November School Highlights

 

Academy of Allied Health & Biomedical Sciences

The applications for the 2019-2020 school year were due on November 21^st. We had approximately 300 students apply for next year’s freshmen class.

 

HOSA Future Health Professionals leadership team and the Advisor, Christine Wiamer, had a successful field trip to NJ HOSA Fall Leadership Conference on November 16^th.

 

On November 30^th, the Academy held the Kick Off for the 2018-2019 Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Health NJ Project. Students attended mini workshops which they had self-selected in advance. The choices were: Yoga, Meditation and Mindfulness, Wellness Socratic Seminar, Aromatherapy, Coloring and Music, Gratitude Practices, Arts and Crafts, Creative Self Expression and Writing, Drawing, and Q & A about healthy eating facts and myths.

 

On November 16^th, the Student Council held Flannel Day with spirit points awarded to the class with the highest participation. While all classes had more than 90% in flannel, the senior class won!

 

The Interact Club and advisor, Marie Bowen, held a food drive for Thanksgiving. Once again, congratulations to the seniors for scoring the most spirit points for the Food Drive. Over 836 items were donated to the St. James food bank. Half of the donations were from the senior class.

 

Student Groups held information sessions during lunch and before school for National Diabetes Awareness Month, November, and the Great American Smokeout.

 

Academy for Science, Mathematics, & Engineering Technologies

Approximately 750 visitors participated in the Academy’s open house.

 

Edison resident and Middlesex County Academy student, Swathi Parthibha, was honored with the SWENext Global Innovator Award for her passion for engineering, her role in inspiring young girls to pursue engineering and her strong leadership skills. Swathi was honored alongside her peers at a formal ceremony at the Society of Women Engineers’ (SWE) annual conference and career fair, WE18, on October 20^th in Minneapolis.

Academy students participated in the Fight Against Breast Cancer Walk in Johnson Park, Piscataway. Our Interact Club also provided a Water Station.

 

Archi Parekh's National Honor Society Individual Service Project was to work on renovating the Academy Garden along with several volunteers.

 

The Monster Mash (Seasonal Dance) was a graveyard SMASH! Big thanks to Ms. Simon & her Super Seniors for putting on a great dance. Thanks to Ms. Mac, Mr. Fernandez, Mr.

Price & Ms. Simmons for attending/chaperoning. Huge thanks to Sr. Ocker, Mr. Smith & Mr. Ferraras for helping with cleanup & to reset The Commons.

 

Jeffries received the Future Ready Schools Certification plaque and banner from Board President Eugene Mullen at the MCVTS Board of Education Meeting. Congratulations to the whole team.

 

Sudheshna Vemula, Ariana Nova & Ryan Shah of the Interact Club at the Middlesex Academy for Science, Mathematics and Engineering Technologies spoke to the Edison Rotary about founding "Rotary Youth for a Better World" interacting with other youth from 50 other countries.

 

Academy female students attended the Skanska Women's Network Day of Discovery event. The day is designed to introduce high school girls to careers in the fields of construction, architecture and engineering. The students toured the Moynihan Train Hall Project.

 

Ariana Novo (Sr.), Pramod Mitikiri (Jr.) & Ryan Shah (Jr.) attended the 1st United Nations Chat-Series regarding Youth Strategy for the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals at the UN Headquarters. They represented their Interact Club District Council.

 

Academy girls participated in FearlesslyGirl, an anti-bullying organization dedicated to creating a Kinder Girl World in schools and communities. This innovative assembly was sponsored by MCA Girl Up aims to inspire a generation of girls to be kinder to themselves & each other.

 

Academy Math League competing at PUMaC (The Princeton University Mathematics Competition). PUMaC is an annual competition run by the Princeton University Math Club. PUMaC is an entirely student-run competition; Princeton University’s Math Club volunteers have organized PUMaC since 2006

 

Math Game competing in the Elite 8 of Math Madness. Math Madnessis a national online, team-based event that takes place during the fall in which elementary, middle and high schools from across the country compete in leagues of weekly competition followed by a single elimination bracket tournament.

 

East Brunswick Campus

Senior students in Mr. Mercadante’s Pre-Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing career major have been offered paid internships at Sysco Guest Supply, a global corporation that has over 75,000 employees. This is a tremendous opportunity and experience for our students.

