Pioneer Chronicle - Fall 2022

FEATURES Fall/Winter 2023 | VOLUME 1

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LOWER SCHOOL SPIRIT WEEK What was one of your favorite memories from elementary school?

10 MOMENTS THAT MOVED US Ms. Nielsen’s middle school students participated in a writing contest hosted by Free the Bird.

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Pioneer Academy is an independent, private PreK-12 school located in Wayne, NJ. We are proud to be ranked as “The Best Private PreK-12 School in Passaic County” for the past 6 years.

Editors

Monica Bajraktarevic Lauren Hughes Priscilla Lainez Caitlin Nielsen Jessica Puliafico Paola Pupla

26 24 NEW ERA FOR EAGLE SPORTS Athletics at Pioneer Academy is in the beginning stages with excitement for the future.

28 INTERVIEW WITH MS. HUGHES, HEAD OF ENGLISH DEPARTMENT 30 MESSAGE FROM PTO PRESIDENT

On Friday, November 18th the middle school had a fun Fall-themed day.

Art Director David Coin

Contributors Betul Kaplan Jeff Pinney

Photographs

David Coin Barrack Gibson Betul Kaplan Head of School

Owen O. Akman Phone : (973) 405-5169 Fax : (973) 405-5176 E-mail : info@pioneeracademy.org Web : pioneeracademy.org 164 Totowa Rd. Wayne NJ 07470

18 SGA ELECTIONS Pioneer’s Student Government Association is so proud to have had their yearly election this fall semester.

Pioneer Chronicle is published twice a year (Fall and Spring) by Pioneer Academy for parents, students, alumni, and our friends.

20 ROBOTICS CLUB WINS $6,000 AWARD FROM NASA

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© Pioneer Academy, New Jersey All rights reserved.

MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

A

s we begin the New Year 2023, we reflect on the past year. I am proud of all that we have achieved together as a school community.

I wanted to personally express my appreciation to every single one of the students, teachers, staff, parents, and all stakeholders. Each of you takes great pride in being a part of Pioneer Academy and contributing to our success.

Over the past year, our school has achieved many notable milestones. Our website has been redesigned with you in mind, ensuring that it will serve as a valuable resource. We have successfully completed the first phase of Fostering the Future - A Strategic Five Year Plan 2022-2027.

During this phase, we focused on faculty enhancements, student programs, and facilities. We have made significant progress toward achieving these goals and are on track to meet our overall objectives. With your continued support, we will be able to continue making progress toward our long-term vision.

Pioneer Academy campus enhancement is ongoing. We look forward to the groundbreaking sometime this upcoming year, which will officially start an indoor gymnasium project that we plan to complete by the spring of 2024. In addition, we will work on several beautification projects on campus.

Here are some projects that were already completed: • Turf Athletic Field • Solar panels installation • Fitness Room • Upper School Restrooms • New Robotics Room • Additional Music Room & Art Studio • A designated World Languages Section • New Alumni Lounge to serve the students • New Chromebooks for Grades K-6

• Apple computers for all teaching staff • Cafeteria flooring & beautification I strongly encourage you to get involved in helping us achieve our goals. Whether you are a student, parent, teacher, or a Board of Trustees member, or even a member of our extended Pioneer family, there are many ways to contribute to the success of our school.

Your charisma, volunteering, input, feedback, suggestions and vision are truly appreciated and contribute to the betterment of our community.

It is evident that Pioneer is an exemplary school and a leader in the field of education.

It is easily quantifiable by the consistent achievements of being # 1 private school as rated on Niche in Passaic County, achieving the status of being the highest achieving school among both public and private in SAT and our middle schoolers achieving top 1% in math nationwide and 92% of students being accepted to top 100 colleges.

The value of receiving an education at Pioneer goes beyond academics. It includes good character, instilling confidence, leadership, preparation for the years ahead, and setting up a solid platform for a lifetime of success.

Everyday as I enter the building, I am truly inspired and honored to lead and contribute to the growth, richness, and success of Pioneer Academy and its community. It is truly astonishing to see that very same feeling reflected in our stakeholders who share my passion and truly appreciate being a part of it.

With gratitude,

Owen O. Akman, M.S Head of School Pioneer Academy

LOWER SCHOOL BOOKWORMS IN ACTION Twice a year our lower school events coordinator, Miss Puliafico, plans the scholastic book fair for our lower and middle school students. It starts with a choice: What do I want to read?

And since being empowered to choose their own books is a milestone opportunity to identify and express their own voice, kids also leave the Book Fair as bolder, prouder, and stronger individuals.

Our book fairs would not be possible without our wonderful PTO. Members of the PTO volunteer their time to help enhance our book fair for the students, and our students recognize their hard work!

As the largest children’s publisher, Scholastic brings their expertise to

WELCOME ON BOARD, MS. BERRIOS

choosing books that turn kids into readers. The students were able to pick out their favorite books. Some favorites include Captain Underpants, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, The Good Egg, Dog-Man, Pete the Cat. At Pioneer we love motivating students to read.

We love creating an environment where students are given ample opportunities to grow and expand their reading skills.

We know that establishing a curiosity for different genres of books is crucial for student engagement in the future. Watching our students brush their fingertips across the rows and rows of titles until something sparks their interest is magical to see.

3 fun facts about yourself 1. I was a competitive cheerleader for 15 years and now I am a coach.

2. In college, I was the president of my sorority, Sigma Delta Tau. 3. My birthday almost always falls on Super Bowl Sunday.

I want to better help my

students with any of the social emotional things

they might be struggling with.

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FALL 2022

Your background of teaching I went to Ramapo College and graduated with my Bachelor’s in Elementary Education. I did my student teaching in a third grade class and accepted an end of year maternity position with Kindergarten.

I have now been at Pioneer for two years teaching 2nd grade.

By bringing in the Scholastic Book Fair every year, even hesitant readers begin to recognize the joy that comes with finding a good book to get lost in.

What is one of your favorite memories at Pioneer?

Some of my favorite memories come from the different field trips that we go on. It is a great time to bond with your students and try new things.

My personal favorite is the trip to the aquarium that 2nd grade goes on.

What is a professional goal you have?

My professional goal is to go back to school to get my Masters in Psychology.

I want to better help my students with any of the social emotional things they might be struggling with.

Eventually, I would like to move into guidance counseling.

LOWER SCHOOL TREATS FOR OUR LITTLE TRICKSTERS It was amazing to be invited to participate in this event. Covid made events like stop. I missed being able to be part of the school community.

Our lower school students had a fabulous time this year celebrating Halloween.

