Weehawken High School News
May 2019
Senior's Enjoy Regal Prom
One of the great rite's of high school is the Prom. It is quite often the highlight of senior year for many students, and the first real formal event for many of them. Students go to great lengths (and expense) to get that red carpet look for the evening, and this year was no different. The event was located at the Graycliff in Moonachie, which boasts torch-lit waterfalls, crystal chandeliers, and marble columns!
From elegant gowns, to formal tuxedos, to custom matching outfits, this year's group really outdid themselves. Looking right out of the pages of Vogue and People magazines, the WHS Seniors rivaled the biggest stars in class and elegance. One lucky couple pulled up in a custom Maybach! With cell phones snapping, and selfies abundant, the young men and women soaked in the ambiance and atmosphere of their big night!
The evening went very smooth. After a delightful dinner, the students danced away the next three hours! Many students only stopping for the coronation of the King and Queen. This year the King, Shariff Hache, and the Queen, Donna Guittierez, led the entire class into a group dance coronation song, which was fitting for the evening. For many of the students, the Prom was the beginning of a very long weekend, with many heading to Six Flags, while the vast majority driving down the NJ Parkway to Seaside Heights for some beach time. They arrived back to school tan and relaxed, and ready for the home stretch.
Autism Tourney Huge Success!
All proceeds from the baseball games will be going to the Teamwork Unlimited Foundation, while all the proceeds from the softball games benefit POAC Autism Services. Over $5,000 was raised this year. “I guess I thought it would still be going, but not as strong as it has been,” said Head Baseball Coach and Tournament Founder Anthony Stratton. “People look forward to it. They ask me in June can we come and get in your tournament (for the following April). Its great and it’s grown within the community too. “I have people asking me when are you selling those jerseys again, when is the tournament. It’s carried over to our softball team and they do it now. Everyone in the community is well aware that we do this tournament.”
Stratton, whose good friend Nelson Navarro has a son with autism, first got his team involved with Teamwork Unlimited through Autisim Awareness Challenge, an annual baseball event held by friend and longtime baseball scout Mike Garlatti. When Stratton saw the reaction and interest in the shirts that his Indians team wore for Garlatti’s event, it helped show just how many people locally are personally impacted by someone with autism. “I can’t begin to tell you the amount of people that came up to me and asked where can I get one of those jerseys,” Stratton said. “Just to find out that there’s so many people that are affected with autism right in our own backyard. (Current Texas Rangers minor leaguer and Weehawken alum) Sal Mendez’s younger sister, our tech guy Brian Calligy, a teacher in the school, who has a child with autism. It’s really opened up our eyes to see how many people are affected by it.”
Each team has a person within their own program’s family affected with autism throw out the first pitch before each game, a moment Stratton calls the highlight of the weekend. Every participating teams donates a minimum of $200 to their respective autism awareness charity and Stratton has already received several donations from various local organizations. The kids get the firsthand boon of playing a great game, and the second hand bonus of meeting those who directly benefit from their hard work!
8th Graders Trep$ $ale Nets Big Result$
TREP$, short for enTREPreneur$, is a project-based learning program that teaches kids in grades 4-8 how to start their own businesses. They learn the lessons in classroom or afterschool workshops, and apply them at home as they build their businesses with the support of their families. The whole school community comes out to enjoy the TREP$ Marketplace, held right at the school, where the young entrepreneurs launch their businesses together. TREP$ can be offered as part of the curriculum or as an extra-curricular enrichment program. It can be taught by teachers or by volunteers in the school community.
This past May, 78 8th graders participated in the first ever Trep$ Marketplace, which was also open to the community. The students were responsible for building their product from the ground up. Purchasing materials to invent, improve, inspire or imitate products from scratch. They were tasked with creating and running their start up individually, in pairs, or in groups of 3. There were over 30 different products sold during the Marketplace hours. Hundreds of local residents, students, and faculty took part in purchasing products from the 8th grade groups.
Students hawked their wares to the public, included home made jewelry, oils, cell phone accessories, and home cleaning remedies. The students gave detailed sales pitches to prospective customers, and most were able to demonstrate the use of their items. While most students were happy to break even, or make a small profit, one enterprising student made over $100 at the event! The real sale, was the first-hand experience at running their very own business.
Girl's Softball Makes First Ever County Semifinal!
The girl's softball team had one of the best weeks in their long history, pulling off back-to-back-to-back upsets in the County and State Play-offs. The week began on May 11, as the 10th seeded Lady Indians, stunned No. 7 seed and rival St. Dominic's Academy 7-5. It was sweet revenge as the Blue Devils knocked the girl's out of the County's last year. This victory earned Weehawken a shot at No. 2 seed, McNair Academy, of Jersey City. The 16-2 Cougars were completely obliterated by the Lady Indians. WHS routed the Hudson County power 19-4. There was no rest for the girls as they hit the Jersey Turnpike for Springfield to take on state power Jonathan Dayton. (Yes, the same Jonathan Dayton, we beat at the buzzer in hoops). Same teams, different sport, same result! The Indians shocked Dayton with an improbable 3-2 road nail-biter. Although the girls fell to eventual champions, Secaucus, in the County, and to No. 1 seed Roselle Park in the states, they had made a statement.
