Thanks for everyone's support for this year's Relay for Life. So far we have raised over $109,000! Cranford High School again has shown that we are great supporters of community events like Relay. We could not have done this without your help and influence.

A special thanks to the staff that were able to attend and help out: Mike Leong, Michelle DellaFortuna, Nikki Savino, Gabby Rendek, Pat Mamrak, Kathy Shaw, Ginger Burd, Jen Hilborn, Maureen Duganzic, Sara Moulton, Lisa Burnfeindt, Nancy Campbell, Barbara Narus, Jeanine Boyle, Joan Weeks, Aileen McGuire, Mike Pliskin, Daniel Chernosky, Brian Gilroy, Christine Ahern, Sue Ulaky, and Mr. Dionisio.

CHS Student Council has once again be named an Honor School. In addition, for the first time, we will receive a Community Smile Award for raising over $2,000 for the State Charity, Good Grief. The following students have been awarded for their efforts:
Kate DeWeever, Ashley Favato, Jeff Francis, Amanda Tempesta, Jill Folger, Brian Foye, Tommy Foye, Manny Garcia, Erin McAuliffe, Nina Montero, Cara Mayberry, Paulina Pryzdzial, Lauren Rocchini, Caitlin Slattery, Jackie Trelles, Emily Ushay, Jake Waleski, AnnaLee Gallo, Natalie Salinardo, Carmine Volpe.

The following students have had work accepted into the High Relief art show at The Shore Institute of Contemporary Art in Asbury Park, NJ: Elena Margulis, Marisa Orlandi, O'Dowd, Nicorle Portuese, Katelyn Baumann, Megan Byrnes, Carly Maucione, Geneva Loconte, Alyssa Curry, Aleksandra Czyrznic, Michelle Portuese, Lya Finston, Patricia Kolokythas, Corey DeChiaro, Katie McDermott, William Brown, Jasmine Goncalves, Katie Sprague. The opening reception is Sat. May 5th from 5-8PM at 610 Cookman Avenue. The show will be running until May 25th.

Recently, five CHS students were announced winners in the Stossel in the Classroom essay contest. Winners included, all juniors from Mr. Vito's AP US History classes, Kaitlin McGovern and Katia Oltmann (Semi-Finalists), Kristian Brito, Erin McAuliffe and Gary Hoffman (Honorable Mentions).

Stossel in the Classroom, a project of the non-profit Center for Independent Thought, provides free curriculum materials to teachers, using video clips from John Stossel television shows and specials. Stossel hosts a weekly program on the Fox Business Network.

Students were asked to write an essay about Politicians' Promises Gone Wrong, after viewing John Stossel's Fox News special on that subject. There were 3,944 essays submitted by students around the country, with 225 essays chosen as prize winners. Winners won cash prizes of at least $50.

CHS students who participated in the annual New Jersey Science League competition scored another huge success in the March 8th competition. High schools within the NJSL Area 16 include Arthur L. Johnson, Jonathon Dayton, and Mother Seton Regional sent teams to the competition testing their knowledge in the disciplines of biology, chemistry, physics, and environmental science. The CHS teams of Biology II and Chemistry I achieved highest combined scores earning 1st place honors and teams Biology I and Physics II earned 2nd place honors. Chemistry II and Physics I teams rounded out the CHS field with 3rd place finishes. Actual scores can be viewed on the NJSL website by clicking here. The final competition for the 2012 season will take place on April 19th at Mother Seton Regional High School in Clark. Congratulations to past winners and participants! Good luck on April 19th!

Cranford High School DECA Team Achieves Success at State Conference
Fifty One Cranford High School students attended the February 26-28 DECA State Leadership Conference in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, at which contestants from across New Jersey competed in several business categories. 25 Students placed in the top ten in their events out of over 100 students in each one. These include 14 finalists and 11 instructional award winners and 1 state award winner. The chapter also received an award for increased membership of over 10% for the year.

From April 27 to May 1 Allison Verrili will attend the International Career Development Conference held in Salt Lake City Utah where 18,000 DECA students from the United States and Canada will compete in their respective business specialties, and attend energizing leadership academies.

Overall, Cranford High School's DECA Program, aimed at helping students prepare for business careers, learn leadership, and practice community service, boasts 119 members. It is advised by Business Management and Information Systems teachers Richard Goldstein and Donna Cathcart. Membership in the club is open to any student attending Cranford High School.

