Redwing Reader
Marking Period 4, 2019-2020
Principal's message
It is difficult to comprehend what we have been through over the past three plus months. It seems only a short while ago, we were finishing up the mid point of the year. Now we are in Summer 2020, but it felt as though our year was cut short.
I am so pleased with the way our faculty, students, and parents were able to transition our real time classes to Zooms and still managed to get it done. It was not easy for any of us, but we did it. We tried to keep everything as normal as possible in a time when everything was uncertain. We lost our spring sports season, our seniors lost out on their prom, but we still stayed the course. We held out long enough to be able to celebrate our senior class with a traditional graduation ceremony on Wednesday, July 8th, at 6:00 pm.
Enjoy our final edition of the Redwing Reader for this school year and know I have missed seeing each of you every day and I look forward to when we are back together again!
Have an amazing summer and be safe!
Ms. Picc
ACADEMICS
English Language Arts
From Mrs. Troutman:
Despite everything going on in the world, the English I classes still closed out the year with Romeo and Juliet, which enabled students to reflect on many of the play’s themes. Even though love is the dominant theme, we discussed the dichotomy of love and hate, fate, and violence during our Zoom meetings. By the end of the unit, students were asked to create a pie chart that divided the blame among all of the parties. Surprisingly, sixty-five percent of the students placed the majority of the blame on Romeo and Juliet and several students emphasized the importance of personal choice in their short-essay responses. Over the course of the unit, I saw many students evolve as individuals and question their own personal choices. Nobody would have hoped to conclude the year virtually, but the ninth graders persevered and finished strong. This time has definitely revealed the most dedicated students, who, no matter what, made Zoom lessons paramount and prioritized the time to connect with their education.
From Mr. Huggins:
AP research students have persevered through the pandemic and have overcome many obstacles to finish the year. Some AP researchers had to finish a theoretic research paper, while others used the data they collected before the lockdown to complete their research paper. Students met in Zoom classes and reviewed AP tutorials to navigate their way through the research process. Their research spanned across disciplines. Researchers submitted papers about the best way to train, segregation in Hoboken schools, student motivation, the cost effectiveness of hydration stations and the emotional and psychological impact of natural disasters and other topics that related to history, science, sociology and psychology.
The AP Seminar students also overcame the difficulties of remote learning and researched and submitted their Individual Written Argument to the AP Portfolio site. They constructed thought-provoking arguments that related to the AP assigned stimulus packet. Their research and arguments covered a wide range of topics, including the impact of funeral traditions on the stages of grief and how the lockdown may have affected this process, the examination of how technology has affected our ability to communicate, the extent to which wealth affects happiness, and more.
Students in English III and AP Language and Composition, in addition to their regular classwork, wrote letters to themselves in the future through futureme.org. In five years their letters will be delivered back to them through that website. This pandemic has certainly given us all many reasons to reflect and to look toward the future.
From Mrs. Stephens:
The sophomores and juniors in Ms. Stephens’s classes finished out the year in remote learning with a combination of SAT vocabulary practice through vocab.com and standardized multiple choice practice through commonlit.org. Knowing that many people are spending their time at home watching shows and movies, the final units asked the students to consider if some TV shows were comparable to literature. Students had the choice of writing essays about why stories are important to humanity, what TV series they think could be taught in an English classroom, or to analyze a movie of their choice as if it were a novel. Several news articles and Youtube sources were utilized as models and sources for reasoning and developing criticism. Students were also given the choice of writing short narratives or recording videos of their opinions and analysis of a short film after reading the short story, “All Summer in a Day” by Ray Bradbury. Student essays and video responses helped to keep the learning personal and engaging despite not being able to see each other face-to-face.
From Ms. Chakov: The junior and senior classes focused on SAT and ACT preparation. They also wrote expository essays, describing their experiences and the experiences of others regarding social inequality. Utilizing Zoom, we discussed current social issues, such as COVID-19, police brutality, and systemic racism. Many students reported an awakening as to what is truly important in life. Students who claimed to have been distracted and overly concerned with entertainment, now recognize the importance and power of knowledge.
