Leonia NHS Hosts
Highly Successful Blood Drive

Fueled by a bagel breakfast sponsored by the Leonia Chapter of the National Honor Society, students and faculty enthusiastically supported the annual NHS blood drive on March 14, 2012. Organized by senior Emma Sifre, the drive was the best in Leonia’s history. According to Community Blood Services, one hundred thirty-eight people volunteered to give blood. Of that number one hundred five pints of blood were actually collected.

A visit to the LHS gym on that day revealed a scene of camaraderie among volunteers. Students, faculty, and members of the community showed their collegial spirit in performing this all-important community service. One pint of blood has the potential to save three lives.

Many thanks to all our volunteers, especially those students who stayed well after the dismissal bell to complete their donation of blood. This year’s blood drive was the most successful in LHS history.

Leonia DECA Takes State Honors

Leonia High School DECA achieved outstanding results at this year’s State Conference. Twenty-three members earned recognition for outstanding achievement in their competitive events. Sixteen will attend the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Salt Lake City, Utah. Senior Mark Gorenstein won a $500 scholarship. Junior Daniel Kindler was elected New Jersey DECA State President, and junior Emily Sullivan was elected Northern Region Vice President. Juniors Rupert Aranda, Molly Kennelly, Daniel Kindler (Entrepreneurship), and Emily Sullivan (Automotive Services Marketing) received Highest Honors for their “Mentoring Mondays” campaign, while seniors Muzzammil Khan and Kamal Kheridden received FirstPlace for their “Financial Literacy $tart $mart” campaign. Second Place awards were presented to the “Return the Favor” campaign of juniors Emma Sifre and Emily Sullivan and the “Skylr’s See It To Believe It” campaign of juniors Ariana Durollari and Claire Jiang.

Mark Gorenstein, who is completing his year as Northern Region Vice President, will be working with state officers from throughout nation as they caucus to elect national officers. Emily Sullivan and Daniel Kindler, when not competing, will engage in leadership training.

Overall state winners junior Zoe Edelman in Restaurant Marketing and senior Miya Okado in Human Resource Management also will compete at ICDC. They will be joined by juniors Ryan Abi-Hanna, Anthony Bonadies, and Humberto Marcia.

Additional finalists included freshmen Bailey Chen and Tyler Moldoff, sophomore Aya Nukina, and Mark Gorenstein.

Juniors Julianne Ford and Alice Ross and senior Alex Yang won individual event awards.

During the International Career Development Conference, LHS students will be competing against students from each of the 50 states as well as Canada, Germany, South Korea, Guam, and Puerto Rico. The conference runs from April 27-May 2.

Leonia Ceramics Students Feature in
Local Exhibit

Several of Ms. Capurso's Ceramics I and Advanced Ceramics students are participating in an exhibit for "Youth in Art Month," sponsored by the Art Educators of New Jersey (AENJ). Shown at the Philip J. Triarco Learning Center at Bergen Community College in Hackensack, their works are part of a display celebrating art in grades K-12 in Bergen County. Various sculptures, containers, and lanterns created by LHS students are on display. The exhibit is open to the public throughout March, 2012, including a reception to be held on Thursday, March 22, at 6:00 p.m. The student exhibit features work by freshmen Ursula Castiblanco, Amanda Figueredo, and Kassem Mansour; sophomores Gabrielle Alvarez, Lois Yoonseo Choi, Estrella Guzman, Alyssa Molina, Lindsay Russell, Ida Sato, and Ha Eun Yang; and juniors Zoe Edelman, Shu Rong, and Sarah Rosenbloom.

Board of Education's Response to the Light Rail

February 17, 2012

Linda A. Mosch, P.E.
Project Director, Northern Branch Corridor EIS NJ TRANSIT Capital Planning & Programs
One Penn Plaza East
Newark, New Jersey 07105

Re: Northern Branch Corridor EIS (Light Rail Project)

Dear Ms. Mosch:

I am writing to you on behalf of the Leonia Board of Education (“Board”) in connection with the above‐referenced project. The Board has a number of serious concerns relating to the introduction of light rail service in the Borough of Leonia, specifically.... Please click here to read the complete letter.

LHS Science League Stars in Competition

The Leonia Science League competed yesterday in First Year Chemistry and First Year Physics.

Leonia won the First Year Physics competition, with junior Takuhiko Sato earning the highest score and senior Qingchuan Wu earning the third highest score.

