Cranford High School | Special Announcements

On Sunday the NJCDCA (New Jersey Cheer and Dance Coaches Association) hosted a brunch honoring 24 young women and men with scholarships based upon their academic performance, community service and dedication to the sport of cheerleading within their communities. Alexis Santoro won the NJCDCA 2019 Scholarship award along with the Excellence in Academics distinction.
Donna Cathcart’s Marketing class enjoyed a guest speaker, Chloe Sanducci, who discussed the purpose, importance and benefits of the FAFSA. This Financial Education & Financial Literacy program is sponsored by Spencer Savings Bank.
Students Grace Caldwell, Abigail Cisneros, Alyssa Colombrita, Sofia Pollack, and Olivia Tardibuono volunteered their time to help during Astronomy Day run by the Amateur Astronomers, Inc. Astronomy Club at Trailside Nature and Science Center. The students were extremely helpful and assisted other children in learning about the moon and space travel in a fun and entertaining environment.
Congratulations to Andrew Gordon for winning best Actor and Nora Sullivan for winning best Actress! They are both recipients of the 2019 NJ Governor’s Award in Arts Education. They also won for best scene in a play called “Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night”.
Seniors Lauren Manning and Bridget Dineen were awarded the NJ Affiliation Honorable Mention and Alexandra Valdes and Grace Kisly were recognized as NJ Affiliate Winners by the National Center for Women in Technology with an Award for Aspirations in Computing.
Congratulations to Riona Wilson who earned a Bronze medal on the National Roman Civilization Exam.
Seniors Johnny Bush and Lindsay Aschmies were named in the Union County Interscholastic Athletic Conference.
Senior Madeline Larrabee was named New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.
Seven CHS students attended the 2019 International DECA Career Development Conference in Orlando, FL. Students who attended were Hannah McCarthy, Christopher Guiditta, Kathryn Pringle, Kevin O’Donovan, Grace Power, Robert Kelly, and William Johnson along with their advisers, Donna Cathcart and Cynthia Keyasko.
Fourteen high school students were accepted into the New Jersey All-State Choruses for 2019-2020. The students were prepared and sponsored by CHS choral music teacher, Meghan Magnus. The students are: Viviana Beckford, Erin Blake, Joseph Coyne, Dan Klimko, Noah Kopla, Erin Miklencic, Elizabeth Pereira, Asher Shectman, Gianni Vivas, Maximillian Wisnefski, Sofia Little, Ariadne Mahadeo, Julia Ramsay, Desiree Santos.
Five CHS vocal music students were selected and participated in the National Association for Music Education’s All-Eastern High School Honor Choirs. The students traveled to Pittsburgh to perform with several hundred other selected choral students from thirteen states in the Northeast. Elizabeth Pereira and Noah Wohlsen performed with the Mixed Choir; Juliana Marcotrigiano, Rose Michetti, and Madeline Simone performed with the Treble Choir. Supervisor of Fine & Performing Arts Anthony Rafaniello joined the students in Pittsburgh as piano accompanist for the Mixed Chorus.
Goodbye, Mr. Bell.
Cranford High School crafts student, Catherine McMullan, grade 12, had her mosaic artwork of the Brooklyn Bridge accepted into the Morris Museum’s Fresh Perspectives show. The juried exhibition displays photography, drawing, painting, sculpture, and video created by New Jersey’s most talented high school artists and runs at the museum through June 9, 2019. Crafts student, Chloe Sachs, grade 12, received a scholarship from local business Annealed Studio for their BEaJeweler program. She was selected by the studio’s owner Tricia Greeley, for the 10-week course that focuses on building foundational skills in jewelry-making. Both Catherine and Chloe are students of CHS crafts teacher, Julie Roffe Barkin.
Three Cranford High School students had artwork selected for the NJ State Teen Arts Festival:
3D Visual Art - Charlotte Willis work titled “ Day on the Lake”
2D Visual Art - Claire Johnson work titled “Chill Mood”
Visual Arts State Touring Exhibit - Madeline Garcia work titled “Dancing with the Dead”

Only four works from each county are selected for the State Touring Exhibit. Madeline is a student of CHS art teacher, Joanne Knego. Charlotte Willis is a student of crafts teacher, Julie Roffe Barkin and Claire Johnson, a photography student of Linda Cortinas.
University Research Seminar students are getting ready to present their academic papers to the community at large. Students include Alexis Santoro, Emma Scott, Lily Davies, Suzy Shen, Bridget Dineen, Phil Marotta, Lindsay Aschmies, Burke Jaeger, Alexa Adubato, Kimberly Haupt, Grace Kisly, Julia Sorkin, Emma DeBole, Jayna Mallon, Rosalind Margulies, Adam Hollanek, KC Pringle, HB Pollack, Benjamin Quinutolo, Johnny Bush, and Charlotte Willis. Congratulations to the CHS Language Arts Department and, in particular, Jeff Maoire for preparing our students to conduct college-level reading, writing, and research.
