Recent happenings at Kittatinny Regional High School

NEWTON — Here are some of the recent activities at KRHS to enlighten and engage students and the community.
Thank You for Supporting SELF
The Kittatinny Kaleidoscope Classes would like to thank all the Cougars for pitching in to make their Lantern Festival a huge success for the Solar Electric Light Fund or SELF.
The enthusiasm for this social improvement project was overwhelming. The SELF organization and CEO were so impressed, they skyped the Kaleidoscope students to hear all about their fundraising campaign. They also requested pictures be sent of all the colorful, paper lanterns so SELF could include the story on their website.
The money raised will help people in Haiti trying to recover from Hurricane Matthew and the devastating Cholera outbreak that followed. Unclean drinking water spread the disease. The money that KRHS raised will be able to assist in the recovery of this area with solar powered technology.
Thank you Kaleidoscope classes for making us all aware of this cause. It never ceases to amaze how generous the KRHS students, families, faculty, administration, and staff can be.
Lauren Wrigley: 2017 KRHS Caring Award Recipient
Congratulations to Lauren Wrigley for being selected as the KRHS 2017 Caring Award Student of the Year.
This award is given by the Sussex County School Counselor’s Association to eighth grade students who are generous of spirit and who willingly lends a helping hand.
Lauren was nominated by Mr. Patrick Mahon. Lauren is a junior high student council officer. Mr. Mahon states, “She…is truly one of those students who has a positive impact on all the people she encounters (students and teachers).” Lauren is one of those students who willingly jumps in to assist no matter the project. Always with a smile on her face, she “is friendly, polite and outgoing.”
Lauren attended a banquet on March 21 at Sussex County Community College along with the other Caring Award recipients from every Sussex County school.
Congratulations, Lauren! You are a shining example for all of us. A true representation of the best of KRHS.
National Kick Butts Day
On March 15, 2017, KRHS students signed a pledge to be the first generation to be tobacco free. It is estimated that more than 480,000 people in the United States will die from tobacco related disease this year. When you consider it is a totally preventable disease that number is 480,000 too many.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention states, “Youth use of tobacco products in any form is unsafe, irrespective of whether it is smoked, smokeless, or electronic. If cigarette smoking continues at the current rate among youth in this country, 5.6 million of today’s Americans younger than 18 will die early from smoke-related illness.”
Per the Office of Adolescent Health, e-cigarettes contain a highly addictive nicotine that come in a “variety of flavors” to draw in young users. E-cigarettes are also being used to “vaporize liquid marijuana.”
KRHS is proud of its students who signed this pledge. We hope you will lead future generations into an era of good health.
KRHS Students Perform with the ACDA National Treble and Junior High Honors Choir
4,200 students auditioned for the opportunity to perform with the ACDA National Treble and Junior High Honors Choir. Four Kittatinny students were selected: Garrett Vanni, Mary Doherty, Emma Fischer, and Faith Koppenaal.
In March, they traveled to Minneapolis, Minnesota for this exciting opportunity. Before arriving, the students had to know their music and choreography. They put in long days of rehearsal once they arrived often only getting breaks for meals. Meal time was their chance to let their hair down and relax. Their stay ended with two performances in front of live audiences of choral music educators from around the world.
Mr. Chris Henke the KRHS Junior High Choral Director stated, “Being selected to be in honor choirs requires an extraordinary level of dedication and preparation beyond their innate musicianship. I am so proud to have been able to sponsor these students, help them prepare, and get a chance to know each of them better throughout the process. They worked very hard and it showed in their professionalism and participation.”
A big thank you to Mr. Henke for instructing and accompanying the students. Our compliments to our four Cougars for a job well done.
Helping Our Furry Friends
Annika Johnson, a member of the KRHS InterAct club, donated her time to help the McKeown Elementary School fourth grade students create various toys for dogs and cats to donate to a local animal shelter in Lafayette.
Utilizing old t-shirts, scraps of fabric, ice tea containers and other recyclables, the students were able to make all sorts of nifty items for the animals. They created dog tug toys, cat toys, cat scratching posts, and blankets for the animals.
Just another opportunity for the students to help the Sussex County community.