May & June

Congratulations to the Class of 2019! As you make your mark in the world never, ever forget that you are a CHIEF! Always bring your “A” game to whatever you do. It has been an honor and privilege to serve as your principal these last four years.

I am proud of ALL of your accomplishments and how you represent the PHS EMPIRE. We wish you well.

We want to welcome the Class of 2023. I cannot believe I am saying 2023...time is going by so fast. Let’s begin the hard work now to prepare for a GREAT future. You will become the CHIEF we need you to be. Please give us 45 minutes of reading per day to keep your minds open and ready to learn. September will be here before you know it. Be safe and cool. Once again, congratulations to the Class of 2019! Be well.

Strength & Honor

The PHS Jazz Ensemble held their 4th Annual Jazz Under the Stars event and it was a huge success! The event featured performances from PHS Vocalists, the Chamber Choir, the Jazz Ensemble, and the Garden State Jazz Orchestra! It was a beautiful evening with passed appetizers, gorgeous weather, and of course - amazing music!! Thanks to Ken Zampella, Garrett Faccone, and the parent volunteers that made the night so lovely!

The PHS Jazz Ensemble has commissioned jazz musician, composer, and arranger Mike Tomaro to write a piece in memory of former PHS musician, Euna Shin. PHS Jazz students rehearsed this piece with Mike Tomaro and then premiered the piece at Jazz Under the Stars. Thank you to Ken Zampella for making this happen and for creating a musical memory of Euna. This piece will be published and reach other students and musicians far and beyond the borders of Piscataway.

On June 5, 2019, 47 students were inducted into the first class of the Sapere Aude Chapter of the National English Honors Society at Piscataway High School. Acceptance into the NEHS is an honor bestowed on individuals selected for their accomplishments in the field of English and in overall academic achievement.

With this acceptance comes the responsibility of our motto 'Gelast sceal mid are,' which is Old English for 'Duty goes with Honor.’ This charter carries with it a commitment to the mission of the founders of the Society: to promote mastery of written expression, encourage worthwhile reading, and foster fellowship among students who excel in English studies. Congratulations to all the students inducted this year.

You can find out more about the Sapere Aude Chapter at https://phsnehssapereaude.weebly.com/

Congratulations to PHS students Koleby Royston and Izabella Lopez! Koleby and Izabella have been selected for All State Jazz and will have an opportunity to perform with these highly selective ensembles in November in Atlantic City and at NJPAC! Thank you to Ken Zampella and Megan Suozzo for providing these opportunities!

The PHS Dance Concert featured choreography that was reimagined based on great choreography in the history of dance. Teacher choreography, student choreography, and student collaboration was featured at this beautiful performance which helped us to see the history of dance, consider social issues through art, and contemplate change as we interpreted and were immersed in the student performances. Congratulations to Jessica Taylor and all of the students involved. It was a truly amazing performance!

Darielle Moore won first place in the Teen Media Contest in the hand drawn category (top). Emma Broggi and Mia Tomasino received AENJ scholarships and were honored at the NJ Governor’s Awards (bottom). Congratulations to these outstanding artists and thank you to Dorothy Amme for providing support, guidance, and opportunities!

Advanced theater students at PHS presented plays that they selected, rehearsed, and directed. These performances are the culmination of their coursework in Theater Production Workshop this year. The performances featured casts of PHS students - providing additional performance opportunities for our school community! Thank you to Michael Yoson for all of his hard work with our theater students.

As part of our district partnership with American Repertory Ballet, our PHS Dancers had an opportunity to travel to the State Theater to see ARB’s production of Beauty and the Beast! This was an open rehearsal and students had a chance to see the rehearsal process as they prepared to open their production!

Left of Center’, the first publication of the newly created Teen Writers Guild of Piscataway High School is a collection of essays, poems, short stories, photographs, and drawing; all the expressions of students who said they never before thought they were good enough to be published. This anthology is a testament to the students' hard work and commitment to this project.

The 26 students who make up The Guild were honored at a book launch presentation and signing in the PHS Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, May 22, 2019. Congratulations!

The PHS Chamber Choir travelled to the ACDA High School Choral Festival at Mason Gross School of the Arts. Students performed for a panel of clinicians, had an opportunity to be workshopped by Dr. Brandon Williams, and then were scored on sight-singing as an ensemble. The Chamber Choir received superior ratings across the board!! An amazing accomplishment at this prestigious festival! Congratulations to the choir and to Megan Suozzo!

