Winter is Here!

Winter is packed with engaging topics to explore! From weather patterns and animal migrations to the winter solstice, these chilly subjects bring excitement to the season. Settle in with this cozy template full of fun resources for winter-themed learning! 🧦

🌨️ “I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says 'Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.'” - Lewis Carroll

• Fergie Onate Avila - Wendy
• Marija Kentrovska - Mrs. Darling
• Luke Baucage - Michael
• Elias Gonzalez - John
• Jared Clark - Mr. Darling, Mullins
• Lucas Leong - Peter Pan
• Chelsea Pena Mordan - Tinkerbell
• Lola Hernandez - Liza
• Joseph Miller - Curly
• Annabella Riccardi - Twin 1
• Raquel Camejo - Twin 2, Nana
• Parker Leong - Slighlty
• Tsering Lama - Tootles
• Mattias Mejia - Nibs
• Lucas Mejia - Hook
• Eli Gregory - Starkey
• Louis Reyes - Smee
• Devin Ortega - Jukes, Cookson
• Ethan Schwarzenbach - Cecco
• Isabella Cruz - Crocodile, Endemble
• Kathleen Aparicio - Tiger Lily, Ensemble, Noodler
• Alejandra Macias - Never Bird
• Brittany Wang - Jane

John, Michael, and Wendy are flying to Neverland! Nice job Elias Gonzalez, Luke Baucage, and Fergie Onate Avila🤩🤩🤩

Lola Hernandez as Liza, Joseph Miller as Curly, Annabella Riccardi as Twin 1, Tsering Lama as Tootles, Mattias Mejia as Nibs, and Parker Leong as Slightly.

On December 11th, BHS hosted its annual Winter Concert. It was a wonderful evening of music featuring performances by the Concert Band, Jazz Band, Choir, and the Purple Notes a cappella group. The well-attended event showcased festive holiday selections, and the students delivered an outstanding performance that filled our new auditorium with seasonal spirit!

On December 17, Industry professionals from Cross River Bank visited Bogota Jr/Sr High School’s Financial Literacy classes to lead a "Career Exploration Panel Discussion" aimed at providing students with insights into the financial technology and banking industries. The event, held in collaboration with W!SE (Working in Support of Education), featured Elizabeth Odom, a W!SE Program Associate.

Vice Principal Matthew Barone moderated the panel discussion, which hosted a diverse group of experts from Cross River:

• Ken Yoon, VP and Head of Finance Transformation
• Nicole Henderson, Associate of Community Affairs
• Barry Goldbrenner, Senior Counsel for Digital Assets & FinTech Banking
• Kyle Grund, Operational Risk Analyst

The discussion began with panelists providing summaries of their daily responsibilities at Cross River, demystifying specific roles within the industry, and highlighting upcoming changes in banking, fintech, and digital assets that students should be aware of as they prepare to enter the workforce. The session concluded with the panelists sharing their most valued professional advice and strategies for overcoming workplace challenges, followed by an open Q&A session with the students. As a culminating activity, students reflected on the specific skills the panelists identified as vital to their roles—writing about which of these skills they already possess and which they would like to start developing while still in high school.

• Here's a post from National Geographic that explains what a season is, and describes seasons in different parts of the world. It's a resource for 6th - 12th.
• From Education World, a great list of winter-themed resources, across all subjects and ages (and it's not too overwhelming!)
• Here's a really cool list of science experiments for winter. No cold and snow where you are? No worries. A freezer will suffice :)

• Atempa -

• 8th Gr. ELA - Students started their Romeo and Juliet unit. They finished Act I and designed masquerade masks to represent character traits for a character of their choice, using meaningful color schemes and symbols. Then, they wrote an organized paragraph about why their mask represents the character, citing evidence from the play to support their thinking.

• Creative Writing 8 students - Students designed a digital snowglobe on Google Slides and then wrote a creative 1-3 page short story titled, “Trapped in a Snowglobe.”

• They also designed their own winter ugly sweaters, then chose to write a poem, how-to directions, short story, diary entry or a short script involving their ugly sweater.

