April School Highlights

Academy for Allied Health and Biomedical Sciences

We held three of five “Shadow a Student” days for incoming freshmen. Each student was assigned a current ninth-grader to shadow and visit classes.

 

On April 11, we held a “Coffee with the Principal.” Approximately 40 parents attended. We discussed graduation tickets, teacher-parent communication, and teacher/staff appreciation.

 

On April 12, we practiced our bomb-threat-evacuation off-site drill with the help of Woodbridge Township police and Middlesex County park rangers from Warren Park. The drill lasted approx-imately 20 minutes and the two “pretend lost” and two “fake injured” students were reunited with their classes and treated for their injuries successfully.

 

April 20, Anthony Hatzhoffer, Middlesex County Risk Mitigation Planner, and Gary Gawler, Middle-sex County Security System Manager, conducted a security assessment of the campus.

 

The Woodbridge Academy Safety Ambassadors completed the fourth of five visits to Ross Street School in Woodbridge. The warm weather was a perfect complement to the themes of bicycle and scooter safety, proper fitting helmets, and sunshine safety (hydration, sunscreen, hats, etc.).

 

Seniors Owais Aftab and Rahul Gorijavolu participated in the April 25 Rutgers Talent Develop-ment Seminar. They presented about their choice to pursue a health career via the vocational and technical school path. Krithicka Raghunathan, MBA, MPH, Director of the New Jersey Health Care Talent Network in the School Of Management and Labor Relations at Rutgers University, said, “The confidence they exuded and their clarity and articulation were commendable! They were very professional and impressed our audience. You should be very proud of them!”

 

We completed PARCC ELA and math testing for students in grades 9, 10, and 11 on April 17-19 and 24-26. Only two students needed to take make-up tests, which were administered on April 26. PARCC testing is officially completed for 2018.

 

The Red Cross Club, under the direction of Melanie Veilleux, held a blood drive on April 24. We were able to collect 30 units of blood.

 

On April 19, our senior class attended the Mentor Appreciation Luncheon at the Perth Amboy Campus. Senior Capstone teacher Dr. Patricia Schrader and Project Lead the Way teacher and student advisor Kathleen Wilhelmy attended with the students. Music for the event was provided by four Woodbridge Academy seniors: Natalia Sokolnicki (vocals), Irene Chu (keyboard), Amanda Rivera (guitar) and Brittany Sanchez (guitar).

 

Amanda Rivera and her family attended the Middlesex County Principals and Supervisors Associ-ation awards dinner. Amanda received the 2018 Outstanding Student Award for the Woodbridge Academy.

 

Three sophomores took the first prize in the Health Care Talent Development Network poster contest.  Shyam Saravanan, Liana Masangkay, and Virali Patel created a poster showing the wide array of dental care jobs available and the various pathways to achieving a successful career in dentistry.

 

Twin day was held on March 20. We were definitely seeing double in all grades, but the 10th-graders won the spirit points with the highest level of participation.

Club day was held on April 20.

Students from Woodbridge Academy shared their musical abilities on April 26 at the MCVTS Advisory Dinner at the Piscataway Campus. Junior Nawal Panjwani sang the National Anthem. Seniors Natalia Sokolnicki, Brittany Sanchez, Amanda Rivera, and Irene Chu performed during dinner.

 

Students participated in the Day of Silence on April 27. It is a student-led national event organized in thousands of schools, bringing awareness to the silencing effects of anti-LGBTQ name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools. Students from middle school to college take a vow of silence in an effort to encourage schools and classmates to address the problem of anti-LGBTQ behavior by illustrating the silencing effect of bullying and harassment on LGBTQ students and those perceived to be LGBTQ.

 

The annual Academy talent show was held on April 27. The depth and breadth of talent was astounding. Students sang, performed classical, modern, hip hop, and Indian dances, and played instruments in groups and individually.

 

In honor of Stress Relief Awareness Month, clubs joined forces to hold a stress relief/love your-self day on April 30. Students were able to learn about relaxation techniques, including yoga, music, aroma, meditation, and more. In addition, students could visit manicure, henna tattoo, and coloring activity booths. Donations were collected during lunch periods for the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Some teachers volunteered stress relief tips or told jokes to show the healing effect of humor. Mr. McGowan and his class created wonderful posters for the hallways.

 

Academy for Science, Mathematics and Engineering Technologies

Congratulations to Shankar Kohli, Kamakashi Sharma & Surya Venkatram, Edison Academy's Senior Students of the Month for April. Big thanks to the Edison Rotary for their continued support.

 

Two teams of Edison Academy juniors competed in the Moody's Mega Math Challenge.  A team consisting of Kevin Tang, Parth Savla, Amey Venkatanarayan, Saneel Sreeni, and Spencer Ng were among the 20 percent of teams that made it to the second round of judging.

 

Academy senior Julie Pirro represented New Jersey at the 88th National 4-H Conference, April 7-12 in Washington, D.C. As a member of the Somerset County 4-H Sidewinders Club, Julie focuses on the proper care and maintenance of domestic and exotic amphibians and reptiles.

