Science Newsletter #14 - March 2020

North Bergen Science

Issue #14 March 2020

NORTH BERGEN SCIENCE ISSUE #14: 3-5-2020

Dr. Keshishian’s Message These are certainly unprecedented times. We ask that you keep checking on with the North Bergen District websites for updates on school and activities. Your science teachers are in constant communication and are putting together the best resources possible to make sure that we uphold the standard education.

On a personal note: please take the time out to thank the first responders, nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals as they are true heros who are on the front lines of this pandemic.

_____________________ A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD OF EDUCATION: Process for Virtual Schools https://www.northbergen.k12. nj.us/apps/video/watch.jsp?v= 243800 Virtual Learning Plan: https://drive.google.com/file/ d/1tnh3P8wwvOAsyPijevy5iAI 7H506WrU-/view

STEM ACADEMY COMMITTEE MESSAGE During this challenging time, we at the STEM Academy hope you and your family are all staying safe. Hopefully this newsletter can be a positive communicator of what we have already accomplished at the Academy this year - to help pass the time while we are in a modified shelter in place. We have word from some of our university partners about their plans for student engagement, and we are working to help bring those to you through a virtual platform. As always please feel free to reach out to us for any support you may need.

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North Bergen Science

Issue #14 March 2020

NORTH BERGEN SCIENCE ISSUE #14: 3-5-2020 _____________________ CONTENTS

Dr. Keshishian’s Message What can I say? Every time Mrs. Stern-Protz and I sit down to write this newsletter, I am truly impressed by the growth and rigor within the sciences and technology yet our goal remains the same. This is for the students of North Bergen and in this newsletter we are seeing the fruits of our labor. So please enjoy catching up on all the great news coming out of North Bergen.

NB Science Fair Revamped: Elementary District-wide Fair to all new competitors at Hudson County Science Fair This year for the first time in over a decade, the Science Department held a district-wide science fair to determine our top seventh grade students. There were over 50 participants, and the top ten students were selected to participate in the Hudson County Science Fair, now referred to as the STEM showcase. It was an amazing event with parents, administrators, and teachers stopping in to see the students’ work.

A special thanks goes out to the judges (Mr. Aguiar, Ms. Sekkas, Mrs. Abdelhadi, Mrs. Hojnowski & Mrs. Maldonado) for volunteering on a Friday night. I am proud to announce the winners.

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Independent Science Research and District Wide Elementary Science Fair & Hudson County Science Fair

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NASA Langley Art Contest

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Hour of Code in the District

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Girls in Technology

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eSports gets commendation from Mayor Sacco

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STEM Cohort VI (6)

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Techspo presentation

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STEAM presentation to the Board of Education

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NJECC Dr. Welz

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PEAK kids visit Media Center

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NASA Langley Art Contest 2020

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Web Dubois and Art Harper

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Stop the Bleed with Hackensack Medical & STEM Academy visit.

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FDU graduations and Saturday Program Updates

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Liberty Science Center visits

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Academic Decathlon

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Where are They Now? STEM Grads

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University Dreams

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SCIENCE FAIR (Cont.)…

Winners: Luca De La Colina - H.Mann Mia Diaz - H Mann Benjamin Diaz - H. Mann Gabriel Domenech - H. Mann Amr Mohammed - H. Mann Gianfranco Agosti - Fulton Rina Mintz - Fulton Emanuel Almanzar - H. Mann Emma Wadleigh - Kennedy Amy Rosado-Giraldo - Franklin Lucas Rodriguez – Fulton The winners, along with the STEM Academy Independent Scientific Research class, competed on March 9th for a chance to win/medal in the STEM showcase. Prior to the Science Fair we wanted to prepare our students for what they would face, so a few days before the competition we invited all teachers and administrators to stop by the Media Center and ask questions about the students’ research.

This was an amazing opportunity for all involved, as the students received the practice that they needed and got a chance to showcase their amazing work.