Led by pitching ace, Tyler Saunders, and the hitting off Zionna Loftin, Morgan Tomlinson, Rylee Ianaconne, Julia and Samantha Taddei, and Jaelynn Echevarria, the Lady Indians finished the season with a respectable 13-11 record, good enough for 4th place in the NJIC, and a year removed from finishing second to last. The best part about this group is they only graduate one player, senior Brianna Mera. North Jersey better be on the look out. Weehawken softball has made a statement!
NHS Inductees Enjoy Memorable Evening
On May 21st, the National Honor Society and the National Junior Honor Society held the annual induction ceremony to recognize graduating seniors as well as induct new members. This year, we honored 14 seniors graduating in good standing with the iconic blue stole which will be worn on graduation day. The seniors represent a diverse body of accomplishments and we wish them well as they move on to their new endeavors in a few short weeks. The graduating seniors representing the National Honor Society are: Loen Albaquerque, Elizabeth Andrade, Rocio Andrade, Asha Duerden, Rex Fukuda, Paraskevi Iordamlis, Christian Janssen, Zheng Li, Roshan Marquez, Brianna Mera, Rafael Sanchez, Soleil Santana, Veronica Varghese, and Emily Yang.
The National Honor Society also inducted 9 freshmen in good standing from the National Junior Honor Society. The freshmen who will transition from the NJHS to the NHS are: Sophia Alvarado, Nahlaa Calabrese, Constantinos Kottas, Rheane Faye Marquez, Kathleen McCormack, Olivia Mitchell-Rheindorf, Giovanna Notaro, Morgan Tomlinson, and Sydney Williams.
This year's induction ceremony hailed some of the largest numbers that WHS has seen in years. The National Honor Society inducted 9 new members for 2019. The inductees are: Paloma Almonte, Aidan Cabrera, Yasmine Hamdi, Yixuan Li, Nicholas Mirasola, Norka Salazar, Ivana Sanchez, and Graci Wade. The National Junior Honor Society inducted a whopping 20 new members! The new inductees are: Lina Biancamano, Ryley Cheplic, Angelica Curci, Adrien Durasno, Vincent Ferullo, Maggie Jacobs, Camile Jaramillo, Maksim Kagan, Bedri Koramin, Sky Lewit, Brittney Lezcano, Sofia Mendez, Viviana Mendez, Santiago Mesa, Sasha Nodine, Chloe Reyes, Jaylin Romero, Sebastian Stratton, Tenley Tejral, and Lillian Tremblay.
Congratulations to the new inductees. They have pledged to maintain Leadership, Scholarship, Citizenship, and Character to the school and to the greater community. We look forward to their contributions for the remainder of the school year and beyond.
WHS Showcases Talent at PROPS
During the April PROPS Awards Ceremony, Weehawken High School hosted a Talent Show featuring students singing, dancing, and playing instruments. As is the way with many of our assemblies, this was student-driven. The show was hosted by students, Ashley Tombe and George Claros. These two enthusiastic kids set the tone for the event.
As they got the audience pumped up, our first act saw sophomore Calista Bodtmann sing a great rendition of a Britney Spears song with junior Emil Valdez playing guitar alongside her. Next, senior James Ontiveros, entertained the crowd with his amazing piano skills and his spot-on rendition of the song, Good Life, by One Republic. Eighth grader Fatima Sadouki, a member of our school's drama club, performed a fantastic cover of the One Direction hit, Story of my Life. The show took a unique turn with a hula hoop routine from senior Sasha Hernandez that left everyone in the crowd in awe. Our final performer was junior Vienne Voysey who brought the house down singing Riptide by Vance Joy. Overall, the show was a hit and a great way to start the PROPS Awards. It also, helped showcase some great new talent.
FACES IN THE CROWD
Moses Morales
Karl Stever
Ariel Parkinson
On the Horizon
6/3-4 WHS NJ State Testing
6/4 College T-Shirt Day
6/5 Underclassman Awards @WHS 6:30
6/10 Eighth Grade Dance @ Elks 7:00
6/11 WHS 7th Grade Family Night 6:30
6/12 Senior yearbook signing
6/12 Senior Athletic Awards @Elks 7:30
6/12 Junior Trip to 6 Flags
6/13 Senior Trip to 6 Flags
6/14 Senior Trip to Point Pleasant
6/14 Athletic physicals-7:00 AM
6/19-Peer Leadership Awards 1:00
6/20-Graduation 7:00
Athletics Calendar
Season's Over!
Weehawken High School
Website: weehawkenschools.net
Location: 53 Liberty Place, Weehawken, NJ, USA
Phone: 201-420-6130
Twitter: @RobFerullo4