Summer Journal 2019

2019

Summer JOURNAL

Wreaths Across America

Socrates High School to Open 2020

Honors and Awards

Athletic Highlights

Veterans’ Day

Student Council

Harris Family Foundation

Donates WebEx Systems

Lower School Tech Initiative

Grandparent/Special Relative Days

Lip Sync

Red & White Day

OHA in the News

Oak Hill Happenings 2018-2019

Headmaster for the Day

VIP Day for Students

Littletown Day

Parent Survey Results

Parent Organization

Cash Raffle and Ad Journal

Annual Giving 2018-2019

Gifts In Kind

Special Contributions

Graduation 2019

Alumni News Ferrara Giving Wall in Memory of Alie Ferrara

Social Calendar 2019-2020

WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA

Makes a Stop at Oak Hill Academy

347 Middletown-Lincroft Road, Lincroft, New Jersey 07738 | (732) 530-1343 | www.oakhillacademy.com

Established 1981

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Wreaths Across America Stops at Oak Hill Academy

Students from the Lower School and many adult visitors waved American flags as the line of trucks progressed through the OHA campus.

Even the Oak Hill PreK and Kindergarten were excited to welcome the special guests from Wreaths Across America

Oak Hill Academy was highly honored to be chosen as a visitation point for the national veterans organization, Wreaths Across America. On Wednesday, December 12, 2018 the Wreaths Across America (WAA) convoy made a destination stop at OHA, on its way to lay wreaths at all 400,000 graves at Arlington National Cemetery on Saturday, December 15, 2018. Oak Hill was one of only two NJ schools chosen for this distinction! The convoy of approximately 12 tractor trailers, 25 SUV’s including both Maine and NJ State Troopers, motorcycles and a VIP Bus with veterans, Gold Star Families, Blue Star families as well as the founder of WAA, Morrill Worcester, his wife Karen, the executive director, and his team arrived at 9:00 am to a giant American Flag draped across West Front Street by the local fire departments (Station 10 Lincroft and Station 7 Belford). They enjoyed a school-wide welcome of every student, teacher, and staff member waving American flags. The Christian Brothers Academy Pipes & Drums led the convoy along the school’s inner roadway, Davis Drive, and then to the program to honor the guests in the Scire Student Activities Center.

The idea behind Wreaths Across America began in 1992 by Morrill Worcester, owner of Worcester Wreath

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Just before the entrance to Oak Hill on West Front Street, a huge American flag greeted the Wreaths Across America caravan of trucks, motorcycles, and cars.

Company of Harrington, Maine. His mission to honor our nation’s heroes continued to grow and finally, in 2008, after Wreaths Across America was officially designated a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization the year prior, US Congress unanimously voted to make the 2nd or 3rd Saturday of December as “Wreaths Across America Day”.

WAA lays wreaths throughout the United States and abroad through the efforts of thousands of volunteers. The goal of WAA is to “Remember. Honor. Teach.” This refers to their mission to Remember and Honor our veterans and Teach the next generations to do the same.

The WAA convoy was treated to an assembly honoring our United States Veterans as well as Blue Star and Gold Star families. Students performed musical, dance, and dramatic pieces along with paying tribute to all branches of the military and the role they have played in protecting our freedom. Before Mr. Worcester and his team left to continue on their journey to Arlington via the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Holmdel, NJ, they were presented with goodie bags and a box of letters from Oak Hill students written to the theme, “What is a Hero?”

Oak Hill Academy was honored to be a stopping point for this tremendous organization. Our long standing Veterans

The Marine Color Guard stood proud on stage as the OHA Kindergarten led the audience in the pledge of allegiance to begin the special assembly.

These Upper School OHA boys positioned themselves in front of the Scire Student Activities Center during the parade of trucks.

Oak Hill students, graduates (from M.A.S.T.), and veterans joined on stage to dedicate some special wreaths in honor of the day.

Day Assembly, directed and produced annually by Patrice Murray, Director of Personnel & Administration, first acknowledged Wreaths Across America’s mission in 2017, and a year later, OHA was a part of their journey. In addition to the assembly, Oak Hill sold “Pretz for Vets” during lunch on Tuesday, December 4th where all proceeds went towards the purchasing of wreaths. Oak Hill Academy friends and families were able to purchase nearly 800 wreaths!

After the event, news of Oak Hill Academy’s dedication to veterans spread. In fact, a Rutgers radio show, The Veterans Corner, on FM 88.7 WRSU hosted by Dennis Pratt and Don Buzney, both of whom are veterans, invited Miss Patrice Murray, Director of Personnel & Administration, and Blue Star mother, Mrs. Rita Cotterell, Upper School Math Teacher, to join them for their weekly radio broadcast in early February. The Veterans Corner gives a tribute to various topics concerning veterans. Miss Murray and Mrs. Cotterell were able to share their experiences within Oak Hill Academy and the events the school sponsors in order to pay tribute to veterans and teach the next generation about the importance of respecting and honoring those who serve and secure our freedom.

If you would like to learn more about the Wreaths Across America mission, support their cause, or even sponsor a wreath please visit their website: https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/

The Chairman of Wreaths Across America, Wayne Hanson, along with honored guests, saluted our veterans during the assembly on December 12th.

Headmaster Joe Pacelli and Director of Personnel/Administration Patrice Murray were both honored to host the Wreaths Across America Founder Morrill Worcester and his wife, Executive Director Karen Worcester, as well as Maine Police Chief Jeanine Roberts.

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Oak Hill to Open Socrates High School IN SEPTEMBER 2020 be more engaged with their curriculum and better prepared for college, careers, and citizenship.

Since its founding in 1984, Oak Hill has inspired a vision for primary education that develops selfconfident, motivated students who have a love of learning. Come September 2020, that vision will extend to secondary education. We are excited to announce the opening of the Socrates School at Oak Hill Academy for students in grades 9 through 12.

Our headmaster, Joseph Pacelli, has long pondered the idea of adding a high school for students at Oak Hill, yet the precise impetus for doing so has always eluded him. Nevertheless, the state of secondary education today, with such a heavy emphasis on rote memorization and standardized test scores, has prompted Mr. Pacelli and Oak Hill to reimagine what high school can be to meet the needs of students in the 21st century. The result is the Socrates School, a small alternative high school that uses a personalized learning approach for the curious student.

“Teens today must be challenged with a curriculum that is both rigorous and meaningful,” explains Mr. Pacelli. “A personalized approach to learning allows students to pursue their passions by providing not only some choice in topics studied but also flexibility in when, how, and to what degree those topics are pursued.” Consequently, Socrates Students will have increased agency over their education. They will

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At the core of the Socrates curriculum will be five “blocks,” each of which is designed to establish a framework of knowledge from which students can explore their individual passions in greater depth.

The Socrates Block, using such programs as the Gates’ Foundations Big History Project and Great Books program, will cover social studies, philosophy, literature/language arts, and history. Online courses provided by the Laurel Springs School and Johns Hopkins University will comprise the Academic Block, which focuses on science, mathematics, and foreign language, and the Elective Block, where students can take courses in subjects ranging from cybersecurity to world religions.

The Exploration Block will use a Project-Based Learning model to challenge students to embark on investigations of their choosing, the goals of which are to think critically and address real world problems.

Finally, students will have the opportunity to step out of the traditional student role and experience personal development, physical well-being, and service to others through the Flex Block. Activities will include assisting with after school activities, like tutoring, drama, or athletics, and partaking in internships with various community partners during junior and senior years.

Our entire OHA staff strongly feels that every student deserves the best chance to succeed, and so the Socrates School comes as a response to an educational climate that has challenged that notion. We believe that the time is right for Oak Hill to take this next step and open its doors to young people wishing to get more out of their high school education. We look forward to sharing more news and information about the Socrates School and the successes we know to come with it.

Honors & AWARDS OAK HILL ACADEMY STUDENTS EARNED TOP HONORS Oak Hill Academy’s academic successes outside of the classroom show our students’ desire to challenge themselves and compete at high levels. The many opportunities offered to our children allow them to learn new things, work as a team, and strive for their goals.

Along with 12,000 students across the country, Oak Hill Academy eighth graders once again participated in the American Scholastic Achievement League Scholastic Challenge. It consists of a 100 question online test that covers literature, geography, history, science, mathematics, and general knowledge. Our very own Robert Schweikert was named NATIONAL CHAMPION!!! Robert outscored all participants and was also NJ Champion. In addition, OHA had 95% of its students score above the national average!

The Math Team once again earned a trophy in the CBA Mathematics Competition as the second place team.

Michael Gao had the top individual score.

OHA 8th Grade Robert Schweikert was named the National Champion among 12,000 students across the country that competed in the American Scholastic Challenge.

