May 2018

It has been a tremendous month for our students and staff. We spent a great deal of time conducting various standardized tests such as PARCC, Advanced Placement exams, and the Next Generation Science exams all in the past month. Our students and staff handled the class schedule changes and room changes flawlessly under the direction of Lady Edmondson the Duchess of PHS State Testing. To put this level of testing in perspective, we administered over 3,100 computerized, standardized exams in a span of twenty-four days. Great job, Everyone!

Also, in May we begin our celebration of achievements by our students and staff members. This is a joyous time of the year as our students showcase their talents and their hard work is recognized. In early May, we had the distinguished honor of placing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the Congressmen Pallone’s 6th Congressional District for the Art Exhibit Awards; that is the 3rd time in 4 years we have accomplished that feat. We had an opportunity to give back to many of OUR district-wide volunteers in the middle of the month at our annual Volunteer Recognition Awards night. This is always a tremendous event for US to honor those that give their time, energy, and talent in service to the students of Piscataway Township.

We ended May with a host of spring concerts of GREAT music by our Orchestra and Band groups. Both nights were OUTSANDING. Our 50 Strong mentoring program was able to celebrate our graduating seniors with a dinner featuring our guest speaker Brian Heat who electrified the crowd with his passionate words of wisdom for our young men. The National Honor Society inducted new members who have pledged to uphold the tenets of Character, Leadership, Service, and Scholarship as we move forward in continuing to build a powerful EMPIRE here at PHS. Finally, we ended the month of May with the Senior Prom, enjoying a beautiful time at the Grand Marquis. My young people were dressed to impress. Everyone looked GREAT. Mr. Bizzell had to show the young people a few old-school dance moves. I gave him a perfect 10 on the back flip and James Brown split. In order to get the FULL report please read on….

Strength & Honor

Congratulations to all of our students who achieved Principal's 100 Club and First or Second Honor Roll status for the third marking period! Keep up the hard work!

Congratulations to Piscataway High School’s Teacher of the Year, Megan Suozzo!! Megan goes above and beyond every day to provide opportunities for students to grow as musicians, leaders, and people! Megan works hard to choose challenging curricular elements for students while also providing ways for students to bring their own lives into their coursework, rehearsals, and reflections. If you walk into Ms. Suozzo’s classroom, you will hear beautiful music, see exceptional teamwork, and feel a sense of warmth from the culture she has established with her students. We are so grateful for Ms. Suozzo’s leadership in our school and her commitment and dedication to the students, families, and larger community! Congratulations! This is extremely well-deserved!

On Friday, April 27th, PHS Ceramics students worked with Brett Thomas today at the Community Arts Center in Wallingford, PA to participate in a Raku Pottery Workshop. Raku pottery is Thank you to Mary Wartenburg for organizing this real-world arts opportunity for our students! Raku Pottery was developed in Japan in the early 1500’s as the Ceremonial Tea Ware of the Zen Buddhist Masters. The word Raku signifies enjoyment of freedom. The Raku firing process is very unique. The pottery is removed from the kiln at bright red heat and subjected to post-firing reduction (or smoking) by placing in containers of combustible materials, which blackens raw clay and creates cracks in glaze. The students participated in all aspects of the process and their amazement at the finished product was audible! Thank you to Mary Wartenburg for providing this amazing real-world art experience for students!

Congratulations to PHS art students Mia Tomasino (1st place) and Avia Hurley (2nd place) who were winners in the New Jersey Department of Human Services 2018 Teen Media Contest. In recognition of this achievement, both winners will receive a Plaque of Achievement, an American Express Gift Card and two 1-day passes to Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey. Congratulations to our fantastic art students and their teacher Dorothy Amme!

Piscataway High School students swept the top awards in the Sixth Congressional District Spring Art Awards! Students will be honored at an award ceremony on May 1st! Congratulations to the students below and their teachers: Dorothy Amme and Lisa Lentini-Pombrio!

1st Place | Imani Sylvain 2nd Place | Savannah Cook 3rd Place | Kathleen Hammerdahl

Honorable Mention | Nayab Azfina, Avia Hurley, Sara Venturi

The PHS Theatre Production Workshop class was recently selected to perform at the State Teen Arts Festival in Ocean County at the end of May! The students will present their production: “The Bright Blue Mailbox Suicide Note” and have an opportunity to take part in some of the workshops that are offered. Thank you to Mike Yoson for providing these opportunities for students and for continually reaching beyond the walls of the school for increased community exposure!

Congratulations to our two winners, Santiago Rodriguez and Laila Andrews, in this year’s Ocean County Camera Club’s High School Photo Competition. Winning photos will now be sent on to the National Competition run by the Photographic Society of America. Great job and good luck at the next level!