The CHS Youth and Government team competed at the annual competition in Trenton. They successfully passed one bill, and earned recognition for ”Premier Delegation.” Ron Hoglund is the advisor for Youth and Government.
Over 50 Cranford High School students participated in the American Mathematics Competition sponsored by Mathematics Association of America. This was our largest participation rate in the last five years.
This month, Kathryn Cleary from Consent 101 came to speak to the Family Living health classes at the high school. Mrs. Cleary addressed issues that some of our students will face when heading off to college or a career. She stressed the importance of communicating using Active Consent - YES means YES in order to avoid problems of dating violence especially when alcohol and drugs enter into the picture. Mrs. Cleary presented information about gender attitudes as well. Throughout her presentation, the students were interacting by responding to questions that were presented and using critical thinking skills when analyzing a court case.
Gayle Colucci, District Coordinator of Culture and Climate, was recently recognized by the Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA during National Volunteer Month for her work as a mental health advocate with the Here2Help Mental Health Coalition. Mrs. Colucci is one of the original members of the coalition which has now grown tremendously as Fanwood-Scotch Plains YMCA has joined together with the efforts of the Westfield YMCA. All services provided by Here2Help are also available for residents of Cranford.
The Spring Band Concert was performed on May 2. The Concert Band, Drumline and Jazz Band serenaded the crowd. Special guests performers included the CHS Madrigal Ensemble, Joe Pienciak, CHS alumni, and Kevin Jala, CHS mathematics teacher.
On April 5, Ha Nguyen, Admissions Counselor of Temple University Tokyo Campus, visited with Cranford High School’s Japanese classes. Ms. Nguyen spoke to Fisco-sensei, Wingate-sensei, and Kimura-sensei’s students highlighting the benefits of studying Japanese language and culture. Ms. Nguyen presented offerings and the advantages of studying at Temple University Tokyo campus and how students can maximize their study abroad experience while in Japan. Ms. Nguyen also tested the students’ knowledge of culture and language during her presentation with a Kahoot trivia game.
On May 2^nd, Gina Klemm conducted a Military Open House during the lunch block for interested students. Several branches of the US Military - Marines, Army, National Guard, and Air Force - were present to hear about career opportunities. The event was well attended by students.
The CHS dancers traveled to the Regional High School dance festival in Norfolk, VA, hosted by the VA Governor’s School for the Arts. The trip included master classes in technique and repertory, lectures and performances. The festival featured over 50 colleges, universities and summer programs where students had the opportunity to audition for scholarships, take classes with specific faculty and discuss options for their future. The CHS dancers were selected to perform their work “Checkmate.”
Several students, along with their advisor, Nicole Savino, attended the joint Global Affairs/Diversity Council field trip to the BAS Shri Swaminaryan Mandir in Robbinsville where they had an amazing culturally immersive experience.
Students from both the Global Affairs Cohort and the Diversity Council represented CHS at Kean University’s Council for Global Education & Citizenship Leadership Conference.
Several students attended the Global Affairs Lecture at Seton Hall University where they learned about student volunteering opportunities with NGOs (Non Governmental Organizations) in Africa.
Burke Jaeger is 1 of only 25 NJPSA (NJ Principals and Supervisors Association) Student Leadership Award winners across the state.
On April 25^th, Children’s Specialized Hospital Representative Alexis D’Anton visited CHS Science Academy students to accept a $500 donation. The Science Academy students raised the $500 through a fundraiser organized by CHS student Claire Rayball (12). Claire designed bracelets with the saying, “Banding together.” The Science Academy is advised by Lisa Hayeck, Science Supervisor and Kathi Savage, Health/Physical Education.
The Spring Choral Concert entitled, “American Grassroots,” performed their spring concert on April 25. The Women’s and Men’s Chorus, Unaccompanied Minors, Madrigal Choir, and Concert Choir put on many wonderful performances. The graduating seniors were also recognized.
The Poetry Palooza celebration took place on April 24^th! The jazz band performed and the Prologue and Creative Writing students recited original and published poetry. CHS students involved included: Burke Jaeger, Elizabeth Molfetto, Asher Shechtman, Mia Garofalo, Rachel Sweet, Rose Michetti, Sullivan Grace, Natasha Salvati, Daniel Klimko, Daniel Nigro, Julia Saginario, Kat Riggins, Maddie Simone, Katrina Wischusen, Viviana Beckford, Marisa Lijoi, Andrew Gordon. Thanks to Sara Sherman for organizing the poetry performances and to Dan Chernosky for conducting the jazz band.
