Dream Team - Canned Food Drive - Winter 2011 The Dream Team Club, sponsored by VMAC, ran a Thanksgiving canned food drive at the HB Whitehorne Middle School and the HBW Faculty, students and their families were extremely generouse. Cans were collected in all homerooms and the homerooms that collected the most in each grade were: - 5th Grade - Mrs Clifford
- 6th Grade - Mrs Halbert
- 7th Grade - Mrs Onembo
- 8th Grade - Ms Mastrosimone
These homerooms were rewarded with a breakfast treat for their efforts. In all, over 1,100 cans were collected. The cans were donated to Our Lady of the Lake food pantry and were distributed to local families for the holidays.
Dream Team - Letters to Soldiers - Winter 2011 The Dream Team will also be collecting letters written by HBW students to the soldiers overseas. The students will write letters and make cards during their lunch periods. This is in an effort to remember our troops and help the soldiers to have a happy holiday away from home.
HBW Fights Back Against Drugs and Violence - Fall 2011 The Dream Team would like to thank everyone for their support of Red Ribbon/Violence Prevention Week. Red Ribbon Week began in 1985 when a Federal Agent by the name of Enrique Camarena was killed while wor king to keep drugs out of our communities. Enrique's friends and family wore badges of red satin to remember him and as a symbol of their promise to keep up the fight against drugs and violence. Today, more than 80 million people across the country wear red during National Red Ribbon Week to show their support for a healthy, drug and violence-free lifestyle. Students participated in the week-long themes and were entered in a raffle for great prizes. Themes included; "Put a cap on drugs and violence, Follow you Dreams don't do drugs, Team up against drugs and violence, and Show your school spirit". Students not only looked great, but helped bring awareness to such important issues facing our nation.
HBW Fights Back Against Drugs and Violence - October 2011
The D.R.E.A.M. Team would like to thank the students and teachers of HBW Middle School for participating in our Sneakers for Juvenile Diabetes Research fundraiser. Hundreds of sneakers decorated the HBW gymnasium with the names of everyone who donated money for the cause. All students walked for the cause in their gym classes. Diabetes is a disease that affects millions of young people which includes 20.8 million children in the United States, or 7% of the population. The walk was in honor of one of HBW's students who is fighting against this condition. HBW's contributions will immediately support research and help provide much needed services to people with this terrible disease.
Red Ribbon Week - October 24th - 28th
H.B. Whitehorne Middle School celebrated Red Ribbon Week - the oldest and largest drug prevention campaign in the country - October 24th thru 28th, 2011. Red Ribbon Week is an ideal way for people and communities to unite and take a visible stand against drugs.
The Red Ribbon Campaign was started when drug traffickers in Mexico City murdered DEA agent KiKi Camarena in 1985. This began the continuing tradition of displaying Red Ribbons as a symbol of intolerance towards the use of drugs. The mission of the Red Ribbon Campaign is to present a unified and visible commitment towards the creation of a DRUG-FREE AMERICA.
Monday - Put a Cap on Drugs and Violence - Wear a Hat!
Tuesday - Follow Your Dreams - Don't Do Drugs! Pajama Day!
Wednesday - Team Up Against Drugs and Violence - Wear Team Jerseys!
Thursday - Show Your School Spirit - Wear Maroon and White!
Friday - Wear Red Day! Wear as Much RED as You Can!
June 8, 2011 - VMAC Thank You BBQ
VMAC held a barbecue on Wednesday, June 8 to thank the advisors who run VMAC funded clubs at VHS & HBW. The barbecue was held at the home of Roseanne Bornstein, VMAC Grant Coordinator.
Pictured from left to right are: Lindesy Lagan (The Best Club - HBW), Sebastian Powell & Chris Tamburro (STARS - VHS) & Stefanie Lijoi (The Best Club - HBW).
June 8 2011 - Heroes and Cool Kids
Visit to HB Whitehorne Middle School
On Wednesday, June 8, Heroes & Cool Kids visited HB Whitehorne Middle School for their final mentoring session with the fifth graders. During the session, each group played games that emphasized the importance of healthy lifestyles. In addition, the Heroes gave personal and relatable stories that emphasized personal experience.
The theme of this session centered on the importance of health and not giving into peer pressure. Each Hero spoke about his or her own experiences with staying healthy while participating in activities at the high school.
The Heroes would like to thank the Mrs. McNeil and the 5th grade teachers at HB Whitehorne for allowing us into their classrooms and the fifth graders for their enthusiasm and participation in the program this year. In addition, they’d like to thank the Verona Municipal Alliance Committee for funding this important mentoring program. In addition, Mr. Powell, Mrs. Salisbury and Mrs. Trish Hemsley-Cartotto would like to thank the teachers and the administration at Verona High School for all of their support of the Heroes & Cool Kids Program this year.
April / May 2011 - HBW Girl Power / Best Club
In April and May, girls from the HBW Girl Power / Best Club provided one-on-one computer training to Verona seniors. The program was sponsored by Verona LIVE. Check out some photos from the sessions.