History
US I
Students in the US I class were examining the changes in America through the Civil War and Reconstruction. Through this period they focused on identifying patterns of continuity and change. After a major event like the Civil War, the country was faced with the question of how to rebuild. America needed to be rebuilt in a way that included more people and addressed the needs of many in a rapidly industrializing American economy.
US II
Students in US History II examined 1968 as a pivotal year in American history when everything changed. Increased political activism involving anti-war protests, calls for more civil rights across people of diverse backgrounds, and earth shattering events such as the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy highlighted this change. As Americans navigated this tumultuous period, they realized things would be different. It is through this project that we hope students will be able to see parallels as we live through a time of change. While times may be challenging, the goal is to have history provide an example of how we can learn and grow from the challenges we face as a country. This new view of America and the world was put on display at the end of that year in a photograph taken by the crew of Apollo 8 (above right). Students will reflect on that image and realize that we would never look at the world the same way again.
Photo credit: Earthrise, Crew of Apollo 8 https://lsintspl3.wgbh.org/en-us/lesson/1968-time-of-change/13
Special recognition should be extended to our AP US History students who continued to work hard to prepare for the AP test amidst the changing educational landscape. After 2 years of preparation, the test has been boiled down to a single document based question. To their credit these students have worked to prepare and showcase their best.
World History
Students of Hoboken High School's 9th Grade AP World History class paid it forward to upcoming students by creating testimonials that reflect their year long experience. As the school year came to a close, and the College Board exam was conquered, several of Mr D'Bernado's AP World History students decided they wanted to share their experiences with the upcoming 8th grade students in an effort to prepare them for the demands of next year's AP class. Students created personalized videos in which they shared their first impressions of the class, initial academic and behavioral struggles, and major adjustments that worked as strategies for success. Each student provided an intimate portrait of what it's like to jump from the 8th Grade to a college level course. We included a couple of screenshots below. After reviewing the videos, Mr.D'Bernado smiled at the overarching theme that emerged. "We come in as strangers, and then a team emerges. This team eventually resembles an academic family, and together we lift our level of commitment to reach a high degree of success." - Mr. D'Bernado.
COVID Diaries
People who shaped the world
Debate Team
The Hoboken High School Mock Trial Team was honored during the NJ Bar Association’s Law Day on Friday, June 19th for winning the Hudson County Mock Trial Championship. They were very excited to receive this recognition and are eager to compete next year. Below is a screenshot of the NJ Bar Association recognizing HHS as Mock Trial County Champions, during their Law Day Celebration.
World Languages
Spanish
As research based language instruction has proven, reading leveled books is essential to acquire a second language. During the summer we highly recommend that our students listen to Spanish songs and watch Spanish language programs. There are a large number of Spanish Language programs available on Netflix, like Cable Girls, Velvet, Señora Acero, Elite, El Grand Hotel, Monarca, High Seas, La Esclava Blanca, and many others.
Science
AP Biology
Following the AP biology exam, students in Mr. Lebegue’s AP Biology class took an in-depth look at life. They studied taxonomy, which is the organization of living things according to their evolutionary relationships. Students began by studying bacteria and archaea (simple unicellular organisms), moved on to the protists (simple unicellular eukaryotes) and then moved onto multicellular animals. The order of the study of Kingdom Animalia followed increasing organismal complexity. The phyla Porifera, Cnidaria, Platyhelminthes, Annelida, Arthropoda, Echinoderma and Chordata were examined. Students then turned their attention to Kingdom Plantae: simple plants groupings such as Bryophyta and Pteridophyta, gymnosperms such as Ginkophyta and Conifera, and angiosperms such as Liliopsida and Magnoliophyta. We concluded with a survey of Kingdom Fungi. Students prepared slides virtually, completed virtual dissections, and more.
