Let's Talk TPS
March 27, 2024
Once in a Solar Eclipse
Every once in a while we get to witness a unique event. I’m not talking about the Jets winning the Super Bowl. I’m referring to those moments when we can view the spectacular happenings in the universe such as a shooting star, the northern lights (aurora borealis), or a lunar or solar eclipse. You may have heard that such an opportunity - a solar eclipse - is about to occur on Monday, April 8th - the day we return from spring break.
What is a solar eclipse? A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. The sky begins to darken as if it were dawn or dusk. While not a rare event (it actually occurs a few times a year), witnessing one first hand is not a common occurrence.
For those of us who experienced the solar eclipse of 2017, what we may not remember is that New Jerseyans saw a partial eclipse that obscured between 70 and 78 percent of the sun depending on where you were located in the state. This time, the moon's shadow will appear larger because the moon is closer to the Earth. For all of us here in Tenafly, a partial solar eclipse will begin at 2:10 pm and end at 4:36 pm (with 91% coverage by the moon at 3:25 pm).
We plan to use this special event as a teachable moment throughout our schools, and we thank our HSAs for providing our students with ISO-certified glasses for supervised viewing. Later today, parents and guardians will be receiving an email with specific guidance about proper viewing of an eclipse. Since the next solar eclipse visible in the U.S. will not occur for another 20 years, and we have to wait another 55 years to witness one that will occur 100% directly over New Jersey, I understand that this is really something to see! Let’s do so responsibly.
Enjoy your spring break and for those celebrating, wishing you a Good Ramadan and Happy Easter.
Yours in Education,
Michael Ben-David J.D./M.Ed.
Superintendent of Schools
State Science Olympiad championship
It's been quite a year for our THS Science Olympiad team. Their latest achievement is placing 4th (out of 27 schools) in the NJ State Finals of Science Olympiad Competition held on March 19th.
THS medaled in 14 out of 23 events in the state finals, making Tenafly a force to be reckoned with in the SciOly world! Below are the students who earned 1st to 4th place recognition:
Optics: 1st place: Yuanning (Helen) Hui (grade 12), and Derek Cho (grade 12)
Air Trajectory: 2nd place: Noah Jackson (grade 10), and Yuval Amitai (grade 10)
Scrambler: 3rd place: Kai Song (grade 12) and Edmund Hod (grade 11)
Wind Power: 4th place: Kai Song (grade 12) and Derek Cho (grade 12)
Forensics: 4th place: Andrew Lee (grade 12) and Insuh (Sarah) Baek (grade 11)
Forestry: 4th place: Edmund Hod (grade 11), and Kiran Muttaih (grade 10)
Fossils: 4th place: Kiran Muthiah (grade 10) and Liam Tenenbaum (grade 11)
Microbe Mission: 4th place: Elliott Yoon (grade 12) and Jee Hee Nam (grade 9)
Congratulations to the entire Science Olympiad team for their hard work and success this year!
TMS Junior Scholastic Winner
Kira Shim, grade 7, has been chosen as the grand-prize winner of the Junior Scholastic Eyewitness to History contest. Kira’s stellar piece centered on her interview with her uncle's experiences in New York City on September 11, 2001.
Below is an excerpt from Kira’s entry, which will be featured in the May issue:
“From interviewing Sung Yim, I learned that the day of the 9/11 attacks is a part of American history that highlights the strong sense of unity and resilience in Americans—the day allowed different communities to be brought together, for their determination to overcome despair."
Congrats to Kira (seen here with her World History teacher, Ms. Phommathep)!
Antisemitism Education Professional Development
Over this past week, our administrators have participated in an antisemitism education course presented by the Israeli American Council (IAC). The IAC is a community-based organization that works together with the Israeli and Jewish American communities, along with schools and educators, to bring awareness of antisemitism through education. The session included an open discussion about antisemitism and racism.
High School Robotics Team's Successful Season
After working tirelessly designing, building, and testing a competitive robot, as well as reaching out to the community, the THS Robotics team's season has ended on a very proud note. The team advanced to the NJ State Championships in just three year's time, secured two corporate sponsors, and impacted the community through their outreach. In fact, the robotics team recently visited the second grade classes at Mackay Elementary hoping to inspire the next generation with their robot as well as a lesson on building "brush-bots". Well done, THS Robotics!
2024 All State Orchestra
According to Mr. Millar, THS Director of Choirs and Orchestra, this may be a record for our district. We are proud to announce that we have seven students named to the 2024 All State Orchestra. Congrats to Chang Yoon Kim, Tristin Yun, Suhyun (Christine) Park, Haeun (Christina) Kim, Derek Du, Jiahn Hong and Ethan Lee!
