The Central Connection

Check out our website calendar to stay up to date on the latest events and important dates!

DATES TO NOTE:

January 2 - School Closed for winter break

January 5 - School reopens, A Day

January 5 - Board of Education Reorganization Meeting, 7:00pm in Little Theater

January 8 & 9 - Club Photos taken for Yearbook in Auditorium

January 8 - Community Blood Drive, 2:00-7:00pm in Cafe 001

January 13 - 11th Grade College Planning Night, 6:30pm in Little Theater

January 15 - Open House and Scheduling Information Night, 6:30-8:30pm (open to parents and students)

January 16 - School Closed for Students, Full Day Staff In-Service

January 19 - School Closed, Martin Luther King Jr. Day

January 21 - Deadline to apply for RVCC spring dual enrollment for eligible courses (questions, contact christine.santangelo@hcrhs.org)

January 23 - Thespians Showcase, 7:00pm in Little Theater

January 27 - Early Dismissal for Students at 12pm, PM Staff In-Service

January 28 - Last Day of First Semester, Early Dismissal for Students at 12pm, PM Staff In-Service

January 29 - Start of Second Semester

On Thursday, January 15, 2026 from 6:30-8:30pm, Hunterdon Central will hold its annual Open House and Scheduling Information Night for current high school students and parents as well as 8th grade students and parents. This evening program is held prior to course scheduling to assist students and parents with selecting courses for the next school year.

During this evening program, students and parents will be able to:

• Explore required courses and elective offerings by speaking with teachers, academic supervisors and counselors to help narrow down course requests.

• Meet teachers of second semester courses similar to a traditional back to school night.

• Explore our facilities.

• Attend drop-in sessions with our vice principals who will give an overview of what to expect for each grade level for the remainder of the year, such as senior parking, proms, SATs, etc.

If you have an incoming freshman next year, we are also holding a special presentation for 8th grade students and parents covering the scheduling process. Presentation begins at 6:30pm and then you can take advantage of the open house.

Special presentation on AI and education will be in the auditorium with two show times at 7:00 and 7:30pm.

We hope you will join us!

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In case you missed our posts online - check out our latest news!

• Congratulations to the 20 students and 14 staff members who were recognized for going above and beyond during the first round of Student and Staff All Stars for the school year!
• At the last Board of Education meeting of 2025, students and staff were recognized for various achievements for the first half of the school year. TapInto did a recap here. In addition, outgoing Board of Education members Sue Duggan, Claudia Gray and Rebecca Petersen were recognized and thanked for their service to the Hunterdon Central school community.
• The Board of Education held its annual reorganization meeting on January 5, 2026. Newly elected members Nichole Brice, Maristela Wallace, and Vernon Williams were sworn in for their three-year terms, all representing Raritan Township. The Board elected Dorothea Kellogg as President and Sandra Gong as Vice President for 2026.

Jeffrey (Class of 2028) and Jayden (Class of 2029) Weis recently earned the rank of Eagle Scout! Congratulations to them on this achievement!

Jeffrey's Eagle Scout Service Project resulted in the deployment of 12 concrete artificial reef balls into the Barnegat Light reef site in New Jersey. The process involved assembling molds, pouring and curing concrete, disassembling the molds, transportation of the reef balls from the fabrication site to the deployment site, which involved a tractor, truck and trailer, a barge with a crane for deployment of the reef balls and a boat for observation. This project will enhance the local fishing community and economy in Ocean County, NJ, by attracting popular fish species, such as summer flounder and black sea bass, thereby increasing business for bait shops, marinas, and charter services. The reef balls will improve habitat for over 150 species of fish and crustaceans, adding valuable structure to a previously overlooked site. Here is more information on the project.

For Jayden's project, he supported Rutgers Fish Tagging Research and Education Program (FiTREP) by providing scientific data on 73 tagged fluke, which will be added to the data that is collected and reported by other volunteers fishing in Barnegat Bay and near Barnegat Inlet during 2025. This will help obtain a better understanding of fluke migration patterns, growth, behavior, habitats, lifespan, and recapture rates. Additionally, 98 fluke were harvested from Barnegat Bay, which were sold to local restaurants enabling Jayden to donate $360 to the Flemington Area Food Pantry to benefit local community members in need. Here is more information on the project with Rutgers.