CP Biology
Students in the Biology CP classes explored the world of microbiology during the fourth marking period. Through remote learning, students learned about the structure of the DNA molecule and how it is replicated before cell division. Students digitally practiced the processes of transcription and translation to produce proteins. They also examined how DNA and proteins play a role in the heredity. Students were able to recognize the probability of various genetic traits showing up in the offspring by making predictions using Punnett Squares. Furthermore, students conducted monohybrid and dihybrid crosses to show how traits can be passed down from parent to offspring.
ISEF Research Symposium – Online!
Students attended a virtual lecture in the ISEF research symposium. They learned about efforts being made by scientists working at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals to combat COVID-19, the process of drug production, the various challenges involved in getting new drugs approved, the testing process in patients, supply chains and more. See images below.
Virtual field trip to Suez/United Water Water Treatment Facility!
Students attended a virtual field trip to a water treatment facility hosted by Suez/United Water! Students learned about the different steps of the water treatment process. They learned how water is received for treatment, disinfected, and brought to our homes ready to use! They learned about ways to save water, and reflected on how many things water is used for in our everyday lives.
Virtual field trip to SIMS Recycling Center!
Students attended a tour of SIMS recycling center in Brooklyn, N.Y. – the largest in the nation! Students learned what is recyclable and what is not, what is recycled in NYC, the functions and operations of a materials recovery facility, how technology is utilized to sort recycled materials, what the recycled material ends up being used for, and much more!
Competitions in STEM club – Test your scientific knowledge!
Students in the STEM Competition Team took part in two virtual competitions to test themselves on their scientific knowledge. Questions covered chemistry, physics, biology and earth science. Top scorers were honored on the club’s Google Classroom! Students from other classes joined the fun.
Chemistry
Math
Algebra I
Algebra 1
Students in Ms. Caradonio’s Algebra 1 classes spent the 4th marking period learning about polynomial and quadratic functions. Students learned how to solve quadratic functions by factoring, graphing, taking the square root and using the quadratic formula. Students ended the school year completing a “Whodunit” activity where they needed to solve 10 quadratic equations. After each answer they received a clue. Similar to the popular board game Clue, there was a fictional “murder.” The goal was to determine the “killer,” the scene of the crime and the method.
Algebra 1 students in Ms. Perry's classes over the course of the year have covered topics that include simplifying expressions, solving equations and inequalities as well as graphing them, solving and graphing systems of equations and inequalities, simplifying exponents and solving exponential functions, simplifying polynomials as well as graphing them and factoring. Throughout this year our 9th graders transitioned from the middle school environment to the high school. Moving up from the oldest students in one school to the youngest students in a new school can be overwhelming and challenging. Our freshmen handled this gracefully. While adjusting to the rigor of high school, we were further challenged with transitioning to remote learning. Remote learning posed an entirely new set of obstacles and students had to find the inner drive and motivation to continue with the academic rigor they came to expect in Algebra 1. They watched tutorials and worked at home, submitting work through Google Classroom. Using Google Forms, Screencastify, Savvas materials, and YouTube, we continued with the curriculum, never missing a beat. As the year winds down students have a chance to make up some missed assignments and finish strong. We look forward to seeing them all back in September!
Math Skills
Math Skills
Ms. Caradonio’s Math Skills class is ending the school year with their Summer Vacation Project. Students are researching, calculating costs, making decisions based on their budget, while they plan for a vacation destination of their choosing.
Geometry
Geometry
Students in Ms. Caradonio’s Geometry class spent the 4th marking period learning about Similarity Transformations, Right Triangles and Circles. They ended the year learning about Volume. Students went on a scavenger hunt around their house for items that are a given shape such as a cylinder, cone, cube, or hemisphere. They then measured the dimensions needed to find the volume of the object.
