TALES OF THE COMET

VOLUME 1 NOVeMBER 2004

…..Hackensack High School is proud to have a chapter of the Future Business Leaders of America. This national organization is dedicated to preparing students for careers in business and business-related fields. The FBLA provides members with many different opportunities that enrich their high school experience. This organization focuses on the development of vocational and career competencies, the chance to be an active member in the school and community, while having an enjoyable time along the way. The FBLA strongly promotes civic and personal responsibilities that will lead its members to successful career and life paths. With the combined leadership of advisors, Melanie Stagg and Edward Renz; President, Lavina Ramchandani; Vice President, Amanda Gomez; Secretary, Amy Britton; Treasurer, Nadia Vazquez; and, Historian, Christen Martinez, the FBLA is planning numerous worthwhile activities, such as a Fall Leadership Conference in Edison, NJ; Toys for Tots; and, other fundraisers, food and clothing drives, and its second annual Car Show. Profits from these activities go to the less fortunate, and scholarships for senior members. The FBLA is anticipating an exciting 2004-2005 school year for the 38 enrolled members.

…..The Hackensack Blue and Gold Scholarship Committee is asking for your support. This group was founded by Mr. Ed Acciardi, a former guidance counselor, to provide scholarships for middle income families. Our goal is $1,000,000. To date, we have collected nearly $350,000 toward this goal with $85,000 in scholarships given to our students. This year we plan to award $35,000 to our present seniors. Joanie and David Sanzari, alumnus of Hackensack High School, have offered to double any monies collected by December 31, 2004. To date, we have collected $76,000. The “Sanzari Challenge” is very exciting for us. If you wish to be a part of their generosity, please make checks payable to “The Hackensack Blue and Gold Scholarship Fund,” P.O. Box 2032, South Hackensack, NJ 07606-2032. Upcoming events are as follows: The Annual Beefsteak dinner will be held on Saturday, Febraruy 5, 2005 at the Lodi Boys’ Club. Over 600 people are expected to attend. Last year this event raised in excess of $30,000. Tickets for this event will be $45. For information, contact Dale Houlis (201) 646-7910 or Fran Borg (201) 646-7919. Also, on March 6, 2005 a trip to the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City will be held. The cost will be $30 per person. You will receive breakfast and a casino package (TBA). For information, contact Dale Houlis (201) 646-7910. If you are interested in joining the Hackensack Blue and Gold Scholarship Committee, please contact Toni Miello at (201) 767-7224 Extension 1.

…..”The whole of science is nothing more than the refinement of everyday thinking.” This quote by Albert Einstein expresses the philosophy behind HHS’s new program for Integrated Physical Sciences, or IPS. Since September, over 220 HHS ninth graders in IPS have been learning about force and motion, electricity, and properties of matter by investigation and discovery. They consider questions such as: Why does speed change? What is an electric circuit? How can you tell a mixture from a compound? Then, in small groups, they set up equipment and perform investigations. Usually, the investigations “fail” at first. But, the “failures” teach which factors should be controlled, and which behavior should be observed. Everyday thinking leads to refined investigations that can succeed in demonstrating a new concept. If this sounds like real life to you, it is supposed to. The equipment is all new, rugged, and really works. It includes ramps, cars, timers, circuit boards, and atom-building games to name a few items. As soon as students have demonstrated a concept through investigation, they read more about the concept in the accompanying text, which was expressly written to convey information primarily through side headings, figures, and highlighted vocabulary. The investigations and the text were developed to match the New Jersey State standards, which form the basis of the High School Proficiency Assessment, HSPA that all high school students take in March of their junior year.

…..Our overall High School Proficiency Assessment scores in mathematics went up 9.1% from 2003 to 2004! During the last three years advanced proficient scores went from 8.2% of the students taking the test to 17.1% and our average math SAT scores went from 450 to 464.

