June 2024

It is hard to believe another school year is drawing to a close. I would like to recognize and congratulate all of our BTHS staff and students for their accomplishments this past school year. I continue to be impressed with our students’ ability to achieve. It is through the practice of active collaboration among all stakeholders that we are able to attain our goals.

These past few weeks presented multiple opportunities to observe the high level of student character present at Brick Township High School, recognizing our school’s core values of Tradition, Pride, Acceptance, Integrity, and Respect. Our Seniors were recognized at the Senior Scholarship and Awards night, where over 230 scholarships and awards were presented during the ceremony totaling over $134,000. Congratulations to all of the seniors who were recognized. Moreover, our BTHS Band and Choral programs put on an awe inspiring Spring Concert this past month. The level of professionalism and quality of music was magnificent. I continue to be amazed at the talented students attending our school.

As we complete another year, we express our gratitude to the Class of 2024 for their leadership and commitment to BTHS throughout these last four years. The entire BTHS faculty and staff are proud of their accomplishments and look forward to celebrating their achievement at the upcoming graduation ceremony on Thursday, June 13 at 4:30 PM. As our senior class prepares for life after BTHS, I wish all of our underclassmen a restful, safe, and enjoyable summer break. I urge all of our BTHS families to remain connected throughout the summer as important information will be posted on our school website and, when necessary, pushed out through our mass notification system. As always, if you need help in any way, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at the school using one of the guidance or administrative contacts below!

Please make sure to spend time reviewing all of the information present in this school year’s final edition of the Dragon Review as it contains important information regarding the upcoming Graduation Ceremony on Thursday, June 13 at 4:30 PM.

Sincerely,

David Kasyan, Ed.D.

Principal

On Friday, June 7 - Thursday, June 13, Brick Township High School will be operating on an Early Dismissal Schedule. School starts promptly at 7:10 AM and dismisses at 11:30 AM.

Final Exam will be administered on Friday, June 7 and Monday June 10. Students missing their exams on the scheduled Final Exam dates of Friday, June 7 and Monday, June 10 need to make arrangements with their classroom teacher to complete a make-up final exam prior to the last day of school, Thursday, June 13. Please review the schedule below for these identified dates.

This year's graduation ceremony will take place on Thursday, June 13 beginning at 4:30 PM on Keller Memorial Field (BTHS Football Stadium). There are no tickets needed for the outdoor ceremony. Students will be expected to report to the BTHS Auditorium by 3:15 PM to check-in for the event. A Rain Date of Friday, June 14 at 10:00 AM has been set if there is inclement weather and the planned graduation ceremony needs to be postponed. Any changes to the scheduled graduation date and time will be pushed out to families through the blackboard mass notification system, however, all efforts will be made to hold the graduation ceremony on Thursday, June 13 at 4:30 PM.

Please follow the presented parking plan to facilitate a smooth arrival and dismissal from our Graduation event.

• Students - Park behind the school. Enter school through Door 14 by Mr. Hesnan’s Office.
  
• Parents - Park in the West Parking Lot. The West Parking lot is the lot with the solar carports. Overflow parking will be at the Warren H. Wolf ECDC complex.
  
• Parents in Need of Assistance - Park in the East Parking Lot near the athletic office. There will be staff available to offer assistance. If handicapped assistance is needed, please contact Mrs. Strich at ext. 2029 or Mrs. Reddan at ext. 2038.
  
• Overflow Parking - If you arrive at BTHS and have difficulty finding a parking space, please proceed to Warren H. Wolf ECDC complex. BTPS transportation will be providing a shuttle service, beginning at 3:30 PM, for anyone parking at the WHW complex.
  

Thank you in advance for following the provided parking plan.

Cap & Gown Distribution as well as BTHS Device Collection will take place on Tuesday, June 11. Students will begin being called down during Block 1 to participate in this event. All outstanding financial obligations or fines (Library, Textbook, Café, etc.) must be resolved with Mrs. Schuster by June 10 in order to receive your Cap & Gown. Ms. Schuster can be reached at Ext. 2004.

