The Dragon Review

November 2021

Dear Parents and Students,

It seems like it was just the other day that October’s Dragon Review was released. It is amazing to see all that has occurred in such a short amount of time. October ended with a high level of excitement as BTHS participated in the Costume and Pumpkin Painting contest traditions. Students were overtly supportive of one another, recognizing each individual for their contributions to the positive school environment. The trend of unifying our school continued into the month of November as we came together to recognize and honor our Veterans through the collection of supplies and actions of appreciation and remembrance.

This past month emphasized the importance of our communication and collaboration practices as Parent-Teacher Conferences took place. I want to express my appreciation to all of our parents and guardians for actively participating in your child’s education. The Parent-Teacher Conferences were a success as a direct result of the support offered throughout our educational community. BTHS faculty is grateful for the support received from our community and continue to look forward to future collaboration.

BTHS is in the process of having carports and solar panels installed in the West Parking lot. This school improvement project will take approximately four weeks towards completion. The West Parking lot will continue to be accessible to staff and students during this project, however, it is important that all staff and students remain mindful of the construction zones and posted work sites.

In closing, I would like to express my sincere gratitude toward our entire school community. I am thankful for our teaching staff and faculty, who work closely together to ensure a safe and engaging learning environment. Moreover, BTHS would not be successful without the help and support of our parents. Thank you and may each of you have a safe, healthy, and happy Thanksgiving holiday.

“Gratitude bestows reverence,

changing forever how we experience life and the world.”

~ John Milton

Respectfully,

David Kasyan, Ed.D.

Principal

Harry Potter, History, and Literary Criticisms Class:

The students in the Harry Potter, History, and Literary Criticisms elective experienced the traditions and customs of a fictional world. They ate prepackaged cauldron cakes, broomsticks, mandrakes, and snitches while enjoying the fellowship of their housemates at a Hogwarts Halloween feast. Camaraderie within houses was furthered when they took their teamwork to the Quidditch pitch. Students were able to learn the fictional game and innovate skills and strategy while engaging in physical exercise and collaboration with teammates. It was a unique immersive experience for the student wizards at BTHS!

Mindful Immersion Class:

In the Mindful Immersion class, we blew bubbles outside to work on mindful breathing (box breathing: breathe in 4 / hold 4 / breathe out 4 / hold 4 - then start again). It's a stress reduction technique to quiet the mind in stressful situations. It can be a great way to regroup and to refocus energy productively when under pressure and anxious (the Navy Seals use this technique!). During our self-awareness unit, we took a values survey and learned that decisions aren't so hard when you know what your values are. We explored how stress is often caused by an incongruity between what we say, do, and believe. But when our actions and words are aligned with our core beliefs, then we are living an authentic life, which allows us to live more mindfully, with less stress. We also assessed how we see ourselves (usually very critically) versus how others see us. We went to Dragon Meadow to engage in a "positivity blast". We went around the circle, giving authentic compliments to each classmate. Each student walked away with a recharged self-concept, understanding how others see their positive traits and strengths.

Key Club

Key Clubbers are working hard this holiday season to bring joy. They collected food for those less fortunate and made Veterans Day cards for our Vets. We are going to be collecting toys for those less fortunate, make holiday cards for members of our local senior communities and run a coat drive this December. Coats will be donated to Just Believe an organization that helps the homeless. Please drop off any coat donations to Room 118.

Interact Club

The Interact Club has concluded their food drive with a donation to St. Vincent DePaul Society / Seeds of Service on Mantoloking road in Brick. See the pictures below. The interact club would like to extend their gratitude to all members of the BTHS community for supporting this initiative.

The fall sports season has ended, congratulations to all the student-athletes who competed this fall. The winter sports season begins this month, as teams will begin tryouts and practice. Bowling, Ice Hockey, and Swimming will begin the week of November 15, with Winter Track, Basketball, and Wrestling set to begin later this month. The Marching Band continued their success this year @ TR North in the Region 7 Band Championships. The Marching Band placed 2nd in Group 1A, while taking 1st in Percussion in Group 1A. In closing, BTHS would like to wish all of our Winter Sports success in their upcoming season!

BTHS was honored to recognize our past and present Veterans and all veterans who have served in the military. Ten boxes of requested items were collected by students and staff to join with Vets Middle School in providing these items to our military. We also spent Veteran's Day celebrating and remembering our staff Vets and all of the BTHS Alumni Veterans. Thank you for your commitment to serve and for your sacrifice. We are forever grateful and Dragon Proud.

