Vineland High School junior Michaela Giuliani competed at the state level of the Poetry Out Loud competition on March 14 at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, New Jersey.
Giuliani was one of only 12 students in the state to compete. The 19th annual New Jersey Poetry Out Loud competition is the dramatic culmination of the statewide poetry recitation contest that began in the fall. Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition for high school students across the country. Poetry Out Loud is a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, Poetry Foundation, and the 55 state and jurisdictional arts agencies. According to NJ Poetry Out Loud, 10,587 New Jersey students and 364 teachers from 102 schools, grades 9-12, participated in the evocation of great works of classical and contemporary poetry. Students initially compete at the classroom and school level and then in one of six regional contests. This year, 69 schools moved forward with a champion in regional competitions. Twelve students (two from each region) move on to the State Finals.
Vanessa Rasmussen, Giuliani’s teacher, organizer of the VHS Poetry Out Loud
contest, and member of the NJ Poetry Out Loud Teacher Advisory Board, said, “I am very proud of Michaela's performance. She represented Vineland High School extremely well at both the Regional and State levels of competition. Her recitations of ‘One Girl’ by Sappho, ‘The Albatross’ by Kate Bass, and ‘Time Does Not Bring Relief; You All Have Lied’ by Edna St. Vincent Millay were refreshingly candid and thoroughly enjoyable. She embodied the voices of the poets while connecting to the content personally.”
Giuliani’s performance at the Poetry Out Loud State Finals signals a return to state-level competition for Vineland. Previous VHS competitors on the state level include Najvir Dhinju in 2022, Francis Virtucio in 2017, Kathryn Slusarczyk in 2016, Angela Benson in 2015, and Allyson Beres in 2012.
The 2024 State Champion for New Jersey is Lucas Wilson of Red Bank Regional High School, and the Runner-Up is Amya Padilla of The Morris County School of Technology.
New Jersey Poetry Out Loud is a project of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, in collaboration with Count Basie Center for the Arts. Poetry Out Loud is a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, The Poetry Foundation, and the state arts agencies of the United States. Additional support for NJPOL is provided by ArtPride NJ Foundation and local partners. Since 2005, Poetry Out Loud has grown to reach more than 4.1 million students and 68,000 teachers from 17,000 schools and organizations in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa.
Each winner at the state level receives $200. The state winner’s school/organization receives $500 for poetry materials. One runner-up in each state receives $100; their school/organization receives $200 for the purchase of poetry materials.
A total of $50,000 in awards and school/organizational stipends will be given at the Poetry Out Loud National Finals, including a $20,000 award for the National Champion, $10,000 for 2nd place, $5,000 for 3rd place, and $1,000 for 4th-9th places. The representing schools/organizations of each of the top nine finalists receive $500 for the purchase of poetry materials. There will be one honorable mention in each of the three national semifinals competitions. Those students will not advance to the finals, but will each receive a $1,000 cash award and a $500 school/organizational stipend. The Poetry Foundation provides and administers all aspects of the monetary prizes awarded for Poetry Out Loud.
Students at Mennies Elementary School recently wrapped up a lesson on the Declaration of Independence with an Escape Room activity! The students used problem-solving, reading skills, and facts about the historical event to solve puzzles and decipher the code to be the winning team. Great job by all!
Last week, students in Mrs. Almanzar's Class at Sabater School set the table, prepared Sam I Am Ham sliders, and made iron-on t-shirts for the principal, Mrs. Torres, and Assistant Principal Mr.Garcia, saying, "I teach a thing or two at Sabater Elementary." They also played pin the tie on Cat in The Hat and dressed Wacky On Wednesday.
In Ms. Muller/Ms. Messore's class at Barse Elementary School, students came together to create a special retirement gift for Mr. Camardo: a retro-style Lego camera. Recognized for his deep love of photography, Mr. Camardo is often spotted capturing moments at school events and during his leisure time.
Drawing upon their critical thinking and teamwork abilities, the students eagerly followed instructions to construct the Lego camera collaboratively. While some were seasoned Lego builders, others embarked on their first Lego-building adventure.
Upon receiving the camera, Mr. Camardo engaged with the students, delving into discussions about the evolution of cameras and sharing anecdotes about his own collection and usage. The students were captivated, particularly when he reminisced about the days of film photography, contrasting it with today's instant digital era where edits can be made on a phone.
As Mr. Camardo bids farewell to Barse Elementary, the Barse Bears express their heartfelt appreciation for his contributions and wish him a joyous retirement filled with many more captivating moments captured through his trusty camera.
Winslow Whales LOVED our interactive assemblies, which kicked off in Mr. Drake’s PE classes. DRUM2BFIT had our students drumming, dancing, and singing, all while working on cardio. 🐳
The Vineland High School RAFT program is hosting an event for both parents and students on teen mental health. The event will be offered in both English and Spanish on Monday, April 15, from 5-7:15 pm in the VHS North/Tanner Building Auditorium. A buffet dinner will be provided for free. Please scan the QR code on the attached flyers to RSVP or contact Debrah Hickman at dhickman@vineland.org for more information.