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(Above: Dr. Keshishian and Mrs. Abdelhadi listen to Aisha Roman and Jianna Yan Francisco give their presentations for the Showcase)

For the first time in a very long time, North Bergen received its first gold medal and was invited to super judging for a chance to go to the national Regeneron Science Fair. Jonathan Blaya received that honor after he presented his study on self-perception using a personality test. Along with the first gold medal two other students earned bronze medals, Bethel Adewale with her study on the insanity plea defense and Michelle Carzola whose study was on the Empathy Quotient in STEM students vs. Humanities students. Also, this year we had three bronze medals in the elementary division won by Rina Mintz, Grade 7, Robert Fulton School, Benjamin Diaz, Grade 7, Horace Mann School, and Lucas Rodriguez, Grade 8, Robert Fulton.

Hats off to Mrs. Stephanie Stern-Protz, Dr. Krista Welz, Mr. Robert Aguiar, and Ms. Vicky Sekkas on the amazing job facilitating and preparing the students’ research for the showcase.

Right - The high school and middle school teams at Liberty Science Center. Above: Gold medalist Jonathan Blaya stands in front of his poster.

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SCIENCE FAIR (Cont.)

The dynamic Jianna Yan Francisco and Mario Gonzalez Tapanes are interviewed for Hudson TV.

Bronze Medalist Bethel Adewale – Bias In the Eyes of the Public

Bronze medalist Michelle Cazorla with her project on STEMpathy

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Hour of Code

Every year North Bergen continues to add more and more computer science and coding within the district. The technology teachers have added coding throughout the curriculum and infuse it daily through robotics and gamification. However when hour of code comes around everyone throughout the sciences chips in to show the value of programming. The pictures below show what occurred in Ms. Cintron’s class during the month with a few pictures of her students with their certification.

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eSports gets a proclamation from Mayor Sacco and Commissioners taken from Hudson County View: Written by By John Heinis See full Article Here: https://hudsoncountyview.com/north-bergen-issuesproclamation-honoring-high-schools-1st-esports-team/

The North Bergen Board of Commissioners issued a proclamation this morning honoring the high school’s 1st ever eSports team after winning a tournament hosted by Helix eSports at the end of last year.

Photo courtesy of the Township of North Bergen.

By John Heinis/Hudson County View In December, the Bruins were victorious in a competitive field of surrounding districts that included Union City, West New York, Weehawken and Rutherford.

“I would like to congratulate the North Bergen High School eSports Team on the first ever Helix eSports Championship,” Mayor Nick Sacco said in a statement.

“The team showed an incredible amount of resilience and sportsmanship all season and their efforts came to fruition with this victory. eSports is growing at an exponential rate worldwide and seeing our students rise as some of the best in the sport is a remarkable achievement.”

The competition took place over five different video games, with North Bergen taking first place in each instance.

Also in attendance at the proclamation was Dr. George J. Solter Jr., Superintendent of Schools, Mr. Richard Locricchio, Principal of North Bergen High School, and the eSports coaches Dr. Jared Keshishian, Mr. Alex Estela, and Mr. Dave Enrico.

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TechSpo 2020 This year, Dr. Keshishian and Dr. Solter presented at Techspo in Atlantic City on January 31st about the success of the North Bergen eSports program and how a grass root league was formed.

In a standing room only session, multiple administrators and technology coordinators from around the state came to the presentation to see if this is a viable option for their districts. The presentation discussed all aspects of eSports including where/how to compete, how to get stakeholders to buy in especially that eSports is nor considered a sport by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, and budgeting. “The presentation was very successful and it was a pleasure to highlight North Bergen being a trailblazer in eSports” said Dr. Keshishian. After the presentation, Dr. Keshishian has received multiple emails from districts from all over the state requesting our aid and expertise in helping to build a program. “It was a great opportunity and it made me proud to showcase how ahead of the curve we are in North Bergen” said Dr. Keshishian. The Bruins are preparing for their next season at the Helix and look forward to expanding the program.

