HCST Foundation Gives Emerging Theater Tech Program a Solid Start

October 24, 2016 (North Bergen, N.J.) – The HCST Foundation has recently approved funding for a series of workshops that will help build an innovative Theater Technology program at High Tech High School, announced Linda J. Quentzel, Executive Director.

The workshops, which will be held in the Black Box Theatre throughout the school year, will begin with a focus on proper usage of the revamped lighting system. Training and workshops will be aimed at both faculty and students who will then collaborate to build a curriculum for the forthcoming Theater Technology vocational class at the new High Tech, currently under construction in Secaucus, NJ.

Although typically associated with the Performing Arts Department, The Black Box Theater is a fixture at High Tech High School. Serving events across and beyond the curriculum, from Poetry Slams to Comedy Shows to TEDx talks, the technical skills required to operate this venue has become a much-needed focus for vocational education.

Ms. Allyson Krone, Assistant Principal of High Tech High School says, “The forthcoming Theatre Tech program is going to be pivotal for the new facility, as we have a larger student body and greater need for performative spaces across a variety of disciplines. It’s important that we grow our knowledge from within and include students in the curriculum planning process of this highly technical skill set.”

President of the HCST Foundation Mr. Daniel Gans adds, “We are always eager to help the community to help itself. This opportunity to provide preliminary training to both students and staff to begin a new program is very exciting to us at the Foundation.”

HCST District Superintendent Frank J. Gargiulo said, “The Black Box Theater is such a versatile space, and I look forward to seeing the staff and students expand our course offerings in a way that is practical and, frankly, good for the school community.”

Executive Director Linda J. Quentzel also said, “This opportunity allows our current faculty and students to build a program that will facilitate real-world knowledge in a truly dramatic setting. The Foundation is always pleased to support such an endeavor.”

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High Tech’s Halaena Merrill, First Prize Winner at the NJ Young Filmmakers Festival, to Show Her Film at North Bergen Library

(North Bergen, NJ—October 17, 2016) High Tech’s Halaena Merrill, a Weehawken resident, who won first prize in the High School Category at this year’s New Jersey Young Filmmakers Festival, will have her film screened at the North Bergen Public Library, announced Dr. Joseph Giammarella, Principal of High Tech High School.

Merrill won for her three-minute seventeen second, French-spoken short Le Cadeau (“The Gift”), a film noir about a P.I. hired to surveil a wife shopping for her husband’s birthday present, but the detective learns that the wife has cuckolded her husband.   

The New Jersey Young Filmmakers Festival provides young filmmakers, who either live in or attend school in the Garden State, the opportunity to exhibit films and have them evaluated by media arts representatives.  Since its inception, the festival has recognized, celebrated, and encouraged emerging young talent in the state in which Thomas Edison first developed motion pictures.

The 42nd Annual New Jersey Young Filmmakers Festival, originally held at the home of Thomas Edison’s film studio, the Black Maria, on May 21st, comes to the main branch of the North Bergen Library, 8411 Bergenline Avenue, this Thursday evening, October 20^th, at 6:30 p.m.  Mayor Nicholas Sacco will be on hand for the screening. 

Additional information about 2016’s New Jersey Young Filmmakers Award Winners may be accessed at www.blackmaria.org.

Passaic Valley Sewage Commission Donates Fallen Trees To High Tech High School

(Newark, NJ) Since the creation of the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission’s (PVSC) award-winning River Restoration Program in 1998, the agency has removed more than 12,000 tons of debris from Newark Bay, the Passaic River and its tributaries, including countless fallen trees, branches and stumps.

There are typically two ways that trees wind up in the Passaic River. Many simply lose their rooting and topple over into the river. Others are illegally dumped into the river. Either way, they significantly affect the flow of the river and exacerbate the potential flooding threat. Trees in the river act like a trap, catching loose branches and the various forms of debris that the current carries.

PVSC actively looks for ways to recycle the wood from trees removed from the river into something with a practical use. This past week, PVSC donated two large, fallen trees to High Tech High School in North Bergen. PVSC’s River Restoration Program removed both trees from the river after discovering them floating above the Great Falls in Paterson on Earth Day earlier this year.

“They both appear to be about 100 years old,” said Zach Bolich, High Tech’s Wood Technology instructor. “We are really thankful that PVSC took the time to donate and deliver these trees to us. The trees will be used by our students for a variety of woodworking projects.”

High Tech’s Wood Technology Program is one of the top wood processing programs in the country. The school provides its students with a comprehensive woodworking curriculum. Students take wood from fallen trees and repurpose them into furniture, cabinets, table tops, cutting boards and more. Bolich and Sergio Gamarra, the Engineering Technology instructor, oversee the projects.

Citing old chain saw marks on the trees, Brian Davenport, PVSC’s Superintendent of River Restoration and Facilities, noted that the trees were “probably dumped into the river.”

“Dead trees rotting in the river are a considerable nuisance,” adds PVSC Executive Director Greg Tramontozzi. “It is our job to remove these trees from the river. At the same time, we are very conscious about where the trees wind up. Our goal is to recycle them. It’s nice to know that students at High Tech are turning these trees into practical items that can be used in a variety of ways.”

High Tech’s Jake Harrison and Amaya Montanez Attend Rutgers Summer Acting Conservatory

(New Brunswick, NJ—October 14, 2016) High Tech senior Jake Harrison of Hoboken and High Tech sophomore and Jersey City resident Amaya Montanez, both of whom had attended the Rutgers Summer Acting Conservatory (RSAC) this past July, will prepare for this year’s audition workshop in the winter, along with other High Tech Performing Arts majors, announced Dr. Joseph Giammarella, Principal of High Tech High School.

RSAC, Mason Gross School of the Arts’ highly selective conservatory for young adults with serious acting ambitions, offers a four-week program for thirty-eight high school students from around the country. The conservatory faculty comprises working theater professionals dedicated to providing students with a challenging, inspiring learning environment that allows each student to develop as a young theater artist.

“[High Tech’s] relationship with Mason Gross School of the Arts and RSAC has been in place since 2001,” notes Deborah Arters, veteran instructor and head of the High Tech Performing Arts Department.  “Over thirty drama students have attended RSAC.”

Mason Gross School of the Arts, flagship public arts conservatory of Rutgers University, gathers arts students in a creative space within a stimulating research university, an intimate campus setting with easy access to, and participation in, New York City's dynamic cultural life. The school instills insights and skills that future generations of arts professionals require to contribute to a creative and scholarly world, with undergraduate and graduate degrees in the areas of dance, filmmaking, music, theater, and visual arts.

Registration for 2017’s Rutgers Summer Acting Conservatory opens on October 15, 2016 and closes on June 5, 2017, or whenever the conservatories reach maximum enrollment.  Applications received after June 5, 2017 will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

from  left to right: Marshall Jones (Director of RSAC), Deborah Arters, Amaya Montanez, and Jake Harrison

County Prep Bowling Club Welcomes 9th Graders

On Friday, September 30th the County Prep Bowling Club had their first outing to Hudson Lanes in Jersey City. Veteran members like Briana Zdyb and Edward Martins-Krasner welcomed many new members from the 9th grade class. Bowlers were able to play three games and the competition was great as friends and classmates vied for top scoring position. The next outing will be on Friday, October 21st. For more information, please contact club moderators Mrs. Taryn Ashe and Mr. Frank Ashe.