The Dragon Review

December 2022

Hello Dragon Nation!

As we approach the conclusion of 2022, BTHS continues to strive for excellence. Marking period 2 progress reports are available for parent view in the student portal. This past month we recognized the student performance and achievement with the induction of approximately thirty students to the BTHS chapter of the National Honor Society. Congratulations to all of our current and newly inducted students. It was an honor to speak at this event as students and staff connected over their love for education, pursuit of excellence, and value of community service.

Moreover, BTHS honored and recognized two outstanding faculty members as we named our Governor’s Educators of the Year. Mr. Charles Pazmino, Social Studies teacher and advisor to multiple clubs, was named BTHS Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Faith Stapp, ELA Interventionist, was named Educational Service Professional of the Year. Mr. Pazmino and Mrs. Stapp represents BTHS with a high level of professionalism and integrity. Students benefit from their approach to the profession, understanding that each of these individuals are advocating for their best interests while providing a high level of engaging instruction.

We continue to engage our student body in co-curricular activities and events focused on developing the whole student. This past month we held our performing arts evening Winter Band and Choral Concert on Monday, December 12. It was a magical performance as the Concert Band, Jazz Band, and Choir rocked the house with holiday cheer. We will further emphasize the value of our performing arts programs by presenting the Winter VPA Concert for the study body on Tuesday, December 20.

In closing, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our Dragon families a happy and healthy holiday season. I continue to be humbled and grateful for the staff, students, and parents that make up our school’s learning community. I am honored to be the principal of Brick Township High School, where individuals regularly support one another to realize and achieve their fullest potential. I hope everyone is able to take a few moments over the Winter Break to reflect on the past year, recognizing the individual gains each of us has achieved while prioritizing future goals. The new year will bring new opportunities and learning experiences. I look forward to meeting the challenges and successes of the new year in partnership with our school community.

“Celebrate endings-for they precede new beginnings.” ~ Jonathan Huie

Wishing everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Respectfully,

David Kasyan, Ed.D.

Principal

Hello Dragons! Here is an update about what has been happening and what we are looking forward to on campus here at BTHS. On Thursday, December 1st, OCVTS had their annual presentation in the BTHS auditorium to all sophomores. This was a great informational presentation to all sophomores about the opportunities that the OCVTS provides. Also on December 1st, our BTHS Top Dragon Talent Show, sponsored by the BTHS Mock Trial Club took place. The BTHS student body is loaded with talent and this was a great night to put all those talents on display. The BTHS Marching Band Craft fair was held on Saturday, December 10, 2022. This has been a very successful and exciting event and fundraiser for the program over the years. Thank you to every that came out and showed their support!

The BTHS winter concert took place on December 12, 2022, which will be followed with a performance for our students during the school day on Tuesday December 20, 2022 during blocks 3 and 4. Our choir and band programs put outstanding performances on and to which the community and student body are lucky to see. The National Honor Society hosted its new member induction ceremony on Tuesday,Dec 13, 2022. Congratulations to all our newest members on this outstanding achievement. BTHS winter sports season has kicked off successfully.

The Hockey Team has started the season 3-0 and are looking to build on that momentum as they face West Morris Central High School on December 16, 2022. In wrestling, Jade Huerta, this season’s pre-season number 1 ranked wrestler in the state of NJ at her weight class and returning state finalist will be competing in the first ever annual Girl’s Beast of the East Wrestling tournament Friday December 16, 2022. This is one of the most elite tournaments in the country. The BTHS band has also seen some individual success as congratulations goes out to Mallory Pritchet. Mallory placed 1st in the South Jersey Region 3 band and will be sitting 1st chair in the Region 3 Euphonium Ensemble.

Winter Break will be from Dec 26, 2022 until January 2, 2023. Testing for Seal of Biliteracy will take place the week of January 9, 2023 with the ASVAB test taking place January 10, 2023. Lastly, the BTHS drama winter production this year will also include staff members! This will take place on January 20, 2023.

We are proud to announce that the Brick Township High School Wall of Fame is currently accepting nominations for the 2022-2023 school year until Thursday, December 23. Moreover, we will be accepting nominations throughout the school year for candidate consideration for future inductions. Click Here for the BTHS Wall of Fame Nomination Form. Please visit our school website for more information.

