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NVOT Technology Student Receives Recognition at State Competition

Michael Bucceroni, a fourteen year-old freshman at Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan placed third at a recent statewide high school competition. Michael competed in the “Technical Sketching & Application” event at the state Technology Student Association (TSA) conference held on April 15, 2008 at the College of New Jersey in Ewing. The event included competitors from about twenty-five other schools from around the state all of which were challenged to complete a written test then create a technical sketch of an object from a given drawing. To prepare for the competition he took two courses in the Technology Education department at the school this year, “Technical & Architectural Design” and “Innovations and Inventions.”
This marked the third top three finish by Northern Valley at Old Tappan at the state TSA conference over the past three years and the first by a ninth grade student.
The Technology Student Association is a club at NVOT and is advised by Mr. Dave Janosz. The club has fifty-four student members, fifteen of which attended the TSA State conference.

 

NVOT Students Receive Japanese Speaking Awards

Minji Lee (a sophomore in AP Japanese) won first prize in the speech contest sponsored by the Northeast Council of Teachers of Japanese. She received a free round trip air ticket as a prize and will go on to the national competition in Los Angeles during Memorial Day weekend. The title of her speech is "Unpredictable Teenagers - Are we adults or children?"
In addition, Megan Shoemate (a junior in Japanese 3 Honors) and Lisa Chan (a sophomore in Japanese 2 Honors) received "Japanese Excellent Student" awards from Seton Hall University.
NVOT Students Receive Panasonic Grant

Thanks to the performance of six students from the Technology Education department at Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan (NVOT), the school received a five hundred dollar grant from the Panasonic Corporation in Secaucus.
Since November, students Andreas Fanelli, Alex Ludewig, William Ocasio, SungNam Park, Sean Reilly, Josh Scheffler, had been working on a project to compete in the Panasonic Creative Design Challenge. The competition, titled “Murky Waters, ” was offered in partnership with the New Jersey Institute of Technology and required students to construct a device from found materials capable of navigating a course of marbles, bumps, ramps, and a net-drop while “rescuing” LEGO people along the way.
The students competed against nearly one-hundred teams from across the state and, after making it through a preliminary competition in January, earned their way to compete at the finals on April 8, which were held at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. Only about thirty teams made it all the way through the finals, two of which were from NVOT, earning them this recognition. Other aspects of the competition included the keeping of an engineering logbook, writing a written report, and making an oral presentation about their device.
“We are very excited to receive this grant, ” said Dave Janosz, Technology Education teacher and coach of the NVOT teams. “We’ll put the money toward next year’s competition where we’ll hope to be in the running for the scholarships and other prizes offered by the organizers of the event. ”

 

New Menu Announced at NVOT's Cafeteria

Most parents remember that the food in the school cafeteria was nothing but a starchy mix, with French fries and ice cream or cookies. Not any more! Just before the December recess, the OT Cafeteria released a new menu that offers foods for all dietary concerns. If a student wants to make a sandwich or wrap they can. If they want to make a salad or a waffle, they can do that too. For those who want a vegetarian meal, just read the new menu and make a selection.

A few months ago junior Angela Scot asked if we could offer "Veggie" burgers for lunch. After a few meetings with our Pomptonian staff a new menu was designed. Even the faculty lunch menu has changed. Students can pre-order meals as well. They can complete a pre-order form and drop it off in the cafeteria in the morning or email Mrs. Martensen with their request. Soon the menu will be posted on line. Thanks to the initiative of a few students ‘Healthy Choices’ has become a reality. The lunch room is now more popular than ever.

In addition, more students are using their ID swipe card to pay for meals. You may remember last summer a mailing was sent to parents offering this new meal payment plan, similar to what students can do in college. The student selects their food items and swipes their card. The cafeteria clerk looks at the student photo and confirms it is the person making the purchase, then debits the account. It is that easy. If you are still interested in using this method of payment have your child bring in cash or a check to the cafeteria and they will activate an account. Any concerns about the menu or payment plan should be addressed thru the cafeteria or administration.


Sophomore Parents Night Announced
A program on the College Selection Process is planned for March 18th at 7PM in the Demarest Auditorium. A panel of college admissions representatives will present.

January 3, 2008 is Alumni Return Day when members of the OT Class of '07 will speak to seniors and juniors about their college experiences. This is an annual program that is always informative and enjoyable for OT students and alumni.

NVOT National Merit Winners Announced
We are proud to announce that Old Tappan had five National Merit Semi-Finalists for 2008. Congratulations to Jenny Choi, Lisa Jaris, Sarah Moon, Jennifer Park, and Steven Sloane. Based on their 2006 PSAT scores, they qualify to compete nationally to become finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Corporation Program. We wish them well at the next level of competition.

