Explore 2000 - New School Year, New School Building

On September 9, 2015, Explore 2000 Middle School welcomed its new class of students to its new building at 180 9th Street, Jersey City. The sixth graders, also known as First Year Students, excited and ready to begin their middle school experience, took part in a Harry Potter style sorting ceremony to become assigned to their advisory groups. Each student will spend the year as a Lion, Tiger or Bear. Edwin gave a two thumbs up to the opening activities finding the sorting ceremony to be really personal and fun. Fellow sixth-grader Diandra agreed it was fun.

 On the next day, all of the students arrived and the upperclassmen got their first look at their new educational home. Overall, they were excited and awed by the difference from the building they shared with County Prep. A Peer Mentor breakfast matched up upper and lower classmen for guidance and experience-sharing relationships that will last all year. The verdict on the meeting is "exceeded all expectations". Facilitators and staff were introduced to the students and everyone was reminded that respect and trust was expected from everyone associated with Explore 2000.

 Team building activities helped begin or develop friendships and rapport. In As the Wind Blows, students stand in a circle with one person in the middle. That person names an experience he or she has had and everyone who has had the same experience has to leave their places and find new ones in the circle. The last one standing takes the place in the middle. In another activity, each student tears off a length of toilet paper and has to give an adjective to describe him- or herself for each square of the length.

 Friday's more usual school day took time out for a September 11 tribute to the events of fourteen years ago. A short video provided the history of that day for the student body too young to remember it. When asked what she liked the best about the new building, 7th grader Nataly remembered how small a space Explore 2000 shared last year. She liked that, "We don't have to share things with the high school." Her friend Faith felt that the small space, "Made us closer." Eighth grader Jonathan said that the new building, "Encourages me to work harder." Aaron, also in the eighth grade said it was, "Cool having a whole building."

County Prep Junior Chengru Long Wins Silver Medal at SkillsUSA

Louisville, KY June 26 2015 –County Prep Junior Chengru Long has won the Silver Medal in the SkillsUSA national championship competition in Medical Math. The SkillsUSA Championships, held in Louisville, KY., took place June 22-26, 2015, as part of the SkillsUSA 50th annual National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC), a showcase of career and technical education students. During the week, more than 5,000 outstanding career and technical education students—all state contest winners, competed hands-on in 94 different trade, technical and leadership fields.

“We are very proud of Chengru and her accomplishments,” said Barbara Mendolla, County Prep Principal. “The students that participated in the Medical Math competition are true champions in their dedication to excellence in their occupational and their leadership skills.”

In the Medical Math competition, Gold Medal winners from each state demonstrate their knowledge of general math concepts used in the healthcare fields. They complete a written test that may include the use of ratio/proportion, dosage calculation, metric and household equivalents, Roman numerals, abbreviations, and general math including percentages, among other medical math-related problems.

The New Jersey Medical Math competition is one of four health occupation related contests that are hosted at County Prep each year. The winner of the NJ Medical Terminology contest also hosted at County Prep, went on to win a Gold Medal in the national competition as well. “The stream of national medal winners coming out of our state contest is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our local host committee”, said SkillsUSA Advisor Michael Grele.

SkillsUSA is a national partnership of students, teachers and industry, working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce. SkillsUSA chapters help students who are preparing for careers in technical, skilled and service occupations excel. SkillsUSA has more than 300,000 students and instructors as members.

For more information, visit www.SkillsUSA.org.

High Tech Veteran Music Instructor and Department Liaison Scott Killian Composes for 'Clever Little Lies' Off-Broadway

From www.playbill.com

Marlo Thomas Uncovers Clever Little Lies, Starting Tonight Off-Broadway

By Andrew Gans

September 18, 2015

Two-time Tony winner Joe DiPietro's new comedy, Clever Little Lies, begins previews September 18th prior to an official opening October 12th at the Westside Theatre Upstairs.

The cast is headed by Emmy winner Marlo Thomas with Greg Mullavey, Kate Wetherhead and George Merrick.

Despite Playing a Grandmother, Marlo Thomas Is "On Track" to Tell Clever Little Lies Off-Broadway.  David Saint, artistic director of the George Street Playhouse, where Clever Little Lies made its world premiere in December 2013, again directs.