Congratulations to all of our musicians that shared their talents with us in spring concerts this season! Thank you to our music educators who inspire our students each day!

Congratulations to all of our artists that shared their work with us through galleries and events this spring! Thank you to our art educators for your dedication to our students and community!

Piscataway High School held their 1st Annual Car Show on June 9th. We had classic cars, trucks and hot rods. Prizes were awarded along with the "Best in the Show".

Matthew Marcinko received a monetary award from the Military Officers' Association of America, the nation's largest and most influential association of military officers, at McGuire AFB. See Matthew Marcinko chatting with Congressman Andy Kim, the speaker at the luncheon.

On the morning of Monday, May 20, Piscataway High School students from Mr. Lojko’s Media Literacy class, Ms. Dionisio’s Journalism class, and the PHS Photography Club embarked on a class trip to the Newseum in Washington D.C. Although sometimes lost amidst the many world-class museums in the nation’s capital, the Newseum is a fascinating museum that explores modern issues related to media and communication. Students explored numerous interactive exhibits that examined topics such as how media ethics affect journalism (Bancroft Family Ethics Center), how modern law enforcement gathers evidence (“Inside Today’s FBI”), how photographs can change the world (Pulitzer Prize photo gallery), how discrimination was challenged in the 1960 and 70s (“Make Some Noise”, and “Stonewall”), and then experienced an interactive presentation on evaluating the veracity of news online. Students also explored powerful historical artifacts including pieces of the Berlin wall and beams from the Twin Towers. When it was time for a break, students took in the the beautiful views of the Capitol and Pennsylvania Avenue from the outdoor terrace. After a full day of experiencing what the Newseum had to offer, students headed back to Piscataway with a new perspective on media and communication!

Congratulations to all our Student Athlete's listed below.

Nichos Silvera - East Stroudsburg University - Track and Field

Justin Lee - Rutgers University Newark - Track and Field

Emmanuel Boone - Middlesex County College - Track and Field

Gabriel Rodrigues - NYU - Wrestling

Joseph Hatcher - Middlesex County College - Wrestling

Jayson Mahmood - Middlesex County College - Baseball

Evan Okamoto - Stockton University - Baseball

Matthew C. Hanzich - County College of Morris - Baseball

Roldan Morris - Rowan College - Baseball

Daniel Lopez - Wilkes University - Football

Nicholas Roussey - William Paterson University - Soccer

Antonio Chandler - Franklin Pierce University - Basketball

Emma Broggi is Piscataway High School’s 2019 NJSIAA Scholar Athlete ($500 scholarship) Award Winner! This award is given to only ONE Senior from each High School in New Jersey that has earned a high GPA, is an exceptional varsity athlete, and exhibits outstanding school and community citizenship. Emma Broggi is a three season varsity athlete for Track, Swimming and Cross Country.

Anthony Jr. was born on April 30, 2019. 13 days past his due date! Weighing in at a whopping 9lbs!

Piscataway resident Sheila Mazar, and her volunteers from the Greater New Brunswick Area Chapter of The League of Women Voters returned for their spring voter registration drive in the commons during 11th and 12th grade lunch periods. Seventy-five students registered on May 29th, a new record for the volunteers, but par for the course for the student Chiefs’ who are always raising the bar.

The Health and Wellness Club did an after school volleyball and badminton tournament. This year’s volleyball/badminton tournament was a major success. Several teams competed after school to be crowned this year’s champion. Seventeen different badminton teams competed for gold across the other side of the gym. Each student participated in 2 plus hours of physical activity. At the end of the event, awards were presented to each of the victorious teams. Also, the turnout for the event was a massive success. People filled the gym to watch a great sports competition in a fun and enjoyable environment. Now that all is said and done, we cannot wait to see next year’s turnout!

Science League results for 2018-2019 school year are listed below. Congratulations to all teams and to all students who won the plaques! Congratulations to all the teachers for all their hard work in coaching and supporting the students!