The Wallace Safety Patrol held a "Pi"e Day fundraiser to help with the cost of their upcoming trip to Washington, D.C. Each homeroom was tasked with the challenge of donating the most money. The homeroom that donated the most was invited to participate in a Pizza "Pi"e Party with the Safety Patrol and then "PIE" the Safety Patrol Members. This was a great way to get students throughout the building engaging with each other. All of the students had a great time....especially when it was time to "PIE" the Safety Patrol Members! We are all very appreciative of the school's efforts to help us raise money for our trip.
Shout out to Mr. K's class for raising the most money! We also want to acknowledge Mrs. Well's class for all of their fundraising efforts (they were only $9 behind Mr. K's class)!
Winslow Proud of our Captain’s Crew! Our 4th and 5th grade student government volunteered at the Vineland Soup Kitchen this week. After donating bread, peanut butter and jelly, the Captain’s Crew got right to work making sandwich bags, mixing trail mix, sorting donations, and decorating lunch bags. We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Soup Kitchen and participating in service learning!
This week, Vineland High School art students went to the Art of the Brick exhibit at Franklin Institute. They had the opportunity to view works and sculptures by Lego artist Nathan Sawaya.
Twenty-five Drill Team and Color Guard members of the VHS AFJROTC Unit attended a one-day workshop on Drill and Ceremonies in preparation for an upcoming drill competition at Bridgeton High School on April 27th. Subject Matter Expert Master Sergeant William Wilson, retired Air Force Honor Guard and AFJROTC Instructor, was brought in to conduct the training with his instructor team.
Vineland High School class officers, Student Government Association leaders, members of the AFJROTC, and representatives from AMSA and Cunningham Academy met with Superintendent Alfonso Llano, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Danielle Sneathen, and other district personnel on Tuesday morning for the third roundtable meeting of the school year.
Tuesday’s meeting was a way for the superintendent to gain student perspectives on different facets of the high school and daily student life. The meeting began with a light breakfast provided by Sodexo, the district’s food service provider. After a welcome and brief introduction by Llano, the students were then divided into four groups. They were tasked to discuss a specific topic–either vaping, violence and vandalism, student engagement, or climate and culture–and create a slide about the issue. After identifying the issue, students were asked to list what steps have been taken to address it and what can be further done to combat the problem. The results will be presented at the next meeting, scheduled in May.
Champions at Mennies had an amazing turnout for their parent event last Friday! The students practiced and performed a dance for their parents from a specific decade. Kindergarten and first grade danced to "Walking on Sunshine," second and third grade danced to "Watch My (Whip)/Jump," and fourth and fifth grade did the Cha Cha Slide. The students did an amazing job!
Check out this link for clips of the dances: https://bit.ly/3IzPNG7
Join the journey with Miss Vineland 2024, Eve Ortiz! 👑 Stay connected as she continues to shine bright in the community. Follow @miss.vineland2024 on Instagram for information on events and fundraisers.
We will be streaming tonight's Board of Education Special Budget Meeting live at 5pm on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/live/s2anMJ1XsIE?si=0AeVrqn1Ujbyd6Mk
Meeting agenda: https://bit.ly/49QlTcV
DiBiase Preschool families enjoyed a recent Literacy Night! Students and their families participated in book-themed activities, listened to guest readers, won door prizes, enjoyed snacks, and shopped at the book fair.
Cameron Shapiro from the NJ Americorps Watershed Ambassadors program visited with the VHS S.H.A.P.E. (Students Helping Animals, Plants, and Environment) Club. She began with a presentation about watersheds and water quality. She followed up with having the students sort out aquatic macroinvertebrates to assess the water quality of the river they came from.
Last week, Michelle Rebilas from the American Littoral Society visited with the VHS S.H.A.P.E. Club. Students listened to a presentation about dune grass ecology and the importance of protecting them. Afterwards, students re-potted dune grass plugs that the students will take care of over the next two months. At the end of April, in honor of Earth Day, S.H.A.P.E. Club members and the AP Environmental Science class will head out to the beach to plant the dune grass clumps as part of a dune restoration project with the American Littoral Society.
Students in Mrs. Haley's 8th Grade Accelerated classes at Veterans Memorial School presented masks they'd created. The students read William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." These masks visually connected the students and their interests, personality traits, etc., to the text.
The students needed to provide 3-4 symbols to represent themselves and explain the connection. They also needed to choose a song that would be their entrance music to The Capulet's feast and analyze the lyrics. Lastly, they were required to choose a quote from the play and make a personal connection to it.
The students did a phenomenal job planning, designing, and presenting their masks to their peers!
Mrs. Bertonazzi's 2nd-grade students at Mennies Elementary School are diving into the world of 3-digit subtraction and regrouping. To make learning more engaging and fun, they have actively participated in hands-on centers where they practice their subtraction skills collaboratively. The students enjoy these activities, especially the competitive aspect of the hands-on subtraction games.
On Thursday, March 7, the general manager, Lisa Zuniga, and her amazing staff treated Mrs. Robbins' VHS science students to a tasty lesson at Vineland's Pizza Hut. Students enjoyed applying their knowledge of nutrition, food groups, career exploration, and food preparation/safe handling to the restaurant setting. We want to thank everyone at Pizza Hut for the wonderful afternoon and generosity in treating the students and staff to a delicious lunch!
