PHS

It is hard to believe that spring is here, and we are more than halfway done with the 2024-2025 School Year! As the weather turns warmer, I marvel at all the accomplishments the winter brought us. Over the past two months, we hosted our second annual Science Family Night, the Black Student Union celebrated Black History Month, and the Muslim Student Association helped us recognize Muslim Heritage Month in January. We have had athletic accomplishments as well. Girls’ and Boys’ basketball made it to the state playoffs and we hosted playoff games on the same night for the first time in school history. Boys and girls winter track continued their dominant run and wrestling had district and regional place winners. Two wrestlers qualified for the state tournament in Atlantic City, including our first female region champ and a 5th place state winner on the boys side! The Drama Club will debut its rendition of “Alice in Wonderland” and the FBLA returned from the state leadership competition with numerous place winners as they set their sights on Anaheim for the national competition. We hope you enjoy this edition of the Chiefs Report, because as you can see, the PHS Chiefs never rest.

The Piscataway HS Superchief Marching Band hosted the 45th Annual Festival - hosting 15 bands and performing as the featured band! It was a truly amazing day and a beautiful example of our community coming together to support our programs and to provide a rewarding and meaningful experience for students from all over the state. Additionally, this season, our students took home a second place victory and Best Visual Performance and Best Overall Effect at Monroe, and a first place victory and all caption awards (Visual Performance, Music, Overall Effect) at East Brunswick! A huge congratulations and thank you to Ken Zampella, Jason Lakshmanan, the Marching Band staff, our band parents and community volunteers, the student leadership, and the New Jersey Marching Band Directors Association!

The Superchief Marching Band and Chiefs Dance Team celebrated their seniors at Senior Night/Band Appreciation Night! A huge congratulations to our seniors and their families! Wishing you the best in your bright future!

PHS Arts Academy Students met for a kick-off event to start the 24-25 school year! Mrs. Sterlacci led the group in a W.O.O.P goal setting strategy for the year to help set artistic goals!

Congratulations to our PHS Arts Honor Society students that were inducted into the Tri-M Music Honor Society and National Art Honor Society! We had a beautiful induction which featured music from our Tri-M officers - with a piece composed by PHS Alum Arya Jeraled. Thanks to our Tri-M and NAHS officers for their leadership - and to our advisors Samantha Knierim and Rebekah Sterlacci!

Our PHS Planetarium had a great couple of Saturday sessions in November with our littlest community members, showing DinoSAUR, a new offering.

PHS Forensics Students recently had a visit from the community’s Crime Scene Investigation team.

The visit from the crime scene investigation team was an exciting and educational experience for students. The CSI team shared insights into their role in solving crimes and assisting in building strong cases for prosecution. During the session, the CSI detailed the investigative process, from collecting evidence at a crime scene to presenting findings in court. They emphasized the importance of precision, critical thinking. and collaboration with other professionals. To make the experience hands-on and engaging, the CSI team conducted a fingerprinting demonstration. Students discussed the uniqueness of fingerprints, learned how to dust for fingerprints, and how they are matched against the AFIS database to identify individuals.

Students in several programs at Piscataway High School prepared celebratory Thanksgiving feasts in their classes. The Community Based Instruction classes prepared sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and of course turkey. The students applied daily living skills in both cooking and enjoyed a sit down meal together. Our PATHS middle and high school students came together for a similar feast with the addition of hot chocolate, chicken nuggets and wings! The middle and high school programs enjoyed coming together to share a meal and talk with each other about their 24-25 school experiences. Our teachers are grateful for amazing students like ours.

Forty-eight Piscataway High School students stepped up as role models and educators, bringing financial literacy to life for 4th and 5th graders at Arbor Intermediate School. Through engaging lessons and hands-on activities, they introduced concepts like loans, funds, business plans, and entrepreneurship. From sparking creative ideas to building a foundation for smart money management, these high school heroes proved that empowering the next generation starts with sharing knowledge and enthusiasm.

From interactive games to hands-on activities, the day was filled with excitement and laughter. The high school heroes made sure to keep things engaging, using fun challenges and creative projects that had the kids eagerly participating and learning. By the end of the day, the students were not only smarter about money but also had a great time along the way!

Ms. Ninette Diogene, PHS parent and resident, taught students about Soup Joumou and its significance in Haitian culture on January 23rd. She also brought enough for students to enjoy along with a vegan option.

Mrs. Diogene explained that for Haitians, soup Joumou is synonymous with freedom. During French colonial rule of Haiti, enslaved Africans were forced by their oppressors to cultivate squash for this dish but were not allowed to eat it. So when Haitians won their independence on January 1, 1804, they ate soup Joumou to celebrate. The tradition continues around the world wherever there are Haitian communities.

The PHS Drama Club presented their Fall Play - Clue! The production was hilarious and featured lots of collaboration within our PHS community. The PHS Photo Club created beautiful headshots for the production, our scenic artists created portraits to hang in Boddy Manor, and the production featured full radio sound effects and a live pianist! A huge congratulations to the cast, crew, Drama Mammas, and production team - and a big thank you to Mike Yoson, Erik Hall, Christie Hall, and Matt Nickles!

The PHS Photo Club staged a photo shoot with the cast of Clue to create beautiful headshots! A huge thank you to Adrian Lojko and the PHS Photo Club!

Congratulations to ALL!!

Girls Track & Field Team on a great showing at the GMC Championship.

Jahnisa Samuel GMC Champion 400 meter run placed 4th in the 55 meter dash.

Destiny Ceballos, Emani Walton, Amelia Samuel, and Jahnisa Samuel placed 6th 4 x 400 meter relay.

Boys Winter Track & Field Team

4th place team finish at the GMC Indoor Track & Field Championships

Om Sharma runner up in the shot put event & Leonard Breaux finished 5th.

Ashton Uzoho 6th place finisher 55 M Hurdles.

Jamari Atkinson, Chiemeka Chukwu, Niles Thony & Noah Grant 3rd Place 4 x 400 M relay.

Boys & Girls Basketball Both Made 2nd Round of Playoffs

Special Olympics

Bilal Azhar First Place Winner Special Olympics Bowling Tournament

Swimming GMC Medalists

4th Place Girls 200 Medley Relay

Taylor Huggup - Backstroke

Lia Hoang - Breastroke

Rachel Hoang - Butterfly

Sophia Torres - Freestyle

4th Place Girls 200 Freestyle Relay

Sophia Torres

Emily Galan

Lia Hoang

Taylor Huggup

6th 100 Butterfly & 7th 100 Breaststroke

Ahan Trukral

Lia Hoang 6th 100 Freestyle

Taylor Huggup 5th - 50 Free - 100 Backstroke

Sophia Torres 6th - 200 Freestyle & 8th - 100 Backstroke

Wrestling News

Sean Love & Vincent Williams Place 1st District Tournament

John Monasterio Placed 2nd

Aiden Wallace Placed 3rd

Jane Rodrigues placed 1st & became the first girl in Piscataway history to win the girls region tournament.

Sean Love 2nd in the Region & 5th place State Winner