WPS Park Press 2-12-14 - Totowa Public Schools

The Park Press
Washington Park School
Volume 9, Issue 2
BEATING BREAST CANCER
By: Jennan Alkhalaf
Lindsay Amendola
Isabella Nicosia
On October 30th, students and faculty of Washington Park School participated in the annual breast
cancer walk “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” sponsored by the Washington Park Student Council. This
year marks the thirteenth anniversary of this momentous occasion. The walk started in 2001 and has been a tradition at WPS ever since.
The goal for this stride is to raise enough money for a cure to be found for this awful, sometimes fatal
disease. Many of the students made colorful posters to show their support for breast cancer awareness. The inspiration for this annual event began when a beloved teacher, Chrissy Dunich, passed away due to breast cancer. She
will never be forgotten thanks to this walk in her honor.
The student council helps organize this supportive event, and it is successful every year. The amazing
event raised about $ 9,284 this year, and the WPS Student Council hopes to raise more in the years to come. The
approximately four hundred participants enjoyed the walk for a cure. Hopefully, most of these happy and concerned faces will return next year!
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The Park Press
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WASHINGTON PARK HONOR STUDENTS
MARKING PERIOD 1
Gianna
GRADE 3
Goow
Isaiah
Barbosa
Paul
GRADE 5
A Honors
Matthew Huliev
Julia
Caponegro
Sabrina
Amendola
Charles
Johnson
Alisa
Ceka
Sara
Barrise
Dillon
Kaleda
Ivan
Chen
Yannarelli
Madison Chiavola
Kevin
Chou
A Honors
Bianca
Copello
Nadia
Aboukaram
Aamora
Coronado-Luz
Barrise
Auriella
Coronado-Luz
Giavonna Bergamasco
Mykhayla Lopez
Arshi
Chowdhury
Joseph
Zoe
Casini
Megan
LoPorto
Stephen
Costic
Christopher Beazley
Frank
DeCeglie
Kush
Desai
Isabella
Macaluso
Sarah
Devine
Frank
Curcio
Ava
Del Gaudio
Alana
Errigo
Kayla
Mehner
Daniella
Ferguson
Brianna
DeLillo
Ciera
Dingle
Jonathan Falconi
Luis
Mendoza
Paolo
Figueroa
Jayden
Diaz
Anthony DiTaranto
Savreen
Madahar
Nicholas Montiel
Gabriella Fodi
Murari
Dondapati
Kaylee
Drakakis
Molly
Monteyne
Corey
Brian
Gaboda
Jenna
Ebbinghousen
Rania
Dyoke
Cristian
Ordonez
Salvatore Panicucci
Erika
Gazic
Alexander Francese
Brianna
Fasoli
Daniel
Pagano
Kiyan
Dillon
Giannasio
Briana
Franco
Carlos
Ferreras-Antigua
Gregory
Papadopoulos
Madison Polaski
Evan
Guzman
Thomas
Gaita
Melissa
Gaita
Kayla
Perricelli
Cheyann Porretta
Joey
Hassen
Brandon
Gargiulo
Lisa
Gambatese
Tiffany
Poma
Emily
Rogin
Mohamad Issa
Sameer
Khan
Bryan
Gourley
Julia
Prosperi
Bilal
Safadi
Samantha Krankel
Demetrios Koularmanis
Aiden
Guarneri
Mary
Reilly
Jason
Souto
Andrew
MacDonald
Lucia
Krautheim
Gabriella Gutierrez
Atianna
Rodriguez
Julia
Tanguay
Shams
Mahmoud
Nicole
Lancia
George
Haddad
Salsabil
Sattar
Kiril
Tracev
Joseph
Mancini
Isabella
Lezcano
Michael
Handal
Catherine Snell