Algebra II
Ms. Caradonio’s Algebra II students spent the 4th marking period continuing learning about functions including Radical, Rational and Exponential Functions. Students were able to relate these functions to real-world applications. Students ended the year learning about Statistics. Students used their knowledge of statistics to evaluate a published COVID-19 drug study. They determined the study design and relevant variables. Next they used summary statistics to compute standard deviations of sampling distributions, margins of error and ranges of plausible values for key sample statistics. Finally they evaluated the study and the role of randomization.
Over the course of the year Algebra II students in Ms. Perry's classes covered topics that include linear functions and systems, quadratics, polynomial and rational functions, radical and exponential functions, as well as trigonometry and probability and statistics. In covering these topics, students explored the foundations of mathematics to further move on to precalculus, a probability and statistics course or college algebra. They embraced the rigor that comes with being an honors student or taking their last algebra class in high school. Either way the mathematical challenges that they faced were further magnified with remote learning. These students rose to the occasion. They watched edited screencasts to learn the material, attend Zoom meetings and completed their work. they studied and completed quizzes and tests all given online. They used Google Forms, Quizizz, Screencastify and Google Classroom to continue with the rigor of Algebra II as if we never left school. Students had direct access to the teacher and many performed even better since they could complete work on their own time. Remote learning posed its challenges but some students thrived, given the flexibility to catch up on sleep, get outdoors during the day and complete their work when it was convenient for them. Others kept a school day schedule and worked as though they were still in their classes in school. We are proud of the work these students have achieved and look forward to seeing them in September!!
AP Calculus and Precalculus
Mrs. Tank’s AP Calculus class had completed their syllabus before the end of MP-3. Students learned various concepts in limits, integration and differentiation to apply to real world problems. Students spent 3-4 weeks in MP-4 completing 4 full length practice AP exams in their workbooks and practicing real exams from 2012-2018. They successfully completed and submitted their online AP Calculus (AB) exam on May 12th.Results are awaited on July 15th.
Mrs. Tank’s Pre-Calculus class has learned how to apply sine and cosine rules, solve multi-variable linear systems of equations, arithmetic and geometric sequences and sum of the series. Students have learned how to use binomial theorem and Pascal’s triangle to calculate binomial coefficients. They also learned how to use binomial coefficients to write binomial expansion. They have also applied these concepts to real world problems.
Project Lead the Way
PLTW Engineering
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech - "Women working in science, technology, engineering and mathematics at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory pose for a photo in mission control in honor of Women in Science Day."
PLTW Principles of Biomedical Science
Culinary Arts
As we continued with remote learning for Marking Period 4, Culinary class remained focused on hands on cooking. We started the semester with a “Leftover” assignment, in which students created a new dish from an old dish. Some of our students' creations were fried rice, soup, re-designed pasta dishes, omelettes, twiced-baked potatoes and some yummy salads.
We moved on to making pasta dishes. Students offered various dishes to savor visually.
Students worked on making a variety of baked goods at home. Many made cookies, cakes, brownies and cupcakes.
We spent some time focusing on herbs and spices, and the students were able to create any dish they wanted using herbs and spices. There were a wide range of dishes made, from tacos, pastas, rice and beans to curry dishes. The best part of the remote learning was being able to see students in their own environment, making a dish for themselves or better yet when they worked with a family member to make a dish for their family. See below for some mouthwatering pictures of students' dishes.
I thank all of the students and their families for the hard work they put in to making this a successful year. I can’t wait to see everyone back in the Culinary Kitchen!
Physical Education
ARTS
Media Production
Students had an opportunity to make short videos in the beginning of Marking Period 4. Some created children’s book read along videos; some made movie reviews. Many of theses are posted on the district's Youtube channel. Students had a chance review SGN (Some Good News), and see what was being done with very little video equipment and why it was popular. Students also return comparing the acting talent of Denzel Washington as they reviewed his films, Glory, Malcolm X and Fences. Students in the advanced class compared the acting talent of Paul Newman in the films Torn Curtain, Cool Hand Luke and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. We wrapped our year sharing the meaning of racism and the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Elements of Art
During remote learning, the students used skills learned in class and applied them at home. At right is a watercolor painting by Curtis Parker. We were working on watercolor for a few weeks prior to the pandemic. The Elements of Art class also learned to express themselves through art with drawings about Covid19, below.
