January 2017 Volume 109

January 2017

Dear Parents/Guardians & Students,

It feels like only yesterday that I sat in my office one August morning composing my opening of school letter to all of you, welcoming the beginning of a new school year. To realize I sit in that same seat today, reviewing almost an entire semester of school life, feels somewhat surreal. Where the months go I know not; but I am grateful to be doing the journey with you.

As we prepare to acknowledge the end of first semester, the holidays move in to overtake us. Nonetheless, it is wise to pause and remind ourselves of the challenges and the rewards we have both faced and felt deeply together, all as a direct result of planning, participation, and partnership. To review them is to know that ours is a high school committed to action and devoted to a drum- beat of activity that brings new meaning to the term “engagement.” Students, parents, and staff are collectively responsible for defining the school we proudly know as Morris Hills High School.

The student activities program at Morris Hills High School has been in full motion since the beginning of the 2016 – 2017 school year. The month of September began with the Fall Pep Rally being held on Friday, September 16th. Mr. Harry Fahrer, Teacher of English, introduced each varsity sport to the student body – Girls’ Soccer, Boys’ Soccer, Field Hockey, Volleyball, Cheerleading, Girls’ Cross Country, Boys’ Cross Country, Girls’ Tennis, and Football. Once all the athletes were introduced, members of the student body participated in a series of fun-natured games. The Morris Hills Marching Band and Cheerleaders entertained the students with songs and cheers.

The annual Freshman Mixer was held on Friday, September 23rd. Students from the Class of 2020 attended the mixer. Students from the SGA and Project LEAD helped run the event. A great time was had by all.

Spirit Week was held from Monday, September 26th to Friday, September 30th. The calendar of events included the following: Pajama Day, Tie Dye Day, College Day / Sports Day, Throwback Thursday, and Class Color Day. The Hall Decorating Contest was held on Thursday of Spirit Week. Each class was assigned a junction of a hallway to decorate in class colors. Battle of the Classes was postponed until the spring because of inclement weather at the end the week.

The annual Club and Activity Fair was held during all three lunch blocks in the Main Gym on Tuesday, September 27th. At that time, representatives from each of the clubs offered at Morris Hills High School provided background and sign up information to the student body.

Homecoming was held on Saturday, October 8th during halftime of the football game. Elizabeth Costanza, Senior Class President, was named queen, and Taylor Starks was named princess. The Homecoming dance was held in the Morris Hills cafeteria after the football game. Students danced the night away, capping off a memorable homecoming week.

On October 27, 2016, Morris Hills High School opened its doors to the community for the annual Science/Technology Night. This year, there were approximately 1,500 people in attendance. Rooms throughout the high school were open to the community to participate in hands-on demonstrations and experiments including the following: the Slime Room, Exploding Canisters, Star Gaze Map with Moon Craft, 3-d Printer, Plasma Cutter, Moon Rocks, Light Demo, and Cloud Chamber, Voice Transmission via Laser, Chromatography Flowers, Water Olympics, Wonders of Weather, Bouncy Ball Science & Colors on the "Move", Fantastic Foam, DNA Extraction, Screen Printing and Silver & Gold Pennies. The event was sponsored by the Morris Hills High School and Morris Knolls High School Science Honors Societies.

The month of November saw the faculty participate in No Shave November, raising over $500 for the American Cancer Society.

th The FCCLA Club held its annual Blood Drive on Friday, November 4 . Under the leadership of Ms. Doris Lembo, MH Special Education teacher, more than seventy individuals donated blood. A special thank you goes to all those individuals who donated.

The annual Powder Puff Football Game was held on Sunday, November 6th. The Junior girls defeated the Senior girls by a score of 7 to 6. Each year, the cheerleading squad identifies a cause to donate the money raised from the event. This year, all the money raised went to kidney cancer research.

