A Story of Survival and Inspiration

On December 6, the Ridgewood High School

Cambodia Club brought in guest speaker,

Tongratha Veng to educate the students of RHS

about his native country of Cambodia, and its

past and current struggles.

Veng also spoke of his own struggles as a refu-

gee who fled from the brutal regime of the

Khmer Rouge during a time when nearly 2 mil-

lion Cambodians were killed or starved to

death. The 39-year-old immigrant, who now

lives in California, fled his homeland in 1979.

Since that time, he has returned to his country

while doing work for the United Nations and is

a strong advocate for Cambodia and its people.

He started a non-profit, called the Contribution

for the Development of the Economy and Com-

munity, in 1996. His non-profit focuses on vo-

cational training, clean water access, and loans

and support for small business.

Upcoming

December 14 to 15:

Romeo & Juliet, Little

Theater; 8:00 pm, &

2:00 pm (on 12/15)

December 17:

Board of Ed Meeting;

Ed Center; 7:30 pm

December 19:

Board of Ed Meeting;

Ed Center; 7:30 pm

December 19:

Altered Schedule;

Student Sleep-In Day;

Teacher Enrichment

December 20:

Progress Reports

RIDGEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL ∙ 627 East Ridgewood Avenue ∙ Ridgewood, NJ 07450 ∙ 201-670-2800

12/14/2012 A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE

SYRUP FOR SANDY

Project Interact

Thursday, January 10

5-8 pm RHS Cafeteria

All tickets $5.00 (pre-

sale raffle incentive)

Tickets go on sale the

week of December 17

Proceeds will go to

American Red Cross

Contact Nancy Reilly or

Lynne Feeney

FAST FACTS...

RAHP stands for Ridgewood Academy for Health

Professionals and allows students from RHS first-

hand experience in the field of medicine.

A Change in Weather

Dr. Jurg M. Matter, from Lamont-Doherty Earth

Observatory at the Columbia University Lenfest

Center for Sustainable Energy, talked with

students on Tuesday, December 11 about cli-

mate change and how it is affecting the world

we are living in.

Students were also given the opportunity to

ask questions about global warming, sustaina-

ble energy, and other weather concerns.

Former Cambodian refugee, Tongratha Veng, talks

with students about his experiences.

The Ridgewood High School Visual and Performing

Arts Department held its monthly Maroon & White

Recital and Art Show on November 29. Pictured

above, Jaesung Son preforms on the violin and

Francesca Felder displays her artwork.

Dr. Jurg M. Matter speaks to students in the Ridge-

wood High School campus center.

New Players presents:

Romeo & Juliet

12/14 @ 8pm,

12/15 @ 2pm,

12/15 @ 8pm

Admission: $15.00

Seniors: $10.00

Powder Puffs Touchdown for Charity

On December 6 2012, the Ridgewood DECA pro-

gram held a Powder Puff Tournament on the high

school field. A charity event, all the proceeds from

the game went towards Hurricane Sandy victims.

Over ninety girls signed up in teams of ten along

with a teacher acting as their coach to compete in

21-minute long games of flag football. Each team

was guaranteed two games before eliminations

began. The title of Commissioner for the night was

awarded to business teacher, Sean Kase, as he

helped organize and oversee the fun and worth-

while charity tournament

RIDGEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL ∙ 627 East Ridgewood Avenue ∙ Ridgewood, NJ 07450 ∙ 201-670-2800

Meg Schaefer has worked at Ridgewood High School for twenty-five years, first as an English teacher before becoming Grade Advisor. Currently she works with the class of 2014, and is also the Artistic Director for the New Players Company. She graduated from Georgetown uni-versity (DC) with a Bachelors degree in English and received her Masters de-gree in English from University of Virgin-ia (VA), and her Doctorate in Education-al Theater from New York University (NY).

One of your Favorite Memories of your time at RHS:

There have been so many! One of my best memories was seven years ago when I got engaged. The theatre students organized an Engagement Party in the Little Theatre, and lots of theatre alumni came from all over to celebrate with me. It made me realize in a powerful way that the New Players Company is truly a family and the bonds formed in the theatre are lifelong.

What Advice Would you Give Every Student:

I would give two pieces of advice. First, make sure that you do not graduate from RHS without having ever seen a New Players Production; and second, try to remember that it is simply not true that what college you attend will determine your future happiness and success.

Something You Don’t Know About Me:

Most people at RHS know that I am passionate about William Shakespeare, but not everyone knows that I am equally passion-ate about the Pittsburgh Steelers. In fact, one of my most cherished memories of my youth was being in Three Rivers

RPS POLICY CORNER: Excuses from Physical Education

Students are expected to participate in all assigned Physical Educa-

tion classes. If unable to participate in Physical Education for one or

two days due to illness or injury, a student is required to present a

note stating the reason for the request, signed by a parent/guardian.

This note should be presented to the Physical Education teacher. A

medical excuse prohibiting a student from participating in Physical

Education, written by the student’s treating physician, should be pre-

sented to the School Nurse prior to the assigned Physical Education

Class.

Faculty Highlight: Margaret Schaefer

Jeff Nyhuis pumps up his team, the Blitz Babes, before

their first round game.

Charles Appel and his winning team, Girls Gone Wild.

RIDGEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL ∙ 627 East Ridgewood Avenue ∙ Ridgewood, NJ 07450 ∙ 201-670-2800

RIDGEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL

Website: http://rhs.school.ridgewood.k12.nj.us/

Athletes Shine in Ridgewood

Congratulations to all the

players and coaches of Ridge-

wood High School on all their

accomplishments this Fall.

The following student ath-

letes have been recognized

for their excellence by the

county in their sport.*

Boys’ Soccer: Nicholas Simon, 3rd Team.

Girls’ Soccer: Olivia Shaw, 2nd Team; Darby Kiernan, 2nd Team;

Dana Bussanich, 2nd Team; Lindsay Gray, 2nd Team; Maura

Feeney, Honorable Mention.

Boys’ Cross Country: Nick Salamone, 1st Team; Ryan Neville,

2nd Team; Storm Dublirer, 3rd Team; Brian Daniels, 3rd Team;

Bryan Clarendon, 3rd Team.

Girls’ Cross Country: Catherine Pagano, 1st Team; Emily

Fishbein, 1st Team; Kelly Cleary, 1st Team; Laura Weisberger,

2nd Team; Lesley Jones, 3rd Team; Tara Cirillo, Honorable

Mention; Leah Rosenfeld, Honorable Mention; Sam Halvorsen,

Honorable Mention; Fran Felder, Honorable Mention; Sarah

Davis, Honorable Mention.

Girls’ Tennis: Ally Flood, Honorable Mention/1st Team Dou-

bles; Anna T. O’Keefe, Honorable Mention/1st Team Doubles.

Volleyball: Elyssa Gould, 1st Team; Kelly Skettini, 2nd Team;

Leslie Lam, 2nd Team; Stephanie Hannon, Honorable Mention.

Gymnastics: Yurina Harada, 1st Team All-Around; Kate Eanelli,

2nd Team Bars/All Around; Samantha Brodsky, 2nd Team Bars/

All Around; Emily Sheen, 2nd Team Beam/All Around; Abby

Taylor, 2nd Team Floor/All Around.

*As of publication of this issue the All-County Athletes for Foot-

ball have not yet been announced.

A Window Into Ridgewood High School

Students prepare a meal as part of Ernestina

Gagliano’s Culinary Arts Club.

Dr. Thomas Gorman talks with students while in

the computer lab.

AP Art History students participating in the annual

toga review day as they review for their test.

The award winning RHS Girls’

Cross Country Team.