Paramus Catholic High School Students To Display Talents at Bergen County Teen Arts Festival

Paramus Catholic High School Students To Display Talents at Bergen County Teen Arts Festival

By SYDNEY BLAND '13

PARAMUS, NJ- Approximately 225 students from Paramus Catholic High School will attend the annual Bergen County Teen Arts Festival on Friday, May 17, 2013 at Bergen Community College.

Paramus Catholic High School has been attending the festival for 10 years. Mrs. Lewandowski, a Paramus Catholic High School teacher and liaison for the Bergen County Teen Arts Festival, described a typical first day as one in which students register, pick up name tags and receive information about seminars, workshops, and performances. Mrs. Lewandowski stated, “The students love the festival. They are around like-minded people and are free to express themselves. It’s like a great sporting event for the arts.”

Paramus Catholic’s band and dance classes perform at the festival. The band usually performs one to two songs, while the dance class has one performance. Both groups of students are critiqued right on the spot. Mrs. Lewandowski expressed, “So far, my most fond memory is getting back stellar critiques on the dance performance and sitting on the lawn, listening to various bands and open-mic acts.” 

Evan Cooper, the Administrator of the Bergen County Teen Arts Festival, indicated through an email that there will be 32 different opportunities for students in all areas of the arts. There are 80 separate workshop presentations, which will enable every student to attend several during their day at the festival. All workshops are 50 minutes, unless otherwise indicated. Some workshops returning to the festival include “Mask Making” and “YouTube Cube.”  Last year, over 200 students made their own masks and learned how to create their own videos for the web.

New workshops include, “From Songs to Stories,” where students learn to interpret their favorite piece of music in their own words, and “Improvisation Games,” where students participate in a high energy and hands-on introduction to theatrical improvisation. 

The Teen Arts Festival will provide an educational and memorable hands-on experience for Paramus Catholic High School students. Mrs. Lewandowski commented, “The festival is brilliant. It’s a worthwhile experience and something Bergen County should be proud of.”

Online Courses Coming to Paramus Catholic

Online Courses Offer New Way for High School Students to Learn

By KAITLYN STERZEL ’14

PARAMUS, NJ – Paramus Catholic High School students may enroll in collaborative, online learning courses for the 2013-14 school year.

Administrators at Paramus Catholic added five full year courses and eleven semester online courses for juniors and seniors.  Students who take these courses will learn with a class of 15 to 25 other students from around the world.  There is no face-to-face instruction and teachers expect their students to work on their assignments during their designated class period.

PC's Associate Principal, Ms. Stephanie Macaluso, said, “We have added these courses for disciplined, self-motivated students to learn about new topics and to connect them with students from other parts of the world.  These classes will also give them a taste of the courses that will be available to them at the college level.”

The full year online courses are AP Music Theory, AP Government and Politics, AP Economics, AP Environmental Science, and AP Calculus BC.  The semester courses are Music: Fundamentals of Composition, Biotechnology, DNA Technology, Genes and Disease Honors, Engineering Principles, Philosophy I Honors, Sports and Society, Twentieth Century Women Authors, Spanish Culture and 20^th Century Hispanic Literature, German Language and Culture, and Russian Language and Culture.

According to Ms. Joan Silo, Vice Principal of Academics, “Online collaborative learning is not for everyone, as there is no face-to-face instruction time with teachers.”  She added, “This type of learning requires self-discipline, academic ability, and technical competence.  Students in these courses must be comfortable communicating through modern technologies.”

Students who plan to take these online courses must obtain their guidance counselor’s approval before they can begin the class. Guidance counselors will approve or deny requests for online courses after checking each student’s grades from previous classes and seeking teacher recommendations.

Michael Kenny, a junior at Paramus Catholic, said, “I’m excited to take an online course and challenge myself.  I think I’ll be able to handle an online course. It’s pretty cool that we will be working with students and teachers from around the world, too.”

Paramus Catholic’s Ultimate Frisbee Team looking to shock New Jersey

By Justin Gordnick ’14

PARAMUS, NJ - Sports have earned a place in the spotlight at Paramus Catholic High School this year.  From winning a Group IV state championship in football, to winning a state championship in co-ed cheerleading, to achieving a 27-2 record in ice hockey, Paramus Catholic has been very successful in the sports arena.  Paramus Catholic’s newest sport, Ultimate Frisbee, is looking to join the spotlight.

Senior Team Captain and Maywood resident, Luke Diamond, started playing frisbee competitively last year and is hoping to play at Montclair next year. He said, “I wish I had played frisbee all my life, since I was a kid. Disc is life.”

When asked about expectations for the team, Diamond said, “I expect big things. We’re big, strong, fast, and physical; anything less than a state championship is a disappointment in my eyes.”

Second-year Head Coach, Luke Frangione, is pleased with the team’s ambition. “The kids are passionate for the game. They really love to play,” Frangione stated.

The Ultimate Frisbee team has conditioned all year round, practicing skills with the frisbee, running on the track, and doing exercises to strengthen their forearms.

The team has a roster of 21 and is entered in a few tournaments.  They recently defeated Delbarton 15-1. 

Ultimate Frisbee is played on a 100-yard field and is scored by two halves. Halftime occurs when a team scores seven goals.  The game ends when a team scores thirteen goals. Goals are scored by going the length of a field by passing the frisbee and taking two steps at a time.

Luke Diamond, PC's Ultimate Frisbee Team Captain, makes a dramatic catch.

Paramus Catholic High School Journeys to Italy

Students Study Italian Culture

By SYDNEY BLAND ’13

PARAMUS, NJ - Students and teachers from Paramus Catholic High School boarded a plane and embarked on a 12-day Italy tour and pilgrimage beginning on Thursday, February 13^th.  The group was led by James P. Vail, President of Paramus Catholic High School, and the itinerary included visits to many of Italy’s most historical cities: Caserta, Rome, and Florence.

The first five days of the trip were spent in Caserta, Italy. While in Caserta, students spent a day at their partner school, Istituto Salesiani High School, where they visited classes and enjoyed a variety show. A Mass was held in the school chapel later that day. Students from both schools made everlasting friendships during their visit.

On the sixth day, students traveled to Rome, where they spent the remainder of the trip. The group took a walking tour of the River Tiber, Piazza Tribunali, Piazza Navona/Bernini sculptures, Pantheon and Piazza Montecitorio. While on a day trip to Florence, they visited the Academie and had the opportunity to view The David. Some of the trip’s highlights included a visit to St. Peter’s Square, as well as a guided, after-hours tour of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. Pana Patterson, a student at Paramus Catholic High School, stated, “I was allowed a once in a lifetime experience that few can say they had the chance to witness.”

On the last day of the trip, the group was taken on guided tours of St. Peter’s Basilica with seminarians of the Vatican American Pontifical College. They also attended a private Mass with Father Houser, the assistant to Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, which was held at the tomb of St. Peter beneath the dome and papal altar.

Paramus Catholic President, James P. Vail, said, “I hope this trip opens our students’ vision and desire for future travel, as well as deepens their faith in and love for our Church and its history and traditions.” 

The Paramus Catholic group visited Vatican City at a historic time for the Catholic Church. Pope Benedict XVI had just announced he was resigning, making him the first pope to do so since Gregory XII in 1415.