The presidential election year was an exciting opportunity for our students to engage in public issues and to prepare them for an active civic life beyond high school. In the effort to support our students’ understanding of the importance of the right to vote, the Social Studies Honor Society sponsored a voter registration drive during the fall of 2016. By way of its hard work, over eighty students successfully registered to vote. Furthermore, in a joint effort to promote the importance of civics, the Social Studies Honor Society teamed up with the Junior State of America and the Student Government Association to host a mock presidential election. Students and staff members were able to cast their vote during all lunch blocks. Morris Hills High School elected Hillary Clinton as the next President of the United States of America.

On November 15th, the Morris Hills Regional District Education Association hosted a Veterans’ Dinner to honor those veterans who sacrificed so much for our freedom. Over 140 individuals attended the dinner. The dinner celebration reminded all in attendance one of our most cherished blessings – the blessing of being free. Additionally, it reminded all in attendance that the country we share – the greatest country on earth – stands as the beacon of both freedom and democracy, The United States of America is a shining example for the world to watch – an example of what

happens when people choose to contribute to a country by committing to preserving it, protecting it, and defending it. No one deserves a salute for that service to country more than our veterans.

Under the direction of Mrs. Renee Lavin, MH English teacher, and Mr. Harry Fahrer, MH English teacher, the Fall Play, Dark of the Moon by Howard Richardson and William Berney, hit the Morris Hills stage on November 17th, 18th, and 19th. Congratulations to the cast and crew of Dark of the Moon. The play was a huge success.

The month of November closed with the Mr. Morris Hills Pageant. Mrs. Dana Schwartz, MH Physical Education teacher, Mrs. Amy Skutnik, MH Mathematics teacher, and Ms. Nancy Yaeger, MH English teacher, successfully ran the pageant once again this year. After a fierce competition of singing, dancing, and acting, Zachary Russell was named Mr. Morris Hills 2016 – 2017.

Under the leadership of Mrs. Veronica Dougherty, MH English teacher, and Ms. Kristi Diamond, MH Mathematics teacher, the Key Club collected turkeys, canned goods, and all the fixings to make Thanksgiving baskets for families of the Morris Hills High School community. Additionally, under the direction of Ms. Mary Paulson, MH World Language teacher, and Mrs. Elizabeth Maloupis, Teacher of English, the HOPE Club participated in Operation Holiday Child, creating holiday boxes filled with gifts for underprivileged children.

On behalf of the , Morris Hills High School has been inducted into the Super Bowl High School Honor Roll, celebrating schools that have contributed to Super Bowl history. The Super Bowl High School Honor Roll recognizes the high schools and communities that have positively impacted the game of football. Nearly 3,000 players and coaches and more than 2,000 high schools were recognized. Morris Hills High School received a commemorative Golden Football produced by Wilson for every player or head coach who graduated from the high school and was on an active Super Bowl roster. Morris Hills High School 1969 graduate Mr. Bruce Bannon played for legendary coach, , and was a member of the who won Super Bowl VIII. Mr. Bannon was one of the most accomplished student -athletes in the history of Morris Hills High School. He presented Morris Hills High School with the Golden Football prior to the homecoming football game on October 8th.

Fall athletics continued to bring our school community together as we supported our coaches and athletes on many playing fields. On Saturday, December 3rd, at MetLife Stadium, the Morris Hills High School Scarlet Knights Football Team captured the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 title by defeating the Parsippany Hills Vikings by a score of 27 to 14. This is Morris Hills High School’s third title in school history, ending a 41-year championship drought. Behind the offensive line of Devin Caruso, Troy Dawson, Damian Gonzalez, Nick Merz, Billy Nieman, Thomas Stoback, and Peter Stobinski, the Scarlet Knights of Daymon Fleming, Dajon Chappell, Nick Walls, Angelo Macera, and Sam Valerio, accumulated 295 yards rushing. Fleming, Macera, and Walls all scored rushing touchdowns. Senior quarterback, Daymon Fleming, also threw for a total of 34 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown pass to Devin Caruso. At the conclusion of the game, Head Coach Mike Sabo, MH Physical Education and Health Teacher, said the following to his players: “I was at the state title game in 1984 when we lost 8-7, against Rahway. A dream was born that day for me. I wanted to win a state championship at Morris Hills High School. It didn’t happen as a player, but for the past 13 years I’ve been selling the dream to the kids of Morris Hills High School and this