…..Are you intersted in chess? Whether you’re an experienced player, or just want to learn how to play the game, the HHS Chess Club cordially invites you to join us every Wednesday afternoon in Room 404. Play your friends in a game for fun, or take out the chess clocks and engage in an intense battle. You can also play against an expert computer chess program, analyze combinations and openings on our big 3 ft by 3 ft demo board, and there is always something to munch on. This year’s competition for the HHS Chess Champion is just beginning, so come and join the fun. In the coming weeks, the HHS Chess Club is planning to open its interscholastic competition with matches against the Teaneck HS Chess Club, and the Paramus HS Chess Club. Chess is a great way to make new friends, have fun, and improve your thinking skills. Come one, come all!!! See you there on Wednesday!!

…..Senior, Irene Tejeda, spent ten glorious days in Costa Rica this past summer. She was the recipient of a travel scholarship, which was awarded to her for excellence in the study of Spanish by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. Irene was a student in Mr. Mirabal’s AP Spanish class, and one of only 16 students throughout the entire United States to win this award.

…..Danielle Pierce, class of 2004, won a $1,000 academic scholarship for excellence in Spanish, and is now attending Fordham University. This scholarship was awarded by the National Spanish Honor Society, a division of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. Danielle was also a student in Mr. Mirabal’s AP Spanish class.

…..Mr. Mirabal of the World Languages Department has been elected President of the NJ Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese. His term of office will be three years. On Saturday, October 2, he presided over the State’s first meeting of the year at Rutgers University. He also conducted the second part of a workshop for teachers entitled, “Discipline In The Spanish Classroom: Is it You Or Is It The Kids?”

…..This past spring, our school’s chapter of the National Spanish Honor Society held its 30th induction ceremony and welcomed 30 new members, all of whom have proven themselves to be outstanding students in their respective Spanish classes.

…..In early June, the World Languages Department held its annual Awards Assembly program, at which time over 200 students were recognized for their outstanding work in Spanish, Italian, French, ESL, and Bilingual studies.

…..A number of our students have earned state and national recognition for their outstanding performances on the National Spanish Exams, which were given last year. They include Ana Toalongo (a national winner), Johnny Navas, Iris Caceres, Nayla Vera, Johanna Calle, Leidy Marin, Maria Laura Ferreyra, Ricardo Velez, Diego Alzate, Rosa Rodriguez, and Maria Burdier. All of these students were in Mr. Mirabal’s AP Spanish and SFSS classes. We hope many of our current students will participate in this year’s National Spanish Exams. Their teachers will let them know when the exams will take place as soon as information is received.

…..This past June, and for the fourth consecutive year, Mr. Mirabal was invited by the College Board to be a reader at the AP Spanish Reading at Trinity University, in San Antonio, Texas. Due to Mr. Mirabal’s consistency and accuracy in his reading (scoring) the previous three years, he was assigned to read sixteen international AP Spanish Language exams. These exams are taken by students in American, International and UNESCO schools all over the world.

…..The Spanish Honor Society has decided to sponsor ten first grade poor children in Bonao, the Dominican Republic. It hopes to raise $1,200 this year to pay for the educational expenses of these children, who otherwise will not receive an education where they live, due to the critical economic situation of their parents/guardians. The monthly cost for each child is $10. They will be attending Colegio Maria de los Rosales, in Bonao. The Latino Club has already donated $200 to help get this project off the ground, and has pledged to continue working with the Spanish Honor Society to help these children. Through this project, members of the Spanish Honor Society will learn more about the socio-economic and cultural reality of the Dominican Republic. They will also practice their Spanish by exchanging letters, cards, etc. with these students and their teachers. The project is expected to be an on-going program for our chapter of the Spanish Honor Society. We are hopeful we can help these children complete at least up to the sixth grade. If you would like to learn more about this project or would like to make a donation, please contact either Mr. Mirabal or Mr. Decter at (201) 646-7963.

