Piscataway High School welcomes Mr. Baldassano as the new Principal of PHS, as of February 1, 2021. He previously served as PATHS/SAIL Supervisor, the secondary special education supervisor, and for the past two years, as the Principal of Arbor School. We look forward to his leadership and working together to continue to thrive as a school community. Please join me in welcoming him to our PHS Family and also wishing him all the best in his new role.

Congratulations to Ishita Jain and Karen Luo Ye! They have received recognition in the 2021 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. This is a remarkable achievement. Their work was recognized by a panel of creative professionals as outstanding among their peers. Award recipients will be presented with their certificates and pins at the Regional Awards Ceremony. Gold Key works have been automatically advanced to the national level of adjudication in New York City. National Medalists will be announced on Wednesday, March 17th, 2021. All Gold Key Medalists are also invited to exhibit their awarded pieces as part of the South Jersey Regional exhibit as well as onsite at the Appel Farm Arts and Music Campus. Gold Key recipients are eligible to apply for a full 2-week scholarship, $3,500 value. Thanks to PHS art educator Lisa Lentini Pombrio!

Congratulations to PHS artists Micah Enobio, Cindy Le, and Pauline Luo Ye who had their work published in the Celebrating Art Fall edition! Thanks to PHS art educator Dorothy Amme for providing this opportunity!

PHS Theatre students had an opportunity to meet with Jon Colby from Paper Mill Playhouse to participate in an improv workshop. This is part of our Adopt--a-School program with Paper Mill. Thanks to Mr. Yoson for organizing these amazing opportunities!

The PHS Chapter of the International Thespian Society attended a virtual weekend state festival! Two of our students were honored with superior ratings! Thanks to PHS Drama Advisors Mike Yoson and Erik Hall for providing these amazing opportunities for our students!

The PHS Dance Academy students present a dance film about personal growth quarantine. Thanks to PHS dance educator Jessica Taylor for her amazing work with our students!

PHS Chamber Orchestra student Cami Tortajada presents the History of the Cello! Thanks to PHS music educator Chris Sumner for this opportunity!

Congratulations to PHS artists Samantha Kwan, Cindy Le, and Pauline Luo Ye who were honored with Scholastic Art Awards! Thanks to PHS art educator Dorothy Amme for providing this opportunity!

Congratulations to PHS Thespian Juliet Pastras! Juliet was featured in the pre show for the Theatre Alive Gala for the Educational Theatre Foundation!

Congratulations to our PHS Dance Students in the Spotlight for January! Thank you to PHS Dance educator Jessica Taylor!

Congratulations to our PHS Thespian Society members who presented Law and Order: Fairy Tale Unit and to our new thespians who were inducted! Thanks to Juliet Pastras, the drama club officers, and drama club advisors - Mike Yoson & Erik Hall!

The Piscataway Choral Collective is back rehearsing two Tuesdays per month on zoom! If you want to join, email pwaychoralcollective@gmail.com! It is such a joy to be singing together again!

On December 16th 2020, the PHS Science National Honor Society hosted Rutgers University Chemistry Graduate student Johnathan Roth's presentation on Frogs, Collagen and Disease. Students from all four grades at the high school were able to learn about the importance of frogs and collagen as well as its role as the most abundant protein in the body. They also learned how the pursuance of STEM works beyond high school and college. With over 60 attendants, the Science National Honor Society was able to introduce students of all grades to work in biology and the STEM field.

Hosted by the PHS Science National Honor Society, on January 11th, 2021, Piscataway High School alumni met with SNHS students and spoke about their experiences in high school, college, and in job searching. The alumni offered guidance in Engineering, Pharmacy, Chemistry, Computer Science, and Biology. PHS students were able to ask questions and receive advice on how to make the most out of their high school and college years. The 75 attendants of this program were split into breakout rooms based on their career interests, where they then were able to interact with the 20 alumni, and ask questions specific to their education path. ​

The Athletic Department has announced that senior Tori Fisher, PHS girls basketball, has been chosen this year as Piscataway High School’s outstanding Senior Female Athlete and was recognized by The National Girls and Women in Sports Day on February 3rd, 2021. The National Girls and Women in Sports Day, powered by the Women’s Sports Foundation, is an annual day of observance held during the first week of February to acknowledge the accomplishments of female athletes, recognize the influence of sports participation for women and girls, and honor the progress and continuing struggle for equality for women in sports. A virtual program was held on this date.

