May 31, 2024

In the Classroom

PREP Class at Rockland Boulders

The PREP class from RHS and BFMS students Unified Partners, and were able to attend a Rockland Boulders Baseball game on May 29th. Students were able to cheer on the Boulders, meet the mascot, and purchase lunch with their friends. It was a picture perfect day!

AP Environmental Science

Throughout the year, AP Environmental Science students have been working on long-term sustainability projects, in which students must actively tackle an environmental concern on campus or in the village. Zoe Becker, Emily Scharfenberg, and Maiah Riedel proposed creating a bike lane on Pleasant Ave, which will encourage a safe and carbon-free way of commuting throughout town. With Pleasant Ave linking 5 of Ridgewood's 9 schools, it serves as a great road to promote biking among Ridgewood's students. They proposed the project to the five members of Village Council, the Chief of Police, and the Village Engineer and have been met with unanimous approval. The bike lanes will be created once Pleasant Ave is repaved in the near future. Way to go!

Around the Building

Teen Arts Festival

RHS's inaugural participation with Bergen County's Teen Arts Festival held at Bergen Community College May 17th was a success. This year 44 school districts and over 4000 students joined the festival.

Daniel DaSilva as liaison coordinated all year with Kelly VanZIle, Athena Maxwell, Paul Cronk, Morgan Knight, Melissa Maximov, Corrina Moss Keller, Allyssa Fanelli AND were honored to have Laura Nuzzo and Rossanna Grifith work the festival as volunteers. All made our participation possible.

We showcased over 50 students participating as Visual Artists, Thespians, Dancers and Writers. All received valuable experience as well as formal feedback from professional adjudicators. Throughout the day students viewed art, performed, received feedback or Joined in the many many many workshops to learn something special. A very perfect day for RPS. We hope to expand our participation next year at the 50th anniversary festival of Teen Arts.

But are fortunate to have been Selected to Exhibit this year in the Special Bergen County Art Show in Hackensack. Riley Song's drawing was selected to move on from the group show and now represents Ridgewood among the finest of Bergen county's visual artists.

Of course Jeff N., Dave B. and Chris M. came to support and cheer us on.

Club Happenings

Ridgewood Latin is Victorious at Convention!

The Latin Club and Certamen teams attended the 2024 New Jersey Junior Classical League state convention and came home as decorated students. Together, they amassed 71 awards, spanning a variety of artwork, academic testing, onsite contests like oratory, and athletic competitions. All the students had a fabulous time at the convention and are already planning on making an impact again next year!

Spanish Honor Society

The Spanish Honor Society recently had an information table & bake sale at Sustainability Day. The society was able to raise $51 for Paso Pacífico. This donation will advance the organization's conservation initiatives in El Salvador and Nicaragua where local communities work to protect wildlife like sea turtles on their beaches and to reduce plastic pollution entering their waterways. Our raffle winners of the Paso Pacifico T shirt at the bake sale were Carys Gallo and Devin DePalma (not pictured). Thank you to all who supported our cause!

FTC Robotics Team

The FTC Robotics Team celebrated another sucessful year with an end of year party. A special recognition and thanks to all the graduating seniors for their dedication and selfless leadership to the team. An example of the special bond these students have was on display when Club President Tyler Lapp surprised some team members with trophies. Each trophy, made by Tyler on a 3d printer, has a unique design and celebrates their mascot "Chippy". The team is looking forward to another sucessful year of friendship, learning and competition in the fall.

Computer Club

RHS Computer Club had its final meeting this year, where the leaders of the club are planning and preparing for next year's club fair!

Green Club

In early November, the Green Club removed a patch of grass by the tennis courts and planted wildflower seeds. For the last few weeks, it has been in full bloom! Be sure to check it out, as each type of plant produces flowers at different times. This means the patch will look different every week. The patch is a great example of how lawn alternatives can look incredible and provide environmental benefits without constant mowing, fertilizing, watering, or pesticide use.