New Milford School District Hosts Open House

The New Milford School District held an open house Thursday night and those in attendance were offered a glimpse into the world of a 21^st Century student.

The event took place at New Milford High School and participants were invited to visit classrooms throughout the school, along with the cafeteria and gymnasium, where they learned about the various academic and enrichment programs offered throughout the district.

The district’s David E. Owens Middle School and the B.F. Gibbs and Berkley Street elementary schools were also represented at this gathering.

Superintendent Michael Polizzi said district officials planned the open house, “with the idea of getting as many parents as possible together from all of the schools.”

“So that you can all witness some of the wonderful things that are happening for the New Milford student in the 21^st century,” he said.

Polizzi later said the gathering provided, “a global prospective for parents and students at all grade levels.”

Both Polizzi and New Milford High School Principal Eric Sheninger led an interactive Skype program with a group of New Milford High School students who are currently in Europe on a Holocaust study tour.

“Those who know me know that I’m a little interested in technology,” Sheninger told the gathering, which included parents of the students traveling in Europe.

“Now more than ever it is so easy to connect with anyone, anytime, anywhere,” he said.

The 13 New Milford students are traveling with Colleen Tambuscio, NMHS teacher and coordinator of the trip and head of the Holocaust study program at New Milford High School. They talked with their parents and reported on what they have learned thus far on what was day four of a two week trip.

The students had traveled that day from Berlin to Prague in the Czech Republic.

Besides the Skype session parents, were able to visit classrooms to learn about such programs as graphic arts, crime scene investigation, culinary skills and mathematics, along with a presentation of scenes from William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” and “Hamlet” that were performed in the high school’s courtyard.

In the cafeteria, Roberta Meyer, a teacher at the B.F. Gibbs School, said her section provided parents with, “a snapshot of all the activities that we have throughout the year.”

“Our power point presentations reflect our research, language arts and social skill programs,” she said.

“We are very fortunate to have a wonderful technology lab at our school and the assistance of media special Stacy Novoshelski…. She is unbelievable,” said Meyer.

In Walter Pevny’s computer graphics classroom, parents were able to have their photographs taken and then superimposed on a magazine cover.

In Pevny’s class, students learn to make templates for magazines, design license plates and compact disc covers.

Pevny said the class covers multiple disciplines within graphic communications where the students are able to “import their own interests.”

“When a kid does something that they can actually put their name on, and its real world stuff, the effect is that it comes out much sharper than just meeting a requirement,” he said.

A visit to Lauren Bettini’s art class found some of her students busy with their various projects.

One young artist, NMHS junior Christine Almeda, has won numerous art awards and just recently completed a commissioned art piece titled “Glory Train" according to Bettini.

“This was painted for Glory Train, an organization that raises money for veterans,” she said.

“The director of that organization, a New Milford High School alumnus, contacted me and I hooked him up with Christine,” Bettini said.

Next “Rossettes” a Norwegian pastry, were on the menu at the family and consumer science room.

Here students help run a nursery school and study the culinary arts with two course offerings, international food and fundamentals of cooking.

“We are doing great stuff here and I love the kids," said NMHS teacher Pam Messina.

Messina said students have studied Spanish and French cooking in the international foods course. They also have been known to make a "killer pizza" Messina said.

Linda Chamesion, a junior and one of 30 student volunteer “peer leaders" who were on hand to assist the public during the open house said the event was “a great way to see everything that is going on at our school.”

Once the classroom visits were completed, residents were shown a power point presentation that highlighted the district’s educational initiatives and were treated to a vocal performance from the high school’s Choral Ensemble in the auditorium.

The youngsters performed the Neil Diamond classic “Sweet Caroline” the Burt Bacharach/Hal David hit “Say a Little Prayer for Me,” and the John Lennon/ Paul McCartney song “Hello Goodbye.”

Polizzi noted that New Milford students are terrific achievers and have garnered many awards for their efforts.

“We have two local spelling bee winners, a Bergen County ‘Player of the Year,’ two 1,000 point basketball achievers, a first place Cheer Dance Team, several qualifying students for Bergen County Chorus and a  National Essay Contest winner,” he said.

“New Milford students push the envelope academically, athletically and culturally,” the superintendent said.