March
Chief's Report
Mr. Lester
This month has truly put our EMPIRE through the test of tolerance, resilience and solidarity as a family. We had some unexpected and unwelcome social media posts that in no way, shape or form represented this school and community. However, WE chose not to hide or sweep the issues under the rug. As true CHIEFS we confronted the issues head on and had the often uncomfortable conversation about race, culture, awareness, identity and sensitivity. I can, without a doubt in my mind, say that the students at PHS care about one another and seek not only to be understood but are courageous enough to understand their peers. In our small group conversations, I stressed the importance that ALL people have a contribution to make, not only to Piscataway, but we have an obligation to the global community as leaders and CHIEFS. We look forward to the ongoing conversation to build stronger FAMILY ties here at PHS. Through it all GREAT things continue to happen: FBLA dominates in Atlantic City, State Champs Football team honored at State House in Trenton, two heroes honored by School Boards and much more. You have to read on to experience the AWESOME things that are happening at PHS.
Strength & Honor
Legislative Day 2019
Please see below for photos from Legislative Day 2019 – C/CMSgt Srihari Yamunan of Civil Air Patrol and C/MSgt Srihari Yamunan of AFJROTC.
The National Command Chief, Chief Dandridge, came along with us to meet the representatives in New Jersey. Chief Dandridge, Chief Lu, and I, C/CMSgt Srihari Yamunan, stopped by New Jersey Representative Albio Sires’s office in Senate Building. It was a great experience to get in touch with New Jersey Representatives and explain about Civil Air Patrol.
C/CMSgt Srihari Yamunan with the Deputy Commander of Operations, Lt. Col Robert E Jennings, at Capitol Hill.
AirForce JrROTC Drill Competition
Unarmed Inspection Team: 3d place
Unarmed Duo Exhibition Drill: 1st Place (Adam George, Sema Nwana)
Unarmed Exhibition Team: 2d place
Armed Inspection Team: 3d place
Armed Regulation Drill: 3d place
Armed Duo Exhibition Drill: 1st Place (Andrew Van Lare, Michael Espino)
Armed Exhibition Team: 3d Place
Academic Competition: 1st Place (Andrew Van Lare, Urja Patel)
Congratulations Jr.Cadet Manvir Chahal
Jr. Cadet Manvir Chahal has been selected as the NJ “AFJROTC and Air Force Association Cadet Leadership Award” winner. Congrats!
PHS Robotics
PHS Robotic team 224 has returned from the Bensalem PA competition. Their final qualification ranking was 8th out of 32 teams.
They worked their way up to the quarter finals earning the title of "6th place Alliance Captain". Job well done! Please stop by the robotics room G108 after school on Friday, April 5th to congratulate them and see their robot demonstration.
Congratulations
I have some great news! Piscataway Township School District has been listed as a Best Community for Music Education by the NAMM Foundation for the second year in a row!
Best Community for Music Education | NAMM Foundation | Piscataway Township Schools
Piscataway Township Schools were named a Best Community for Music Education by the NAMM Foundation for the second year in a row! This is due to the amazing opportunities our music educators provide for our students in and out of the classroom, and to the strong support of our Board of Education and Administration! Congratulations!
Central NJ Jazz Regions | PHS | Ken Zampella and Megan Suozzo
PHS Musicians Koleby Royston and Izabella Lopez were selected to perform in the Central NJ Jazz Region Concert on Saturday, April 7th at Rahway High School. Koleby tied for first place in his section and Izabella was one of two altos accepted into the choir. Congratulations on this amazing accomplishment into such select ensembles! Thanks to Ken Zampella and Megan Suozzo for providing this opportunity!
Fresh Perspectives | Morris Museum | Dorothy Amme
PHS Art students Emma Broggi, Kevin Nguyen, and Mia Tomasino were honored at the opening reception for the Morris Museum’s highly competitive Fresh Perspectives Exhibit! Students’ artwork will be on display from March 9th through June 9th at the Morris Museum.
Dance Workshop at NJPAC | PHS Dance | Jessica Taylor
PHS Dance students attended a dance workshop with NJ choreographers at NJPAC. The students participated in two movement classes and even had an opportunity to act as mentors to a group of 8th grade students from another district. Thanks to Jessica Taylor for providing this opportunity!
Raku Pottery Workshop | PHS Ceramics | Mary Wartenburg
PHS Ceramics students attended a Raku Pottery workshop with Brett Thomas at the Community Arts Center in Wallingford, PA! Students actively participated in the Raku process which involves taking scalding hot pottery from the kiln and putting it in a trashcan filled with newspaper. The pottery is then rinsed and retains beautiful finishes! Thank you to Mary Wartenburg for this opportunity!
Animation Workshop @ Asbury Lanes | PHS Animation | Gwen Sylvan
PHS Animation students attended an animation workshop at Asbury Lanes sponsored by the NJ Film Festival. Our students were leaders in the group – sharing their experience and expertise with other students all over the state. Thank you Ms. Sylvan for your expertise at the workshop and for this opportunity!
