​County Prep Multicultural Club End-of-the Year Event

The County Prep Multicultural Club hosted an end-of-the-year luncheon at Shalimar BBQ Restaurant to celebrate the richness of diverse cultures and ethnicities within our communities, announced Ms. Barbara Mendolla, Principal of County Prep High School.

Participants sampled sumptuous foods that represented a large variety of ethnic cuisines.  Members of the Multicultural Club and the Business & Technology Club enjoyed this event alike.  Participants represented various nationalities, including Arabs, Indians, Pakistanis, Hispanics, and Bangladeshis, in the spirit of coming together to learn about the world’s cultures.

“This was a delightful event and students from all backgrounds made it a great experience,” said Dr. Abbasi, moderator of the Multicultural Club.

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High Tech Students Take Part in the GRAMMY Museum Experience at Prudential Center

(Newark, NJ—December 21, 2017) High Tech students from Robert Dillon’s Rock ‘n’ Roll LEAP course experienced the GRAMMY Museum Experience at Prudential Center, which included a New Jersey Legends exhibit and other exhibits that address the heritage and history of American music, announced Dr. Joseph Giammarella, Principal of High Tech High School.

The GRAMMY Museum Experience at Prudential Center offers exhibits like “Master the Beats with Max Weinberg,” the legendary drummer of the E Street Band. This “in the studio” experience places guests behind the drum kit for an opportunity to share an exclusive lesson from Weinberg on how to play the iconic hit, “Born in the U.S.A.”

Also noteworthy, the GRAMMY Museum and Roland, an innovator in electronic music, have teamed up to create a laboratory of sound called Roland LIVE, in which visitors explore music-making through the eyes and ears of the recording artist.

“My students had a great time with this hands-on museum,” says Dillon.  “They were even able to pretend that they were singing backing vocals for Ray Charles.” 

Also on display at the GRAMMY Museum Experience at Prudential Center, costumes sported by Whitney Houston, Madonna, Beyoncé, Frank Sinatra, Count Basie, and Jersey City’s own Kool and the Gang, all of which drew quite a crowd.

“I liked what we learned in [Dillon’s] class and how we were able to connect the information with the artist,” says Maria Sanchez, a resident of North Bergen.

High Tech Holds Another Successful Sock Drive This Year

(North Bergen, NJ—December 18, 2017) High Tech students and staff have collected over 1,500 pairs of socks to benefit the Hoboken Shelter, courtesy of the school’s eighth annual Sock Drive, announced Dr. Joseph Giammarella, Principal of High Tech High School.

Spearheaded by veteran High Tech Language Arts teacher Robert Dillon, This year’s Sock Drive for the Hoboken Shelter surpassed last year’s tally by nearly 700 pairs.  The High Tech Sock Drive began during the week of Thanksgiving and ended during the week before the holiday break. 

The first year that High Tech started its Sock Drive, Dillon and volunteers had collected just over 100 pairs from students and staff.  Since then, each Sock Drive tally has surpassed the previous year’s tally.

“According to the Hoboken Shelter, socks are the number one item that the homeless are in need of,” Dillon acknowledges.  “I don’t look at [the Sock Drive] as the High Tech family collecting 1,500 pairs of socks; I look at it in terms of the High Tech family helping 1,500 people in need.”

Everybody knows of the importance of having warm, dry feet, and thanks to Dillon and the generosity of the High Tech family, some needy people will know this luxury that most of us take for granted.  

The High Tech family collected over 1,500 pairs of socks this year

They'll be many more smiling faces once these gifts reach the Hoboken Shelter

Mr. Robert Dillon, Organizer of the High Tech Sock Drive

High Tech’s French Students Host Holiday Bake Sale

By Laiba Khan

(North Bergen, NJ—December 8, 2017) High Tech’s French Club and French Honor Society teamed up with Dr. Laje Gashi’s French IV class to organize a French Holiday Bake Sale, announced Dr. Joseph Giammarella, Principal of High Tech High School.

The event, spearheaded by French Club president Mously Lo, a resident of Jersey City, and vice president Erica DeLacerda of North Bergen, focused on the main attraction, baked goods. Students from the French Club displayed such desserts as chocolate éclairs, croissants, flan, palmiers, chocolate mousse, and oreillettes. Also, culinary majors baked a Buche de Noёl, better known as a Yule log.  The variety of desserts reflected the diverse sweets consumed by Francophones around this time of the year.