On April 20^th, Bridget Dineen won the National Good Citizen award. The NJDAR would like her to be present at the award ceremony in Washington DC on June 27^th at the National Convention. This is the first time a NJ Good Citizen has won at the National level! We are so proud of her!
On April 2^nd, CHS students proudly presented and met with Assemblyman Jon Bramnick and NJ Senator Thomas Kean. On April 4^th, CHS also had the pleasure to be visited by our NJ State Governor, Phil Murphy, Commissioner of Education, Dr. Lamont Repollet, Assemblyman Bramnick, and Cranford Mayor Patrick Giblin. The program used on April 2^nd can be found here.
As promised, we will now honor those who followed the rules of the April Fools Terms and Services and sent in "Bazabinga": Andrew Ashinoff, Alex Politano, Kevin Saginario, Ryan Walsh, Jedivoicon, Andrew Gordon, Mia Garofalo, and Will Sassi. We now return you to your regularly scheduled website.
The Senior vs. Faculty basketball game was held and the seniors were excited to finally beat the faculty in a riveting game!
The CHS production of Hello Dolly! was spectacular. Nine staff members oversaw 45 students in the cast and more than 60 students involved in the play.
The International Thespian Society hosted an 80’s prom theme murder mystery dinner fundraiser to support acting and technical theater stage crew students.
Senior student Nora Sullivan advanced to the finals for the regional Poetry Out Loud Competition for Union and Essex counties. This is the second time that Nora is representing CHS and her first time as a finalist.
Congratulations to Blathnaid Iosso for being selected for the Union County School Boards Association’s 2019 Unsung Hero Award!
Senior Bridget Dineen took first place in the DAR Eastern Division Good Citizen essay contest. After winning the New Jersey level, her essay was sent to the Eastern Division for judging. The Eastern division consists of Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Overseas Units. Bridget's essay will now move on to the national level.
The Class of 2019 displayed their talents and showcased their gowns and tuxedos at the Senior Fashion Show. The students then enjoyed the lock-in which has been supervised by Gary Sorrentino for the past 22 years.
Thank you to everyone who attended CHS's Cupcake Wars! For everyone who did not attend, we have prepared a Google Slides here so you can see photos of everything!
On March 14^th, the Sefcik family presented an assembly on teen depression, “Remembering T.J.,” to the 10th and 11th grade students and also delivered an evening parent presentation. Their story empowers teens to look to others for help and support.
On March 13^th, CHS Automotive teacher, James Fealey, will be attending the Automotive Training Center 16^th Annual Instructors Seminar in Warminster, PA.
Susan Ritter, our Language Arts Supervisor, will present at the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) in November as part of a roundtable discussion entitled “Closing the Literacy Gap One Story at a Time.”
Rob Ciarrocca and Justin Corazza, CHS Language Arts teachers, will present at the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) conference in November. Mr. Ciarrocca will present about dystopian societies focusing on McTeigue’s V for Vendetta and analyze films such as Fight Club, The Graduate, Whiplash, and Into the Wild which illuminate personal identity and critical thinking. Mr. Corazza will be leading a discussion called "The Need to Live on the Edge: Transcendentalism and Extreme Sports." This presentation will explore the link between transcendental thinkers and extreme sports athletes.
CHS counselor Gretchen Lenehan developed Building Empathy group lessons for the Teaching the Holocaust class offered to the faculty. Climate & Culture Coordinator Gayle Colucci is looking into ways to incorporate these group lessons with students.
On March 7th, 20 Science Academy students attended the Rutgers Health Sciences Career Fair at the Busch Campus. Students were given the opportunity to meet current Rutgers staff and students, participate in demonstrations, and learn about academic opportunities and admission criteria for different health professions. The Science Academy is advised by Lisa Hayeck, Science Supervisor and Kathi Savage, Health/Physical Education.
Congratulations to Nicole Savino on being selected as one of five recipients for the "Excellence In Education Award" to be presented during this years CTAUN conference at UN Headquarters. Her submission title "The Global Affairs Cohort" is one in which teachers, student teachers and attendees will be very much interested in hearing about.
The 2019 DECA State Leadership Conference was held in Atlantic City on March 4^th-6^th. The following students were in the top six of their events, and thus is allowed to compete at the 2019 DECA International Career Development Conference in Orlando, Florida this April: Christopher Guiditta, Hannah McCarthy, Kathryn Pringle, Kevin O’Donovan, and Robert Kelly. Grace Power and William Johnson are also earning an invitation to the International DECA Leadership Conference for winning the Open Event/Video Challenge. Other NJ State Finalists include Emma Lore, Madison Howells, Robert Kelly, Kevin O’Donovan, Christopher Guiditta and Hannah McCarthy. For more information, see here.
Congratulations to the CHS Students of the Month for February 2019: Claire Ganley, Isiah Johnstone, Michelle Kiamie, Robert Kelly, Gianna Martinez, Allisun Peebles, Rebecca Romito, and Matthew Zatorsky.