Leonia also won the First Year Chemistry contest, with sophomores Jung Ho Jason Hwang placing first and Erica Jalal placing second. While only the top two scores of each school count for the team score, sophomores Jin Hyeong Kim and Adam Chung had the third and fourth highest individual scores, respectively.

Maestro Jack Rosenberg Leads Honors Orchestra
with Leonia Students

LHS Strings and Orchestra Director Jack Rosenberg conducted the newly formed Academie Philharmonic in its inaugural concert program, titled “Recreating Beethoven’s Akademie,” which was presented in Montclair on January 29, 2012. Seven Leonia High School and Leonia Middle School students were awarded scholarships to participate in this special production, which reproduced Beethoven’s own renowned concert program of December 22, 1808. String players included LHS freshman Grace Choi, sophomore Martha Sieger, and junior Gieun Jenny Im, along with 7^th grader Il Hwa Jenny Lee from LMS. Senior Noah Kay, principal oboeist, was joined by 8^th grader Hwa Young Gina Lee from LMS. LHS Senior Kyheon Park was timpanist. The program included Beethoven’s Symphonies Nos. 5 and 6 as well as the Fourth Piano Concerto, with Magdalena Baczewska of the Montclair State University Music faculty as soloist. Michael Holak, LMS strings teacher, collaborated with Mr. Rosenberg during rehearsals. Mr. Rosenberg plans to present the Fourth Piano Concerto this spring with the LHS Orchestra, featuring senior Byung-Mook Kim as soloist.

  LHS Natators Speed to Conference Championship

The Leonia/Palisades Park boys varsity swim team left it all in the pool at the 2012 NJIC Championships, many swimming their personal best times to dethrone repeat champion Rutherford. After losing their dual meet against Rutherford early in the season, the Lions went into the championship meet as underdogs, but quickly set the tone by winning the first two events of the day. Although Rutherford did not go down without a fight, the hearts of the Lions proved to be too much, as the Leonia/Pal Park boys were able to complete the upset and bring home their first-ever NJIC title with another first place finish in the last event of the day. Overcoming adversity throughout an injury-plagued year, the swimming Lions have much to celebrate as the 2012 season comes to a close.

We Are Proud! 

We are very proud of all music students in the Leonia High School Music Department, Still, every so often some do go above and beyond and should be celebrated for their fine achievement. We are especially proud to acknowledge seniors Seo Hyun Katie Kim, Alto I; Haeun Grace Koo, Alto II; and Dahlia Levine, Soprano II; and freshman Kyle Dunn, Bass I, who have been accepted into the 2012 New Jersey Region I Chorus. Junior Gieun Jenny Im, Viola, has been accepted into the 2012 New Jersey Region I Orchestra, while junior Sandy Yang, Flute, has been accepted into the 2012 New Jersey Region I Band. Close to 1000 students from the North Jersey area auditioned for these select ensembles. Grace Koo and Katie Kim also share the distinct honor of ranking among the top ten students chosen for the Region I Chorus. Congratulations to all for their outstanding accomplishments!

Leonia Varsity Quiz Bowl Team Takes Tourney

Congratulations to the Leonia “A” Team for capturing the 2012 High Tech Academic Bowl Championship!

34 teams from throughout the state competed at High Technology High School in Lincroft, New Jersey.

After defeating Marine Academy for Science & Technology in the semifinals, Leonia beat Mainland Regional of Atlantic County in the finals.

Members of the LHS Varsity Quiz Bowl Team are seniors Mark Gorenstein, Noah Kay, Qingchuan Wu, and Justin Ziegler, who, together with junior Nicholas Topousis, triumphed over Mainland Regional of Atlantic County in a heart-wrenching overtime finale to win the High Tech Academic Bowl laurels.

In the words of the HighTech coach, “If you thought Sunday's Tebow game was exciting, Monday's High Tech Academic Bowl Finals between Mainland Regional and Leonia H.S. was a real tug of war that went back and forth and changed leads several times. At the end of the match, after 48 questions, the score was tied 950 to 950. In overtime, Leonia prevailed, after much thought, by correctly identifying Walter Mondale's female running mate in the presidential election against Ronald Reagan.”

This is the only time in club history that an LHS team has placed first. We celebrate our Quiz Bowlers and wish them good luck in future tournaments.

Lite Rail

The Leonia Board of Education is soliciting your comments on the impact of the proposed Light Rail System as it pertains to the Leonia School District and in particular, Leonia High School. 

