The Dragon Review
March 2022
Principal's Announcement
March 2022
March has been a busy month in Dragon Nation! The BTHS community was active during International SEL Day, which was celebrated on Friday, March 11. Social Emotional Learning is interwoven into the fabric of our daily experiences at BTHS, however, staff throughout BTHS recognized and honored this essential component of our day through explicit action. Our SEL competencies were further highlighted as the PALs organization sponsored an after school event where students from organizations came together to sing, dance, and connect. It was evident at this event that our culture of tolerance, acceptance, and collegiality is strong.
BTHS was proud to host the District Arts Festival this past month, which saw representation of every school throughout our district in an evening dedicated to celebrating the arts. I was personally proud of the student representation, participation, and community support represented at this event. It was a great evening where the Arts across the school district were highlighted. Speaking of the arts, I am proud to announce that two of our students have recently been recognized for their musical achievements. Congratulations to Mallory Pritchet and Karlos Gordillo who both have achieved All-Shore Band Honors, being selected to perform in the upcoming All-Short Band Concert on April 2 at Neptune High School.
In closing, I would like to take this opportunity to send a special recognition and appreciation to Mr. Peter Panuska, BTHS Athletic Director / Assistant Principal, who as of April 1 will be retiring. Congratulations Mr. Panuska on your upcoming retirement. Mr. Panuska has been a model educator, coach, and leader for Brick Schools over the past 30 years. Thank you for representing BTHS with integrity and professionalism throughout your career. Moreover, you are a true model of what it means to be a Dragon. Our students, staff, and parents are lucky to have had the opportunity to work, learn, and grow along your side. Your contributions and leadership will continue to be felt for years to come. Congratulations.
Respectfully,
David Kasyan, Ed.D.
Principal
#SEL - Goal Setting
#SEL - Relationship Skills
#SEL - Self Management
District Arts Festival
District Arts Festival
District Arts Festival
School News
Classics with Kasyan - Book Club
In an effort to promote a love and appreciation of reading and literature throughout the school community, a school-wide Book Club entitled Classics with Kasyan has been initiated. The Book Club will meet at the end of each month to review and discuss a selected text. This month we will continue with our reading of The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury.
Last month we met to discuss the first half of the The Illustrated Man, reviewing the first nine stories. This month's meeting will focus on the second half of the book, which entails the last nine stories of the book. Our meeting will take place after school on Wednesday, April 27.
The meeting will conclude prior to late bus dismissal. All students are welcome to join. Any student looking to participate should grab a copy of The Illustrated Man and start reading. Reading the book ahead of the meeting will allow you a better opportunity to add to the conversation.
If you would like to borrow a copy of The Illustrated Man, please send an email to our district literacy coach, Ms. Monninger at jmonninger@brickschools.org, and one will be provided.
I am looking forward to collaborating and connecting with our student body on Wednesday, April 27. Start Reading!
Thank You,
Dr. Kasyan
Campus Life
BTPS Transition & Resource Fair
Brick Township High School will be hosting the 12th Annual Special Education Resource & Transition Fair on Thursday, March 31, 2022 from 5:00 - 7:00 in the BTHS Library. There will be representatives from local agencies such as DVRS, DDD, Supported Employment, Support Coordination, Special Needs Advocacy, Behavioral Support, and Assistive Technology. There will also be information on Financial Planning, Continuing Education Classes, Community Support Programs, and Comprehensive Transition Programs. This is a great opportunity for our families to connect with local agencies to effectively collaborate on identifying supportive resources as well as transitioning to life after high school.
Blood Drive Sponsored by BTHS Jr ROTC
March 31, 2022, will be the American Red Cross sponsored Blood Drive from 6:30 am – 12:00 pm in the Auxiliary Gym. You can sign-up on Tuesdays during A & C Lunches or see Mr. Pazmino in room 300 until March 30th. Please remember to eat before donating blood.
Teen Arts Festival
This past month students from art, creative writing, and dance classes attended the Teen Arts Festival held at Ocean County College. The Ocean County Teen Arts Festival is not a competition, rather it focuses on sharing achievements and learning. The Festival offers an opportunity for young artists in New Jersey to receive invaluable feedback and instruction as well as attend workshops and meet other creative peers. Mrs. Jones and students who submitted work to the Teen Arts Festival were able to get feedback on their writing. The adjudicator praised the students for their use of imagery, pacing, and thoughtful perspectives. We also had the opportunity to take part in a workshop and create Vision Boards.