Congratulations to Max Caverly and Mr. Bell on winning the CHS Webteam's Minute to Win It!
The Model UN club threw a formal event at the end of their meeting year to celebrate all of the hard work of the delegates. The larger cafeteria was transformed into a Luau under the Lights complete with Hawaiian leis and luau music. The leadership gavel was passed down from this year's President, Emma DeBole, to next year's President, Paul DeBole. This student led event was a great success! Advisors are Linda Cortinas and Richard Bell.
Frank Vito’s Criminal Justice class welcomed Detective Nazzaro as a guest speaker to discuss the role of police officers in today’s society.
CHS held our second Club Fair for the year, where students had an opportunity to explore all the clubs that Cranford High School has to offer.
The CHS acting students performed in The Winter Drama Showcase. As with every year, our "Theatre in the Raw" production features the Elements of Acting students performing improvised scenes and the Academy Actors performing select pieces from the Speech and Theatre Association of New Jersey (STANJ) competition.
Senior Lauren Williamson was selected to represent Cranford High School at the 33^rd Anniversary of the “NJ Celebrates National Girls & Women in Sports Day” at Seton Hall University.
Sophomore Cameron Matheson has been cast in The Education Series performance of Taming of the Shrew at the Algonquin Arts Theatre in Manasquan.
Junior swimmer Maggie O’Donnell captured the Union County Championship in the 100 yard butterfly and broke a school record in the 200 yard freestyle.
The following students have been nominated and selected as Students of the Month for January for their leadership, achievement, improvement and/or service:
- 9^th grade - Jack Conley & Poppy Holmes-Mitchell
- 10^th grade - Savannah Rivera & Ryan Rosenthal
- 11^th grade - Marina Nunziato & Megan Robertson
- 12^th grade - Nick Noce & Hannah McCarthy
Juniors Erin Lynskey and Izabella Pinto were honored by the Union County Freeholders for their winning team's project for Suicide Prevention.
Congratulations to Lori Zullo on being recognized as a DAANJ Administrative Assistant of the Year. The DAANJ is the Director of Athletics Association of New Jersey and Ms. Zullo will be honored at a banquet in March.
Nine students went to represent CHS at the United Nations Association USA Global Engagement Summit, where they learned about the work the UN is doing to improve the quality of life for women around the world, the progress they are making globally towards protecting human rights and the issues they are focusing on, as well as listened to Secretary General, His Excellency Antonio Guterres of Portugal give the opening remarks. They found it to be an overall enjoyable experience.
The CHS Japanese Club held its first ever bunkasai, or culture festival on Friday, February 22^nd, 2019 in the large and small cafeterias at Cranford High School. Various committees within the club worked to transform the school cafeterias into a Japanese-style maid cafe complete with Japanese cuisine, snacks, and tea, as well as a Japanese horror-themed haunted house. Other activities and booths included a chopstick pick-up race, where various items had to be transported between cups. There were two separate divisions for ages 12 and under and 13 and older. Tobin Huang, a 6^th grader at OAS, and OAS 5^th grader Ross Reibarkh, took 1st and 2nd place and won Amazon/iTunes gift cards. Miya Fisco and Mrs. Burke were awarded 1^st and 2^nd place for the adult division and also received gift cards. Evelina Ruskulis made homemade sushi and took first place in the Sushi Making Competition. There was also a Hi-Chew guessing contest, where students could drop their guesses into a box hoping they would be able to win the entire jar of delicious, chewy candy. OAS 6^th grader Danielle Burke guessed exactly 64 Hi-Chew. With nearly 200 attendees, families and children from the Cranford community also tried on traditional yukata and jinbei, Japanese cotton summer robes and took photos with Japanese-themed face hole cutouts. One of the most popular Studio Ghibli movies, My Neighbor Totoro, was also played throughout the night for everyone to enjoy.
Ten CHS students have been preparing to attend a United Nations Association Global Engagement Summit at the UN on February 22^nd.
On February 14^th, 2019, CHS students competed in the second Science League Competition of the school year. Students competed in the areas of biology, physics, chemistry and environmental science. The Environmental Science team of Ben Quinotolo (12), Isabella Rossi (11), and Riley Martin(11) took 1^st Place. Teacher Michael Castagno is the advisor.
Senior Nora Sullivan was the winner of the Poetry Out Loud contest and will represent CHS at the regional competition on February 12^th.
January included several Cranford Arts events. Cranford High School held the joint Winter Band Concert and Winter Art Show, which displayed the work of instrumental students under the direction of Daniel Chernosky and art students taught by Joanne Knego, Linda Cortinas, Julie Barkin, and Patrick Gorman. The Concert Band performed and the drum line led the audience up to the library where parents and patrons enjoyed the exhibited artwork accompanied by the Jazz Ensemble.
