CONGRATULATIONS are in order! The New Jersey School Boards Association and the U.S. Army have chosen the Highlands Elementary School Green Team to compete in the 2022 Virtual STEAM Tank Challenge finals. The team of Maddox Jerinsky-Supino, McKinli Jay Mara, Evie Knox, Justin Way, Eva Scarabaggio, Lily Crossan, and led by Mr. Matt Perkins created an All-In-One Eating Utensil AIOEU in order to reduce waste.
The STEAM Tank Virtual Finals will be held from May 9-25, 2022 and the virtual awards ceremony will be held on June 3! Good luck to the HES Green Team! We are so proud of you!
Meet the 2022 H.E.S. Spelling Bee Winner and Runner Up
On January 19, 2022 Highlands Elementary School held its annual Spelling Bee. A big congratulations goes out to Julien Scheller, in 5th grade for winning our school spelling bee and advancing to the regional competition of the Scripps National Spelling Bee association. Also a big congratulations goes out to Devan Dail, in 5th grade who was our runner up!
Shine Blue on Atlantic Highlands
The AHES Student Council and National Elementary Honor Society teamed up to promote Autism Awareness. Blue light bulbs were sold and distributed to families to display in their front windows or porch lights. With the support of the community, $728 was raised and donated to OASIS tlc. OASIS tlc “is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote inclusion and acceptance…by establishing environmentally exemplary farm centers that provide meaningful work, peaceful and healthy residences, and community interaction” for those with Autism. Thank you to the student organizations and advisors that facilitated this project and to all those who helped make this fundraiser a huge success! Shine on AHES!
H.E.S. Students Study Polar Bears
Mrs Golembiewski's class learned about polar bears and other arctic animals this month. They found out how a polar bear's adaptations such as sharp claws, large paws and warm fur, help them survive in their environment. They made polar bear masks and wore them on a hunt around the school looking for seals! While on the hunt they pretended to use their claws and big thick paws to walk on the ice and to swim in the ocean.
Lydia Smith, a 10th grader at HHRS, won the Regional #3 competition in Monmouth/Ocean Counties and moved on to the NJ Poetry Out Loud competition in March. Lydia competed at the Count Basie Theater with style reciting her poetry with feeling and depth of knowledge of its content. Although she did not win the regional competition, it is an incredible honor to be selected as one of 10 finalists and the entire school is proud of Lydia Smith. A special thank you goes out to her two teachers who supported and guided her, Mrs. Merrigan, who brought Poetry Out Loud to our school and Ms. Porter, who has been running the school competitions for the past three years.
Saturday, June 4th
Grab your mates and save the date the battle of the cardboard boats is back! The 4th Annual Cardboard Boat Regatta will take place on Saturday, June 4 at the Sandbox in Highlands.
Teams of 1 to 4 people will put their engineering and creativity caps on to build a boat made exclusively of cardboard and duct tape. At 11AM the teams will take to the water to race their creation in one of the following divisions:
- 3rd Grade & Under
- 4th-6th Grade
- 7th-9th Grade
- High School
- Adults-Only
- School Class/Club Teams
Contestants can bring a boat built ahead of time or construct one onsite on the day of the event. Cardboard will be provided by the Education Foundation. Mark your calendar and stay tuned for more details! All proceeds benefit the Henry Hudson Tri-District Education Foundation which provides funds for STEAM initiatives in our three schools.
On the morning of March 10, 2022, HHRS senior, Samantha Akers was honored as the recipient of the Monmouth County Guidance Directors Association Caring Award. This even held at Brookdale Community College honors high school seniors who give back to the community and the world by their service to others. Ms. Akers, who is also the daughter of HHRS Social Worker, Holly Akers, created a video presentation of her community service that highlights her generous heart and her commitment to service. Congratulations to Samantha Akers on this distinguished honor.
The Admirals Athletic Club ended the winter season by recognizing an All-Around Admiral from each of the high school winter sports teams. The All-Around Admiral Award goes to an athlete who best exemplifies the attributes of character, integrity, and sportsmanship. The athlete can be of any grade level on the team.
Varsity GIrls Basketball: Nominated By Coach Ryan Patrick and Coach Rachel DeWyngaert, Jordan Lombardi "has been part of the basketball program for four years. She has started the last two seasons and has been a key piece in many of our victories. She has a great understanding of the game and plays a variety of roles. Jordan does so much to support the younger players and many of them look up to her. She does so much for the team, while maintaining a very challenging academic schedule."
Varsity Boys Basketball: Nominated by Coach Brian Kelly, Luke Jaccodine, "Luke is the ultimate team player on and off the court. He is dedicated to the team and has shown tremendous improvement in his game throughout the season. He resembles our core values as a program: he is an excellent teammate, coachable, reliable, and is a great ambassador of the program on and off the court. His positive attitude day in and out is admirable and rubs off on the team."
