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the ridge bridgethe parent’s bridge between home and school
volume ten, winter issueridge high school pto february 2014
From the Desk of the Principal– Frank Howlett
demonstrate to you and themselves that they are independent. They will challenge curfews, take the car further from home than you might allow and, in gen-eral, test whatever they perceive as parent made parameters. Some-times they will pick battles that make no sense whatsoever! Sense has nothing to do with it.
So, how might you handle this? First, do what they haven’t done – pick your battles. When doing so remember that in several months (and shrinking by the day) your child will be almost completely without your super-vision. Are you preparing them for that time of independence? This decision brings in issues of trust, safety and maturity. Discuss your concerns with them in these areas. If your child has broken a trust then you have a legitimate reason to be leery that they will do the right thing – explain this to them. Discuss safety issues with your child and evaluate if the activ-ity is suitable for someone their age/maturity. Talk with other parents to gauge what the norm might be. We have all heard from our children that “Everyone else is doing it.” How come we never bother to find out if that’s true? The goal here is to allow students to apply what they have learned about decision making while being a responsible parent. You may need some smoke and mirrors.
Secondly, be prepared for the emotional roller coaster. As much as your student wants their independence they still want to have the security of having you avail-able. It is like independence with training wheels. This will cause them to transition rapidly through ego states and emotional
highs and lows. The thought of leaving the nest will appeal to them one day and frighten them the next. Believe me when I tell you that you won’t have any trouble recognizing the state they’re in.
In dealing with many seniors confused by their own fluctuating perceptions and responses, I have found the most helpful posture to be one of acceptance and then
assistance. By this I mean that you should not try to analyze why they feel the way they do, as this just frustrates them more. Instead,
accept that they feel what they feel and ask, “What do you need me to do?” or “How can I help?” Understand that the proper tone is needed here and a sarcastic attitude will not help. Don’t get angry when they respond inappropriately. Letting them know that what they are feeling is natural is validating and reducing their level of concern by referring to past fears that they successfully conquered can be
soothing. They may not want or expect you to solve their problem at all.
Sometimes saying nothing is the way to go.
The transition from high school is not unlike
the transition to kindergarten, middle school or high school.
The child is older and smarter but the change is more complex and
difficult. Knowing your child and relying on your past experiences can help cus-tomize solutions to the difficulties ahead. Reaching out to other parents and school resources may prove fruitful.
I’ll see you at graduation!
The Senior “Beast”Are you a senior parent? Are you a senior parent for the first time? If not, are you a senior parent who was totally frustrated by your first, second, third…, senior? Let’s talk!
The high school senior “beast” can be one of the most dreaded creatures to haunt parents since the beginning of our current school structure. The beast is a being of
instanta-neously changing person-alities with tremendous
manipulative powers derived through a combination of all the experiences of all stages of adolescence since the “terrible twos.” The most haunting of traits of this beast is that these powers are almost always directed at their keepers in life – their parents.
All jesting aside, being a parent of a senior can be as challenging as anything we have previously encountered. Hope-fully, I can provide you with some insights and strategies that may or may not apply to your senior and may or may not help with your problem.
Advice for Parents of SeniorsAn elementary teacher/friend of mine and I were discussing some of the advice that I offer to senior parents and she pointed out that kindergarten teachers give similar advice to the parents of their students. I guess it is true that everything is relative. Maybe you will see the similarities.
First and foremost you can bet that your senior is going to want their inde-pendence from you and will do things to
RIDGE PTO
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A Word From our PTO Co-Presidents
the ridge bridgeEditors: Jen Muellerand Gayle Shimoun
Submissions may be made via email [email protected]
MARKET DAYNext Order Date
February 20Next Pick-Up Date
February 26
Order online atwww.marketday.com
or phone your order to:Brenda Miller at 908-903-9355 or
Christine Marston at 908-745-8001
We hope you and your families are having a Happy New Year and enjoying all of our snowy weather this winter!
2014 PTO Sponsored EventsWe have lots planned for 2014! This spring, we will be presenting: The Cycle of Pills to Heroin: Drug Trends in Our Community on March 13 in the Ridge PAC at 7pm. Please consider attending.
Please join us at our annual Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast on June 2 at the Mockingbird Café from 8-10 am! All are welcome!
We have our Staff Appreciation Lunch on May 29. Please let us know if you would like to volunteer to help! You may email us at [email protected] if you are interested in volunteering!
Welcome Desk UpdateWe now have a security officer at the entrance of Ridge. Everyone who enters the building must sign in with security and wear a badge. The Welcome Desk is now to the right of the main entrance when you enter the building. All items dropped off should be signed in with the volunteers at the Welcome Desk.
the ridge bridgeEditors: Jen Muellerand Gayle Shimoun
Submissions may be made via email [email protected]
INSIDE THIS ISSUEPrincipal Howlett’s Message ...........1Cycle of Pills to Heroin ...................3Dates to Remember .........................5Introducing New BOE Members .....5Board of Education Highlights ........6Ridge AMS Scholarship ..................6Counseling Department News .........7RHS Ceramics Art Show .................8Ridge Recognition ...........................9Fencing Team Highlights ...............10Super Bowl with the Queen ........... 11Drama Club Musical ......................12Dance Showcase ............................13Indoor Percussion Ensemble .........14Athletes of the Month ....................14Ski Team ........................................15Winter Guard Highlights ...............15Historic Football Season ...........16-17
2013-14 RIDGE PTO EXECUTIVE BOARDCo-Presidents Kris LeopoldAmy Venetianer1st Vice President, Volunteers Dorit KransdorfIrene MacDonnell2nd Vice President, Programs Elaine EdgeCandace Hull3rd Vice President, Newsletter Jen MuellerGayle Shimoun4th Vice President, Fundraising Chris CorriganTreasurer Jane KolarikRecording SecretaryJen KlugerCommunication OfficerAmy Jones
Ridge Student DirectoryWe are starting work on next year’s student directory. We wish to thank Sarah Bonnefoi for all the countless hours she has spent creating our directory for the past 4 years and transitioning the high school into the new online directory with the App for your phone. She has done a wonderful job working out the kinks for this new system! She will be doing the directory next year and we are looking for one or two parents to shadow her for the next directory so they may take over for the following year.