Below are the names of the individuals and events in which they excelled in.
DECA 2012 State Conference Award Winners:
Finalists:

• Allison Verilli - Principles of Business Management and Administration 2nd place overall
• Joseph Bringuier - Principles of Finance Finalist
• Scott Belmont - Principles of Hospitality Finalist
• Natalie Salinardo - Principles of Hospitality Finalist
• Eddie Guillen - Principles of Marketing Finalist
• Michael Wolansky - Accounting Finalist
• Gabrielle DaSilva, Lauren Iauruzio, Alexis Neush - Automotive Services Finalists
• Caitlin Slattery - Apparel and Accessory Marketing Finalist
• Madison Van Houten - Food Marketing Finalist
• Taylor Baton - Hotel and Lodging Management Finalist
• Oliver Bevan - Restaurant and Food Management Finalist
• Zachary Brown - Quick Serve Restaurant Management Finalist
• Jacqueline Chiari - Sports and Entertainment Finalist

• Peter Strotz - Buying and Merchandising Team Event/Written Event (high score)
• Tim Coda - Principles of Business Management (Written Event)
• Allison Verilli - Principles of Business Management (Written Event)
• Scott Belmont(Role Play), Natalie Salinardo (Role Play) - Principles of Hospitality and Tourism
• Eddie Guillen - Principles of Marketing (Written Test)
• Gabby DaSilva (Written Test, Role Play), Lauren Iauruzio (Role Play 1 and 2), Alexis Neush (Role Play) - Principles of Marketing
• Taylor Baton - Hotel and Lodging

The Cranford High School Mock Trial Team finished the season 5-2 after falling to Oratory Prep in the Union County Finals on Wed February 1st at the Union County Court House in Elizabeth, NJ. Cranford will miss the leadership of their three graduating seniors: Bridget Gautieri, Valerie Podbelski, and Matt LaFronz. However, their remaining members: Margarita Bronshteyn, Scarlet Grabowska, Casey Zebrowski, Annie Higgins, Kellie Joyce, Noah Lee, and Alli Barry will continue Cranford's winning tradition next year.

Three students from the Cranford High School class of 2012 have been selected to participate in the United States Presidential Scholars Program. Matthew LaFronz, Kevin Strotz and Anna Zhao have been chosen to participate in this national competition because of their outstanding SAT scores. Only 100 scholars from New Jersey have been asked to participate, the next stages of the competition will involve college transcripts, secondary school reports and student essays.

Fifty Five DECA students at Cranford High School scored in the top of their business events, making them not only eligible to compete in the New Jersey DECA Leadership Conference in Cherry Hill, February 26-28 but also the most to ever advance in the history of Cranford High School. Click here to see this year's DECA results.

The Performing Arts Program presented its 2nd Annual Winter Dance Showcase, Thursday December 15th at 7:30pm in the CHS Auditorium. The concert featured guest choreographer and CHS alumnus Lindsey Rizkalla; seven original works choreographed by current students; as well as pieces from the CHS Academy Dance Program and Elements of Dance Class. Styles included Modern, Jazz, Ballet and African Dance.

Cranford High School hosted the first Cougars vs. Cancer Basketball Tournament on December 27th & 29th with Old Bridge, Nutley and West Orange also participated. Cranford boys and girls teams captured the tournament championship. MVP awards were presented.

With the help and support of CHS Students and Staff, over 200 blankets for cancer patients were made. We would like to thank students who so generously brought in fabric and worked to make beautiful blankets. Half the blankets are being delivered to Morristown Memorial Carol Simon Cancer Center. Later on, the rest will be shipped to Memorial Sloan Kettering in NYC.

Cranford High School is proud to announce the accomplishment of the following semifinalists in the 57th annual National Merit Scholarship Program: Matthew LaFronz, Kevin Strotz, Victoria Treboschi and Anna Zhao. The 16,000 semi-finalists nation-wide are the highest scores in each state and represent less than 1% of the 1.5 million students who took the PSAT as juniors. These semi-finalists are the only participants from Cranford High School who qualify to continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships to be awarded in the spring of 2012. The academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 8,300 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $34 million. About 90 percent of the nation's semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and more than half will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title. To become a finalist, a semifinalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by the high school principal, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student's earlier performance on the qualifying test. Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies.

Congratulations go to Mr. John Chorazak and his classes for earning a Character Education Partnership, Promising Practice, for his project, Toys for Tots. This is a nationally recognized award for exemplary practices that encourage the ethical, social and academic growth of students through character education. A plaque commemorating this achievement has been placed in the rotunda of Cranford High School.

The Siemens Foundation announced the Semifinalists of the Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology, revealing the brightest high school minds in contention for the nation's most coveted teen science prize. Congratulations Anna Zhao for being selected as a semifinalist in what is regarded as one of the leading science and mathematics research-based competitions for high school students.

The St. Louis Cardinals, beat the Texas Rangers 6-2 to win the World Series. The game was played at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri for the Cardinals eleventh World Series title.

The Cranford High School Cougars Marching Band had an excellent opening to their competition season while competing in the United States Scholastic Band Association (USSBA) Silver Show at JP Stevens High School. The band took second place in division 3A (up to 75 members). The band also took second in the individual categories of Music Ensemble and Overall Effect.

Cranford High School has been ranked #502 on the Washington Post's list of national schools. Click here for more information.