March 2018 Elizabeth High School Students Take Action Against Gun Violence 6,000 students voice their concerns to elected officials at town hall meetings Nearly 6,000 students from the Elizabeth School District’s high schools raised their voices and concerns about gun violence to federal, state, county and local officials at town halls held at each of Elizabeth’s schools today. The district arranged and coordinated the town halls on the one-month anniversary of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. to give students direct contact with the officials who make gun laws and enforce safety. The meetings, coordinated with the student governments of the seven high schools, were an outgrowth of student concerns following the events in Parkland. “The action taken today by the student government at Elizabeth High School Frank J. Cicarell Academy, in collaboration with the faculty and administration, is the first step in ending a vicious cycle of mass shootings that have plagued our schools for far too long now,” said EHS Sophomore Class President Daniel Cano. “We have worked over the past couple of weeks to make today the day our voices were finally heard by the officials responsible for our safety. This is just the beginning,” said Cano. Elizabeth High School Students Take Action Against Gun Violence (cont.) Elizabeth Public Schools Superintendent Olga Hugelmeyer and Elizabeth Board of Education President Maria Z. Carvalho expressed their gratitude to the officials that spoke to the district’s high school students and felt the assemblies were very successful in allowing students to voice their perspectives on the issues of gun violence and school safety “We understand and share the frustration and fear our students have in witnessing these terrible, life- altering events,” said Superintendent of Schools Olga Hugelmeyer. “Students have a unique and important voice in this dialogue and it is imperative that we listen.” “No one has a greater interest in school safety than the students,” said Elizabeth Board of Education President Maria Carvalho. “Our students are passionate, concerned and thoughtful. Their voices count.” Elizabeth High School Students Take Action Against Gun Violence (cont.) The officials who took part in the programs were: • U.S. Senators Cory Booker and Robert Menendez • State Senators Joseph Cryan and Nicholas Scutari; and former State Senator Raymond Lesniak • Union County Freeholders Angel Estrada, Angela Garretson, Sergio Granados, and Christopher Hudak • Union County Undersheriff Amilcar Colon • Elizabeth Mayor Chris Bollwage • Elizabeth City Council members Carlos Cedeño, Manny Grova, Jr.,Kevin Kiniery, Patricia Perkins-Auguste, and Carlos Torres • Elizabeth Board of Education President Maria Carvalho and Board Members Diane Barbosa, Stephanie Goncalves, and Stanley Neron United States Senator Robert Menendez praised Elizabeth students in a video posted on his Facebook page. “I stand in solidarity with you so that we can turn ‘once again’ into ‘never again,’” said U.S. Senator Robert Menendez. “You’ve turned your mourning into a movement.” Elizabeth High School Students Take Action Against Gun Violence (cont.) Students from throughout the district felt the day’s events marked a step in the right direction toward students’ voices being heard on the issues of school safety and gun violence and making schools and students safer. “The event was very educational and an important experience. I was impressed by the speakers in today’s assembly,” said Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy Sophomore Class President Ariana Montoya. “It’s good to know the government is siding with (you) and is willing to listen to you no matter how small you feel you are. I also learned that we can be a generation of change and we can change the story by standing up and making them hear our voice.” “Today was a success! Everyone united and discussed what was important to them. Students, now, feel that their voices are being heard,” said Thomas A. Edison Career and Technical Academy Student Council Senior President Isis Luna Umanzor. "I appreciated that as a representative of student government, administration took the opinions and views of the students into consideration when organizing today's events, crafting questions for the guest speaker, and giving the student council government a greater sense of purpose," said Alexander Hamilton Preparatory Academy Student Government Vice President Elisabeth Point Du Jour. “Today we honored the lives of all of the children and young adults who have been taken away from their families and friends due to a mass shooting. All over the nation students walked out of their schools to pay tribute to them. Along (with) Dwyer Academy, (we) decided to focus on unity and made all the students be part of an assembly where we spoke to our board of education members and (faculty members) on what we, the students, believe should be taking place to prevent another school shooting,” said Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr. Health and Public Safety Academy Senior Student Council President Estrella Rivas. “I feel that lines of communication are open so that communication can continue and concerns will be heard and addressed in future town hall meetings," said John E. Dwyer Technology Academy Student Council President Fajr Wilson. “It was nice because it was a safe atmosphere; it was safer than going outside but still allowed us to keep our first amendment rights,” said J. Christian Bollwage Finance Academy Freshman Student Government representative Joseph Espinal. EHS Ranks Among Top 30 High Schools in NJ Elizabeth High School – Frank J. Cicarell Academy ranked among the top 30 schools in the state according to New Jersey Department of Education data obtained by New Jersey Advanced Media. These ratings mark the first time the state has scored each of its public high schools on a scale of 1- 100. The ratings take into account graduation rates, standardized test results, and chronic absenteeism. Scoring was based on overall performance and performance by key subgroups, including Hispanic, African American, special education, and economically disadvantaged students. EHS was ranked No. 26 among 511 public high schools in New Jersey. The rankings include each school's score out of 100 and a percentile rating, calculated by the state, comparing the school to other high schools. EHS earned a score of 86.19 which put them in the 93rd percentile. “For many years, EHS has set a high standard of excellence and has done admirably in meeting our district goals of college preparedness, career readiness, and on-time graduation,” said Elizabeth Public Schools Superintendent Olga Hugelmeyer. “EHS students continue to be accepted by prestigious postsecondary institutions throughout the country, a product of their commitment to exceptional academic performance.” Elizabeth Board of Education President Maria Z. Carvalho congratulated the students and staff members of EHS for its performance among the state’s public high schools. “I am proud of all the members of the EHS community whose hard work and dedication led to these results,” said Carvalho. “These rankings show that students from Elizabeth have the ability to compete with students from anywhere in the State of New Jersey, regardless of their ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or home language.” EPS Shines at 2018 NJAHPERD Convention EPS Supervisor of Physical Education Joseph Przytula was the recipient of the 2018 New Jersey Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance Physical Activity Champion Award at the 99th Annual NJAHPERD Convention at Ocean Place Resort and Spa in Long Branch, New Jersey. The opening evening of the four-day event included an awards banquet at which Przytula was presented with Physical Activity Champion Award that recognizes outstanding achievement in promoting quality physical activity within schools, communities, or the State of New Jersey. The following three days offered instructional and informational sessions designed to promote quality health and physical education programs. Several representatives of Elizabeth Public Schools also were among those who presented breakout sessions at the convention. Jerome Dunn Academy School No. 9 Physical Education Teacher Lacey McConkey provided a session to attendees titled, “Breaking Down Lessons: Tiered Lessons and Scaffolding Instruction.” The training session provided educators with the necessary resources to ensure they are prepared to teach students the skills needed to reach grade level proficiency, offering insight on the art of differentiation through the techniques of tiered lessons and scaffolding instruction. EPS Shines at 2018 NJAHPERD Convention Victor Mravlag School No. 21 Autism Teacher Michael Serino joined NJAHPERD Legislative Consultant Jennifer Sullivan, NJAHPERD Advocacy Chair JoAnn Doherty, and NJEA Government Relations Associate Director Marybeth Beichert in presenting “Advocacy in Your Own Backyard,” a session that offered ways to advocate for health and physical education programs and funding. Serino spoke about participating in Unified Sports, the Special Olympics of New Jersey program that joins people with and without disabilities to promote social inclusion through shared sports training and competition experiences. Przytula and Terence C. Reilly School No. 7 Physical Education Teacher Jairo Labrador presented “How Well Do Your Students Move? The Physical Competency Assessment.” The session provided information about making fitness assessment