Brandon
Veneziano
Leith
Matari
Lavleen
Madahar
Karen
Katat
Jillian
Tovar
Tavi
Victoria
Anthony Monaco
Dylan
McNerney
Jacob
Lee
Brayden
Treloar
GRADE 4
Luke
Monteyne
Michael
Porporino
Kelsey
Liskowicz
Rebecca
Ulloa
A Honors
Luke
Mullen
Matthew Rascionato
Raven
Lomuti
Eunice
Valdez
Jillian
Baxter
Jayle
Ortiz
Faith
Rivas
Logan
Magazin
B Honors
John
Bucher
Christian Pagan
Irene
Strawder
Anthony Mallamace
Noor
Abuhadba
Annabella Cicci
Eric
Paluch
Maya
Vaidya
Jonathon Mallamace
Joseph
Busciglio
Isabella
Thomas
Pascucci
B Honors
Sofia
Martinez
Sara
Castillo
Frederick Dell'Aquila
Giancarlo Peluso
Sahar
Ahmad
Ava
Masi
Karra
Cicci
Sophia
Guarente
Taylor
Pina
Hatice
Akkoca
Kayla
Matari
Angelina Clauser
Gianna
Hortas
Sabrina
Rabboh
Jenna
Alesandrelli
Payal
Modi
Andrea Jean Colobong
Delanie
Morrissey
Justin
Richardson
Anthony Amendola
Nicolette Palazzo
Leah
Cooper
Valerie
Padilla
Michael
Romayo
Justin
Appello
Vihitha
Parupalli
Ryan
DeNunzio
Isabella
Rossi
Aubrey
Santos
Natalie
Ardis
Sophia
Payne
Lorenzo
Duddie
Jennifer
Salvemini
Natalie
Stoupakis
Morgan
Aue
Antonio
Petito
Michael
Duddie
B Honors
Ayla
Teke
Mariam
Azzam
Jayden
Polanco
Ariella
Endrikat
Abbe
Christian Tillie
Cassidy
Baer
Joseph
Porporino
Allyson
Balonze
Dante
Potenzone
Marco
Bennett
Jacob
Rahiman
Lily
Mulholland
Patel
DeHayes
Angelina Gencarelli
Matthew Antonucci
Xavier
Alessandra Giudice
Gabriel
Christine Wang
Ayala
Torres
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The Park Press
Jared
Rivas
Natalie
Rofail
Brenna
Macaluso
Vincent
Pagano
Gabriella Pesantes
Gavin
Byrne
Victor
Rivera
Alexa
Sasso
Isabella
MacDonald
Leandra
Pesantes
Carmenalexia Petito
Anna
Ceka
Marco
Rubino
Sandro
Schiavo
Nehar
Mahmood
Ludovico Povolo
Ashley
Povolo
Bushra
Choudhury
Salma
Saleh
Dmytro
Sosnovskyy
Salvatore Mancini
Denali
Santiago
Marcus
Povolo
Daisy
Colmenarez
Olivia
Shpiruk
Michael
Povolo
Kayla
Costic
Anthony Saveriano
Anthony Stirone
Jada
Arlene
Taveras
Gianna
Nicholas Minadeo
Matthew Sytsma
Victoria
Povolo
Michael
Cuocolo
Shaun
Treloar
Konstantine Stoupakis
Adrianna Monaco
Sindu
Thoompally
Evelyn
Samman
Dante
DeStefano
Irene
Urgolo
Lilly
Tea
Alexandra Paese
Hanna
Vaidya
Yanira
Santillan
Valentina Diaz
Ozde
Ustun
Elisha
Valdez
Alexsia
Passero
B Honors
Eleny
Santos
Jack
Dunich
Melissa
Villegas
Alexa
Vazquez
Joseph
Peluso
Michele
Amato
Alyssa
Snyder
Reanna
Fakhoury
B Honors
Brandon
Petrullo
Taylor
Capers
Rosa
Taveras
Roberto
Ferrante
Coiro
GRADE 8
Gioia
Gaita
Alexadra Vlahos
Stirone
Martucci
Austin
West
Gianna
Avagnano
Iluminada Rogers
Kevin
Andrew
Yoo
Amy
Ayoub
Trey
Rojas
Gabriella Cordova
Mia
Basile
Brandon
Ruocco
Dominick DeStefano
A Honors
Isaiah
Betts
Evan
Sanchez
Alecci
Hasan
Bhuiyan
GRADE 6
Rachel
A Honors
Anthony Gargiulo
Imtiyaz
Ahmed
Aldo
Grambone
Nicholas Dimitrakiou
Jennan
Alkhalaf
Lorenzo
Graziano
Sebastian Sanchez
Hieu
Dinh
Lindsay
Amendola
Brianna
Herman
Samantha Armagno
Sebastian Bohorquez
Haleema Sheikh
Justin
Idelfonso
Sophia