JV Boys BAsketball: Nominated by Coach Brian Kelly Jeremy Way, "Jeremey has led our jv boy’s basketball team throughout the entire season. Jeremeys leadership both on and off the court has inspired the whole team to become better. His high academic standing has allowed him to succeed both in the classroom and on the court. While another teammate was struggling in Math Jeremey immediately stepped up to help tutor his teammate. Jeremey strong work ethic, compassion for his teammates l, and love for the fame of basketball will allow him to succeed in all of his future endeavors. It is with great confidence that I recommend Jeremey for this award."
Varsity Cheerleading: Nominated by Coach Jessica Porter, Maeve Sherlock, "I selected Maeve because she is the epitome of a role model. Maeve is a captain of the cheerleading squad, yet makes time for her studies, theatre, NHS and working outside of school at Eyes on First. Maeve has comforted girls on the squad when they were upset over something that happened at practice, like not perfecting a stunt, or if they just had a bad day. Maeve is kind, respectful and works hard every single day."
Varsity Winter Track: Nominated by Coach Tom Lynch, Declan Barnes, "Declan is everything that is great in a person. He is kind, selfless, and polite. He always holds the door for his teammates. As an athlete he does whatever is asked of him without complaint."
Varsity Boys Bowling: Nominated by Coach Brian Gates, Michael Boylan, "Mike is a true Admiral. He has an extremely passionate work ethic and he is a pleasure to coach."
Varsity GIrls Bowling: Nominated by Coach Brian Gates, Orianna Nolan, "Orianna has an exceptional work ethic. She also cares about her team members, sharing her skills to always make them better.
Upcoming AAC events: May 2nd. at 6:30pm. Meet and Greet at Franny's in HIghlands, parents, caregivers and local businesses are invited to come meet the board of the AAC and to see how they can help with future fundraising events.
June 10th: End of Year Sports BBQ at Henry Hudson Regional., 6pm. Come celebrate all the accomplishments of the Henry Hudson Athletic teams from all three seasons with food, cornhole tournament and awards.
The winter season was a successful one for the Admirals. As many of our athletes and staff earned some prestigious honors. From the Henry Hudson Girls Basketball Team Lauren McCahon made 2nd Team All Division for the Shore Conference B Central Division and Mackenzie Denzler and Ellie Hendrickson were named Honorable Mention. Also from the Varsity Girls Basketball Team, Guidance Counselor and Coach
In addition to the girls basketball program having success, the boys team was proud to announce Senior Demetrius Harvey will be continuing his academic and athletic career at Lancaster Bible College.
We are proud of all our winter student-athletes, from middle school to high school you all represented our community with character and commitment.
As the spring varsity season looks to get underway, the Shore Conference had a Spring Captains Conference which was hosted by Rutgers University Sports Performance Coach Cathy Andruzzi. Representatives from our Varsity Spring Teams got to hear a great deal about what it takes to build a strong sports culture. It was an inspiring day.
Finally at the March Board of Education Meeting, teacher and coach Steve Stabile was honored for being named HHRS Teacher of the Year. Mr. Stabile goes above and beyond for the HHRS community everyday and we are very proud of him.
“There is only one way to look at things until someone shows us how to look at them with different eyes.” These words spoken by Picasso certainly ring true at AHES as the students are continually encouraged to shift their learning lens and examine the importance of valuing and celebrating our differences. This is truly evident this year as experiences throughout the AHES community promote a celebration of differences. From helping hands projects in first grade to fifth and sixth-grade musicians writing and performing songs on the ukulele inspired by one of Dr. King’s poems, classes throughout our school were actively engaged with “different eyes".
Our learning lens continued to broaden as we explored Black History Month and Women's History Month. We also celebrated the 9th year of Multicultural Children's Book Day. Thanks to the generous support of the AHES PTO, teachers and students were provided with a multitude of new book selections that allowed classes to explore the richness of multicultural diversity with kindness and curiosity. These beautiful texts will be treasured and read for years to come.
The HHRS Marching Band Delights at the Highlands St. Patrick's Day Parade
The MS/HS Marching Band performed beautifully as they walked proudly down Bay Avenue in Highlands, NJ at the Highlands St. Patrick’s Day parade. Ms.Colby and all the band members did an outstanding job playing and marching in uniform formation through the down. Cheers from the sides of the road could be heard throughout the march to Bahrs Landing. Mrs. Kingsmore, Mrs. Noland and Hudson, our therapy dog, marched alongside the band members leading the Admirals proudly to the end of the parade route. It was a glorious day and was featured briefly on the Saturday night ABC news on March 19, 2022-it was a beautiful day for a parade. The students sounded amazing!
