High Tech’s Digital Design | Fabrication Academy Visits Gensler NYC’s New Offices

(New York, NY—April 6, 2017) High Tech’s Digital Design | Fabrication Academy, composing classes facilitated by Gregory and Alba Simon, recently visited Gensler NYC's new offices at 1700 Broadway, announced Dr. Joseph Giammarella, Principal of High Tech High School.

“We held a class discussion to reflect on the tour and some of the topics that were discussed,” says Gregory Simon.  “After having such an engaging conversation, Alba and I were reminded of the importance of these types of learning experiences.”

Gensler recently relocated its more than 600 employees after spending more than 25 years in Rockefeller Center. Gensler occupies 120,000 square feet in the Theatre District, taking up the second through the sixth floors of a 42-story office tower between 53rd and 54th Streets.

“The way that the office is designed shows just how Gensler is all about innovation and creative new ideas, comfort, and cohesiveness," adds Lisette Guacamaya, a junior Architecture major from Union City.

Gensler, widely recognized as the world’s leading collaborative design firm, focuses on a “one-firm firm” ethos to save time, cut costs, and deliver innovation.  Gensler offers the design industry’s deepest bench of expertise, matched with experience gained by working with its clients across the global economy.

"The tour opened my eyes to how crucial it is that people working in creative fields should discover their own process," says Daniella Tero, also a junior Architecture major from Bayonne.

High Tech’s Alana Aninipot Receives Nomination from Ridgewood Guild Film Festival for Her Documentary

(Ridgewood, NJ—April 6, 2017) The prominent Ridgewood Guild International Film Festival has nominated Alana Aninipot, a junior TV Production major at High Tech High School, in the documentary category for her insightful and revolutionary film, Thinking Body Positive, announced Dr. Joseph Giammarella, Principal of High Tech.

Aninipot, a resident of Secaucus, created a four-minute social commentary on perceived norms of the human body with Thinking Body Positive, which restructures the idea of self-appreciation and objects to the way in which people scrutiny looks.

“I really wanted to exaggerate the idea of loving yourself, which can be a tough topic to grasp,” says Aninipot about her inspiration for Thinking Body Positive.  “The documentary presents three girls learning to do just that.”

Aninipot and her friends got involved in the project after some people told her to give advice to others who felt insecure about themselves.

“My best advice to anyone who watched my documentary would be to take your time learning to love yourself,” Aninipot advises.  “It’s a time-consuming thing to find the parts that are difficult to love, then learning to love them, regardless.  Everyone learns at a different pace and in different ways.”

The Ridgewood Guild International Film Festival will be held April 24^th-26^th. Aninipot enters this festival straight from her win in the Ramapo College Film Festival for Best Public Service Announcement/Documentary.

High Tech’s Halaena Merrill Receives Scholarship Award from Golden Door International Film Festival

(Jersey City, NJ—April 3, 2017) Weehawken resident Halaena Merrill, a senior TV Production major at High Tech High School, received the Scholarship Award at the Golden Door International Film Festival, announced Dr. Joseph Giammarella, Principal of High Tech.

Organizers and judges at the award ceremony, held at The Beacon Complex, bestowed a scholarship, worth $500, on Merrill.  Merrill’s award-winning short, Reverie Train, a beautiful, cinematic story of a falling out between first loves.

“I’m proud of [Merrill’s] achievement,” says Freeholder Anthony Romano (D-District 5, Hudson), “as it was the first time a student from the Hudson County Schools of Technology had received this award.”

After graduating from High Tech, Merrill plans to continue to study Video Production at State University of New York (SUNY) at Purchase.

(From left to right) Chris DePierro, Amanda Vanegas, Halaena Merrill (award winner), Hank Green, Gregg Ascolese

High Tech Attends Ocean County Symposium

By Tanushri Shah

(Toms River, NJ—March 30, 2017) On Thursday, March 30^th, and Friday, March 31^st, High Tech Students visited Ocean County College for the First Annual South Jersey Junior Science Symposium, announced Dr. Joseph Giammarella, Principal of High Tech High School.