Commended Students
Congratulations to 2008 National Merit Commended Students: Jon Ahn, Alexander Byun, Yuri Chang, Courtney Chung, Amanda Clarke, Franklin Brielle, Jacqueline Hwang, Sarah Joo, Douglas Kim, Alexis Kral, Chanhan Lee, Damian Lee, Jaclyn Millstein, Jonathan Pearson, Hyunwoo Shin, Ki-Chul Shin, and Ji Yeon Yom.

NVOT ATHLETIC DIRECTOR’S CORNER WINTER EDITION
So far, it has been an excellent winter season. All of our teams have qualified for the State and County tournaments. Numerous teams have either clinched or are on the verge of clinching their league titles.

The boys’ basketball team is currently in second place behind a very good Northern Highlands team. We lost twice to Northern Highlands and there are four league games left. There is still a possibility of the team tying or winning the league, but it will be tough. The boys were in the Bergen County Tournament on February 3rd and lost to a very good Teaneck team. We were up by twelve points at half-time but we ran out of energy. The team is currently ranked in the top twenty in the Bergen Record polls. Anthony Messina was the McDonalds Athlete of the Month for January for his stellar three point shooting.

The girls’ basketball team is currently in first place in the league and ranked in the top ten in the Bergen Record polls. The team won the first of two Bergen County Tournament games and then defeated Rutherford at Becton High School on Feb. 10th. Girls’ basketball player Chanel Van Dyke was selected as the NVOT recipient of the National Women in Sports Day. On Sunday, Feb. 13th she was honored, with her parents in attendance, at Seton Hall University. Senior Samantha Sinatra was selected as the McDonald’s Athlete of the Month for her outstanding basketball performances during January.

The Dance Team competed in the National Dance Competition in Florida during the first week of February and once again Head Coach Lynn Phenix led the team to an awesome finish. The team took first place in the Small Varsity Pom C Division and then proceeded to take fifth in the nation against all other divisions. In the Small Varsity Jazz B Division, the team placed seventh out of twenty teams. NVOT was seventeenth out of fifty-eight teams in the nation in the Jazz Division.

The boys’ Bowling Team is currently in second place in the NBIAL. They are two games behind Fair Lawn. In the final week of the season the team will meet Fair Lawn. Senior Cameron Jaworski has had an incredible year. The boys’ team finished fourth in the Bergen County Tournament and Senior Kim Berit, a member of the Girls’ Bowling Team, also finished fourth in the Bergen County Tournament.

The wrestling team is ranked number two in the Bergen County polls. The team was ranked third and qualified for the Districts but lost to Montville High School by only one point on February 11th.

Congratulations to the boys Track Team for capturing the NBIAL title this season.
The Golden Knights Athletic Association donated a rain tarp for the baseball team and an outdoor portable stereo and speaker system for the softball team.

The winter Sports Award Banquet will be held at the Colonial Inn on Wednesday, March 12, starting at 6:30 p. m.

On May 22nd and 23rd, Northern Valley will host the Bergen County Track and Field Championships. The Golden Knights will operate the snack stand and could use your support. Please contact Athletic Director Tom Kaechele to help at 201-784-1600 ext. 24230.

The Golden Knights Athletic Association has plans for their annual golf outing on Wednesday, June 25, 2008. For information on sponsoring a hole or entering the outing please contact Athletic Director, Tom Kaechele at 201-784-1600 x 24230. Support the Golden Knights!

NVOT WINTER MUSIC NEWS
PRISM Concert
Everyone is invited to attend the 2008 Prism Concert at Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan on Thursday, March 27 at 8:00 pm. This multi-textural concert of continuous music for winds, percussion and strings provides an evening of unique enjoyment and showcases the extensive talents of our students. The musical concept is based on the fact that all the works on the program proceed without interruption, each piece blending into the next without applause, so the entire concert becomes one continuous composition. This is analogous to the way a prism breaks white light into the various colors of the spectrum, each unique, but all enjoined. The program will include the Wind Symphony, Concert Band, String Ensemble, and Jazz Band. In addition, acclaimed saxophonist Lois Hicks-Wozniak, formerly of the United States Military Academy Band at West Point, will be featured soloist with the Wind Symphony. Several student chamber ensembles, including string quartets, piano trio, saxophone quartet, and more will perform. This concert will serve as the final dress rehearsal for the Wind Symphony and String Ensemble before their adjudicated performances in Washington DC on April 4.
The conductors include Curt Ebersole, and Matt Bilyk, Jazz Band Director. This concert marks the seventeenth in a series of Prism Concerts at NVOT. Mr. Ebersole initiated the concept in 1992, when he customized the performance idea, borrowed from the Eastman School of Music.
Please reserve this date for an exciting evening. Admission is free.