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STEAM PRESENTATION TO THE BOARD OF EDUCATION At the meeting in February, Dr. Keshishian, Chair of the newly formed STEAM Academy, along with Co-Chair Ms. Heather Carline, presented a new initiative to the Board of Education. The presentation discussed the vision and program requirements for a new all-day Academy in Grades 5 and 6 for the 2020-2021 school year. The Academy's formation came to fruition when a program evaluation of the current PEAK model was completed and a full overhaul was decided upon. This overhaul was to reevaluate and put in more programs from K - 8 with the start being grades five and six. This choice would allow an easier transition into our STEM Academy at the high school that is celebrating its fiveyear anniversary as well as allow a trickledown effect into the lower grades.

Also attending were the other committee members who worked on this initiative, Ms. Candice Anaker, Mrs. Stephanie Stern-Protz, Mrs. Thersea Rabelo, Ms. Maria Morgana, and Special Services Director, Mr. Robert Kornberg. The Board of Education welcomed this new initiative and we will continue to update everyone on the new and exciting STEAM Academy.

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VALISALUs! Congratulations to Michelle Cazorla and Ludwin Chavez on being named Valedictorian and Salutatorian of North Bergen High School’s Class of 2020! Both students are seniors in the North Bergen STEM Academy and worked tirelessly to reach this point. We also recognize the efforts of all of your teachers, coaches and the Guidance staff who continually supported you.

We salute you both ValiSalus!

Valedictorian Michelle Cazorla and Salutatorian Ludwin Chavez with Mr. Locricchio, Principal of North Bergen High School, Denise Arenas, VP of the Class of 2020, and Dr. George Solter, Superintendent of the North Bergen School District.

NJECC CONFERENCE 2020 Each year, the New Jersey Educational Computing Cooperative hosts a conference for educational professionals who are interested in the advancement of technological solutions for schools and education organizations. This year, the attendees included Dr. Keshishian, Dr. Welz, Mr. Daniel Diaz, Supervisor of District Technology, Mrs. Stern-Protz, Mrs. Murphy, Mr. Arrango, and Ms. Martinelli-Poggi.

Dr. Welz at the podium and teacher participants at her Google NJECC presentation in January.

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North Bergen Science

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(© NASA Langley)

Congratulations to sophomore Camila Garcia on her Grand Prize win in the NASA Langley Student Art Contest. Camila was chosen from over 1200+ submissions from all over the United States by the employees at NASA Langley. Her rendition of a young astronaut looking to the stars under the theme of “We Are Going” landed her the top spot. She will receive a NASA space package and her winning art piece will be proudly displayed at NASA Langley’s headquarters in Virginia. Congratulations also goes to our own senior Christian Grant, who placed second in this year’s contest for his vision of an Artemis vehicle on its way to explore space. We also applaud all who participated in the contest as we are very proud of all of our North Bergen artists!

Left: Grand Prize recipient Camila Garcia next to her stunning artistic work. Right: Camila Garcia with Locricchio, Ms. DiGiulio, Dr. Solter, Mrs. Stern Protz, and Dr. Keshishian.

Below: Artemis - Christian Grant, Senior 2020

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STEM’S SIXTH COHORT HAS BEEN ACCEPTED! The STEM Academy’s Cohort VI (Class of 2024) has been notified of their acceptance to the Academy.

We are planning to welcome our new students in the fall of 2020 as they pursue their dreams through an accelerated curriculum, cohort-style classes and experiential learning.

We are looking forward to greeting our largest incoming class to date, and we are busy preparing their official Lab Coat Ceremony later this spring. We will make up for the Pi Day Family Pizza welcome at that time!