team bought that dream and I couldn’t be prouder of them.” On behalf of the Morris Hills High School Community, I would like to thank all the Morris Hills High School fans who came out to MetLife Stadium to cheer on the football team. Your support was fantastic and very much appreciated. In the words of “Superfan,” Ryan Sudol (MH 11th grade student), the “Hills Gang Movement” showed up on Saturday. A sectional championship now resides in Rockaway, New Jersey. Furthermore, the Boys’ Cross Country Team, under the guidance of head coach Mr. Sean Robinson, MH Science teacher, and assistant coach Mr. Pete Wittner, MH Physical Education and Health teacher, captured the Morris County Championship. The team was led by senior Alex Pai who finished 3rd, senior Michael Creighton who finished 9th, senior Nalin Chopra who finished 11th, sophomore Matt Morena who finished 13th, junior Daniel Rivera who finished 21st, senior Mike Morena who finished 26th, and junior Sean Bruseo who finished 28th. The top five runners averaged 16:19, the best in Morris County history. The runners claimed the Frank Fox Memorial Trophy, named after the former Morris Hills High School Scarlet Knights’ coach, whose team won the first two titles in 1954 and 1955. For its efforts, the Boys’ Cross Country Team was named Daily Record Team of the Year.

Academically, we moved forward with quarterly assessments across the curriculum. As a result of our district’s summer read, we opened our doors to Holocaust survivors who shared their stories of survival. Through their experiences, we embraced their voices in identifying our over-all school theme for 2016-2017 – UNITED IN THE EMBRACE OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT. We once again have studied the results of the PARCC state assessment, administered last spring, and participated in deep conversation, joining educators across the state. We administered the PSATs on October 19th to all freshman, sophomores, and juniors. We welcomed several new faculty members to our professional family, easing their transition to their new professional responsibilities here at Morris Hills High School.

In short, school life has been hectic and perhaps that is the pace that keeps us all young and alive.

As we prepare for next semester, in all of its dimensions, I wish to extend to each of you the very best of the holiday season. May it be filled with health, kindness, and love for you and for all those special people in your lives who bring you meaning. However you celebrate, may you find some quality time to reflect on the many blessings that inform your life. Please know how grateful I am to acknowledge the part you play to contribute to mine.

The best of the holiday season to you all.

In the Spirit of Partnership,

Todd M. Toriello Principal

HAZING, HARRASSMENT, BULLYING AND CYBER BULLYING

“HAZING” is exacting humiliating performances from or playing rough practical jokes on another individual.

“HARRASSMENT, INTIMIDATION OR BULLYING” means any gesture, written, verbal or physical act, or any elec- tronic communication, that takes place on school property, at any school sponsored function or on a school bus and that: 1. Is reasonably perceived as being motivated by any actual or perceived characteristic, such as race, color, religion, ances- try, national origin, gender, sexual orientation gender identity and expression, or a mental, physical or sensory disability, or 2. By any other distinguishing characteristics; and 3. A reasonable person should know, under the circumstances, that the act(s) will have the effect of harming a pupil or damaging the pupil’s property, or placing a pupil in reasonable fear of harm to his/her person or damage to his/her prop- erty; or 4. Has the effect of insulting or demeaning any pupil or group of pupils in such a way as to cause substantial disruption in, or substantial interference with, the orderly operation of the school 5. Creates a hostile educational environment for the pupil by interfering with a pupil’s education or by severely or perva- sively causing physical or emotional harm to the pupil.

Acts of harassment, intimidation or bullying may also be a pupil exercising power and control over another pupil, in either isolated incidents (e.g., intimidation, harassment) or patterns of harassing or intimidating behavior (e.g., bullying).