Once again OHA students competed in the newly formatted Brother Christian Jones Middle School Math Tournament. The first six rounds were held after school at Oak Hill Academy and the final event was held at CBA with a series of fun events, challenges, and trials that tested depth, speed, and accuracy. OHA did very well ending in second place overall. Our school’s High Team Scorer was eighth grader, Michael Gao, who also received the TOURNAMENT HIGHEST SCORING INDIVIDUAL. The award for League Fifth High Score Individual went to Thibaut Fabricant.

In keeping with the math theme, honors were earned by OHA in other competitions as well! The OHA math team of Michael Gao, Robert Schweikert, Thibaut Fabricant, Mitchell Oldham, and Aaron Lee was the top private school in the Middlesex Union Monmouth Chapter of the Mathcounts national competition in February. This team went on to states and Michael Gao scored in the top 10 individuals in the entire state! OHA is the only private school to have a team at the states and a top 10 individual. In the fall, Michael Gao scored in the top 1% and Thibaut Fabricant, Robert Schweikert, and Mitchell Oldham in the top 5% of all students nationally in the American Mathematics Competition-8. In January, the OHA Math team repeated their 1st place title in the St. Joseph Math Competition. Annabel Sparano and Sophia Gao were both awarded silver pins in the Mathematical Olympiads for scoring in the top 10% nationally among 4th-6th graders. In the NJ Mathematics League, Oak Hill was the 3rd place school in Monmouth County in the 8th grade, with Michael Gao the 6th overall individual. In early April, some of our third graders took the Noetic Learning Spring Math Contest. Rebel Mondschein received a perfect score! Achieving the National Honor Roll for being in the top 10% of all participants were Rebel and Ian Stefko.

The Math Team continued their winning ways by placing first again in the St. Joseph Math Competition.

This was the fifth year that Oak Hill Academy’s 4th through 6th graders competed in a math competition run by Mathleague.org. In a regional round at the Passaic Gifted and Talented Academy, Oak Hill Academy received a team trophy! In the 3rd grade Andie Sparano came in 6th place. In the 4th grade Donovan Kane came in 9th place and Owen Henderson came in 10th place. In the 5th grade Annabel Sparano earned 7th place. The Sparano girls and Dimitrios Giannakopoulos scored high enough to even compete at the state level.

This group of Oak Hill 4th-6th graders earned a team trophy at a regional Mathleague Competition held at Passaic Gifted and Talented Academy.

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Honors &

AWARDS (Continued)

Another academic example would be the “Jeopardy” style contest offered by the Marine Academy of Science and Technology in October. The 8th grade team of Thibaut Fabricant, Michael Gao, Anthony Matejicka, Robert Schweikert, and Audrey Yan made it to the final match, and came in 3rd place due to a new scoring method.

Congratulations also to the 8th grade team of Raina Bhattacharyya, Mac Horowitz, Kevin Kinsella, Aaron Lee, and Catherine Zhang who ended up 4th place among all teams!

Oak Hill Academy’s Literary Magazine, Reflections, continued its tradition of receiving top honors. The American Scholastic Press Association awarded Oak Hill Academy both the First Place Certificate as well as the Best Pre-K - 8 Literary Magazine for 2018 for the caliber of its publication. Since 1991, the OHA magazine has earned first place twenty-two times!

For the thirty-first year in a row, Oak Hill eighth graders earned highest honors in the National Latin Exam.

Year after year, OHA seventh and eighth graders earn honors in the National Latin Exam. On the Latin I Level Exam Isabelle, Darman, Michael Gao, Robert Schweikert, Ryan Stefko, and Aditya Vyas received highest honors with gold medals and a summa cum laude certificate for the eighth grade class. Thibaut Fabricant, Demetra Giannakopoulos, Lauren Soler, and Audrey Yan received silver maxima cum laude certificates. Kevin Kinsella and Cadence Li received a magna cum laude certificate, while Olivia Bellone received the cum laude certificate.

Oak Hill Academy has participated in the exam and has consistently won awards for the last thirty-one years.

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The team of students that attended the Model United Nations at CBA earned Best Large Delegation, as well as many individual honors.

Oak Hill students received the most awards of any school and was named Best Large Delegation at the annual Christian Brothers Academy Middle School Model United Nations Receiving commendations: Michael Gao - Outstanding Delegate Position Paper & Verbal Commendation JCC Allied, Audrey Yan - Honorable Mention Position Paper & Verbal Commendation JCC Axis, Saujan Christie - Best Delegate UN Security Council, Nicholas Lane - Verbal Commendation UN National Security Council, Samantha Garber - Best Delegate US Senate, Amelia Shaffer - Honorable Mention US Senate, Raina Bhattacharyya - Honorable Mention International Maritime Organization, Ethan Fianko Honorable Mention Historical General Assembly 1980’s, Demetra Giannakopoulos -Honorable Mention JCC Allied, Kevin Kinsella - Outstanding Delegate JCC Allied, Robert Schweikert - Outstanding Delegate JCC Axis, and Thibaut Fabricant - Best Delegate JCC Axis.

Sixteen Oak Hill students were inducted into the newly chartered Junior Thespian Society for their participation in various drama programs.

Director of Oak Hill Academy’s Drama Program, Mrs. Bridget DeVivo, was looking for a way to celebrate and acknowledge Oak Hill Academy’s strong program and the many talented and dedicated student actors. Therefore, she petitioned the International Thespian Society, the student honorary division of the Educational Theatre Association, for the privilege of chartering a Junior Thespian Troupe.

The Drama program at OHA was determined to meet the standards required by the Board of Directors of the Educational Theatre Association, and the application was accepted. Oak Hill Academy has been granted the Charter of New Jersey Jr. Thespian Troupe #89635. To celebrate this honor, the school hosted an induction ceremony in January. Sixteen students in grades 6th-8th were inducted into the Thespian Society as a reward for the fine work they have done in Oak Hill’s theatre program.

Honors & AWARDS (Continued) Fifth grade teacher Miss Lee was delighted to have two of her students, Annabel Sparano and Sophia Gao, recognized in an essay contest run by the Monmouth County Historical Commission.

Individually, OHA students took home many honors. Fifth graders, Annabel Sparano and Sophia Gao, were award 1st and 3rd prizes respectively for their essays in a contest sponsored by the Monmouth County Historical Commission. From the many drawings submitted, the Two River Times published the work of two of our students, Oliver Pladek and Alessandra Veltri, as a result of the Monmouth Day Care Center’s annual Art-a-thon. Demetra Giannakopolous and Michael Gao received recognition for their submissions to the Asbury Park Press “Student Voices” Essay Contest. Evalina Zerres, Isabella Thackeray, and Demetra Giannakopoulos were state winners in the NJCCIC Cyber Security Poster Contest. Kevin Kinsella earned top marks for OHA in the National Geography Bee, while Michael Gao scored highest for OHA in the Asbury Park Press Spelldown.

Isabella Thackeray and Demetra Giannakopoulos were Upper School students named as state winners in the NJCCIC Cyber Security Poster Contest.

Congratulations to all our numerous students (named and unnamed) who won individual awards.

You achieved your goals! Special thanks to all our teachers who prepared them so well.

Oak Hill Mustangs COMPETE IN THEIR SPORT The 2018-2019 school year brought with it some athletic honors for Oak Hill teams and individuals. It all began in the fall as the girls’ soccer team made it to the playoffs for the seventh straight year, while the boys’ team also made the playoffs in their respective divisions of the Monmouth County Intermediate School Soccer League. In the spring, the boys’ baseball team had a strong 10-4 record and was ranked #2 going into their playoffs, where they lost a tough game in the semifinals. The OHA tennis team almost achieved perfection with an ending record of 5-1 in their matches. In the annual “Run for the Roses” Cross Country Meet in November 2018 Julien Lacher once again came in 1st place in his boys’ division. Also receiving medals for their top 15 finish were Sienna DeAngelis, Annabel Sparano, Luke Greco, Declan Peduto, Yasin Alsharif, Dylan Stefko, and Ryan Daniels. Congratulations to all our mustang athletes for their hard work and sportsmanship!

The boys’ baseball team had a strong season and made it to the semifinals of their league.

Many Oak Hill students earned medals for their performance in the Run for the Roses Cross Country meet.

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Veterans Day On November 7, 2018, Oak Hill Academy students, staff, and parents honored veterans during the school’s 18th annual Veterans Day program. Over 70 students in Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade performed by creating various tributes, doing dramatic readings, choreographing dance ensembles, singing, and playing instruments.