The Piscataway High School Music program headed to Disney World April 10th-15th! While enjoying the warm weather and Disney World attractions, students in the performing ensembles had an opportunity to participate in workshops lead by professional Disney performing artists and clinicians as well as give a performance at Disney Springs! The students gave beautiful, thoughtful, and musically impressive performances in front of a crowded audience at Disney Springs. Thank you to Chris Sumner, Megan Suozzo, and Ken Zampella for all of your hard work and dedication to our students!

After a rigorous audition process, three PHS Choir students have been accepted into the 2018-2019 All State Chorus. They will represent Piscataway next year along with other top scoring singers from New Jersey at performances in Atlantic City and at NJPAC. We are so proud of these students!

Darin Mak, Junior: Tenor 2 Cyril Gutierrez, Junior: Tenor 1 Julia Walker, Junior: Alto 2

The PHS Jazz Ensemble performed at the Livingston HS Jazz Festival and had an opportunity to work with the clinician. The group received many compliments from the clinician and earned a Gold Rating, Best Soloist: Koleby Royston, and Best Rhythm Section! It was great to see so many parents and students there supporting the group! Congratulations to Ken Zampella and students!

PHS theater students had an opportunity to see The Comedy of (Jersey) Errors presented by the Kean Theatre Conservatory on Thursday, April 26th! This was part of a school outreach tour put on by the Kean Theatre Conservatory. The production also happened to feature scenic design by Ola Farrag - PHS Grad Class of 2013! The production featured references to places, objects, and trends that were “Jersey.” Students that are enrolled in the Theatre classes at PHS or had participated in PHS Productions this year were invited to attend. Thanks to Mr. Yoson for sharing what is possible at the college level and for providing this opportunity for our students!

On May 4th, students in the Theater Production Workshop class presented the plays they had directed and produced in a play festival in the PAC. These student-led performances were completely put together by students in the class and featured casts of Piscataway students – some of which had never performed on stage before! The performances were excellent! They were thought-provoking, moving, and entertaining! Special thank you to Mr. Yoson for all of your hard work preparing students for this event! Great work to everyone!

Congratulations to the PHS Choir on an outstanding choir concert. The groups presented a diverse collection of challenging repertoire. The choirs sounded amazing and collaborated with PHS musicians and movement to present a beautiful concert. Congratulations to vocal music director, Megan Suozzo, alumni accompanist Hannah Aberin, and all of the students that performed! We are so grateful for the sharing of your gifts with our community!

The PHS Art show featured all of the diverse art forms that students have produced this year! The event took place in the Media Center and the art work was outstanding. It was amazing to see how much work the students produced this year and how many varied forms of media we offer here at PHS. Congratulations to Ms. Amme, Ms. Guevara, Mr. Lee, Ms. Lentini-Pombrio, Ms. Sylvan, and Ms. Wartenburg and thank you for inspiring our student artists and our community every day!

The PHS Dance program had their spring concert in the PAC which celebrated 10 years of dance here at PHS! The concert featured dancers that are currently enrolled in the dance courses at PHS as well as alumni from the past ten years. Additionally, students in advanced levels of the dance program had an opportunity to present their own original choreography. Special thank you to Ms. Taylor for her continued commitment to going above and beyond and for presenting such a beautiful concert with so much opportunity for student leadership!

Students from all district schools were selected to have their artwork hang in the Board Room at the Admin Building as part of our district’s permanent art collection. A ceremony was held to honor these students and to celebrate with families, art educators, district administration, and the board of education. We also highlighted the accomplishments of our art educators and students across the district. See below for the PHS Permanent Art Collection Honorees:

The PHS chapter of the Tri-M (Modern Music Masters) Honor Society inducted their new members. The induction included performances from current members as well as a performance by All-State Choir members singing The Silver Swan. This is a service organization comprised of musicians with outstanding musicianship, character, and leadership. Thank you to Ms. Suozzo for coordinating the event and advising this prestigious group!

Students in Ms. Sylvan’s Animation classes and students in Mr. Soin’s Computer classes had an opportunity to visit the Game Masters exhibit at the Franklin Institute! This was an amazing opportunity to explore the art and design of video games and to engage in a hands on exhibit. Thank you to Ms. Sylvan for coordinating this exciting educational experience for students!

The PHS Orchestra and Band program presented two outstanding concerts which featured challenging repertoire, diverse musical selections, and superb musicianship! With each piece, the audience had an opportunity to learn something new or to listen for something specific. Thank you to Dr. Sumner and Mr. Zampella for all of the hard work and dedication you invest in our talented musicians. Thanks for continually inspiring and challenging our students, and sharing the gift of music with our whole community!