Ayoub
Daniel
Honoret
Nicholas Arrabito
James
Both
Nicholas Swetlitschnyj
Brandon
Lees
Michael
Burgos
Ryan
Humes
Jake
Barnes
Therese
Bowers
Sofia
Raheem
Mahmood
Bianca
Dellanno
Diana
Liskowicz
Nicole
Boldrin
Rebecca
Brunetti
Alicea Thompson-Singh Gabriella Pesantes
Veronica Dorsett
Marissa
Manning
Jennifer
Both
Jacquelyn Buniewski
David
Tovar
Carmenalexia Petito
Danielle
Gaita
Sebastian Mendoza
Isabella
Brunetti
Carissa
Canzona
Jibran
Uddin
Ashley
Povolo
Michael
Giannasio
Nancy
Mercuri
Brianna
DeLuccia
Julia
Ciampa
Peter
Umstead
Marcus
Povolo
Julian
Giordano
Nicole
Messier
Alexandra Dimitrakiou
Kaitlyn
Cronin
Destiny
Vargas
Michael
Povolo
Adam
Gonzalez
Luke
Mulroony
Devyn
DiPasquale
David
De La Cruz
GRADE 7
Victoria
Povolo
Raisa
Islam
Isabella
Nicosia
Shradha
Gangam
Daniella
DeStefano
A Honors
Evelyn
Samman
Inayah
Khan
Vanessa
Padilla
Zackaria Hanini
Brianna
Dupoux
Richard
Bowers
Yanira
Santillan
Alexandra Levajac
Derek
Pezo
Taylor
Kittiana
Frank
Angelo
Coiro
Eleny
Santos
Megha
Mahmood
Sabrina
Rivera
Adrianna Hortas
Jesal
Gandhi
John
Dell'Aquila
Alyssa
Snyder
Jocelyn
Martinez
Angelo
Rodolico
Raima
Hira
Gohar
Joseph
DiTaranto
Rosa
Taveras
Caleb
Vazquez
Justin
Rodriguez
Hill
Islam
Tea
Nicolette Juliano
Matthew Haddad
Alexander Efelis
Yen
Lee
Caitlin
Herman
Patricia
Giuriceo
Leila
Matari
Colin
Kaleda
Isabella
Guarente
Frank
Kalokitis
Brian
Katat
Alexandra Papadopoulos Alexis
La Russo
Lisandra Morales
GRADE 8
B Honors
Nathalee Rodriguez
A Honors
Arben
Adili
Gabriella Rose
Imtiyaz
Ahmed
Nadien
Attili
Grace
Jennan
Alkhalaf
Michael
Bariso
Nicholas Rossi
Alexander Martin
Lindsay
Amendola
Nicholas Bariso
Angelica Saveriano
Rose
Teresa
Payne
Dominic LaMantia
Ashley
Martin
Justin
Idelfonso
Kevin
Barnes
Javier
Trinidad
Mattia
Polibio
John
Nicole
Mikulka
Brandon
Lees
Aryssa
Berrios
Joseph
Valencia
Vincent
Reiger
Madison Leech
Juan
Ordonez
Raheem
Mahmood
Joshua
Bleeker
Caitlin
Webb
Lee
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The Park Press
FUTURE LEADERS OF AMERICA
YOUTH WEEK GENERAL ELECTION
2014-2015
Mayor– Joshua Bleeker
By: Danielle Gaita
Municipal Clerk–Sophia Ayoub
Alexandra Levajac
Municipal Attorney–Jack Dunich
The eighth grade students at Washington Park School recently voted in the Youth Week
Police Chief–Justin Rodriguez
elections. This process started at the beginning of the school year when students were split into two
Fire Chief–Michael Cuocolo
groups, the Gold and Silver parties. Next, the students chose which town position they wanted to
Tax Assessor– Angel Perez
run for and needed to obtain twenty signatures on a petition in order to qualify to be on the primary
election ballot. The results of the primary elections decided which candidates would represent their
party in the general election. The winners of the primary election then continued on to make
speeches and posters to present before their classmates the day before the general election, which
was held on Election Day.
