April 2018
“Love life, engage in it, give it all you’ve got.
Love it with a passion, because life truly does give back, many times over, what you put into it.”
~Maya Angelou
Welcome to April!
I wanted to thank all of you who reached out to me following my last message regarding my medical leave. I truly appreciate your kind words of support.
During my absence, Dr. Chuck McKay is assisting with my responsibilities and is at the high school on a daily basis. If you have any questions or concerns, you may reach out to him–or via email–to me. We will do our best to respond to you in a timely manner.
Last Thursday, Dr. Nancy LoPresti announced that she will be on sabbatical through June 30, 2018. Her position has been posted and the district will be hiring an Interim Assistant Principal to complete the 2017-2018 school year. Until that administrator is hired, Mr. Art DiBenedetto will be assisting Dr. Eric Kosek with Dr. LoPresti’s responsibilities.
We have much to be proud of at VTHS:
Unfortunately, our students were unable to participate in this year’s Model UN competition at St. Peter’s University due to one of our Nor’easters last month. We will be registering for next year and hope for more cooperative weather!
The VTHS Academic Decathlon Team qualified for its regional competition, but missed Regionals due to the same Nor’easter! Still, there is much to celebrate. The VTHS team scored a tiebreaker victory to finish second place in the Super Quiz Relay portion of the Regional Competition. Madeline Lebance and David Rusnak both answered the tiebreaker question to bring home the trophy. This contributed to Vernon’s overall fourth place finish in the region and secured the team their place at the State Competition once again. The winners included:
Honors Level: Madeline Labance – Honorable Mention Essay, Team MVP
Dan McKeon – Gold Medal Interview, Silver Medal Math, Honorable Mention Economics
Scholastic Level: Sam Dupont – Gold Medal Economics, Bronze Medal Essay, Honorable Mention Interview and Social Science
Juliana Schlicting – Bronze Medal Interview
Sam Wolthoff – Honorable Mention Math and Interview
Varsity Level: Christian Fieldhouse – Silver Medal Essay, Silver Medal Science and Silver Medal Economics
Peter Fetz – Gold Medal Math and Bronze Medal Music
Matt Martin – Silver Medal Math
Alternates: John Lowery – Bronze Medal Language and Literature and Bronze Medal Science
Christine Birkland – Gold Medal Language and Literature and Silver Medal Music
Alyssa Sasso – Silver Medal Science
Members of the VTHS DECA Chapter traveled to Atlantic City last month for the annual State Career Development Conference. In total, 60 students competed individually and we had teams in 54 events within the four core career business clusters: Marketing, Hospitality and Tourism, Finance, and Business Management and Administration. After three days of competition, a few of our students received the following recognition:
The team of Briana Garcia, Brielle Eilinger and Dayna Van Leuven qualified for ICDC in the Stock Market Game and finished in the top 25 for portfolio growth out of 1,200 nationwide teams. They were the only team from New Jersey to qualify!
The following students finished in the Top 6 in the events and will have the ability to compete at the International Career Development Conference in Atlanta at the end of April:
Community Service Project – Frank Incarnato and Max Rodriquez
Creative Marketing Plan – Elizabeth Keith
Finance Operations Research – Ryan Eilinger and Jameson Parker
Independent Business Plan – Ryan Hainzl and Daniel McKeon
Principles of Finance – Daniel McKeon
The following students were awarded medals for making it to the Finalist round in their respective events:
Entrepreneurship Promotion Project – Melissa Garcia and Philip Perrotta
Financial Team Decision Making – Ryan Eilinger and Jameson Parker
Food Marketing – Ryan Hainzl
International Business Plan – Julia Nangle
Learn and Earn Project – Jacqueline Villafuerte and Jacalyn Riedl
Principles of Hospitality and Tourism- Jade Lazar
Professional Selling Event – David McQuillan
Public Relations Project – Derek Bogdewicz, Devon Johnson and Shayna Lazar
Viking Robotics recently participated in two district qualifying events. At Mount Olive, they advances to the semi-finals as captains of their own alliance. At Bridgewater-Raritan High School, they advanced to the quarter-finals of the competition after being drafted by an alliance in the first round. The team won the Spirit Award, which recognizes teams for their service throughout the community and their dedication to the principles of FIRST. In addition, the team’s lead mentor, Mr. Aaron Kiedes was declared a semi-finalist for the Woodie Flowers Award, which recognizes mentors who are strong leaders and inspire their team members to communicate and work together properly. Safety Captain Juliana Schlichting won the Safety All Star of the Day Award for her impressive safety precautions and preparations. The team will be competing at Lehigh University the first weekend in April. You can learn more by visiting Vernonrobotics.com.