The students dressed up, trick or treated around the building, and received the opportunity to enjoy a trunk or treat event with our Pioneer parents! Parents volunteered to decorate their cars and hand out candy to the students. It was great to see the smiles come across student faces as they saw all the different decorated cars.

“It was amazing to be invited to participate in this event. Covid made events like stop. I missed being able to be part of the school community. Pioneer does an amazing job bringing parents back into the school community. I love the opportunities that are provided by Pioneer to be involved in my child’s school.” said one of our first grade parents.

STEAM POWERED At Pioneer we greatly value STEAM education. STEAM education inspires curiosity. It empowers students to ask thought-provoking questions that promote creativity and exploration, and to connect their problem-solving to real-world solutions. During fourth graders’ Earth’s changing surface unit, they learned about erosion. They did a project based learning assessment where students were assigned either a river bank or beach area landscape. Students had to research how erosion affected the area assigned to them and then took on the roles of environmental engineers as they “bought” materials that they used to build a solution to the erosion problem. They spent several weeks planning, testing and revising their designs! pioneeracademy.org

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LOWER SCHOOL HISTORIANS IN THE MAKING Social studies content allows young learners to explain relationships with other people, to institutions, and to the environment, and equips them with knowledge and understanding of the past. Utilizing the New Jersey State Standards for social studies, our lower school teachers prepare countless projects and learning experiences for students to enhance their social studies knowledge. Learning should be fun and engaging. Students at Pioneer Academy are given ample opportunities to be involved in their learning and create meaningful experiences.

In social studies, our Pioneer 1st Graders learned about families. They learned that families are unique and look different from one another. They ended their unit discussing traditions. They learned about each other’s family and cultural traditions. The students then had an at-home project to complete.

They were able to choose a family or

cultural tradition that they wanted to share with the class. They did such an amazing job and we learned so much about one another! At Pioneer we love to foster a sense of acceptance and belongingness. Having students learn about each other’s families and traditions is a great way to do so.

Our social studies curriculum advances throughout all of the grade levels.

Students are able to build on their skills and knowledge each school year. Third graders learn important map features and spatial thinking skills during their map skills unit. Students draw their own maps of the playground by using the cardinal directions and laying items out on a grid. This kind of spatial awareness allows students to comprehend and analyze the world around them. Next, they will hide their “treasure” on the playground and trade maps with one another and conduct a treasure hunt!

DEMAREST FARM FIELD TRIP Our lower school students enjoyed their first field trip of the school year to Demarest Farms in Hillsdale, NJ. During the field trip, the students enjoyed a hayride, picked pumpkins, enjoyed apple cider donuts, and pet some farm animals! It was an amazing way to kick off the school year. The smiles on their faces lit up the whole picnic area. They were able to take their pumpkins home.

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SINGAPORE MATH

Ms. Puliafico & Ms. Parke did an excellent job engaging students in conversations about what they noticed around them and about the pumpkins. Some other field trips our lower school have gone on in the past are the Aquarium, Science Museum, Wacky-Challenge, and Turtleback Zoo. Field trips are a great way for students to build social skills and engage in learning experiences outside the classroom.

At Pioneer, we utilize a rigorous, engaging curriculum called Singapore Math. This curriculum ensures that

students understand the math they are doing. They do not just memorize algorithms. They are engaged in the mathematics concepts and are immersed in the mathematics language.

Students are given manipulatives during math lessons so that their interest is captured and they are physically involved. Students are given an effective toolkit to be successful in their learning.

A strong foundation for mathematics skills is set in Kindergarten. Our kindergarten students start the year off strong with understanding numbers 0-10. They then advance their skills by comparing numbers and learning numbers up to 20. A strong number sense is a great way to set students up for success. Through the usage of manipulatives, students are able to construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.

LOWER SCHOOL CHARACTER EDUCATION

A

t Pioneer Academy

learned how to be kinder and more

importance of helping

power of mindfulness. The assembly

we understand the

compassionate individuals through the

students grow emotionally,

utilized songs and dance to get students

not just cognitively. A

involved in the performance.

special aspect of our curriculum is that we have character education. This is

Our first grade teacher, Ms. Marcus did

teaching students social emotional skills.

about what it means to have a healthy

when our lower school teachers focus on

a phenomenal job educating students

Each month has a special character

body during the month of October.

education theme.

They learned about the importance of

nutrition and healthy eating habits in first

Our lower school teachers and school

grade. They know how to make healthy

counselor planned thoughtful and

choices while preparing a plate of food!

engaging lessons to help students understand these traits.

During the month of September our

students spent time learning about what it means to be honest and how telling

were engaged in an amazing assembly

lies can hurt people. Our kindergarten

students practiced an honesty pledge

and learned how to tell the truth. At the end of the month all of the students

joined together and wore the color blue to show their dedication towards the

performed by Mobile Ed Productions.

Our students learned about mindfulness and meditation, and how to incorporate

these practices into their everyday lives.

The assembly covered many key

character trait, honesty.

subjects from how to fall asleep better, to how to focus before a big test and

For our month of October students

everything in-between! The students

LOWER SCHOOL CLUBS Whether you’re an artist, chess

dedicate countless hours to create fun,

volunteer or even an origami fan; there

students. Students can pick different

grandmaster, athlete, scientist, coder, is a club for you at Pioneer.

educational club experiences for our

“I really love club time.

I get to see my teacher for students to improve from last year and I their academic, social skills, get to see my friends contribute to the community from different classes. and have fun! In addition to Each day I love going the in-house clubs we offer to a different club to do at Pioneer, Lower School different fun things!” teamed up with KidsToPros We have over 90 clubs and activities to choose from,

to bring amazing additional club opportunities for our

clubs Monday-Thursday for first semester and then pick new clubs for second. Some

of the clubs include Travel Around the

World, Photography,

Soccer, Board Games, Taekwondo, Lego

Masters, Dancing with

Mustafa, First Grade Music, Wonder Robotics, Chess, Art, Poetry, and

students. Our lower school teachers also

Science. The list could go on and on!

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LOWER SCHOOL SPIRIT WEEK

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hat was one of your favorite memories from elementary school?

When faculty members were asked this, a good amount of them said spirit week! Spirit week is such a great way to increase a students mood and make them feel happy, and our faculty members were delighted to watch lower school students enjoy an event that they loved as students not too long ago. Further, spirit week is a great way to create a sense of community within the students.

