“Think about every problem, every challenge we face. The solution to each starts with education.”
~George H. W. Bush
Welcome to June!
Let’s begin by celebrating some of the wonderful news involving our students at VTHS:
…over the past few weeks, numerous students have been inducted into our various National Honor Societies. Congratulations to our newest members and our seniors who have received their cords, which they will wear proudly during our graduation ceremony. It is truly an honor to recognize these students who consistently study, prepare and take their learning seriously. This is in no small part due to the dedication of all of you–their parents and guardians–who have supported the importance of a good education for years.
…congratulations to the following “Top Fifteen” VTHS Seniors who were honored at a recent luncheon: Ryan Eilinger, Alyssa Koehler, Melissa Lancellotti, Eric Loughren, David MacMillan, Brendan O’Connell, Patrick Ouelette, Anna Oyola, Brianne Paragh, Jameson Parker, Phillip Perrotta, Maya Rakoczy, Morgan Ruel, Domenico Valente and Samuel Wolthoff. It was an honor spending some quality time with all of you. Anna Oyola will be the valedictorian and Maya Rakoczy will be the saluditorian for the Class of 2018. Congratulations to all of you!
…congratulations to Max Rodriquez, who was selected as the Sussex County School Counselors Association 2018 High School Caring Award recipient for Vernon Township High School.
…both of our proms were a remarkable example of our students at their finest! Both the Junior Prom and the Senior Prom went off “without a hitch” and we are very proud of all of the attendees. I would like to offer sincere congratulations and thanks to Mrs. Ellie Ufferfilge for all of her hard work in organizing the fantastic Junior Prom and to Mr. Marc Bray for organizing an outstanding Senior Prom! Both of these events demonstrated the high quality of our educational staff, students–and you–our parents and guardians, who supported all of our efforts to create safe venues for each of these events. Thank you!
…our Spring Concerts were outstanding once again this year. Congratulations to our musicians and the members of our choral groups who did a fine job. Many thanks to Max Taylor for the amazing Wind Ensemble, Jazz Express and Symphonic Band Concert. The String Symposium on May 11th was also a beautiful presentation of our students who have been studying string instruments over their years in the VTSD; thank you Jen Krott and Rachel Berls for a job well done! Finally, the Spring Choral Concert conducted by Kevin Boehm and his student teacher, Kyle Silvestri, was a beautiful demonstration of the talent of our students.
…the Solo Ensemble Concert was also a true demonstration of our students musical talents!
…our two Jazz at the Flats performances were also exceptional–as usual! Congratulations, one and all!
…the Viking Band Trip to Chicago and Cleveland was a great success and yielded many awards for our musicians!
…the Athletic Awards Ceremony on Thursday, June 8th, was a fine tribute to our Athletic Director, Mr. Bill Foley, our numerous coaches, our student-athletes, and you–our parents and guardians–for your dedication to your children and their varied activities throughout the school year. The program is a success in no small part thanks to your dedication, cooperation and hard work!
…the extraordinary talents of our teachers–and our students–were on display once again during the 4th Annual ARTSTANDING program on Friday, June 9th. It was a true honor to see so many of the VTHS students displaying their artistic, musical, acting, cooking, “robotics'” and other wonderful qualities. Thank you!
…congratulations to Zoe Heath and Julia Mastanduno who tied for first place in the recent Poetry Contest conducted by Mrs. Kathy Weyant. Their poetry–in addition to the other exceptional submissions and some beautiful artwork–can be yours for only $10! This year’s Back Porch Review is a publication that would make a beautiful addition to any library; be sure to purchase your copy today!
… On Monday, June 4th, Paper Mill Playhouse, The State Theatre of New Jersey, held their 23rd Annual Rising Star Awards. The Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star Awards presented by the Investors Foundation are modeled after the Tony Awards, and Paper Mill Playhouse’s program serves the entire state of New Jersey, with nearly 100 entered productions from public, private and parochial high schools. Matthew Losco was nominated AND WON the Best Supporting Actor category for his portrayal of Igor in Young Frankenstein. Matt is the first Vernon student to ever win a Rising Star Award! Matt received an engraved Tiffany crystal plate that is now proudly displayed in the HS main office. Ethan Metz was also honored at the event, with The Investors Foundation Rising Star Awards Scholarship for his outstanding theatrical accomplishments. These two gentlemen have certainly made Vernon proud! Among the early nominees and winners of the Rising Star Awards are Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables), Tony Award winners Laura Benanti (Gypsy) and Nikki M. James (The Book of Mormon), Tony nominee Rob McClure (Chaplin), Shanice Williams, star of NBC’s The Wiz Live! and Olivier Award nominee Jared Gertner(The Book of Mormon). Here is a link to an article about this honor:https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Paper-Mill-Playhouse-Announces-2018-Rising-Star-Award-Winners-20180604. Many thanks to everyone who worked with these students during their years in the VTSD! They have made us very proud!
…I would like to thank Mr. Kelsey Falkowski and Mr. Matt Trokan who recently provided their Model UN students with the opportunity to compete in an Intrascholastic Competition. It was a great opportunity for our students to demonstrate their remarkable talents. (Unfortunately, our students were eliminated from competing this year due to poor road conditions this winter.) Thanks, too, to Mr. Stephen Denn for ably assisting these advisors in setting up and conducting the competition. Jameson Parker and Ciara Clarkin won Distinguished Delegate, David Rusnak won Best Position Paper and Dan McKeon won Best Delegate.
