HAS Newsletter

May was an exciting time for HAS students and staff. Seniors prepared for the prom and were looking forward to graduation. Everyone began to feel the effects of summer weather so our PE classes began to visit the outdoors and we all looked forward to our incentive activities. Please enjoy our Newsletter that explains everything in detail!

Congratulations to Marvin for being our overall Student of the Month! He has worked hard and been very dedicated in his classes to receive this honor. Keep up the excellent work!

Favorite movie: The Godfather parts 1 & 2

Favorite food: Chicken

Favorite color: Blue

Favorite book: Books by Harlan Cobin or James Paterson

Favorite travel spot: All Inclusive Resorts

Favorite sports teams: The Mets & The Cowboys

This year's district wide theme of "Let Your Voice Empower" was incorporated by teachers being awarded pins in different areas of empowerment. The May theme was 'Teamwork'. As role models for our students, it is important to be an example of what empowerment looks like and how we can empower others to do the same.

The faculty/staff picked for this month's honor have been such a team player, working well with others to make HAS a place both staff and students want to come to.

In biology, students learned about biotechnology. In this unit, students explored how living organisms are used as tools in technology. For example, bacteria can be used to produce genetically modified foods that offer higher nutritional or economic value. To deepen their understanding, students participated in hands-on experiments, such as making yogurt from milk and extracting DNA from strawberries.

In forensic science, students learned about determining the time of death and the decomposition of bones. They studied various postmortem stages, including pallor mortis, rigor mortis, livor mortis, and algor mortis. To make the topic more engaging, students also wrote creative poems about bones.

In Environmental Science, students compared and contrasted nonrenewable energies such as oil and gas with renewable energies like nuclear and solar. Students then created PowerPoints to present their research on important innovations in the Renewable Energy Space.

In Forensic Science, students explored ethical considerations in crime solving and law enforcement, compared forms of justice, such as liberal, social, retributive, and restorative.

In Computer Science, students launched a campaign to warn teenagers on the dangers of AI including overreliance and loss of human connection.

This month, two HAS students were celebrated for their outstanding achievements. On Monday, May 19th, this year's Breakfast for Outstanding Scholars took place to recognize and award those deserving students who have diligently worked the entire school year. Johanna F. and Martha A. were nominated due to their excellent grades, work ethic, determination, achievements, and their overall positive impact on our school community. This accomplishment will not only improve their resume, but is also a great honor!

Going to the prom is one of those events that is a rite of passage that most high school students look forward to. It is a fun night of dancing, food, and being together at the last school event before graduation and many good memories are made this night! However, there can be instances where too much fun can lead to serious issues. So NJ4S has returned once more to speak with those seniors and underclassmen attending the prom about how to keep prom a night to remember for all the good reasons.

Mrs. Ferrari's Math Classes are participating in the annual single elimination Chess Tournament. The students learned the decay model and an elimination bracket seemed like a great way to help them visualize that it follows the decay model c(0.5)^r . The c in the formula represents the number of contenders, 0.5 represents the rate of elimination and the r is the number of rounds. In addition, there is a great deal of mathematics when playing the game of Chess. Ricken wrote an article titled, "Chess and Mathematics." The article says that "Chess is a game based on mathematical concepts such as logic, probability, calculations, and strategic thinking. Players must perform complex calculations to predict possible moves and their consequences." In observing the students play the game it is evident that this description is accurate. Also, the students enthusiasm and desire to play a board game make the tournament fun! Jetzen was the HAS 2024-25 Chess Tournament Champion!

Ms Arora organized a trip to the Middlesex County College science lab with a few select students who may have an interest in majoring in science. After a short tour of the campus, the students were brought into a conference room where they watched a presentation on Middlesex County College before moving into the lab. Students got to walk around the lab observing different models that ranged from parts of the body to different body systems. Students even observed different dissection specimens like a grasshopper and the heart of a cow. HAS students really appreciated the interactive and hands-on activities of the science lab.