Julia Kotkin, after placing 5th in the January HOSA Northern Regionals Conference in Prepared Speaking, placed 4th in the State Competition on March 17th! After Regionals, Julia worked hard to improve her speech and her efforts paid off! Julia is president of our Vernon HOSA Chapter and provides a great example of leadership skills and a good work ethic according to Ms. Ann Kuplin, our HOSA Advisor. Congratulations, Julia!
Our Marching Band did another great job as they marched in Newton, NJ and then up 5th Avenue in NYC for both St. Patrick’s Day parades! Congratulations, one and all!
Vernon Township High School did an exceptional job once again with this year’s play, despite the numerous snow days! Young Frankenstein was a big hit! The actors, stage crew, musicians and directors did an amazing job. Please be sure to look at a copy of the program, which lists the names of all of the students and staff members who played such an important role in its production! Congratulations, one and all for a job well done! Here are is the list of our “stars”–both in front of and behind the curtain:
Production Staff
Director/Producer Lindsay McAloney
Musical Director Kevin Boehm
Choreographer Dana Ziegler
Set Design & Construction John McAloney
Lighting Designer Mike Van Vliet
Stage Manager Kristen Flaherty
Assistant Stage Manager Kendall VanVugt
Sound Hannah Mitchell
Ryan Flaherty
Tim McQuaid
Matt Bott
Lighting Kaitlyn MacLean
Nick Delia
Costumes Lindsay McAloney
Jen Fowler
Marlu Costumes
Costume Assistant Caitlin Cobley-Gascon
Poster & Program Printing Dave Hauptly
Running Crew Emily Doumanis
Zak Elkhamiri
Erin Kelly
Madison Muller
Lydia Rivera
Monica Salazar
Caitlin Staley
Jackie Trost
Jaime Vitale
Prop Master Olivia Monahan
Hair & Makeup Lindsay McAloney
Mike Tlatelpa
Prosthetics Mike Tlatelpa
Logo Design Julia Dower
Cast
Frederick Frankenstein Ethan Metz
The Monster Frank Incarnato
Igor Matthew Losco
Inga Grace Logue
Elizabeth Benning Blake Harrsch
Frau Blucher Elisabetta Bracer
Inspector Hans Kemp Rhett Presti
The Hermit David McQuillan
Victor Von Frankenstein Mike Tlatelpa
Ziggy Ryan Spadafina
Ensemble
Cole Benkendorf Hannah Kolonoski
Alex Bisanzio Julia Kotkin
Mark Bosma Celeste Levy
Emily Bray Paloma Lupino
Jess Carafello Hailee Mayer
Heather Cordero Hailey Minter
Amanda Cueman Emily Norris
Nathan Fitch Justin Shea
Leila Gonzalez Sidney Sparta
Tessa Heidt McKayla VanOrden
Kaitlyn Kawko Reyna Whitty
Orchestra
Conductor Max Taylor
Violin Rachel Berls, David MacMillian, David Rusnak
Bass Darla Coolman
Flute, Piccolo, Clarinet Jennifer Krott
Flute Erica McNally
Alto Saxophone, Clarinet Richard Summers
Clarinet Brianna Frasco
Bass Clarinet, Clarinet Matthew Charuka
Soprano Saxophone,
Tenor Saxophone Jake Bergacs
Baritone Saxophone Bandon Lee
Horn Joshua Jenkins
Trombone Ryan Shinall
Trumpet 1 Roger Widicus (Th/F) and Richard Barrieres (Sat)
Trumpet 2 Bill Bryan, Bryce Grier
Keyboard 1 Deborah Gianuzzi
Keyboard 2 Kevin Boehm
Percussion Anthony Nuzzetti, Max Yucan
Drums Dakota Singerline
The Senior Citizen Appreciation Dinner Theater (SCADT) was another great success this year, although it had to moved to the “snow date.” Many thanks to all of our student volunteers from both Glen Meadow and the high school for giving up their Saturday and doing such an amazing job. Mrs. Charlene Van Vugt and all of her dedicated volunteers did an exceptional job once again. “DJ Wheels” (aka Nicolas Cerrato) did an outstanding job and kept the crowd dancing! Thank you, one and all!