The BTHS faculty and administrative team is excited to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of our graduating seniors. We are looking forward to a successful graduation ceremony, however, it should be noted that participation in the ceremony is a privilege. Administration reserves the right to remove any student whose behavior or appearance is deemed objectionable. Appropriate dress attire for graduation includes slacks, collared shirts, dress pants, skirts, dresses, dress shoes, and sandals. Students may only wear school issued graduation attire (stoles/cords) over their gowns for the ceremony. No flowers are to be worn on clothing. Jeans, shorts, flip flops, sneakers, and sunglasses are unacceptable for this occasion and will not be permitted. No purses, yearbooks, cell phones, or cameras are allowed. Students will be permitted to decorate their caps, with administrative review and approval on the day of graduation.

All seniors wishing to walk in graduation must attend both scheduled Graduation Practices on Wednesday, June 12 at 8:00 AM and Thursday, June 13 at 7:30 AM. Seniors will be required to report to the Auditorium by 3:15 PM on graduation day. Seniors should park behind the building.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, graduates and their families may take pictures on the field. It will also be the responsibility of each graduate to pick up their diplomas from guidance staff at the designated tent area on the field at the conclusion of the ceremony. Any graduate that fails to pick up their diploma, following graduation, will need to make an appointment to pick up the diploma in the guidance office during the school's summer hours.

The graduation ceremony is a traditional and joyous celebration. We ask that you respect all of our graduates by not using air horns or noisemakers of any kind. Please remain in the stands until the ceremony has ended. After the ceremony has ended, family and friends may come onto the field to take pictures.

On behalf of the entire Brick Township High School community, we thank you for your support over the last four years. These graduates are wonderful students and we feel extremely proud of all their accomplishments.

A LifeTouch photographer will be on-site during graduation to take pictures of the graduates as they receive their diploma cover. Pictures are available for purchase through the LifeTouch website if desired. To access this content Text 44592GY24 to 90738* or visit http://my.photoday.com/g and enter your phone number followed by your access code to get started.

BTHS will be open from Monday - Thursday from 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM during the Summer months. If you need assistance, please call the school ahead of time to set up an appointment for your visit.

Grade 12 students will return their laptop devices on Tuesday, June 11. This transaction is required prior to receiving a cap and gown for graduation.

Grade 9 - 11 students will be keeping their school issued Chromebook for the summer. We recommend the following:

• Fully charge and shut down the device.
• Place the laptop and charger into the provided protective case.
• Store the device in a dry, temperature controlled location.

If you are withdrawing from BTHS and transferring to another high school, please contact our guidance department at 732-785-3000 x2019 to schedule a time to come to the school, complete the necessary paperwork, and return your district issued device and charger.

Yearbooks are still available for purchase, however, at this time quantities are limited. Yearbooks may only be purchased in person at this time. Please see the yearbook advisor, Ms. Piwowarczyk, in the guidance office to purchase a yearbook. High school only lasts a few years. With a Visiontech print yearbook, your memories live on forever.

Senior Portraits will be over the summer, July 15th-18th & August 5th-8th. Students can sign up for an appointment by going to https://prestigeportraits.com/ and entering the appointment code that was mailed home. You can also search by city and state if you have not yet received an appointment code mailer.

Congratulations to the Senior Scholarship and Award Recipients of the Class of 2024. This was a celebratory evening for numerous seniors, where over 230 scholarships were awarded with a total value of approximately $134,000. Thank you to the donors for their generous awards to help our students as they embark on their educational endeavors.

Special recognition was given to BTHS seniors this past month in the form of Awards and Scholarships. Francesco Bevacqua, Amaya Dalton, and Ivan Citron were each recognized at the 36th Annual Superintendents' Roundtable Student Recognition Ceremony with the recipient of the Superintendents Roundtable Award, representing BTHS with prestige and class. Each of these individuals received $1,000 as part of their recognition. The Ocean County Mayor’s Scholarship was also awarded at this ceremony, which was presented Amaya Dalton. This scholarship, in the form of $1,000, is awarded to the student who holds the highest GPA in the graduating class.

Each year, the New Jersey Principal Supervisory Association (NJPSA) offers each of the 426 High Schools throughout the State of New Jersey an opportunity to nominate one Senior for the NJPSA Student Leadership Scholarship. The selection process is extremely competitive as in the end only 20 students are selected to be honored with a scholarship in the amount of $2,000. I am proud to announce that Amaya Dalton was selected for this scholarship.