Biology I (Rank 63)

Certificates: Amir Aacine & Karishma Kesapragada

Biology II (Rank 10)

Certificates: Dhyan Ray, Chreya Gupta, Sania Patel, Vincent Truong

Plaque: Sania Patel

Chemistry I (Rank 3)

Certificates: Ismaeel Abdulghahi, Neet Dhabalia, Prit Patel, Ved Siriaman

Plaques: Prit Patel & Ved Siriaman

Chemistry II (Rank 45)

Certificates: Jadyn Cruz-Arriaga

Physics HS (Rank 10)

Certificates: Andrew Bui & Nicholas Chen

Physics C: (Rank 26)

Certificates: Deepkumar Patel

Last fall (2018), we were contacted by Charmaine Rodriguez of United Way of Central Jersey about a program called VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance), asking if PHS had ten student volunteers who might be interested; 24 signed up.

From the United Way of Central Jersey:

"The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program with United Way of Central Jersey offers free tax help to people who generally make $65,000 or less, persons with disabilities and limited English speaking taxpayers who need assistance in preparing their own tax returns. IRS-certified volunteers provide free basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing to qualified individuals."

Of the 24 who started the program, 10 completed the training and volunteer (hours) requirements, two of whom achieved advanced status. This is the most of any high school United Way worked with in Middlesex County! Collectively, our students volunteered for over 300 hours between training and providing tax return assistance.

I'd like to call out Neet Dhabalia (class of 2021) who alone completed over 50 hrs as part of VITA, earned advanced certification from the IRS, AND scored a summer internship in the business office at our BoE building as a result of participating in the FBLA/Rotary Career Day this spring! He also earned a perfect score on a national financial literacy exam. Neet is both a Chief and Future Business Leader of America.

Piscataway High School came in 17th place in the Vocabulary Bowl out of the 39,702 schools that competed in North America. The Vocabulary Bowl is a competition to see what school can master the most academic vocabulary words and students at the High School mastered a total of 159,835 words!

Congratulations Piscataway High School!!

Piscataway High School’s Genders and Sexualities Alliance (GSA) is observing World Pride Month. The month of June is designated as LGBT Pride Month to commemorate the Stonewall riots, which occurred at the end of June 1969.

GSA students chose to celebrate this month by creating a mural on the windows to the Anthony Commons cafeteria located in the East Wing honoring renowned artist Keith Haring (1958–1990). American artist Keith Haring was best known for his graffiti-inspired drawings, which he first made in subway stations and later exhibited in museums. His art was eventually seen everywhere from public murals and nightclubs to galleries and museums around the world. He was also known for his activism in promoting AIDS awareness. In 1988, Haring was diagnosed with AIDS. The following year, he created the Keith Haring Foundation to support children's programs and organizations dedicated to raising AIDS awareness. He died of AIDS-related complications on February 16, 1990, at age 31. His art is still exhibited worldwide, and many of his works are owned by prestigious museums, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, France. Haring's art, with its deceptively simple style and its deeper themes of love, death, war and social harmony, continues to appeal strongly to viewers. (https://www.biography.com/artist/keith-haring)

PHS’ GSA is proud to honor Keith Haring as one of the seminal artists of the 80’s that helped destigmatize AIDS and the LGBTQ community.

On Monday, June 3rd, Zoha Enver, Yumna Enver, Naivrul Lathia and Nikhil Kundu presented their research findings at Rutgers University into a protein Phosphoglucomutase of Leishmania major (a parasitic protest) alongside a few other NJ districts. These students are members of the Piscataway GenEn Team which participates in the Waksman Student Scholars Program. This year’s GenEn Team was led by Zoha Enver, who was the 2018 Summer Waksman Student Scholar. Yumna has been named the 2019 Summer Waksman Student Scholar.

Throughout the year students learn about molecular biology and bioinformatic analytic tools to investigate an unknown gene sequence in the organism Landoltia punctata (a plant commonly known as Duckweed). Through their investigation, this gene was determined to code for the protein Phosphoglucomutase. Through their research, students created a 3-D model of the protein and inferred details of its functions. Their findings will be published in the paper entitled "Crystal structure of phosphoglucomutase from Leishmania major at 3.5 Å resolution" by Barnali Waugh, Udayaditya Sen, Rahul Banerjee. Thank you to the GenEn club advisors Dr. Craig Lollin and Lesley Wilson.