Currently, we are conducting a traffic, pedestrian and noise study to analyze impact on ingress and egress of students and staff at LHS, the impact on physical education classes and athletic events that utilize the Overpeck fields and the general security and safety of students and staff. A copy of the Draft Environmental Impact Study can be found at http://northernbranchcorridor.com/docs.html

Please feel free to offer comments, suggestions and concerns either by email or in person. The public portion of the February 7^th Board meeting has been designated for public comments on the Light Rail impact on Leonia Schools and in particular, Leonia High School. No formal presentation will be scheduled for that evening.

If you wish to email your comments, we have opened a designated site. Please email your comments to lightrail@leoniaschools.org before February 10^th. Include your name and address.

The Leonia Board of Education welcomes your comments.

Leonia High School’s first Mentoring Monday night of the year, organized by the LHS DECA Club, featured a distinguished panel moderated by television host and Edgewater resident Geraldo Rivera, including television critic Marvin Kitman, sportswriter Bob Klapisch, FOX Business News anchor Liz Claman, and ABC cameraman Akram Abi-Hanna. Emcee Rivera asked panelists questions about their lives, their backgrounds, and their careers to begin the evening, after which. audience members from LHS and LMS and their parents spoke eagerly with the media professionals as they were invited to direct questions to panel members. By the end of the evening, the panel for our Mentoring Mondays Media Night had given students and parents an inside view of the media by providing a unique opportunity to learn about the industry from the professionals themselves.

Spanish Honor Society Sponsors Cereal Drive

 Students in the LHS chapter of the Spanish Honor Society collected 89 boxes of cereal for the Office of Concern at St. Cecilia’s Parish in Englewood, a food pantry serving more than 500 needy families in Bergen County. Members of the Society would like to thank Leonia High School students, staff, and community members for their generosity in this good cause.

Sandy Yang and Ruby Lee
Qualify for County Band

Congratulations to junior Sandy Yang and sophomore E Young Ruby Lee on being accepted into the Bergen County Band. Both of these young women have qualified for seats in the flute section, which includes only twelve students. Sandy will be playing Second Flute, second chair, while Ruby will be playing Second Flute, fifth chair. More than 85 high school students auditioned for these twelve slots. The flute section has earned the reputation of being the most competitive audition of all sections in the ensemble. We are very proud of these fine musicians!

Dr. Pinker Reviews Two New Translations

Dr. Michael Pinker, Instructional Supervisor 6-12 for Leonia Public Schools, has published two new book reviews in the Summer, 2011, issue of The Review of Contemporary Fiction, for which he is a regular reviewer. For this issue he reviewed translations of Animalinside, a collaborative volume by German graphic artist Max Neumann and Hungarian writer László Krasznahorkai, and Zift: A Noir Novel, by Bulgarian writer Vladislav  Todorov. Dr. Pinker is a member of the National Book Critics Circle. Please click below to read these reviews:

László Krasznahorkai and Max Neumann. Animalinside.

Vladislav Todorov. Zift: A Noir Novel.

Evan Abouaf Named Semifinalist in
Soccer Competition

LHS junior Evan Abouaf has been informed of his selection as a Semifinalist for the 2011 Inspireum Soccer Award. Inspireum Soccer Awards, which honor young athletes who embody the values of character, courage, contribution and commitment, recently announced fifty Semifinalists for 2011. More than 250 athletes were nominated by coaches, peers and parents as the most inspirational soccer players in America. The Trusted Sports Foundation will award $25,000 in academic scholarships to the twelve Finalists, with a $7,500 scholarship bestowed upon the winner. Americans can vote for Semifinalists who inspire them to become Finalists at www.InspireumSoccerAwards.com.

As captain of the Leonia Lions soccer team, Evan has a lot of responsibility. He has proven his commitment to the game based on his ability to play several positions and his willingness to do anything for his teammates. Yet this is only part of what makes Evan an inspiration to his teammates, classmates, and community. Evan suffers from Osteocondraitis, an orthopedic disease that occurs in his joints. This condition forced Evan to refrain from physical activity for a while. During this down time, he made sure to show his support for his team and the sport of soccer by volunteering for his sister’s youth soccer team and cheering on his teammates. “Evan has inspired me to be a better coach and to go out and referee,” says his dad, John Abouaf.