With a majority of the appreciation days in May, and this one in particular happened during spring break, we could not leave out a very important part of our HAS family. We are so grateful for our Administrative Assistant, Mrs D'Emilio! According to Google, the definition of an Administrative Professional are those who "provide essential office duties such as writing business correspondence, scheduling appointments, managing projects, maintaining paper and electronic files, and delivering customer service". Here at HAS, Ms D'Emilio is so much more than that! The students love her and look up to her for all the kind things she does for them. The staff appreciates all the work she does behind the scenes to keep our school running. Thank you Mrs D'Emilio for all you do for us here at HAS!

May 1st was Principal Appreciation Day and we are so grateful for Dr Balsamello. He is supportive of every single person at HAS from the staff to all the students. He is always welcoming to those that walk through our door. He fights for what is best for our school. He is our fearless leader, our biggest cheerleader, and one awesome boss! HAS could not have asked for a better principal!

Between illness and injury, wellness checks and health screenings, and the never ending game of "is it sickness or just allergies", our school nurse, Mrs. Rubin, handles it all with great care and consideration for the students and staff. Mrs Rubin takes great care of everyone here at HAS and is greatly loved! The past couple of months, we have also had the privilege of having both Ms Shirly and sometimes Ms Shalini be the HAS nurse and both women have been amazing subs! We at HAS definitely want to recognize all the nurses that crossed our doorways and came into our hearts! Thank you Mrs Rubin, Ms Shalini, and Ms Shirly for all that you do!

To kick off Teacher Appreciation week, teachers submitted baby pictures for students to "Guess that Baby". Teachers submitted their baby pictures for students to figure out which baby is which teacher. The winners got to have treats from the Westlake Sunshine Cafe. Congratulations to Martha for being the first to complete the challenge correctly!

Teachers at HAS were both surprised and thankful for the praises they received during Teacher Appreciation week. The week began with a bulletin board display with messages from the students of praise and thanks. Then on Tuesday, teachers received a nice break since department meetings were cancelled. On Wednesday was a special day because teachers got to enjoy a nice lunch from Chili's compliments of Dr. Balsamello.

On Thursday teachers were showered with hand made cards from one of our scholar students, Martha. She personalized the cards for each of the teachers, thanking them all for the hard work, support, and patience they put into their lessons and their students.

Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is observed in the United States during the month of May and recognizes the contributions and influence of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islander Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States. So for our movie day, movies that celebrate the strength and culture of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders were chosen;

• Moana
• Moana 2
• Mulan (animated)
• Mulan (live action)
• Crazy Rich Asians
• Raya and the Last Dragon

For one week only, members of Hillcrest Academy North & South were invited to “unplug” - we did NOT use Chromebooks throughout both buildings. This gave our learning community an opportunity to have a week filled with meaningful human interactions, development of social skills and differentiated learning activities.

Do’s

• Use one designated classroom computer for signing up for the bathroom
• Teachers can use computers for all traditional purposes (attendance, checking email, projecting on SMARTboard, etc)

Dont’s

• Use classroom set of chromebooks for ANY reason (NO typing assignments, NO listening to music, NO watching videos, etc)
• Use computers or any other technology brought from home

Music has a way of making people's emotions enhanced or changed. We use music to celebrate and dance. We also use music to calm down like a lullaby. Music also is used to convey emotions in movies and shows. So it is no surprise that we seek it out; just as Amaya did. Amaya not only has the need to listen to music, she has a need to play/create it. She took up playing the guitar when she was 9 years old and hasn't stopped. Music makes Amaya feel like she has a place to let loose or just be free.

Hillcrest Academy South Campus is an alternative high school for students from the Elizabeth Public School District. Students are referred to HAS by their Elizabeth Academy guidance counselor and administration for an interview at HAS. We provide a small educational learning setting with opportunities to make up courses through our Credit Retrieval Program in a caring environment in order to meet Elizabeth’s graduation requirements.

Website: www.ucesc.org

Instagram: ucesc_has

Facebook: Hillcrest Academy South
Location: 1571 Lamberts Mill Road, Westfield, NJ, USA-Door 3B
Phone: 908-233-9317