BTHS is excited to announce that three students who submitted Creative Writing pieces to the Teen Arts Festival received Outstanding Achievement, which denotes students or groups selected for showcase at the NJ State Teen Arts Festival. Those students are Phaedra Salerno, who wrote a prose piece entitled "Almost;" Angela Dienes, who wrote two poems titled "Perspective" and "The Circus Elephant;" and Molly O'Brien, who wrote a poem titled "The Garden".
Ms. Farnsworth, along with all of our teachers, continually promotes and models a love for reading. Students within Ms. Farnsworth's classes were challenged to read the most books during this past marking period. Congratulations to Ms. Farnsworth's Block 2B class for winning the challenge, resulting in a teacher sponsored breakfast. Keep Reading!
STEAM Tank Challenge
BTHS STEM Academy teams have made it to the regional state finals in the NJSBA STEAM Tank competition sponsored by the US Army. The STEAM Tank Challenge encourages students to apply science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) in response to issues facing the world today. Students apply as teams to invent something new, modify an existing product, or identify a situation or real-world problem that needs attention. Teams are provided criteria, and a panel of experts judges their designs and/or solutions. Students identified a situation or real-world problem that needs attention and created a product to solve it. Teams were mentored by US Army Corps of Engineers and local businesses. They presented to a panel of experts judges their designs and/or solutions. The program encourages students and teachers to work collaboratively and develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The two inventions include a metamorphic chair and solar powered phone charger. The teams are highlighted below along with a blueprint of the metamorphic chair. Wishing both teams luck as they proceed to the regional finals competition.
- A limited number of yearbooks are still on sale! Reserve yours today here before they sell out.
- Senior parents: The back pages of the yearbook are dedicated to Senior Recognition Ads, where you may purchase space that includes photos and a special message to your graduating senior. The deadline for purchase and completion of all ads is April 15th. Purchase your ad here.
The Dragon Spotlight
Ms. Judy Defrancisci
Athletics Update
Happy March to our Dragon Families!
The birds are chirping, the first cut of fresh grass smell is in the air and the sun is shining! That must mean Spring Sports are beginning!
First we have some wonderful news about the BTHS Indoor Percussion and Winter Guard. They have already begun their season and have been performing the last couple of weeks at various high schools/venues in New Jersey! The Marching Dragons Indoor Percussion and Winter Guard will be hosting a competition at Lake Riviera Middle School on Saturday, April 2nd starting at 3pm. The winter guard performs at 5:34 PM, and the percussion performs at 5:50 PM. The students have been working really hard this season, and are excited to be back in competition after almost two years off. Percussion is currently ranked 4th out of 15, and the guard is ranked 10th out of 57. This will be the last regular season competition before moving onto championships. They would love to see BTHS representation in the stands while they perform!
A couple more notes from our Clubs & Activities: the JR ROTC program will be sponsoring a Blood Drive on Thursday, March 31st and our BTHS Transition group will be holding their Annual Transition Fair on March 31st in the BTHS IMC (Library) from 4:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Our Spring Teams - Baseball, Softball, Boys & Girls Lacrosse, Boys Tennis, Golf and Boys & Girls Outdoor Track teams have been practicing and scrimmaging. They have enjoyed some beautiful days and they have also persevered through those tough, damp March days to get ready for their season openers! The Boys Lacrosse team has a Home opener at Drum Point on Wednesday, March 30th vs. Holmdel. The Girls Lacrosse season opens up on Friday, April 1st at Point Beach. Both Baseball and Softball teams open up against the Raiders of Toms River East here at Brick on Friday, April 1st while the Boys Tennis is home against the Mariners of Toms River North. Also happening on Friday, April 1st - the Golf team starts their season with the Wall Invitational at Jumping Brook CC and both Track teams will travel to Howell for the Howell Rebel Relays!
Good Luck to all our Spring Teams!
Schedules can be found at: shoreconferencenj.org - Click on Brick Township!
LET’S GO DRAGONS!
BTHS Girls Bowling
March Students of the Month
BTHS Students of the Month - March
Students are nominated by BTHS staff members for outstanding effort in the classroom and positive contributions to our community. Congratulations to our Students of the Month. Students will be honored with a certificate, gift, and their names will be displayed on the marquee.