The Selection Committee, charged with naming the scholarship winners, is comprised of many well-known soccer personalities, headed by Steve Sampson, former coach of the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team and the L. A. Galaxy. Other members of the Committee include noted Spanish language soccer announcer Andres Cantor and current U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

Inspireum will announce the twelve Finalists for the Inspireum Soccer Awards on December 13,2011. The winner, announced on January 3, 2012, will be awarded the $7,500 scholarship at a ceremony at the National Soccer Coaches Association of America’s annual convention in Kansas City, Missouri, on January 14, 2012.

Simona Levsky Wins Triple Impact Award

LHS senior Simona Levsky was recently chosen as one of four recipients of the Triple Impact Competitor Award, presented to athletes who exemplify leadership, determination and honor in the sports in which they participate. A $1000 scholarship is awarded to four winners chosen from some 500 applicants from the tri-state area based on essays written by athletes and recommendations from their coaches and teachers. This is a unique award, for it is not really about being the best athlete or playing the most sports, but more the influence these talented students have exerted on the sports to which they have devoted a good portion of their lives.

Simona ranks in the top 16 in the state, according to the roster of number one singles players for the New Jersey high school tennis state tournament. As first singles player since her freshman year on the LHS Lady Lions varsity team, she has been chosen MVP and received all-county recognition. Simona has been playing tennis since she was four years old, coached by her father. She plans to pursue pre-med in college.

Mark Gorenstein Starts Term as NJ DECA State Veep

Last winter, Mark Gorenstein, ’12, campaigned for office at the state DECA conference in Cherry Hill, where fellow marketing students elected him Northern Region Vice President, succeeding Stephen Portnoy, ‘11. A four-year member of LHS DECA and chapter president this year, Mark looks forward to having a greater influence on the larger organization. As liaison between NJ DECA and the state’s northern region, he is responsible for coordinating the work of local chapters as well as assuring that this year is fruitful and rewarding for all New Jersey DECA members.

Mark has met with the rest of the State Action Team on several occasions and is pleased to report that state officers have made marked progress on a number of issues. At its last meeting in September, the Team decided on creating, among other things, a state slogan and charity. Mark will continue to meet with his fellow officers monthly.

As part of his duties Mark will address DECA members at the upcoming Chapter Officer Leadership Conference (COLT) in Clifton and at the North Atlantic Regional Conference (NARCON) in Philadelphia. Throughout the year he will present or assist at the various regional, state, and national DECA conferences. We wish him well in these pursuits!

Olivia Alex Wins National Writing Achievement Award

Leonia High School senior Olivia Alex has recently been selected as one of ten seniors in the State of New Jersey to win a National Council of Teachers of English Achievement Award in Writing. This year NCTE, the professional association of secondary school English teachers, awarded 520 such awards, recipients of which were chosen from 1649 students nominated as juniors last academic year by their teachers from the fifty states, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, Canada, and American schools abroad.

The Achievement Awards in Writing program was established in 1957 to encourage high school students in their writing and to recognize publicly some of the best students writers in the nation. Assessments of students writing are based on students’ chosen samples of their own best prose or poetry and on an impromptu timed theme written under supervision. A team of English teachers judges the writing, looking especially for writing that demonstrates effective and imaginative use of language to inform and move an audience.

Winning students and their schools receive certificates recognizing their accomplishment, and the names of the students and their schools are posted on the NCTE website. Students also receive cards highlighting their achievement to include with their college applications.

Congratulations, Olivia!

Matthew Duchamp Wins
National AP Scholar Distinction
Eighteen LHS Students Recognized For Academic Excellence

Eighteen students at Leonia High School earned AP Scholar Awards in recognition of their exceptional achievement on Advanced Placement Examinations.

The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program (AP) gives motivated, academically prepared students an opportunity to take rigorous college-level courses while still in high school and to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on AP Exams. About 18 percent of the 1.6 million students worldwide who took AP Exams performed at a level sufficient to earn an AP Scholar Award.

The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on student performance on AP Exams.

Matthew Duchamp, ’11, qualified for the National AP Award by earning an average score of 4 or higher (on a five-point scale) on all the AP exams he took, and scores of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams.

Six LHS students qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. These students are Matthew Duchamp, Angela G. Gonzalez-Curci, Annie Kennelly, ’11, Inho Kim, Steve Lee, Jiho John Lim, and Justin Ziegler, ’12.

Seven students qualified for AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. These students are Maxwell Freedman, Nicole Park, Thomas Sieger, Ruth Ye, and Elizabeth Yun, ’11, and Mark Gorenstein and Simona Levsky, ‘12.