…this year’s Tolerance Fair provided all of our staff and students with the opportunity to view issues from around the world with new eyes! Many thanks to the faculty members from our Social Studies department and our students who worked diligently to present some difficult topics with great poise and professionalism. It was a true learning experience for many!
…Our PEER Leaders worked at the TASTE of VERNON and did a remarkable job demonstrating the maturity and excellent work ethic of so many of our students! They made all of us incredibly proud!
…our Key Club members recently participated in Vernon Day and held a raffle that resulted in a $163.00 donation for Harvest House. Many thanks to these members who continue to give back to the community!
A testing update…
PAARC and AP Testing–in addition to the administration of the NJ Student Learning Assessment -Science (NJSLA-S) for our 11th graders–are now complete! Our guidance department has certainly worked overtime ensuring that all of the policies and procedures were followed closely and that all students were tested while creating the least amount disruption possible to the regular school day. Thank you for encouraging your children to get to school in a timely manner and doing their best work on those testing days.
Thank you for your generosity in making these events so special:
…thank you for all of the donations for the Teacher/Staff Appreciation Brunch with a “Tea Party” theme. It was an excellent–and delicious–event and the VTHS SCA’s hard work!
…the parents/guardians of our Senior Class created an amazing Senior Breakfast for our soon-to-be graduates on the day of the Senior Prom. Thank you for your generosity and dedication to your children–and our students.
Please mark your calendars for these exciting upcoming events as we close out the school year:
Monday, June 11 Project Lead the Way Engineering Night – 6:30-8:30 pm -Room 207 and Cafeteria
Tuesday, June 12 Senior Scholarship Night 7:00-9:30 pm Auditorium
Wednesday, June 13 DECA Awards Ceremony – 5:00-7:00 pm – Cafeteria BOE Public Meeting – 7:00 pm – Lounsberry Hollow – Dr. Fred Podorf to be honored
Thursday, June 14 Interior and Fashion Design Fashion Show – 2:00pm – Auditorium
Friday, June 15 PEER/Student Council End-of-Year Event – 6:30-11:00 pm – Gym/Outdoors $8.00 p/p
Monday, June 18 Senior Yearbook Distribution Celebration and Signing Party – 2:00pm – Senior Caf
Graduation gowns will be distributed to graduating seniors – 9th period – Auditorium
Tuesday, June 19 Graduation Ceremony Practice – 7:30 am – Auditorium
Senior Walk 10:30-1:00 pm
Distribution of Yearbooks to all other students who preordered them during lunch periods
Thursday, June 21 Graduation Ceremony “Dry Run” – Time TBD – Gymnasium
Final Exams for Periods 1 and 6 – EARLY DISMISSAL SCHEDULE
Friday, June 22 Final Exams for Periods 2 and 7 – EARLY DISMISSAL SCHEDULE
Graduation Ceremony – 6:30-8:00 pm – Macerino Stadium or Gymnasium
Monday, June 25 Final Exams for Periods 3 and 8 – EARLY DISMISSAL SCHEDULE
Tuesday, June 26 Final Exams for Periods 5 and 9 – EARLY DISMISSAL SCHEDULE
Wednesday, June 27 Final Exams for Period 4 and makeups – EARLY DISMISSAL SCHEDULE
Thursday, June 28 Last day of school – EARLY DISMISSAL SCHEDULE
COLOR RUN – organized by the National Honor Society
Diplomas issued to seniors
Finally…
On Tuesday, June 12th, Drew Leady, one of our former students, will be at VTHS to shoot new footage for the presentation video we use when we have students from Glen Meadow visiting and/or during our Back-to-School events.
The schedule for final exams has been developed and distributed. A copy of the schedule is available on the Digital Backpack. All students who have had their parents/guardians request a change of their final exams schedule will be notified of their newly revised schedule this week. All other students will be expected to report to school according to the final exam schedule developed for the entire school population.
The Graduation Ceremony for the Class of 2018 is scheduled for Friday, June 22nd and will begin at 6:30 pm. All seniors received a packet of information regarding the ceremony last week during English classes. Please be sure to read it with your child and sign the appropriate documentation. It is imperative that this information be returned to the school in a timely manner in order to have your child participate in the activities.
Diplomas will be distributed on the last day of school, which is currently scheduled for Thursday, June 28th. Attendance records must be accurate up to and including the final day of school, so attendance will be taken each day through June 28th.
The National Honor Society members–under the tutelage of their advisor, Mrs. Kathy Weyant–are organizing a Color Run for the last day of school–June 28th for high school students. This “fun” and “fund” raiser will benefit a local family in need. We will share additional information as it becomes available.
If your child is looking for a summer job, please have him/her stop by Ms. Anne Larlee’s guidance office. She often receives requests for employees and posts the positions on her bulletin board.
If your child owes any “Outstanding Obligations,” final grades will not be posted–and if your child is a senior–diplomas will not be distributed. Please be sure to check into any outstanding obligations in the next few weeks! Thank you for your assistance.
Mrs. Jackie Van Orden, our Technology Integration Specialist, sent an email to every 12th grader on May 30th outlining the process involved in migrating their VTSD Google Drive Files before they graduate. Please be sure to check with your senior so that no valuable files will be lost.
Please be sure to contact the school directly if you have any questions and/or concerns as we conclude the 2017-2018 school year. We will be happy to assist you.
Thank you for your support and cooperation throughout the school year. It has been a pleasure working with your children.
Pauline F. Anderson
Pauline F. Anderson
Principal