• Baranello - We have been reading holiday stories and doing comprehension work with it. We have also been working on making sentences out of fragments dealing with the holidays. The students have to write and type the sentences. We are currently putting sentences in order to create paragraphs.

• Jerman - 10th Grade ELA students are starting to read 'The Great Gatsby' and learning about the exciting time of The Roaring 20s!

• 10th grade AP Seminar students are beginning Performance Task #1 and researching academic/real-world issues to present in their Team Multimedia Presentations.

• Fridman - AP LIT - Finished the Kite Runner Novel and Flew Kites decorated with meaningful symbols from the novel.

• English III - Published short stories in Young Writers Magazine

• Garcia - In Spanish I, students are learning vocabulary related to school subjects, places, objects, and people. To reinforce this vocabulary, students listen to a story about school. After listening to the story, students demonstrate their understanding by drawing scenes from the story and writing short sentences describing what happens

• King - 8th grade Resource is finishing up Short Story Unit with "Lamb to the Slaughter" and will start Romeo and Juliet in January.

• Terzian- For the beginner ESL class, we have been learning city vocabulary and this week are starting map skills. Students will eventually have a project where they construct/draw a city and then write about where things are located using the vocabulary and preposition words pertaining to direction we learn in class..

• Minieri - 1930s in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. Students completed a WebQuest and then we reviewed images of the time period. We have read the first two chapters, and the students are loving getting into character! I didn't know so many of them loving reading as George and Lennie with a southern accent!

• Corso- 12th graders held a mock trial for 'Wuthering Heights' by Emily Bronte, and also just wrapped up 'The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao' by Junot Diaz. They are currently working on a literary analysis. 11th grade honors are working on a persuasive essay with a counterargument.

In December, the Bogota Business Club shifted from planning to

implementation as students began actively working on their

SafeRoute mock business. Building on November’s brainstorming

and project selection, students were assigned roles and started

developing their mini-projects in small groups.

Students began drafting a basic budget, creating initial branding

ideas such as logos and color schemes, outlining an operational

workflow, and designing a customer feedback form. Discussions

focused on how each component contributes to the success of a

real-world business.

By the end of the meeting, students had clear goals for January,

including refining their work and preparing progress updates.

December marked a strong transition from ideas to execution,

with students showing increased engagement, collaboration, and

ownership of their projects.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

So What’s Next?🤓

Week 1: (Early January): Students will review December progress and

finalize individual roles within each mini-project. Branding teams will narrow

logo concepts and color palettes, while finance teams review and revise the

initial budget draft.

Week 2: Branding work will be finalized, including selection of a logo and

slogan. Students will begin building a basic prototype website and drafting

introductory social media content aligned with SafeRoute’s mission.

Week 3: Students will refine operational workflows and complete the

customer feedback form. Financial teams will finalize mock financial reports

and practice explaining budget decisions.

Week 4: (End of January):Each group will present a brief progress update,

reflecting on challenges, collaboration, and next steps. Feedback will be

used to guide February goals, including marketing development and

preparation for future business plan presentations.

P. De La Cruz

• Mr. De La Cruz’s World History class completed their unit on European nationalism and the consequences of it. They followed by examining the Irish Potato Famine and then went into the Indian colonization by Britain.

K. Duchensky

• Ms. Duchensky’s Social Studies 8 class learned about the world’s first civilizations and empires in Southwest Asia: their governments, cultural aspects, religions, military tactics, rulers, and achievements. Her students were shocked to discover the harsh punishments under Hammurabi’s Code and were very thankful to not live back then! They are looking forward to starting their study on ancient Egypt in the upcoming year.

• In her Zombie-Based Geography class, students presented their projects about Human Environment Modification: how we have adapted to, modified, and depend on our environment. They began to discuss the causes and effects of several natural hazards and watched Twisters to fully comprehend how dangerous and destructive a tornado can be.

M. Siddiqi

• In his Advanced Placement United States History I class, Mr. Siddiqi’s students completed their unit on the American Revolution and are analyzing the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

• In Advanced Placement United States History II, students are currently studying the Great Depression and the New Deal. To prepare for the AP exam in May, his class is taking several practice exams to determine what needs to be reinforced.

