assist them to grow socially and academically. The participating mentors always find it rewarding
and enjoyable while receiving their
community hours.
PEAK 2012-2013 started the year off at
Volt Fitness in Glen Rock last October.
At Volt Fitness, kids exercised and enhanced their self-esteem. With assistance from their assigned mentors, the
kids controlled several fitness stations
by their own movements. Ninth grade
mentor Alyssa Weinberg stated, “We all
had a great time and it was a lot of fun.
Even though some of the stations were
hard for some of the kids, you could still
see the kids smiling and laughing as they
went through the stations.”
Last November, PEAK welcomed new
mentors in a sensitivity training that
showed them how to work with children with special needs. The training
was sponsored by Pathways for Exceptional Children lead by Stephanie Jennis. PEAK had an overwhelming number of participants this year that wanted
to become mentors. Stephanie Nativo,
a ninth grader, remarked, “The training
was very helpful because it made me feel
secure on having a better handle when
working with the kids.”
During the holidays, PEAK had their
Second Annual PEAK/Mini Maestros
holiday concert. The Mini Maestros
Orchestra provides the Park Ridge community an opportunity for its younger
musicians to play music while offering
outreach to the area in the form of concerts and music education. The Mini
Maestros are lead by Chloe Verducci
and Courtney Zanosky. Chloe plays the
flute and piccolo in the high school concert band, as well as the marching band
where she is the woodwinds section
leader. Chloe is also an active PEAK
mentor. Courtney plays the flute in
both the high school concert band and
marching band. The orchestra is also
comprised of several stellar middle
school and freshmen wind section players including: (Flute) Alyssa Glynn,
Camilla Nappa, Grace Kim, Jacey Zeug,
Jacqueline Sun, Julia Drennan, Lauren
Attong, Lauren Sum, Maria Vargas, Michelle Zhou, Shayna Bohus, Veronica
Angiuli, (Clarinets) Alyssa Weinberg,
Anna Rizzie, Claire Perez, Maia Rippe,
Serena Nappa, (Saxophone) Melissa
Papirio, (Trumpets) George Varghese,
Bennett Rosner, Steven Rizzie, (Low
Brass) Sophia Verducci, Caroline Grueneis.
Just a few weeks ago, the kids and mentors participated for the second year in
the Bergen County Special Olympics
that was held at the Wallington Bowling
Alley in New Jersey. Since October, the
kids have been consistently and faith-
fully practicing at the Montvale Bowling
Alley with their committed mentors by
their side. The parents and advisors
cheered along as the kids took 1st, 2nd,
and 3rd place with scores as high as 180
points. One of the bowlers Matt Gray
loves bowling and states, “Bowling is my
favorite sport! I still bowl on Saturdays
even though the Olympics are over.”
Matt placed 1st in his division with an
average of 124 points. The following
week, the kids and especially the mentors, were commended for their hard
work and dedication with a pizza party.
The PEAK mentors are Ryan Griffin,
Erin Giannangeli, Owen Giannangeli,
Zachary Katz, Ashley Kirk, Zachary Lucanie, Alec Maccaro, Christopher Murphy, Jovanni Nunez, Kristen Sileo,
Samir Tawalare, Serena Vallone, Sophia
Verducci, Alyssa Laxer, Eric Tis, Amy
Velazquez, Deanna Jeune, Timothy
Chandler, and Kyung Mi Bae.
In the near future PEAK will continue
to run exciting events such as snow tubing, watching the Park Ridge High
School Play, and a Basketball clinic to
name a few. The Basketball clinic will
be running on March 17th, 24th, April
14th, 21st, and 28th from 2-3 p.m. New
mentors are encouraged to participate,
especially if you can play the sport!
Below: Members of PEAK and the Mini Maestros participate in a Holiday Concert MATHCOUNTS
Above: The middle school Math Team competes at the MATHCOUNTS competition Congratulations to the Middle
School math team! On Saturday, February 2nd, the middle
school math team participated in the annual MATHCOUNTS county competition
at Bergen Community College. One of our team members, Nick Corso, placed 7th in
the county out of the 206 students who competed! Over
all, our team placed 11th in
the county.
