Panther News

As we head into the winter break, I want to wish each and every one of you a safe, healthy, and happy holiday season. Whether you are traveling or enjoying a quiet break at home, I hope your time is filled with the warmth of family, the company of friends, and a well-deserved chance to recharge.

May the New Year bring you peace and happiness. I am already looking forward to the energy and possibilities that 2026 will bring.

We look forward to seeing everyone back, refreshed and ready to learn, on Monday, January 5th.

Happy Holidays!

We wrapped up the semester with incredible energy during our school-wide Pep Rally and the highly anticipated Faculty-Student Basketball Game!

A huge congratulations to Carter Hecht for his spectacular win in the Dunk Contest, and a round of applause for our students for securing the big win against the faculty this year!

A special thank you to Mr. Leonard, Ms. McCarthy, Mr. Gogerty, and Mr. Jones for their hard work in organizing these events and ensuring our students had such a spirited final day. We are headed into the holidays on a high note!

Students in Mr. Hack's Algebra 1 and Geometry classes took part in a White Santa Game where students opened presents containing treats and math problems about previous topics this year. Students could open a new present or 'steal' an already opened present. The stolen present and all its treats would go to the new group after a match of Rock Paper Scissors. By the end of the period all groups left the class with review of previous topics and some treats to enjoy.

Students in Mrs. Park's class recently designed and printed custom hoodies for the Cedar Grove Fire Department to wear during their annual Santa Run. CGFD said the sweatshirts were a "huge hit" with the team and the community! It was a fantastic opportunity for the students to see their hard work being used for such a great local tradition.

"The Phys Ed Department wrapped up its Volleyball Unit with annual class tournaments! Teams were drafted, a regular season was held and it all culminated in Bracket Madness! 8 classes crowned a champion! Pictured are our Period 1 & 5 winners! Thanks for participating...Badminton awaits "

Students in Mrs. Degenaars Biology class celebrated Grinch Day!

On Saturday Ms. McCarthy officially became Mrs. Nardachone. Special shout out to the CGHS cheerleading team for their energetic celebration to the new couple.

HOSA is looking for individuals to share their story with students as they migrated into a health career field. Please reach out to Mrs. Gioia Degenaars (degenaars.gioia@cgschools.org) if you would be interested in speaking to our students!

Use this link to order your Cap & Gown by January 31st!

Need a Tutor? The National Honor Society Cedar Grove High School offers Peer Tutoring for all

high-school students (you do not need to be a member of NHS to request a peer tutor).If you

would like to request a peer tutor, please follow the procedure below and check out the peer

tutoring catalog in the attachments for the students name, availability, and subjects they are

offering to teach. We have an amazing group of Senior NHS tutors who are eager to tutor your

student/child.

Procedures:

● Students should contact their teacher for additional assistance.

● Teachers/Counselors may recommend students try the National Honors Society peer

tutoring program.

● Teachers may share this catalog with students in need of tutoring, and the student may

select a tutor that they believe will be a good fit for them. Please keep in mind that many

students tutor in multiple subjects (and many students tutor in the same subject), so try

to find who you feel will be the best fit for your needs.

● Contact Ms.Halawani by email to notify her of your tutor preference BEFORE contacting

the tutor. If a teacher/counselor is contacting Ms. Halawani on behalf of a student,

please include the student in the email.

● After confirming tutor availability with Ms.Halawani copy down your tutor’s contact

information from the catalog.

● Contact your tutor to schedule your sessions.

● Report back to Ms. Halawani informing her of when you are holding tutoring sessions.

Note: Any conflicts/issues should be reported to Ms Halawani: halawani.mirna@cgshools.org

Please see the attached letter regarding the SAT Prep Course being offered at CGHS.

SAT Prep Course 2026

Congratulations to the CGHS Wrestling team for capturing the Ramsey High School Invitational Wrestling Tournament for the second straight year. Taking 1st Place and winning their weight classes were: Rocco Caputo (106lbs), Luke Oeckel (132lbs), Richie Galioto (138lbs), George Dakar (165 lbs), Nick Costantini (190lbs), and Bryce Kent (HWT).

All up-to-date Cedar Grove High School Athletic schedules, event locations, and live streams can always be found at: CGHS Athletic Schedules

Live streams of home athletic events on our CGHS Stadium Field and inside our CGHS Gymnasium can always be found at: CGHS Live Stream Link

Please see the attached 2026 APT Scholarship application. The application is due Jan 12th.

As 2025 comes to a close, I’m excited to share information about Pomptonian’s 7th Annual Healthy School Lunch Challenge. This challenge was created to honor National Nutrition Month, inspire students to get involved in the kitchen, and spark excitement around creating healthy meals. And this year, high school students have the chance to win $1,000!

Key details include:
• Recipe Submission Deadline: January 19th
• Categories: Pre-K through 5th grade, 6th through 8th grades, and 9th through 12th grades
• Winners: Each category will have two Grand Prize Winners and one Super Grand Prize Winner
• Prizes: Pre-K through 8th grade Super Grand Prize winners will win a KitchenAid mixer
• High School Cook-Off: The top three high school contestants will compete in a live culinary challenge at Driscoll Foods’ professional kitchen, Kitchen 71, on February 20th from 8:30 AM–2:30 PM

We also created a short video explaining the competition: 7th Annual Healthy School Lunch Challenge, and flyers with full details are attached.

To get a sense of the excitement, here is last year’s High School Lunch Challenge Cook-Off video.