Home of the Hornets
On Wednesday March 23, Mrs. Danielle Vigilante was presented as “Counselor of the County”, by Passaic County School Counselor Association. Nominated by her co-workers, Mrs. Vigilante was honored for her dedication to Passaic Valley students and the community.
Students in Ms. Corine Czepiel’s Art Exploration and 3D Designs classes created hot air balloons to promote cultural awareness. “Diversified in the Sky” is exhibited in Room 149, displaying a variety of flags to represent different cultures, making students and staff feel acknowledged and welcomed.
This year, Juniors dressed up for their Hollywood-themed Cotillion, walking the red carpet at The Terrace in Paramus, NJ. On February 17, 2022, attendees enjoyed a night filled with dancing, delicious food, friends, and plenty of picture-taking.
Superintendent Mr. Bracken Healy has implemented a Superintendent Ambassador program for the 2021-2022 school year. A committee of twelve students, with three representatives from each grade level, meets monthly with Mr. Healy and staff, representing the voice of the student body.
PV alum and current student at Montclair State University, Billy Pinckney, sat down with the Valley Echo to discuss his most recent activities, accomplishments, and express his support for his alma mater.
Mr. Sanders and his STEM Explorations classes collected data on the growth of Mexican chili peppers and radishes in a closed environment experiment simulating the conditions of the International Space Station.
On December 9th, Passaic Valley honored Mr. Michael DeLuccia and Mrs. Erin McNeill Wilks as Educator and Educational Specialist of the Year, respectively. As alumni, Mr. DeLuccia and Mrs. Wilks have been integral members of the Passaic Valley community who embody Hornet Pride.
For the 2021-22 school year, the Writing Lab offers virtual tutoring, in addition to their standard in-person sessions, for students who need help with all things writing.
On December 1, 2021 PV held its annual On-Site Admissions Day for seniors. An all day event, 52 seniors sat down for brief ten to fifteen minute interviews with 14 New Jersey colleges. With over 134 acceptances, over $590,000 in scholarship money was awarded to students.
At the beginning of the school year, Passaic Valley welcomed Ms. Giselle Vitaliti and Ms. Alexandra Asaro as new World Language teachers. Ms. Vitaliti is as a Spanish teacher and Ms. Asaro joined us as a Teacher of Italian Leave Replacement.
PJ Casale's senior season has come "full circle," finishing up his high school wrestling career at Passaic Valley. Casale will be graduating this June as a State, Regional, District, and League Champion, with 110 wins under his belt.
Track star Jessier Soriano ‘22 ends his Winter Track career with some very notable achievements which include being named Track and Field Athlete of the Week, breaking a 13-year Passaic Valley record, and making 1st team All-Conference for both the 800m and the 4x400m.
Passaic Valley Senior Brian Whitney has had himself quite the season, being named NorthJersey.com's Athlete of the Week and reaching the 1,000 career point milestone, one of only seven athletes to do so.
Led by Head Coach Marc Salvatore, Assistant Coach Michael Couden, and Team Captain Kayla Price ‘22, the Hornets were ranked 4th in the Big North Conference as of January 25th. The girls have scored a total of 491 points, with lead scorer Janesy Ruiz ‘23 securing 149 points.
Senior participants in fall sports were honored in the closing weeks of the season. Coaches collaborated with their younger players to organize memorable celebrations, like surprise parties and honorary ceremonies.
On May 12, 2022, PV's production of the jazz musical, Chicago, will have its first showing in the Schneider Auditorium with students from the Theater Department portraying iconic Chicago characters like Velma Kelly, Roxie Hart and Billy Flynn. With debut day quickly approaching, cast members have begun on-stage rehearsals for a performance unlike any seen on the PV stage.
The Teen Center hosted many activities and programs during March and April to help students socialize, express themselves, and prepare themselves for the world outside of school. Many more programs are planned for May and beyond.
Passaic Valley’s Fall Play, La Gringa, won Best Play by STANJ (Speech and Theatre Association of New Jersey) on February 12th. The cast received a trophy and held a private pizza party hosted by Superintendent Mr. Bracken Healy to celebrate their title.
Mr. Nelson Colon started the Multicultural Club to provide a space for members to discuss different topics about each other's cultures in an effort to raise cultural awareness. Topics such as games, music, movies, food, and literature are just a handful of themes the club plans to explore.
The Application Marathon encouraged seniors to apply to colleges before winter break and participating students of the team with the highest percentage won $15 gift cards to Dunkin Donuts.