Park Ridge High School’s Little Theater Players
will stage the musical Working. Based on Studs
Terkel's best-selling book of interviews with
American workers and adapted by Stephen
Schwartz and Nina Faso, Working paints a vivid
portrait of the men and women
the world so often takes for
granted: the truck driver, the
waitress, the millworker, the mason, and the stay-at-home mom,
just to name a few.
Originally performed in the
1970s, most of the professions
have been updated in this new version of Working. The revised version includes updated lyrics
and a streamlined book thanks to the contributions of Gordon Greenburg and two new songs by
In The Heights Tony Award-winning creator LinManuel Miranda. The updated Working keeps
favorite songs by Stephen Schwartz, Susan Birkenhead, Craig Carnelia, Micki Grant, Mary
Rogers, and James Taylor.
Working involves more than 80 Park Ridge Middle and High School students in its cast, crew
and orchestra, including seniors Lindsay Drubel,
Samantha Dwan, Karolina Golabek, Torie
Ioppolo, Kristy Leone, Craig Lombardo, Ryan
McIlhargy, Danny Morgan, Thomas O’Connor, Nicole Pantoliano,
Brandon Polifrone, Jennifer
Smith, Joseph Sosa, Brian Temple, Chloe Verducci, Christine Villano, Courtney Zanosky and Jennifer Zuccaro.
The Little Theater Players’ production of Working will be staged at 7:00pm on
February 28th, March 1st and 2nd . Tickets are $15
for Adults and $12 for Students and Senior Citizens and will be available at the door. Anyone
who brings a business card will receive a $2 discount. A complimentary matinee will be performed for Senior Citizens at 1:00pm on
Wednesday, February 27.
Graphic designed by Amy Bravo
PLAYBILL The West Ridge PTO Presents:
Girl’s Night Out 2013
“A Night off Broadway”
Tuesday, April 23, 2013 At Season’s – Township of Washington 6:00 – 10:00 p.m. Please contact Elise Smith at [email protected] for more information Attention Students: VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY!!
Attention students in need of volunteer hours – this is a great chance to
help out while earning community service hours! The West Ridge PTO
needs student volunteers to assist at the “Girl’s Night Out” Fundraiser at
Seasons in the Township of Washington. Responsible students are
asked to volunteer on April 23rd between the hours of 5:45 and 10 p.m.
Please contact Mrs. Smith by phone (201-486-2001) or email
([email protected]) if you are able to help.
Top Row L to R: Alexa Ferranti,
Jack Lepore, Josh Lewis
Middle Row L to R: Justin Kuron, Robert
Jeune
Bottom Row L to R: Chris Derienzo,
Greg Fatouras, Taylor Ferranti
The 8th grade Middle School cycle art class
participated in the Middle School play in a
unique cross-curricular way by creating
masks for this year's show. This year's play,
chosen by directors Mrs. Maureen Buscareno
and Ms. Christine Dow, was "The Scarlet
Heart", which is a Commedia Dell'Arte
themed play requiring the actors to wear
masks. When it was performed on January
18th and 19th, the actors wore masks designed and created in art class with Mrs. Lori
Groveman. Before creating the masks, the
actors wrote descriptions and provided visual
suggestions for the art students. Based on
this input, the masks were created using
plastic mask bases which were cut to alter
their shape and made more three dimensional with papier-mâché. The masks were
completed with paint and collage elements
like glitter and wool for hair. The performance
received rave reviews as did the masks.
Winter Athletics update
Diving – Congratulations to Christine Kehrli for qualifying for the NJSIAA Diving
Championship on February 26, 2013.
She qualified by placing third in the
Rowan Diving Invitational. She is the
first Diver at Park Ridge High School to
qualify for the State Championship.