“CYBER BULLYING” is the use of electronic information and communication devices, to include but not be limited to, e -mail messages, instant messaging, text-messaging, cellular telephone communications, internet blogs, internet chat rooms, internet postings, and defamatory websites, that: 1. Deliberately threatens, harasses, intimidates an individual or group of individuals; or 2. Places an individual in reasonable fear of harm to the individual or damage to the individual’s property; or 3. Has the effect of substantially disrupting the orderly operation of the school.

In the event that hazing, harassment, bullying or cyber-bullying was committed by a school pupil away from school grounds, the Building Principal or designee may report the investigation results to the appropriate law enforcement agency. In addition, school authorities have the right to impose consequences on a pupil for conduct away from school grounds when it is reasonably necessary for a pupil’s physical or emotional safety.

Any form of HAZING, HARASSMENT, INTIMIDATION, BULYING, CYBER-BULLYING, or such harassment of any kind between students, shall be dealt with the severest of fashions to include, but not be included, but not be limited to, IN- SCHOOL SUSPENSION, OUT-OF-SCHOOL SUSPENSION, REMOVAL FROM TEAM OR CLUB, PRINCIPAL’S OR SUPERINTENDENT’S HEARING. Hazing, harassment, intimidation or bullying in any form is absolutely forbidden and will be assessed as the greatest form of interpersonal disrespect.

Ay concerns or reports of harassment, intimidation or bullying should be reported to an administrator or the District Anti- bullying Specialist. The District Anti-bullying Specialist is Mr. Nicholas Norcia. He can be reached at 973-664-2324.

The board’s policy (5512) prohibiting harassment, intimidation and bullying and explaining the consequences of such ac- tions can be found on the district main website (www.mhrd.org) as well as on the Morris Hills school website. Copies of the policy are also available in the Main Office.

Not on our watch

KNIGHT TIMES

Fall Season Honors 2016—2017

Boys Cross Country– Coach Sean Robinson Girls Soccer – Coach Janel Jones

Alexander Pai* 1st Team All Conference Ayla Lopez* 1st Team All Conference Nalin Chopra* 1st Team All Conference Maddison Perna* 1st Team All Conference Matt Morena* 1st Team All Conference Maggie Rogers* 2nd Team All Conference Michael Creighton* 1st Team All Conference Cat Rewick* 2nd Team All Conference Daniel Rivera* 1st Team All Conference Victoria Aspiazu Honorable Mention All Conference Mike Morena* 2nd Team All Conference Sean Bruseo* 2nd Team All Conference Kevin McNally Honorable Mention All Conference Field Hockey – Coach Megan Spitzer

Julia Catalano* 1st Team All Conference Jenna Catalano* 2nd Team All Conference Girls Cross Country – Coach Lauren Jackson Amy Amara Honorable Mention All Conference

Megan Goulden Honorable Mention All Conference Emily Ormen Honorable Mention All Conference Football– Coach Mike Sabo North Section II, Group III State Champions Nick Walls* 1st Team All Conference Daymon Fleming* 1st Team All Conference Billy Nieman* 1st Team All Conference Boys Soccer – Coach Robert Harkins Devin Caruso* 1st Team All Conference Justin Kaufman* 1st Team All Conference Dajon Chappell* 1st Team All Conference Toba Olokungemi* 1st Team All Conference Sam Valerio* 2nd Team All Conference Juan Alzate* 2nd Team All Conference Rey Almodovar 2nd Team All Conference Rob Vento* 2nd Team All Conference Angelo Macera* 2nd Team All Conference Chris Grilk Honorable Mention All Conference Damian Gonzalez 2nd Team All Conference Tom Stoback Honorable Mention All Conference Troy Dawson Honorable Mention All Conference Girls Tennis – Coach Meaghan Barger

Aakriti Mathur* 2nd Team All Conference

Sneha Ranade * 2nd Team All Conference *NJAC All Academic Team Criteria: Must be Maia Iyer Honorable Mention All Conference selected All Conference for 1st or 2nd Team Resham Sansi Honorable Mention All Conference plus have an 85 or better grade average for the first quarter.