Depending upon their positions, the winners of the Youth Week general elections attend a
Totowa Town Council Meeting or the Totowa Board of Education meeting in May. They also have
Tax Collector–Rashaun Rex
Municipal Engineer–Imtiyaz Ahmed
Supervisor of Public Works– Michael Burgos
Municipal Council:
Kevin Barnes
Steven Newbury
Kayla Costic
Gabriella Riccio
Lauren Krankel
Caleb Vazquez
the opportunity to walk in the Memorial Day Parade, tour the town, and are treated to a luncheon
Chief School Administrator– Isabella Nicosia
sponsored by the Totowa Town Council.
School Board Attorney– Jocelyn Martinez
The whole Youth Week process is meant to teach the eighth grade students about the election
process. Hopefully, Youth Week will inspire students to become tomorrow’s politicians.
Business Administrator–Grace Rose
Building Principal–
Lindsay Amendola
Bianca Dellanno
STAFF DENIM DAYS
Vice Principal- Joseph Valencia
Supervisor of Pupil Personnel– Teresa Krautheim
Board of Education:
A.J. Grambone
Jessica Gaita
Adam Gonzalez
Dianalee Gonzalez
Brianna Herman
Alexandra Levajac
Mounir Sakhat
Angelica Saveriano
AnnMarie Campanello
By: Gioia Gaita
Jessica Gaita
Grace Rose
The staff at Washington Park School has been participating in National Denim Day since 2006. Lee Denim Day is a fundraiser created by Lee Jeans. Lee
Jeans asked companies to dress down, inviting staff to wear jeans on Denim Day by donating five dollars to fight against breast cancer. In the first year, Lee jeans set
a goal to raise 1 million dollars. Since 1996, Lee National Denim Day has raised over 91 million dollars for the battle against breast cancer. Lee National Denim Day
inspired the WPS staff to dress down every Friday.
In memory of a former teacher, Chrissy Dunich, and in celebration of the WPS nurse, Ms. Luciano, the staff of the Totowa School District dresses down
every Friday for each school year. The majority of the staff participates; teachers and administration donate $45 for the school year and aides and support staff contribute $20. Forty percent of this money is donated to the American Cancer Society and the rest of the money is donated to the WPS student activity account.
Jeans are worn on 1:20 dismissal days, one hour delays, and the last day of the school week. If you have ever wondered why the teachers wear jeans, now
you know!
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The Park Press
MATILDA THE MUSICAL
By: Hamza Ahmad
Inayah Khan
Megha Mahmood
The class of 2015 was given an amazing opportunity to go to
Broadway to watch Matilda. The trip, which was funded by the PTO, was
a magical and hilarious experience. The show was located at the Schubert
Theater in New York. The scenery was very detailed, colorful, and the
students loved how objects moved. For example, desks rose up from the
ground and the bookshelves moved together and apart.
The show was about a little girl named Matilda who was starting school. She has a very cruel principal, unusual punishments, and nearly impossible
things to do for Miss Trunchbull. Her school experience wasn’t all bad. She found new friends and her teacher, Miss Honey, was very welcoming.