Winter Track – Congratulations to the
Boys 4x4 Relay team as they won the
Group 1 North 1 State Sectional Championship. They will compete in the Group
Championship. The team consisted of
Jonathan Hodgins, Brian Kalafut, Ryan
McIlhargy, and Michael Raia. Carly
Reich also placed 2nd in the Girls 400,
Wrestling – The wrestling team has had a and Brian Kalafut finished 6th in the
tremendous season with numerous high- Boys 400 to also qualify for the Group
lights. The team was named the Group
Championship.
1/2 Team of the Year in the Bergen
Basketball – Both the Boys and Girls
County Championships. They also won
teams qualified for the State Tournathe NJIC Division Wrestling crown with ment. Both teams will be playing on
a victory over Manchester. The team ad- Tuesday, February 26th – the Boys will be
vanced to the State Sectional Semi-Final at Cedar Grove, while the Girls will host
before losing a tough match to Lenape
New Milford at 7:00pm.
Valley. As of publication, the team is preBowling – The Bowling team finished 3rd
paring to wrestle in the District 8 and
in the Patriot Division. The team also
Region 2 Team Championships.
qualified for the State Tournament.
Future Problem Solvers Team
The Park Ridge High School Future Problem Solvers Team once more re-
ceived an invitation to the State Bowl. The members of the team will be
working on an online problem on March 1, 2013, which involves pollution of
the oceans. On March 16, 2013, the team will spend the day at Montclair
State University; during that day they will present a skit based upon their final
solution to the problem and meet other competing teams. This is the second
year in a row that the students have qualified for the State Bowl. The Future
Problem Solvers is an international organization that holds competitions involving students
from English speaking countries throughout the world. If the students win the State Bowl,
their next step is the International Competition held in June in Bloomington, Indiana.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Attention Seniors:
Scholarship information is posted on the
Guidance website, which is accessible via the
PRHS website. Once on the Guidance page,
scroll down to “Useful Information” to find
the “Scholarships” link. Please check the
website for frequent updates.
Welcome Mr. William Roper! Mr. Roper
is Mrs. Huffman’s maternity leave replacement through the end of the school
year. He will work as the Guidance Counselor for the following students:
Grades 9 & 10 A — L
Grades 11 & 12 A — La
World Language Department celebrates its
40th Annual International Dinner
March 7, 2013
5:30 pm in the school cafeteria
The 40th Annual International Dinner is taking place on March 7, 2013. This cultural and gastronomic event is one of the highlights of the World Language Department. The International Dinner
is an opportunity to celebrate many cultures, and enjoy the foods from those countries where the
languages that we learn here at Park Ridge High School are spoken.
The International Dinner was started in the 1970s, and hundreds and hundreds of language students and their parents have enjoyed its successful format for the past 40 years.
Students in grades 9 through 12 are invited to participate. Each language student is asked to prepare a dish typical of one of the countries where his or her studied language is spoken. Students
must bring a dish to participate. Parents can attend for a nominal $5.00 fee, which contributes to
the World Language Department’s fund for senior language awards.
Three tables are set up as an international pot luck supper in the school cafeteria. Hors-d’oeuvres
and the main courses are served first, followed by dessert tables to complete the meals.
Save the date of March 7th for this year’s International Dinner. PLEASE NOTE: The time of the
dinner is 5:30 pm.
The World Language Department members are Ruth McIlhargy-Fritz (supervisor and teacher of
Spanish), Julie Luce (French & German), Nora Guajardo (Spanish), Rachel Erdmann (German),
Julie Melvin (French), Christopher Phillips (Spanish), and Brooke Breitbart (Spanish).
NHS Coffee House Night
Do you like coffee, food and live entertainment with friends
and family? If the answer is yes, you should join the
PRHS community on Wednesday, April 17th at 7pm for
the second annual Coffee House Night in the high school
cafeteria. Bring along parents, grandparents, siblings and
friends for a night to remember. The cost is only $5 per
person and that includes coffee and entertainment. Other snacks will be
available bake sale style. The event is organized and run by the National
Honor Society. All proceeds will be donated to the high school. Come on in
and join the fun!