On December 13th, Hunterdon Central choir students auditioned for the Central New Jersey Region Choir. Over 500 students auditioned and we are pleased to share that Central had eight students selected to sing! These students will rehearse in January and perform a concert at Rutgers University! Congratulations to: Grayson Brice, Keira Farley, Avon Kakkar, Gabriela Knox, Adriana LoPiccolo, Carly Perrine, Luke Schnaudt and Rose Weitz!

In addition, on the instrumental side, we congratulate sophomore Michael Brown who successfully auditioned for and earned a seat in the CJMEA Region II Symphonic Band! Region Band is a HIGHLY selective audition-based ensemble made up of students from the 6 central counties in NJ. Congratulations also goes to sophomore Matthew Geraci, freshman Sam Levins, and senior Eva Graziano who earned seats in the Eastern Wind Symphony Youth Band! Like regions, it is a very highly selective group, but in this case, the students are from schools in the tri-state area. Both of these groups will have performances in 2026. The Region Band concert will be in January and the EWS Youth Band will have two performances later in the spring.

Happy New Year to our students, staff, and families! I hope everyone had an enjoyable break and is entering 2026 feeling refreshed and recharged!

Boards of Education reorganize annually each January. I am pleased to welcome three new community members to our Board of Education–Nichole Brice, Maristela Wallace, and Vernon Williams. They join six other committed community members, and together we will continue to ensure our district mission is fulfilled: Hunterdon Central is an innovative educational community dedicated to the intellectual, social, and emotional safety and growth of all students. While fostering curiosity and promoting wellness, we aspire to create powerful learning experiences, establish strong partnerships, and serve as contributing members of society.

In conjunction with our district mission, we look to set long term goals for the district and I'm happy to report that we have new dates for Strategic Planning for this spring. I hope to see many of you participate in this planning process, which will kick off on February 17th. Please see more information below and RSVP if you would like to participate.

The end of this month will mark the conclusion of our first semester and the halfway mark of the school year. This is a particularly busy time for everyone, with ensuring work is completed for courses and planning for next year’s schedule. Course selection for the 2026-2027 school year kicks off on January 23rd with the junior class. Our 2026-2027 Program of Studies is available on our website for students to review prior to their course selection window. Additionally, we invite parents and students to attend our annual Open House and Scheduling Information Night on Thursday, January 15th. This is a great opportunity to learn about our academic departments, including magnet programs, speak to teachers, counselors, and other staff members about scheduling, and explore co-curricular opportunities. Additionally, our Parent Engagement Committee will be available as a resource for families.

- Jessica Cangelosi-Hade, HCRHSD Superintendent

After being postponed in the fall, new dates have now been confirmed for Strategic Planning in the spring. Strategic Planning sessions will take place on February 17, March 11 and April 14 from 6:00-8:00PM in the Commons. We invite students, parents, community members, staff members and elected officials to be a part of the Strategic Planning process to help Hunterdon Central set goals for the next five years. You can attend one, two or all three meetings - any time you can volunteer is greatly appreciated!

Attendees will work together in both small and large groups to create a shared vision for the district, identify both the strengths of the school district (those special attributes that we can build on as we move into the future) and the critical issues that we will face (the challenges that the district must be prepared for in the future), and finally, draft goals for the next five years.

If you would like to be a part of the Strategic Planning process, please RSVP. After each meeting, we will post notes on our website here so you can follow along with our progress if you are unable to attend our planning meetings.

The strategic planning process will be facilitated by the New Jersey School Boards Association. The Board of Education will use the consensus document developed after all three sessions are complete to help shape future goals for the district as we move forward.

We hope you can join us for one, two or all three Strategic Planning meetings. This is an exciting opportunity to have students, staff, parents, community members and leaders assist in shaping the future of the Hunterdon Central Regional School District.

In our Entrepreneurship classes, teachers and students work with two local entrepreneurs who serve as mentors through the Entrepreneur Organization of New Jersey. These local entrepreneurs come into class four times per semester per class. They donate a huge amount of their time to helping our students. Our teachers and students know that they could never repay the local entrepreneurs, so instead, the class pays it forward!