VI

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“STOP THE BLEED� WITH HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH North Bergen teachers, administrators, and nurses participated in the National Stop the Bleed Campaign at Palisades Medical Center (Palisades General) on Thursday, December 12th. The campaign's purpose is to teach how to properly put on a tourniquet and how to pack a wound to save a life if there is a bleeding emergency.

Here

Ms. Janet Sandstrom, Principal of Franklin School, packing a stab wound on a prosthetic limb, Rafiatou Raimi and Brittnay Conty using a tourniquet, and finally a picture of all those who participated (Mrs. Shama Abdelhadi, Dr. Jared Keshishian,

Dr. Keshishian, Ms. Sandstrom, Mrs. Dawn Meicke, Mrs. Rafiatou Raimi, Ms. Grace Ricigiliano,, and Ms. Brittany Conty

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STUDENT EXPERIENCE AT HMH PALISADES HOSPITAL On January 22, our STEM and Student Council team visited Hackensack Meridian Health Palisades Hospital here in North Bergen. Each year, those students interested in health and medical careers meet with professionals at Palisades and hear about unique and wonderful career paths and experiences.

Kicking off the day was HMH Palisades’ President Anthony J. Passannante, Jr. who gave a riveting speech about his dedicated service and history as a learner and leader. Dr. Passannante Jr. encouraged the students to keep learning and to always keep innovating their education to pursue their goals. Students also met with Patricia Carroll, a Palisades Chief Operating Officer and a woman who defied many odds to enter the medical field and pursue her dreams in healthcare.

The students met Nikki Mederos, Director of External Affairs, Fay Spragely, Head Nurse, professionals from the Sleep/Wake Center, James D’Amore who is in charge of Security, and the Stop The Bleed team composed of Meliam Gonzales, RN and EMT specialist Amad Ibrahim. We are grateful always to HMH Palisades and look forward to more visits and experiential learning.

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Left: Dr. Passannante Jr. addressing students. Right: Mr. Trifari, Faculty Advisor to the Student Council, with students in the Occupational Therapy Center at Palisades.

Left: Head Nurse Fay Spragely addressing students. Right: Meliam Gonzales, RN and EMT specialist Amad Ibrahim demonstrate an essential first aid/potentially life saving training with Stop the Bleed.

Each student received a certificate for their participation.

Below: STEM students Iris G., Allison M. and Aimee P. practice their newly-learned skills at the workshop.

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North Bergen Science

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Literary Heroes and Goosechase Competition Marks 2020’s PEAK Visit to Dr. Welz, STEM & Co.

Dr. Krista Welz has become a leading educational technology expert for North Bergen and an important member of the STEM Academy family. Dr. Welz knows the value of combining technology and cyber-based learning, and still knows that essential knowledge comes from the ability to teach literacy and its applications.

This winter, Dr. Welz, along with Mrs. Stern-Protz and Mrs. Teta, hosted PEAK fifth grade students at the North Bergen High School Media Center for her celebrated presentation of “Literacy Heroes,” and a “Goosechase” adventure.

Students were engaged in learning about the NBHS Media Center’s array of books and digital resources, and then watched and listened about libraries, and the “literary heroes” who bring books to children in poverty and war-torn areas around the world.

Afterward, students were in action as they looked for clues, found North Bergen School VIPs to snap a selfie, and played music and robots to win points for their teams on the interactive and always-fun Goosechase App. Goosechase allows teachers to set up a friendly and competitive scavenger hunt, and our students had a blast snapping pictures, reading pictorial classics and meeting super special guest stars. At the end of the day, they waved farewell and thanks to the team at the school.

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Students from PEAK 5 find treasures for points during Goosechase!

Dr. Solter, Superintendent of Schools for North Bergen, with Goosechase team members.

Students dressing Dash and Dot for points.

It’s a family event with big sis Angifer R. and Co!

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PEAK at Media Center 2020 Continued...

Big bro Kevin G. of STEM Academy gets to visit the event!

Having to share a good story and win points? The best!