Mr. Lynch and Mr. Paxton’s Robotics classes from Brick Township High School participated in the Ocean County College Mindstorm Robotic Competition on Thursday December 1st. The Nut Negotiators team of William Pearson and Jeremiah Oswald came in 1st place in the Wrestling Robots and Bulldozier challenges sweeping the head to head competitive events. The Dragon Bot team of Logan Donnelly, Donovan Iannarone, Nikolas Niedziela, Jacob Storch, Jacob Toye and Travis Trempycame in 2nd place in the Bulldozier event. Students designed, built and coded Lego Mindstorms EV3 robots that utilized coding of light intensity, motor angles and speed to compete on the given courses.

The Key Club has had a busy month. We had our annual coat drive. Alex Brino was a real star donating more than 60 coats herself. Students made Holiday Cards to be donated to a nursing home to bring cheer to our senior friends. On December 12 Key Clubbers stayed after to take pictures for our holiday card and decorate Room 118's door for the SGA competitions. A fun time was had by all. We are working on Snowman Kits to use with our friends at WWES. On December 22 we are promoting literacy with our little friends; Key Clubbers will read winter, snow and holiday themed books and then help the kids make a snowman craft. Some Key Clubbers donated stocking stuffers that were given to the police department to distribute to needy families that they help. Finally, Key Clubbers got to volunteer at WWES and EHY at their PTO meetings and Holiday Fun activities. They Key Club wishes everyone a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous Holiday Season and New Year.

The Women’s Club of Brick is collecting used sneakers during the month of January as part of a

recycling and fundraising project. Each year, the Women’s Club of Brick provides $3,000.00 in

scholarships to students at Brick Township High School, Brick Memorial High School and the Ocean County Vocational and Technical School. Please send your used sneakers into school and put them in the Got Sneakers? box in the main office. Only sneakers and “athletic” shoes are

acceptable and donated shoes must be in pairs. Thank you for your support!

The BTHS Surf Club along with the Rotary Interact and Mayors Council Clubs wrapped up our Toy Drive for Toys for Tots. Every Wednesday our club members will be selling warm Philly Pretzel factory pretzels after school. We also will be hosting a clothing donation fundraiser on March 4th, 2023. More information on what can be donated and collected will be pushed out after winter break.

The BTHS literary magazine, The Regaler, is still looking for submissions of creative writing, cool photos, and art work for this year's edition. Express yourself! Deadline is Feb. 15, 2023. Don't miss out!

The Harry Potter class enjoyed a gratitude feast, in the tradition of Hogwarts at the holidays. Chick-fil-A graciously donated food for 30 students for the occasion. Thank you, Chick-fil-A of Brick! To fully embrace the spirit of gratitude, students also wrote thank you cards to BTHS staff members to personally express their grateful appreciation.

English I CP students engage in a collaborative writing exercise to grow confidence and practice structuring ideas for a literary analysis of myths.

Ms. Best’s Acting 1 & 2 classes took “A Christmas Carol” on the road. They spread holiday cheer to the fifth graders at Osbornville December 6th and then Drum Point and Emma Havens Elementary schools on December 8th. The students rehearsed during their classes for three weeks until the day before their first performance. Then the 30 students came together and rehearsed one day after school and were ready to go.

The acting students in the 3 classes range from 9th - 12th grades. Most of the students had never performed before but they all shined and were loved by all.Ms. Best has been taking her classes every year and loves watching the reactions of the 5th graders as the carolers, Scrooge, Marley and the 3 Spirits entertain them. It gives the high school students the opportunity to have an audience and the elementary students to experience live theatre.

Congratulations to senior Mallory Pritchet who auditioned for South Jersey Region 3 Band. Mallory placed first and was selected to perform with the South Jersey Region 3 Wind Ensemble. She will be the first chair euphonium player for this prestigious ensemble of excellent high school musicians. This is the third year that Mallory has been selected to represent Brick Township High School at the region level.

The Classics with Kasyan Book Club will continue with our next selection, A List of Cages by Robin Roe. We will spend the next three month's reading this novel, breaking the novel into three sessions.

