RedhawkA chronicle of the excellence at ParsippanyReport High School Vol. 11, Issue 3 “Spring Edition” – June 2021
Hello RedHawks, CONGRATS TO MR. BUSH,
THE NEW PRINCIPAL OF It is with a heavy heart that I write my last Par High Newsletter. Beginning July PAR HIGH! 1st, I will be moving across the parking lot to become the Assistant Superintendent (He’s the one on the left) of Curriculum and Instruction, a new position and a new adventure that will allow me to work with all fourteen schools in the district.
Needless to say, this is a difficult move for many reasons. First, I absolutely love working at PHS. The students, staff and families at Par High are truly amazing, and I have been lucky to spend so much time with all of you. Between sporting events, service opportunities, student performances, or simply talking to you in the halls, I have been impressed with all that you guys do and say and think.
Second, like you, I went to Par High and so did my brothers and mother. Over the years, I have served here as a teacher, coach, advisor, assistant principal and eventually principal. I met my wife here, and my daughters have grown up at PHS JULY events over the past eight years. This place is special to me, and I leave it knowing ?? - Service Trip to Food Bank ?? – Service Trip to Grow-A-Row that it is in good hands and in a good place. AUGUST I’d like to sincerely thank every student who I had the pleasure of working with ?? – Freshmen Orientations over the past eight years. Your ideas, hard work, service, creativity, questions, ?? – Sophomore Orientations jokes, talents, intelligence and heart have always been amazing and challenged ?? – Freshmen Open House and motivated me to work harder and be better. I have a brainful of beautiful Par High memories: trips to the Food Bank and Grow-a-Row, Service Nights, Book SEPTEMBER Clubs, Hills vs High games, championships in multiple sports (including our 1,2 - Teachers Report amazing run to the State Finals in Football), tremendous concerts and plays, 8 - First day of classes celebrations of loved ones, everyday conversations/jokes/questions, etc… I have been changed for the better by this place and the people here. Trust me when I As always, check Twitter and our say PHS is so special because of all of you. website for athletic schedules and live streams! Please know that I am an email away if anyone ever needs anything: advice, help, references, recommendations, college essay review, pep talks, stern looks, book IN THIS ISSUE pg. 2 Top 25 Students & Girls State suggestions, fantasy football feedback, Slurpee deliveries, etc… Please don’t be pg. 3 Navy & Army Appointments shy to reach out if you need me. pg. 4 Boys Tennis & Golf pg. 5 Girls Golf has historic season I will truly miss coming to work and spending time with all of you every day (even pg. 6 Boys Track wins TWO titles though my hair may have gotten a little grayer as a result). I wish you all the best pg. 7 Senior Awards of luck as you move onto college and continue high school; I hope you have an pg. 8 Scholars & Shop Rite Stars amazing summer, and I pray that 2021-22 and beyond are filled with health, pg. 9 Softball & Baseball happiness, success and love. I look forward to our paths crossing in the future. pg. 10 Hall of Fame Inductions pg. 11 Powderpuff & Teacher of Year pg. 12 Senior Internship Pilot Thanks, pg. 13 Senior Glammies Results pg. 14 Hawk Eye Award Winners
Dr. Mulroony PAR HIGH SENDS TWO SENIORS TO PRESTIGIOUS MILITARY ACADEMIES!! Page 3 START PROGRAM YOGA WITH DR. SARGENT
Our students within the START program enjoyed some relaxation time through yoga with Dr. Sargent. They all had so much fun and learned a form of exercise that is not only physically healthy but emotionally and mentally healthy as well. We look forward to another session with her in a few weeks!
PEN PAL PROJECT FUND RAISER FOR
Ms. Hulin’s History classes collaborated ANIMAL SHELTER with Mrs. Spautz & the START program on a pen pal project. The students wrote The students within START & letters to each other with "getting to know STRIVE formed a collaborative you" questions, jokes, and well mission to raise money and goods wishes. The students also wrote notes to for Mt Pleasant Animal Shelter- a the Arc of Essex County's Project Sunshine program that has partnered with us for adults with disabilities living in the for several years for our Work- Arc's group homes. Based Learning Program. The students wanted to give back to a business that has provided them with so much! Through this fun tricky-tray fundraiser we were able to raise $310.00! With that money, we went to PetSmart and purchased items from Mt PleasAnt Animal Shelter's wish list.