Seven students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Exams with grades of 3 or higher. The AP Scholars are Matthew Duchamp, Hyun June Ferrabolli, Dean Gabay, Ji Yun Jung, Yang Hee Kim, Shin-Yu Victoria Pai, and Elizabeth Yun, ’11.

Sixteen students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Exams, with grades of 3 or higher. The AP Scholars are: Flor A. Aviles, Christopher Churchill, Rrita Daci, Paul J. Fromholtz, Angela G. Gonzalez-Curci, Yiwen Hong, Youngseok Hong, Noah M. Kay, Yanghee Kim, Eugene Lee, Alisha Malla, Sofia Nunez-Larios, Miya Okado, Shin-Yu V. Pai, Ye-Won Seo and Jeffrey S. Winters.

Congratulations to all our high-performing students!

World Language Students Visit
Paris and Spain

During last April’s spring break, twenty-four Leonia High School students, chaperoned by Señora Nomikos, Madame Rubin, and their husbands, traveled to Paris, Barcelona, and Madrid. In France they visited the Champs-Élysées, enjoyed an evening boat ride on the Seine, Claude Monet’s house in Giverny, Montmartre, the Louvre and the Rodin museums, and the palace and gardens of Versailles, where they participated in a re-enactment of the French Revolution.

An overnight train next took these intrepid travelers to Barcelona, where they strolled in Las Ramblas and the Gothic Quarter and marveled at Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia and the Park Güell. This was followed by a relaxing afternoon on the beach. The AVE train then transported them to their final destination, Madrid, where they visited the Prado and Reina Sofia museums and later traveled to Toledo to watch a flamenco show. At IES El Lago, a culinary school, the students cooked an authentic Spanish meal, which was relished by all.

For an all-too-short time the students became true Parisiens and Spaniards as they embarked on numerous metro rides in both countries. With a tinge of sadness everyone at length said goodbye to Madrid in boarding the flight home, but many already were looking forward to the next trip!

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LHS Sports Marketers Hit a Home Run

 Leonia High’s Sports and Entertainment Marketing students recently had an opportunity to spend a whole day at Yankee Stadium to gain unique insight into the real world of sports marketing. Trip highlights included exclusive tours through Monument Park and the Yankee Museum, where students saw how the Yankees pay tribute to their baseball legends. The whole class was lucky enough to watch Yankee pitchers practice as well as to watch a game from a private suite.

Although spending the day at Yankee Stadium may seem like pure entertainment, the students learned a good deal from the two Yankee sales representatives who spent the day with them, obtaining valuable information on such revenue generators for the stadium as ticket sales, sponsorships, and team merchandise. Brand loyalty and stadium design are major contributors in helping the Yankee organization and Yankee stadium to remain so profitable year in and year out.

Visiting Yankee Stadium was an overall thrilling field trip. For some students, going to major league ballparks is a frequent pastime, though for others who may never have gone to a ballpark before, it was an amazing first-time experience. Students left with a better understanding of and appreciation for the sports marketing industry and what steps to take to pursue a career in it.

Leonia High School Students Recognized in the
2012 National Merit Scholarship Program 

Leonia High School Principal Edward. Bertolini announced today that seniors Justin Ziegler, Mark Gorenstein, and Inho Kim have been recognized in the 2012 National Merit Scholarship Program.

 Justin Ziegler – National Merit Semifinalist

About 1.5 million juniors in some 22,000 high schools entered the 2012 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2010 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, which represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. The number of Semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.

From the approximately 16,000 Semifinalists, about 15,000 are expected to advance to the Finalist level, and in February they will be notified of this designation. All National Merit Scholarship winners will be selected from this Finalist group. Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference.

Mark Gorenstein and Inho Kim – National Merit Commended Students 

About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Commended Students placed among the top five percent of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2012 competition by taking the 2011 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

“Recognition of high-achieving students is essential to advancing educational excellence in our nation,” commented a spokesperson for NMSC. “As demonstrated by their outstanding performance in our highly competitive program, the young men and women named Commended Students represent some of the most academically talented students in our country. We sincerely hope this recognition will enhance their educational opportunities and encourage them in their pursuit of academic success.”

Justin Ziegler, Inho Kim and Mark Gorenstein gather after learning of their significant academic accomplishment!

Congratulations to the 2011 Boys’' Tennis Team, which was voted by Time Warner Cable'’s Sportstime Channel as number 5 on its Team of the Year ranking for the viewing area served by TWC.