IT’S TIME FOR SOME ANIMAL RESEARCH

How do students learn how to navigate the world around them? By learning what non-fiction texts and/or pictures are! Nonfiction helps children develop critical thinking, and analytical skills, as well as the ability to read and understand complex texts. Nonfiction books are great tools for making realworld connections to build on children’s knowledge and personal experiences.

The themes for each day were Superhero Day, Formal Day, Sports Day, Pijama Day, Crazy Hair Day Every year at Pioneer, we try to host two spirit weeks in lower school. Our first spirit week for the school year was in the beginning of October.

The themes for each day were; Monday - Superhero day Tuesday - Formal day Wednesday - Sports day Thursday - Pajama day Friday - Crazy hair day 8

FALL 2022

The participation from the students was great. The hallways were filled with laughter, love and enjoyment.

We want our students to know school can also be fun and exciting with different events such as spirit week and we know that this was successfully accomplished during our first spirit week of the 20222023 school year!

Our 2nd grade teacher, Ms. Berrios understands the importance of teaching nonfiction. Her students have been hard at work with their Nonfiction ELA Unit. They have been learning how to analyze and comprehend nonfiction text. Once they were able to do this they decided to build on these skills and become researchers themselves.

Our current task is an Animal Research Project.

Step 1 is brainstorming. In this step each child gets to choose an animal they want to learn more about. Step 2 is planning. In order to plan, students worked on a chart of things they already know about their animal and what they still want to find out. They are currently on Step 3: Research. Their favorite websites for research are Kiddle and National Geographic Kids.

This project in its entirety takes about a month to complete. One of the most important parts of nonfiction is being able to teach others what you have just learned.

MIDDLE SCHOOL INTO THE WOODS Middle Schol Drama Club came back live and in person with its spring play, “Into the Woods”.

The performances were held in Auditorium on June 2nd. Ms. Atay, mentor of Drama Club said she was very pleased with the final production and students’ performances.

“The students were a little nervous at first, but as it went on, they started to have fun. It was wonderful!” Ms. Atay said they chose the script based on the number of students that wanted to participate.

The Drama Club is open to any student in 5th through 8th grades.

There were 20 characters in the play but we had 19 students, Ms. Atay also had a role to make it 20!

Our one and only Music Teacher Mr. Bajrami also helped students sing for the play.

Into the Woods is a modern twist on the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales in a musical format that follows the classic tales of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rapunzel-all tied together by an original story involving a baker and his wife, their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the witch who has put a curse on them.

A BLAST TO THE PAST One thing that our middle school students have in common is that they love field trips!

At Pioneer Academy, teachers work incredibly hard to come up with new and exciting ideas for our students to experience what our local community has to offer.

Our Middle Schoolers took a field trip to the Museum Village of Old Smith’s Clove Monroe. They enjoyed going back in time, exploring the 19th century rural life as well and the evolution of industry and technology in America. Our students experience what life was like for kids, just like them, in the 19th century.

In small groups, students toured a small 19th century town. They visited an old newspaper shop and learned how to print a newspaper (they even got to make one), shopped around at the JC Merritt General Store, warmed up in an actual log cabin, experienced what education was like in the town’s school house, and even dipped their own candles at the candle shop. This was such an eye-opening experience for our students as they were blasted back into the past and were able to recognize all that they have to be thankful for.

These field trips are great opportunities for students to create stronger bonds, promote school spirit and social development – they also loved playing in the leaves. Stay tuned for the upcoming field trips!

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MIDDLE SCHOOL MOMENTS THAT MOVED US Throughout the first quarter, Ms. Nielsen’s middle school students participated in a writing contest hosted

by Free the Bird, a nonprofit organization that brings awareness to the importance of mental health wellness.

Free The Bird is a youth-led movement dedicated to breaking the stigma and negative attitudes surrounding mental health.

Additionally, Free the Bird was created by one of Pioneer’s very own students, Adnan Alkhalili. Adnan is a senior, but the conception of this organization was long before our writing contest was completed.

In middle school, students at Pioneer Academy work through 3-4 intensive writing units over the course of the academic year. During this process, students brainstorm, prewrite, draft, peer edit, revise, and publish their essays.

This process is incredibly labor intensive for both students and teachers, but adding the writing competition prompt to this year’s unit provided our students with much more motivation to breeze through our workshops.

“I am so grateful that Adnan approached me with the idea for this writing contest. I love teaching the writing process. Every year I feel blessed given the opportunity to work alongside my students and watch them grow as structured writers. Although the process is difficult at times, there is nothing better than watching my students work together during various workshops throughout the writing process. I look forward to the moment where I get to watch my students help one another without my guidance as the highest level of understanding is in one’s ability to teach a skill to another person.”

Caitlin Nielsen, English Language Arts Instructor 10 FALL 2022

Ms. Nielsen also said; “Although we started this narrative writing unit like any other in the past, it became something much more – something I never expected. Over the course of seven class periods, my students worked solely on this project in English Language Arts 6-8. From bell to bell, my kids were engaged, challenged, and inspired. I do not think that I can properly explain what this writing competition meant to my students.

I watched my kids laugh, cry, and relive moments that brought them joy and pain. I experienced all of these

moments right with them. I am honored that my students opened up to me – showing such vulnerability – and the end result was cathartic in so many ways.”

Upon completion of the unit, 15 essays were sent to be reviewed by Dr. Milton Wainberg, a professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University. Dr. Wainberg selected the top 5 essays that best responded to the prompt.

Pioneer students gathered in our school

auditorium for the awards ceremony and to celebrate the hard work each student gave over the writing process.

We are beyond proud of each and every student and hope to make this an annual event at Pioneer Academy.

The winners of the Free the Bird Summer Conversations Writing Contest:

5th, $50 prize, Joaquín C., Grade 6 4th, $50 prize, Merve Y., Grade 7 3rd, $200 prize, Haylen B., Grade 7 2nd, $300 prize, Nurbanu D., Grade 7 1st, $500 prize, Faysal S., Grade 6 In freshman year Adnan Alkhalili

experienced a life changing anxiety

attack and its pursuing symptoms. A

year later, he came to the realization that speaking out freed him from

“I do not think that I

can properly explain what this writing

competition meant to my students”

what felt like an impenetrable cage.

He realized that he was not alone,

and what’s more, that there was a

lack of awareness in his community surrounding mental health. With a

group of friends, Free The Bird was born.