GIRLS STATE TOP 25 STUDENTS OF THE CLASS OF 2020 DELEGATES SELECTED
Congratulations to Emaan Kazmi and 1. Eileen Zhang MIT Sumaiya Rehman for being selected 2. Abigail Bresalier Muhlenberg College as delegates to Girls State! Sponsored 3. Mia Petrolino Stevens Institute of Technology by the American Legion Auxiliary, 4. Gwin Promprated Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute this nationally recognized program 5. Snigda Nadella NJIT will be held virtually again this year 6. Shreya Desai Rutgers University from June 19th – 25th. Through this 7. Elizabeth Cogan University of New England virtual program, Emaan and Sumaiya 8. Yukta Nyati Rutgers University will become “citizens” of a fictitious 9. Varshini Chennupati Ohio State University 10. Clayton Bernauer United States Military-West Point city, county, and state, and participate 11. Magdalene Dobkowski Rutgers University in the practical processes of self- 12. Yash Garala Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute government and good citizenship in a 13. Jamie Solomon Rutgers University democratic society. This unique 14. Karen Yousef Rutgers University experience will also give them an 15. Max Zhang Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute opportunity to familiarize themselves 16. Jacqueline Lui with the basic ideals and principles of 17. Gavin Cheng government, develop leadership 18. Sajjad Nazari Drew University skills, and instill a deeper appreciation 19. Anisha Patel Rutgers University for their roles as American 20. Ankitha Nagabhushan Indiana University 21. Manan Lad Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute citizens. Congratulations also to Ella 22. Para Dhulashia Rutgers University He and Ashley Skladany for being 23. Meera Mistry University of Pittsburgh selected as alternates! 24. Alessandra Parziale The College of NJ 25. Gennelle Cruz Rutgers University
PAR HIGH SENDS TWO SENIORS TO PRESTIGIOUS MILITARY ACADEMIES! KENNY JOHNSON (ANNAPOLIS) & CJ BERNAUER (WEST POINT) BEAT THE ODDS!
Congratulations to CJ Bernauer and Kenny Johnson for their acceptance to the United States Military Academy and the United States Naval Academy respectively. While it is incredibly hard to get one student into one of the Military Academies, Parsippany High School is so proud to say that TWO of our graduating seniors have gained acceptance. Knowing Kenny and CJ, it is not surprising that they were among the 10% that actually gets admitted. Applicants need to procure either a congressional nomination or a service-connected nomination and demonstrate prowess in academics, physical fitness and leadership.
PAR HIGH CHOIR NEWS
The PHS Choir has had a wonderful year! We were able to perform in a live in person concert on May 21st, which featured all of our choirs, bands, the marching band, and the jazz ensemble. The kids were so excited to be performing together once again. The Concert Choir, as well as our Chambers, Women’s, Men’s, and A Cappella ensembles learned more difficult and challenging music this year and grew so much musically! We have had several students who have been accepted by audition or who have competed in performance opportunities this year. Here are the lists of students as well as their accomplishments:
The Morris Area Honor Choir Students who were accepted by audition: Anna deLaar - Soprano 1; Camryne Aboagye - Soprano 2; Maya Lerner - Alto 1; Laura Swan - Alto 1
Students who were accepted by audition and were featured in the virtual choir performance: Chloe Budd - Soprano 1 (ranked 2nd for her voice part); Liz Cogan - Soprano 2 (ranked 4th for her voice part); Stephanie Wilson - Soprano 2 (ranked 9th for her voice part); Ashley Estrada - Alto 1; Jasmine Bollack - Alto 1; Julia Bruggeman - Alto 2; Jake Matheis - Tenor 2; Fernando Corona - Bass 2
The Arts NJ Vocal Competition: Sarah Lepre - Gold Rating; Joe Tremitiedi - Gold Rating; Chloe Budd - Silver Rating; Myesha Ali - Silver Rating; Stephanie Wilson - Bronze Rating; Karmina Wall - Bronze Rating; Abigail Collins - Honorable mention
Sarah and Joe are also currently competing in the State round, and Myesha, Stephanie, and Karmina are also competing for a second time.
NAfME All Eastern Honors Choir: Joe Tremitiedi - Tenor I; Chloe Budd - Soprano II
GIRLS LACROSSE
The Par High Girls Lacrosse team finished the season with a 2-13 Record including nice wins versus Passaic Valley and Union Catholic. They were led by senior Priscilla Wong with 17 goals and 8 assists. Jasmine Bhavsar led the team with 60 ground balls and 24 draw controls. Defensively, Sarah Katz was a stalwart and sophomore Carly Gladstone made over 100 saves her first season as a lacrosse goalie. JV finished their season 4-3 with wins over High Point, Lenape Valley, Newark East Side, and Hackettstown.