Market DayDon’t forget to support our monthly Market Day fundraiser. Check out the website for some delicious food. Deadline for orders at www.marketday.com is 11 pm on Thursday, February 20 and pickup is on Wednesday, February 26 from 3:45-4:45 pm in the cafeteria. As always, alternate pickups can be arranged. Upcoming dates are as follows:
Order By Date Pick-Up DateMarch 20 ................. March 26April 24 ................... April 30May 22 .................... May 28June 12 .................... June 18
Please contact Brenda Miller at [email protected] or Christine Marston at [email protected] with any questions. Thanks in advance for your continued support!
PTO Executive Board PositionsThere are several positions available on the 2014-2015 Ridge PTO Executive Board. Please take a look at the job descriptions on the next page to see if you would like to volunteer.
Thank YouWe could not run the PTO without your support! We hope you can attend our volunteer breakfast in June!
Amy Venetianer and Kris Leopold Ridge PTO Co-Presidents
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The Ridge PTO Executive Board has several openings for two-year positions starting in the fall of 2014. If you have any interest in supporting Ridge High School through volunteering, please send an email to [email protected].
Co-PresidentsThe two Ridge PTO Co-Presidents supervise and control the business and affairs of the PTO. The PTO is responsible for a variety of school related activities including but not limited to parent com-munication via publications, email and the website, school directory creation, teacher appreciation events, fundraising, PAC, and coordinating volunteers for school activi-ties. The Co-Presidents also represent the Ridge High School PTO to the Principal and at Districtwide meetings.
3rd Vice President, NewsletterRidge Bridge is the online PTO newslet-ter that posts in the Ridge Friday Folder seasonally, three times per school year (Nov., Feb., and May). Two Ridge Bridge Co-Editors are needed.
The first Co-Editor solicits information for each issue of the Ridge Bridge, edits articles and announcements that are submitted, sends finished submissions to Co-Editor for layout and proofreads all drafts of the newsletter. Computer skills necessary.
The second Co-Editor is responsible for the design and layout of the Ridge Bridge, gathers art for supplemental illustration, proofs all drafts of the news-letter and submits the final .pdf file to principal for submission in the Ridge Friday Folder. Computer skills and layout experience required.
1st Vice President, VolunteersOne spot is open for this two person position. The 1st Vice President, Volunteers coordinates the recruiting of Committee Chairs and committee volunteers; works with chairpersons to facilitate committee needs before, during and after the event; and obtains an event feedback document whenever possible.
The Cycle of Pills The Cycle of Pills The Cycle of Pills to Heroin:to Heroin:to Heroin:
Drug Trends in Our Community
View the film “From
Pills to Heroin: The Domino Effect”.
Learn local statistics. Talk with local experts in a panel jjjjdiscussion
Thursday, March 13, 2014 7:00 PM
Ridge Performing Arts Center
Ridge High School 268 S. Finley Ave
Basking Ridge, NJ 07920
Info: www.bernardsalliance.org Questions: 908-204-2523
Intended for parents, students, and the general public
Not MY kid.. Think Again!
Come to address the issues of drug use in
Bernards Township.
Sponsored By:
& Parent Teacher Organizations
TreasurerThe Treasurer monitors the financial condition of the PTO, develops a budget and is responsible for the collection and disbursment of funds.
Communications OfficerThe Communication Officer collects and formats news for the weekly one-page, online PTO Update for submission in the Ridge Friday Folder, keeps the PTO website up to date, and answers the PTO email. Computer skills necessary; some layout experience helpful.
Junior PromFriday, April 25
7-10 pm
Bridgewater Marriott
Senior PromFriday, May 16
7 pm – 12 midnight
Birchwood Manor
Whippany
Look for more details in an upcoming Friday Folder.
How did Ridge High School get the name Ridge Red Devils, and why are the school colors green and white instead of red?
From 1947 until 1960, Bernards Township high school students attended Bernards High School in Bernardsville. The school colors were red and white.
On October 6, 1959, Bernards Township residents voted to build a new high school on the land donated by George Ludlow Lee, chairman of the Red Devil Tool Company. In the mid-1950s, he donated 60 acres of land to the Bernards Township Board of Education to build Cedar Hill School and Ridge High School along with their respective athletic fields.
Because Bernards High School retained the colors of red and white, Ridge High School adopted the new colors of green and white. The students entering the new school chose the Red Devil as their mascot because of the generous donation from George Lee of the Red Devil Tool Company. Hence, the Red Devil is not red but green!
What’s in a Name?the origins of ridge red devils
Photo above: The Red Devil Tool Company plane, 1959. From left to right are unknown; son John Lee; George Ludlow Lee Sr., chairman of the Red Devil Tool Company; unknown; son George Lee Jr.; and son Todd Lee. The plane was sold after Mr. Lee’s death in 1966.Above, center: The original devil used on the Red Devil Tool Company letterhead.
SAVE THE DATE!