The Dragon Depot is back up and running, with some new items for the holiday season! For those of you whoa re new to the Dragon Depot, it is a student-centered, teacher-led pre-vocational training room, where Work Based Learning students create and execute all aspects of the Dragon Depot goods and services. This year we will be partnering with BMHS Work Based Learning students for the holiday season. Here is access to the Dragon Depot Holiday Store. Click Here. Included below are some pictures of our students participating in the Work Based Learning classroom. Should you have any questions, please contact Darla Novick at dnovick@brickschools.org

BTHS Students of the Month - November

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

Sara Hoster, Grade 9

“Participates in class, competitive, gives 100% inside the classroom. Never satisfied.” - Mr. Prato

Joshua Schwartz, Grade 10

“Josh has a 95 A and always volunteers to answer questions or help another student. Josh's behavior is excellent and he is truly a pleasure to have in class.” - Dr. Cipriani

Maggie Thompson, Grade 11

“Maggie has had an exceptional start to the school year. She participates every day, gets involved in class discussions, and goes out of her way to help others. She has also become more involved in the activities of our school while participating in more clubs, going to sporting events, and even helping to paint a mural in our hallways. She is truly a Dragon trying to make a Difference.” - Mr. Pazmino

“She has the best attitude day in and day out. She always sees the glass half full and is always a delight to talk to. She welcomes everyone with a smile and great conversation. She is a great student and friend to all.” - Mr. St. Jean

Nick Worth, Grade 12

“Nicholas has stepped up and been a valuable asset to the class. He has assisted other students when needed and has been a huge help to me.” - Mr. Lynch

SGA, in conjunction with the Guidance Department, is hosting the Annual Alumni Networking Presentation on Wednesday, November 24th. On this day, BTHS graduates return to their alma mater to talk about their college, military, and job experiences with our current junior and senior students. Coming up, SGA will be sponsoring the annual holiday door decorating competition as well as the student and staff holiday card competition. We will also be supporting the Guidance Department in their efforts to collect gift cards for community members in need by displaying the Dragon Giving Tree.

The Class of 2022 spent this month wrapping up numerous fundraisers and focusing on one big event, POWDER PUFF. The event, held Nov 17th at 3:30pm was a huge success. The juniors and seniors were so evenly matched that the game went into "overtime" with a score of 54 to 54. In the end each team ran a final play to see who took the victory ball. Destinee Majett won the game for the seniors as she out ran junior Cassiopeia Lasasso for the win. The game was attended by hundreds of students, over 40 staff members, numerous parents, and the administrative team.

The Junior class is recovering from their loss at Powder Puff but congratulate the Seniors on their win and can't wait to dominate next year! We are looking forward to an apparel fundraiser with the class of 2024 that is in its final stages of approval. We are also working on details for Junior prom this Spring - details will be forthcoming on that soon. Wishing everyone a safe and healthy Thanksgiving surrounded by loved ones and filled with GRATITUDE! WE ARE G R E E N - 2023!

Our new fundraisers that everyone should keep an eye out for, include BTHS apparel fundraiser with the Class of 2023. We will have more information coming out about that shortly. We will also be selling candy grams throughout the month of December for students and staff to purchase during lunch periods and will be delivered the week before break.

If a member of the Class of 2024 has not yet joined, our Google Classroom code is ozvfp3p This is where we post all relevant information and announcements for our class as well as the building.

If a member of the Class of 2024 would like to be involved, see Mr. Lucchetti in room 205 or Mrs. Ianniello in guidance! Keep an ear out for fundraisers and meetings and how to get involved.

Members of the class of 2025 have demonstrated pride, enthusiasm and support not only for their class but all the classes at BTHS. Many of our students showed up to support the Junior class as they took on the Seniors in Powder Puff and sold goods as a fundraiser. The class of 2025 also continues to come up with new ideas to help them reach their 2021-2022 fundraising goals. Make sure to check out our instagram where weekly updates are posted.