The Class of 2024 participated in several Senior Events inclusive of a Senior Picnic, Senior Walk, and Senior Breakfast. Enjoy taking a look at these events in action.

BTHS joined with BMHS to celebrate our seniors, enlisting in the military, with a special Military Recognition Ceremony on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. Our Mayor, Central Office Personnel, Administration, Veterans, parents and students were in attendance. The seniors received certificates from the State Legislature and their school. A Proclamation was read by Mayor Crate to dedicate the day. Students and Veterans were led in an unofficial oath and the Voices of Fire Choir sang the "Salute to the Armed Forces." It was a great celebration and recognition of the 14 students that will be dedicating their lives to serve our country.

We would like to Congratulate all of our Students of the Month for the 2023-2024 School Year. Thank you for upholding our school's core values of Tradition, Pride, Acceptance, Integrity, & Respect. We recently held our Student of the Month breakfast, inviting all students in receipt of this honor to come together and to celebrate their hard work and commitment to our school.

The Spring Choral & Band Concert was outstanding. Pictures of the event have been included for your reference. The Choral and Band departments, with multiple subgroups, put on a masterful performance highlighting the talents and musical expertise of our students. These programs under the direction of Mr. Capone and Mr. DeLuca have flourished this school year. Bravo to all!

Our Unified Sports Team competed against Brick Memorial High School in its final competition of the season. It was a successful game, where the message of friendship, inclusion, acceptance and fun was spread amongst all participants. The Dragons have flourished this school year as we had our highest turnout this year with 23 athletes and 24 partners. The team gathered every week to participate in activities as well as practice kickball. Throughout the year, many new friendships were made between the athletes and partners. The smiles on everyone's faces each week truly told the story of what UNIFIED is all about. Unified Sports continues to be a wonderful experience for both our student athletes and partners as our Dragons continue to embody our school's vision of an inclusive school community.

Our BTHS Marching Dragons recently performed at the Brick Memorial Day Parade. It was a great community event. We are always impressed with the level of expertise our Marching Dragons present. Thank you for representing BTHS so well. Go Dragons!

Brick Township High School is proud to announce the creation of the Computer Honor Society. This past month we inducted the inaugural class of 9 students into the Computer Honor Society - BTHS chapter. On behalf of the entire BHTS faculty, we are incredibly proud of each one of you and excited to see the amazing contributions you will make to the field of computer science. Remember, this induction is not just a recognition of your past achievements, but a call to future action and leadership.

Our school literary magazine, The Regaler, is LIVE! See it on our school homepage of the Brick Schools website, or use the link here. Click Here.

Enjoy your journey into space as you enjoy the creative talents of our Dragon writers, artists, and photographers. Thank you, students and staff, for your eager contributions to this year's issue!

There is no required summer reading, but here is a link to a suggested list for high school students. We hope everyone will enjoy a great book or two (or more) this summer. ~ English Department

The freshman STEM and Honors Biology students showcased their semester projects at the 5th Annual Science Symposium. Through the use of the scientific method, students selected their own topics, designed their own experiments, and analyzed their data. Their teacher, Mr. Amoroso is immensely proud of their achievements and the dedication they demonstrated throughout the process.

Stay connected and informed about BTHS happenings through SGA (Student Government Association). Join the SGA Google Classroom (q2hav5z) and follow SGA on Twitter and Instagram (@bths_sga). SGA recently conducted elections for next year's class officers. Congratulations to all new and returning officers.

Class Advisor & Contact Information

Class of 2025 - Mr. Pazmino & Ms. Velez

Class of 2026 - Mrs. Buell & Ms. Depoto

Class of 2027 - Mrs. DeBonis & Ms. Scipione

Updates from the School Counseling Department

The College Board National Recognition Programs award academic honors to high-performing, underrepresented students. The five national recognition programs include the National African American Recognition Program, National First-Generation Recognition Program (beginning in 2024), National Hispanic Recognition Program, National Indigenous Recognition Program, and National Rural and Small Town Recognition Program

Recipients are strong academic performers who take eligible administrations of the PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, or AP Exams and meet the score requirements considered for awards. Students must also identify as African American/Black, Hispanic/Latino, Indigenous/Native American, first-generation, and/or attend high school in a rural area or small town. Many colleges intentionally recruit awardees, and school communities often celebrate students who receive these awards.