Ridge FactorThursday, March 20
7 pmRidge Performing
Arts Center
Mr. Ridge ShowThursday, April 24
7 pmRidge Performing
Arts Center
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Karen RichmanKaren Richman, 46, begins her first term serving on the Bernards Township Board of Education. She worked in a large publishing company in New York City for 12 years before settling down to raise her children, an eighth grader at William Annin Middle School and a fifth grader at Cedar Hill Elementary School. She and her husband, Ross, moved to Basking Ridge 7 years ago. For the past four years, she has served on the Cedar Hill PTO Board. During Karen’s first year, she coordinated and edited the weekly newsletter, and for the next 3 years, she served as the PTO Co-President. Karen was instrumental in the planning and implementation of the renovations of the new Cedar Hill Library-Media Center. She has also served as a Girl Scout Co-Leader for five years. Karen looks forward to getting more involved by serving on the Board of Education and working with teams to help make decisions and find solutions to the challenges that our district is facing.
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SCHOOL CONNECTION
DATES TO REMEMBERFebruary
17-18 Winter Break, School Closed24 BOE Meeting, 7 pm, WAMS28 Robber Bridegroom Musical,
7 pm, PAC
March
1 Robber Bridegroom Musical, 7 pm, PAC
4-6 HSPA Testing5 Senior Breakfast (mandatory)
9:15 am, Cafeteria8 SAT Testing10 BOE Meeting, 7 pm, PAC20 Ridge Factor Talent Show
7 pm, PAC24 BOE Meeting, 7 pm, PAC31 Quarterly Assessments
April
1-4 Quarterly Assessments4 Course Request Changes Due
End of Marking Period 37-10 Spring Recess, School Closed18 Good Friday, School Closed24 Mr. Ridge, 7 pm, PAC25 Junior Prom
Bridgewater Marriott28 BOE Meeting, 7 pm, WAMS
May
3 SAT Testing9 Dance Showcase, 7 pm, PAC12-16 AP Testing16 Senior Prom19 BOE Meeting, 7 pm, WAMS20 Jazz Band Concert, 7 pm, PAC20-21 EOC Biology Exam22 Cabaret23 In-Service, School Closed26 Memorial Day, School Closed27 NHS Induction Ceremony29 Band Concert, 7 pm, PAC
Introducing the New Board of Education MembersChristopher ViereckChristopher Viereck, 55, is serving his first term on the Board of Education. He was a senior executive in the pharmaceuti-cal industry for 18 years, and five years ago, transitioned to consulting in medical education. He and his wife, Sitta, a middle school math teacher in a neighboring dis-trict, have lived in Basking Ridge for 13 years. They have two college aged sons: a freshman studying chemistry and a junior studying mathematics and physics. Viereck holds a PhD in neurobiology from the University of Basel and has published numer-ous articles in clinical research and medical education-based journals. He writes a quarterly column entitled “Your Brain on Music Education” for the local nonprofit, Music Empowers Foundation. It is Viereck’s goal to apply his corporate experience and record of making fiscally responsible decisions to help preserve our incredible school system as it navigates through the future.
Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!Thanks to the incredible generosity of Ridge High School’s students and families, we were able to collect a total of 2,215 books for our Books for Kids book drive this year. We didn’t think it was possible to exceed last year’s impressive contribution – but we did! This year’s books were sent to libraries in Newark, Irvington, Asbury Park and Long Branch and were distributed as gifts to needy children. We were also able to send books to the Salvation Army’s After-Care pro- grams in Bridgewater and to “Books for Taiwan”, an organization that ships books to Taiwan’s rural elementary schools, jails, public libraries and culinary schools. The books that were donated were truly beautiful and certainly brightened a child’s holiday season. We are grateful that the campaign was such a huge success and would like to extend a sincere thank you to all who donated so generously.
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The following are highlights of the recent Bernards Township Board of Education meetings. For a complete summary of each Board of Education meeting, go to:www.bernardsboe.com/BernardsBOE/Board_Meeting_Summaries.aspx
November 25 MeetingMr. Markarian said that the Board, admin-istration and staff feel that Ridge quarterly exams need further consideration. Several scenarios were discussed, including changing the quarterlies from a one hour exam to a 42- minute exam that would be administered during the regular Ridge bell schedule. Administrators will research how other school districts are handling common assessments, midterms and finals. The quarterly schedule also needs to accommodate the upcoming PARCC assessments.
The Common Core PARCC assess-ments will replace the NJASK and HSPA exams starting in the 2014-15 school year. The most significant impact of PARCC will be in 9th and 10th grades, which currently have no standardized testing. For those grades, PARCC assessments will take 9 hours 45 minutes during 4 days: 2 days after approximately 70% of the school year is complete and 2 more days after approximately 90% of the school
year is complete. For 11th graders taking Algebra II, the PARCC assessments will be 3 hours 45 minutes longer than the HSPA exam.
Mr. Siet said that Writing Coach is an online resource that is packaged with the new Common Core language arts textbook series and provides in-depth analysis of student grammar. It will be used at William Annin and Ridge.
Mr. Markarian asked the Board for feedback about whether the administration should research and present options for implementing a gifted and talented pro-gram, including the cost of different types of programs. During the discussion, the Board members expressed their support for this proposal. Mr. Siet said the admin-istration would look at
K – 8 models, with push-in and pull-out options and would also report on identification criteria.
December 16 MeetingDuring the Holiday season, Student representative Ellexa Thomas reported that more than 2,000 cans of food were collected during the canned food drive, and 150 teddy bears were donated to three different charities.
World Languages Supervisor Katherine Stotler presented a proposal to the Board
for an overnight trip for Ridge French students to travel to Quebec, Canada for an educational tour.
The Board appointed Max Sidoli, a retired Bernards Township police officer, to be the new Security Officer at Ridge High School, starting January 6, 2014. The front entryway at Ridge will now have two desks: a new security desk and the existing welcome desk staffed by volunteers.
The Board voted to adopt the three-year calendar.
