Hillcrest Academy South Campus

Mr Van Cleef has been the Supervisor of Instruction for Hillcrests South and North for the past two years. Before that, he was a Social Studies teacher at Hillcrest North for eight years. When he was teaching, his favorite subject to teach was Economics. Mr Van Cleef names his Uncle Thomas as his personal hero since he taught him how to do the right thing and how to be a good person. Mr Van Cleef loves the show "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" with host Guy Fieri and he loves to hear from former students which really means a lot to him when they keep in touch.

Mr Barone has been working for HAS for the past 10 years as a Health & Physical Education teacher. Mr Barone comes from a family of teachers which include his grandmother, mother, father, and sister. Mr Barone states that his happy place is the beach and tries to go any chance he gets. As a HE/PE teacher, it was no surprise he has a love of sports. For example, when he was in college, Mr Barone played hockey for the university he attended and said that one day he would love to be a good golfer. Mr Barone's favorite food is chicken parm. Mr Barone was also a recipient of the Uncion County Teacher of the Year Award.

Ms Rubin has been a school nurse for HAS for the past nine years. Aside from her caring disposition and willingness to help others, she is a wonderful and knowledgeable nurse. So it would be no surprise to know she has a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. Along with many other achievements, Ms Rubin has actually skipped two different grades; the 3rd and 8th grades. Ms Rubin is originally from New York being born and raised in Brooklyn, NY which might explain why she is an avid NY Yankees fan. One of her proudest and favorite moments was when she became a grandma in 2021.

With June being Pride Month and our monthly theme is Diversity, HAS held a Pride Spirit Day. Students came in dressed in beautiful rainbow colors in celebration and support. Also faculty and staff came in dressed in support of their students to let them know that they are accepted and loved in the safe space of school.

What a great way to celebrate diversity! High school seniors from all walks of life, from all different backgrounds, different races, different genders, different orientations, and different faiths came together to celebrate the end of high school. On June 1st HAS students dressed up and were able to celebrate their prom with food, music, and friends.

Within Ms Ferrari's Success Seminar class, students worked on an assignment on diversity. Students watched a video on the definition of diversity and then they answered a Google form. The form was filled with deep, meaningful questions that got the students thinking about their own understanding of diversity and the acceptance of it.

Who would have thought that Canadian wildfires could travel so far that it would cause HAS to cancel our awards night? Crazy enough, it did happen though. On June 8th, HAS was to hold a senior recognition and awards ceremony celebrating the students who excelled in academics and service as well as recognizing the graduating seniors. Since the students deserved to be recognized, Dr Balsamello and Ms D'Emilio worked very hard to make sure it happened. So on June 14th, students were able to celebrate during periods 8 and 9 in the school cafeteria. Faculty and staff helped decorate the cafeteria with school colors, lunch was catered, and teachers recorded videos for their student award recipients and their families. At the end of the luncheon, seniors received gift bags with their yearbook, t-shirt, and other goodies.

This year's annual senior trip was to a local arcade. This arcade had all different types of games from traditional arcade games, skee ball, computer games, video games, pool tables, and more. There were also lounging couches for students to sit and play their favorite games as if they were at home. There was so much fun to be had even chaperones Dr Balsamello and Ms Gilchrist had a great time. Once the students returned to school they were treated to a pizza lunch and got to spend the rest of the school day hanging out in the cafeteria. For all the hard work they put in, these seniors definitely deserved this great and fun opportunity.

Due to the pandemic (at first) and then a flood that no one would have ever predicted, the HAS annual bbq had been on hiatus for 3 years! This year is the lucky year that the annual tradition got to make its successful return. Students, faculty, and first responders were able to enjoy grilled hot dogs and hamburgers that were cooked by Mr Barone. Other staff brought in goodies and sides like pasta, watermelon, cake, and frozen ice. Students were able to play basketball, football, board games like chess and checkers, and were even allowed to play music to enjoy the day. All in all, it was a wonderful day for everyone. What a great way to end the school year!