Brian Ersalesi, Author at Rutherford High School https://www.rutherfordschools.org/rhs/author/englishsupervisor/ Tue, 06 May 2025 14:17:11 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://www.rutherfordschools.org/rhs/files/2017/12/cropped-favicon-144x144.png Brian Ersalesi, Author at Rutherford High School https://www.rutherfordschools.org/rhs/author/englishsupervisor/ 32 32 RHS Music Department Performs in Washington DC https://www.rutherfordschools.org/rhs/rhs-music-department-performs-in-washington-dc/ Tue, 06 May 2025 14:17:11 +0000 https://www.rutherfordschools.org/rhs/?p=7233 The Rutherford Music Department had a very successful trip to Washington DC this past weekend. The students spent time at the International Spy Museum, the Smithsonian, and visited many of the monuments in the city. They performed for judges on Saturday morning, and all three groups had very successful performances. The choir received a superior […]

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The Rutherford Music Department had a very successful trip to Washington DC this past weekend. The students spent time at the International Spy Museum, the Smithsonian, and visited many of the monuments in the city. They performed for judges on Saturday morning, and all three groups had very successful performances. The choir received a superior rating, and the overall program received the esteemed “esprit de corps” award. This award is only given to one school out of all of the schools that participate. 

In the context of Music in the Parks, the Esprit de Corps award is a special recognition given to groups displaying exemplary behavior and positive support during the festival. It emphasizes personal integrity, character, a desire for excellence, and a spirit of cooperation. Essentially, it’s about demonstrating good sportsmanship and positive attitudes within the music community. 

We are most proud of this award because it really exemplifies what our program, led by Mrs. Patricia Blanchard and Mr. Joseph Cavezza, is about. 

 

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UMS Choir Students Perform at Honors Choir Festival https://www.rutherfordschools.org/rhs/ums-choir-students-perform-at-honors-choir-festival/ Mon, 05 May 2025 15:11:55 +0000 https://www.rutherfordschools.org/rhs/?p=7227 Rutherford Public Schools is proud to announce that eight middle school students performed at the ACDA NJ Junior High All-State Honors Choir Festival on Saturday, May 3, 2025. All students sang the challenging and diverse repertoire beautifully with a high level of vocal technique and artistry.  They are truly a proud representation of  Union Middle […]

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Rutherford Public Schools is proud to announce that eight middle school students performed at the ACDA NJ Junior High All-State Honors Choir Festival on Saturday, May 3, 2025.

All students sang the challenging and diverse repertoire beautifully with a high level of vocal technique and artistry.  They are truly a proud representation of  Union Middle School, Rutherford Public Schools, and the UMS Concert Choir Program!

Members of the SSAA Treble (Soprano 1, Soprano 2, Alto 1, Alto 2) Choir – Gwen Allen, Mariana Brochero, and Mia DiLorenzo.

Members of the SATB Mixed (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass) Choir – CJ Ackermann, Bella Cabrera, Maia Floresca, Alexandra Rodriquez Del Busto and Krithik Saravanan.

Additional congratulations to Mia DiLorenzo for being awarded the Defying Gravity (Wicked) solo for the SSAA Choir.

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Engaging “Escape Room” Activity in English Class https://www.rutherfordschools.org/rhs/engaging-escape-room-activity-in-english-class/ Mon, 31 Mar 2025 20:07:34 +0000 https://www.rutherfordschools.org/rhs/?p=7214 Mr. Stracco’s Honors 400 English class participated in an engaging escape room activity as a culminating experience for Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. The challenge incorporated riddles, symbolism, and character identification, with each clue leading to the next step—until one group, like Nora Helmer, successfully “escaped.”

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Mr. Stracco’s Honors 400 English class participated in an engaging escape room activity as a culminating experience for Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. The challenge incorporated riddles, symbolism, and character identification, with each clue leading to the next step—until one group, like Nora Helmer, successfully “escaped.”