Robin McKeon reported on changes to the Ridge Program of Studies for 2014-15:
• The Math Analysis course name has been changed to Pre-Calculus for both the CP and Honors courses.
• A new pathway has been created for students to progress from CP Geometry to Honors Algebra II and from CP Algebra II to Honors Pre-Calculus. Students who earn an A or above in CP Geometry or CP Algebra II will be eligible to take a proficiency exam in August 2014. Students will need to earn a 90% or above on the proficiency exam in order to enroll in the appropriate Honors course.
• The Core Algebra II course has been eliminated because it is not compatible with the Common Core standards. Struggling students will be placed in CP Algebra II and will be required to take Algebra II Seminar as a support class. Algebra II Seminar meets three class periods per week.
• A new French culture course, “Francophones in the World,” will be offered for students who want to take four years of French at Ridge but do not want to take AP French.
January 6 MeetingMichael J. Byrne, Elaine Kusel, Christo-pher Viereck were elected to the Board of Education.
Ms. McKeon was elected President of the Board of Education and Ms. Kusel was elected Vice President of the Board of Education.
And finally, The Board approved participation of the Ridge High School Varsity Competition Cheerleading Team in the National High School Cheerleading Competition in Orlando, Florida from February 6-10, 2014.
The 2014 Ridge Alumni Memorial Scholarship is looking for graduating seniors who have demonstrated “character, determination, and nontraditional achieve-ments” during their tenure at RHS. This year’s award is $9,500. The award
Ridge Alumni Memorial Scholarship Accepting Applications
recipient may use the funds for virtually any educational, vocational or personal growth expenses. Go to RidgeAMS.googlepages.com for more information, or contact your guidance counselor. Deadline for applications is March 3.
The Ridge Alumni Memorial Scholar-ship Fund presents scholarships to deserv-ing graduates of Ridge High School in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. The scholar-ship is in memory of John Peterson, Class of 1967, and all RHS classmates who are no longer with us. Funded by donations, Ridge AMS is administered in partnership with Ridge High School and the Bernards Township Education Foundation.
Board of Education Highlights
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Course requests and alternate electives will become visible in HAC during March.
Students have until the end of the school day (2:30 pm) on April 4 to change course requests. After this date, there will be no course changes allowed for the 2014-2015 school year. Permis-sion to change elective courses will only be granted by the administration as a result of scheduling conflicts. Level changes will continue to be made as described in the Program of Studies. Students wishing to alter their course selections should email their counselor by this date/time.
Junior ConferencesJunior Conferences start in mid-February and run through the month of April.
Letters indicating the date and time of your individual counselor/junior student/parent meeting were mailed in January. Should you not be able to attend, your child will still meet with the high school counselor at the appointed time. Unfor-tunately, due to time constraints, we are unable to reschedule appointments.
Prior to the Junior ConferenceStudents should complete the “Primary List of Colleges” worksheet and bring it to the appointment. This form was mailed home with the conference notification let-ter (additional copies can be downloaded from the Counseling ebsite).
Students should log into their Naviance account and complete the “Colleges I’m Thinking About” section.
March 2014
Course Registration for 2014-2015 Continues Counselors will be at WAMS during the week of March 3 to hold scheduling conferences with 8th graders.
April 2014
Course Request ChangesStudents have until the end of the school day (2:30 pm) on April 4 to change course requests (see left).
Sophomore Career ModuleCounselors will meet with sophomores in late April in the computer labs for a career presentation. Sophomores will then access their personal Naviance account and take a “Career Interest Inventory” to help them identify their strengths/weaknesses, likes/dislikes, and potential fields of interest
General Reminders
Counseling Department Website For the most up-to-date news and information, please remember that the RHS Counseling website is constantly being updated: http://www.bernardsboe.com/Guidance/default.aspx
Scholarships and Special ProgramsAll scholarships and special programs received by the Counseling Office are posted on Naviance. While many are geared toward juniors and seniors, there are a number that any student, grades 9 through 12, can apply for. Log in, click “Colleges,” then “Scholarship List” to see the current offerings. Check back often, as we post new opportunities as soon as we receive them.
News and Notes from the Ridge Counseling DepartmentFebruary 2014
AP StudentsOn January 13, all AP students received a hard copy of the Bulletin for AP Stu-dents and Parents during the school day. On exam day, all exam-takers sign their answer sheets, indicating that they understand and agree to the policies and procedures in the Bulletin.
The online system for AP registra-tion will be available January 27 through March 3. No late registrations can be accepted. Registration information and directions were mailed home in January, but can also be found on the Counseling Department website (Click the “Advanced Placement” tab).
For Seniors... Class of 2014The Counseling Department will automati-cally send midyear grades to any college to which you have applied. No additional requests are required, and we need no ad-ditional forms. These midyear reports will go out the week of February 17.
Upperclassmen Registration for 2014-15Students and parents can now access and review the Program of Studies on the Ridge High School Counseling Depart-ment website (Click the “Grades 10-12 Academic Planning/Scheduling” tab).
Students in each grade level will met with counselors on Friday, January 31 to review the important Program of Studies changes and specific information pertain-ing to their grade.
In consultation with their parents, stu-dents should complete the Course Selec-tion Sheet and pencil in course requests and alternatives for electives for the 2013-2014 school year. Students should bring completed Course Selection Sheets to their student/counselor scheduling appointment.
Students should check the bulletin board outside the cafeteria for their sched-uled appointment time with their counselor (they will receive a pass the day before the appointment). Appointments will be held in February and March.
hspa test dates
Mark your calendars! Juniors will take the state mandated HSPA exam on March 4, 5, and 6.