• In his Advanced Placement Comparative Government class, Mr. Siddiqi’s students completed their unit on the Mexican political system and are discussing the costs and benefits of multi-party systems. Over the December Break, the students will complete a project concerning a current event issue of their choosing.

• Lastly, in Advanced Placement Human Geography, the students finished their investigation about population and migration trends and are learning about the different features and types of maps, creating their own to present to the class. Similar to his AP US History II class, Mr. Siddiqi is preparing his students for their AP exam in May by taking practice exams.

K. Varon

• In United States History I, Mr. Varon’s class completed their unit on the American Revolution War and are now examining the formation of the United States government.

In United States History II, Mr. Varon’s class began to delve into their unit on the Great Depression by watching Cinderella Man, a story about Jim Braddock, a boxer from North Bergen, New Jersey who overcame the struggles of the Great Depression to win the heavyweight championship of the world.

Each month, you will receive a new Digital E-book and Audiobook selection curated by your librarian, Mrs. Hochgesang. Each selection will be themed or feature a specific book genre. Some will highlight popular picks by our school and others, and new book arrivals. You may independently check out these books online, renew, and return books online only. If you forget to renew or return, the book is automatically sent back into the online system and no fine is accrued.

You may browse through and check out these books sent to you monthly by opening the Google Slides shared with you below, and clicking on each book. You will automatically be sent to our online school library catalog that the book can be checked out from, sign in using your school Google account, and complete your checkout there.

For December, we are Cozy-ing up with Winter themed books on our BHS Media Center website and Monthly Choice Board.

This same themed choice board can be found through visiting our school Library website, the "BHS Media Center" through your "Student Links" tab on your school Chromebook.

Once on our BHS Media Center site, you may click on each book featured to take a closer look.

In addition, to celebrate Volume 2 of Stranger Things Season 5, here is a selection of books published by Dark Horse from our school library account with Comic Plus. You can view these great books by signing in using your school Google account.

Some genres in the spotlight include Stages of Life, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror, and Manga. Happy Reading🥰

Graffiti Project - Students learned about the history of graffiti and created their own graffiti-inspired artwork using the Elements of Art. The project focused on creativity, design, and self-expression through color, line, and shape.

Printmaking – Recently, our Printmaking class created collagraph prints inspired by the vibrant Kapa quilts of Hawaii. After completing their prints, students added basic sewing techniques to enhance their designs, giving each piece a polished and finished look. Although this was a challenging project, our students persevered and produced some great work!

Art 1 – Practiced careful observation by creating contour line drawings of shoes. After completing their drawings, students added a pop of color using watercolor, combining precise line work with expressive color for a finished piece.

Art 2: Students have been practicing honing their drawing skills by creating a drawing of their own eye based on a reference photo that we took in class.

Graphic Arts 1 - Students have completed two projects, one being a project where students utilized background removal skills and an understanding of layers and composition to create a collage that symbolizes their personality and interests through images. Following this, students have just finished up their next project focusing on using typography and emphasizing a chosen word that represents their personality through clipping masks, blending modes, effects, images, and all Photoshop skills learned so far.

Graphic Arts 2 - Students have been developing their 3D design skills in the powerful 3D program used by professionals known as Blender. Students have further built their understanding of blender through various 3D modeling exercises and have just completed 3D modeling a donut with complex modeling, shading, texturing, and lighting skills. Students have also added this work to their portfolio sites. Next, students will use the skills learnt from this project and apply it to 3D modeling, texturing, shading and lighting several objects in an isometric room.

Additionally, on November 25th students had the opportunity to speak and listen to a special guest speaker who joined us virtually, Adam Thacker, about his work as a professional in the design industry! Mr. Thacker is an industry professional with years of experience in various design fields such as VFX, Graphic Design, Motion Design, Photography, and so much more. Students had the opportunity to listen to his experiences as a design professional and to ask him questions on this career.