ANNUAL VETERANS DAY ASSEMBLY HONORS THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED

Patrice Murray, Director of Personnel/Administration, organized the annual program. Each year, she chooses a theme that will educate the students on different aspects relating to the service of our veterans. This year, the themes were “In Flanders Field”, “Armistice Day”, “The Four Chaplains”, “The New Jersey Vietnam Veterans Memorial”, and “Wreaths Across America.” These were in addition to the traditional core themes of “Who is a Veteran,” and the “History of Veterans Day”.

The program began with the OHA Kindergarten leading the school in the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance and, under the direction and piano of Mrs. Pam Momyer, all those in attendance sang the “Star Spangled Banner.”

Student readers defined who was a veteran and briefly outlined the history of Veterans Day. The Oak Hill Chorus performed “Singing Freedom’s Song” (Natalie Sleeth) and “Blades of Grass and Pure White Stones” (Orrin Hatch) under the direction of Mrs. Momyer, and accompanied by Sophia Gao on violin, and Leena Mirchandani on cello. Then the OHA students described the beginnings of World War I and how it was the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day.

The Oak Hill Dance Assemble interpreted the song and poem “In Flanders Field” and captivated the audience with their beautiful rendition.

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OHA teacher Mrs. Kathy Alexander read the poem “In Flanders Field” and related the story with the help of OHA students. Then, the Upper School Dance Ensemble performed their own choreographed routine under the direction of Mrs. Bridget DeVivo to the song “In Flanders Field” by Anthony Hutchcroft. The members of the CBA Pipes and Drums, (including Oak Hill Alum, Tim Murray ’15), led by Brother Frank Byrne, President of CBA, marched in with bagpipes and drums. Their five-song set brought the audience of over 500, to their feet!

Mr. Howard Aronson, the guest speaker, was special indeed. He was a member of the “Greatest Generation” and served in the US Navy during World War II in the South Pacific and the Philippines. At the young age of 94 years, he still works in NJ as a CPA. His stories captivated the audience, and he is an excellent example for all of what it means to serve and love one’s country.

Under the direction of Mrs. Momyer, the OHA Chorus performed for the large audience at the Veterans Day assembly.

A poignant moment in the program came when 4th grader Luli Mitchell sang “The Call” by Regina Spekto, which speaks of a soldier going to and coming back from war. This was followed by a short drama production performed by OHA students, and directed by Mrs. Bridget DeVivo. It related the experiences of “The Four Chaplains” who served in the army and were heroes one fateful night. The skit was followed by music on cello by Matthew Kim, and later “America, the Beautiful” performed on piano by Annabel and Andie Sparano.

US Army Veteran Bill McClung shared his knowledge of the New Jersey Veterans Memorial in Holmdel, where he serves as a guide. Then, Oak Hill students and Miss Murray highlighted the significance of “Wreaths Across America” in anticipation of their visit to campus in December.

Veterans who attended were recognized throughout the program. As each veteran arrived, they were given pins to wear signifying their service to their country. Two local musicians, Mr. Tom Bender and Mrs. Janet Bender, played the trumpet and were accompanied by Mrs. Pam Momyer on piano. They played “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” and “The Armed Forces Medley.” As the song from each branch was played, the veterans in the audience stood for their branch’s song. The audience gave a rousing applause to each group of veterans that stood for their song.

Four Upper School students put on a dramatic skit to introduce the attendants to the story of the Four Chaplains.

A special member of the “Greatest Generation” was guest speaker, Howard Aronson, who joined our own director extraordinaire, Miss Murray, for a photo after the assembly.

At the conclusion of the program, both Joseph Pacelli and Patrice Murrary shared one last tribute to our veterans. The playing of “Taps” along with a moment of silence concluded the program. The Veterans Day program has become an important tradition at Oak Hill Academy. The youngest generation is learning how to honor, respect, and revere those in uniform.

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Student COUNCIL The 2018-2019 Student Council has once again made the school proud of its accomplishments here at Oak Hill and out in the surrounding communities. Under the leadership of Mrs. Linda Vacca and Mrs. Cynara Savarese, the students spent much time and effort working to help others.

The Annual CROP WALK

Once again, Oak Hill students showed up in great number to participate in the annual CROP Walk for the hungry that took place in Red Bank.

The first project of the year was participation in the annual CROP WALK held in Red Bank in October. This venture aids people in need of food and shelter here at home and in many places around the globe. Students ran an assembly at OHA to help spread the word on CROP WALK. A special guest at the assembly was OHA alum, Bill Gleason, who has participated in CROP WALK since he was seven years old. The result was that many OHA students walked and our OHA families contributed a substantial amount of peanut butter, beans, and rice.

Here on campus, Student Council sponsored a dance for 7th and 8th graders supplying a DJ and refreshments. Movie Day for grades 5-6 was in the SAC and provided entertainment, pizza, and snacks.

Student Council sponsored dress-down-for-a-dollar days supported many organizations including the Susan G. Komen Fund for Breast Cancer, the Movember Foundation for Men’s Health, Autism Speaks, a Foundation for children with PKU, and the American Heart Association.

Many students in the Upper School volunteered to be representatives and carry out the work of the OHA Student Council.

Sales from gift wrap and dress-down days raised funds for various school programs and gifts. They include rides and a pretzel machine at Littletown Day, $150 for the Edward P. Felt Scholarship Fund, $200 for the Chris Ferrara Foundation in memory of Christopher Ferrara ’96, $100 to the Monmouth County SPCA in memory of Michael Allingham ’12, $100 for fall planting for Mrs. Cahalane’s Lower School science classes, two recyclable cans for the SAC, and two new OHA tablecloths for school events.

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The Mitten Tree & FOOD DRIVE At the holidays, the Mitten Tree and Food Drive both provided items much in need by local families through charitable organizations such as the Mercy Center in Red Bank, the SPCA, and Holiday Express.

Another collection was for the BackPack Crew that was founded by our own OHA family, the Dice Family. The organization provides local children with food on the weekends when they do not have their school lunch to rely on. Student Council members went to the Methodist Church in Red Bank to sort and pack the backpacks. In the spring, Student Council members read and donated books to children at Monmouth Day Care Center.

Harris Family Foundation DONATES WEBEX SYSTEMS Thank you so much to the Harris Family Foundation and OHA Alumni Parent and Grandparent Mary Ellen Harris in particular, for their generous donation of two Cisco Web Ex Boards and WebEx subscriptions for our faculty. The all-in-one high definition audio/ video devices are a perfect way to enhance the 21st century learning skills taught throughout the curriculum. We are able to experience virtual field trips, participate in industry chats, conduct virtual parent/teacher conferences, wirelessly present in high definition audio/video and connect with many Oak Hill Academy community members located all across the globe. Our creative and collaborative efforts have only just begun! Look for more updates as the year progresses and our deepest appreciation goes out to the Harris Family for making this possible.

Thanks to the magic of Oak Hill’s new WebEx boards, OHA parent, Mrs. Engle, took the fourth grade on a virtual field trip (run by a robot no less), to her office to explore technology in banking.

LOWER SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE Oak Hill Academy teachers have enthusiastically infused more technology into their curriculum in order to create a “blended learning” environment for our Lower School students in particular. Paramount to this end, numerous Chromebooks needed to be purchased for the students. Our own Headmaster, Mr. Pacelli, generously gave of his own funds to jumpstart a fund-raising initiative. Thank you to the following families who gave toward this technology goal and whose name appears on a plaque in our Lower School hallway.

Thanks to donors to the Lower School Tech Initiative, OHA was able to purchase many more Chromebooks for our students.

The DeAngelis Family

The Girgis Family

The DiBiasi Family

The Horowitz Family

The Engle Family

The Pacelli Family

The Giannakopoulos Family

The Plank Family The Sparano Family 11

Grandparent & SPECIAL RELATIVE DAYS 2019

Art class was a joint affair for students and grandparents during the visit portion of their day.

Students were all smiles as they were able to share their writings with their visitors during the class time component of Grandparent/Special Relative Day.

Visitors filled the campus on Thursday, May 16 and Friday, May 17 as an estimated 250 people attended Grandparent/Special Relative Days. It was so nice to see many familiar faces, as well as some first time attendants. All visitors were enthusiastic as they started their day at the Scire Student Activities Center. The festivities began with a very impressive show by Oak Hill Academy’s own Chorus and Oak Hill Players. Thank you to Mrs. Momyer and her talented students for another moving and upbeat performance. Next, Mr. Pacelli related some of his personal jokes, thoughts, and experiences about the importance of the family to the healthy growth of our students. The Parent Organization’s Hospitality Committee supplied coffee and breakfast goodies to start the day. Then came the much anticipated classroom visit.