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UMS Choir Students Perform in Regional Choir https://www.rutherfordschools.org/rhs/ums-choir-students-perform-in-regional-choir/ Mon, 31 Mar 2025 19:42:56 +0000 https://www.rutherfordschools.org/rhs/?p=7212 Congratulations to UMS Concert Choir students Sean Doherty, Maia Floresca and CJ Ackermann for performing with the NJSMA Region 1 Mixed Choir on Sunday, March 23, 2025.  The choir sang challenging repertoire from a variety of genres including John Rutter’s For the Beauty of the Earth, Eric Whittacre’s Seal Lullaby, and Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday (Sunday in the […]

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Congratulations to UMS Concert Choir students Sean Doherty, Maia Floresca and CJ Ackermann for performing with the NJSMA Region 1 Mixed Choir on Sunday, March 23, 2025.  The choir sang challenging repertoire from a variety of genres including John Rutter’s For the Beauty of the Earth, Eric Whittacre’s Seal Lullaby, and Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday (Sunday in the Park with George).

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Creative and Academic Projects for “1984” https://www.rutherfordschools.org/rhs/creative-and-academic-projects-for-1984/ Tue, 25 Feb 2025 14:43:02 +0000 https://www.rutherfordschools.org/rhs/?p=7197 Mr. Stracco’s Honors English 400 class recently completed their unit on George Orwell’s 1984. As a culminating activity, students designed self-directed projects with corresponding rubrics aligned to NJLSA standards. Each group conducted a comprehensive analysis of the novel, focusing on its plot, themes, symbols, and key quotes.  Projects ranged from student videos to newspaper articles, […]

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Mr. Stracco’s Honors English 400 class recently completed their unit on George Orwell’s 1984. As a culminating activity, students designed self-directed projects with corresponding rubrics aligned to NJLSA standards. Each group conducted a comprehensive analysis of the novel, focusing on its plot, themes, symbols, and key quotes.  Projects ranged from student videos to newspaper articles, to recreations of scenes to explanations of the novel to the present day. They were the perfect mix of academic and creative!

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RHS Choral Students Perform with All State Treble Choir https://www.rutherfordschools.org/rhs/rhs-choral-students-perform-with-all-state-treble-choir/ Tue, 25 Feb 2025 12:33:23 +0000 https://www.rutherfordschools.org/rhs/?p=7194 It was an exciting weekend for two RHS sophomores! Niki Nikolova (10) and Nina Tavani (10) performed with the NJ All State Treble Choir in Atlantic City at the NJMEA Convention and also at NJPAC. They were selected through a rigorous audition process for the opportunity to sing challenging repertoire along with the best choral […]

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It was an exciting weekend for two RHS sophomores! Niki Nikolova (10) and Nina Tavani (10) performed with the NJ All State Treble Choir in Atlantic City at the NJMEA Convention and also at NJPAC. They were selected through a rigorous audition process for the opportunity to sing challenging repertoire along with the best choral members in New Jersey!

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RHS Distinguished Graduate https://www.rutherfordschools.org/rhs/rhs-distinguished-graduate/ Tue, 11 Feb 2025 14:18:14 +0000 https://www.rutherfordschools.org/rhs/?p=7190 The Rutherford High School Distinguished Graduate Award was established in 1990 to recognize a graduate of the high school whose achievements reflect a standard of excellence in his or her chosen field.  The achievements of each distinguished graduate will be recognized by Rutherford High School so that the person can be seen by students as […]

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The Rutherford High School Distinguished Graduate Award was established in 1990 to recognize a graduate of the high school whose achievements reflect a standard of excellence in his or her chosen field.  The achievements of each distinguished graduate will be recognized by Rutherford High School so that the person can be seen by students as a symbol of commitment and excellence to which they can aspire.

Click Here To Download the 2025 Nomination Form

During the initial year of the award, nominations were sought from the high school faculty.  In subsequent years, nominations were sought from other school and community groups.  Requests were sent to all elementary schools in the town, to more than twenty-five community groups, and to local newspapers.  Information about this award is also mentioned at school reunions.  As a result, responses have come across the United States; the nominees span many career areas.  A simple nomination form is used, which asks that the nominator supply as much background information on the candidate as possible.

The general criteria used in selecting the honoree include the following:

1.    Honoree must have graduated from Rutherford High School at least ten years prior to nomination.

2.    Honoree’s achievement must reflect significant accomplishment in his or her career.  No restrictions are placed on types of careers.