MIDDLE SCHOOL HELPING HANDS & GROWING MINDS

Our students who are a part of NJHS weekly basis, the middle school team have been doing a wonderful job meets to discuss progress in the school assisting young learners. During and teachers are always adding new academic support hours NJHS students tutors to our lower school-middle have been volunteering to help school tutoring program. In Middle students work on their skills. One of our School, we love seeing our students kindergarten teachers, Ms. Puliafico, step into the role of educator. They said, “It is so amazing to see such a get to see firsthand what it feels like positive interaction to make a difference In Middle School, we love in a student’s life. They between students. My students look up to seeing our students step realize that their efforts and admire the NJHS into the role of educator. are deeply appreciated students who come and necessary. Apart They get to see firsthand to help them with from the growth that both what it feels like to their work. The NJHS lower and middle school make a difference in a students show great students gain, we love passion when working strengthening the bond student’s life. with young students.” between lower school Similarity, in our middle school section, and middle school. This program is NJHS students are beyond excited to also helping NJHS students learn a new be a part of the learning experience sense of responsibility and respect for for our lower school students. On a others.

MUSIC & ART EXHIBITION

The annual signature event was organized by the Fine Arts Department. Selected students of various ages from the Lower and Upper School collaborated and inspired each other to make this possible.

Musicians narrated the music pieces and fueled painters with inspiration that outpoured on their canvas. Each class had the opportunity to observe the artistic process up close. The Winter Exhibition produces a great amount of artistic material that not only echoes through the building the day of the showing, but the art pieces become a permanent part of the school and are appreciated by the whole community for months to come.

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BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT When parents and educators work together, they are an unbeatable team!

W

e strongly believe that to be successful, our kids need support from both at home and school.

When parents and educators work together, they are an unbeatable team.

Our Back-to-School Night was a productive and informative event for our parents and guardians. Watching our parents, both new and returning, wander the same halls that their children do was exciting. They also met with other parents, learned more about our academic offerings and programs, and prepared for

12 FALL 2022

the year ahead.

Back-to-School-night was a wonderful opportunity for guardians to know our beloved teachers and learn about their child’s classrooms and courses.

Teachers, on the other hand, had the opportunity to provide an overview of their classes, share the major goals and objectives for the year, highlight major assignments/projects, review grading and share contact information with the parents.

We are proud to say that it was a very productive and beneficial event for all parents and faculty.

COUNSELING SERVICES The School Counseling program at Pioneer Academy is based on the American School Counseling Association Model and Pioneer Academy standards within our available resources.

FALL FEST On Friday, November 18th the middle school had a fun Fallthemed day. We had a wide range of events and activities for students to celebrate the arrival of the Autumn.

impressed and stuffed by the end of the tasting session. They had a difficult time selecting the winners, but the winners were:

Some of the students worked on arts and crafts projects in the cafeteria with our fine arts department, others headed outside to our turf field for some yard games/sports. Meanwhile, Ms. Hernandez showcased a Halloween exposition her students had created a few weeks back.

Best Overall Taste Tasneem Tatar - Grade 6

One thing that was special about this year’s Fall Fest was our baking competition. Our middle school budding bakers entered our first annual Fall Bake-Off contest, and we were blown away by the number of entries. There were a few rules for this Bake-Off:

Best Decoration Dyala Elshafee - Grade 5

Best Presentation Lily Noriega - Grade 7 Middle school students ended their day by competing in several online games to test their knowledge on fall themed Kahoot! and ended the day by watching a movie in auditorium.

It includes a variety of services for ALL students. It is designed to assist with interests and issues related to the stages of student growth in academic, career, personal, emotional, and social development.

The following services will be offered for the 2022-2023 school year: • Small group counseling sessions for students focusing on: study skills, friendship/social skills, anger management, and other sessions as needed.

• Individual meetings to help students adjust to school or help with personal issues on an as needed basis.

• Classroom guidance lessons with an emphasis on personal/social skills, bullying prevention, child protection, academic development (study skills), and career awareness.

• Referral assistance to other programs and services in the community.

- All submissions must be homemade - Submission must have a fall theme - Submissions should be presented and explained by the baker.

Throughout the entire competition, over 25 desserts were sampled by our faculty members. From orange and yellow decorated cookies to homemade flan, our teachers were pioneeracademy.org 13

France

AROUND THE GLOBE IN A DAY

Haiti

Cultural Day is an annual event where students are assigned one country and decorate an assigned

classroom, celebrating their cultural contributions. There are three main parts to this day: classroom decorations, traditional outfits, and serving food.

The ambiance was spectacular, one of the classrooms was transformed to a French cafe with waiters serving the food, music playing, decor displayed with a vivid atmosphere of Paris.

In Yemen, the coffee was served and native dress was represented.

The classroom was fully furnished with spectacular facts. Ukraine was beautifully decorated, with delicious food and fascinating facts.

Paraguay has required everyone to check in at the border and upon admission the tourists were greeted with music, snacks, food and fun activities. Haiti provided us insight into the fascinating rituals and culture as well as the rich landscapes. Ghana was rich with music, decor and native artifacts.

Every country’s culture was embraced and showcased through dance, facts, food, native costumes and presentations. It was a spectacular event to combine creativity through art, music, history.

Paraguay 14 FALL 2022

Yemen

WELCOME BACK, EAGLES!

What a fantastic start it was on September 6th! It was so wonderful to see our staff, faculty, parents, and students again, as we missed them so much. You could see the excitement and enthusiasm in the eyes of every member of our entire community.

Turf Field Ribbon Cutting

O

n September 23rd, we officially opened our turf field with a friendly game, Seniors vs Upper School.

We have worked incredibly hard to get ready for the school year, where we will satisfy academic and social-emotional needs in new ways and keep our students safe. The entire Pioneer team welcomed our 430 students. One thing that all the classes have in common is that they are filled with teachers who care and are committed to giving students a safe, fulfilling experience. Seeing the enthusiasm of our teachers and the smiles on our students’ faces fulfilled me and reminds us of the importance of our work.

The new field is professional grade and so much fun to play on. We have already had 2 of our traditional “Teachers vs Students” games.

The series is tied 1-1, but win or lose, everyone has lots of fun. Come and watch us play every Friday at 3pm. At Pioneer education goes beyond the classroom setting and creates a strong bond between all. pioneeracademy.org 15

GRADUATION 2022

P

ioneer’s Class of 2022 celebrated an enormous milestone on May 20, 2022 when the Eagles left the nest and flew to their next big adventure. The commencement ceremony was held at the YMCA in Wayne and friends and family gathered from all over the world to celebrate and honor the graduates.