Oak Hill students were at their best as they performed plays, read their original writings, competed in contests, worked on group projects, and shared memories during the class visits. Many children created heartfelt mementos for their special guests to take home. Finally, the visitors enjoyed the Upper School’s Science Fair, which was exhibited in the gym. We thank the visitors and we complement our students, teachers, and parents for doing such a wonderful job in making this a day for all to remember!

Lip Sync 2019 Oak Hill celebrated its 30th Annual Lip Sync on February 28 and March 1, 2019 in the Scire Student Activities Center. Between both nights, the audience was there to watch the numerous students and four faculty members perform! All of our students in PreK-8 who performed did an outstanding job! They worked hard on their routines and it showed. Mr. Pacelli portrayed Jerry Lee Lewis (one of his favorites!) and kicked up his heels as he performed “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On.” Mrs. Wood, Miss Bonanno, and Miss Straub expertly directed the PreK as they did “Larger Than Life” by the Backstreet Boys. Mrs. Alexander, Mrs. Colbert, and Miss Murray all channeled their inner “Sonny & Cher” for an entertaining rendition of the song, “I Got You Babe”. As tradition, the eighth grade closed out the Friday night performance with their rousing lip sync to a special dance mix. A sincere thank you goes to the many creative parents who helped with the acts. Oak Hill is filled with many talented people!

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Everyone enjoyed the second grade’s festive performance during night one of Lip Sync 2019.

Mr. Pacelli wowed the Lip Sync audience doing his portrayal of Jerry Lee Lewis.

Red & White

DAY

Fun games were the perfect way to “break the ice” during the annual Red & White Day for new students.

All of our new incoming students were invited to a morning of fun and games on Saturday, June 1, 2019. This was the first year that OHA hosted the event in June. The faculty and present student volunteers (who were wearing their festive Oak Hill t-shirts) greeted the new students during circle time in the gym. Everyone then divided into teams for many games.

After group pictures in their new OHA shirts, donuts and water were served in the cafeteria. The Upper School teams had an additional outdoor water balloon toss before their snack.

Some new OHA Upper School students paused from their games to take a photo with a few of their future teachers.

While these activities were occurring in the gym, the incoming parents had a lovely reception in the Commons. The Parent Organization hosted their guests with a wonderful array of food and warm welcomes. It was the perfect time to make new friends and get some inside advice from current OHA parents.

The good times will certainly carry over to a smooth transition when school actually begins in September!

OHA IN THE NEWS Some of the other articles featuring Oak Hill Academy this year were: Oak Hill Academy Incorporates Blended Learning to Engage All Students Oak Hill Academy Students Know “Determination is Success” Oak Hill Academy’s Model UN Team Shines at CBA CBA Hosts 6th Annual Model UN Conference Oak Hill Academy Students Win Numerous Awards at CBA’s Model UN Competition Oak Hill Academy Repeats as Top School at Math Contest Oak Hill Academy Wins Big at Competition Oak Hill Academy Selected as Stop for Wreaths Across America Wreaths Across America Stops at Oak Hill Academy Oak Hill Academy to Launch High School Oak Hill Academy Plans to Open New High School National Champion Crowned at Oak Hill Academy A National Champion at Oak Hill School!

National Champion Crowned in Eighth Grade at Oak Hill Academy Oak Hill Academy Graduates Class of 2019

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Oak Hill HAPPENINGS

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This year’s kindergarten class did a fine job upholding the tradition of the Thanksgiving Day play for the audience of relatives, teachers, and students.

Oak Hill’s newest club, Aviation Club, ended its year by launching some rockets on the school baseball field.

Fourth Grade Heritage Day is the perfect opportunity to try delicious food and learn about the various cultural traditions of our OHA families.

PreK chose a dinosaur theme for the wedding celebration of “Q” and “U” in the Scire Student Activities Center.

These second graders got to learn about being a doctor thanks to a visit from OHA alumni and current parent, Dr. Susan Passarella.

Although rescheduled due to weather a few times, in May the 8th grade finally got to enjoy their canoe trip!

2018-2019

This large group of 7th graders volunteered to give up their Saturday to be OHA tour guides during an OHA open house.

Eighth grade Spanish classes celebrated Cinco de Mayo with performances and the always popular salsa competition.

Archery was only one of the fun events for 6th graders attending a class trip at Camp Zhender.

Painting is always a popular event during art classes in third grade.

This wasn’t your ordinary nursery rhyme for the theme of the annual school play entitled “What Happened Once Upon a Time.”

Upper and Lower School students were paired together as reading buddies as a way to kick off “Read Across America Day.” 15

Headmaster

FOR THE DAY Fourth Grader Henry Griffith assisted Mr. Pacelli (and dressed the part) in his duties as “Headmaster for the Day.”

As “Headmaster for the Day” Henry was able to sign important papers in order to declare an additional dressdown-day for students.

Fourth grader, Henry Griffith, took his new job as “Headmaster for the Day” on Tuesday, May 7, 2019 very seriously. In fact, dressed in his pin-striped suit, he might have been our best dressed headmaster to date! Early in the morning, Headmaster Griffith recited the Pledge of Allegiance over the PA to the entire school. Next, it was the signing of important documents declaring that May 8, 2019 was a special dress down day! Henry was introduced to all of the Lower School classes and some of the Upper School too. He read to the Kindergarten and the PreK and took a ride to the Soler Science Center on the golf cart. Henry took meticulous notes during his duties and stopped to take photos with lots of important people along the way. The new head of school and a few of his friends were treated to lunch at the Molly Pitcher Inn with Mr. Pacelli and Miss Murray. At the awards assembly at the beginning of June, Henry was presented with a plaque, a photo album of the day, as well as a video of the day’s happenings. Job well done headmaster!

“VIP” Student

BEING A AT OAK HILL HAS ITS BENEFITS!

One of the benefits of being “VIP” for the day was a golf cart ride to class across campus.

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This group of “VIP” students received special perks as a result of winning the privilege at the OHAPO Gala in April.

Thanks to a popular item at the Oak Hill Academy Parent Organization’s Live Auction during the annual Gala, thirteen lucky children had the opportunity to be “VIP” Students. They were Peter Terranova (PreK), Sophia Haddad (K), Hayden Harris (K), Jameson Harris (1st), Madison Terranova (1st), Annika Harris (2nd), Mary Haddad (2nd), Shane Regan (2nd), Katie Scharpf (3rd), Sienna DeAngelis (4th), Kyle Davis (5th), Ethan Fianko (6th), and Luke DeAngelis (7th).

Before their special day, these students were provided with two “dress-downday” certificates to be used whenever they wanted and a No Homework Pass for a math lesson. On Tuesday, May 21, 2019 the true pampering began. Children wore their official VIP t-shirt in Oak Hill red. After a group photo, the students went to class where teachers treated them like the “royalty” that they are. Lower School students got to be line leaders, office messengers, and lead class activities. Upper School students were recognized in their various classes and reserved the right to pick their own locker spot for next year. All the VIP students were given chauffeured rides around campus by security staff on the golf cart. At lunch, these children were treated to a catered meal of their choice from a local food eatery.

“VIP Student Day” has become a big deal and many students are looking forward to the opportunity to be a VIP next year. Look for your chance to win this prize at the next OHAPO Gala in March 2020.

Littletown Day Oak Hill Academy hosted our annual Littletown Day with a colonial flair on Wednesday, March 13, 2019. Students of HO-HO teacher, Mrs. Vacca, had prepared for this day by learning a great deal about the westward expansion of the United States. From the pilgrim’s journey across the Atlantic Ocean, to the Boston Tea Party, the thirteen colonies, America’s symbols, wagon trains and Fulton’s Steamboat, to the various Native American tribes, students learned all about the journey and discovery of our beautiful country. Energetic students worked part of the morning at their jobs in the Liberty Bell Book Store, Native Nail Salon, Pilgrim’s Pretzels, Trading Post Toy Store, Mayflower Movie Theatre, or the Longhorn Lounge (featuring OHA musicians). When work was completed, students went to the Buffalo Bank to withdraw their “tiny bucks” which could then be spent all around town.

During Littletown Day, the Kindergarten supplied an awesome ride down the Pocahonotos Pathway in their selfconstructed horse and buggy vehicles.

A very popular spot during Littletown Day was the Colonial Cafe where visitors could pick up a snack and listen to some live music performed by OHA students.

The Kindergarten supplied an awesome ride down the Pocahontas Pathway in their self-constructed horse and buggies. Some very popular spots along the trail were Caprara’s Colonial Classroom and the Wagon Wheel Hoe-Down. The John Smith Gym offered visitors the chance to test their cowboy skills and try some super inflatable rides. Mail for the day was sorted and delivered through the Pony Express Post Office.