The meeting to discuss the first third of the book, which entails chapters one through twenty-four of A List of Cages will take place after school on Tuesday, January 31 in the library. The meeting will conclude prior to late bus dismissal. All students are welcome to join. Any student looking to participate should grab a copy of A List of Cages and start reading. There will be an open dialogue and discussion of the first third of the book at our scheduled meeting, reading the book ahead of the meeting will allow you a better opportunity to add to the conversation.

If you would like to borrow a copy of A List of Cages, please send an email to our district literacy coach, Ms. Monninger at jmonninger@brickschools.org, and one will be provided. I am looking forward to collaborating and connecting with our student body on Tuesday, January 31. Start Reading!

BTHS Students of the Month - December

Congratulations to our Students of the Month. Students are nominated by BTHS staff members for outstanding effort in the classroom and positive contributions to our community. Students will be honored with a certificate, gift, and their names will be displayed on the marquee.

Alexandra Brino-Smith, Gr. 9

Alex went above and beyond to support our coat drive. She provided more than half of the coats we collected for our drive. - Mrs. Mount

JaynaMarie Stango, Gr. 10

Jayna is a true asset to our Key Club. She participates in so many of our "extra" activities. She is a shy and quiet student but one who can totally be relied on. Jayna is a true asset to our club and I can not wait to see more of the community service opportunities she is going to take advantage of. - Mrs. Mount

Christian Booker, Gr. 11

He demonstrates great sportsmanship, all around great student! - Mr. Groschel

Chelsea Bautista, Gr. 12

Chelsea has a great work ethic no matter if it's in class, activities, or sports. She is friendly to everybody; staff and students. She has been a pillar on morning announcements, as she is on several times a week. - Mr. Lindenbaum

Stay connected and informed about BTHS happenings through SGA (Student Government Association). Join the SGA Google Classroom (q2hav5z) and follow SGA on Twitter and Instagram (@bths_sga). SGA General Membership meetings are open to everyone and take place once a month in Cafe 2. New members are always welcome. Additionally, the Principal's Cabinet meetings will take place on the last Wednesday of each month in Cafe 2. We welcome one representative from each BTHS organization to participate. These meetings are a great opportunity to connect with Dr. Kasyan and collaborate on school-wide initiatives.

Our BTHS elves have been busily decorating doors to participate in SGA's annual door decorating contest. SGA is also the proud sponsor of the annual holiday card competition. All doors and cards will be presented on the SGA Google Classroom for voting. Have you heard the holiday music in our hallways on Friday mornings? Let us know what you think; SGA would love to play music every Friday in the New Year. Finally, SGA would like to wish everyone at BTHS and beyond, a very happy and healthy holiday season. We look forward to seeing you in 2023!

The Class of 2023 is gearing up for the second half of the school year and we are planning some more fundraisers. We are looking forward to Battle of the Classes and the fun activities that are set up for our final semester at Brick Township High School. Anyone interested in joining some of the planning should keep an eye out on the Google Classroom, or come see Mrs. DeBonis (306) or Ms. Scipione (202) for more information. Happy Holidays!

The Class of 2024 officers will promote our annual Candy Cane Grams for the holidays. If you would like to purchase one, please complete our Candy Cane Gram Order Form and submit $1 cash per Candy Cane Gram. Students and staff can also purchase Candy Cane Grams during lunches with one of our Class Officers. Our Junior Prom will be on May 5, 2023 at Jumping Brook Country Club! The Class of 2024 would like everyone to stay informed on upcoming events by joining our Google Classroom with code ozvfp3p.

The Class of 2025 has been working hard to ensure that they are set for all the amazing activities to come their Junior year. In preparation they have come up with many fundraising activities for the upcoming months. Please keep an eye out on our google classroom page as we will be posting monthly fundraisers. Thank you so much for our support and Happy Holidays to all!

The freshmen class has been proudly wearing their class of 2026 clothing in the halls and classrooms. They have been doing a great job participating in spirit weeks. The freshmen class officers are busy exploring ideas for future fundraisers and they are looking forward to planning for door decorating and a holiday card in the month of December.