Dr. Welz with Mrs. Teta, and STEM volunteers Salsabeel K., Emma R. and Angie R. Getting in on the action! Principal Locricchio snaps a selfie with the kids.

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W.E.B. DuBois and Art Harper In December, Mrs. Stern-Protz paid a visit to our students in two exciting programs: W.E.B. DuBois’ Accelerated Learning at Princeton and the Art Harper Academic Program at Stevens.

Both programs are attained through competitive applications and have high expectations of the students they choose. We are pleased to encourage our students to participate in these programs because they get to learn with professors and are exposed to the social aspects in a safe and congenial environment of academics and life at university. We have three students at DuBois Institute and one at Art Harper. We hope for next year to have even more students participate!

Edlyn Thompson-Mettle, Associate Director for Diversity Programs stands with STEM Academy student Jennifer S. at the beautiful Babbio Center at Stevens. Bryan G., Mrs. SP, Mariam K. and Vimbisai B. meet on campus at Princeton. Thanks to Crystal Watson who works tirelessly to make sure the program has meaningful content and wonderful experiences for our students.

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FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON PROGRAM GRADUATIONS North Bergen STEM Academy and North Bergen High School greatly value our partnership with Fairleigh Dickinson University. Their Saturday programs have been enriching our students since 2016. In the fall, Technology and Engineering Outreach Program (TEOP) and Mathematics Enrichment Through Application (META) graduated our students. The incredible benefit of these Saturday experiential learning days go far beyond the classroom and home - they allow our students to be exposed to college life. Thanks again to Dr. Tan, Dr. Lewis, Dr. Casti, Dr. Mondal, and all of the professors, faculty and staff who make this educational undertaking an absolute winner every semester.

Top row (l-r): Vanessa C.A., Jaspinder K., Kayla C., Beatrice B., Zhoubair B., Kayla F., Amy A.I., and Bryan G. at META; Adreany S., Ashley C., AnnyA. and Victoria S. at TEOP. Bottom row (l-r): Sarai M. and Paulina A.R., Ashley C., Marianna B. with Frank S. in the next row.

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ALUMNI VISITS AND CATCHING UP WITH COHORT I OF STEM ACADEMY STEM Academy’s first Cohort graduated in 2019 and we reached out to them to find out how they’re doing. Our valedictorian, Riya J. said college is great and she felt very prepared for her experience using all of the competencies she honed at the Academy.

Yahira Herrera, our 2019 salutatorian, came by to visit in person. She couldn’t believe what high school looked like now, and loved the fact that she was there visiting all of the teachers she remembered fondly.

We were fortunate to have Cristina Morocho, a first-year computer science major at Montclair State University visit with us. Her words of wisdom to our present Academy students: “Take advantage of all of the mentoring and guidance you get here. You get so much attention and have people who want to see you succeed. Take advantage of it!”

Christina with the STEM Academy students Favorite Guidance Counselor Mr. Feria (below left) and with Mrs. Stern-Protz and Dr. Keshishian (below right).

Andrew Fuentes, a freshman at Rutgers Business School reminded us that “College is very challenging, but once you get used to the expectations and hard work, you can succeed. I’m glad the rigor of STEM gave me an idea of what it was going to be like.”

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Eliel Esquivel, a freshman at NJIT said that, “College is a great place to be challenged academically. NJIT offers many paths to success, and I’m glad to be here.” His and Andrew’s message for STEMMERs is, “Enjoy it while you can because college is rigorous from day one.”

We also had a visit from Donato Cruz, NBHS ‘17, who is now a junior at NJIT. He came to talk to the Academy and visited with us here at the high school (pictured below with the Academy students). He made sure to reinforce why it’s important to “manage your time, in order to be able to take on tough coursework.” Cruz was a NBHS student who became a STEM program participant in Fairleigh Dickinson’s CyberSecurity Engineering Outreach Program. (CSEOP).