"A mother always knows when something is wrong," according to press notes. "When Alice (Marlo Thomas) notices her beloved husband Bill (Greg Mullavey) has returned home on edge after a tennis match with their son, she grows suspicious and springs into action. Determined to piece together the puzzle, she invites her son, Bill, Jr. (George Merrick) and daughter-in-law, Jane (Kate Wetherhead), over for drinks and dessert. 

Sidesplitting chaos ensues as Alice digs for the truth, resulting in even more honesty than anyone expected."

The creative team includes Yoshi Tanokura (scenic design), Esther Arroyo (costume design), Christopher J. Bailey (lighting design), Scott Killian (sound design and composition) and McCorkle Casting (casting).

Producers are Joan Raffe, Jhett Tolentino, Douglas Denoff and Edward Walson.

Tickets can be purchased by visiting Telecharge.com. To order by phone, and for groups of 10 or more, call (212) 239-6200. Tickets are also available at the Westside Theatre Box Office (407 West 43rd Street). For more information visit CleverLittleLies.com.

HCVTEA Hosts Financial Aid Workshop

(North Bergen, NJ—September 23, 2015), Hudson County Vocational Technical Education Association (HCVTEA) sponsored a financial aid workshop for the parents and/or guardians of 12th grade students from High Tech High School and County Prep, announced Daniel Greco, Vice-President of HCVTEA.

Kimber Decker, of the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA.ORG), spoke to 90 parents about topics like preparing to pay for their children’s college tuition and filling out the new online FAFSA form.  Chef Peter Turro and the High Tech High School Culinary Arts Department treated parents to a full-course dinner, again sponsored by the HCVTEA. 

“On behalf of all the members of the HCVTEA,” says Vice-President of HCVTEA, Dan Greco, “we would like to thank the parents for coming out to our workshop and making it a success.  We have already received very positive feedback from those parents in attendance, and we are already discussing the possibility of another financial aid workshop later this school year.”

Greco adds that he also wishes “to publicly acknowledge and thank Chef Turro and the High Tech Culinary students and staff for the wonderful dinner they provided to the parents."

Theatre Arts Students Alexia Velazquez and Joshua Dunn Complete Prestigious Circle in the Square Summer Theatre Intensive

Circle in the Square Theatre School, the only accredited training conservatory associated with a
Broadway theatre in NYC, awarded County Prep Juniors Alexia Velazquez and Joshua Dunn full
scholarships for their 7-week intensive Summer Workshop in Musical Theatre. The scholarship covered tuition, transportation and lunch stipend for the entire program. The musical theatre workshops consisted of various Acting Technique classes as well as Singing Interpretation, Music Theory, and Musical Theatre Scene Study. Both Alexia and Joshua said that the program really pushed them as actors, helping them relate to characters, and exposed them to the expertise in acting, singing and dancing techniques of Broadway professionals such as Sybil Lines, Alan Langdon, Sara Louise Lazarus, Justin Boccitto, Beth Falcone, Jacqueline Jacobus, Elizabeth Loughran, Ken Schatz, Diana Schoenberg, Noel Katz. The experience gave them a taste of what it feels like to be on Broadway. A special perk for them was getting to know the casts of Fun Home and Wicked who share the same building.
The program culminated on August 12th and 13th with a musical theatre performance at the Stage 72
The Tryad NYC, a renown Off-Broadway venue on the Upper West Side, where both Joshua and Alexia closed the show with the songs "The Human Heart" (Once on this Island) and "Defying Gravity" (Wicked) respectively. They both received rave reviews and made us all so so proud!
Circle in the Square began training actors in 1961. The school shares a theatre facility which presents
commercial productions. At the moment the Circle in the Square facility is host of the Tony Nominated Broadway show Fun Home.