BOYS GOLF HAS TREMENDOUS YEAR The Parsippany Boys Golf team finished its successful campaign with a final record of 11-4. The team was led by Juniors Shiv Manhas and Landon Weiss. Senior Abraham Khan took a giant leap in performance this year and all three will be awarded 1st or 2nd Team All-Conference honors. Other contributing members are senior Charles Kachulis, junior Ryan Reyes and sophomores Collin Morales and Peter Giordano. The team's successful season also resulted in a 5th place finish at the Morris County Golf Tournament held on May 4. Finishing fifth is the highest the team has ever placed in that event. The team also qualified for the State Sectional Group 2 Tournament where it finished in 4th place. This year's boys golf team at PHS is likely one of the strongest in school history. BOOK CLUB READS DARIUS THE GREAT IS NOT OKAY The Par High Book Club read their third book of the year this spring, Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram, and met in the Media Center to eat ice cream and discuss the novel. As always, it was an edifying and fun experience for all. BOYS TENNIS The Redhawks tennis team had a fantastic season! They finished with 6 wins in a very tough conference. Senior Captain, Pratham Chavan had a great season at first singles including a big win over Mountain Lakes. Sophomores, Hemang Shankar and our team win leader Dhruva Chitneedi had great success at 2nd and 3rd singles. Both players had several match sealing victories for the Parsippany Tennis team. Our doubles lineup was extremely strong. First doubles Jinesh Patel and Freshman, Sakthivel BAND UPDATE Rajendran played consistent tennis throughout the season earning The bands at PHS have had an exciting spring numerous wins! Our second doubles team consisted of Eeshan this year! The Concert Band, Wind Ensemble Thatte and Senior, Ayaan Ahmed. They had great doubles and Jazz Band put in a lot of hard work and communication which resulted in big wins for us. dedication to perform in the Spring Concert Showcase, which was the first LIVE concert in Overall the 2021 boys tennis season was a huge over a year! It was an amazing experience for success! everyone involved to perform together again and in front of a live audience. Here is the link to the performance and program in case you missed it. Congratulations to all who participated in this great event, we are very proud of our students!
TOP 10 SPORTS STORIES
1. Spring Boys Track wins State Sectional and Division Championships: led by Vincent DeLucia, Dominic Romero, Joziah Johnson, Sheldon Agyemang, etc… Boys bring home multiple pieces of hardware 2. Boys Cross Country wins Conference Title and NJAC Small Schools Title: only a quarantine stopped them from winning the State Sectional Title as well…. DeLucia, Romero and Liam Hansberry stand out… 3. Softball Team makes State Sectional Final: behind the pitching of Jenna Devens and clutch hitting from Lindsay Depetris and Rachel Volarich, team wins 3 state playoff games; 15-6 record 4. Girls Golf Team completes greatest season ever with 8-4 record: the squad, led by Emma Wright, Jess Reich, Sam Egger and Emily Feola, had the most wins in school history -BALL SENIORS 5. Boys Golf Team finishes 5th in Morris County: behind Shiv V Manhas, Landon Weiss, Charley Kachulis and Abe Khan the squad had an 11- record 6. Baseball with clutch 2-1 Mayor’s Trophy win over PHHS: Preston brothers, Kevin and Dylan, excel on the mound and at the plate for the big win. 7. Maddie Christ earns 3 State Sectional Medals: junior runner advanced to Group Meet in 200m, 400m and 400m hurdles for the Girls Track Team. 8. Girls Volleyball Advances to 2nd round of State Playoffs: with a win over West Essex the girls moved onto the 2nd round 9. Girls Soccer finished 4-4-3 with a State Playoff Appearance: Giovanna Stull leads team with 9 goals; Nicole Rago locked down the middle. 10. Girls Swimming has huge win over Mo-Beard: behind huge efforts from Camryn Lewis and Emma Straub UNIFIED TRACK
GIRLS GOLF HAS HISTORIC SEASON We had a great season on Unified
Par High Girls Golf completed the greatest season in their team’s history, Track this spring! The team practiced hard for their events, worked on going 8-4 and earning wins over teams such as Randolph, Madison, Morristown-Beard and Villa Walsh. Under the coaching of Mr. Snyder, sportsmanship and made many news they were led by the four-headed monster of Jessica Reich, Emily Feola, friends. Willy Iannetta received 4th Samantha Egger and the founder of the team, Emma Wright. Congrats to place for shot put at our Morristown the girls on making history for PHS and for a tremendous season. High Track Meet. Additionally, we ended our season with a fun Hills Vs
High Parsippany Derby Unified Track Meet!