2008 Music Festival Trips
Chorus & ACE/NYC Festival Trip
Students in the NVOT Chorus and ACE Singers will be taking part in a choral festival sponsored by the New Jersey American Choral Directors Association on Friday, May 2, 2008 at Kean University in Union, New Jersey. They will present prepared repertoire to a panel of judges who will evaluate the group’s performance based on a national standard. After this performance, Chorus and ACE members will have the opportunity to hear several other New Jersey high school choirs perform. From Kean University they will travel into NYC, have dinner, then they will see the 8:00 pm performance of A Chorus Line.
Concert Band/Hershey Trip
The Concert Band trip is planned for Hershey, Pennsylvania on Friday, May 9. Educational Programs Network, the same company with whom the band has traveled with over the past several years sponsors the festival. The day will include an adjudicated performance at Hershey High School in the morning, and time to enjoy Hershey Park in the afternoon.

Washington Trip
Members of the Concert Choir, String Ensemble, and Wind Symphony will be traveling to Washington, D.C. for our Music Festival adjudication from April 3-5, 2008. In addition to our musical performances and the dinner/show and awards ceremony at Medieval Times, highlights of this trip will include time at the Smithsonian and a special student dinner/entertainment activity. Performances for these three ensembles will be adjudicated, with the participating groups receiving awards for both ratings and rankings.

2008 Bergen County Chorus & Band
NVOT was once again represented at our annual All-County Concert. At the choral auditions held in October, the following students were selected to participate in the 2008 Bergen County Chorus: Aaron Baek, Jae Sun Ha, Joon Han, Yu Soo Lee , John McKenna, Kevin McKenna, Leann Ostrow, Brian Rodriguez, Alexandra Weinstein, Olivia Woo, & Stephanie Wu. Special kudos go to Leann Ostrow, who earned the highest score in the county on her voice part. Congratulations to these talented NVOT singers!
The Bergen County Band auditions were held on December 4, 2007. Twenty-nine students auditioned, and eleven students were selected: Minji Cha & Julie Kyung, flute; Yuri Chang, oboe; Tammy Ha, bassoon; Jacki Hwang, Jenny Choi, Danny Park, & Julie Ahn, clarinet; Jack Miele, trumpet; Brian Lee, tuba; and Melissa Skolnik, traps percussion. Special recognition goes to Yuri, who finished first among the oboes for the second consecutive year, and sat first chair. The annual All-County Music festival is sponsored by the Music Educators of Bergen County, Inc. The festival rehearsals and performance took place during the week of January 7, culminating in a concert at Northern Valley-Demarest High School on Sunday, January 13.

Honor Ensemble Auditions
Region Band & Orchestra Auditions
Auditions for the 2008 North Jersey School Music Association Region Bands and Orchestra (grades 9-12) were held on Saturday, January 5. The following students qualified for Band: Yuri Chang, oboe; Anthony Kim, bassoon; and Jacki Hwang, Bb clarinet. Students qualifying for orchestra include: Minjeung Kim, U-Jin Lee, Sarah Rhee, Soowhen O, violin; Michelle Lee, viola; and Anthony Kim, bassoon.Auditions for the Jr. Region Band & Orchestra (ninth grade only) were held on Saturday, February 2. The following students qualified: Julie Kyung (band and orchestra) and Kimberly Chen (band), flute; and Stephanie Chen (band and orchestra) and Danny Park (band), clarinet; and Eugene Kim (orchestra), trombone.