This is the 10th year Entrepreneurship students participated in a holiday Adopt a Family Drive. This year, they partnered with Volunteers of America - Delaware Valley chapter and adopted three families.

The Entrepreneurship 1 classes shopped for 8 children who ranged in ages from 2 to 16 years old. With the help of parents, they were able to fulfill each wish list, wrapping supplies, and provide a gift card to a grocery store for a holiday meal. Students shopped in class using their savvy budgeting skills — and all the coupon codes they could find — all while learning how future entrepreneurs can give back. "I am so proud of the students for what they were able to accomplish for others in such a short period of time in this meaningful real-life lesson," said Samantha Billig, Hunterdon Central Business Teacher.

The Technology, Engineering, & Design (TED) Department offers an array of courses designed to meet diverse student interests and career aspirations. At the heart of the department are three comprehensive Magnet Programs in Architectural Design, Engineering, and Robotics. Each program provides a progressive pathway from foundational skills to advanced applications. Students who are uncertain about which direction to pursue can explore all three disciplines through the department's Introduction to Technology, Engineering, & Design course, where students rotate between content-expert teachers to experience robotics, engineering, and architecture curriculum within a single semester.

Beyond the TED Department's Magnet Programs, the department also provides students with opportunities to enroll in numerous technical courses that cater to different learning interests and styles. Hands-on learners thrive in our Materials & Processes courses, where students work with hand and power tools to create woodworking projects in a project-based, experiential learning environment. Students interested in innovation and problem-solving can enroll in Design & Innovations to work towards developing solutions to real-world challenges. The department also prioritizes inclusivity through our TEAM Workshop and TEAM TED courses, which bring both general and special education students together in collaborative environments that promote leadership, peer mentoring, and teamwork.

The TED department also extends learning beyond the classroom through its Senior Internship Capstone program. The Senior Internship Capstone courses are work-based learning opportunities that prepare twelfth graders for professional success. Students develop essential workplace skills including communication, resume writing, and developing interviewing skills. Students who enroll in TED courses will be provided with practical, career-ready experiences that will prepare them to work in diverse twenty-first century careers after graduation.

🏀 🏀 🏀 🏀 🏀 🏀 🏀 🏀 🏀 🏀 🏀 🏀 🏀 🏀 🏀 🏀 🏀🏀 🏀 🏀 🏀 🏀 🏀 🏀 🏀

Our winter sports teams opened their seasons at the beginning of December, with Ice Hockey, Boys and Girls Bowling, Boys and Girls Winter Track, Boys and Girls Fencing, Boys and Girls Basketball, and Boys and Girls Wrestling all getting underway. Winter athletics are off to a great start across the board.

Over the holiday break, both Boys and Girls Basketball competed in their respective holiday tournaments and put together a strong week of competition. Boys Wrestling proudly hosted our annual HCWIT Tournament, which continues to stand as the longest-running wrestling tournament in the country. Girls Wrestling competed in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Championship on January 4 at High Point High School and overall the team finished 4th: N. Andrade(1), C. Poggio(2), E. Peake(1), S. Leka(3), M. Rios(4), I. Koenitzer(4). N. Andrade was Most Outstanding Wrestler!!

As we move into the new year, we look forward to many exciting competitions and continued success from all of our winter teams. Come out and support our athletes! Click here for our sports schedule. Go Red Devils!

(Pictured below - Boys' varsity basketball team won the Warrior Holiday Classic at New Egypt High School. They went 2-0 in the tournament. Congratulations to Gavin Baden and Finn Glennon as they were named "All Tournament Team" and Gavin also earned MVP of the tournament!)

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Following a busy December with many groups embracing the holiday spirit, we start the new year with several upcoming events for our student clubs.

First, we want to congratulate our Academic Team who achieved 15th place out of 52 schools at a regional competition, qualifying them for the National Competition this May. Good luck at Nationals!

We also say congratulations to the Hunterdon Central Dance Team who competed in the Battle of the Northeast. They placed as follows: 3rd Place in Junior Varsity Jazz, 3rd Place in Junior Varsity Hip Hop, 3rd Place in Varsity Hip Hop and 6th Place in Varsity Jazz.