The Class of 2022 wowed the guests with an impressive lineup of college acceptances,

including Princeton, Johns Hopkins, UPenn, Rice, Emory, Rutgers, UC Berkeley, Parsons School

of Design, Carnegie Mellon, UC Berkeley, UCLA,

University of Toronto, Washington University St. Louis,University of Virginia, Boston University, Case Western Reserve University, and many other prestigious universities.

Special guests included mayor of Wayne Christopher Vergano, Assemblyman Kevin Rooney and keynote speaker Dr. John Pavlik, author and professor of journalism and media studies at Rutgers.

Omar Elkhafif, Senior Class Vice President and NHS Vice President 16 FALL 2022

of Scholarship, was awarded the title of Salutatorian and received an NHS medal. Hilal Akman, Class Vice president and NHS member was awarded the highest honor of Valedictorian.

In his farewell speech to the graduates, junior Abdulaziz Almat talked about the special connections he had and lifelong friendships he made with the graduates: “I’m grateful for these unforgettable memories the junior class and I will carry throughout our lives. We will be connected to each other from every corner of the world, but we will realize that the dearest connections aren’t the ones we have in our phones, but the ones we have in our hearts.”

In his speech, Head of School Mr. Akman reflected on the major impact the Class of 2022 has had on Pioneer Academy. Speaking directly to the graduates he said, “You have left a profound impact on Pioneer and enhanced the school culture.

You have left it better than you found it, and for that, we will always appreciate you.” He added, “Your legacy has left a giant footprint, and we can only hope that it will be continued by the generations to come.”

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SGA Elections

P

ioneer’s Student Government Association is so proud to have had their yearly election this fall semester.

At the start of the year students begin working with clubs, introducing themselves to teachers and making friends. Many become involved with the hope of being elected for their government.

SGA hosts events each month and quarterly spirit weeks. Some of their staple activities include class mixers, a winter breakfast, friendsgiving, Valentine’s day celebrations, and a very memorable Senior “Fairwell”.

Every year new activities are added as well as new positions to help support student programming and student-teacher communication.

An Executive Board is chosen to lead the club’s activities in planning school wide activities and events.

They also coordinate community service activities and fundraising events.

Congratulations to our Executive Board elected members as well.

These students present their ideas to the entire school and hold a general election to secure their positions.

This years executive board winners are: SGA President Kenan Bajraktarevic SGA Vice President Anisa Sheikh SGA Treasurer Salahedin Abdelaziz SGA Secretary Ibrahim Aladdin SGA International & Dorm Leaders Wenqi Wu and Jiaqi Wu

SGA Car Wash Eleven students arrived at school on a Saturday morning in late September to work hard and raise funds at their annual SGA Car Wash. This was the first fundraising event of the year for Pioneer SGA and a huge success. We had great weather, a big turnout and a lot of fun!

The Pioneer Academy Upper School

Student Government is hard at work creating school-wide activities and hosting events for our students to stay connected.

They have already held their Fall spirit week in October and their 4th annual Friendsgiving. We can’t wait to get back to see the things we can do in 2023!

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Spirit Week; Middle & High School

Our students look forward to more Spirit Weeks, and we are excited to see what themes our students come up with and the spirited way in which they spread class unity and school spirit!

Spirit Week is an exciting event at Pioneer.

Middle and high school students enjoyed showcasing their school spirit during this amazing week. Each day is given a theme and students were excited about dressing up for these days.

Nothing says “Autumn” like a friendly pumpkin carving competition. Students carved at home, and submitted photos for the contest. Congratulations to Nilgun Yamakoglu for submitting the winning pumpkin in the MIddle School.

Character Day is enjoyed by middle school and upper school students alike.

Students choose their favorite character from books & movies and spend the day in their outfits. This character day some favorites included Spider Man, the protagonist from Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and even Harry Potter himself. The award is based on class participation and the creation of their spirit wall where each class took the time to create and

develop a unique spirit wall that will characterize them for the year.

This year’s freshman class highlighted their color by creating a green spooky wall. Sophomores were helped by the popular movie Smurfs and the Seniors, always looking great in red, created a gothic wall that featured students and teachers as flying bats and werewolves.

Finally our Junior class was the recipient of the Fall Spirit Award! Their wall adopted a theme right from Hogwarts itself. pioneeracademy.org 19

Robotics Club wins $6,000 Sponsorship from NASA In the spring, the PioTech robotics team entered the FRC FIRST Robotics Competition in Mt. Olive and returned finalists.

Pioneer Academy’s Robotics Team PioTech was awarded a $6,000 sponsorship by NASA. The sponsorship from NASA will help the PioTech Robotics team prepare for this year’s FRC competitions and hopefully bring more trophies to Pioneer.

At the moment, PioTech is gearing up for the next season. “We will get our mission for the next competition in January,” said team captain Bekhruz Bakhodirov.

“So right now we are just having fun working on a candy-shooting

Another SAT Record. Senior scores 1570!

robot. It can shoot Kit-Kats candy bars to a person all the way across the room.”

The team brought back three trophies last year: Highest Rookie Seed, the Rookie Inspiration Award which celebrates a rookie team’s success in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering and engineers within their school and community, and the District Finalist Award. The team was also selected to receive Argosy Tool and Equipment Foundation’s grant as a result of being a FIRST Mid-Atlantic FRC rookie team!

W

e are very excited to announce that one of our senior students, Asim, scored 1570 out of 1600 on SAT which is the highest score ever at Pioneer Academy, beating last year’s top score of 1560!

His hard work and perseverance paid off.

He is now one step closer to his dreams of studying Computer Science. We are all proud of him! Congratulations and wishing him even more success in his college applications.

We are also proud to announce that Pioneer Academy is ranked as the #1 Best Private K-12 School in Passaic County for the 5th consecutive year based on Niche’s 2023 Best School Rankings, released recently.

We are grateful to all our teachers, students, parents and the community that help us stay on top! Let’s not forget “Sky is the Limit” for us! Let’s Go!

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P

ioneer Academy Upper School students face Thursday lunch period with grins and anticipation. Not just because lunch is a universal favorite period of students but because it is when students get to see Lulu, an absolutely adorable therapy dog. Lulu, a two-year-old labradoodle, saunters into the cafeteria and becomes the star sitting in the center, welcoming belly rubs and pets from our high school students.

Destressing with furry friends Not only is Lulu an adorable dog, but she also does her job well and helps students immensely. We are happy to welcome her into the Pioneer Family.

Therapy dogs provide emotional support, comfort, and companionship to individuals in various educational, health care, and community settings.