The actresses and actors sang beautifully and put on a captivating performance. The
young girl who played the role of Matilda performed an amazing performance despite her age.
Many of the eighth graders loved the comical and laughable character of Miss Trunchbull because
she was portrayed by a man.
Many of the teachers enjoyed the show, especially Ms. Emerick and Mr. Nelson; however, Miss. Johnson and Mr. Nelson agreed that there were additions to the play that weren’t in the
book. Miss Johnson also stated that she enjoyed Matilda’s parents and that they were true to the
story.
After the show, the ushers complimented the students on how well they behaved and
their attire. At that time, students could also purchase souvenirs, the proceeds of which were to be
donated to a charity.
The following day, the eighth grade students wrote thank you letters to the PTO to
show their gratitude. Overall, the show was outstanding and magical.
By: Bushra Choudhury
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The Park Press
HAUNTED HALLOWEEN
By: Raisa Islam
Bedour Issa
BOO! Halloween was in the air at Washington Park
School on October 31st. Frights and scares lingered in the
hallway throughout the school, and everybody had lots of fun.
The third and fourth grade students participated in a parade on
the black top. Parents were able to come and enjoy the parade
along with their children.
The fifth through eighth grade students
had the opportunity to enter a costume contest held in
the gym. The winners, who were chosen by the special subject teachers, received a $5 gift card for Dunkin Donuts. After the event, each grade level went to
the cafeteria to enjoy snacks of cookies, pretzels, and
water provided by the PTO.
For the students, overall, it was an enjoyable and creative day, and the students got to show
their scary side.
The winners were as follows:
5th grade winners:
Frank Curcio
Justin Appello
Anthony DiTaranto Chris Beazley
6th grade winners:
Nicolette Juliano
Bianca Copello
Maya Vaidya
Dec. 16– Board of Education Meeting WPS 6 P.M
Anthony Stirone
Gianna Stirone
Samantha Armagno Joseph Peluso
Isabella Bargiel
Jada Martucci
Alexandra Paese
Nicole Boldrin
Carissa Canzona
Jennifer Both
7th grade winners:
Ashley Povolo
Marcus Povolo
Masha Povolo
Jan. 5– Schools reopen
Victoria Povolo
Michael Povolo
Nick DiNardo
Angelo Coiro
Jan.7- Grade Eight Washington, D.C. Meeting-WPS 7 P.M.
Joe DiTaranto
Matthew Sytsma
Alex Martin
Pat Dellacave
Jan. 19– Martin Luther King ( 1:20 dismissal)
Hunter Chiavola
Vincent Calavita
Matt Watkins
Francesco Pinto
Jan. 21– Board of Education Meeting WPS 7 P.M.
Ashley Martin
Alyssa Snyder
Hanna Vaidya
Jan. 23– Second Marking Period Ends
8 grade winners: Caitlin Webb
Sabrina Rivera
Jared Dasaro
Jan. 30– Report cards issues
Jocelyn Martinez
Megha Mahmood
Raisa Islam
Sindu Thoompally
th
Gabriella Riccio
Dec. 17– Winter Concert WPS 7 P.M.
Dec. 19– 1:20 P.M. dismissal
Dec. 23-Jan.2– Winter Recess ( schools closed )
Inayah Khan
NEWSPAPER STAFF:
Jennan Alkhalaf
Danielle Gaita
Inayah Khan
Lindsay Amendola
Gioia Gaita
Alexandra Levajac
Hamzah Ahmad
Jessica Gaita
Megha Mahmood
Bushra Choudhury
Raisa Islam
Isabella Nicosia
Bedour Issa
Grace Rose
ADVISOR—Ms. Doreen Peranio
This newspaper staff represents
students who volunteered their
time during several recess
periods. It reflects the journalism and process-writing skills
that were taught during this
time period, ending with this
actual newspaper publication.
Thank you to all WPS staff
members who cooperated with
the newspaper staff by giving
of their time and interviews.
The staff very much enjoyed
their introduction to the world
of journalism.
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