ATHLETIC AWARDS PLR 2021 A SUCCESS The Michael R. Codella Female/Male MVP Trophy James Riedinger Sydney Petzinger The 3rd annual cross- town Parsippany NJSIAA Scholar Athlete Emily Feola Leadership Retreat was a success this June, with U.S. Marine Corps Distinguished Athlete Award Kevin Preston 10th, 11th and 12th graders Lyndsey Depetris from PHHS and PHS
Northwest Jersey Athlete Conference Award Jenna Devens gathering to talk about Dominic Romero important issues facing teens today (stress, Morris County Secondary School James Riedinger academics, relationships, Athletic Director Scholar Athlete Jenna Devens social media, etc…). The
Hawk Nest Award (awarded for 12 seasons of athletics) Emily Feola Team of students who ran Diana Galante the retreat did an amazing Joel Hernandez Mendoza job of writing/delivering Jessica Reich talks and facilitating Dominic Romero small groups discussions. It was a great day for Red Hawk Award (awarded for 6 varsity letters) RedHawks and Vikings Pratham Chavan Lindsey Depetris alike. Jenna Devens Natalie Donda Emily Feola Aiden Figueroa Diana Galante Joel Hernandez-Mendoza Juan Hernandez Sarah Katz Michael Marucci Gianna McConnon Snigda Nadella Mia Petrolino Sydney Petzinger Diana Pham Kevin Preston Jessica Reich James Riedinger Dennis Ribeiro Dominic Romero Joelle Spirock Giovanna Stull Rachel Volarich Karen Yousef Lindsey Zicker
KEY CLUB The spring was a busy time for the PHS Key Club. Here are some of the things we did: - Our members virtually attended the NJ District Education Conference where our club was recognized for some of our service projects for children and Ms. Hulin was awarded The Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award for the state of New Jersey! -Members read children’s books to elementary classes at Rockaway Meadow School and at Stepping Stones School - Helped with the Parsippany Kiwanis Food Distribution and Food Drive events - Participated in the Boonton Reservoir cleanup. - Members made and distributed teacher appreciation notes for the PHS staff. - Played a fun game of “This of That” with the students in the START program As this year winds down, the Key Club is looking forward to being able to come together in person next year to continue serving our school and community.
BOYS LACROSSE
The boys lacrosse finished the season on a high note with a win against Weehawken. Senior Michael Marucci was honored with NJAC 1st- Team and NJILL 2nd-Team All-Conference awards. Our leading goal scorer, Juan Hernandez, finished the year with 17 goals and the NJAC 1st-Team Award. Freshman Malik Alzubi finished the year with a 52% faceoff win percentage, 7 goals, and 2 assists. He earned both NJAC and NJILL 1st-Team All-Conference Awards. Most importantly, the team was awarded the NJAC Sportsmanship Award, which is voted on by the other coaches in the conference.
BOYS TRACK AND FIELD WINS STATE Photography students working with some GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD SECTIONAL & DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIPS The PHS Girls Track & Field Team Canadian mo finished .500 in the dual meet portion of Despite the difficulties faced with COVID, the spring track and field the season. team found success. There were great performancesdels… by many of the athletes, and the coaches are proud of all of the athletes and wish the State Sectionals Results: seniors the best of luck in the future and look forward to next year. th Kaylin Volltrauer – 6 100m th th rd Maddie Christ – 5 200m, 6 400m, 3 On the Boys' side, they did a great job in the regular season by winning 400m hurdles the Liberty Division Title. They came a little short in the Conference 4x800m Relay – Amelia Shappell, Liana Championships but came back strong in the State Sectional Roman, Maggie Letsch, Mia Petrolino Championships winning the title in a tight race. It was truly a team effort gathering point people that stepped up and had improved performances. Morris County Results: th Maddie Christ - 4 400m hurdles State Sectional Results: th 4x400 Relay – 4 Vincent Delucia- 2nd 1600m, 2nd 3200m Joziah Johnson - 5th 110m hurdles, 4th 400m hurdles NJAC Conference Results: Sheldon Agyemang - 4th Long Jump, 3rd Triple Jump th th Kaylin Volltrauer – 6 100m, 6 Triple Dominic Romero- 6th 400m th Jump, 8 Long Jump Liam Hansberry- 4th 3200m th nd Maddie Christ – 4 400m, 2 400m Brett Reid - 6th Long Jump hurdles James Riedinger - 1st Javelin rd 4x400m Relay – 3 4x100 relay - 3rd th Chloe Budd – 7 Javelin 4x400 relay - 2nd 4x800 relay - 1st
Morris County Results: Dominic Romero – 6th 400m, 3rd 800m (1:56.09 school record) Vincent Delucia – 7th 3200m (9:44.85 school record) Joziah Johnson -- 5th 400m hurdles 4x400m Relay – 5th