Please make every effort to have your Junior in school on these dates. There will be a delayed opening with a start
time of 10:15 am for all other students. Seniors MUST report on March 5 at
9:15 am for the Senior Breakfast.
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Important Message from Bernards Township
R.I.S.E. (Residents in Support of Education)
Please write to the Governor and Commissioner of Education to ask that they give Bernards Township
a fair share of state funding for education. Our state aid is lower than it was back in 2009 and our district
is feeling the effects! R.I.S.E. encourages you to read and then
sign and print or email the letter in the following link. Thank you in
advance for your support!
Go to www.ridgepto.com for more information including links to
State Representatives.
Bobcat by Connor Scherzer, grade 11
Southern Gray Tree Frog by Jordan Lee, grade 10
Eastern Small-Footed Bat by Jordan Lee, grade 10 American Kestrel by Lianna Shimoun, grade 10
Join us at the Environmental Education Center to view the sculptures created by the Advanced Ceramic students at Ridge. Exhibit runs from February 7 to March 16.
StudentsFreshman Tim Chen participated in the North America Teams table tennis tourna-ment, held in Washington DC in Novem-ber. He and his teammates were able to finish in the top 8 out of 213 teams. This is one of the most competitive table tennis tournaments in US. There were
more than 800 players from over 20 countries, many
of them are professional players – 6 of the final 8 teams were profes-
sional teams from China and Europe.
The New Jersey Science League is a competitive organization consisting of a series of four local competitions which allow students to demonstrate their abilities in science. Local test scores are then sent to the New Jersey Science League where they are ranked statewide. The first com-petition took place on January 9 at Ridge High School. Ridge High School took first place honors in all subjects. The Chemis-try I team was represented by Vaikunth Baleiji, Srinivas Mandyam, Hyojin Lee, Karen Shen and Louie Zhou. Chemistry II was represented by Elaine Lou, Kevin Liu, Tiffany Chen and Julia Nelson. Physics I was represented by Connor McKeon, Jeremy Mazumder, Cameron Montag and Willa Yu. Physics C was rep-resented by Cathy Chen, Jeffrey Zhao, Karn Dalal, and Ian Peczak. Biology I was represented by Shaheer Rizwan, Thomas Mazumder, Noah Smith and Zach Levy. The Biology II team was rep-resented by Andy Zhang, Matt Bisson-nette, Ben Choi and Kevin McCoy.
Congratulations to the following orchestra students who were accepted into the 2014 Central New Jersey Music Educators Association Region II Orchestra and performed on Sunday, January 5: Cathy Chen, 12th grade violinist,
ridge recognitionThe purpose of Ridge Recognition is to highlight the accomplishments of RHS students, faculty, and staff. If you or someone you know is deserving of praise and recognition, please send us an email at [email protected].
College Board, Ms. Muraview was able to attend this year’s annual conference in Toronto for The National Association for College Admission Counseling as a fully funded grant recipient.
BirthsOn December 6, 2013, Assistant Principal, Gina Donlevie and her husband, Mike Palius welcomed a son, Brett Donlevie Pa-lius. Brett weighed 7 lb 13 oz and was 21 ¾ inches long.
Science Teacher, Bill Mirra and his wife welcomed daughter, Emily Elizabeth Mirra on December 7, 2013. Emily weighed in at 7lb 7 oz and was 20 inches long.
Carrie Capozzi, School Counselor, and her husband, Shawn, had an early Christ-mas present! Connor James Capozzi ar-rived on December 22, 2013 weighing in at 6 lb and 18 ½ inches long.
Special Education Teacher, JP Mahoney and his wife, Meg, announce the arrival of their daughter, Mary Ellen (now that’s a beautiful name you don’t hear very often!), on January 15, 2014. Mary Ellen weighed 5 lb 12 oz.
Tara Leu, Math Teacher, and her husband, Brian, also welcomed a baby girl on Janu-ary 15, 2014. Alexis Christina weighed in at 7 lb 5 oz and was 20 inches long.
Another baby girl was added to the RHS family the very next day! Brynn Grace Cuccaro made her appearance on January 16, 2014 weighing in at 8 lb 7 oz and 21 inches long. Parents, Linda Riccobono Cuccaro, School Counselor, and her hus-band Vin, are over the moon at the arrival of their new Giants fan!
Special Education teachers, Megan and Larry Mongno, welcomed their fourth daughter on January 21, 2014! Piper Noel weighed 8 lb 2 oz and was 20 inches long.
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Lucy Choi, 9th grade violinist, Joseph Criscione, 10th grade french horn, Lezhou Jiang, 9th grade trombonist, Yunhee Kang, 11th grade violinist, Lena Li, 9th grade violinist, Elaine Lou, 11th grade cellist, and Lillian Usadi, 9th grade violinist.
The following band students were accepted into the Cen-tral Jersey Music Educators Association Region Band/Orchestra: Seniors, Edward Park and Kevin Liu; Juniors,
Andrew McKeon and Joshua Kluger; Sophomores, Jasmine Xie and Joseph Criscione; and freshmen Kristen Park, Lezhou Jiang, and Jonathan Xie. In addition, these students were accepted into all-state band: Seniors Edward Park and Kevin Liu and freshmen Kristen Park and Lezhou Jiang.
The Amanda Hydro Award, named for the first youth recog-nized by the Youth Services Commis-sion for her outstand-ing community and civic involvement, was awarded to Ridge High senior Katherine Leopold. This award is given to a young person who resides or attends school in Somerset County and consistent-ly demonstrates the qualities of leadership and caring for his or her community.
FacultySchool Counselor Rebecca Muraview was asked to sit on Rutgers University’s Sounding Board as an advisory member to Undergraduate Admissions. Ms. Muraview was also invited by The University of Miami to attend a special counselor pro-gram showcasing the selective academic offerings at the university. After winning a national grant sponsored through The
Earning its fourth district title in eight years, the Ridge boys’ fencing team dominated the competition at Hacketts-town High School by winning the Gold medals in Foil and Sabre and finishing with the Silver in Epee.