Little Shop of Horrors
Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan presented a thrilling new production of an American Musical Classic. The morality tale of Faust’s deal with the devil is given a classic rock update in Little Shop of Horrors, one of the longest-running shows of all time. A down-and-out skid row floral assistant becomes an overnight sensation when he discovers an exotic plant with a mysterious craving for fresh blood. Soon the plant grows into an ill-tempered, foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore who offers him fame, fortune, and the girl of his dream—in exchange for feeding its growing appetite. This affectionate reinvention of 1950’s horror & sci-fi movies spawned a major Broadway arrival in 2004, a hit film (starring Rick Moranis and Steve Martin) and more than three-hundred productions in the United States every year. Songwriting team Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, who redefined the animated musical film with Disney’s The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, crafted an unforgettable score with songs written in the styles of Motown, classic rock, power ballads, R & B, doo-wop, and girl groups.
Our most ambitious production to date allows award-winning Northern Valley to show off its gifted comic actors, its powerhouse singers and its enormously talented crews. It’s not just the plant taking over the world. Skid Row will take over the NVOT auditorium as giant puppets, bloody special effects, thunder storms, and intricate sets create the dirty nuances and bloody crevices of Downtown.
This year’s cast features: Christian Arencibia, Gianna Catalano, Dori Cochran-Stiff, Kayley Collins, Ashley Crooks, Victoria DeSantis, Kelly Driscoll, John Dunlea, Kailey Eininger, Patrick Gambuti, Becky Kaplan, Minjeung Kim, Bobby Latrenta, Brian Lieberman, Sean Lofgren, Aleia Mangano, John McKenna, Liz McLaughlin, John Miele, Maia Nisnevitch, Christine O’Neill, Katie Pearson, Jack Phinney, Brian Rodriguez, Nicole Romano, Hannah Rosen, Jonathan Rudnitsky, John Schettino, Leanne Schettino, David Shin, Julia Sloane, Dan Spaventa, Dylan Steinfeld, Luke Van Brandenburg, and Dale Veselsky. The production crews will be managed and led by Matt Amos, Bradley Groarke, Lily Hewitt, and Jonathan Pearson. The performances took place the first weekend in March.

NVOT Tech Teacher Travels to Germany
Mr. David Janosz, a Technology Education teacher from the Northern Valley Regional High School in Old Tappan recently traveled to Germany to help lead a discussion among conference participants from twenty-six countries. The event, “Meeting the Growing Demand for Engineers and Their Educators 2010-2020, ” was hosted and sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Siemens Corporation and was held at the Arabella Grand Sheraton hotel in Munich, Germany on November 9-11, 2007.

Mr. Janosz participated as a member of the conference Organizing Committee and moderated a paper session and led an ongoing discussion through the conference about ways to attract students and teachers to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. “It was interesting to learn that these issues have no international boundaries, though India and China really don’t have an issue about quantity of future engineers and their educators, ” said Janosz about his experience. “If the concern isn’t about quantity of young people entering these fields, it certainly is about quality. ”

During breakout group discussions Mr. Janosz led a small group discussion and interacted with engineers and academics from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, South Africa, Portugal, China, and France. The proceedings were in English and all attendees were challenged to create an action plan to address the issues related to this conference. Summaries of breakout discussions will be compiled by IEEE and released within two months.

Mr. Janosz is the Executive Director of the New Jersey Technology Education Association, a group that has worked with the IEEE on similar initiatives in the past. “New Jersey has a rich history of invention and innovation and at this juncture we want to ensure our students are not only comfortable working in a global economy, but thrive in it, ” Janosz added. “I think that international discussions like the one held in Germany need to continue and can have an impact locally. We’re experiencing a severe shortage of Technology Education teachers here, so if we have to look to discussions like these for ideas for potential solutions, we will. We’ll look anywhere for viable solutions at this point. ”

WNVW Visits New York Radio Stations
In December, many of the staff members of WNVW had the rare opportunity to see firsthand how professional radio stations operate. Mr. Morehouse (aka T. Allen Moore, heard daily from 12 – 2:00) made arrangements for WNVW DJs, K.T., Michael Thomas, Willy Angel, Charlie Crew, Bryan Mann, Davy Jones, Dani Sweet and Brian Love, along with Sports Reporters Brian Hoff and Al Derek and Music Director, Sarah, to tour the facilities and meet the staffs of WFUV, the nationally known PBS affiliate operating on the campus of Fordham University in the Bronx, and WAXQ, better known as Q104.3 the Classic Rock station that was sharing studio and office space with Power 105 and Lite-FM in the Hippodrome building in midtown Manhattan. And they rode in style, in a stretch Hummer limousine which drew plenty of stares and even videotaping by tourists as it motored down Fifth Avenue!

At both stations WNVW staffers had the chance to meet and speak with radio pros Darren DeVivo, Maria Milito, Bob Buchmann and Bob Ahrens. In addition to learning how professional broadcasting functions, at Fordham the students got to have a Q&A session with several college students who work at WFUV and later at WAXQ, producer Rick Gangi gave everyone a chance to step into the recording booth and record what's called an Image promo ("Q104.3") that the DJs at the "Q" insert randomly between songs during their shows, which means WNVW's voices are now being heard on New York's Classic Rock station!
With the exception of not having time to stop for lunch, it was an absolutely fabulous learning opportunity said Mr. Morehouse, who is already thinking about another trip, "We've been invited by Program Director Bob Buchmann to come to WAXQ's new studios in Tribecca next year". Next up for WNVW, however, is a live lunchtime dedication show on Valentine's Day. You can tune in to WNVW 24/7 at http://wnvw.nvnet.org.
 
Old Tappan Events at a Glance
These events are subject to change