We will be taking yearbook photos of our clubs on January 8th and 9th. Advisors have informed their clubs as to which day they are scheduled for photos in the auditorium.

Model UN heads out to Hershey, PA for their annual conference. Students will stay overnight from January 8th to January 11th as they work through a simulation to solve global problems.

Saturday, January 10th, is a busy day here at Central! Our Thespians are participating in the STANJ competition at Montclair State, and our Robotics team is hosting a kickoff livestream event for their season. In addition, our Speech and Debate team is hosting its Winter Invitational. An exciting update to this year's tournament is we have been selected as a 2025-2026 NIETOC bid tournament, allowing students to qualify to this prestigious event!

January 14th is our District Choral Festival. Sending districts are invited to send their chorus singers to the high school to participate in this festival, during which a clinician will work with each group to provide feedback and advice. Full performance with all students will end the festival. Great annual event for our singers!

Check out our Thespian Showcase on January 23 at 7:00pm in the Little Theater!

We hope students will take advantage of our Winter Activity Fair on January 26th during unit lunch in the IMC. This is a perfect opportunity to explore the clubs offered at Hunterdon Central, ask questions, and join! There is something for everyone at Central!

(Pictured below: Madrigals went caroling on December 16 at Foothill Acres, Independence Manor and Hunterdon Medical Center.)

While there were only just a little over three weeks of classes during December, there were plenty of opportunities to see the wonderful progress being made in our curricular as well as co-curricular areas. The momentum continued within our classes with students demonstrating their learning through presentations, performances, and internal assessments. Our holiday concerts showcased the amazing talents in our bands or choruses. Various competitions were awesome platforms for our competing clubs. And our winter athletics brought energy to the cold, dark days.

Bringing the school community back together after a welcomed holiday break and new year, we are building on the good things from the fall. The end of the first semester is drawing near, so this is an important moment where students bring closure to some courses, hit the midpoint of most classes, and begin new ones. Let’s finish this first half of the school year on a positive note, and turn the corner towards the second half.

- Edward C. Brandt, HCRHS Principal

January and February is scheduling time for the 2026-2027 school year!

Key Items for Scheduling:

• Review Program of Studies to see all courses and descriptions. Narrow down your course requests.
• Review Scheduling Instructions.
• Enter course requests in Genesis during your scheduled window:
• January 23 - 27, 2026: 11th Grade Class of 2027
• January 28 - February 1, 2026: 10th Grade Class of 2028
• February 2 - 6, 2026: 9th Grade Class of 2029
• February 9 - 16, 2026: 8th Grade Class of 2030
• Contact your counselor or email scheduling@hcrhs.org if you have questions.
• Any problems with Genesis, students can stop by Central Hub in IMC.

Coming up in January:

• Hunterdon Central will host 45 graduates from the Class of 2025 on Friday, January 9 for our annual Alumni Day! These alumni will represent over 30 different pathways including 2- and 4-year colleges, work, and gap year. Juniors and seniors should check their email to sign up for these presentations.
• Seniors continue to file college applications, the FAFSA, and work on scholarship applications. Stay tuned for the 2026 Local Scholarship Program to begin in mid-February.

Kickoff to College & Career Planning for the Class of 2027!

• 11th Grade College & Career Planning Night will be held Tuesday, January 13 at 6:30-8:00 pm in the Little Theater. Ideal for parents/guardians, but students may attend as well. Program will be live streamed on our HCTV YouTube Channel.
• All juniors will participate in a college and career planning group session with counselors between January 13-20. Groups will be held by English class and juniors should check their email for more information.
• Mrs. Nuechterlein will begin a series of workshops for juniors in February focusing on various college and career planning topics. Juniors should look out for "College & Career Connections" sessions coming soon!

Looking for the house office or a specific staff member? Access our staff directory on our website:

https://www.hcrhs.org/contact-information.

General Email: communications@hcrhs.org
Website: https://www.hcrhs.org/
Location: 84 Route 31, Flemington, NJ 08822
Phone: (908) 782-5727