Lulu visits Pioneer twice each month, bringing stress relief to students and staff. Senior Nicole Cipoletti states, “Lulu is an amazing therapy dog who makes the Thursday lunch period so fun. I always look forward to her visits. Lulu is not just adorable but well-trained.”

their loyal handler. Lulu is calm, and obedient, and can provide emotional support and comfort to our upper school students. Lulu helps hardworking students relieve the symptoms of their stress and anxiety through their busy exam schedules.

Therapy dogs have been found to reduce physiological symptoms of stress by lowering cortisol levels, promoting engagement in learning activities, and increasing positive attitudes toward learning. Stress can be lowered in our students by even a few minutes of petting Lulu’s silky fur.

Not only is Lulu an adorable dog, but she also does her job well and helps students immensely. We are happy to welcome her into the Pioneer Family.

Not only can Lulu play for hours, but she is a great companion.

She has a job to do, and she knows it.

Therapy dogs are not just well-trained dogs; they are chosen for their sweet temperament and trained together with pioneeracademy.org 21

Sophomores visit Montclair State University

O

n October 20, the College Counseling Team hit the road with the sophomores!

They got a firsthand look at a local college campus described by Forbes magazine as New Jersey’s best public school– Montclair State University. When we went to Montclair, students were able to observe the campus both indoors and outdoors.

The tenth graders took a walking tour of the 252-acre campus, attended information sessions about

Breast Cancer Awareness

Montclair’s undergraduate programs, and got the chance to talk with current Montclair students about their experiences. We had an hourand-a-half campus tour with two tour guides. Students asked a variety of questions including the majors, buildings, opportunities, and dorm options that were available at the university.

For our tenth graders, this was a great opportunity to have a firsthand look at college and campus life.

“College visits are really important for students to be able to see a real

D

id you know that over 281,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States this year?

Each October, annual campaigns increase awareness of the disease and support survivors during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Our Life Savers Club, led by Ms. Fatma, joined the Making Strides Walk for Breast Cancer Awareness on Sunday, October 23 in Parsippany. Students donned pink gear and joined the 5k noncompetitive walk, donating the

22 FALL 2022

college atmosphere,” says Ms. Atay, College Counselor. “Every year we organize at least one college visit for every class in Upper School so that they can learn more about the college experience and create a list of colleges they will apply to once they become seniors.” During these visits, students have the opportunity to view and compare different colleges which is helpful when they have to decide on what kind of college they would like to attend. The College Counseling Department is looking forward to college visits with ninth grade and eleventh grade students in the spring.

funds they raised from sponsors. The walk route featured refreshment tents, photo spots, and a tribute garden.

Life Savers members had a rewarding experience at the walk. “It was a great feeling to be able to show support for the survivors,” said junior Meryem Apaydin. Life Savers member and eleventh grader Semih Duzgun said, “We showed our empathy by walking beside the survivors.”

Social Media Seminar

High school students have a lot on their minds, from class assignments to college applications, and letters of recommendation, but one new phenomenon is their social media impact. One person who knows this better than anyone is Ben Tracy. Ben used his own life experiences and follies on social media to caution Pioneer Academy students about the importance of being safe on the internet.

Ben Tracy not only warned students about the risks that come with their own digital footprint but hidden online predators and how to report them, ways that students can combat screen addiction, and the adverse effects of social media overload.

One of our own students, senior Adnan Alkhalili, a prominent mental health advocate, has cultivated a close friendship with Mr. Tracy. Adnan sums up Mr. Tracy’s visit on a positive note “Ben Tracy has become a very influential person in my life — and he has enabled countless opportunities for me and others within the school. I can never thank him enough.” Their efforts have helped destigmatize mental health, and make social media a more positive place.

Social media is relatively new, and our students needed more guidance on how to deal with it. Now, with Ben Tracy in the Pioneer family as a friend and mentor, we are confident our students will not only be safe but have a positive impact in the digital world. Ms. Lainez, the Dean of Students, says, “We all leave a digital footprint and our students are now aware of how their own digital footprint can affect their future.”

New Website Launched Back in October we launched our newly redesigned website https://www.pioneeracademy.org. It is the latest enhancement and an outstanding showcase of everyday milestones of our students and faculty.

Our new website contains a wealth of resources and information for our parents and potential incoming families. We will be constantly updating our content with helpful information, events, newsletters, and school announcements. Please feel free to visit it and share the news with others. We also would like to encourage everyone to follow us on social media pioneeracademy.org 23

New Era for Eagle Sports!

Our girls’ team is excited to start their journey as Pioneer Academy’s first Girls’ Varsity Athletic Team. They have been working hard practicing three times a week with Coach Luis Santos, Coach Matthew Silvestri, and Coach Jackie Hernandez.

A

thletics at Pioneer Academy is in the beginning stages with excitement for the future.

During our winter season, we are excited to announce we have varsity boys and girls teams competing. Our boys have a competitive 22 game NJSIAA schedule against teams statewide. The boys also compete in Regional Showcase Tournaments.

Where they have the opportunity to showcase their talents and skills in front of college coaches.

The student athletes have been training hard and getting better everyday with Coach Tony Paris and Bernard Boa. The boys are led by juniors: Christian Chaney, Leo Becker, Jacob Becker, and You Roa. As well as, seniors: Chris Jones, Mohammed Alatiyat, and new transfer Tyler Koenig.

Any questions or concerns regarding athletics please feel free to reach out to Mr. Silvestri in the Fitness Center. Go Eagles!

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Our girls’ team is excited to start their journey as Pioneer Academy’s first Girls’ Varsity Athletic Team. They have been working hard practicing three times a week with Coach Luis Santos, Coach Matthew Silvestri, and Coach Jackie Hernandez. They have games scheduled as well, and we look forward to building the girls’ program stronger each year.

All schedules for basketball games will be posted around the school and we would love the support at home games from our school community.

Games are played at XCEL Sports and Fitness located in Fairfield, starting in the 2nd half of December.

We are also pleased to announce the formation of our next Pioneer Academy Varsity Sport. This sport being Boys Varsity Volleyball, this is a spring sport. All upper school boys interested are welcome to join. Be on the lookout for announcements on meetings and starting dates in the coming weeks.

Practices will start at the conclusion of basketball season in late February.

The boys will be competing against local schools in North Jersey. We look forward to starting our Girls Varsity Volleyball Team in Fall 2023, as it is a Fall sport in New Jersey.

Boys Club Soccer has been training Mondays and Wednesday in preparation for the Fall 2023 season.

With a full year of practice they should be ready to embark on a competitive journey against many local schools. Any Upper School boys interested in playing Soccer for the school, should be attending these training sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Insight from an International Student

Can you please introduce yourself?