French III and IV students also created their own Boules de Noёl (“ornaments”) for a Christmas tree, correlating to recent lessons on bricolage (“Do it yourself”). While creating her boule de Noёl, French IV student Anna Rezk, a Bayonne resident, produced a tutorial video in French.

“The event helped the lessons come to life,” says Rezk.  “Instead of simply reading about bricolage, I implemented the vocabulary in a real-life setting.”

Additionally, students expanded upon their French language comprehension by writing haiku poems in the language to hang beside decorations.  French III student Andrew Tran, a resident of Kearny, wrote several haikus, combining two of his passions, French and poetry.  Visitors interacted with the “Souhaites de Noёl,” a tree painted by French students that permitted others to post their Christmas wishes.

And so, the French Holiday Cafe brought the French textbook to life and allowed for the entire High Tech community to experience a Holiday Season like never before.

KAS Prep Hosts Holiday Dinner This Year

(North Bergen, NJ—December 5, 2017) KAS Prep, sister school of High Tech and a program that caters to all learning styles in an alternative environment, hosted a Holiday Dinner for its student body, announced Mr. Gerald Lyons, Principal of KAS Prep.

At KAS Prep, each student develops a personalized schedule of academic and career/technical courses, devised with a counselor, to prepare for the foundation for future success. One of KAS Prep’s career clusters, Culinary Arts, under the leadership of Justin Josiah and Byron Avilla, took the lead in planning, cooking, and serving the KAS Prep community of students, families, and staff.

“Our holiday dinner gave the students, their families, and our staff a chance to gather and celebrate the hard work and successes of the KAS Prep program,” says Lyons.  “We’d like to thank the culinary students and staff for the delicious food and contributing to a wonderful time.”

High Tech's D|FAB Academy and KAS Prep Attend World AIDS Awareness Lecture

(North Bergen, NJ—December 1, 2017) Students in High Tech's D|FAB Academy and KAS Prep students participated in an educational program on World AIDS Awareness Day, part of High Tech High School's freshman orientation, announced Dr. Joseph Giammarella, Principal of High Tech.

The orientation began with Rob Vassilarakis, A.K.A. “Simply Rob,” a poet, activist, and motivational speaker who gave a powerful spoken word performance in which he recounts living with HIV.  Following his presentation, students participated in Q & A with "Simply Rob."

D|FAB students concluded the orientation by screening the 1993 Emmy Award-winning film And the Band Played On.  Meanwhile, students in KAS Prep's Culinary Arts major baked delicious Red Ribbon cookies to celebrate World AIDS Day.

High Tech Students Stand Out in Performing Arts December Showcase

(North Bergen, NJ—December 5, 2017) Dance, Drama, and Musical Theatre majors at High Tech High School took part in the Performing Arts December Showcase, announced Dr. Joseph Giammarella, Principal of High Tech.

The Dance Department showcased four pieces this year.  The Dance I and II majors created an original piece, Elements, a project based on twenty-one solos from a classroom assignment.  Over the course of one month, they collaborated with each other, under the direction of veteran instructor Trista DeFilippis, to amalgamate two larger sections.  An original score by Scott Killian, former High Tech music instructor and composer, accompanied the piece.  Not to be outdone, Dance IV majors presented Suite of Solos I and Suite of Solos II, seven original solos created for their upcoming college auditions.  Along with Dance III major, they performed their piece, originally for the Hudson County Schools of Technology Gala, to a suite of songs by Madonna. 

“[These originals] gave the dancers the opportunity to perform them before a live audience prior to attending their auditions,” notes DeFilippis, Head of the Performing Arts Department. 

Also on display, the Drama Department, under the direction of veteran instructor Deborah Arters, featured performances that emphasized physical expression, storytelling to music, improvisation, and comic and dramatic scenes.  Students acted out scenes from Performance Ensemble 2012, Improv 3, My Big Fat Gay Italian Wedding, and A Hatful of Rain.

Last, but by no means least, the Musical Theatre performed material according to each class's grade level, with all classes collaborating on all performances in the December Showcase.  Rehearsals began in October, and students diligently rehearsed every Friday during their class time.  Theatrical pieces included material from Hairspray, Bring It On, Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, and Rent.