Kaitlyn Chironna, Grade 9
Kaitlyn is focused and conscientious; she continues to excel in English I-CP - Mrs. Farnsworth
Cameron Marr, Grade 10
Cameron takes pride in being a BTHS Dragon. He is always willing to do more both in and out of the classroom. He was at the District Art Show taking pictures for the school, he is an active member of the crew for the school musical and has recently joined the Mayor's Student Advisory, volunteering at the Hero Awards. - Ms. Karu
Logan Bayham, Grade 11
Logan has made such tremendous progress in his SEL goals since Freshman year. He has grown to become a mature and insightful young man who has progressed steadily toward his academic and social emotional goals. - Mrs. Sirico
Jazmin Martinez, Grade 12
Jazmin is one of the Key Club's greatest assets. She was elected by her peers to serve as our President. She does an amazing job. She runs our meetings. She brings information to her fellow Key Clubbers. She is dependable and hardworking. She is very committed to our club as well as the other extra curricular activities she is involved in. She has come out of her shell over the years and she is an excellent student leader. I am sad that Jazmin will be leaving the walls of the BTHS Key Club behind her but I am happy because I know she will do amazing things with her future. She is the type of student who will always work and strive to make her school, community and world a better place. -Mrs. Mount
Student Government
BTHS Student Government
Stay connected and informed about BTHS happenings through SGA. If you haven't already done so, join the SGA Google Classroom (q2hav5z) and follow SGA on Twitter and Instagram (@bths_sga). Class elections will take place in May and students will only be able to vote through the SGA Google Classroom. Anyone is welcome to attend SGA general membership meetings; our next meeting is after school on Wednesday, April 13th in Cafe 2. See you there!
Class of 2022
Class of 2023
The Class of 2023 is running an Easter fundraiser with Sarris Candy from now until April 10th! Go to https://www.sarriscandiesfundraising.com/ to order. Be sure to put in our Group ID: 10-4021 and the name of the student you are supporting. Students who raise enough money have the opportunity to earn money off their prom bid! In addition, Junior Prom is quickly approaching. It will be Thursday, May 19th at Pat's 30 Acres in Wall Township. Prom packets have gone out, so please pay attention to due dates and required signatures. Tickets will be sold before spring break. We recently held our class meeting, where we discussed information relevant to the prom. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mrs. DeBonis (cdebonis@brickschools.org or room 306) or Ms. Scipione (dscipione@brickschools.org or room 202).
Class of 2024
If you ordered clothing from our fundraiser, the apparel will be in this week. We will have more information coming out about that. Our next big fundraiser is being discussed and information will be out on that shortly, so stay tuned.
Members of the Class of 2024 should join our Google Classroom with code ozvfp3p . Our Google Classroom is where we post all relevant information about our class and any upcoming event at BTHS! Currently we are planning for our Junior Prom and a Spring Fundraiser. If a member of the Class of 2024 would like to be involved, see Mr. Lucchetti in room 205 or Mrs. Ianniello in Guidance!
Class of 2025
The class of 2025 continues to strive in their first year at BTHS. Currently they are participating in many events, showing their school spirit and working hard to create new ways to fundraise and build up the culture at BTHS. The Freshman are currently hosting the Dragon Leprechaun hunt. Make sure you are keeping an eye out so you can be entered into a chance at winning a gift card. Happy hunting!
Stay In the Know
Guidance Department
Hello BTHS,
The NJGPA (NJ Graduation Proficiency Assessment) was administered to all juniors during the week of March 14th. Students were tested on English/Language Arts units, as well as Mathematics units.
The BTHS School Counseling Department is hosting the Ocean County College EOF Advisor, Melani Kovacs, on March 31st. She will be presenting to some of our 12th grade students about the EOF program and eligibility. “The Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) is an academic support program specific to New Jersey. EOF’s mission is to assist low-income students throughout their academic journey. EOF at Ocean County College offers a network of support and resources to assist students throughout their time at OCC. You may be eligible for EOF@OCEAN if you are the first in your family to attend college, if you or your family have a low annual income, if you or your family participate in a government assistance program, and if you will be registering for at least 12 credits.”