In the past the Social Studies Department would organize live streaming assemblies through Oaida International with students and educators in Ghana in F100. This year, due to the pandemic we have virtual opportunities for our classes. Teachers will individually schedule a date and time from the choices at their website. Oiada is committed to provide remote educational programs to keep students and parents academically engaged and entertained while they are home.​​​ For Black History Month, Oiada offered two video conference programs celebrating Africa, “LIVE” Tour of the Cape Coast Slave Dungeon and the Eye Opener session.

https://www.oiadaintl.org/black-history-month

This year’s Black History Month assemblies with filmmaker Byron Hurt was conducted through Zoom with selected Social Studies and English classes. He presented segments of his documentaries on issues of race, health and social justice. As a filmmaker and motivational speaker Mr. Hurt’s work and the discussion forum with students is a valuable experience for both students and teachers. He has screened his films, and provided keynote speeches on hundreds of college and university campuses, from Howard University to Harvard University, with audiences that are racially and culturally diverse. His documentary Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and broadcast nationally on PBS in 2007. His film Soul Food Junkies received the Best Documentary Award at the 2012 American Black Film Festival and aired on PBS' Independent Lens. His most recent work is HAZING, a documentary film that explores why the controversial practice of hazing continues to be widely seen as a meaningful and legitimate rite of passage, despite mounting lawsuits, fraternity/sorority chapter suspensions, increased media coverage, serious injuries, arrests, and tragic deaths.

http://www.bhurt.com/

Week 1

On this day in Black History- February 1

· On this day in 1865 – Boston Attorney John Rock the first black attorney that was admitted to argue in the US Supreme Court. John Rock was credited with coning the phrase “Black is Beautiful”

· On this day in 1865 The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was adopted by the 38th Congress which abolished slavery.

· On this day in 1960- Four black students form North Carolina A&T College started Sit-in movement at Woolworth in Greensboro, NC. By February 10 movement had spread to fifteen Southern cities in five states. The Greensboro sit-ins are considered one of the biggest events of the Civil Rights Movement and set the standard for modern nonviolent protest and resistance.

· On this day in 1965-Alabama officials arrested 700 Blacks as they demonstrated against the state’s voter registration requirements in Selma.

· On this day in 1998- Lillian E. Fishburne, the first African American woman to become a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy.

On this day in Black History -February 2

· On this day in 1839-Edmond Berger patented the spark plug.

· On this day in 1897- Alfred L. Cralle invented the ice cream scooper.

· On this day in 1935- Anne Raven Wilkson was born. She was the 1st African American Woman to receive a full time dance contract with a major ballet company, the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo of New York City.

· On this day 1948- President Truman sent Congress a special message urging adoption of civil rights program, including a fair employment practices commission and anti-lynching and anti-poll tax measures.

· On this day 2009- Eric Holder became 1st African American to be named Attorney General of the United States.

On this day in Black History- February 3

· On this day in 1926- Reginald Lewis was born on this day in Baltimore, Maryland. He received his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1968. He was a partner, Thropes & Lewis, the first black law firm on Wall Street. In 1989 he became president and CEO of TLC Beatrice International Food Company, Lewis became the head of the largest black-owned business in the US. TLC Beatrice had revenues of $1.54 billion in 1992.

· On this day in 1903 - Jack Johnson wins the Negro Heavyweight title.

· On this day in 1920 - The Negro Baseball League is founded.

· On this day in 1965 - Geraldine McCullough, sculptor, wins the Widener Gold Medal Award

On this day in Black History- February 4

· On this day in 1913 - Rosa Parks (born Rosa Louise McCauley) was born on this day.

· On this day in 1971 - National Guard mobilized to quell rioting in Wilmington, N.C. Two persons killed.

· On this day in 1996 - J. C. Watts becomes the first Black selected to respond to a State of the Union Address.

On this day in Black History- February 5

· On this day in 1866 - Congressman Thaddeus Stevens offered an amendment to Freedmen's Bureau Bill authorizing the distribution of public land and confiscated land to freedmen and loyal refugees in 40- acre lots.

· On this day in 1958 - Clifton R. Wharton Sr. confirmed as minister to Rumania. This career diplomat was the first Black to head a U.S. embassy in Europe.

· On this day in 1962 - Suit seeking to bar Englewood, N.J., from maintaining "racial segregated" elementary schools filed in U.S. District Court.