3.    Honoree’s outstanding contributions must have achieved national, state, or local recognition.

The selection committee includes the following people:  high school principal (chair); supervisor of planning, research and testing; vice president of the student government; social studies supervisor; and National Honor Society advisor.  Committee chair receives and responds to nominations, asks for additional information when necessary, and distributes all materials to committee members before a meeting is scheduled to discuss the nominations.  After discussion, committee members vote on the nominations to select the honoree.

A permanent recognition plaque in the high school contains the names, career fields, and graduation dates of all honorees.  In addition, the honoree visits the high school to address a large group of students.  A lunch reception follows, and the honoree will meet with smaller groups, if appropriate. This visit by the inductee is an important part of the project, since students are able to hear directly from someone who shares part of their background and experience.

All nominations will be kept on file, but in order to be considered for the 2025 award, please return this form and all information to CGearity@rutherfordschools.org or Mrs. Carol Gearity, Rutherford High Schoo, 56 Elliott Place, Rutherford, NJ 07070. The deadline for nominations is May 2, 2025.

Click Here To Download the 2025 Nomination Form

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RHS Choral Students Sing in Regional Concert https://www.rutherfordschools.org/rhs/7187-2/ Thu, 06 Feb 2025 18:24:00 +0000 https://www.rutherfordschools.org/rhs/?p=7187 Congratulations to Alex Park, Alexandra Scherban, and Dwarakanath Vemuri on their performance with the NJ Region 1 Honors Choir this past weekend at Morris Knolls HS. They were selected from all students in all schools of the Region One of the New Jersey Music Educators Association! We are proud of their hard work!

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Congratulations to Alex Park, Alexandra Scherban, and Dwarakanath Vemuri on their performance with the NJ Region 1 Honors Choir this past weekend at Morris Knolls HS. They were selected from all students in all schools of the Region One of the New Jersey Music Educators Association! We are proud of their hard work!

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RHS Choir Students Sing in Prestigious Concert https://www.rutherfordschools.org/rhs/rhs-choir-students-sing-in-prestigious-concert/ Fri, 24 Jan 2025 14:14:58 +0000 https://www.rutherfordschools.org/rhs/?p=7175 11 Rutherford High School students received the prestigious honor of being named to Bergen County Chorus. These students represented Rutherford at the county level, performing on January 12th at Paramus High School. Congratulations to our talented vocalists and our Choral Director, Mrs. Patricia Blanchard, on this amazing accomplishment. Seniors Angelica Rodriguez (Soprano I), Ella Walsh […]

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11 Rutherford High School students received the prestigious honor of being named to Bergen County Chorus. These students represented Rutherford at the county level, performing on January 12th at Paramus High School. Congratulations to our talented vocalists and our Choral Director, Mrs. Patricia Blanchard, on this amazing accomplishment.

  • Seniors Angelica Rodriguez (Soprano I), Ella Walsh (Soprano I), Marley Santana (Tenor I)
  • Junior Alex Park (Bass II)
  • Sophomores Nina Tavani (Alto I), Leah Griffin (Alto I), Mark Bershadsky (Bass I), Alexandra Scherban (Soprano I), D Vemuri (Tenor I)
  • Freshmen Fiona Parkinson (Soprano I) and Carlos Echeverry (Bass I)

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Judge Guida Visits RHS Class https://www.rutherfordschools.org/rhs/judge-guida-visits-rhs-class/ Thu, 19 Dec 2024 14:05:05 +0000 https://www.rutherfordschools.org/rhs/judge-guida-visits-rhs-class/ Rutherford High School’s Finding Happiness Through Mindfulness class closed their recent unit with a visit from Hon. James J. Guida, J.S.C (Ret.) of Bergen County. Judge Guida shared his insights and discussed some of the challenges and highlights he experienced throughout his career.  The objective was to offer our students an opportunity to listen to a unique […]

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Rutherford High School’s Finding Happiness Through Mindfulness class closed their recent unit with a visit from Hon. James J. Guida, J.S.C (Ret.) of Bergen County. Judge Guida shared his insights and discussed some of the challenges and highlights he experienced throughout his career.  The objective was to offer our students an opportunity to listen to a unique perspective, one that includes maintaining a positive outlook even when experiencing difficult moments in a long career within the legal system.  Judge Guida delivered a thought-provoking message at an appropriate level and he encouraged the students to ask questions and to share their thoughts.  He used real world examples that included a quote from Vince Lombardi, which helped students make connections with our recent lessons.

 

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