Volleyball – Coach Christina Hobson Sportsmanship Counts! Team Sportsmanship Award Katherine Pelkey* 1st Team All Conference Jamie O’Shea * 1st Team All Conference Zosia Krzywicki Honorable Mention All Conference

ALL ATHLETIC SCHEDULES CAN BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE AND ARE UPDATED DAILY. www.mhrd.org

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Morris Hills School Calendar

January February

4 Home & School Meeting-7pm 1 Home & School Meeting —7pm Faculty Room Faculty Room 10 8th Grade Orientation-6pm 8 Winter Band Concert-7:30pm 11 Early Dismissal - Teacher In-Service 17-20 School Closed - Winter Break 16 School Closed-Martin Luther King 27 G&T Showcase Block 4/8 31 End of 2nd Marking Period

March April

1 Home & School Meeting-7pm 5 Home & School Meeting —7pm Faculty Room Faculty Room 8 Mid Point 3rd Marking Period 11 End of 3rd Marking Period 10 Tricky Tray-6pm 12 Gr. 10 Pre-College 16-18 Spring Musical-7pm Planning Night—7pm 27-Apr 7 PARCC Testing 13 Senior Event-Dodgeball –5:30pm 30 ERASE Dinner-5:30pm 13 Tri M Induction Ceremony-4pm 17-21 School Closed-Spring Break 26 NHS Induction Ceremony—7pm

Our School Calendar can also be accessed at: www.mhrd.org

Follow us on Twitter @MHActivities

Check out MH Activities on YouTube

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ATTENDANCE S.A.T Prep Call our 24-Hour Attendance Line (973) 664-2305. KAPLAN S.A.T. PREP - WINTER/SPRING SESSIONS: $599 New Lower Pricing!! (for Morris Hills Regional District Leave the student’s name, your relationship to the student students only) and a brief reason for the ABSENCE/TARDY. Messages may be left in English or Spanish. Morris Hills High School Sessions: Mon/Wed: March-April If a student has not been “Called In”, we will call home to find out the reason for the ABSENCE. Morris Knolls High School Sessions: If there is no answer, we will leave a message for the Sat/Tues/Thurs: January - March Parent/Guardian to call us. Sat/Tues/Thurs: May If the call is not returned by the end of the school day, the student will be disciplined according to district policy. Call Kaplan directly for course details and to register 1-(800) KAP-TEST or visit www.Kaptest.com/college Phone calls are made electronically so it is important that accurate phone number information has been provided to PRINCETON REVIEW S.A.T. PREP - WINTER/ the school. If you have not received any electronic phone SPRING SESSIONS: $599 ( for Morris Hills Regional calls from the school this year, your phone number may District students only) need to be updated. You can do this by calling (973) 664-2329. Morris Knolls High School Sessions: Mon/Wed/Sat: February-March Doctor’s notes must be original or faxed directly from the Mon/Wed/Sat: April—May doctor’s office. Call Princeton Review directly for course details and to register 1-(800) 2-REVIEW or visit www.princetonreview.com

Spring Standardized Testing Practice Standardized Tests for College Admissions The Morris Hills Regional District will be testing all students in grades 9-11 and selected seniors during the Morris Hills Guidance Department and the testing preparation month of April. company C2 Education are offering the opportunity for all

sophomores and juniors to take free college entrance exams to Students in grades 9, 10, and 11 will take the Partnership help prepare them for the ACT. for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers

(PARCC) beginning March 27th to April 7th. The To beat the ACT, one of the most important things you can do PARCC assessment will test students in English Language is practice and educate yourself for what to expect. Arts and Mathematics. The PARCC English Language Arts sections are tested by grade. The PARCC Mathematics On Wednesday, January 11th beginning at 1:00pm we are section is tested by subject which includes Algebra 1, Ge- offering a Practice ACT to expose our students with the ACT ometry, and Algebra II. testing experience and educate themselves with their strengths

and weaknesses. Attendance on these testing days is critical. Please make every effort to ensure your child is in school on time during Students can register for this FREE test on: this week. www.c2educate.com/morrishills//

If you would like more information, please contact your child’s guidance counselor. For more information, please contact your school counselor or call the Guidance Office at 973-664-2329. Guidance Office 973-664-2329

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Morris Hills Student Activities 2016 – 2017

What are some benefits for students being involved in extracurricular activities?