· On this day in 1990- Barack Obama Columbia University graduate & Harvard University law student became the 1st African American named president of Harvard Law Review.

Week 2

On this day in Black History- February 8

· On this day in 1944 - Harry S. McAlphin, first African American to be accredited to attend the White House press conference.

· On this day in 1985- Brenda Renee Pearson an official court reporter for the House of Representatives was the first black female to record the State of the Union message delivered by the president in the House chambers.

· On this day in 1986 -Figure skater Debi Thomas became the first African American to win the Women’s Singles of the U.S. National Figure Skating Championship competition.

· On this day in 1986 - Oprah Winfrey becomes the first African American woman to host a nationally syndicated talk show.

On this day in Black History - February 9

· On this day in 1944 - Novelist Alice Walker was born in Eatonton, Ga.

· On this day in 1952 - Author Ralph Ellison's novel Invisible Man wins the National Book Award.

· On this day in 1971 - Leroy "Satchel" Paige is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

· On this day in 1995 - Bernard Harris, African American astronaut, takes spacewalk.

On this day in Black History - February 10

· On this day in 1927 - Leontyne Price, who became an internationally acclaimed opera singer, was born in Laurel, Miss.

· On this day in 1940- singer Roberta Flack was born.

· On this day in 1964 - After 12 days of debate and voting on 125 amendments, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by a vote of 290-130.

· On this day in 1966 - Economist Andrew Brimer is appointed to the Federal Reserve Board.

On this day in Black History- February 11

· On this day in 1961 - Robert Weaver sworn in as administrator of the Housing and Home Finance Agency, highest federal post to date by a black American.

· On this day in 1976 - Clifford Alexander Jr. confirmed as the first black secretary of the United States.

· On this day in 1990 –Nelson Mandela is released from prison.

On this day in Black History - February 12

· On this day in 1865 - Henry Highland Garnet, first black to speak in the Capitol, delivered memorial sermon on the abolition of slavery at services in the House of Representatives.

· On this day in 1908 Heavyweight Champ: Jack Johnson became the first African American man to hold the World Heavyweight Champion boxing title. He held onto the belt until 1915.

· On this day in 1909 - The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded. The call for the organizational meeting was issued on 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth by 47 whites and six blacks.

· On this day in 1948 - First Lt. Nancy C. Leftneant became the first black accepted in the regular Army Nursing Corps.

· Born on this day in 1965 the first African American late night talk show host, Arsenio Hall

Week 3

On this day in Black History - February 16

· On this day in 1857 - Frederick Douglass elected President of Freeman Bank and Trust.

· On this day in 1923 - Bessie Smith makes her first recording, "Down Hearted Blues, which sells 800,000 copies for Columbia Records.

· On this day in 1951 - New York City Council passes a bill prohibiting racial discrimination in city-assisted housing developments.

On this day in Black History - February 17

· On this day in 1870 - Congress passed resolution readmitting Mississippi on condition that it would never change its constitution to disenfranchise blacks.

· On this day in 1963 - Michael Jeffrey Jordan, famed basketball player and former minor league baseball player, born in New York, N.Y.

· On this day in 1997 - Virginia House of Delegates votes unanimously to retire the state song, "Carry Me Back to Old Virginia," a tune that glorified slavery.

On this day in Black History - February 18

· On this day in 1688 - First formal protest against slavery by organized white body in English America made by Germantown Quakers at monthly meeting.

· On this day in 1865 - Rebels abandoned Charleston. First Union troops to enter the city included twenty-first U.S.C.T., followed by two companies of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteers.

· Born this day in 1931 –Pulitzer Prize winning author Toni Morrison (born Chloe Anthony Wofford), for her novel Beloved.

· On this day in 1965- Civil Rights Activist Jammie Lee Jackson was killed during a demonstration as he tried to protect his mother & grandfather.

On this day in Black History - February 19

· On this day in 1919 - Pan-African Congress, organized by W.E.B. DuBois, met at the Grand Hotel, Paris. There were 57 delegates- -16 from the United States and 14 from Africa as well as others from 16 countries and colonies.

· Born on this day in 1940 singer Smokey Robison.

· On this day in 1992 the first African American and the youngest ever film-maker to be nominated for the best director John Singleton for “Boyz N the Hood” Academy Award.

Week 4

On this day in Black History - February 22

· Born in this day in 1841- Grafton Tyler Brown was the first black lithographer & painter who devoted himself to depicting scenes of the Pacific Northwest and the West.