In the girls’ competition, Ridge Girls came in fourth place overall with Epee claiming the Gold and Foil finishing Bronze.
During the individual competition, Team Captain Bobak Shadpoor took home the foil individual district title while his teammates Will Gaziano and Mark Simeon earned second and fourth place, respectively. In the sabre competition, Jacob Klein placed third. For the girls, Team Captain Amy Tong won her second consecutive individual district title in epee while her team- mates Lee Ann Choy and Amanda Choy earned second and fifth place, respectively. These individuals will compete in the Individual State Champ- ionships on March 1, 2014.
RIDGE CLUBS & ACTIVITIES
Congratulations to the following mem-bers of the girls and boys swim teams for an outstanding showing at the Somerset County Championships, both teams fin-ished fifth overall: Jackson Crewe is the County Champion in the 100 Fly and also took second in the 100 Back; Aaron Schlemovitz is the County Champion in the 500 free and also placed fourth in the 200 Free; Matt Glockenmeier placed second in the 200 IM and third in the 100 Breast; Andrew Glockenmeier placed sixth in the 100 Breast. Brianna Thompson placed fourth in the 200 IM; Evelyn Bigini placed sixth in the 500 Free; Tessa Lechleider placed fifth in the 200 IM and sixth in the 100 Breast; Tatum Lawson placed 4th in the 100 Fly and Katie Corrigan placed 6th in the 100 Back. Congratulations on a very successful county championship meet!
Swimming Success
Photo, top: Ridge Foil Fencers (l to r) Mark Simeon, Bobak Shadpoor, and Will Gaziano show off their trophies from the District 1 Championships. All three of them will compete in the Individual State Championships.
Photo, bottom: Ridge Epee Fencers (l to r) Abbie Krieck, Amy Tong, Amanda Choy, and Lee Ann Choy win first place at the District 1 Championships on January 25, 2014.
Ridge Fencing Teams Win District Title
Below: The Ridge Fencing Team celebrates their successful competitions.
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Six Ridge High School students had the time of their lives singing America the Beautiful with Queen Latifah at MetLife Stadium during the Super Bowl pre-game show. The local choristers included Ariaki Dandawate, Claire Fiocco, Julia Fiocco, Claire Jones, Emily Jones, and Madeline Kraft, all members of the New Jersey Youth Chorus.
Less than a week before the Super Bowl during their standard Monday rehearsal, the choristers received a surprise televised Skype invitation from Queen Latifah herself. The NJYC Advanced Chorus had been selected from among nearly two doz-en other choirs considered for the honor.
A “Super” Day with the Queen!With less than a week to prepare, the
chorus got right to work learning the arrangement of America the Beautiful. On Friday they rehearsed on the field at the stadium with Queen Latifah, who chatted and took selfies with the girls. The chorus then traveled into New York City to per-form on Super Bowl Boulevard in Times Square, singing to a packed city street while being broadcast on the jumbotron.
On Sunday, the chorus headed back to the stadium. They and the other young performers from marching bands across the state spent the afternoon in a theater near the stadium, having lunch and getting ready for the big show. At about 3:30 pm,
Photos, counter clockwise from top left: 1) Choristers’ reaction when Queen Latifah invited them, via skype, to sing at the Super Bowl. 2) NJYC on Super Bowl Boulevard near Times Square, singing on stage and on the jumbotron. 3). Heading to the stadium to rehearse with Queen Latifah, l to r: Claire Jones, Madeline Kraft, Emily Jones, Julia Fiocco and Claire Fiocco. Not pictured: Ariaki Dandawate. 4) Posing with Queen Latifah during their rehearsal at MetLife Stadium.5) NJYC takes the field. 6) Performing America the Beautiful.
they boarded 17 buses and were taken by a police escort to the stadium. The girls received the puffy white jackets, white scarves and red gloves they would be wearing, and then headed into MetLife stadium. One of the highlights for the girls was overhearing world-renowned opera singer Rene Fleming warming up before she sang the National Anthem.
The Advanced Chorus took the field shortly before 6 pm, amazed by the lights and the roar of the crowd – by far their largest audience ever. Singing with Queen Latifah, in that incredible setting, was an experience they will remember for a lifetime.
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WhenFebruary 28 at 7 pm,March 1 at 1 pmMarch 1 at 7 pm
WhereRidge Performing Arts Center (PAC)
TicketsResearved seating available at www.ridgepac.comAdults: $15Students and Seniors: $12
ContactMegan Kern, Director at [email protected]
CastJamie Lockhart: AJ D’AmbrosioRosamund: Alex UrsinoMusgrove: Stephen DodrvSalome: Angie CocuzzaLittle Harp: Luke ChiafulloBig Harp: Joe DodrvGoat: Rosie PerkinsRaven: Alex PiroAirie: Jessica BurchettGoat’s Mother: Micki Williams
Production TeamDirector: Mrs. Megan KernMusic Director: Mrs. Lyndsey SchaeferChoreographer: Mrs. Rachel MirandaSet Designer: Mr. Jason StewartSound & Lighting Designer:
Mr. David Kern
Student TeamStage Manager:
Tim HultmanAssistant Stage Manager:
Madeline Kraft; Student Director:
Andrew Barrasso Student Director:
Raghav MathurChoreography Assistants:
Maggie Keller, Michela Gatto, and Peyton Stein
Vocal Director Assistant: Angie Cocuzza
Plot SummaryA rousing, hilarious Southern fairy tale set in eighteenth century Mississippi, The Robber Bridegroom is the story of the courting of Rosamund, the only daughter of the richest planter in the country, by Jamie Lockhart, a rascally robber of the woods. The proceed-ings go awry, thanks to an unconven-tional case of double-mistaken identity. Throw in an evil stepmother intent on Rosamund’s demise, her pea-brained henchman and a hostile talking head-in-a-trunk, and you have the recipe for a rollicking country romp.