CHS hosted the first Science League Competition of the year. CHS students Riley Martin, 11^th grade, and Mary Feranda, 12^th grade, took first place in Environmental Science. Andrew Lahrheim, 12^th grade, took first place in Physics C. CHS Chemistry teacher Michael Castagno is the advisor of the Science League Competition teams.
The Class of 2022 Project CHS Motivational Murals have taken over the small cafeteria. One large mural features an inspirational quote from Buddha, and a second mural features a famous quote from Audrey Hepburn. The class has been collecting donations from the community to support the projects.
The Cranford High School Diversity Council is planning Black History Month activities and a celebration for Chinese New Year. Among the activities that are being planned, the group has invited an African-American Fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, from Kean University to perform and teach students how to step, which is a type of performance common to African-American and Latino sororities and fraternities. They also invited an African drumming instructor to teach about the impact of tribal connections on the culture of the African-American community.
CHS welcomed back alumni Nicholas Garofalo, William Lentz, and Nicholas Macchi to discuss their college experienceswith our current juniors and seniors at our Alumni Panel event.
The following students took the National Classical Etymology Exam (Greek and Latin Roots exam) on 1/28/19: Grace Wilson, receiving a gold medal, and Ryan Rosenthal, receiving a bronze medal.
The student council raised $100 for Cranford Family Care through a fundraiser called “Turk a Teacher”. Teachers volunteer to have their picture posted on the bulletin board in the rotunda. Students purchase feathers and place them on a teacher’s picture; the teacher with the most feathers wears a turkey costume on the half day prior to Thanksgiving Recess. Kerri Yorkanis was the “winning” teacher this year.
This summer a Conference on National Affairs (CONA) will take place during a two-week conference in North Carolina with representatives from all 50 states. Twenty students from the conference of 1800 are selected for this honor. The Cranford High School delegation selected Faith Ricca and Burke Jaeger with Katie Whitehead, Brienna Malalmug and Cam Matheson as alternates. The program is run in conjunction with the Westfield Area YMCA and through their sponsorship our students are able to have this enriching experience.
113 CHS students competed against students from dozens of schools across Central New Jersey at the NJ DECA Regional Conference at Kean University. Forty-six students earned top scores in their respective events at the district competition, qualifying them to attend the NJ DECA State Career Development Conference. Congratulations to the following students! Emma Lore - 1^st Place, Apparel & Accessories Marketing; Kathryn Pringle - 1^st Place, Hotel & Lodging Management; Jennifer Kosty - 1^st Place, Human Resource Management Series; Claire Readie - 1^st Place, Marketing Communication Series Event; Matthew Doran - 1^st Place, Restaurant & Food Service Marketing; Michael DiFabrizio & James Nichnadowicz - 1^st Place, Business Law & Ethics Team Event; Hannah McCarthy & Christopher Giuditta - 1^st Place, Sports & Entertainment Marketing Team Event; Rachael Durant & Dierdre Tighe - 2^nd Place, Hospitality & Tourism Team Event; Margaret O’Donnell & Grace Power - 2^nd Place, Travel & Tourism Team Event; Kerry Pollock - 3^rd Place, Business Service Marketing; Madison Howells - 3^rd Place, Restaurant & Food Service Marketing; Erin Infante - 3^rd Place, Sports & Entertainment Marketing. Also qualifying in their event are: Matthew Goldszeft, Joseph Carrea, Patrick Coates, Caitlyn Bishop, Claire Callahan, Jamie Hendrzak, McKenzie Muller, Luke O’Brien, McKenna Flynn, Emily Marinucci, Sarah Martin, Steven Shore, Veronica Niemic, Owen Dowd, Daniel Swanson, Grace Bishop, Meghan Quinn, Phil Marotta, Benjamin Quinutolo, Madeline Caccavale, Griffin Dowd, Joshua Hunt, Robert Kelly, William Johnson , Catherine Walker, Kaitlyn Herried, John Connolly, Lucas Simpson, Kevin O’Donovan, Ian Sullivan, Laurel Teel, and Madison Flynn. Thank you to Julie Barkin, Dan Chernosky, Kevin Jala, Elizabeth Lafargue, Dave Marconi, Gil Rozensher, Denice Schmidt, and Elizabeth Sheehan for their tireless efforts in supporting our students and the advisors, Linda Cortinas and Rich Bell.
CHS senior Brianna Boxwell has won the prestigious All American award and was recognized for her achievements at the exclusive Battles Won Academy. Presented by the United States Marine Corps, the Semper Fidelis All-American Program recognizes high school students who face life’s battles with the conviction and determination to succeed.