 

The School of the Arts career major programs exhibited their senior showcases during the month of November. On November 1-2, students in Dance, Digital Film, Multimedia Art and Design, Arts Technology and Graphic Design displayed their portfolios, projects, and performances at 6pm each night.  On November 15^th and November 20^th, students in the Theatre and Arts Technology program performed the Education Project at 7pm each night.  This was a collaborative event created entirely by the teacher and students of this program. 

 

On November 16^th, Commissioner Asaro-Angelo of Labor and Workforce Development, Education Commissioner Repollet, Higher Education Secretary Smith Ellis, and other distinguished guests visited the East Brunswick Campus to announce a joint initiative that would reinstitute placement into apprenticeship programs as a positive outcome on school performance reports and their commitment to revitalize NJPLACE. They also toured the campus and engaged with students and staff in the Pre-Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing and Health Services programs.

 

On November 27^th, Ken Johnson, retired NFL player for the Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys, spoke to students in our physical education classes about decision-making, choices, and goal-setting.

 

East Brunswick School of Career Development

Levine’s sophomore English class read Moby Dick. For the project at the end of their unit, they had the opportunity to craft Moby Dick sequels. Two students wrote “Whalassic Park”. Two other students wrote “Twhalight.”  Two other students a very creative sequel called "The Dark Whale Rises," which was a Batman recreation with a whale instead of Bruce Wayne.

 

Coats for the annual coat drive are currently being collected for cleaning and distribution to those in need in the East Brunswick area. There are drop off points in different areas including East Brunswick, South River, and Spotswood.  Coats can also be dropped off here at the East Brunswick school.

 

Wiseman’s Building Services continue to work diligently in the courtyard, installing walkways and bridges, enhancing its décor. They are also in the beginning stages of building a “Hobbit House.”  This will be used as a storage place for tools that will replicate the house the “Hobbits” lived in from “Lord of the Rings.”

 

Perth Amboy Campus

The Perth Amboy Campus Culinary Arts students cooked 16 turkeys donated by the City of Perth Amboy for the Perth Amboy Senior Citizens Center. This is our students’ 12^th year participating in this wonderful event which helps everyone in the community enjoy the holiday.

 

The Perth Amboy Culinary Arts students went on a trip to the Cheese Cave in Red Bank, NJ to learn about various cheeses from around the world. Students had a Q&A session with local business owners and finished the trip with a behind the scenes tour of the Oyster Point Hotel.

 

The Interact Club and the Green Team sponsored a trip to the State Theater in New Brunswick to see the Mayhem Poets Spoken Word poetry show with themes ranging from bullying to respect and diversity in our communities.

 

Piscataway Campus

On November 1^st, Students attended a presentation on "The Five Step Guide to Paying for College" by the financial team from Wells Fargo bank, Piscataway and Edison branches. Students learned the steps to completing the FAFSA and the many financing options

paying for college.  All students received the resource guide on the essential tools and websites planning for college.

 

On November 20^th, representatives from the New Jersey Higher Education and Student Assistance Authority visited the Piscataway Campus to share information on the many scholarships and grants offered by the Department.  Students from the English classes learned the steps to applying for the New Jersey Tuition Aid Grant and navigating the HESAA website for financial aid. Estimating college costs and understanding post-secondary debt were two topics that were also presented to the audience.

 

Gino Antonelli, owner of Cappells Beauty Salon & Spa, visited Ms. Ricciardi’s Adult Cosmetology class to demonstrate a hair extension seminar. The students were offered additional classes to learn the technique.

 

On November 16^th, seniors attended the Rutgers 2^nd annual STEM Community Outreach Symposium which provides opportunities for high school students to directly connect with Rutgers University Doctoral Candidates. Candidates presented individual dissertation projects, offered mentoring opportunities, and educated attendees regarding the numerous opportunities available in STEM research and careers. The students engaged with project summations in several disciplines, including computational robotics, biomedical research, thermodynamics, and environmental biophysics. The Keynote Address was provided by Distinguished Professor Paul Falkowski, Founding Director of the Rutgers Energy Institute. Rutgers Doctoral candidates Robert Young, Catherine Miles, and Marissa Ringgold have served as mentors to the students over the course of the school year.