NJAC Conference Results: Dominic Romero – 1st 800m Vincent Delucia – 2nd 3200m, 1st 3200m Joziah Johnson - 1st 400m hurdles 4x400m Relay - 1st Sheldon Agyemang – 5th Triple Jump James Riedinger - 1st Javelin Dennis Ribiero – 2nd Shot Put Dom Stull – 6th Shot Put
SENIOR AWARDS (not scholarships)
National Merit Commended Students: Adarsa Pedada, Mia Petrolino, Gwin Promprated
ART Exceptional Ceramic Artist Sarah Olsen Fine Arts Award Jacob Meth Outstanding Photographer Sebastian Sanchez Outstanding Painter Jacob Meth Digital Designer Award Maggie Dobkowski Mary Powles Art Award Rainie Li Essex Watercolor Club Jacob Meth
ENGLISH Outstanding English Scholar Sarah Katz Excellence in Journalism Ritika Patel Voice in Writing Award Alessandra Parziale Senior Drama Award Sarah Lepre Drama Booster Club Sarah Lepre, Kenneth Lee, Chloe Budd Totem Award Gennelle Cruz
SCIENCE Excellence in Biological Science Eileen Zhang Excellence in Environmental Science Abigail Bresalier Excellence in Chemistry Manan Lad Excellence in Physics Max Zhang
MATHEMATICS Excellence in Mathematics Varshini Chennupati, Shreya Desai, Snigda Nadella Math Team Award Gwin Promprated Math Student of the Year Eileen Zhang
MUSIC High Note Award Aiden Lafuente, Luke Alleyne, Chris Holler Eddie Jackson Memorial Award Fiona Celli
SOCIAL STUDIES Civics Award for Awareness Signda Nadella, Jacqueline, Liu Excellence in Writing Award Meera Mistry “Theodore Roosevelt Award” Ankitha Nagabhushan Outstanding Social Studies Student
WORLD LANGUAGES Excellence in French Elizabeth Cogan Excellence in Italian Alessandra Parziale Excellence in Spanish Para Dhulashia
PHYSICAL EDUCATION Physical Education Students of the Year Clayton Bernauer, Lindsey Depetris
SCHOLARS OF THE MONTH Every month we recognize students from each department for their academic performance/improvement/excellence. Here are the winners for March, April & May. They will be recognized (hopefully) with a breakfast in June.
MARCH Math: Varshini Chennupati English: Ashley Estrada SS: Mohamed Chaoub Science: Jaswanth Duddu PE/Health: Lindsey Depetris WL/ESL: Abby Bresalier Electives: Juan Lopez Ramirez APRIL Math: Yukta Nyati English: Faith Duncan SS: Carolyn Rowe Science: Chris Volltrauer PE/Health: Samman Pandey WL/ESL: Meera Mistry Electives: Marissa Cogan (Music)
TOP 25!!
SPRINGGIRLS HOOPS SHOP FINISH RITE STRONG STARS rd Congrats to our 3 and 4th Shop Rite Stars winners of 2020-21: QPIFVBQVB NBQOUVOQUAcademics: Gwin Promprated Athletics: Jenna Devens QOUVQOVThe Arts: Chloe Budd Leadership: Jasmine Bhavsar Service: Yukta Nyati QVFPBQVOUYO Academics: Abigail Bresalier Athletics: Dominic Romero The Arts: Maggie Dobkowski Leadership: Camila Martinez-Montijo Service: Hannah Go
AP PSYCH & HOSA LINK
UP FOR PANEL
A group of AP Psych and HOSA students joined me for a Q&A panel with three professionals in the field of mental health. The kids asked some great questions, and heard from our panelists on topics including how they cope with helping people with trauma, guidance on higher education, and the structures within psychiatry and child and family therapy. It was a really good time, and it was great to see students so interested in psychology and healthcare.
BALDWIN PIZZA ATHLETES OF THE WEEK WINTER SEASON
Congrats to our Baldwin Pizza Athletes of the Week for the Spring Season. Thanks for representing Par High on the athletic field. Special thanks to Baldwin Pizza for generously sponsoring this award by donating t-shirts and gift certificates to the restaurant!
Juan Hernandez – Boys Lacrosse Christina Fitzsimmons – Girls Lacrosse Abe Khan – Boys Golf Vincent DeLucia – Boys Track Emma Wright – Girls Golf Kevin Preston – Baseball Willie Ianetta – Unified Track Dhruva Chitneedi – Boys Tennis Maddie Christ – Girls Track
BASEBALL NCAA SIGNINGS
Congrats and good luck to the following seniors who are The Redhawks Baseball team finished with an 8-8-1 continuing their athletic careers in college: record, finished in the top half of the conference and qualified for the NJSIAA State Tournament. The James Riedinger – Bucknell University, Track & Field RedHawks Baseball Team also concluded the season Giovanna Stull – William Paterson, Soccer with a big 2-1 victory over Par Hills in the Mayor’s Aiden Figueroa – Western Connecticut, Football Trophy game to bring home the honor for the second Mia Petrolino – Stevens Insitute of Technology, Cross year in a row. Thank you to all of our Senior players Country & Track who have dedicated their time and effort to the Emily Chacon – NJCU, Soccer baseball program. They will be missed! Anthony, Vincent DeLucia – Vermont, Cross Country & Track Cordasco, Joe Colasuonno, Kevin Preston, Eric Elizabeth Cogan – University of New England, Rugby Maciag and Sean Wisniewski.