Photography and Photoshop
The photography classes were asked to specialize and make a portfolio. The goal was to capture the essence of the message the student was trying to convey.
Theatre
FOXY AWARDS
Hoboken High School's Theatre Department won “Outstanding Achievement in Contemporary Costume Design'' for The Wolves at the 12th Annual Foxy Awards on May 19th, 2020.
Montclair State University's Theatre Night Awards recognizes excellence in productions of high school straight plays throughout NJ. The awards honor accomplishments of individual achievement of both students and educators in areas of performance, direction, design, technical theatre, and overall outstanding productions.Our production of The Wolves written by Sarah DeLappe received the following nominations:
- Outstanding Achievement in Contemporary Costume Design * WE WON!!!!!*
- The Jo Anne Fox Veteran Teacher Award
- The Peter Filichia Award for Pushing the Envelope in Academic Theatre
- Outstanding Achievement by an Acting Ensemble of a Drama
There were 75 schools that submitted plays. It is highly competitive, so we were honored to even be nominated as a finalist for any categories. We received an overall 93.5 score out of 100 on our production. As always, we are so lucky in Hoboken to have such a support system in our administration for arts education.
TEEN ARTS
The New Jersey State Teen Arts Festival is the statewide celebration of the arts dedicated to inspiring New Jersey teen artists, educators, and professional artists. In June our arts departments at HHS come together to shine bright across the state at this festival held at Ocean County College. This year the festival has gone virtual. Our students' work is currently being showcased on both the Hudson County Teen Arts Festival Virtual Showcase https://www.hcata.com and https://www.njteenarts.com/
Please support our talented students by looking over their work.
INTERNATIONAL THESPIAN FESTIVAL
Annually, the last week of June is many of our theatre students' favorite time of the year as we rehearse and prepare to attend The International Thespian Festival. This year it was supposed to take place in Indiana University at Bloomington. However, due to the pandemic, this experience has been moved to a virtual platform. While it is not the same as being able to physically partake in theatre activities, our students are still able to attend workshops through online platforms, interact with theatre students from across the world, and watch pre-recorded performances of musicals and plays from multiple high schools around the country.
Our very own Thespians Sofia Melfi & Rosie Cabelin will still be competing in the “Contrasting Monologue” category to try to obtain an International Thespy’s Award. They had to submit a video to adjudicators. Additionally Sofia Melfi will be auditioning for 45 college BFA Acting programs through a unified virtual audition and online college fair. Troupe #7268 is proud of your accomplishments and we are wishing you the best. As they say, Break a Leg! More information about this experience can be found at https://itf.pathable.co/
While our production of Love, Loss, and What I Wore, written by Nora and Delia Ephron, won first place in our state and we were invited to perform at this year's festival, ITF is kindly allowing us to hold our spot so that we are able to perform at next year's 2020-2021 festival. A full list of schools that had opportunities to perform this year can be found at https://itf.pathable.co/performances
Music
Student Support Services
Nurse Notes
Reminder to all athletes: if you want to play fall sports, you need to turn in a sports physical. The form is available on the website of the New Jersey Department of Education. We have included a link to the form below. Also, remember to stay calm and wash your hands. If you have any questions about health or need someone to talk to email Nurse Turonis at renee.turonis@hoboken.k12.nj.us.
Guidance
From Ms. Wiener:
Two students, freshman Litzy Mejia and junior Tasyana Cason, have been accepted to the RYSCE Young Scholars program taking place virtually from Saint Peter’s University this Summer. The program will be STEM focused, and will give these students great exposure to a college learning environment.