Addams Family | PHS Drama
The PHS Drama Club presented an amazing production of The Addams Family! The production was hilarious, heartwarming, and filled with the outstanding talents of our PHS students! Congratulations to all of the students in the cast and crew! Thank you to Erik Hall, Megan Suozzo, Jessica Taylor, Michael Yoson, Chris Sumner, Lisa Sudfield, Matt Viola, and Christie Hall for all of your dedication, enthusiasm, and artistry!
Middlesex County Teen Arts Festival | PHS Arts
Visual Arts, Dance, Choir, and Theater students attended the Middlesex County Teen Arts Festival and participated in workshops, critiques, performances, and collaboration with other students from around the state. We had students selected to move on to the NJ State Teen Arts Festival and had a great day!
Broadway Trip | PHS Choir, Dance, and Theater | Megan Suozzo
Students from Choir, Dance, and Theater travelled to Broadway to see the hit musical: The Prom! Students also participated in a broadway workshop with one of the cast members earlier in the day. It was an awesome day in New York City! Thanks to Ms. Suozzo and the Choir Parents for organizing everything!
PHS Chiefs visit the State House
Our PHS Chiefs were invited to the State House on Monday, March 25th, 2019. The team was honored by the Legislature for their exceptional efforts and competitive spirit as evidenced by their accomplishments as State Champions, Bowl Champions and the first team in history of Piscataway Chiefs Football to complete a 13-0 undefeated season. Congratulations Chiefs!!
Barcelona Exchange
Our Barcelona exchange, coordinated by Ms. Amarfi Herrera, was a wonderful success. Our pen pals from Barcelona visited PHS in mid-March for 12 days. The pen pals stayed with our PHS families, visited our High School and visited a variety of classrooms where they did mini-presentations. The trip culminated with a farewell dinner dance.
Ms. Marra-Gersbeck's Italian Class
Italian students from Signora Marra-Gersbeck’s class participated in a real Italian experience in the pizza world at “SottoCasa pizzeria”, in Brooklyn NY. The owners who are from Naples, the birthplace of pizza, instructed students in the art of making the “Pizza Margherita”, all the while communicating in Italian, giving students opportunities to practice what they were learning in class with native speakers. Afterwards, students enjoyed their pizza creations!
Ms. Bontempo and Ms. Patel's Students
Ms. Bontempo and Ms. Patel’s Physics students demonstrate Newton’s laws for our visitors from Barcelona. Pictured below are students demonstrating Newton’s third law of equal and opposite forces. Balloons with different amount of air were tested for the heights they bounce back to. The predictions made were supported by the data; the more air there was in the balloons, the higher the balloon traveled. The Barcelona students participated in the demonstration as well.
PHS Celebrates GSA
“Piscataway High School’s Genders and Sexualities Alliance (GSA) held its first ever movie night to celebrate Trans Day of Visibility featuring the film “Love, Simon”. Students came out on Friday, March 29 to enjoy the collective experience of watching a movie and honoring LGBTQ+ representation within Piscataway Schools. GSA students spearheaded this event and spread the message of love and inclusivity in our community. “Love, Simon” was recently awarded Outstanding Film Wide Release by GLAAD, a non-governmental organization founded by LGBT individuals in media that seek to rewrite the script for LGBTQ+ acceptance. Piscataway Schools is proud to support LGBTQ+ students and parents in our community.”
Teachers:
Spanish Teacher and GSA Advisor-Veronica Ber
Radio Broadcasting and Audio Production Phil Giannino
Students (clockwise from center):
Aspen Schafer, Cindy Le, Ayanna Bey, Reese Garcia, Chayne Cooper, Aaron Szabo
PHS Poetry Contest
We are pleased to announce the winners for this year’s PHS Poetry Contest. With 76 entries this year, it was difficult to select only four winning poems, as so many of them were really prize worthy!
Congratulations to the following students:
1st Place : Ronni Garrett
2nd Place: Samantha Garcia
3rd Place: Andrea Vasquez
Gift cards for Barnes & Noble will be presented at our PiscatawayReads event on Wednesday, April 10. Please see Mrs. Memoli in the Media Center for details. Thank you to everyone for your participation!
Check the window at the Media Center during April to read our winning poems.
PHS Students Make the Top 10 Finalists
PHS Television Broadcasting & Digital Filmaking students for the second year running made the top 10 USA finalists in the Panasonic Kid Witness News competition. With 553 schools worldwide in 19 countries competing, our students were once again asked to explore “The World Through Their Eyes”. KWN is a hands on, team-centered video education program that encourages students to seek new experiences and examine themselves in different roles. Using our state-of-the-art, high definition equipment, Aaron Szabo, Diya Patel and Ryen Hagg earned a top ten spot for their news report on “The Importance of the Arts”.
Viewed by a panel of judges from the City University of New York, Bronx Community College, Media and Digital Film Production Program, the top 10 videos were selected and will go on to be judged by a select group of VIP judges that work within the industry. The top video finalist in each category will then represent the USA in the international competition.