1.Learning Time Management & Prioritizing a. Adults are required to juggle a variety of tasks, responsibilities, and time commitments. Extracurricular activities allow students to practice this very important skill.

2.Getting involved in Diverse Interests a. Morris Hills has over 60 clubs/activities. By getting involved in some, it allows them to explore various interests that they may have.

3.Learning about Long Term Commitments a. By joining a club, students commit themselves to that activity for a period of time. Learning to take on these commitments helps to prepare them for life outside of Morris Hills.

4.Making a Contribution a. This is an extremely valuable experience for all of our students to have! Student activities allow adolescents the opportunity to do good by others, and help those in need.

5.Raising Self-Esteem a. By finding something that they are good at, or by surrounding themselves with people who share similar passions, students can find an outlet that only activities can fill.

6.Building Solid Relationships a. All of the club members that our students will meet will share the same passions as them. Often times, some of the best friends are made during club events!

AVID

AVID is an acronym that stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. AVID is a nationwide, four-year program that is designed to help students in the academic middle prepare for and succeed in high school and college. With individual support by trained faculty, students will pursue a challenging and rigorous curriculum while investigating careers and colleges, learning more effective study strategies, and working collaboratively with like-minded peers. The AVID approach is based on rigor and high expectations, however the core component of the program is the AVID elective, which lends support to students as they tackle the school’s most rigorous classes. Over the course of four years, students will work with their AVID elective teacher and specially trained tutors to develop independent study skills, questioning techniques, and career awareness.

AVID at Morris Hills:

In September 2016, the MHRD proudly wel- comed 24 students into the AVID Class of 2020

Currently we have 78 AVID students in grades 9-12

There are 33 AVID-trained teachers/guidance counselors at Morris Hills (at least 2 in each core academic discipline)

AVID Class of 2018

AVID College Visits In the 2016-2017 school year, our AVID students visited The College of New Jersey, Ramapo College, Manhattan College, Penn State University and Rutgers University. These visits, arranged by the AVID Elective teachers, gave our AVID students the opportunity to tour the col- lege campus and meet with admissions counselors who gave them a better understanding of the caliber of student that these colleges and universities are looking to accept. During the AVID Elective, students debriefed from their visits and discussed some of the valuable information they learned as well as their opinions about the campus tours. For many of our AVID students this was a very exciting

opportunity as it was their first visit to each campus! AVID Field Day 2016

AVID Students of the Month AVID Teachers of the Month

Ms. McCarthy Ibrahim Walayat Clemente Garcia-Morales A. Ibrahim & C. Rugel Mrs. Patterson Ms. Penkalski Math AVID 10 AVID 11 AVID 11 English/AVID Math

Elective

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WEATHER RELATED EMERGENCIES

When weather conditions pose a potential hazard to our students, the decision to close or delay the opening of school will be made by the Chief School Administrator. Parents and guardians will be contacted about these closings and delays via the School Messenger System. Additionally, parents and guardians may obtain school closing or delay information by doing the following:

 Calling 973-664-2300 Option 13  Visiting the school website at www.mhrd.org  Tuning in to: Channels 4, 5, 7 or 12 WDHA/WMTR 105.5 FM/1250 AM WSUS-102.3 FM

TELEPHONE NUMBERS 973-664-2300 and select option

General Office - 2 Guidance Office - 3 Attendance Office - 4 Athletic Events - 5 Athletic Office - 6 Health Office - 7 Child Study Team - 8 Adult High School - 9 Morris County Academy - 10 Transportation - 11 Board of Education - 12 Snow Closing or Delays - 13

Web Site - www.mhrd.org

Directions to Area High Schools www.mhrd.org-features-athletic directions