· Born on this day in 1888- In West Chester, Pennsylvania, African American painter Horace Pippin. He is considered one of the major American painters of his period. One of his more significant works, "John Brown Going to His Hanging," is owned by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

· On this day in 1989- 1st Grammy Award for Best Rap Song “Parents Just Don’t Understand”

On this day in Black History - February 23

· On this day in 1965 - Constance Baker Motley elected Manhattan Borough President, the highest elective office held by a black woman in a major American city.

· On this day in 1979 - Frank E. Peterson Jr. named the first black general in the Marine Corps.

On this day in Black History- February 24

· On this day in 1864 - Rebecca Lee became the first black woman to receive an M.D. degree.

On this day in Black History - February 25

· On this day in 1870 - Herman R. Revels of Mississippi was sworn in as first black U.S. Senator and first black Representative in Congress.

· On this day in 1948 - Martin Luther King was ordained as a Baptist minister.

· On this day in 1971 - President Nixon met with members of the Congressional Black Caucus and appointed a White House panel to study a list of recommendations made by the group.

On this day in Black History - February 26

· On this day in 1869 - Fifteenth Amendment guaranteeing the right to vote sent to the states for ratification.

· On this day in 1926 - Carter G. Woodson started Negro History Week. This week would later become Black History Month.

· On this day in 1966 - Andrew Brimmer becomes the first African American governor of the Federal Reserve Board when he is appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson

· On this day in 2020- Ramona Hood becomes first African American CEO for Fedex.

On February 19th, PHS held an assembly for our students with The Diversity Organization to focus on fostering tolerance and unity, embracing diversity and having difficult conversations. Students were encouraged to share their knowledge on such things as pre-conceived notions, the creation of stereotypes and implicit bias. The workshop modeled acceptance, diversity and how to have meaningful conversations.

Ten Piscataway High School students entered the 2021 New Jersey Junior Science and Humanities Research symposium (NJJSHS) at Rutgers in January. The NJJSHS at Rutgers University is an annual research fair held at Rutgers University that celebrates high school students’ novel investigations in science, engineering, and mathematics. The NJJSHS is a regional competition of the national Junior Science and Humanities Symposia, a tri-service – U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force – sponsored STEM competition. The PHS students who participated are Mizha Bulahan, Haley Crowe, Baker Alomari, Spencer Copeland, Kanika Syal, Melanie Robles, Jamie Giang, L’Nya Thomas, Adrienne Glant, and Aliya Cornejo. The students mentored by Dr. Tenenbaum and Ms. Busichio, carried out independent research projects during the fall and submitted research posters and presentation videos in January. Each student was interviewed about their project by a Rutgers judge. The finalist symposium and award ceremony will be hosted virtually by Rutgers on March 1st. The students’ research covered a wide variety of topics ranging from adolescent mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic to Raritan River water quality.

Kanika Syal (10th grade) was awarded the 1st place poster prize in the Engineering and Technology category for her poster titled "A Smart MedReminder- Prescription Medication Compliance".

Mizha Bulahan (10th grade) was awarded the 2nd place poster prize in the Environmental Science category for her poster titled "Comparing the Environmental Impact of Adult and Teenager Consumer Clothing Habits". Overall, there were 170 student entries in the competition from 50 different high schools.

Three video stories produced by PHS broadcasting students have been accepted for the

"Community Conversations - New Jersey’s COVID-19 Storytelling Project," which is a joint venture between the New Jersey YMCA Alliance, the New Jersey Department of Health and the Healthy New Jersey Advisory Council. In addition to the upcoming showcase held by these organizations, the stories gathered for this project are being considered to be part of StoryCorps. The students also received $25 Visa gift cards for their submissions. Congratulations to senior, Arianna Vazquez and juniors, Kayla Gonzales and Haseeb Rehman!

March 1 Students Half Day (Teachers Office Hours)

March 5 Students Half Day (Teachers Office Hours)

March 8 Students Half Day (Teachers Office Hours)

March 9 Teacher In-Service/Students Half Day

March 12 Students Half Day (Teachers Office Hours)

March 15 Students Half Day (Teachers Office Hours)

March 19 Students Half Day (Teachers Office Hours)

March 22 Students Half Day (Teachers Office Hours)

March 26 Students Half Day (Teachers Office Hours)

March 29-April 5th - Spring Break