My name is Jiaqi Wu, a high school senior as well as an international student representative of SGA this year. I am 18 years old and from Anhui, China.

Why did you want to study in the USA and why Pioneer Academy? When did you start school at Pioneer?

For me, as a young teenager, it is fascinating to study abroad and see different things all over the world, and one of the countries with the best opportunity and education system is the USA. I started my study at Pioneer in 8th grade.

What is the difference between education in China and in America?

These two education systems deviate from their intentions and expectations for students. The approach of Chinese education is to train students in a standard and rigorous format instead of educating each student based on their differences. However, the education I experienced in America is more suitable and appropriate that allows each individual to develop their interests. For example, every Chinese high school student is required to take the same courses as everyone else, which is not the case in America.

Tell me about your hometown. What is something you love more about it?

My hometown is Hefei, a developing city with essential public facilities. I miss and love my neighborhood’s fine cuisine and entertainment.

What is one part of American culture that you are excited to experience and one part of Chinese culture that you would like to share with Americans?

I am interested in feeling the air of popular American sports games in colleges, such as football and tennis. One of my favorite Chinese cultures is family gatherings, where family members come back to their hometown no matter where they were and fireworks accompany the bell of Spring Festival- Chinese New Year.

What is your favorite subject to study in school? What do you do in your spare time?

My favorite subject in school is mathematics because Dr.Yildiz is an excellent math teacher and a kind person. I started my first AP in my Freshman year, and I have taken 10

AP courses so far. Playing the piano and hanging out with friends are my favorite things during my spare time.

How have you been involved at Pioneer Academy?

I am the international student representative in SGA, and I am glad to help in improving our school environment both in academics and extracurricular activities.

How would you describe the dorm life at Pioneer Academy?

Many students are living in the dorm, especially International students.

Students here are amiable so we are happy to spend time with each other playing together intimately, which makes the dorm a home away from home. We also have a comfortable environment for gathering and studying, as the school keeps improving the conditions of dorm life.

What would you like to study when you go to university?

I intend to study Computer Science and related majors like data science in college, and most of the schools I am applying to have highly ranked CS programs.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years and what would you like to be doing?

I want to be an entrepreneur, focusing on software development. pioneeracademy.org 25

Thanksgiving Concerts & Friendsgiving Luncheons Lots to be grateful for!

T

hanksgiving time in the Upper School is always a busy and exciting time.

Not only is this a time for gratitude but it also

marks the start of a count-down to winter break.

From the start of November, students and teachers alike begin to think of creative ways to inspire one another to express gratitude and thanks for the comforts they have in life. Messages of thanks are seen throughout the hallways and small gifts of appreciation surprise us at every corner.

Our amazing SGA helps to put together our annual community lunch. The results are always amazing when we’ve got their help. Wayne’s mayor Christopher Vergano, was our special guest . He was joined by members of our fascinating parent-teacher organization who provided a delicious spread of desserts.

Cafeteria was transformed into a beautiful fall-themed dining room where faculty, students, and community leaders shared a meal before leaving for the Thanksgiving holiday. Lunch was accompanied by the sound of our wonderful musicians. They played traditional songs from across the world, inspiring classics and well-known

26 FALL 2022

pop duets.

Students also collected nonperishable food items to deliver to the local food pantry. St Agnes

Church in Totowa NJ received three boxes of items for their community food pantry. Students hope to have more projects like this and to reach more members of the community to give a helping hand. Their goals include providing food to those in

“Its awesome to see the new friendships that can develop over a meal! For some of our students, this is the first time they experience foods from another part of the world!”

Priscilla Lainez Dean of Students need, international outreach, and collecting over 100 pints of blood before the end of the school year.

With the help of Ms. Fatma and the LIfesavers Club, this goal will become a reality. Students in this club are already working with New York Blood Center to prepare for the upcoming annual blood drive.

Messages of thanks are seen throughout the hallways and small gifts of appreciation surprise us at every corner.

The Upper School was able to show off their planning skills with their 4th annual Friendsgiving lunch, held only a few weeks before the actual holiday. Students brought in meals made at home and sweet baked goods to share with their friends. Amongst the amazing dishes were Mac and Cheese, Stuffing and Roasted Turkey, Hummus and Pita, Empanadas and all kinds of desserts.

Students are always happy to share a meal with friends and always enjoy the time they have to relax and make new memories.

Many times, this is the first encounter our students might have with foods from other cultures.

Many friendships are made over these meals and we expect that this tradition fosters relationships that will last a lifetime.

Our Lower school also showed their thanks through a giant luncheon feast that was celebrated with teachers, students and their parents. The lower school enjoyed their annual concert and then headed to the cafeteria for an excellent meal prepared by parents and members of our PTO. Pasta, Chicken, salad, and fruit were only some of the foods enjoyed on this fun-filled morning.

Afterwards, students were able to indulge in their favorite desserts.

pioneeracademy.org 27

HIGHLIGHT ON HUGHES

“GOBLIN MODE” SHE REPEATED. “GOBLIN MODE IS THE 2022 WORD OF THE YEAR,” MS. HUGHES EXPLAINED AS SHE ADDRESSED THIS YEAR’S NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY INDUCTEES. MS. HUGHES IS A NEW JERSEY NATIVE, A WIFE, AND A MOTHER. WE MET HER IN THE FALL OF 2018 WHEN SHE ENTERED OUR HALLWAYS AS THE NEW ELA TEACHER.

Ms. Lauren Hughes, Pioneer Academy’s English Department head, was requested by our students to give this year’s keynote speech and today she warned them of the dangers of living their lives in goblin mode. She encouraged them to seize What led you to teach? Why do you enjoy it?

I’m just a big nerd, I guess! I’ve always loved reading and writing and I guess part of me just wanted to keep being in a school environment. For me, learning is really fun, and being able to be a part of it allows me to pass that love of learning on. Also, my students teach me new things every day.

Were there any other careers you had before teaching?

There sure were. After I got my masters at Notre Dame, I worked as a bookseller for a while and then as a book buyer for a wholesaler that would sell books to Amazon, the major chain stores, and independent stores. Being a book buyer was a blast because I got the inside scoop on all the new books that were coming out and got lots of free books, too. As a book lover myself, It was also fun to order what were sometimes thousands of copies when one of the books hit the bestseller list. When my kids were little, I did 28 FALL 2022

the day and to make the most of each moment given to them. Because of her many talents and excellent rapport with her students, she is now Head of our English Department and one of our hard working senior advisers.

some freelance writing for some online education sites. When my kids got a little older, I wanted to make a change, so I decided to pursue teaching.