Science League (Chemistry and Physics) – Won all four of their competitions versus the Wood-bridge Academy.

 

Congratulations to seniors Riya Agarwal and Abhishek Patel, Edison Rotary Students of the Month for May!

 

Edison Academy students qualified to compete on the Central Jersey team at the American Regions Math League by virtue of their performance over the year:  seniors Poojit Hegde, Kunal Adhia, and Jonathan Wong; juniors Glenn Sun, Kevin Tang, Spencer Ng, and Mrinali Nakhre; sophomores Pramod Mitikiri and Ethan Lee, and freshman Aditya Agashe.

 

Edison Academy students won the Central Region Consumer Bowl Competition at the Fire Academy in East Freehold April 13. The team will be competing at the State Championships on May 18 at the Attorney General's Office in Trenton against Cedar Creek and Irvington High Schools.

 

Edison Academy earned first place in the Delta Section (small schools division) of the Association of Math Teachers of New Jersey Contest.  Individually Glenn Sun earned second place and Poojit Hegde earned third place.

Edison Academy's Safety Ambassadors taught lessons to first-graders at Lincoln & Ben Franklin Elementary Schools on April 16 as part of Robert Wood Johnson's Safety Ambassadors Program. Topics were: falls prevention, wheeled sports, pedestrian safety, and safety in and around cars. The Safety Ambassadors are: Anjali Bothra, Riya Agarwal, Kelley Chau, Rameen Farooq, Khushi Gandhi, Abhishek Hariharan, Poojit Hedge, David Klusczynski, Elizabeth Kuriakose, Christine Matthews, Anusha Nagar, Ariana Novo, Maya Pandurangan, Swathi Parthiba, Julie Pirro, Nicole Salazar, Bartosz Skiba, Sudheshna Vemula, and Kaileann Villanueva.

Edison Academy's Technology Student Association won several awards at the New Jersey TSA State Conference April 17: Biomimicry: second place; Debating Technological Issues: first place; Engineering Design: third place.

 

Senior Julie Pirro was recognized with the “Caring Award" by the Middlesex County Guidance Council April 19. This award is given in recognition of outstanding service to our communities and those in need.

 

Academy senior Malavika Vivek presented to over 100 high school students of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Technology Student Association. Malvavika’s message focused on her efforts to bridge the gender gap in tech through her nonprofit, Girls Make Apps, and how to build national organizations while still in high school. She spoke alongside other notable speakers, former Pennsylvania Congressman Patrick Murphy and the CEO of Saladworks, John Scardapane. Malavika was also interviewed live by Moms Can: Code, an online community that provides moms who are learning how to code with opportunities to connect as well as learning resources. She spoke about her journey in tech and what she has learned by building and scaling a national organization. 

 

April 21-22, 25 students attended the annual Mid-Atlantic State Junior Statesman of America Spring State in Woodbridge. The theme was Charting Our Future -- Finding Our Voice. Three students attended their very first conference and achieved main speaking position. They are freshman Aneesha Kodati and sophomores Janice Seo and Avaneen Pinninti. All were awarded gavels as "Best Speaker" of their respective debates. Junior Dev Patel was elected by the student delegates of the MAS to serve as the Mid-Atlantic State Governor for 2018-2019 year. As governor, Dev will oversee more than 1,500 students and nearly 40 JSA chapters in six states from New Jersey to North Carolina.

Edison Academy student Anna Sivaraj, a member of Girls Who Code, is in a Covergirl commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VlODJlyeE0. 

 

The National Spanish Exam Competition has listed the Edison Academy among the tops in the country. The National Spanish Exam is a specialized test that classifies students by their previous experiences in the Spanish language. The Academy students’ performance is extraordinary considering the competitiveness of the exam. As in previous years it is also expected that some will receive state recognition for their outstanding results. The following students have received recognition for their outstanding achievement:

 

Gold Medal: 9th grade, Nishil Patel, Kaitlyn Ferreras, Isaac Jaramillo; 10th Grade - Aditya Jain, Adhya Khare, Jason Li, Ryan Shah and Andrea Dominguez; 11th grade, Ariana Novo.

 

Silver Medal: 9th grade, Nandini Goyal, Sanjana Gunda, Mihir Rastogi, Meha Patel, Ayman Rouf; 10th grade, Daniel Cui, Kumud Joshi, Catherine Mathews; 11th grade, Saneel Sreeni.

 

Bronze Medal: 9th grade, Garrett Seo, Shruthi Suresh; 10th grade,  Avinash Kumar, Avaneen Pinninti, Serena Zeng; 11th grade, Spencer Ng, Sanjna Shah, Eesha Sharma, Kaileann Villanueva.

 

Certificate of Honor: 9th, Shweta Iyer, Andrew Silverstri, Isabel Toro; 10th grade, Joseph Finnegan, Manas Harbola, Nandana Pai, Yash Patel, Divya Sankisa; Renuka Ravinder, Ria Vijayvargiya; 11th grade, Yoganand Pathak, Sibhithirumeni Ramadoss, Nicole Salazar.

 

Senior Students of the Month for June, Abby Tan and Zachary Acosta, were honored at the Edison Rotary breakfast.