Theatre Arts Students

County Prep Dance Class Performs Downtown Jersey City

The County Prep High School Dance Program was a featured event in the September 11 JC Fridays Festival, a citywide festival of arts and culture. The Dance III class organized a structured dance improvisation, using the space and architecture of the city as inspiration for movement. The dance began at the Grove Street end of Newark Avenue and traveled through the new pedestrian plaza. Audience members included those who had come to watch the dance, as well as those just passing through. The response was one of surprise and fascination, including moments of personal connection. One passerby stopped her commute, staying until the end to thank the dancers for reminding her how joyful dancing can be. The 15 minute piece, entitled Four Hundred and Seven Movements, was a testament to the collaboration that is encouraged in the County Prep dance studio - room 407, and also symbolic of the deep connection the program has to the Jersey City community. Ms. Warfel Sandler, director and teacher of dance, has been an active member of the Jersey City arts community for over 15 years, as both visual and performing artist. She is proud to connect her professional colleagues with this next generation of creative people. The performance also marked the beginning of the County Prep Dance Program's 15th year, which will be celebrated throughout the year with special performances and events. See the County Prep Dance page for updates and information.

Twelve High Tech Students Qualify to Enter the 2016 National Merit® Scholarship Program

(Evanston, IL—September 23, 2015) High Tech High School seniors Amina and Sara Bendaoud, George Iskander, and Hayoung Park of Bayonne; Harrison resident Rora Cai; Jack Tisdell of Hoboken; Kearny resident Sabina Ohkawa; Nicholas Palmer and Jennifer Tu of North Bergen; Secaucus residents Ryan Gulati and Justin Luh; and Emory Kemph of Weehawken have met the qualifications for the National Merit® Scholarship Program, announced Dr. Joseph Giammarella, Principal of High Tech.

A Letter of Commendation from High Tech High School and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) will be presented by Dr. Giammarella to the twelve outstanding scholars.  NMSC has recognized approximately 34,000 Commended Students throughout the country, although they will not continue in the competition for National Merit® Scholarships in 2016.  Commended Students placed among the top five percent of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2016 competition by taking the PSAT/NMSQT® last year. 

“The young men and women being named Commended Students have shown outstanding potential for academic success,” commented Eileen Artemakis and Matthew Budreau, spokespersons for NMSC.  “These students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation.  We hope that this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academic success.”

School’s In: North Bergen and Guttenberg Schools Prepare to Open (Excerpted from The Hudson Reporter)

Art Schwartz may be reached at arts@hudsonreporter.com

High Tech High School

Starting one day later than the other schools, High Tech will first introduce underclassmen to the academic environment on Wednesday morning, with upperclassmen joining later in the week. Teachers will spend the afternoons in professional development sessions for the first three days. 

Work should begin this month on the new home for High Tech High School in Secaucus, on the site of the former Field Station: Dinosaurs park. The new county school is slated to open in 2018. 

“Since we got the go-ahead with Secaucus we went forward with revamping all our programs, so when we move in three years we’re ready, because the facility is designed for academies,” said Assistant Principal Allyson Krone. “It’s pretty exciting. We’re making a lot of changes to the curriculum.”

High Tech has operated on the academy system for about five years now, according to Krone. Students select a course of study within one of four academies. “So when they come in from eighth grade they have this home within their bigger home, which is High Tech,” she explained. “It’s still one school, with a shared facility, shared gyms, and they mingle quite frequently in classes and extracurricular activities. But it’s totally interest-driven, based on whatever the child is interested in.”

The current academies are Digital Design and Fabrication, Performing Arts, Technology and Visual Arts, and Science and Technology, the latter offering focus areas in environmental studies or biomedical. 

“We’ve added a lot of new components in programming and 3D animation,” said Krone of the Technology and Visual Arts classes. “Our biomedical program has been revamped to include more career exposure in pharmaceuticals and forensics.”

In addition to a working mechatronics lab, combining electronics, mechanical, pneumatics, and programming, the school created a new program in wood technology as part of the engineering program. “It’s based on a German model,” said Krone. “The students learn the basics of wood, and use machines to fabricate, becoming wood engineers.”

The technology wing was also remodeled. “We organized the TV studio and radio and computer programming and 3D animation so they’are all clustered together, all collaborating,” said Krone. 

Also, the seeds were sown for a new academic program. Students can now participate in enhanced culinary arts courses, with a full culinary academy to be added next year. A restaurant has been opened on premises, the Blue Ribbon Café, where lunches are created by students, with student waiters. 

“This year it’s for faculty only, although the students in the program will likely be able to participate,” said Krone. 

“We’ve done a lot of work this year to prepare to move,” she continued. “So that gives us the ability over the next few years to work out the kinks.”