If you switched careers what would you do? What is your fantasy career?

A student recently asked me this!

I always wanted to be a writer, but I don’t know how I feel about that now. I do think if I was to do it over, I would possibly study psychology and become a psychologist. I find psychology so fascinating.

What satisfies you more than just

good grades? What about your work makes you happy?

It’s a cliche but I love those “aha” moments when a lightbulb goes off in a student’s head.

What motivates you to work with young adults and teenagers? How do you respond to the idea that teenagers are difficult and do not care about the world around them?

I think adolescence is an exciting time in life–students are developing their identities and thinking about their futures. Teenagers are difficult because they are humans and humans are difficult! They do care. I think it’s hard for us to put ourselves in their shoes and so I think it can be easy to misinterpret their actions as indifference.

What are your plans for the future?

After teaching what will you do?

I hope to travel more. I’ve always wanted to take a cross-country road trip to see the national parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite.

Alumni Interview Halit Sencan Class of 2016 Pioneer is very different from other schools in that it feels like an extended family. Everyone knows each other and connects through experiencing the same things. You never know what the next day at Pioneer will throw at you, so that keeps it fresh and fun.

Tell me about yourself (when/where you graduated from Pioneer and your current college/job position) I graduated from Pioneer Academy after 9 years at the school. For college, I went to Emory University for 2 years and spent my last 2 years at Rutgers University. I currently work at a Public Accounting firm in Manhattan as a Forensic Accountant.

What was your experience like at Pioneer Academy?

Where do I start… Pioneer is very different from other schools in that it feels like an extended family, good or bad. Everyone knows each other and connects through experiencing the same things. You never know what the next day at Pioneer will throw at you, so that keeps it fresh and fun. I would definitely say I enjoyed my experience.

Did Pioneer help you integrate easily into a greater community, such as college life? / Did Pioneer prepare you for your college life?

I would actually say that this was a downside, but may be more specific to me. Since I went to Pioneer from the 3rd grade onwards, my friend group was mostly established so I had almost no practice making new friends. This was initially a struggle.

What was student life like?

Student life was interesting. As I mentioned above, it feels like a giant family and this includes the teachers and admin. It’s a lot of fun if you embrace the differences.

Are you excited about our revamped Alumni program?

I’m excited to see what comes of it. I think there is a lot of work to do, but I’m also hopeful it becomes something special.

What advice do you have for current Pioneer students as they look for college applications?

I can give some advice/information regarding college choice, which is

that it’s not as cut and dry as you may think. Let’s take Emory and Rutgers as an example. The advantage Emory offers is not that I will necessarily find a better job, especially if I want to stay in the Northeast.

When I went to a new recruit meeting for my job in Manhattan, I realized there were a lot of people from schools like Rutgers & Baruch as well, I would say more than students from Emory (mostly because they are geographically closer to Manhattan and have a lot of connections). Not to mention, that the pool of applicants you compete with to be recruited from Emory is, in general, more competitive.

The trick to landing the best job/ opportunity, like Goldman Sachs for business, is to be (one of) the best applicant in your class.

In my opinion, unless you were around a 4.0 student in high school, you need to improve your work ethic to maintain your GPA. I had pretty good grades, but I had to be a lot more disciplined to obtain similar grades in college. I would also say make sure you go to class in college, unless your professor is the type to use their slides as the base for the test, then maybe you can skip a few :) Finally, use Rate My Professor to check your professor’s reviews and try to stick with professors that have good reviews, even if you have to make a sacrifice for it (trust me, bad professors can be a horrible experience). pioneeracademy.org 29

Message from the President of the Pioneer Academy PTO We are so grateful for all of the enthusiasm and

support that we have received from our amazing

students and families. Your support for our annual fundraiser has allotted us the ability to create an

agenda where we can actually assist in creating fun and innovative programs for all of our students!

We are so excited and proud of all of your hard work and dedication. On behalf of the Pioneer Academy

PTO, as I would like to wish you all a happy and healthy new year. May you all be filled with the joy, peace,

laughter and love of this season to keep your hearts warm and the coming year bright!!!

Sincerely Yours,

Laurelyn Alkiswani

Leaders in Action

T

he PTO at Pioneer

Everyone is welcome to attend

heart of the school. It

board is always going above

Academy is at the very is the parents who

make the selection to ensure the best possible resources for their

children. The journey of enrolling

and contribute. The executive and beyond all expectations, organizing fun events and fundraisers.

your child at

Pioneer is only

the beginning of

a journey ahead.

The parents at

Pioneer Academy are always

enthusiastic

and eager to

This year, the PTO is

The journey of enrolling your child at Pioneer is only the beginning of the journey ahead.

contribute to their school.

There is a great sense of pride and ownership that comes in

being a part of Pioneer Academy.

led by Mrs. Laurelyn Alkiswani, along

with huge support

from other parents

including Mr. James Fucetola, Mrs.

Alina Pap, Dr. Silvia Pastor, Dr. Joseph

Putrino, Mrs. Anela Radoncic-Kojic,

Mrs. Fawziah Salem, and Mrs. Suzy Zaky. They work collaboratively

and are full of bright ideas as to how to enhance the school.

We want to encourage everyone to join the PTO to help with the various committees and fundraisers to further support the efforts of supporting Pioneer Academy. Your time and efforts are greatly appreciated and much needed. Many of you have special talents, and ability to contribute to the school on so many levels. We thank you for your enthusiasm and sharing outstanding resources to help to elevate the school and contribute to everyone.

We started this year strong with the Thanksgiving celebration, swiftly followed by the holiday season gift distribution to all staff. Huge shout out to the Salem family and Madam President Laurelyn Alkiswani for their dedication of the gift wrapping. It was wholeheartedly appreciated by everyone. The custom made gift bags and thermoses were a nice addition to the staffs’ swag.

The Holiday Season Staff Appreciation breakfast was fabulous. It was very festive, joyous and delicious. These types of events always bring us together as a Pioneer family.

Thanksgiving Celebration deserts were sponsored by: the Alkiswani family, the Kojic family, the Salem family, the Zaky family. The decor was sponsored by the Pap family!

SHARING YOUR TALENT We want to express our most sincere appreciation to Mr. Arpi Pap for donating his talent and enhancing photos on Pioneer’s website. You may see and appreciate the art work. It is truly spectacular.

Pap Studio is a High End Commercial and Documentary Photography Pap Studio is a NYC/

NJ based Visual Media Creative Studio that focuses on advertising, branding and marketing.