 

Senior Abhishek Hariharan received the Outstanding Senior Student Award from the Middlesex County Principals and Supervisors Association.

 

The American Academy of Pediatrics Children’s Ball at the Palace in Somerset Park recognized the Robert Wood Johnson Safety Ambassador Program for Outstanding Community Service. Safety Ambassadors Sudheshna Vemula and Safety Ambassador Advisor Rosemary Simmons attended.

 

East Brunswick Campus

Students in Mr. Mercadante’s Pre-Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing class will be presenting a working prototype of the Asian tiger mosquito to the Middlesex County Mosquito Commission.

 

Students in Mr. Mercadante’s pre-engineering and advanced manufacturing class competed in the State VEX Robotics Competition “in the zone,” using a design that incorporated four-bar mechanism and 12 motors.

 

Forty students from the East Brunswick Campus competed in the 2018 SkillsUSA State Champ-ionships.  Our campus came home with 17 medals.  Two students qualified for the SkillsUSA National Championships in June, Lauren Cyrus (prepared speech) and Nia Drinkard (architectural drafting).  Calvin Coates received a gold medal in basic construction, and Destiny Castillo and Patrycja Sliwowska received gold medals in state banner design. Our chapter was also recognized with Gold Chapter distinction, one of four in the state.  

 

Five students in Mr. Libitz’ digital film class have been selected to the 12th annual Ocean County Library Film Festival. 

 

Nicholas Cromwell and Samuel Seda, two seniors in Mr. Libitz’ digital film class, constructed a PSA about texting and driving for the North Brunswick Police Department.  The North Brunswick Police Department posted it to their Facebook page and it has over 9,000 views. 

Isabel Uzosike, a senior graphic design student in Mrs. Sobolewski’s class, won third place in a poster submission competition for our Annual Health Care Industry Summit. The poster depicted the planned health care career pathways of psychology.

 

East Brunswick School of Career Development

Forty students from the East Brunswick Campus/East Brunswick School of Career Development competed in the 2018 SkillsUSA State Championships in 29 different competitions. Sixteen shops were represented, some shops sending students to SkillsUSA for the first time. Competitions were held during March and April, with the majority held at Somerset County Vocational and Technical High School in Bridgewater. Junior, Lexie Enzana, has served as a regional officer for this year and was part of the awards ceremony. Medal winners were: silver, Lexie Enzana, food service, and Josh Houskeeper, HVAC-R; bronze, Joe Temenski, basic masonry, Pat Temenski, restaurant service, and Josh Houskeeper, state banner design.

 

On April 25, East Brunswick School of Career Development hosted a small business summit high-lighted by a program on hiring individuals with disabilities. 

 

Perth Amboy Campus

The Perth Amboy Campus was honored to host more than 260 employers, mentors, and students from the Woodbridge Academy and the Edison Academy for the annual CVE Employer Apprecia-tion Banquet. The culinary arts class prepared the meals for the event, which is designed to thank all of the local businesses who employ and mentor our students in real-world job experiences.       

                                                                                                             

The Perth Amboy Campus hosted a Title 1 parent meeting and PARCC information session. We discussed the current status of our Title 1 program and what our plans are for next school year. We also took the time to go over the importance of parents supporting our efforts in school to encourage their students to take advantage of extra help and tutoring leading up to the PARCC administration in May 15, 16, and 17.

 

Piscataway Campus/Piscataway School of Career Development

On April 23, 26, 10th grade students attended the Career Council College Fair at Bishop Ahr High School. The students had the opportunity to speak to 50 college admission representatives and obtain information for their college portfolios.

 

On March 28, Humberto Vasquez, a former student, visited the Piscataway Campus cosmetology/ hairstyling shop to demonstrate a current style men’s haircut on behalf of his employer, Jordan Cutz.

 

On April 11, Sebastian from Icon Shears came in to the cosmetology/hairstyling shop to demon-strate a special haircutting technique using shears.

 

On April 17, senior cosmetology/hairstyling students took their Theory State Board Exam and 89 percent passed.

 

On April 26, the cosmetology/hairstyling shop first-place winners of the Career and Technical Expo presented at the Advisory Dinner.

 

Mr. Housel's building maintenance shop is building a mini-library to be placed in the community so individuals can "leave a book and take a book." The library can hold about 30 books and will be mounted on a wooden 4-by-4 post. Students are also constructing an end table as well as a small chest of drawers using many of the skills they have learned in shop.

 

On April 25, two students from Mrs. Rogers’ health technology class represented Piscataway Campus as panel speakers at the Rutgers Health Summit. The topic of discussion was the non-traditional pathway of vocational high school versus the traditional pathway.

 

On April 25, two of our students, Brandon Barnes and Roldan DeLaRosa were honored at the Middlesex County School Principals Association Outstanding Student Banquet. 

On April 19, Piscataway Campus hosted over 100 veterans at the Hope for Veterans Event, which included community service providers from all over the county.  The veterans received donated items, cosmetology services, and a plethora of information.

On April 18, Piscataway Campus hosted its annual blood drive. Over 50 students and staff donated blood.