Littletown’s Mayor Pacelli and Inspector Murray visited all over town to make sure the workers were keeping with regulations and citizens were enjoying the celebration. An honored guest was Committeewoman Pat Snell who was pleased to see all our students working well together as they ran their grade’s businesses. Special thanks to Mrs. Vacca for another year of fun, learning, and imagination!

2018 Parent Survey Results In October of 2018, Oak Hill Academy administered a 40 question online survey in order to gauge our parents’ satisfaction with the school’s programs, philosophy, operation, and general overall atmosphere in serving our children and families. The results were studied and some suggestions for improvement were implemented.

Results of the 2018 Parent Survey show a very high level of satisfaction from our OHA community.

The first two questions dealt with student demographics and the family’s longevity with the school. There was a total of 123 responses and the school was delighted to share the results with its OHA community on the school website. We are pleased to report that an overwhelming number of the results showed approximately 90% satisfaction. A review of the responses also indicated that the current parents are very supportive of school programs, their children are enjoying the Oak Hill experience, and the school is meeting their children’s educational needs.

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Parent ORGANIZATION It was not only a successful year for the 2018-2019 Parent Organization, but also a welcoming one as more parents than ever got involved. Our sincerest appreciation is extended to Parent Liaison/ Treasurer Corey Small for communicating about and overseeing all the social and fund-raising activities. Many thanks to the members of the 6th & 7th grade graduation committees, 8th grade coordinators, teachers’ appreciation luncheon organizer, spirit wear providers, holiday shop workers, school calendar designer, box top collectors, hospitality help, room parents, etc. Members helped put our best foot forward by handling all the details for Red & White Day, Field Day, and Grandparent/Special Relative Day. Families were treated to good times and good food at our annual Family Brunch hosted by Suzanne Greco-Hay and her hardworking committee. Families benefited from the beautiful flowers offered at the Plant Sale and the books available at the Fall Book Fair.

Parents and students got to mingle, dance, and enjoy delicious food at the annual OHA Brunch chaired by Suzanne Greco-Hay, with help from Britt Lacher.

Our “Mardi Gras Madness Parent Party” was another fabulous event and perfect opportunity for the parents of OHA to revel in an evening out. Our chairperson, Teena Patel, planned an incredible night at the Navesink Country Club. Guests were treated to a fine dinner, as well as a chance to shop by purchasing gifts from many local and unique vendors. Lucky attendees went home with prizes from the auction and were able to purchase the perfect gift for their children of an OHA “Dress Down Day.” The “Kindness” branch of the OHAPO serves to enrich and help the community and our OHA families as needed throughout the year. Together the families at OHA made a difference by providing backpacks and school supplies for needy schoolchildren, donated candy to create goody bags used by Holiday Express for their benefit concerts, and collected food for the local “Backpack Crew” charity.

The Mardi Gras Madness Parent Party was a successful and fun evening thanks to the direction of Chairperson Teena Patel, with a little help from her husband too!

By far, the event of the year was the “Denim & Diamonds” Gala and Auction held April 6, 2019 at the spectacular Addison Park, owned by alumni family, the Campitiellos. Our sincerest appreciation is extended to chairperson Christina Harris, as well as Silent Auction chair, Ashley Scharpf, who both worked tirelessly with their committee to make the evening a truly elegant and prosperous celebration. The denim and bling theme was evident throughout the affair. Special thanks to our lively and debonair auctioneer, John Green, who kept the bidding going during the Live Auction. In addition to the Gala, the OHA plant sale, book fairs, holiday shop, school spirit wear, box tops, and Mardi Gras all provided Oak Hill with income as well as useful services.

Each year the Parent Organization strives to fulfill their mission to “make real those ideas that further support the wholesome intellectual and physical growth of our children.” Their selfless efforts and determination to support the school in any way necessary resulted in another prosperous year. At the End of Year Appreciation Luncheon, Mr. Pacelli thanked the volunteers for all their hard work. Their successful year resulted in an end of year gift of $115,000! As always, these funds will be used for the betterment of the educational experience offered to our students. As is tradition, the Parent Organization gift helps grant the wishes of our teachers by providing a little something extra for each faculty member to use in their classroom.

The Denim & Diamonds Gala could not have been the spectacular event it was without the expert direction of chairperson Christina Harris and her husband John, the keenful eye and advice of Anthony LaBate, the efforts of auctioneer John Green, and the beautiful venue provided by Tony Campitiello.

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The hard work of many members of the OHAPO, including these lovely ladies, resulted in another successful year for Oak Hill.

The gala’s silent auction was in the capable and organized hands of Ashley Scharpf, who was supported by her husband, Greg.

2019 Kick-Off

Cash Raffle, & Ad Journal

and the winners were: 1 ST PRIZE | $8,120.00 Mrs. Mona Garbely (OHA Alumni Tessa ‘11 & Alec ‘14)

2 ND PRIZE | $2,320.00 David DeMaro (Friend of OHA)

3 RD PRIZE | $1,160.00

The Bellone Family (OHA students Ethan, Gr. 5 & Olivia Gr. 8)

INCENTIVE PRIZE

Mr. Richard Cancelosi (OHA Alumna Caroline ‘01) Oak Hill Academy’s “Denim & Diamonds” fundraiser including the Cash Raffle, Gala & Auction, and Ad Journal turned out to be a fantastic event that resulted in 464 raffle tickets being sold. This relates to $11,600.00 being raised for educational technology and improvements of our OHA campus. All of the current families, alumni families, and OHA friends who participated in the raffle were an important element to our success.

The Program/Ad Journal was another attractive and high quality booklet this year that grossed $5,500.

Many thanks to Mrs. Corey Small and Mrs. Donna McShane for their joint effort. We once again sincerely appreciate the donation of the cash raffle incentive prize by Ashford and Grace Fine Jewelers (the Blankenbaker Family.)

The first prize in the annual cash raffle went to OHA Alumni Parent and Gala Volunteer, Mona Garbely (pictured with Mrs. Larkins and Mr. Pacelli.)

Finally, we would like to personally thank every person who participated in the raffle, ad journal, and gala in any way. Whether you sold a raffle ticket, donated a gift or service, decorated a prize, placed an ad, etc., you helped OHA party in style and pave the way for an even better future for our students!

THANK YOU to every person who participated in the raffle, ad journal, and spring gala in any way. You have helped OHA pave the way for an even better future for our students!

Mr. Pacelli was pleased to award third prize in the raffle to OHA current parents, Kathy and Mike Bellone.

OHA Alumni Parent, Richard Cancelosi, is consistently the leading seller of cash raffle tickets. It was appropriate that he took home the incentive prize this year.

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Annual Giving Fund 2018-2019 REPORT ON VOLUNTARY SUPPORT

Each year the Annual Fund is an important means for all members of OHA, past and present, to come together to reach our goals. Through everyone’s generosity, we are able to provide the something extra that helps to make Oak Hill Academy so unique.

Support for OHA was consistent with previous years.

Notably, the total number of alumni contributing to the fund increased by 30% since last year.

Oak Hill continued its tradition of having Branches of Funds, designed as a means for the OHA community to designate their gifts to the area that coincided with their interests. As the itemized totals suggest, the

majority of contributors chose to direct their gifts to the Unrestricted Fund where it would have an impact on the school’s most immediate needs.

In a nod to our fine staff, the amount of funds designated to the faculty increased this year.

Thank you to all the donors who supported the 2018-2019 Annual Fund. Whether your gift was large or small, your kind support was an essential part in maintaining the breadth and richness of the OHA experience.

CONTRIBUTOR

# OF DONORS

AMOUNT

BRANCHES OF FUNDS

Current Parents Alumni Parents Alumni Grandparents Board Members Faculty Friend Total

18 20 26 14 3 1 1 88

$29,450 $10,150 $4,795 $3,775 $2,000 $750 $56.07 $50,976.07

Fund Unrestricted Campus Faculty Student Life

Total Designated $33,901.07 $10,050 $5,300 $1,725

Gifts IN KIND We are grateful for the donation of materials, supplies, or services as well as cash gifts to our general fund during the 2018-2019 school year by the following:

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Mr. Paul Balestiero (Estate Planning Services) Mrs. Lynn and Miss Addison Basile Mr. and Mrs. Jay Blankenbaker (Ashford & Grace Fine Jewelers) Mrs. Michelle Codispoti Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Corba Mr. Jim and Mrs. Maureen Daly Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Earle

Mr. and Mrs. John Harris Mr. and Mrs. Robert Harris Mr. and Mrs. Frank Holden Mrs. Kelly Ann Gazdus & Miss Hannah Gazdus Mr. Anthony LaBate and Mr. John Green Mrs. Kristine Kayser-Bermudez Mrs. Mona Garbely

Miss Patrice Murray Molzons Landscape Nursery Mr. and Mrs. JP Pladek & ACA Computers Mr. Christopher Quincannon Mrs. Kathy Seetoo Mr. Scot Small

2018-2019 GIFT CLUB We appreciate the generosity and support of the parents of current students, grandparents, alumni, and faculty who contributed to the 2018-2019 Annual Giving Fund.