The STEM Academy had a 100% four-year college acceptance rate and many received generous financial aid to be able to attend a college of their choice.

STEM Academy students with NBHS graduate and NJIT undergrad Cruz Donato

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Liberty Science Center Surgical Theatre and Discoveries

North Bergen STEM and North Bergen High School students were very fortunate to get two trips to Liberty Science Center this past winter/early spring in order to experience a live surgical presentation and an involved laboratory experience. Mrs. Dana Hojnowski has been organizing these experiences and Mrs. Stern-Protz, Ms. Young and Mr. Miller were all on-hand to chaperone the adventures.

One of the leading heart transplant centers in the United States is right here in New Jersey.

Newark Beth Israel Hospital is a top-20 destination for transplants of this kind, and they celebrated their 1,000th transplant in November of 2017. Dr. Margarita Camacho generously gave her time to present videos and expertise in what it takes to determine, prep and care for a transplant patient.

She demonstrated and exposed the students to multiple approaches in cardiac surgery and technologies that have been emerging over the past 20 years to improve pacemaker and bloodflow outcomes.

Also on-hand was a guest speaker from the New Jersey Sharing Network - a nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire people to participate in organ donation. His story was uplifting and full of hope, and yet a sobering reality of just how many of our neighbors in New Jersey wait for vital organs that match for donation.

Dr. Camacho (center) with students and teachers from North Bergen High School and the North Bergen STEM Academy Honors Biology Class.

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Continued...

Among the many benefits of the Liberty Science Center are its state-of-the-art laboratories where students learn about why research through lab investigation is singularly important. North Bergen High School students were able to complete a lab on the surgical presentation day, however Mrs. Hojnowski created a second trip to LSC for the STEM students. Here are those details.

The students arrived in the morning and worked with talented LSC educator Alejandro Melendez on their study. Alejandro created a scenario where a bacteria was present in animals on one of two farms. Using electrophoresis, the students had to determine which set of animals had the strain. In the morning session, the students learned about how to handle the special equipment and the skills needed in order to investigate. However the actual determination would not happen until the afternoon.

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LSC Continued…

Mrs. Hojnowski and Mrs. Stern-Protz heard a bit of grumbling at midday lunch, and they answered those grumblings with questions like, “Well, what was the outcome of your work so far?” or “Why do you think you have to learn protocols in order to reach a conclusion?” The students knew the answer - without going through the proper lab protocols, they would not be able to determine which farm was infected. Back to the lab!

About an hour later the students emerged victorious, and celebrated. When asked why, they

proudly declared the bacteria was on Farm A and not B. When asked if all the time probing and questioning was worth the answer, Mrs. Hoj and Mrs. SP received a resounding YES. In fact, above are pictures of their lab outcome. Thanks to Liberty Science Center for putting together such a remarkable program for North Bergen.

Pictured above: top row - Salsabeel K., Angie R., Tatiana N. and Daniela P. ready for lab. Anny A. and Natali M. confer with others. Bottom row seen from back to front - Youssef E., Sorraya A., Michelle R., Olha B., Daniela G., Nicholas F., Natalie M., Caitlyn F., and Angelina A. Picture of electrophoresis courtesy of Nicholas F.

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And finally, some meaningful fun!

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North Bergen Hosts the 2020 Region I and II Academic Decathlon

Over 450 students coaches and teacher volunteers gathered at North Bergen High for the 2020 New Jersey Regions I and II Academic Decathlon. In October of 2019, we were informed that the hosting high school was unavailable. The North Bergen Board of Education and Mr. Locricchio stepped in and invited the regions to compete here. Between the Student Council, STEM Academy, and NBHS, over 50 volunteers signed up for the event.

Left: Everyone ready to go! Our super security team. Right: welcoming committee (Nicholas and Caitlyn) with team members Yash Shah and Victoria Lopez.

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Food? No problem! Our cafeteria staff were ready to go! Thank you ladies!