Important Events and Information from the Guidance Department:

1. Alumni Networking Day will take place Wednesday, November 24th; Juniors and Seniors will have the opportunity to meet with former graduates of BTHS to learn more about post secondary options, transitioning to college, academics, majors, internships, the military and many more topics.
2. BTHS will be hosting the SAT administration on Saturday, December 4th. Please bring number 2 pencils, a calculator, ID, and admission ticket for entry. Good luck to all of the students testing!
3. I would like to recognize one of our former graduates; Anthony Montes de Oca who was nominated for the Charles B. Mathis Award last June 2021. All salutatorians are nominated during their senior year. The state of New Jersey recently recognized Anthony as the recipient of the Charles B Mathis award. Anthony is currently a student at University of Pennsylvania. Congratulations Anthony!
4. Seniors; All scholarship information can be found on the Class of 2022 School Counselor Google Classroom; Code; qgqsw3m
5. Please pay close to attention to the deadline dates and keep applying for those scholarships!
6. BTHS salutes our graduates and staff that serve and have served in the United States Military. Thank you for your service.
7. Ocean County Vocational Technical School will be presenting to our sophomores on Thursday, December 2nd about the available vocational programs and how to apply to one of the programs.

Contact the guidance department for more information regarding any of the events listed.

School Counselor Google Classroom Codes

Class of 2025 cpgycc4

Class of 2024 bbnv4vs

Class of 2023 vzgx2iq

Class of 2022 qgqsw3m

SCOIR

Create a SCOIR Account with this QR code.

The price of Yearbooks will go up to $95 on December 4th. Get yours today for only $85, and you will also get free personalization (a $10 value)! Click here to order your book today.

Senior Reminder: You need to select your yearbook pose by December 12th. If you do not choose a pose, one will be chosen for you.

Senior Parents: Click here to design and purchase a senior recognition ad to be featured in the back of the yearbook. You can add pictures and a personalized message.

Hello BTHS Students and Parents!

November is Lung Cancer Awareness month. It is our hope that the following information can provide awareness of the dangers of second hand smoke, while offering important statistics relating specifically to High School students.

Secondhand smoke is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning of tobacco products, such as cigarettes, e-cigarette, cigars or pipes, and the smoke exhaled by smokers. Inhaling all of these types of secondhand smoke can cause lung cancer among nonsmokers, and may increase your risk of developing lung cancer by 20-30%. Remember, there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke is classified by the EPA as a Group A carcinogen, containing more than 7,000 substances. Secondhand smoke exposure commonly occurs indoors, particularly in homes and cars, and can move between rooms of a home and between apartment units - opening windows or increasing ventilation in a home or car is not a protective means of avoiding the detrimental effects of secondhand smoke. Not only can breathing in secondhand smoke exacerbate pre-existing chronic conditions, nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increase their risk of developing chronic conditions - such as heart disease - by 25-30%. Children who are exposed to secondhand smoke may also cause new cases of Asthma to arise in children who have not previously shown symptoms.

Respectfully,

Nurse Mary & Nurse Dawn

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 Ms. Carlsson in the health office as soon as possible.

Health Office Contact

West Nurse Office - Mary Carlsson Ext. 2037

East Nurse Office - Dawn Inserra Ext. 2009

The Brick Township School District is committed to providing our staff and students a safe and healthy learning environment. The district plan addressing COVID protocols and procedures is posted on our district website. You may also click here for quick access. This plan was developed in support of the guidance provided by the NJ DOE Road Forward: Health and Safety Guidance for the 2021-2022 School Year. Students will be expected to follow the district issued COVID guidelines and procedures throughout the duration of their implementation.

The BTHS Parent Teacher Student Association is accepting membership for the 2021-2022 school year. Please consider joining the Brick Township High School PTSA.

LINK to Memberhub

Principal

David Kasyan

Assistant Principals

Erin Biancella - Grade 12 & Freshman P-Z

Ryan Hesnan - Grade 11 & Freshman H-O

James Marvin - Grade 10 & Freshman A-G

Athletic Director & Co-Curricular Supervisor

Peter Panuska

Guidance Department

Lauren Ianniello - Grade 9 A-L

Angela Smith - Grade 9 M-Z

Jennie Piwowarczyk - Grade 10-12 A-De

Jenna Domingo - Grade 10-12 Di-K

Dawn Celona - Grade 10-12 L-Ri

Marie Walling - Grade 10-12 Ro-Z

Student Assistance Counselor

Lori Roland

Child Study Team

Janet Maciel

Antoinette Sirico

Mike Zuccaro

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