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Two Ridgewood High School Students One of 175 Students Nationwide to Earn Perfect Scores on National Latin Exam

Sophomores Brian Chun and Patrick Callen earn a perfect score for the intermediate reading comprehension test

Not one but two Ridgewood High School (RHS) students have earned perfect scores on this year's National Latin Exam. More than 100,000 Latin students worldwide take the Exam each year, of which only 1% achieve a perfect score. RHS sophomores Brian Chun and Patrick Callen achieved perfect scores for the Intermediate Latin Reading Comprehension test.

Sponsored by the American Classical League and the National Junior Classical League, the National Latin Exam is a multiple-choice 45-minute test offered to students on seven levels: Introduction to Latin, Beginning Latin, Intermediate Latin, Intermediate Latin Reading Comprehension, Advanced Latin Prose, Advanced Latin Poetry, and Advanced Latin Reading Comprehension.

“It is always a wonderful feeling to see a student excel,” said RHS principal Jeffrey Nyhuis. “Brian and Patrick put in the time and effort and earned a fantastic result.”

Sample questions on the exam include “In Roman history, on which mountain near the bay of Naples, did Spartacus place his camp and hide his comrades?”, “How is ut minimus sīcut marmota fīēret best translated?”, and “What phrase indicates that the springing up of men was “rumored” to happen? A) In eō locō B) virī armātī C) ut dīcunt D) subitō ē terrā.”

“Brian and Patrick had two of only 175 perfect papers nationwide,” added Latin teacher Amy Mason. “This is an accomplishment of which they both should be very proud. I know that we are.”

For more information on the National Latin Exam, visit https://www.nle.org. For more information on Ridgewood High School, visit the Ridgewood Public Schools website.

LE GRAND CONCOURS 2023

TUNES IN JUNE: RIDGEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL BANDS

RHS Bands to Conclude 100th Anniversary Celebration with Annual 

“Tunes in June” Concert

RIDGEWOOD, NJ -  The Ridgewood High School Bands will perform their annual “Tunes in June” concert on June 1 at the Kasschau Memorial Shell from 8-10 pm. The concert is the finale of a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of the esteemed RHS Band Program. The evening will feature light and popular music, including a special tradition of solo performances presented by members of the graduating class of 2023.

Kicking off the event, the Symphonic Band will play Metrodance, a lively piece composed by Randall D. Standridge. They will also perform a medley from Andrew Lloyd Weber’s renowned Phantom of the Opera, which recently closed as Broadway’s longest running musical. The Symphonic Band will conclude its portion of the program with an arrangement of Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars. The Concert Band’s performance will begin with an overture by Richard Saucedo titled Antares. This will be followed by a medley from Disney’s major motion picture, The Lion King, including Hakuna Matata, Circle of Life among others. Last on the Concert Band’s program will be Timeless Traditions, a brand new march commissioned by the RHS Band Association in recognition of the Band Program’s 100th Anniversary. This piece, written by Peter Sciaino, will become the new recessional march for the RHS Commencement ceremony.

The Wind Ensemble will open their portion of the concert with Bright Lights, an energetic work by Robert Sheldon. The ensemble will then perform music that features several senior band members. Saxophonists Siobhan Ali, Lucas Faris, Anika Pelekis, Evan Keen and Charlotte Luster will be featured on Billy Joel's Root Beer Rag and Markus Ryen will be soloing on Declaration For Trumpet. Next on the program, the ensemble will perform Under the Stars, a piece specially commissioned for the RHS Wind Ensemble, which will showcase the talents of seniors Sam Cohen, oboe, Rolan Bansil, vibraphone, Justin Wang, French horn and Sunny Rhew, clarinet. 

One of the most memorable parts of “Tunes in June” comes during the senior recognition ceremony, when all 52 senior members of the band program will come to the front of the stage to be acknowledged for their commitment to the band program and overall excellence at Ridgewood High School. 

This concert is sponsored by the Kasschau Memorial Shell Committee, and admission is free. In the event of inclement weather, the concert will be held in the Ridgewood High School Campus Center. All are welcome.

The Ridgewood High School Band Program is Bergen County’s largest, comprised of nearly 200 students who participate in no fewer than fifteen varied musical ensembles. The curricular bands, marching band, jazz ensembles, chamber ensembles, winter color guard and twirlers have been acclaimed locally, regionally, and nationally for superior performance. Individually, members of the Ridgewood High School Bands are chosen annually to perform in honor ensembles at the county, regional, and state levels. Graduates of the RHS Bands have attended the most prestigious conservatories and universities in the country, and many have gone on to have successful professional music careers.