• We would like to celebrate the following students for the National First-Generation Recognition Program; Tyler Acropolis, Trinity Elrod, Jamie Fischbach, Ryan Lehrach, Michelle Lin, Matthew Maugeri, and William Pearson
• We would like to celebrate the following students for the National Hispanic Recognition Program; Iriana Ramirez, Gael Reyes, and Mariana Uribe Wharff

Counselors will be working intermittently over the summer months. Please email your counselor or contact the guidance office directly at ext. 2062 or 2053 with any questions or concerns.

Have a great summer!
Guidance Department

IMPORTANT End of Year Health Office Reminders:

1. Please contact the Health Offices for prescription medication pick-up to be conducted on June 11th, 12th, or 13th. Please speak to the West Wing or East Wing Health Office Nurses to discuss ‘other’ medications that are currently being housed for your son or daughter that will need to be retrieved.

2. Friendly Reminder- Medication Orders are only current for the School Year for which they are prescribed and Do Not Carry Over from year to year. Any medication orders in the form of Asthma Action Plans, Food Allergy Action Plans, Seizure Action Plans, Diabetic Medical Management Plans, PRN Meds (as Needed), &/or other ‘Daily’ Prescription Medications that may need to be administered by the School Nurse for next year will need to be renewed by your attending Medical Doctor, Primary Care Physician, &/or child’s Specialists. All of these forms are located on our BTHS Health Office page for downloading and printing.

3. Please know that the Nurses do not work during the Summer months and telephone messages may not be returned in a timely fashion for these reasons. If there are urgent matters that need to be addressed during this time, please reach out to our Main Office line at extensions 2019 &/or 2093 for further assistance, as needed. Emails are the preferred method of communication for the Health Offices during the Summer months, and email accounts will be checked periodically.

4. Medical Notes pertaining to Physical Education participation. If your child has been diagnosed with an injury, or the need to have surgery over the summer months, please make sure you discuss with your attending physician the need for any Medically Excused Notes relating to Physical Education participation that your child will need to produce to the Health Offices upon the start of classes in September. Also, please Do Not Attach Asthma Action Plans (AAP’s) or Food Allergy Action Plans (FAAP’s) to your child’s Sports Packets upon submission. These documents need to be submitted to the Health Offices separately by the first day of school.

Thank you for your assistance and have a safe and relaxing summer vacation!

Respectfully,

Nurse Yarbrough & Nurse Blunda

Health Office Contact- Nurse Tammy Yarbrough & Nurse Bridget Blunda

• West Nurse Office - Ext. 2037 - Nurse Tammy Yarbrough
• East Nurse Office - Ext. 2009 - Nurse Bridget Blunda

The School Based Youth Services Program (SBYSP) provides our students year round intervention and supportive services that are promotive and protective of healthy adolescent development and well-being. School Based staff are valued members of our school community, advocating and developing for collaborative partnerships with all who share our passion to motivate and empower our youth. Together, we strive to create a safe environment, as well as a place to seek guidance and mentorship.

Principal

David Kasyan, Ed.D.

Assistant Principals

Erin Biancella - Grade 11 & Freshman P-Z

Ryan Hesnan - Grade 10 & Freshman H-O

James Marvin - Grade 12 & Freshman A-G

Athletic Director & Co-Curricular Supervisor

Jason Longo

Supervisor of Guidance

Angela Smith

Guidance Department

Lauren Ianniello - Students: A - Da

Jennie Piwowarczyk - Students: De - I

Kaitlyn Donahue - Students: J - Mo

Dawn Celona - Students: Mu - Sa

Marie Walling - Students: Sc - Z

Lori Roland - Student Assistance Counselor

Child Study Team

Janet Maciel

Antoinette Sirico

Christine Velardi

Mike Zuccaro

Website: www.brickschools.org
Location: 346 Chambersbridge Road, Brick Township, NJ, USA
Phone: 732-785-3000
Twitter: @BTHSDragons