The President’s Club $5000 or over Torchbearers $250-$499 The Headmaster’s Club $1000-$4999 Benefactors $100-$249 The Oak Leaf Club $500-$999 Cornerstones $99 or under THE PRESIDENT’S CLUB

Ihab & Lisa Girgis Mr. & Mrs. Howard Orlick & Caitlyn (The DeAlessandro Foundation) Gregory & Jodi Peters Ellen & David Soler

THE HEADMASTER’S CLUB Richard Cancelosi Dr. Michael Cosulich ‘99 The Garmany Family & Garmany Store of Red Bank Leonard & Lauren Gorski Karen Greco (on behalf of Brycen Greco ’14) The Griffith Family Robert, Kristi, Kelsey, Kyle, & Rebecca Harris Angela Qiu The Tackett Family Marian Lombardi on behalf of Madison & Peter Terranova Courtland Weisleder ‘91 THE OAK LEAF CLUB

Tom & Carol Anderson The John Davis Family Dr. Bob & Jay Fabricant Lucille Flynn Mr. & Mrs. John Gazdus Mr. & Mrs. John Minio Miss Patrice Murray Pacelli Grandchildren – Nicholas, Matthew, & Christopher Misson and JJ & Josie Larkins and Alexa & Abigail Cieri and James Pacelli Casey Peters ‘03

Dr. & Mrs. Frank Tarantini Fred Voccola ‘88 TORCHBEARERS Ted & Gayle Aanensen Cieri Family – Alexa ‘14 & Abigail ‘16 The DiAntonio Family James & Carmela Maltese The Mirchandani Family Rev. Richard & Mrs. Robin Overcash Christopher Skelton ‘18 Jeffrey & Teresa Skelton Sparano Family Drs. Peter & Susan Stuntebeck Mingjie Tang Drs. Cezar & Marietta Tapnio Zachary Zaborowski ‘13

BENEFACTORS

Maura Attardi ‘90 John & Catherine Barone William & Norma Bertozzi Carl & Emma Betta Mr. & Mrs. Alfred Bevacqua Dr. Kenny Chiu Michael & Marie DeStefano Hans & Nancy Falkenhagen Myles Gorki ‘16 Elizabeth Gough ‘99 Nadeem & Rabab Haider Thomas Hemhauser Bill & Pat Kirk Michael & Cheryl Marino Timothy Murray ‘15

The Palazzolo Family Susan K Passarella ‘92 John Regina The Small Family Mr. & Mrs. Mathias St. Fleur The Stryker Family Erich Stuntebeck ‘95 VMMare Foundation on behalf of Erich Stuntebeck ‘95 Thomas Wolf ‘97 Hank Wong Michael Zerres

CORNERSTONES

Billy Attardi ‘18 Allison Marino Blackstock ‘02 Mr. Richard Brown Christopher Caruso ‘17 Mr. & Mrs. Gualberti David Kao & Chiu Ping Kao Ken & Pat Mitchell Christine Repoli-Cicero ‘00 Heidi Servilla Gerald Sharpe ‘14 Blake Small ‘11 Brittany Small ‘06 Hunter Small ‘15 Victoria Small ‘08 Bill Toth ‘03 Dave & Chris ‘91 Weigand MJ Wright ‘15 Andrew Yeager-Buckley ‘94

Special CONTRIBUTIONS Throughout the year, kind members of the Oak Hill Academy community decided to support the school in their own way. Alumni Parent and Current Grandparent, Mary Ellen Harris, made a generous donation to Oak Hill to be used toward additional security measures on campus. This was in addition to her family foundation’s contribution to fund Web Ex Board technology. The Lacher Family donated monies toward the purchase of new books for our school library. The group of “Tuesday Night Basketball Dads” each made donations throughout the year to help with the maintenance of the school gymnasium. The Ferrara Family, the Howard Newman Family, the Branco Family, the Repoli Family, the Santulli Family and the Pacelli Family each graciously provided funds for special awards to our eighth graders at Graduation 2019. Thank you to all those who made a difference with their thoughtful gifts.

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High School

PLANS

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Adityye Agarwal

Red Bank Regional

Lauren Jordan

Matilda Attardi

Shore Regional

Samantha Kanevsky Holmdel High School

Olivia Bellone

Trinity Hall

Kevin Kinsella

Marine Academy of Science & Technology

Raina Battacharyya

Academy of Allied Health & Science

Aaron Lee

Manalapan (Science & Engineering)

Alexa Cassino

Middletown High School South

Cadence Li

Peddie School

Lynx Cassino

Middletown High School South

Carl Lindmark

St. John Vianney

Allison Chiarini

Ranney School

Alexandria Lopez

Ranney School

Saujan Christie

Christian Brothers Academy

Ilan Lozner

Christian Brothers Academy

Sarah Conforti

Ranney School

Anthony Matejicka

Academy of Allied Health & Science

Ryan Daniels

Christian Brothers Academy

Nicholas Mavica

Christian Brothers Academy

Isabella Darman

Trinity Hall

Daniel Menake

Christian Brothers Academy

Anthony DeJohn

Christian Brothers Academy

Sofia Moskowitz

Ranney School

Sarina Dhaliwal

Sayreville High School

Ayla O’Conner

Trinity Hall

Caroline DiBiasi

Manasquan High School

Robert Schweikert

High Tech High School

Alexa Dornemann

Communications High School

Amelia Shaffer

Marine Academy of Science & Technology

Thibaut Fabricant

Christian Brothers Academy

Karsten Sima

St. John Vianney

Skyler Fabricant

Red Bank Catholic

Lauren Soler

The Hun School

Michael Gao

High Tech High School

Anya Stavola

Ranney School

Samantha Garber

Colts Neck (Law & Public Service)

Ryan Stefko

Christian Brothers Academy

Demetra Giannakopoulos Academy of Allied Health & Science

Victoria Tackett

Ranney School

Rebecca Harris

St. John Vianney

Alessandra Veltri

Red Bank Catholic

Martin Horowitz

Christian Brothers Academy

Aditya Vyas

Rye Country Day School

Laura Hurley

Shore Regional

Audrey Yan

High Tech High School

Isabella Incognito

Trinity Hall

Catherine Zhang

Peddie School

Manasquan High School

Graduation 2019 SPECIAL AWARDS PACELLI PRIZE FOR GENERAL EXCELLENCE Thibaut Fabricant Demetra Giannakapolous Michael Gao Robert Schweikert SCHOLASTIC EFFORT Cadence Li Alexa Cassino Anthony Matejicka III Isabelle Darman Audrey Yan Samantha Garber Lauren Jordan “KIMBERLEE WILLIAMS AWARD FOR ENGLISH” Robert Schweikert Amelia Shaffer

“CHRISTINE REPOLI CICERO AWARD FOR MATHEMATICS” Michael Gao FRENCH Laura Hurley Lauren Jordan CITIZENSHIP Ryan Stefko Catherine Zhang

MUSIC Michael Gao

COMPUTER SCIENCE Martin Horowitz LEADERSHIP Ryan Stefko

CRITICAL READING Catherine Zhang

SPANISH Demetra Giannakopoulos

SCIENCE Thibaut Fabricant

MATH WORKSHOP Robert Schweikert

“DOROTHY BORG AWARD FOR LATIN” Demetra Giannakopoulos Audrey Yan

EXPLORATIONS Thibaut Fabricant

Mrs. Christine Repoli-Cicero was on hand with Mr. Pacelli and speaker Dr. Michael Gary to award the prize for mathematics to Michael Gao.

TO THE CLASS OF 2019 You are ready for the next step of your educational life. The upcoming four years will go by very quickly. You will have new teachers, new subjects, new activities, and, of course, new friends. With all this comes the responsibility to make wise decisions.

With the support of your family, you will be taking on many challenges as you approach adulthood. Always, stop and think, is this good for my family and myself? Are these the values that I hold true? Is this choice the right thing to do? You will be

“MELISSA REPOLI AWARD FOR PHYSICAL EDUCATION” Anthony Matejicka III HISTORY Isabelle Darman

MOST IMPROVED Alexa Dornemann Isabella Incognito

OHA PE teacher, Mr. Rosenfeld, and OHA Grad Melissa Repoli presented the Repoli Award for Physical Education to Anthony Matejicka.