This February, the vocal music program welcomed the addition of a brand new Kawaii
baby grand piano to be used for classroom
instruction. The piano fundraiser was begun
over 5 year ago by former vocal music director Linda Lanier-Keosaian. Following successful growth of the vocal music program,
the generous community of Park Ridge and
the Park Ridge Board of Education came
together to complete the fundraiser and
purchase the piano in time for the new year.
The Park Ridge vocal music Spring concert
will be held on May 22nd at 7 PM in the Little
Theater. All vocal music ensembles will be
performing a variety of musical selections
and the music department will be honoring
the late Linda Lanier-Keosaian with a dedication of the new piano.
Thank you to all who contributed to our
amazing new piano! We can't wait to showcase our students' talent at the Spring concert in May.
Vocal Music &
Band Updates
The Marching Band had its annual Band Dinner at Seasons on January 10th. The 2013-14
show was announced. The theme is “Inspiration and Heroes” and includes the songs “On
Eagle’s Wings”, “Stairway to Heaven” and “You Raise Me Up”.
Congratulations to the 2013-14 Drum Majors: Bryan Zeug, Kevin Leone and Jerry Jing.
Woodwind section leaders are Scott Katirachi and Jerry Jing; trumpet section leader is
Bryan Zeug; low brass section leader is Kevin Leone; percussion section leaders are Carson Badame and Ethan DeSimone; and the Color Guard Captains are Claudia Fendian and
Eunique Nyonly.
Congratulations to Deborah Kim! Deborah made All–County and All-Region Band on bassoon. Deborah also placed first at the All-State auditions and is the only student from
Park Ridge HS to make All-State Orchestra and Wind Ensemble. Deborah will be performing as first chair bassoonist in both the All-State Orchestra and Wind Ensemble. The AllState concerts will be held at Rutgers University and the Izod Center. Deborah’s accomplishments will be recognized at the February 25th Board of Education meeting.
The Owl Press
Park Ridge High School
2 Park Avenue
Park Ridge, NJ 07656
PARK RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL
Principal
Mrs. Nalesnik: Special Services
Mr. Lederman
Mrs. Papadopoulos: English, Social Studies,
Business, Media
Assistant Principal
School Counselors
Mr. Cosgrove
Mrs. Heller
Supervisors
Mrs. Huffman/ Mr. Roper
Ms. Aach: Math, Science, Computers
Mr. Mioli
Mr. Brown: Director of Athletics, P.E.
Mr. Yeager, SAC
Mr. Lederman: Guidance
The Owl Press Editor
Mrs. McIlhargy: World Language, Visual &
Performing Arts
Mrs. Heller
CALENDAR
Feb. 25 BOE Meeting, 8 PM March 20 Op‐Grad Meeting, 7 PM Feb. 27 HS Musical Performance March 21 PEP Meeting, 7 PM March 27 Popcert, 7 PM for Senior Citizen Audience, 1 PM Feb. 28, Mar. 1 & 2 High School Musical, 7 PM March 29 School Closed, State Holiday March 4 Half‐day for students; April 1—5 School Closed, Spring Recess April 12 End of Marking Period 3 Prof. Development for Staff March 5 Band Parents Meeting, 7:30 PM April 15 Half‐day for students; March 5—7 HSPA Testing, 11th grade March 7 International Dinner, 5:30 PM April 17 NHS Coffee House, 7 PM March 14 Winter Varsity Awards, 7 PM March 18 BOE Meeting, 8 PM April 22 BOE Meeting, 8 PM Mar. 20 Discussions with the Principal, 7 PM April 24 Spring Instrumental Concert, 7 PM P
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Prof. Development for Staff Op‐Grad Meeting, 7 PM P
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