PARCC, AP and SLNJA-S Testing
Please be sure to mark your calendars with this year’s PARCC testing dates* for the high school:
Tuesday, April 17th
ELA (grade 9) ELA (grade 10) ALG2 (grades 11, 12) GEO (grades 11, 12)
Wednesday, April 18th
ELA (grade 9) ELA (grade 10) ALG2 (grades 11, 12) GEO (grades 11, 12)
Thursday, April 19th
ELA (grade 9) ELA (grade 10) ALG2 (grades 11, 12) GEO (grades 11, 12)
Tuesday, April 24th
ELA (grade 11) ALG1 (grades 9, 10) ALG 2 (grades 9, 10) GEO (grades 9, 10)
Wednesday, April 25th
ELA (grade 11) ALG1 (grades 9, 10) ALG 2 (grades 9, 10) GEO (grades 9, 10)
Thursday, April 26th
ELA (grade 11) ALG1 (grades 9, 10) ALG 2 (grades 9, 10) GEO (grades 9, 10)
Tuesday, May 1st PARCC Make-up Testing Sessions
Wednesday, May 2nd PARCC Make-up Testing Sessions
Thursday, May 3rd PARCC Make-up Testing Sessions
*please note that the grade levels do not always correspond to some students’ courses for the current school year.
AP Testing will be held at Vernon Township High School from Monday, May 8th through Friday, May 18th. Please note that not every student will be testing every day. If you would like further information, the 2018 AP Exam Schedule can be found at https://www.princetonreview.com/college/ap-exam-schedule.
The NJ Student Learning Assessment – Science (NJSLA-S) for 11th graders is scheduled for Tuesday, May 22nd and Wednesday, May 23rd this year.
*These standardized testing sessions will not change the schedule for VTHS. We will operate on a regular, full-day schedule on each testing day, altering the daily schedule as necessary.
A look ahead…please mark your calendars:
The third marking period will now close on Thursday, April 12th, due to the numerous snow days. Please be sure to speak to your son/daughter about their progress this quarter and contact your child’s teacher(s) or school counselor if necessary.
PEER is once again offering tutoring for students in Grades 6-9. This month’s dates are Saturday, April 14th and Saturday, April 21st from 8:30-10:30 am. Please contact Ms. LeDuc at lleduc@vtsd.com to register!
Mr. Keith McCotter, our Governor Educator of the Year, and Ms. Sue Whiteman, our Educational Services Professional of the Year, will both be honored at the Thursday, April 26th Board of Education meeting. Please be sure to join us to celebrate these two wonderful educators!
The VTHS Junior Prom will be held on Saturday, May 19th from 6:30-10:30 pm. The prom will be held at the high school this year. Tickets will be $45.oo per attendee and go on sale next week in the cafeteria during lunches.
The VTHS Class of 2018 presents “Una Bella Fine.” This year’s senior prom will be held at Perona Farms in Andover, NJ on May 31st.
As we move closer to Prom season, please take a moment to review the flyer from Project Self-Sufficiency announcing their FREE “Sister-to-Sister” Prom Shop. A copy of the flyer is available in the VTHS Digital Backpack.
The Graduation Ceremony for the Class of 2018 is scheduled for Friday, June 22nd and will begin at 6:30 pm. 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.
As we reach the end of the school year, please be sure to encourage your Senior(s) to look for all of the scholarship applications available in the guidance offices and/or on Naviance. There is scholarship money available and you don’t want them to miss out!
Mother Nature is not cooperating with our Spring Sports, so there is not too much to report yet! Please be sure to look up the Athletic Schedule on the VTSD website and catch some of the action! Our athletes and coaches would truly appreciate your support.
Please be sure to contact the school directly if you have any questions and/or concerns as we proceed with the 2017-2018 school year. We will be happy to assist you.
Thank you for your continued cooperation,
Pauline F. Anderson
Pauline F. Anderson
Principal