The class of 2026 wishes everyone a happy and safe holiday. We are looking forward to seeing everyone again in the new year. We look forward to the continued participation from our freshmen class and more successful fundraisers to come. Instagram: @bths_classof2026 Twitter: @bthsclassof2026 Google Classroom: lf4subd

Updates from the School Counseling Department

• The NJSLA Fall Block 2022 was administered on December 15th-16th for all 9th grade students enrolled in a Fall semester math course (Algebra I Honors, Geometry and Geometry Honors)

• The Ocean County Vocational Technical Program application is available for current sophomores and juniors; click HERE for application access. Seniors interested in applying for a post secondary program should go to the website; https://www.ocvts.org/admissions Please see your school counselor for more information.

• The Scholarship Program has been announced for the Class of 2023. Please view the Scholarship letter for families for more information. Click Here for More Information

• Brick & Beyond will be hosted at Brick Memorial High School in the Gymnasium on Wednesday, February 15, 2023 from 5pm-7pm. There will be information on high school programs as well as a postsecondary opportunities. More information and details will be provided in the coming weeks.

• Ocean County has many resources for services in the areas of Mental Health, Addiction, Abuse, Social Services, and more. Please click on this link if you are interested in more information. There is also a Food Bank service in Toms River called Fulfill that is providing weekly food pick up for those in need.

Have a happy and healthy holiday season from the School Counseling Department at BTHS!

Hello BTHS Community!

In response to the upcoming Holiday season, it is important to acknowledge and briefly discuss two important National Health Observances during December. Child and Family Services recognizes National Safe Toys & Gifts Month during December. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has compiled a list based on research of safety tips to consider while we shop for our family and friends this holiday season. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that you follow the age recommendations for items that you are purchasing and that each item be thoroughly inspected before gifted to a child. Look for any sharp edges, chords, and removable parts that are small, such as batteries or magnets- these items could be dangerous! Any active toys for outside, such as a bicycle, skateboard, scooter or dirt bike, should be appropriate for the child’s size. In addition, the child should receive any safety gear needed, such as a helmet, protective eyewear, and protective pads to prevent injury.

In addition, it is important that we recognize National Hand-washing Awareness (Dec. 5th-11th). During this season let’s spread kindness and cheer and not germs by performing proper hand washing to help keep our hands clean and prevent the spread of illness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed their campaign- Life is better with Clean Hands, to motivate individuals to keep their hands clean and promote a healthy lifestyle with 5 easy steps:

1. Wet your hands with clean, running water and apply soap.

2. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap (front/back, between your fingers, and under your nails).

3. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds- the time it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.

4. Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.

5. Dry your hands using a clean towel or an air dryer.

Sanitizer can also be used to get rid of germs, but will not be as effective if your hands are visibly dirty or greasy. Research shows that we could prevent, “1 in 3 diarrhea-related sicknesses and 1 in 5 respiratory infections, such as a cold or the flu,” with proper hand-washing (www.cdc.gov/handwashing). Proper hand washing can aid in keeping ourselves, as well as our friends and family healthy as we gather and spread joy and cheer during this holiday season and all year long.

A few friendly reminders from the BTHS Health Office:

• Please do not hesitate to bring any important health-related information to the attention of the health office. Students should stay home when not feeling well or developing signs of illness.
• Notification: If you suspect that your child has been exposed to COVID-19, please contact Mrs. Carlsson or Mrs. Yarbrough in the health office.

Health Office Contact

West Nurse Office - Mary Carlsson Ext. 2037

East Nurse Office - Tammy Yarbrough Ext. 2009

The BTHS Parent Teacher Student Association is accepting membership for the 2022-2023 school year. Please consider joining the Brick Township High School PTSA.

LINK to Memberhub

Principal

David Kasyan, Ed.D.

Assistant Principals

Erin Biancella - Grade 10 & Freshman P-Z

Ryan Hesnan - Grade 12 & Freshman H-O

James Marvin - Grade 11 & Freshman A-G

Athletic Director & Co-Curricular Supervisor

Jason Longo

Guidance Department

Lauren Ianniello - Students: A - Da

Jennie Piwowarczyk - Students: De - I

Kaitlyn Donahue - Students: J - Mo

Dawn Celona - Students: Mu - Sa

Marie Walling - Students: Sc - Z

Lori Roland - Student Assistance Counselor

Child Study Team

Janet Maciel

Antoinette Sirico

Christine Velardi

Mike Zuccaro

Website: www.brickschools.org
Location: 346 Chambersbridge Road, Brick Township, NJ, USA
Phone: 732-785-3000
Twitter: @BTHSDragons