D.R.E.A.M. Team Updates - May 2011
Mother's Day Plant Sale a Success
The D.R.E.A.M team held its annual Mother’s Day plant sale at HBW. Orders were taken in homerooms and additional plants were sold after school. Beautiful plants brought smiles and happiness to many moms on this special day. Proceeds from the fundraiser will be donated to the March of Dimes, an organization whose mission is to help moms have full-term pregnancies and research the problems that threaten the health of babies. Thank you to everyone who made many moms and women feel special and supported a very worthwhile cause.
The mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds, but it grows into one of the largest plants. Just like seeds, children need nurturing and tender loving care to survive and grow. The Mustard Seed Children of the Dominican Republic require intensive care to survive and grow. The Dream Team, with help from the HBW family was able to collect over 500 various medical and personal care products to assist with the care of these children with disabilities. The supplies will be brought to the organization by Ms. Useche, an HBW Spanish teacher and her church. Thank you for your generosity and support.
April 2011 - Heroes & Cool Kids
The Verona High School Heroes & Cool Kids members participated in Jump Rope for Heart at H.B. Whitehorne on Friday, April 1st. Jump Rope for Heart is an event for students to jump rope as teams, learn about your heart and how to keep it healthy, and raise money for the American Heart Association. This year, the VHS Heroes helped HBW middle students raise $33,300. Jump Rope for Heart was a great opportunity for the “Heroes” to work with their fifth grade “Cool Kids” again, and consequently, this year the fifth grade was the highest raising grade at HBW!
The Heroes are looking forward to their third training session this spring and will then follow up with their final mentoring session of the year sometime in June. Funding for Verona High School to participate in the Heroes & Cool Kids program comes from the Verona Municipal Alliance Committee’s DEDR funds which come from a grant from the New Jersey Governor's Council on Alcohol and Drugs.
Heroes and Cool Kids
Verona High School students who participate in the Heroes & Cool Kids program went through the second training session on Thursday, February 3rd, 2011 in the Verona High School Library. Funding for Verona High School to participate in this program comes to us from the Verona Municipal Alliance Committee’s DEDR funds which come from a grant from the New Jersey Governor's Council on Alcohol and Drugs.
"The goal of Heroes & Cool Kids is to promote pro-social behavior in students and to create a caring and disciplined school climate." The mentor for this training session was Larry Hardesty, a veteran of the broadcasting business with over twenty years of experience. Currently, he is the sideline reporter for all NY Jets home games on the Jets Radio Network.
The training was focused on “bullying behavior” and sportsmanship. All groups had to give a three to five minute talk that pointed out good morals for both bullying and sportsmanship. In addition, Mr. Hardesty guided students on what to do in certain situations that had derived from bullying. The threefold message for this second visit is, “if you are a bully- Stop, If you are a victim- Get Help, and if you are a bystander- Get involved by talking to someone. The goal of the Heroes & Cool Kids program is to reduce the 85% of people who are bystanders to bullying in schools to 0% here in Verona.
The Heroes & Cool Kids program is scheduled to return to the fifth grade classes at H.B Whitehorne Middle School later this month. The high school participants feel it is their job to educate the fifth graders on the lessons that they have learned and give them new ideas and outlooks on bullying behavior and sportsmanship. The high school students will provide the positive attitude they need to feel comfortable to speak about their problems with adults and get help if they need it.
March 2011 - Verona Family Night
Kayla Drozdowski and Rebecca Karpinski of HBW Middle School's Dream Team have done a fabulous job creating the posters that are being used for Family Night publicity.
December 2010 - S.T.A.R. Club
VHS students visit F.N. Brown on December 21, 2010 and challenge students to keep the holiday spirit alive thru positive action in the new year!
October 21st 2010 - Verona Family Night
On Thursday, October 21st, VMAC again sponsored Family Night - which is now in its eighth year! Click to see photos of some families that took advantage of a night to be free of schedules.
September 2010 - VMAC's Fall for Ice Cream!
Thanks to everyone who attended our kick-off event!
Thanks again to the The Towne Scoop!
June 2010 - VMAC Thank You BBQ
The Verona Municipal Alliance Committee (VMAC) held a barbecue on June 17th to thank the advisors who run VMAC funded programs throughout the year in Verona Schools.
March 2010 - Coach Certification Training
 Coach Certification Training is provided by the Verona Recreation Department for all coaches of Township Teams. The trainer is certified by the Rutgers Youth Sports Research Council which focuses on sportsmanship, safety and healthy athletics. The most recent Coach Certification Training took place on Thursday, March 18th at Verona Community Center.
Help for Haiti Bookmark Project
Canned Food Drive Contest
By collecting 472 cans and food products out of a total of 1,471, Mrs. Clifford's 5th grade class at HBW Middle School was the winner of the recent Canned Food Drive held by the DREAM TEAM. The items were donated to Our Lady of the Lake which distributed it to local needy families.
Activities of the DREAM TEAM are funded by the Verona Municipal Alliance Committee - VMAC.
October 2009 - Dream Team - Juvenile Diabetes Walk
On Friday, October 16th HBW's DREAM TEAM (sponsored by VMAC) held a fundraising walk to support the fight against Juvenile Diabetes. A fifth grader at HBW suffers from diabetes and approximately 70 of her schoolmates came out to support her and help raise money for research. The event was a great success and raised $535.00. Heartfelt thanks go out to all who supported our cause in many ways.
|