Congratulations to the following players for receiving all conference awards
1st Team: Nick Depietro, Anthony Cordasco
2nd Team: Kevin Preston, Andrew Vasquez
Honorable Mention: Eric Maciag
All-Academic Team: Nick Depietro
SOFTBALL
This season we had one Varsity program with 13 girls. We had a very strong season finishing with a 15-6 record. We advanced to the State Sectional Championship after winning three State games. Although we fell short in that game, the girls played with heart. We had some big wins against Pequannock, Kinnelon, Lyndhurst, Bernards, Parsippany Hills and Hanover Park. Jenna Devens started all 21 games as our pitcher and senior captain. She had 228 strikeouts on the mound and 11 home runs in the batter's box, leading our team. We played fearlessly behind her each game, while having fun. We are proud of these girls for their positive attitudes all season, and we wish the best of luck to our graduating seniors (Rachel Volarich, Lindsey Depetris, Roxanne Burby and Jenna Devens) and thank them for their strong leadership this season. We look forward to a great season for the RedHawks next year!
HALL OF FAME
Jabari Jackson ‘10 Jabari graduated from Par High in 2010 and Rowan in 2014 before receiving his Masters at Grand Canyon University. He competed at Basketball and Track & Field at PHS and continued his running career at Rowan. Jabari possesses a love for community service and social activism and founded Respect My Life Foundation (RML) in 2018. Based out of New Jersey, the organization was created to use educational and extracurricular activities to foster positive change in our communities. RML focuses on enriching the minds of people to encourage them to live out their purpose. The foundation hosts events throughout the year to empower people to seek positive outlets to live their best life. This movement does not discriminate from anyone of a certain race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or occupation. Instead it is a movement that encourages people to respect each other’s differences to allow us to live our lives with freedom. Jabari is a terrific speaker and an even better human being. He puts his words into action, working in the community (and often with PHS) to help others in need through PB&J Drives, Toy Drives, Food/Water Drives, Backpack Drives, Charity Walks, Mentoring, Coaching, etc… Jabari believes in positivity, equality, action, peace and love. To this end, he organized the hugely successful and impactful Parsippany March for Black Lives in June, 2020. The event, attended by approximately 3,000 people, was a peaceful protest that brought much-needed awareness to racial inequality.
Walter Bleuler Walter Bleuler started working as a School Social Worker at Parsippany High School in 1980, and he began coaching Track and Field and Cross Country in 1988. As a School Psychologist, Walter was hands-on, passionate and added a personal touch to his job. He worked closely with his Child Study counterparts to help families and students find success in school and beyond, making personal connections and thinking outside of the box to make a difference. As a coach, “Bleuler” was beloved by his student- athletes and his fellow coaches. His big personality and bigger heart endeared him to everyone who encountered him. Needless to say, he had an amazing career as a coach and his teams and athletes earned many accolades and records. Boys and Girls Team Championships include 5 Conference Titles, 2 Morris County Titles, 3 State Sectional Titles and 2 State Group Titles. He also coached many athletes to multiple individual honors including four Meet of Champion placers (2 MOC Champs) and two still- standing Morris County Records (4x200 Relay and 300m Dash). Bleuler was also instrumental in helping his athletes get into impressive colleges and placed 20+ of them onto NCAA Track & Field teams. For his dedication and talent as a coach, he was named the 1999 NFICA Coach of the Year for Cross Country and the 2004 Star Ledger and Daily Record Coach of the Year for Winter Track. His 2014 Team won an Outstanding Achievement Award from Parsippany Troy-Hills for winning the NJAC Conference. Bleuler retired from education in 2014 and received the Lakeland Hills YMCA Educator of the Year Award.
James Jean ‘97 James Jean (PHS ‘97) is a Taiwanese American artist who was born in Taiwan and grew up in Parsippany. Though at a young age he dedicated himself to music, James would later develop an interest in art and go on to study illustration at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. James has been a cover artist for DC Comics and Marvel Comics including titles such as Fables and Umbrella Academy, garnering seven Eisner awards, three consecutive Harvey awards, two gold medals and a silver from the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles, and a gold medal from the Society of Illustrators of New York. He also worked in advertising, and has contributed to many national and international publications. His clients included: Time Magazine, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Spin, ESPN, Atlantic Records, Target and Prada. In 2006, he won Best Artist from the World Fantasy Awards. He also did the album art for musical artists My Chemical Romance, Talib Kweli, and Linkin Park. James also created film posters for the following successful films: mother!, The Shape of Water, and Blade Runner 2049, working with famous directors Darren Aronofsky, Guillermo del Toro and Denis Villeneuve. James Jean is a world famous artist, known for his illustration, painting and sculpture.