Told in “story theatre” fashion with nine principal actors on a unit set, the ensemble sings along, as well as adds to the setting by becoming the animals, trees and other settings throughout the show. It is a gleeful story about love, mischief and the need for excitement.
Ridge High School’s Drama Club Presents
Left to right: Alex Ursino, Micki Williams, AJ D’Ambrosio, Rosie Perkins, Joe Dodrv, Trisston Conway, Angie Cocuzza, Jessica Burchett, Alex Piro and Stephen Dodrv.
The Robber Bridegroom
Angie Cocuzza (Salome) and Stephen Dodrv (Musgrove).
2013 New Jersey All-State Mixed Choir New Jersey All-State Mixed Choir Mem-bers Jonathan Chang, Lucino Chiafullo, Samantha Cordasco and Sara DiDiego joined 325 of the top high school singers in the state for two concerts, singing at the NJEA Convention on November 8 and again at the NJPAC on November 17. 2013 Governor’s Award NomineeCongratulations to Lucino Chiafullo who was nominated for the Governor’s Award in Vocal Music. Luke’s eligibility came as a result of placing first in his section in the 2013 NJ All-State Mixed Chorus.
2014 Region II ChorusIt was a banner day for the Ridge High School Choral Department on Saturday, December 14 when twenty-one students (out of 24!) were accepted to the Region II Mixed or Women’s Choirs. Over 500 students in Central Jersey auditioned.
Mixed Choir: Ritesh Akkisetty, Jona-than Chang, Luke Chiafullo, Samantha Cordasco, Sara DiDiego, Joseph Dodrv, Stephen Dodrv, Claire Fiocco, Caroline Ingal, Katie Kim, Owen McKenna, Sarah Morrow, Timmy Morrow, Young Park, Michael Pedecine, Ashley Son, Sydney Vollmar.
Women’s Choir: Julia Fiocco, Rachel Keough, Evelyne Labelle and Caroline McKenna.
Also of note, Senior Joseph Dodrv scored first in the Tenor I section and his twin brother Stephen, scored second!
The Region II Chorus concert was held at Monroe Township High School on Sunday, January 26, 2014.
2014 New Jersey All-State Women’s Choir PerformanceMembers Evelyn Labelle and Caroline McKenna will perform with the New Jersey All-State Women’s Choir at the NJPAC on February 22, 2014.
Chorus Highlights
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The Ridge Dance Department recently presented their Winter Dance Showcase 2014 with an amazing turn-out! Dances from the in-school dance classes, as well as the after school dance programs, were presented. Students in Social Skills Dance and Dance 1 performed faculty work. Stu-dents in Dance 2 and Dance 3 performed
Winter Dance Showcase Hightlightsfaculty work in addition to their own choreographed dances. Students who par-ticipated in the Ridge Dance Master Class Series performed numbers taught by guest artists. This year the guest artists were Marc Crousillat and Amanda Lehman. Marc is an emerging modern/contemporary dance artist and Amanda is a musical theater performer and professor at Ameri-can Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC. The students truly enjoyed learning from these talented master teachers!
The Ridge Dance Collective also participated in the showcase. This is a
modern-dance based group that is com-prised of students from William Annin Middle School and Ridge High School. Students in this after school program col-laboratively choreograph their own dances under the direction of Mrs. Miranda. The Ridge Dance Team performed one of their dances taught by Hip Hop dancer and teacher Jude Cassion earlier in the year. They also learned dances choreographed by Dylan Smith and Tricia Olds, both dancers/teachers from the New York City area. Ridge Dance Team is an audition-only group that competes in the styles of Hip Hop and Jazz dance. Their competition season begins at the end of February.
Please mark your calendars for our Spring Dance Showcase 2014 on May 9 at 7 pm in the Ridge PAC. Lastly, Spring Dance Master Classes will be announced via the District Friday Folder very soon!
Top: Cast of the Winter Dance Showcase 2014Above: “Breaking Free” from Ridge Dance CollectiveRight: Dance 1 Students in “Coffee”
Forensics Success at TournamentsCongratulations to the Ridge Forensics team on their fantastic performance at the Catholic Forensics League tournament. The team took first place in overall team sweepstakes with the following individual successes: Raina Karia taking first place in Congressional Debate, the team of Oliver Tang and Ankit Wadhwa taking first place in Varsity Public Forum Debate, Darius Hunt taking first place in Varsity Extempo-raneous Speaking, Caitlin Schiffer taking first place in Varsity Oral Interpretation,
Ridge Senior, Katherine Leopold, will be traveling to Kolkata, India with Operation Smile, an organiza-tion that repairs cleft lips, cleft palates, and other facial deformities for children in areas where surgery is unavailable or too expensive.Consider Donating Items Travel Soaps, Toothbrushes, Pipe Cleaners, Stickers, Small Bubbles, Hair Ribbons, Balloons, Large Toy Sunglasses, Crayons, Small ToysDonation SitesRidge High School and Cedar Hill Elementary School February 12 through March 3
and Gabby Schnell taking first place in Original Oratory. The team also performed fantastically at the Summit Invitational, taking second place in overall team sweep-stakes, with the following individual successes: Chandni Singhvi taking first place in Prose reading, Dan Perez taking first place in Original Oratory, and Rajan Gupta and Varun Venugopal taking first place in Novice Public Forum Debate. Great job Ridge Forensics!
varsity athletes
of the monthBe Sure to Check Out the
Booster Club Display in the Lobby!