“NEWMAN FAMILY PRIZE FOR ART” Rebecca Harris

“CHRISTOPHER FERRARA AWARD FOR SPIRIT” Ryan Stefko Catherine Zhang “JAMES J. BRANCO INSPIRATION AWARD” Samantha Garber PERFECT ATTENDANCE Isabelle Darman Lauren Jordan Audrey Yan Catherine Zhang

DRAMA Catherine Zhang

Art teacher, Miss DiMaggio, and Amanda Newman-Godfrey posed with the recipient of the “Newman Family Prize for Art”, Rebecca Harris.

The “James J. Branco Inspiration Award,” in memory of OHA Parent Jim Branco, was given to none other than the graduation student speaker, Samantha Garber.

Dr. Gary and Miss Murray were proud to stand beside the recipients of the “Christopher Ferrara Award for Spirit”: Ryan Stefko and Catherine Zhang.

influenced by many individuals as you move forward. Some good and some bad! It is up to you to use your knowledge to do what is best for you and the people you care about. As always, “The Best is Yet to Come.”

We will miss you, so make sure to visit often.

JOSEPH A. PACELLI Headmaster

Headmaster Joe Pacelli, together with his wife, Jo Ann, and their nephew, JJ Larkins, were pleased to award Robert Schweikert, Demetra Giannakopoulos, Michael Gao, and Thibaut Fabricant with the Pacelli Prize for General Excellence.

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Alumni NEWS CHRIS BAVLINKA | 1982

CASEY PETERS | 2003

Opened his own restaurant in Easton, PA called The Stone Soup. (www.stonesoupallentown. com) and he also teaches sushi making, Taste of Asia, and many other culinary classes at Northhampton Community College and LeHigh Carbon Community College.

is a Principal for Mercury Capital Advisors, a leading global private fund placement and advisory group.

NICOLE COMANDUCCI | 1986 teaches in Rutland, Vermont and lives in Middlebury with her husband, Jon and daughter Lily.

KEVIN BEVAQUA | 1986 has worked at Oak Hill as a substitute teacher this past year and lives in Tinton Falls.

FRED VOCCOLA | 1988

works for Amazon as a senior regional EHS manager for the North East.

is a graduate of St. Lawrence University majoring in Economics. Dean’s list, CoDirector of the Musical; Magna Cum Laude; Sesquicentennial Academic Scholarship, NYC semester and portfolio project contest winner.

Blake will study Finance at Simon Business School in Rochester, NY.

MEGAN MASSA | 2006

SAMANTHA MENICUCCI | 2011

ANDREW MING | 2004

lives in Los Angeles, CA as a neuroscience PhD candidate and teaching fellow at UCLA. She has advanced to candidacy, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, CTSI Core Voucher (NIH sponsored), Kenneth I. Shine Fellowship.

AARON PATEL | 2006

is a die-hard Rutgers alum who currently works CEO of Kaseya, an IT firm based in Miami, Florida. as a Digital Marketer at Ironpaper in NYC.

AMY PUZIO-KENNEDY | 1989

HALEY PETERS | 2006

works as a hostess at the Breakers Hotel in Spring Lake as well as a Realtor for D’Amico & McConnell. She lives in Spring Lake Heights with husband Carl and four children, Joseph (14), Amelia (11), Charlotte (5) and Nicholas (4).

continues to play professional basketball in Europe. She will be playing in Turkey this upcoming season after other seasons in France and Spain and a few stops in the WNBA.

CHARLOTTE REICH | 1990 graduated from Rutgers NJ Medical School in 2002 and now works as an emergency room physician in Staten Island. She is an American Board of Emergency Medicine Fellow and Professor of Emergency Medicine at Hofstra/ Northwell School of Medicine.

KEN KEENE | 1992 works as a Research Fisheries Biologist for the Department of Commerce NOAA Fisheries on Sandy Hook.

JONATHAN G. COHEN | 1993

BRITTANY SMALL | 2006 is an operations manager and EPIC trainer for Hackensack Meridian Healthcare.

graduated from Quinnipiac University as a Dean’s List student majoring in Criminal Justine and Law. She will attend Hofstra Law School on Long Island this fall.

NICHOLAS MISSON | 2011 graduated from Elon University in NC where he was in the Business Fellows Program 4.0 GPA, Finance and Accounting Major. He currently works at Ernst & Young.

JJ LARKINS | 2011 graduated from Georgetown University with a major in human science. Before attending law school, he is spending a year in DC working for an AmeriCorps program through the Washington AIDS Partnership Health Corps.

ALEXANDRA KELLY | 2012

is on track to graduate from Rutgers with a degree in Environmental Economics. Awarded the TOP Award in Rutgers undergraduate writing MISSY REPOLI | 2007 is an University Programs Coordinator at Google conference in the business/economics category. in NYC.

PETER CANGIALOSI | 2008 after graduating from Duke University with distinction in Neuroscience, Peter is attending Rutgers New Jersey Medical School with a predicted graduation date of 2021.

MAX KELLY | 2012

is entering his senior year at Cornell University pursuing pre-med. He is interning at Harvard Ortho Trauma in Boston for the summer doing research and shadowing doctors in all areas.

Max is an officer in the Phi Delta Epsilon Medical Fraternity.

is a bankruptcy attorney at his own firm, Jonathan Goldsmith Cohen Law Firm in Tinton Falls, NJ.

KYLE PATEL | 2008

ABBY GROSSBERG | 1995 is a Senior Producer for renowned business anchor Maria Bartiromo at FOX Business Network and FOX News Channel in New York City. She oversees editorial content and high profile guest bookings for “Sunday Morning Futures,” “Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street” and “Mornings with Maria.”

after graduating from St. Olaf College Cum Laude in Economics and Political Science, Joe went on to the London School of Economics & Political Science and graduated with a degree in MATTHEW MISSON | 2013 Auditing. He currently works for the same school is entering his junior year at Clemson University.

He will be studying abroad in Italy in the Spring as an Academic Mentor. of 2020.

ALBERT CAMPO | 1997

graduated from Williams College in 2018.

has his own accounting firm, AJC Accounting Services, and he and his wife, Jenee, welcomed their first daughter, Aubree Rose this spring.

CHRISTINE REPOLI-CICERO | 2000 teaches math at the Ranney School and lives with her husband and two children in Point Pleasant.

THOMAS DYNE | 2001 is an assistant professor of Russian at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. Thomas just graduated with both his Masters and PhD from UC Berkley in 2019.

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BLAKE SMALL | 2011

works for Google as a Software Engineer in NYC.

JOSEPH MILLER | 2008

JOYCE WANG | 2010 CASSIE JAIN | 2011

will be entering her senior year at Vassar University. Cassie will be taking exciting classes in art history, urban studies and art, while continuing her work as an art handler at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, and pursuing her love of analogue photography, through her own photography and as the head of Vassar’s student photography organization and darkroom. This summer, Cassie was a Reunion Class Assistant to the Vassar Class of 1944 (yes, they’re 96/97 years old!!).

KAITLYN VOGEL | 2013 attends Stetson University double majoring in Management and Entrepreneurship and is a member of Alpha XI Delta, Scuba Diving club, and surf club.

JOSIE LARKINS | 2013 is beginning her junior year as a student athlete on the Women’s Basketball Team at the University of Vermont. During her sophomore season she played the most minutes, scored the most three’s, and recorded the most steals and assists on the team. America East recognized her for her high GPA and academic Dean’s List honors.

HARRY JAIN | 2014

returns for his second year at Catholic University of America majoring in Political Science as a Dean’s List student who is also a Student Senator and Resident Assistant. Gerald is an intern with Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-4).

a National AP Scholar. He was awarded the John Cobb Memorial Senior Leadership Award by the Shore Conference Soccer Officials Association, and was the recipient of the Shore Conference Basketball Coaches Scholarship. Freehold High School named Lucas their NJSIAA Scholar Athlete and scholarship as well. As DECA President of Club Operations, Lucas participated in the State DECA conference in Atlantic City as well as the International Conference in Orlando, FL, and was a member of the Spanish, Math, and National Honor Societies as well as named a National Semifinalist the Elks National Most Outstanding Student Scholarship. Lucas is excited to attend The Ohio State University in the fall enrolled as an Honor Student in the Integrated Business & Engineering (IBE) program at the Fisher School of Business as a National Buckeye & Maximus Scholar.