Students presented more than sixty research projects from STEM fields at the Junior Science Symposium.  On the morning of Thursday, March 30, 2017, Shelina Chotrani of Secaucus, North Bergen resident Jeel Shah, and Muhammad Umar of Bayonne, all presenters at the general poster session, and North Bergen resident Tanushri Shah, an observer, attended several interesting, intellectual oral presentations.  Afterward, the general poster presentations took place. 

Umar won second place and Shah won third place in the “Life Sciences & Biology” category.  Other activities included “Electrostatic Sword Tournaments,” trivia, and puzzles.  

Some attendees accepted invitations to an evening banquet at the Clarion Hotel, where many students, like Maya Ravichandran, won $150 for winning the Student Choice Awards and a $200 environmental scholarship. Ravichandran collaborated with Princeton University to research environmentally-sustainable concrete.

On the last day, final oral presenters wrapped up their presentations.  For example, seventeen year-old Indrani Das worked on “Exosomal microRNA-14a: Mechanistic Reactive Astrocyte Repair in Brain Injury In vitro.”  Das won the Junior Nobel Prize for her pioneering research in brain injury and disease, and earned a well-deserved $250,000. Das discovered a method of increasing the survival rate of neurons after brain injuries.

College and Career Fair a Success at County Prep High School

County Prep hosted a college and career fair on March 16th 2017. There were many hands that helped to orchestrate this event from administrators, teachers, counselors, and Ms. Galluccio to maintenance and security staff, transportation staff and our Culinary Program. Colleges, universities, as well as the military and apprenticeship programs were in attendance. There were about 40 organizations representing New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania including Rutgers University, NJIT, Steven’s Tech, SUNY, University of Pittsburgh and West Point Academy. The event allowed students to gather information about potential colleges, the military and other career options in a “one-stop-shop” situation. We hope to host the fair again next year and thank everyone for the support.

Asian Cultures Club of High Tech Celebrates Holi

By Tanushri Shah and Jeel Shah

(North Bergen, NJ—March 24, 2017) The Asian Cultures Club celebrated the festival of Holi, an Indian tradition in which people play with colorful powders, to spread its message of cultural diversity, announced Dr. Joseph Giammarella, Principal of High Tech High School.

This festival, originally intended to celebrate good’s triumph over evil, won the hearts of many around the world, and High Tech’s first Holi festival consisted of a multitude of colors, friendly socializing, snacks, and, of course, enjoyment in keeping with the Holi tradition.  

“This [Holi festival event] paved the way for celebrating culture in a grand way,” says Dr. Srivastava, moderator of the Asian Cultures Club, “as it assured many people in and around High Tech that our community honors diversity through various means.”

Usually celebrated in India as a way to show happiness about the victory of good over evil, Holi boasts many legends about the origin of the festival.  However, one of the most popular legends concerns the story of an evil king and his son, a devotee of good.  Because the son opposed the king’s evil ways, the king eventually ordered his sister to take his son to a bonfire, ostensibly to burn his son to death.  In the end, though, the son turned the tables on the king’s sister and the son survived, which represents the victory of good over evil, some say.

In many places of India, people celebrate Holi over the course of two, even sixteen, days.  Some celebrate Holi to welcome the harvest season, while others learn morals from the legends or simply enjoy the colors and moment to reconnect with family.

The Asian Cultures Club looks forward to a much bigger celebration of Holi next year.

County Prep High School Students Attend The Beneath the Sea Marine Careers Program

On Friday March 24th, 2017, 19 County Prep students attended the Beneath the Sea Marine Careers Programs with chaperones Casey DeBaun, Nick LaVolpe and Caroline Ulivella. Students had the unique opportunity to meet many “hall of famers” in the world of diving, try marine career-related interactive activities and speak with representatives from marine career programs associated with colleges, universities and branches of the military. While our students did not win any of the raffles that day, they did have free access to try the scuba pool over the weekend and gained valuable information into the marine world.