Juniors have been registering for the SAT, which we hope to be able to offer starting at the end of August. While we have experienced some difficulties with the online registration process, we are working hard to be sure that juniors have the opportunity to take these college entrance tests if they wish.
Juniors Dynasty Gonzalez and Davion Delgado and sophomore Sheila Lam will be attending the ACES Summer program at Stevens Institute of Technology. All three won full scholarships to the STEM programs of their choice through our partnership with Stevens. Summer programs run the gamut of the academic programs at Stevens Institute, including Computer Science, Engineering, and Business.
From Mrs. Gleason:
First of all, I'd like to say how incredibly proud we are of each and every one of our students. The last few months have proved to be difficult but it has shown how resilient HHS students are.
Our Seniors have unfortunately missed out on many important milestones, but they never skipped a beat and continued to push and work hard towards their post secondary goals. They have paid their deposits and committed to the following Colleges/Universities:
Bloomfield College
Caldwell University
Coastal Carolina
Caldwell University
Delaware Valley University
Felician University
Gap year in Oxford UK, Mcdaniel University (Fall 2021)
HCCC
Keystone College
Lincoln Tech
Lincoln University
Manhattan College
Army National Guard
Monmouth University
Montclair State University
Morehead State University
New Jersey City University
Plymouth State University
Ramapo College
Rider University
Robert Fiance Beauty School
Rutgers University
St. Peter's University
Susquehanna University
University of New Haven
Vanderbilt University
William Paterson University
In addition to acceptances from over 50 colleges, they have received a total of 17.1 million dollars in scholarship money. We honored the scholarship recipients at our virtual awards ceremony on Thursday, June 11th. Class of 2020, you have impressed us all with your accomplishments and we wish you the very best in all of your future endeavors!
Our Seniors aren't the only ones who have been hard at work these past few months! The 10th graders have been diligently working on their remote learning, navigating the new AP testing format, and formulating their summer plans. They are getting ready to attend virtual pre-college programs, take classes at local colleges for credit, and prepare for their Junior year! We wish them a healthy and relaxing summer, they deserve it!
Class of 2020 Virtual Scholarship and Awards Ceremony
Student Center
The Student Center has been conducting activities on line! First we partnered with the PE teachers to bring the workshop called “Behind the Post” which focused on the impact of social media on relationships. Recently, we started back the lunchbox lecture series as previously done during PGP. Students who participated in each of our workshops received a $25 gift card as an incentive. Staff from the Teen Life Institute of Planned Parenthood provided four workshops on the topics of 1. Healthy relationships, 2. Sexually Transmitted infections, 3. Birth control and 4) LGBTQI+ We participated in the launching of Pride Month as we joined together with the GSA, Student Activities and HHS in raising the rainbow flag on June 1.
Our staff continue to reach out to students and provide support to anyone who is feeling stranded or overwhelmed by virtual schooling, loss, injustice, social inequality and any other issue that affects a youth’s wellbeing. We are open all through the summer and will be posting our schedule and activities on our new Instagram @Hobokensbysp. We encourage all students to follow us.
School Library Media Center
Looking forward to the next school year, we will be adding to our library collection to be sure that it continues to offer students "mirrors" to see themselves reflected in characters and settings and "windows" to learn about the lives of others. The We Need Diverse Books website offers many resources for parents and students who are looking for reading lists relating to equity and inclusion.
athletics
Spring Sports
COVID-19 was the unfortunate winner this spring, as all high school sports were cancelled throughout New Jersey and the rest of the United States. However, the Redwings will rise once again! While we are awaiting further guidance from the NJSIAA and the Governor's office, all indications have been positive that sports will be back in the fall. Please stay tuned and be ready to register for fall sports at the following link https://hhsredwings-ar.rschooltoday.com.
The Redwing athletic community would like to congratulate all members of the Class of 2020 and wish you well in all your future endeavors. Remember, "Once a Redwing, always a Redwing!"