Richie Zisk ‘67 Richie Zisk attended Parsippany High School, where he was All-State in Baseball, All-County in Basketball, and he even played Soccer. He graduated from PHS in 1967, after winning a State Championship in 1965, moved onto Seton Hall University, and he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the third round of the 1967 Major League Baseball Draft. In his major league debut, the 6’2” 208 pound righty replaced Roberto Clemente in right field in the 8th inning of a victory. “The Polish Prince” played 17 seasons as a professional, 13 in the Major Leagues (6 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, 3 with the Texas Rangers, 3 with the Seattle Mariners and 1 with the Chicago White Sox). He made two post season appearances, both with the Pirates, and he hit .400 over two series. His best season came in 1977 for the White Sox, when he batted .290 and hit 30 homeruns, driving in 101 runs. He started in left field in the 1977 All-Star Game, going 2-3 with a double off Tom Seaver and 2 RBI. He made the All Star Game again in 1978 for the Texas Rangers. In 1981, Zisk hit .311 to win the AL Comeback Player of the Year Award. He retired in 1983, finishing his MLB career with 1,453 games, 1,477 hits, .287/.353/.466, 207 HR, 792 RBI. After his playing days, Zisk earned a degree in communications and took a job in the Cubs organization in 1986. He worked as a roving instructor and scout, a hitting coach, and a manager for the Cubs High-A Daytona affiliate. He has been inducted into the Florida State League Hall of Fame and the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame.
NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY INDUCTIONS
On Thursday, May 20th, 69 senior NHS members received their gold cord in an outdoor ceremony on the football field in recognition of their exemplary standing and tremendous hard work in the Parsippany High School chapter of the National Honor Society. Immediately following, each senior went on to induct one of 78 new members with personalized speeches. The newly- inducted juniors lit candles, recited the NHS pledge, and were presented with a certificate of membership. The ceremony was live-streamed and can be viewed on Par High TV.Thank you to the seniors for all their hard work throughout the year tutoring and helping the PTSA with their bi-annual clothing drives. You were so much fun to work with and will be sorely missed! Congratulations also Hall of Fame Inductees: to our new NHS Walter Bleuler & Jabari Jackson inductees! We can’t wait to work with you next year!
TEACHER OF THE YEAR – MRS. BARRY! Congrats to Math Teacher Mrs. Megan Barry for being named the 2021 Teacher of the Year for Par High. Mrs. Barry has devoted 20+ years to the students of PHS and is widely respected by her colleagues and students. She has taught various levels of classes and has JUNIORS BEST SENIORS IN recently taken on Computer POWDERPUFF 6-0 Science as well. She is generous with her time and her talents and Par High is a better Congrats the Class of 2022 on their 6-0 victory on the place as a result! Class of 2021 in a tightly-contested Powder Puff Football Game. Abby Leibfred ran the offense and Maddie Christ led the Juniors by scoring the only TD BOYS STATE DELEGATES on a 65 yard run before the half. Defensively, Kaitlyn Mirzayev had a great game as well. The Seniors were SELECTED led by Jenna Devens, Emily Feola and Shreya Desai. As usual, the cheerleaders were….difficult to watch. Congratulations to Derek Furfaro, Sy Ghosh, and Thanks to Mrs. Van for organizing, the teacher Landon Weiss for being selected as delegates to Boys officials for reffing, Par High TV for recording, and th State! Sponsored by the American Legion, Boys State coaches for coaching! is a week-long citizenship program held each June on the campus of Rider University. While staying on
campus, Derek, Sy, and Landon will participate in a model state and develop an in-depth understanding on
how state government operates by campaigning and running for a variety of elected positions. Each student was selected on the basis of the following characteristics: Leadership, Character, Scholarship, Patriotism, and Service and are more than worthy of this prestigious opportunity. Congratulations again to all!
ELLA HE COMPETES AT DECA NATIONALS
Congratulations to Ella He for an outstanding job representing Parsippany High School at this year's International DECA Conference. Ella was a first time competitor in the Principles of Marketing event and her high scores in both the test (7th overall) and role play (10th overall) gave her a chance to compete in the finalist round, where she placed Top 15 in the country! YEARBOOK SALES
Yearbooks will be distributed as soon as they arrive at the school, most likely in mid to late June. Please continue to check your email for updates. There will be extra books available to purchase for $85.
HAWKHOUSE ONLINE SALE
Our Hawk House school store is running an online sale for apparel. The store will be open until July 15th so that all orders can be fulfilled before next school year! (Here is the link for the online store if you'd like to embed it into your newsletter - https://classactembroidery.com/index.php?route=product/manufacturer/info&manufacturer_id=137) There will also be a Hawk House store set up at graduation so you can shop in person.