October
Cheerleading – Lyra Dautaj
Boys Cross Country –
Marshall Boles
Girls Cross Country –
Catherine Giuseffi
Field Hockey – Jenny Diehl
Gymnastics – Cassidy Fazio
Girls Soccer – Gigi Cifelli
Volleyball – Norma Park
November
No Athletes of the Month Named
December
Boys Basketball – Ryan Byrnes
Girls Basketball – Shannon Hand
Cheerleading – Gaby Baum
Boys Fencing – Bobak Shadpur
Girls Fencing – Amy Tong
Ice Hockey – Ben Raff
Boys Swimming –
Andrew Glockenmeier
Girls Swimming – Tatum Lawson
Boys Winter Track – Nick Giannone
Girls Winter Track – Jessica Creedon
Wrestling – Jack Fleishman
and Cort Hotz
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The Ridge Indoor Percussion Ensemble kicked off their second season on Febru-ary 1 with an exhibition performance at the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School Annual Day of Percussion. This day brings together high school percussion ensembles and professional clinicians for a day of performances and percussion education. The Indoor Percussion Ensemble will also compete in four USBands-sanctioned competitions in March and April.
The 27-member ensemble performs under the umbrella of the Ridge High School Band Association and was officially formed in the fall of 2012. Musicians began rehearsals for the 2014 winter season immediately after marching band season ended in November. According to their director, Joe Keefe, the ensemble, “benefits students by offering percussion performance opportunities in a competitive environment, creating better musicians, improving basic percussion technique, and building camaraderie”. Senior percus-sionist, Ryan Tevlin, agrees, stating, “The Indoor Percussion Ensemble allows us to continue to refine our percussion tech-nique through the winter months so that we don’t lose the skills we learned in the
fall marching band season.”.This year’s show entitled Reality,
encompasses musical selections and quota-tions from the Inception and Angels and Demons soundtracks. The show design “invokes contrast between dreams and reality, explores emotions of fear and confusion, and challenges the performers and spectators with odd time signatures” explained Keefe.
According to Dan Zugale, Director of Bands at Ridge, “The Ridge Indoor Percussion Ensemble is open to any stu-dents involved in the marching/concert band programs and is a great way for musi-cians to improve their playing techniques.”
Anyone interested in receiving more information about the Ridge Indoor Percussion Ensemble should contact Joe Keefe at [email protected].
Ridge Indoor Percussion Ensemble Kicks Off Their Second Season
The Indoor Percus-sion Ensemble utilizes many dif-ferent instruments from the traditional snare drums to an electronic cello.
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This year marks the third consecutive year of the Ridge High School Winter Guard. The Guard, which has grown from its initial 14 members to its current 19 mem-bers, is supported by the Ridge High School Band Association. It was started as an opportunity for the Marching Band Color Guard to continue to grow and improve upon their talents and to introduce the sport to students who were not a mem-ber of the Color Guard but were interested in learning about this fantastic sport.
Under the direction of instructors George Mattis, Katharine Cass, Stephen Cochran, and Casey McCoy, the guard competes in the Mid Atlantic Indoor Network (MAIN) circuit. MAIN competi-tions are held throughout the tri-state area from early January through April and hosts guards from New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. This year, Ridge will also be competing in two WGI (Winter Guard International) regional competitions at
South Brunswick HS and Monmouth Uni-versity. Their ultimate goal is to compete at the 2015 Winter Guard International World Championships in Dayton, Ohio.
The Winter Guard is an indoor program whereby its members perform in costume to music selected by instructor George Mattis. This year’s musical selection is Concrete Angel, sung by Christina Novelli. The guard uses props, flags, sabers and rifles to dance a visual performance that is judged on five captions. This year brings
Ridge Winter Guard Starts Its Third Season
new challenges to the young program as they move up another class into the National Scholastic A Class.
The guard will be hosting a MAIN show at Ridge High School on April 5. 20 scholastic and independent guards from the Tri-state area will come to Basking Ridge to compete. Anyone look-ing for additional information on the program may contact Mr. Daniel Zugale at [email protected] or [email protected]
Above: RHS Ski Team Captains(l to r): Daniele Colbertaldo, Alexa Hughes, Alex ThompsonAbove, right: 2014 RHS Ski TeamRight: RHS Girls Varsity, (l to r): Danny Lailey, Danielle Gogerty, Alexa Hughes, Alyssa Thompson, Emily Fuchs, Asia HarringtonFar right: RHS Boys Varsity: (1st row) Mike Minsch, Austin Conti, Alex Thompson, Daniele Colbertaldo; (2nd row) Luke Hull, Maky Rupert, Tyler Conti, Mike DePalma
Ridge Varsity Ski Team Hits the Slopes
A History Making SeasonThe 2013 football season will go down in Ridge High School history as the first ever undefeated season, with a State Sectional Championship win and a final record of 12-0. There were an unprecedented number of awards earned by the team as a whole, and by individuals. Congratulations to the team on a historic season.
Team AwardsFinal Ranking of #10 in the State by Star LedgerFinal Ranking of #10 in the State by MSG VarsityFinal Ranking of #1 and Team of the Year Somerset County by Star LedgerFinal Ranking of #1 Somerset County by Courier News12-0 Record, First Undefeated Team and Most Wins in Ridge High School HistoryNorth 2 Group 5 State Sectional Champions
All photos © Terry Boudreau, Boudmaster Productions except where noted.
Phot
o ©
Jen
Mue
ller
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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE
2014 NJ STATE CHAMPIONSRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAM
Photos © Terry Boudreau, Boudmaster Productions
