Holmdel Township Public Schools

The math and science department has received a $500 grant from the Exxon Mobil Corporation. It will be used for exploration of career options related to math and science.

Congratulations to the W. R. Satz team of eight students for taking first place in the public schools division at the Brother Chrisitan Jones Mathematics Contest held at Christian Brothers Academy on Saturday, October 18, 2008. Four of our students placed in the top ten, garnering individual trophies. Thank you to their advisor, Mrs. Marian Amitrani, and to the parents who accompanied them to the competition.

Former HHS teacher Barbara Weinshenker has been nominated as an AP Siemens teacher of the year, for her outstanding results in teaching AP Calculus BC.

Holmdel HS has been nominated for the Siemens Award for Advanced Placement in math, science, and technology for our outstanding results on the A.P. exams in these subject areas.

HHS recently competed in the Merck Science Day with outstanding success. Two of our students were named Merck Scholars in chemistry, a distinction given to only the top three scorers in the state. A senior also placed fifth in Physics. County wide, HHS had students place first in Biology and Integrated Science, and second in Physics. Congratulations to our students, their advisor, Dr. Josephine Blaha, and their teachers who prepared them so well throughout their science studies.

Holmdel finished in second place in the County-wide Shore Math League

In the state-wide New Jersey Math League, Holmdel finished first in the county and seventh in the state.

Holmdel's Computer Science team competed in the American Computer Science League finals in Baltimore Maryland on May 24, 2008. The intermediate placed 10th out of 19 teams. All six team members received individual awards for their short contest scores, with one student receiving one of only four perfect scores. Congratulations to our team and their advisor, Mr. Jason Lewis.

An HHS sophomore has qualified for the Mathematics Olympiad. Only 25 students from NJ have made the initial cut of approximately 500 students nationwide. He will compete in the next round on April 29th and 30th during nine hours of additional testing.

In the NJ statewide competition of the NJ Science League, Holmdel finished 3rd in Bio 1, 5th in Bio 2, 6th in Chem 1, 2nd in Chem 2, 11th in Physics 1, and 4th in Physics 2.

In the National Science League, comprised of 250 high schools, Holmdel finished in first place in chemistry, and in 2nd place in biology. Holmdel also had one individual national winner in chemistry and one in biology.

Indian Hill's sixth grade enrichment math class placed 6th out of 201 schools participating in the NJ Mathematics League. They were first in Monmouth County. One student placed 2nd in the state and first in Monmouth County. Holmdel students also earned the third and fouth ranking in Monmouth County. Congratulations to these students and Mr. Joseph, their teacher.

Three HHS students competed in the Moddy's Mega Math Challenge. The problem involved an application on the viability and impact of using ethanol as an alternative to gasoline. Teams were given a real-time fourteen hour time frame to prepare and submit their solution on-line. The team was one of six invited to the finals in NYC on April 30, 2008, where they placed fourth winning $7,500 in scholarship funds. Congratulations to all the team members and their advisor, Dr. Josephine Blaha.

A group of HHS AP Chem students competed in the Monmouth County Branch of the American Chemical Society competitions, to select the US Chemistry Olympiad Team. Holmdel students took first and third place, making them eligible for the second round later in April, 2008.

A HHS senior was selected as the Monmouth County "Star Ledger Scholar" for 2008. He will receive a $12,000 scholarship and will be considered for a full four year tuition scholarship.

The results of the Continental Math League are in, and Holmdel students were outstanding. Our grade 7 team had a perfect score and placed first on the national level. A seventh and eight grade student were national winners in the Pythagorean Division, both with perfect scores. Our sixth grade team was first in the state and the region. One sixth grade student was a national winner with a perfect score. Fifth grade placed second in the region, and fourth grade finished in 4th place regionally. Congratulations to all our winners and thank you to Mrs. MacConnell and Mrs. Amitrani for coordinating these contests.

On March 28, 2008, the first grade students at Village school were treated to a presentation by naturalist Jim Fazcak. Children viewed a slide show of animals found at Cheesequake State Park, and were able to touch turtle shells and pottery from the area. A highlight was seeing the baby glass eels that swam all the way to Cheesequake from the Sargasso Sea, where they were born. They will grow up to four feet in length before returning to the Sargasso Sea in seven to eight years to spawn. Stuffed specimens of birds and a fox were a real treat for the children who were being prepped for their future visit to the park.

Two of HHS seniors were among 400 students nationwide who made it to the quarterfinals of the National Physics Olympiad. One of them has advanced to the semi-finals, and will compete for one of the twenty spots in the US Olympiad Camp. Eventually four finalists will be chosen to represent the United States in Hanoi.

On the evening of February 11, 2008, the third graders were greeted at Village school by Teacher of the Year, Connie Campbell. She directed them to the area behind the school where members of the STAR Astronomy Society had set up their massive telescopes. Students and their families were able to view the crescent moon, the planet Saturn, constellations Orion, and Taurus, and other celestial objects. This was a wonderful culminating activity to their study of the moon, sun, planets and stars.

A Holmdel High School senior has been selected as one of the semifinalists in the 2008 Intel Science Talent Search.

For the second consecutive year, a Holmdel High School senior has been awarded one of the two national AP Siemens award for outstanding performance on AP math and science exams.

Through the sponsorship of a district parent, the high school biology teachers were awarded a grant of $2,500 from Broadcom Corporation, to purchase digital microscopes for two of the science labs.