For more information, contact Jeffrey Haas at (201)-670-2800 x.20639, via email at jhaas@ridgewood.k12.nj.us or visit the band’s website at http://rhsbands.org 

Applied Engineering Club's Team Estrogenerators

RHS Soccer Charity Club Members Receive Awards in Newark

Hi all! My name is Anders Ryen and recently I had the privilege of attending the Cameroon Flag Raising Ceremony in commemoration of the 63rd Anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Cameroon. I was invited for my involvement with the Soccer Charity Club here at RHS along with fellow club leadership Joey Kim and our club leader Ms. Shah. The soccer charity club partners with the international charity Kids in Cleats (KIC) to empower kids in Cameroon through soccer and education. The president and founder of the organization, Julio Tsasse, visits our high school frequently and updates us on the international impact we are making. It was wonderful to meet with him at the event and be recognized for all our efforts. Our fundraising with KIC has been very successful and we recently were able to provide over 100 Chromebooks and Laptops to Cameroon with 20 more on the way. We were also able to provide three weeks worth of Wi-Fi. Our current mission is to hire a teacher who could instruct kids on how to use this technology and build a schoolhouse, which we could really use your help with! To find out more about our club or KIC, please visit sites.google.com/ridgewood.k12.nj.us/rhs-soccer-charity-club/home.

As a way of background, I was invited to this celebration since I have taken on the role as a KIC ambassador and serve as a graphic designer for both our club and the international organization. The event was truly an awesome experience. We were seated in a beautiful Chamber at the Newark City Hall. In the center of the room hung the Cameroon flag and the walls were adorned with an ultra important traditional and ritual fabric which I later learned was called the Ndop. The circle in this fabric represents the circle of life and the rays represent the passage between life on earth and the second life in the beyond. Every part of the Ndop holds meaning. Several guests were wearing traditional Cameroonian robes. I was honored to be among many esteemed guests such as the UN representative for Cameroon along with Commissioners from the Newark African Commission. The ceremony started with a prayer followed with a ritual to honor ancestors. After that the representatives gave their address. Through all the speeches I heard, I was able to find a common theme of brotherhood and creating a sanctuary for Cameroonians in Newark. After that we went outside City Hall and raised the flag and celebrated Cameroon’s independence. We then went back inside and heard additional addresses from community members who had been instrumental in aiding Cameroonians. This is when the leadership of KIC, including myself were honored. Ms. Shah, Joey, and myself received a medal signifying recognition for our actions and encouragement to stay involved with the Cameroon community. Julio received a very prestigious certificate for outstanding work he is doing to support children in Africa. There were so many other figures who had made a huge impact on behalf of Cameroons who also received certificates. After the awards, we all enjoyed traditional Cameroonian food and talked with one another (P.S. The Cameroon donuts were phenomenal).

Overall, from this event I experienced bits and pieces of Cameroon’s rich culture and I feel even more passionate about working to preserve it. I was always aware native Cameroonians are facing difficult situations but I would like to share some statistics. Given a lack of available medical equipment, the life expectancy of children with type 1 diabetes is less than a year. Also in urban areas only 58% of the population has access to safe potable water. At the event on Friday I saw those that work together with the common goal of assisting this vulnerable community. Of the representatives there, there are many more working behind the scenes. As seen by the nature of this event, the impact is incredible if we all come together to help. I hope you will join us to keep aiding Cameroons abroad. To learn more about how you can get involved and please visit our website and keep up to date on our events. Together we can truly make a difference! 

Cambodia Club

The Ridgewood Cambodia Project had a Scoop Night fundraiser at Ben and Jerry's this past week! Thank you to all those who came out to support! 

• May 29th:  RHS Wind Ensemble & Vocal Ensemble performs on Memorial Day, at 11am at Van Neste Park

• June 1st:  RHS Bands "Tunes in June" Concert is at the Kasschau Memorial Band Shell at 8pm (or Campus Center rain location)

• June 6th: RHS Choirs Year End Concert, in Campus Center at 7:30pm 

• June 7th: RHS Orchestra Year End Concert at 7:30pm in the Campus Center

• June 8th: Senior Awards Ceremony at 7:30pm in the Campus Center