Five Cranford High School choral students were selected to sing in the National Association for Music Education’s All-Eastern Honor Choir. Juliana Marcotrigiano, Rose Michetti, Elizabeth Pereira, Madeline Simone, and Noah Wohlsen will travel to Pittsburgh in April to perform with other top students from around the Northeast.
CHS senior Brianna Boxwell has won the prestigious All American award and was recognized for her achievements at the exclusive Battles Won Academy. Presented by the United States Marine Corps, the Semper Fidelis All-American Program recognizes high school students who face life’s battles with the conviction and determination to succeed.
Congratulations on Michelle Balseiro for becoming the CHS 2019 Teacher of the Year!
Congratulations to Jack Conley, Poppy Holmes-Mitchell, Savannah Rivera, Ryan Rosenthal, Maria Nunziato, Megan Robertson, Nick Noce, and Hannah McCarthy on being CHS's Students of the Month for January 2019!
Because of a very generous donation by the late Nancy Campbell, former school counselor at CHS, to The Jersey Explorer, a children’s museum in East Orange, they were able to “keep their doors open” and are dedicating a hall in her honor on Saturday, January 12^th at 2:00 pm if you’d like to go. Please share with faculty, parents, students, community members or anyone else who may want to attend. Nancy touched so many lives in such an incredible way…
Today was the Speech and Theatre Association of New Jersey's (STANJ) Governor's Awards Competition. The top 6 of each category places, while the remainder of the 10 per state are given finalist trophies. Additionally, there are 3 Actors and 3 Actresses that are awards Best Actor/Actress in the state based on their performances in the big scenes.:
- Chloe LaSalle & Mairead Young, Dramatic Pair Finalists
- Matthew Mallick, Dramatic Monologue Finalist
- Dan Klimko & Brian Nigro, 5^th Place Comedy Pairs
- Andrew Gordon, 3^rd Place Contrasting Monologues
- Sullivan Grace & Katrina Wischusen, 3^rd Place Dramatic Pairs
- Lee Rosenthal & Ryan Rosenthal, 1^st Place Pantomime Pairs
- Noah Wohlsen, 3^rd Place Best Actor in State
- Andrew Gordon, 1^st Place Best Actor in State*
- Nora Sullivan, 1^st Place Best Actor in State*
- "Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time": Andrew Gordon, Nora Sullivan, Katrina Wischusen, Noah Wohlsen, 1^st Place Best Scene*
- *Andrew and Nora will both be receiving the Governor's Award in Arts Education, and a third Governor's Award will be awarded to CHS for best scene.
Because of a very generous donation by the late Nancy Campbell, former school counselor at CHS, to The Jersey Explorer, a children’s museum in East Orange, they were able to “keep their doors open” and are dedicating a hall in her honor on Saturday, January 12^th at 2:00 pm if you’d like to go. Please share with faculty, parents, students, community members or anyone else who may want to attend. Nancy touched so many lives in such an incredible way…
CHS students, faculty and staff made a donation of over 130 toys through the CFD Toys for Tots Collection. Additionally, CHS Science Academy students hosted a Bake Sale for Toys for Tots, raising over $300 dollars. The CHS Pride students also helped with the bake sale and promotion of Toys for Tots.
Kevin Burns visited the CHS Film as Literature classes to discuss his experiences within the film industry. Mr. Burns is a Video Playback Supervisor and Operator. His work in television includes The Blacklist, The Good Wife, Billions, Crashing, Mr. Robot, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Royal Pains, White Collar, The Punisher, and Luke Cage. He has also worked on notable films such as Wolf of Wall Street, God’s Pocket, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Forty-five students were formally inducted into Mu Alpha Theta, the national Math Honor Society. The induction ceremony was led by the advisors and CHS math teachers Sarah Boruch and Elizabeth Sheehan. CHS Special Education teacher Tyler Nunnally-Duck was the guest speaker and addressed how mathematics has taught her to take a systematic approach when solving problems in everyday life.
Cranford High School’s Model United Nations Club won the Outstanding Delegation Award for excelling in all parts of the annual conference held in Hershey, PA, January 4^th to 6^th, 2019. The Cranford HS delegation of 123 students participated in wide ranging debates that were the culmination of months of research and preparation. Many Cranford High School students received individual recognitions, including:
- Mia Alvarez, Grace Kisly, and Riley Martin received an award for Outstanding Country Research Paper.
- Abby Bacall was acknowledged as an Outstanding First Year Delegate.
- Officers for the Conference included Burke Jaeger as Nation Building Committee Chair, Katie Whitehead as Nation Building Committee Moderator and Mia Garafalo as General Assembly C Vice Chair.
- This summer a Conference on National Affairs (CONA) will take place during a two-week conference in North Carolina with representatives from all 50 states. Twenty students from the conference of 1800 are selected for this honor. The Cranford High School delegation had Faith Ricca and Burke Jaeger selected to attend with Katie Whitehead, Brienna Malalmug, and Cam Matheson selected as alternates for this program.