Girls State Interviews were conducted this week to determine the delegates and alternates for the American Legion Auxiliary Girls State Conference. Female high school students who have completed their junior year are competitively selected and sponsored by American Legion Auxiliary units for this program, where they learn about the political process by electing officials for all levels of state government and actively running a mock government.
Branches of the Military (Army, Navy & Marines) had an informational table throughout the month. The School Counselors will be hosting the ASVAB test on Tuesday, April 12th. Please stop by the counseling office if you would like to sign up or have additional questions about the ASVAB.
Attention Seniors! Please continue to apply for Scholarships. New scholarships are regularly posted, therefore it would be beneficial to regularly access the attached link. We hope that all of our seniors take full advantage of these opportunities. Click HERE to view the available Scholarship opportunities.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to your counselor for support. Our department is readily available to assist in any of your academic, social, or emotional needs.
Thank You,
Angela Smith
BTHS Guidance Coordinator
School Counselor Google Classroom Codes
Class of 2025 cpgycc4
Class of 2024 bbnv4vs
Class of 2023 vzgx2iq
Class of 2022 qgqsw3mSCOIR
Create a SCOIR Account with this QR code.
Health Office Message
Hello BTHS Students and Parents!
Every year the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) observes March as, “Brain Injury Awareness Month,” in an attempt to raise public awareness. Stressing the importance of being able to assess the signs and symptoms following a brain injury and receiving appropriate treatment in a timely manner. This can make the difference in preventing a permanent brain injury-related disability. According to the BIAA, “Every 9 seconds someone in the United States sustains a brain injury.” Please remember that a brain injury can occur outside of playing sports, including, but not limited to, a motor vehicle accident,a fall, seizure, toxin exposure, stroke, drug overdose, etc.
With the start of Spring and warmer weather approaching, more of our students and families have begun to participate in more outside activities in and out of school. It is nice to see many of these activities resume after many were placed on hold due to restrictions during the height of the pandemic. While you move outdoors enjoy the sun, soak up some vitamin D, and spend time with your friends and families. The BTHS Health Office would like to highlight the preventive measures, and stress the importance of follow-up care if a brain injury occurs in an attempt to receive an early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention if deemed necessary.
The brain is overly complex and made of many different sections or lobes, each having an important function(s) within the body. It is important to be aware of what signs and symptoms to assess for after any bump, blow, hit, or jolt to the head or a hit to the body that may have caused the brain to bounce around. The nature of the injury and the consequences can range from mild to severe. The injury can cause physical, emotional and/or cognitive impairments.
It is important to understand that even wearing a helmet properly is not a guarantee that your child may not sustain a traumatic brain injury (mTBI) while playing sports. It is imperative to stress the importance of helmet safety and that they are worn consistently, correctly, and appropriately for the sport or activity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has detailed safety and prevention resource sheets specific to each sport, as a part of their “Heads Up Campaign.”
Linked here are the detailed safety and prevention tips sheets specific to each sport. (CDC)
Please be mindful of the signs and symptoms and seek immediate medical assistance for a further evaluation.
Respectfully,
Nurse Tammy Yarbrough & Nurse Mary Carlsson
Health Office Contact
West Nurse Office - Mary Carlsson Ext. 2037
East Nurse Office - Tammy Yarbrough Ext. 2009
Join the BTHS - Parent Teacher Student Association
Please direct any questions to our PTSA President Mrs. Maria Velez at mvelez@brickschools.org
The PTSA is looking forward to the next opportunity to collaborate with our school community. A meeting link will be sent out to all parents and PTSA members the week prior to our next PTSA meeting.
Brick Township High School
Assistant Principals
Erin Biancella - Grade 12 & Freshman P-Z
Ryan Hesnan - Grade 11 & Freshman H-O
James Marvin - Grade 10 & Freshman A-G
Athletic Director & Co-Curricular Supervisor
Guidance Department
Lauren Ianniello - Grade 9 A-L
Angela Smith - Grade 9 M-Z
Jennie Piwowarczyk - Grade 10-12 A-De
Kaitlyn Donahue - Grade 10-12 Di-K
Dawn Celona - Grade 10-12 L-Ri
Marie Walling - Grade 10-12 Ro-Z
Student Assistance Counselor
Child Study Team
Website: www.brickschools.org
Location: 346 Chambersbridge Road, Brick Township, NJ, USA
Phone: 732-785-3000
Twitter: @BTHSDragons