In addition, students have also been working extensively in the professional 3D design program Blender, applying their design knowledge to create a fully modeled isometric room. They individually modeled each object within the space and incorporated texturing and lighting techniques to produce a cohesive and visually engaging final design.

Fashion Design- Students have been learning the fundamentals of sewing, focusing on essential hand-stitching techniques used in garment construction and handmade designs. In addition, they have been developing skills in reading and understanding sewing patterns, a critical component of clothing design. To reinforce these concepts, students have completed hands-on projects such as hand-sewn plush hearts and pouches and are currently finishing a plush design project that integrates pattern use and multiple stitching techniques.

The culinary students have just completed the fall season with a great Thanksgiving meal for the entire culinary program. Also, they have recently finished their breakfast unit. They have mastered eggs over easy, omelets, breakfast skillets, French toast, and pancakes. Up next, we will be working on some holiday cookies to enjoy before the holiday break.

This month, our student videographers brought campus life to the spotlight through the Morning Show. Collaborating with clubs, classes, and community members, they captured the energy and diversity of Bogota High School. Features included Multicultural Club highlights, school athletic events, engaging Drama Club performances, and inspiring productions from the Music Program. Together, these segments showcased the creativity, spirit, and unity across our school community. In addition, the BHS Interns have been doing amazing work behind the scenes and on camera. From producing polished graphics and managing technical setups to coordinating interviews and supporting school-wide projects, they’ve elevated the professionalism of the Morning Show. Their contributions ensure that every broadcast runs smoothly while also giving them valuable real-world experience in media, communication, and leadership.

Beyond the studio, interns are making an impact across the district and community. At the elementary schools, they support teachers and younger students, building connections and modeling leadership. In local agencies such as Holy Name Hospital, Realty Offices, the Bogota Library and community organizations, interns gain hands-on experience in service, administration, and outreach, strengthening ties between Bogota High School and the broader community. These opportunities highlight the incredible range of skills and dedication our interns bring to every setting.

-Mr. Rochford

On November 14th Fashion Design students had the opportunity to go on a field trip to visit the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC, an internationally recognized institution specializing in career-focused education in design, fashion, business, and technology. Students received a 30-minute information session from a representative from the office of admissions followed by a tour of the institute's facilities and buildings. Afterwards, students visited the exhibition “Dress, Dreams, and Desire: Fashion and Psychoanalysis” which featured historical and iconic fashion designs by significant designers throughout history.

Membership in the National Honor Society is one of the highest honors a student can receive. It is earned through dedication to the four pillars that define NHS: Scholarship, Leadership, Service, and Character. These are not abstract ideals. They are daily choices-how you treat others, how you respond to challenges, and how you use your talents to make a difference.

• Scholarship reflects your commitment to learning—not just for grades, but for growth. You have shown curiosity, discipline, and perseverance, even when the work was demanding.

• Leadership is not about titles or being the loudest voice in the room. True leadership is influence through example. It is stepping up when something needs to be done, and stepping forward when someone needs support.

• Service reminds us that success is not meant to be kept to ourselves. It is meant to be shared. By serving others, you strengthen your community and discover that some of the most meaningful achievements come from helping those around you.

• And finally, character—the foundation of everything else. Character is what guides you when no one is watching. It is honesty, responsibility, and respect. It is doing what is right, even when it is not easy.

Congratulations to our new inductees: Anuskka Shah, Chayce Chandler, Leslie Mejia, Maya Schiaratura, Serene Abdelaziz, Ernesto Santana, Fabiola Rodriguez, Luna Sanabria, and Ryan Lewis.

In this holiday edition of our S'mores newsletter, we'd like to feature Ciana A. Gonzalez who graduated with the Class of 2023. Ciana initially attended Montclair University but ultimately decided she wanted to join the military. Ciana joined the Airforce and recently graduated from Basic Military Training, the foundational boot camp for new recruits, most commonly associated with the U.S. Air Force at JBSA-Lackland, Texas. Ciana A. Gonzalez, a true buccaneer! Congratulations on completion of your training, we are very proud of you young lady💟