- We would also like to extend our gratitude to Julie Barkin, Dan Chernosky, Kevin Jala, Elizabeth Lafargue, Dan Marconi, Gil Rozensher, Denice Schmidt, and Elizabeth Sheehan for their tireless efforts in supporting us and our students on this long, exhausting, MUNlove weekend.
The Model UN Club won the Outstanding Delegation Award at the annual conference held in Hershey, PA on January 4^th. Approximately 1800 students from 60 schools in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware were in attendance. Congratulations to the following students: Mia Alvarez, Grace Kisly, and Riley Martin - Outstanding Country Research Paper; Abby Bacall - Outstanding First Year Delegate; Officers for the Conference include Burke Jaeger - National Building Committee Chair; Katie Whitehead - Nation Building Committee Moderator; Mia Garofalo - General Assembly C Vice Chair.
Congratulations to Sam DiDomenico, Ryan Galligan, Jackson Larrabee, Mary Grace McNamara, Josiah Mojica, Jack O’Dell, Desiree Santos, and William Trine on being CHS's Students of the Month for December 2018!
CHS held its annual pep rally, and everyone that attended cheered for their grade to win. In the end, the Seniors won the contest (fairly this time).
Cranford High School’s Computer Honor Society and Strategist clubs, advised by Richard Bell and Kevin Jala, hosted their second Midnight Gaming event of the year. Once a marking period, the students gather in the cafeteria for six hours of gaming. The theme this time was Digital Gaming and students brought Nintendo Switches, a Nintendo Wii, and Xboxes to compete in various games that were projected on the walls. Students created “RetroPie” systems that played a variety of retro games using Raspberry Pis. These systems were created by students using knowledge gained in a combination of Computer Science courses. Over 50 students and staff attended.
Cranford High School celebrated diversity by presenting a testimonial for National Native American month throughout the month of November. To this end, quotations from famous Native Americans were posted in the Rotunda.
Congratulations to senior Alexis Santoro on receiving the Joy Prescott Humanitarian Award at the Diversity Middle and High School Leadership Conference at Kean University. Alexis was recognized for her work in the area of Government and Public Service.
Thank you to everyone who come to CHS's Academy Night and got to hear brief presentations of our academy programs and be able to interact with a variety of CHS Academy students.
The Class of 2019 held their annual Pasta Night on November 28 where students cooked and served dinner to their family and friends. One hundred pounds of pasta was donated by the Azure Masada Lodge. Dan Chernosky’s Jazz Band performed for the crowd.
Congratulations to Logan DesRochers, Daniel Balkan, Amari Folk, Katie Malanka, Ana Ramos, Natasha Salvati, Ava Thompson, and Megan Zalinkanskas on being CHS's Students of the Month for November 2018!
National Honor Society has come and gone! Johnny Bush signed to Campbell University to play golf, while Mackenzie Butler signed to Lynn University to play soccer.
The Cranford High School Performing Arts Department will present its annual Winter Concert on Thursday, December 20^th, 2018 at 7:30 p.m., in the Cranford High School auditorium. Featured ensembles include the Cranford High School Orchestra, Women’s Chorus, Men’s Chorus, Unaccompanied Minors A Cappella Ensemble, Madrigal Choir, and Concert Choir.
At the 8^th Annual Cheers for Charity Showcase, the Cranford High School Varsity & JV Cheerleading squads were among 14 teams in Union County who participated in the annual cheer charity event. Coach Pallito coached both teams at the event and they did an amazing job. The event raised close to $1,000 which will be donated to the Susan G. Komen North Jersey Foundation on the behalf of Union County Cheer teams.
On November 13^th, the 4^th floor women's bathroom murals were finished and revealed to the public. Special thanks goes to the Mrs. Savino and custodial staff for their contribution to the project!
The University of Delaware Chorale visited CHS and presented a concert to chorus, band, and orchestra students. The visit was organized by CHS choir director, Meghan Magnus who is an alumna of the University of Delaware. CHS choral students will travel to Delaware in March to work with Dr. Paul Head and hear a performance at the University.
In honor of National French Week, Sean Whipple, CHS teacher of French and advisor to the French Club/Honors Society, worked with the club to display posters in the hallways of CHS.
The English Language Arts department at CHS celebrated National Day on Writing by exposing all students to varied writing activities. Kathy Shaw and Janet O’Donnell’s ninth grade classes crafted Homeric epithets lauding the students most cherished qualities of themselves to sum up their study of the Odyssey. Marlene’s Stoto’s classes wrote a brief prequel to the scenario presented in the video Andra Day's "Rise Up."