Kathy D’Andrea, State coordinator for the Decathlon

STEM volunteer Lorena Lora Tejada and friend.

Dr. Solter, Mr. Locricchio, and Mrs. Stern-Protz

Ludwin Chavez, Michelle Cazorla, Mario Gonzales Tapanes and Michael Said with Dr. Solter.

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“This day would not have happened without ‘Trif’” – Mrs. Stern-Protz and Mr. Locricchio

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Super-hero tech team of Abel Cabrera and Jose Vasquez

Senior volunteer Daniel Robles with the “STEM Crew”

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Decathlon Continued‌

Left: Mayor Sacco and Commissioner Cabrera, Mrs. Stern-Protz and Mrs. Valladares with team members Salmah Mahmoud, Yash Shah, Rolando Gonzalez, Vimbisai Basvi, and Emily Jones. Right: Mayor Sacco, Commissioner Cabrera, Mrs. Stern-Protz and Mrs. Valladares with Daniela Altimerana, Sarai Marte, Jeremy Espinoza, Kevin Galarraga, Paulina Alzate-Ramirez, Denisse Soto, Jared Garcia, Michelle, Ludwin and Mario.

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The Mayor welcomes the two-dozen high school teams, as all get ready for Superquiz.

In addition to our student clubs working together, the North Bergen High School Security, Facilities, Food Service, and District Tech teams came together to support the endeavor. Thanks to all who made this possible, from Mayor Sacco and Commissioner Cabrera greeting the entire gathering to each and every student, security, cafeteria, maintenance, tech and administrative support personnel.

Congratulations to our team, Emily Jones (Honorable Mention for Speech and Interview), Roland Gonzales (Honorable Mention for Interview and Team VIP), Yash Shah, Salmah Mahmoud, Vimbisai Basvi, Kelly Quijjije and Victoria Lopez.

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UNIVERSITY DREAMS This fall, the freshmen Cohort V class went to Montclair State University and Cohorts II and III (seniors and juniors), along with some of our best and brightest NBHS students, got to take an excursion to Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.

We as parents, teachers, community members and educational administrative professionals, believe that students who work hard and see themselves at university should go for their dreams and at the same time, not forget the treasures that are New Jersey colleges and universities in our own backyard.

Freshmen Stemmers met News 12 New Jersey Anchor Kurt Siegelin who teaches at Montclair State, and discussed the emergence of new technologies in broadcasting.

To our students, GO FOR IT - whether Yale, Montclair, both and/or other superb centers of learning.

Thanks to both universities for their generosity and hospitality during our time at each. Special hello goes to our colleague Kennedy Sani, now at Yale. Hope to see you more often. Very special thanks to Mrs. Theresa Rabelo, Mrs. Michelle Martoral and Mr. Sivanandan Ganesh for accompanying the Yale trip, and Mrs. Margaret Stakiwicz and Mr. Jeff Trifari for chaperoning Montclair.

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Students learn about creating a virtual reality space for orthopedics, and having fun. Emma Rivas and her cousin, who attends MSU. Mr. Trifari with students touring the campus. MSU-one of the best vistas of NYC.

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Mrs. Stern-Protz got to catch up with Mr. Kennedy Sani.

At the gate into a living quad at school.

In the Quad and Inside Yale’s Library.

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THANKS TO Mayor Nicholas J. Sacco Dr. George Solter, Jr. The North Bergen Board of Education Mr. Richard Locricchio, Principal of North Bergen High School The STEM Academy Committee Art Harper Program Fairleigh Dickinson University HMH Palisades Medical Center Hudson County Science Fair Liberty Science Center Montclair State University Nancy Hovan NASA Langley Space Center NB PEAK New Jersey Educational Computing Cooperative New Jersey Institute of Technology Princeton University Stevens Institute of Technology Techspo The Helix W.E.B. DuBois Program Yale University

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