AP World History students at Piscataway High School under guidance from their teacher Holly Cregar-Porch, participated in the 3rd Annual AP World History International Kahoot! Battle hosted by Freeman-Pedia on Monday May 14th at 7PM. The group of fifty freshman were festive and eager to compete. Starting with a pizza party in the cafeteria, students then gathered in F100. Using district laptops and green screens students competed with over 6,800 participants online. The event was so well attended and student competition so intense that they broke Kahoot! after 12 questions. The group did complete the Kahoot verbally for the rest of the time. Fun was had by all and students enjoyed an experience that will prepare them for the national AP World History exam in May 17th.

On Wednesday, May 30, five student/athletes signed college admission commitments, meaning their academic and athletic performance earned them a scholarship to an institution of higher learning. Below is the list of student/athletes and the college they will attend in the fall. A huge thank you to everyone involved in helping our students achieve this recognition.

Eric Hollenbach - Rutgers University - Newark - Mens Volleyball

Jordan Davidson - University of the Sciences - Mens Basketball

Keshawn Grant - College of Saint Elizabeth - Mens Basketball

Nahjir Woods - Wilkes University - Football

John Crearer - New Jersey Institute of Technology - Track and Field

On Friday, April 27th, after many weeks of preparation and planning, the 8th Annual PHS FBLA Mission: Life Charity Students vs Teachers basketball game was held. On the scoreboard, the students prevailed, but the real winner was this year's local charity - the Central Jersey Diaper Bank - which provides free baby formula, equipment and diapers, plus wipes, clothing and other items that are crucial to keeping babies and young children healthy and growing. Huge thanks to all the staff, students, security, and sponsors who helped make the event a success!

On May 16th, PHS student-athlete David Kincade served as a guest speaker to Knollwood Elementary students. He visited students at the schools K-3 before school fitness program, Cardio Club. The program consists of 100 students and 25 parents who attend regularly to successfully jump start their day. As an alum of the program himself, David spoke to students about the correlation between a healthy being and overall student achievement. Students enjoyed following David’s lead in sprints, tire flipping, and various plyometric and cardiovascular exercises.

Social Studies students participated in our annual Law Day celebration on May 25th at PHS. The 2018 Law Day theme, “Separation of Powers: Framework for Freedom” was the foundation for this year’s program. This program was facilitated by one of our Superior Court judges and former Piscataway resident, the Hon. Phillip L. Paley. The judge provided a brief overview of the three branches of government and how they interact along with his own personal experiences in the courtroom. The concepts of checks and balances vs separation of powers were explored as it relates to providing a framework for freedom.

In addition officers of the Middlesex County Court came in to speak with students about “Careers in the Courtroom.” Ombudsman Luis Hernandez explains his role in representing the interests of the public by investigating and addressing complaints of maladministration or a violation of rights.

On April 10th, 56 PHS FBLA members - and a few non-members - visited Arbor School to teach standards-based financial literacy lessons to 25 fourth- and fifth-grade classes as part of the High School Heroes program from Junior Achievement (JA). The program was piloted at MLK school in December of 2016, and MLK was visited again in November of 2017. The plan is to continue to expand the program to other K-8 schools in Piscataway, and to include a wider breadth of PHS “Heroes” in the future.

Many thanks to Ms Janelle Williams, Principal of Arbor School, for terrific logistical support, to the staff at Arbor school for the warm welcome, to Junior Achievement’s corporate and individual sponsors who donate thousands of dollars to facilitate the program at nearly zero cost to the District, to the staff at JA for their continued training and support, and to our Heroes who volunteered over 8 hours of their time to attend training, prepare for, and deliver the lessons.

We are pleased to announce the winners for this year’s PHS Poetry Contest. With 101 entries this year, it was difficult to select only five winning poems, as so many of them were really prize worthy!

Congratulations to the following students:

1st Place : Anisha Jagdeep

2nd Place: Ammaarah Shaikh

3rd Place: Khorie Riddick

Honorable Mention : Alyssa Lund

Honorable Mention : Ronni Garrett

June 1 ICCA Show 7:00-9:00 pm in the PAC

June 5 PHS Varsity Banquet 6:30-9:30 pm at The Pines Manor

June 6 PHS Senior Awards 6:00-8:00 pm in the PAC

June 7 PHS Film Festival 6:00-9:00 pm in the PAC

June 8 PHS Band Jazz Under the Stars 6:00-9:00 pm

June 12 PHS Sports Awards Night 6:30-9:00 pm in the PAC

June 21 PHS Graduation 6:00 pm at the RAC