…..Every September, the beginning of a new school year, grade nine students experience dread and anxiety about coming to the high school. For these freshmen, the youngest and newest members of Hackensack High School’s nearly two thousand students, the start of ninth grade can be a confusing and overwhelming experience. This year, in an effort to alleviate anxiety and aid in the transition to the school, grade nine students at Hackensack High School are mandated to participate in a Peer Mentoring Program. The new Peer Mentoring Program was spearheaded by English teacher, Ms. Stacy Biss, who designed the program with a team of English and social studies teachers, under the direction of Assistant Principal and Director of Guidance, Mr. Mike Wojcik. The goal of the Peer Mentoring Program is to successfully integrate ninth graders, both academically and socially, into the Hackensack High School community. At the beginning of the school year, Ms. Biss surveyed all 510 freshmen about their anxieties coming to the high school. Nearly 50% of the freshmen class answered that they experienced “nervousness” about coming to the high school; 40% responded that they would not join an extracurricular activity without knowing someone who is already a member. These varied concerns of the freshmen will be addressed during the Peer Mentoring meetings that grade 9 students will attend each month. The Peer Mentoring meetings are hosted by a teacher and two junior/senior mentors. The junior/senior mentors were trained during the summer to instruct them about their responsibilities in assisting freshmen and serving as role models. With the Peer Mentoring Program in place, at least some students at Hackensack will have a little less stress in their lives!

…..The Hackensack High School Ski Club will once again be going to Mountain Creek. Ten weeknight trips are planned and season passes are available through the school for $159 for students. Call (201) 646-7951.

….The College Board, as a reader for upcoming AP Biology Exams, has accepted Science Department member and Advanced Placement Biology Teacher, Louis Ferrante. Once picked, Mr. Ferrante will travel to the University of Nebraska to read the free response section of the exam. The insight gained from the reading will benefit the students in Mr. Ferrante’s class from his ability to assist them in writing better answers.

…..The Lady Comets Volleyball Team, as of Wednesday, October 13^th, had a record of 11-3 and has won the Clifton Invitational Tournament; they won the Dumont Invitational Tournament and participated in the final of the Eastern Viking Invitational Tournament. The ladies will participate in the County tournament and also the State tournament and hope to finish the season strong.

…..Hackensack High School, in cooperation with 20 northern New Jersey schools, has been awarded a $1 million federal Teaching American History grant to enhance the teaching of United States history. Over the next three years Hackensack teachers will be working with fellow teachers and professors from Columbia, Rutgers, and Ramapo College to integrate the latest historical scholarship into their teaching. Russ Cohen, Sandy Harrington, Pat Loeb, and Aaron Taylor will participate in the 2004-2005 program. Lou Moore is the project director.

…..The 2004-2005 Consumer Bowl Team is in place, and is ready to bring home another win. This year’s team members are: Angellique Phillip, James Donatello, Carleetha Moore, Dakota Marositz, and Samantha Cohen. Team adivisor is Valerie Gancarz of the Business Education Department.

….Robert Mortorano and Mark Porto are co-directing “Bah Humbug!”, a musical version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. This delightful holiday production will be performed by high school students and staff members the week before Thanksgiving. Performances are on Thursday, November 18, 2004 and Friday, November 19, 2004 at 7:30 p.m. in the High School auditorium. Tickets are only $8.00. This show will “inaugurate” the high school’s newly refurbished auditorium and lighting system.

…..The E.T. Marlatt Chapter of the National Honor Society, our local chapter, held their fall induction ceremony on Thursday, October 21, 2004 at 7:30 p.m. at the Hackensack High School Auditorium. Speaking at the induction ceremony was Councilman Mark Stein. Councilman Stein addressed the inductees and current members on the virtues upon which admission is based, namely scholarship, altruistic service, character and leadership. The Honor Society as Hackensack High School was founded during the 1923-1924 school year by Principal, Edward T. Marlatt. It became affiliated with the National Honor Society in 1955. To attain membership, students must have a cumulative weighted grade point average of 3.3 (i.e. 85%) and possess high standards of service, character and leadership. Members of the Junior and Senior classes were evaluated by the faculty council as to their fulfillment of the requirements for admission. Current members of the charter is composed of 18 seniors and this induction raised the total number to 27, 23 seniors and 4 juniors. The new members are: Nicole Borsina, Chris Bruno, Steven Gelber, Monique Hairston, Krista Handy, Pamela Mosley, Brittany Pohts, Natalie Valdivia and Nadia Vasquez.