ASIAN-AMERICAN CLUB NEWS SENIOR INTERNSHIP
The Asian-American Club thanks everyone who watched our Big PILOT Show - Pandemic Edition (https://youtu.be/RA-xgfwx48I), and Attention Class of 2022! We are very we double thank anyone who followed the link in the description to excited to announce a senior donate to Operation Smile! Next year's officers will spend June internship pilot program for next year. prepping all kinds of fun activities for our return to PHS next year. If A select number of seniors will have you like what we do, if you want to try something new, or if you'd the opportunity to complete their last like a cool new friend or two, consider joining AAC—we'd love to four weeks of school by participating have you! :) in an internship within a career field of
their choice. This is an excellent opportunity to gain insight into a possible career, make connections and add experience to your resume. Please check your email throughout the summer for more information.
PTA THANKS As always, huge thanks to our PTA and all of our amazing Par High parents for
supporting our school in so many ways.
NICHOLAS YAP WINS This year, despite all of the craziness, AWARD they put together a tremendously generous Teacher Appreciation Week Congrats to Par High sophomore that our staff absolutely loved. In Nicholas Yap who achieved Finalist addition, multiple PTA scholarships Status in the National Cyber Security will be awarded this spring. Finally, Scholarship Competition. Out of thanks to Trish Weiss and her Project 27,934 participants, Nicholas Graduation Committee for making this finished 429 in the National and 49th annual event take place for our seniors. in NJ! We’re looking forward to staying up all night with them!
HAWK EYE AWARDS 2021
Congratulations to our awesome 2021 Hawk Eye Award Winners! The Hawk Eye Awards are given to students, parents and staff members who exemplify the Par High Spirit by going above and beyond for our students, our school and our community. In a unique year, we have an excellent crop of RedHawks who have given their all to PHS.
Aminata Fall (12th Grade): Aminata is a talented student and dedicated member of multiple PHS Clubs. When Aminata entered Par High she was an ESL student and was learning English as she took her classes. Despite language barriers, she has always performed at a high level and exited the ESL program this year. Aminata is an officer in the African American Cultural Club and the American Muslim Association. During the past year, as we shared articles and spoke about inclusivity and racism, Aminata was a tremendous voice and generously shared her experiences.
Varshini Chennupati (12th Grade): Varshini is a tremendous student and has done an amazing job as an officer for Key Club. This year, while many clubs suffered during hybrid learning, Key Club seemed to excel, continuing to do service projects and making a difference in the school and community. In addition, Varshini has served as a team member on the cross-town Parsippany Leadership Retreat (PLT) and served as one of the leaders this year, doing an amazing job in the process. Varshini is a positive and hard-working presence in the school.
Vicky Collado (Foods Teacher): Mrs. Collado is an amazing force of positivity in the building. Her enthusiasm and energy are contagious and a big part of why our Foods program has exploded over the years. She works hard to give her students a positive and meaningful experience and plans several fun and collaborative contests for the entire school to enjoy (e.g. Cup Cake Wars!). Mrs. Collado also serves as Lead Teacher for our electives and works hard to support her colleagues and advance all classes. She is a tremendous assest to the Par High family.
Evan Intveld (Art Teacher): Mr. Intveld’s talent is only exceeded by his kindness. As an Art Teacher at PHS, he does a terrific job teaching Graphic Design, Drawing, Photography, etc… He has positive relationships with his students and encourages them to be creative and to take risks with their art. In addition, Mr. Intveld is always looking to help out around the building. When we needed a bleacher picture this year, he worked very hard to create miniature cartoon bodies for every graduates head so all of the students could be in the bleacher picture together despite Covid-19. Mr. Intveld also created the senior banner last year, made the Go Red Hawks sign on the 800 wing windows and created a beautiful page in the yearbook for Mrs. Stack last year. We appreciate all that he gives to the school.
Heidi Hansberry (Secretary): Mrs. Hansberry has been a secretary at Par High for two years now. She does an great job of greeting guests and directing traffic in the main office in addition to her other responsibilities. In addition, she has made it a priority to get involved in the school and community. She played a large role in creating the Grains of Hope charity fundraiser this past Fall and was a regular volunteer for food delivery to people in need during quarantine last spring. Mrs. Hansberry cares deeply about others and works hard to help out whenever she can.
Patty Devens (Parent): Patty Devens has been a loyal and hard-working athletic parent for the past eight years, sending three children through Par High over 20+ sports seasons. She has served as an active Booster member and officer over the years, working to raise funds and support the players and coaches as needed.
Jen and Tim Lorencovitz (Parents): Jen and Tim Lorencovitz have sent two kids through Par High (Noah and Morgan) and have another on the way (Camryn). They have made a commitment to giving back to Par High and the community in various ways. Specifically, they organized a huge pillow-making service night to benefit hospitalized children, donated a billboard in Lake Hiawatha for the Class of 2020, and this year, organized a sporting goods drive that collected over 3,800 items valued at $75,478. All of these fundraisers and events have been done in their son Noah’s name as he recovers from an injury.