The students in Frank Vito’s AP Government and Politics classes and Michael Mangarelli’s Rho Kappa Honor Society students worked together to provide CHS students an opportunity to vote in the New Jersey Mock Election. The students provided background information on the candidates running for Congress. Statewide results will be available on November 6. In addition, each spring, Rho Kappa runs a voter registration drive to register students who will be able to vote in the November election.
This afternoon members of the CHS Global Affairs Cohort attended a seminar offered by Seton Hall University's Graduate School of Diplomacy. We were joined by students from the Essex County Technical School for the afternoon discussions. The topics of todays discussions were "Peace & Conflict Resolution in Colombia" and "UN Sustainable Development Goals". Students participated in very interesting presentations offered by Graduate students in the MADIR program at Seton Hall. They were congratulated on offering great questions and learned a great deal about both topics.
On October 26^th, the AP Latin students attended Classics Day 2018 at Montclair State University. The students listened to Classics lectures presented by MSU Classics professors and participated in a Latin and Classics academic competition. The lectures related to Greek and Roman civilization and literature.
CHS students and Mrs. Corlett joined the Diversity Council to install flags from UN nations on the front lawn of CHS. We will be keeping the flags up until Friday to commemorate United Nations Day.
Senior Andrew Lahrheim represented Cranford High School at the Governor's School of Engineering and Technology at Rutgers. Counselor Gina Klemm and teacher Josh Rosenblum attended Andrew's presentation on Paperbots.
Burke Jaeger and senior Bridget Dineen have been nominated for the 2019 US Presidential Scholars Program.
Senior Burke Jaeger was selected for the New Jersey Scholars Program. NJSP is an intensive academic program for 39 of the most intelligent, outgoing, and highly motivated students.
Senior Ethan Haughey has been named a National Merit Scholarship finalist.
11 members of our Global Affairs Cohort went to meet with some of the staff from the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China. They asked a variety of thoughtful questions ranging from topics such as trade sanctions to cultural norms. They walked away feeling very pleased with what they learned from this experience, and how it shed more light upon the world of diplomacy.
The CHS Latin Club has constructed a scarecrow in the likeness of the crazy emperor, Nero. He is playing his lyre on Walnut Ave. in front of the Pairings Restaurant.
Thank you to the Arthur Murray Ballroom Dance Studio for hosting our salsa session during lunch for Hispanic Heritage Month. Everyone had a great time and got to show off their salsa moves.
is a slideshow of photos and videos of students and teachers showing off their salsa skills.
The Open Gala Concert occurred on October 11th and simply rocked the house. In a few short weeks, the students of Cranford High School, in partnership with our talented staff, put an exquisite show together. We have stars at CHS!
Room L211 has been fully updated and now includes white board tables, ball chairs, beanbag chairs, and sit-to-stand desks. This has been done to increase student productivity.
Here are some of our students in progress of using the new ~~beanbag chairs~~ exercise balls.
Thank you to all of our students for taking part of the Week of Respect and for signing the pledge! The Week of Respect is a week-long event created by the state of NJ where schools are asked to provide opportunities to students to demonstrate positive feelings for life and one other.
Here is a photo of some students signing the pledge of the Week of Respect.
CHS hosted a special event where 110 students had gathered within the courtyard to paint positive messages on rocks. These rocks will be dispersed throughout the town to help make people feel good.
On Wednesdays, therapy dogs from Bright and Beautiful Therapy Dogs, Inc will be brought into the courtyard during lunch. They are a nonprofit organization which evaluates, tests, trains and qualifies owners and their well-behaved dogs as therapy dog teams. These teams give unconditional love, boost self-esteem, and relieve loneliness and boredom. They work in schools, hospitals, shelters and many other facilities.
Here is a photo of one of the dogs.
Thank you to Nancy Arroyo for coming to CHS to speak for Hispanic Heritage Month. Nancy gave a powerful and inspiring presentation that showed the students that you can control your destiny and that anything is possible. She was honored to be here at Cranford High School and to meet our students.
Here is a photo of Nancy Arroyo during the presentation.
Cranford High School had its highest AP test passing rate since 2013 improving their scores 9.6%. The 80.1% passing rate is a credit to the outstanding dedication of parents, students, teachers and supervisors.
Nellie Clark has been nominated and selected to be the junior class student Board of Education liaison.
Senior Ethan Haughey has been selected as a National Merit Semi-Finalist.
Eight seniors achieved Commended Student status in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program. Max Caverly, Bridget Dineen, Andrew Gordon, Adam Hollanek, Burke Jaeger, Marisa Lijoi, Ryan Schubert, and Madeline Simone are among those students considered high performers and are being recognized for their exceptional academic performance. Over 1.6 million students took the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) in October 2017.
Cranford High School ranks in the top 100 of public high schools in New Jersey. View its ranking here.
NJ Monthly Magazine’s “Top Schools in NJ” ranked CHS 31st in their biennial report. This is an increase from our 2016 ranking of 54th.