MARY MAHONEY | 2015

MJ WRIGHT | 2015

completed his first year at Yale University studying Computer Science and Mathematics with a 3.83 GPA; Received Commendatory End-of-Term Reports for Classical Hollywood Film and History of Sport; was Top-third Scorer on William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition; Journeyman of the Yale Guild of Bookmakers; Member of the Yale Printing Press Club; Member of the Yale Undergraduate Math Society; and Member of the Yale Society of Physics Students.

GERALD SHARPE III | 2014

is the salutatorian at St. John Vianney High School and will attend and swim for Lehigh University.

ANNA EFFENBERGER | 2015 graduated as the Valedictorian at the Ranney school while being named Best in Show at a Congressional Art Competition and 1st Team All-Shore Golf. Will play golf and attend Cornell University.

HANNAH GAZDUS | 2015 graduated as the Valedictorian at Red Bank Regional as a National Merit Scholar finalist. Will attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the fall.

BRENDAN HANSEN | 2015 graduated from CBA and was named 1st Team All-Shore Golf. Will attend Rutgers University and play golf.

graduated from Red Bank Catholic High School.

He received the Academic Excellence award while playing Varsity Football and Basketball.

MJ was named to both the All-Shore Academic Team as well as APP All-Shore Football. He was named an All-Shore Shore Sports Network Gridiron Classic Monmouth County Team, received the Shore Conference of High Schools Sportsmanship Award and was an APP Football Offensive Player of the Year nominee. MJ will attend Fordham University wearing #23 in the fall as a member of the football team.

HUNTER SMALL | 2015

WILLIAM WALSH | 2015

graduated from CBA being named Shore Conference Sportsmanship Award winner. Will attend Boston College.

LUCAS BRUCKMANN | 2015 graduated from Freehold High School as a part of the Medical Sciences Learning Center program.

Captained both Varsity Soccer and Basketball teams, was a Principal’s Honor Roll Student and

CHRISTOPHER MISSON | 2016 completed his Junior year at CBA, while playing soccer for the school. He works maintenance at Oak Hill during the summer.

NICHOLAS TROCCOLI | 2017 completed his sophomore year as an Academic Honors student at the Ranney School. He was a member of the Varsity Basketball team that was Shore Conference and NJSIAA Tournament of Champions as #1 team in NJ.

ALLIE MASSIMINO | 2017 completed her sophomore year at Mater Dei Prep and plays Varsity Softball.

NICHOLAS GEISSLER | 2017 completed his sophomore year at CBA receiving the General Excellence Award as well as wrestling Varsity.

GRANT D’ORSI | 2017

completed her freshman year as an Honors student at Freehold High School as a member of the Culinary Arts & Hospitality Management magnet program. Liv started at first base for the JV softball team, and was a member of DECA. She works in the kitchen at the Howell Pointe Swim Club preparing food for the members.

CATHERINE BARONE | 2016

graduated from RBC, and will attend Fordham University and play football.

completed his junior year at Lawrenceville School as a High Honors student playing Ice Hockey and Golf.

JULIANNA TROCCOLI | 2015

TIM MURRAY | 2015

ADAM DEMURJIAN | 2015

JASON WANG | 2016

received the General Excellence Award for his sophomore year at CBA.

graduated from CBA and was awarded CBA Next in Merit History and Science.

graduated from CBA as a 2nd Team All-Shore basketball player and will play and attend the University of Scranton.

completed his junior year at St. John Vianney and played Varsity Lacrosse. Kyle was also selected as one of the 100 members (out of 280,000 student athletes) to be on the NJSIAA StudentAthlete Advisory Council which is the first of its kind in the 100 year history of the NJSIAA.

graduated Cum Laude from Blair Academy.

He will be attending Elon University in the fall.

Hunter works at Camp Oak Hill as a counselor. graduated from the Ranney School with Academic Honors all four years. She was awarded the AP Scholar award, Ranney Visual Arts Photography Award and was a member of National Honor Society, National Math Honor Society, National Spanish Honor Society, and National Art Honors Society.

Julianna also received the Scholastic Arts and Writing awards, Silver Key Visual Award, 2 Silver Key Photography awards, 1 Silver Medal Photography award and 1 Gold Key Photography award. Julianna will attend Villanova University in the fall majoring in Communications.

STEPHEN BRUANSTEIN | 2015

KYLE HARRIS | 2016

attends MAST and has participated in the following: Varsity Color Guard (sophomore year), Alpha Company Platoon Commander (junior year), Headquarters Company Commander (senior year), Key Club President (senior year), Technology Student Association State Reporter (senior year), National Honors Society member (junior and senior year), recipient of a Military Achievement Award.

OLIVIA BRUCKMANN | 2018

MOLLY JAIN | 2018 had a great freshman year at RBR! During the year, she worked on improving her writing as part of the Creative Writing academy, while learning skills such as plot development and songwriting.

She is part of the RBR harp ensemble, and performed in two concerts. In addition, Molly took part in the Cyber patriots competition, was top scorer for RBR in the Math League competition, wrote book reviews for the school newspaper, and assisted the school librarian weekly with tasks such as shelving new books and making it more encouraging for students to check out books.

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Ferrara Giving Wall

DONATIONS PAY TRIBUTE TO MEMORY OF ALIE FERRARA Christopher Ferrara, OHA Class of 1996, was a kind and giving individual who brightened the lives of all who were fortunate enough to know him. He left a lasting impression on Oak Hill Academy, and we were all saddened by his untimely death. He is forever remembered in the “Christopher Ferrara Giving Wall” that greets visitors to the Scire Student Activities Center. Sadly, Christopher’s mother, Alexandra Ferrara, passed away in July 2018. In memory to both fine people, donations were made to Oak Hill Academy in their names. Thank you to the following individuals and companies whose names were added to a new plaque on the Christopher Ferrara Giving Wall and whose support will help increase technology on campus.

Steven and Jean Marie Earhart

Mr. John Chlada – CLU Guardian Life

Earl J. Luttner

Peggy and Sonny Sonnhalter

Josh Becker, Jerry Harnik, Lyle Domenitz & Jeff Neeck Strategies for Wealth, New York RHB

Jennifer Sapel

David and Stephanie Greenberg Angelo Minniti -Minniti Electric & General Contractors

Gerald Clericuzio Izak and Marc Smith Fran & Gary Beinhaker

Nash Subotic Westpac Wealth Partners LLC Steven and Lisa Kennedy Deanna & Steve Mulligan Rema Kaleel Marianne Caswell Mindy & Morris Pinkowitz

Scott & Amy Alters

Mr. Thomas Rafferty & Family Nathan Perlmutter N.M.P. Planning Company Inc.

Andrea Kissel

Gen & Phil Nicastro

Andrew Rothstein

Thomas & Laura Moretti Park Avenue Securities

Jack and Iwona Howley

Robert and Suzanne Fine

Michael & Darlene McEvoy

John Kourgelis

Jeanette Castro

Richard Abbate - Columbia Bank

Innovative Underwriters

The Youmell Family (Ed, Nina, Anna & Megan)

David and Marika Parsels

Jeffrey Ashear

Carl & Carolyn Hicks

Joseph & Nicole Biondolillo Biondolillo Financial Group

Lucille Flynn

James Sinni

Quail Ridge Tennis Family

Howard & Jamie Elias

Nina & Paul Pantozzi

Pat & Jeff Greenberg

Elaine Ferrara Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Caprio

Edward Gaelick Opes One Advisors LLC

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Joshua Hergan “Your Friends at PAS Compliance”

Thomas Ciardella & Craig Feinberg Certified Financial Services

Tom & Mary Ellen Bauman

Joseph DeVizio IV Jess Geller

Christine Repoli-Cicero

2019-2020 Social CALENDAR Please mark your calendar and plan ahead for these special events.

You are cordially invited to all of them and we would love to see you there!

PARENT ORGANIZATION WELCOME COFFEE Friday, September 13, 2019 FAMILY BRUNCH Sunday, October 6, 2019 VETERANS DAY ASSEMBLY Wednesday, November 6, 2019 LIP SYNC PERFORMANCE Friday, February 28, 2020 GALA & CASH RAFFLE Saturday, March 28, 2020 SCHOOL PLAY – EVENING PERFORMANCE Thursday, April 2, 2020 KINDERGARTEN MAYPOLE Friday, May 1, 2020 GRANDPARENT/SPECIAL RELATIVE DAYS Grades PreK, 5-8 Thursday, May 14, 2020 Grades K-4 Friday, May 15, 2020 GRADUATION OF THE CLASS OF 2019 Friday, June 12, 2020

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The Oak Hill Academy Journal is a publication of the Development Office Christina Larkins, Director of Development Oak Hill Academy 347 Middletown-Lincroft Road, Lincroft, New Jersey 07738 (732) 530-1343 www.oakhillacademy.com Established 1981