Read more: Hudson Reporter - School s in North Bergen and Guttenberg schools prepare to open 

Welcome Back!

The 2015-16 academic year is upon us, and we return to the work of teaching and learning with hope and enthusiasm. Welcome back!

This year, we continue to pursue the ideal vision of the Hudson County Schools of Technology. We are in a process of expansion and innovation. The 2015-16 school year will see our district open a new location in Jersey City for our Middle School, Explore2000, where students will continue to flourish. County Prep High School will complete a significant renovation that will build upon the existing successful learning environment. All the while, the plans for the new High Tech High School in Secaucus are continuing to move forward, and that beacon of change is symbolic of the districts continual evolution.

As a result of this physical growth, we now have many new faces in our classrooms—emerging and established educators who are leaders in their respective fields. Given the quality of educators we are adding to an already successful staff, I am confident this year will be another outstanding effort.

As the district expands, it is important to acknowledge our role in the community. Our growth means more opportunity for more students, which means more opportunity for Hudson County. The driving force behind HCST’s expansion is our mission to meet the needs of both the individual and the group. Our world requires more specific technologies in order to facilitate more specific career fields. We remain vigilant in our pursuit to stay on the cutting edge of vocational education.

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Explore 2000 Embarks on a Team Building Day

On Tuesday, August 25, the faculty and staff from Explore 2000 Middle School traveled to the Ring Homestead Camp in Middletown, New York for a day of team building exercises. Situated on a very large plot of wooded land, the camp features workshops to develop skills related to teamwork, trust, communication, cooperation, goal setting and leadership.

“The entire Explore 2000 team would like to thank The HCST Foundation for sponsoring this experience. Team building exercises are vital to both our new and returning ‘family’ members," said Principal Amy Lin-Rodriguez.

All of the trials were completely voluntary and even those who had to sit out a team undertaking, everyone encouraged their teams from the side lines. According to Explore’s Secretary Michele Jefferey, “Fun was had by all! Although I was not able to participate in most of the activities, it was a pleasure cheering the staff on to SUCCESS!”

From activities where teams have to work together to walk forward on wooden planks to passing through a web of rope with the guidance and lifting of team mates to swinging on a rope and being caught, the day offered many opportunities to grow as a team. “I thought the team building experience was fantastic!” said Language Arts Facilitator Heather Garrett, “The Explore 2000 staff demonstrated the characteristics of a great team.”

Games requiring trust and strategy more than physical prowess also forged unity, like the challenge of passing a hula hoop around a circle while holding hands and similar tasks. The members of team Explore 2000 returned home with stories to tell and moments to remember. “It was a fun-filled day and I really enjoyed working with the Explore 2000 staff on our team building activities,” said Science Facilitator Lauren Norcia.

Principal Lin-Rodriguez added, "The collaborative activities created a culture of trust. By contributing to the common goals of the day (and everyday) we can model a fine example for our learners. We are looking forward to an exciting new and expanded school year! "

Explore 2000's New Building

The new school year will see Explore 2000, Hudson County Schools of Technology’s middle school, opening in a new building. After sharing space in County Prep High School in Jersey City for 18 years, Explore 2000 now has a building of its own.

The Redevelopment Agency of Jersey City and the Hudson County Executive's Office have partnered to help Explore 2000 Middle School relocate to its own learning facility located at the Community Education and Recreation Center- 180 9th Street in Jersey City, allowing it the opportunity to expand its student population over a 5-year period.

Starting in September 2015, Explore 2000 will add stimulating project-based curricula in the areas of STEM, active citizenship, character education and the environment to its traditional learning labs in core subject areas, all integrated through thematic units and meeting New Jersey’s common core curriculum standards under the guidance of certified teachers serving as academic facilitators.

The students and staff of Explore 2000 are beyond excited and appreciative for this opportunity to open in our own facility. In doing so, we are finally able to expand and offer our unique learning environment to more Hudson County students.

In addition to Title I Enrichment in Mathematics and Language Arts, after school activities include Extra-curricular Workshops and a variety of Wellness Programs.

The Hudson County Schools of Technology will formally welcome Explore 2000 Middle School to their new home during the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony scheduled on Thursday, September 17, 2015.