When you see either Aaron, Diya or Ryen, please say congratulations as they attempt to represent PWay worldwide!
Finding Joi: A True Story of Faith, Family and Love
Ms. Fisher had her Book Launch Event on Saturday, March 30, 2019 at the Basking Ridge Country Club. The room was filled with love for our Vice-Principal, Ms. Fisher as she unveiled her story Finding Joi. The book is a candid and transparent journey of Joi's struggles with her identity, low self-esteem, body image, and other aspects of healing that could only be resolved or answered by her biological parents. Thanks to the efforts of the NJCARE team, former governor Chris Christie signed the Adoptee Birthright Act which reunited Joi with her biological parents and has helped many families connect with loved ones.
Young Women's Conference
On March 8th, 2019, members of LIFT (Ladies of Inspiration, Fortitude, and Talent) and several other tenth grade young ladies attended the 15th annual Young Women’s Conference, My Journey, My Voice: Empowering Young Women, in Sayreville, NJ which is hosted by Wellspring Center for Prevention: Coalition for Healthy Communities. It was a day filled with interactive and educational workshops that provided students, from high schools across New Jersey, with an opportunity to gain valuable knowledge and emphasized the importance of life and social skills.
The conference began with two keynote speakers who welcomed the girls and shared their experiences and their journey through life. The agenda continued with a series of educational and interactive workshops that covered topics from personal finance, safe dates, human trafficking, stress management, GLBTQ support and understanding, and so on. These engaging workshops allowed the young women to work through topics together and apply them to their own lives. The hopes of these workshops is to enable the young women to take all of the information they learned and spread it amongst their peers in their own schools.
PHS FBLA
From March 20th through 22nd, 46 of the 208 members of the Piscataway High School chapter of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) joined over 2300 other students at the NJ FBLA State Leadership Conference in Atlantic City, NJ, to learn college and career skills, compete, network, and seek state office. The trip was an overwhelming success.
NEW STATE OFFICERS
State Secretary - Sailesh Gudipati
North-Central Region VP - Aditya Reddy
SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS
Gold Officer - Sailesh Gudipati
Gold Member - Mann Patel
Outstanding Local Chapter
Community Service Award
March of Dimes Fundraising Award
Website Award
Membership Award
Middle Level Chapter Recognition
COMPETITIVE AWARDS
1st: Community Service PowerPoint Open Event- Britney Do, Oriana Nelson, Kajal Patel
2nd: Graphic Design-Annie Wang, Barbara Wu, Khushi Patel
2nd: Scrapbook-Annie Wang and Britney Do
3rd: Community Service Project-Vedant Barot, Raj Limbachia, Sanjna Khanna
3rd: Electronic Career Portfolio- Sheel Vakil
3rd: Partnership with Business-Sheel Vakil
3rd: Introduction to Business Presentation-Rithvik Sukumaran
4th: Computer Game and Simulation Programming- Mini Sinha, Rishi Patel, Nicholas Chen
4th: Future Business Leader-Joanne Plaras
5th: Graphic Design-Rahi Patel
PHS Door Decorating Contest
Congratulations to our Winners for Black History and Women's History Months!
1st Place - Mr. Mark Neurohr-Pierpaoli in Room 105 for the most Creative
2nd Place - Ms. Cregar Porch in Room 112 - Super close! Heard the students worked over time during the weekend!
Thank you and Congratulations.
PWAY 5K 2019
Nathan Borges
On Sunday March 3, 2019, Nathan Borges finished 2nd in the state in the 500 freestyle with a time of 4:31.68 and 6th in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:41.88 at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions. Previously, he dominated the pool at the Greater Middlesex County Championship, where he set new meet records in both events and shattered the school records he set last year.
Save the Date
Sunday, Jun 9, 2019, 10:00 AM
100 Behmer Road
Proud Sponsors of Piscataway High School
Chiefs Nation Membership
Cullen Family Foundation
Inglesino, Webster, Wyciskala, & Taylor, LLC.
DJSC Inc.
Piscataway Municipal Alliance
Tribe Members
Tequila & Tacos
Bellamy & Sons
Royce Brook Golf Course
Neshanic Valley Golf Course
Pete Falco’s
The Max of Piscataway
Robert Williams Esq.
Cedar Grove Café & Pizza
Ricochet Club
Black & Gold Members
Piscataway Soccer Club
Lester Taylor
Hand & Stone Massage
Piscataway Pizza
Stelton Lumber
Paul Schoeb
Rita’s
Wine Chateau
George Thomas Jr.
Thai Basil
Petrucci’s
Important Dates for April
April 5 - FBLA Mission for Life Basketball Game 6:00 pm in Anthony Gym
April 15-19 - Sprink Break
April 23 - PHS Tri-M Music Honor Society Induction 6:00 pm in PAC
April 25 - AFJROTC Awards Night 6:00 pm Anthony Faculty Dining Room
April 28 - PWAY 5K