Tag Archives: Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School

Delayed R-FH Area School Openings

March 5, 2015 Elaine Van Develde Leave a comment

All three school districts in the Rumson-Fair Haven area will be operating Friday on a staggered delayed opening schedule.

Fair Haven School District — Knollwood and Sickles schools

• Superintendent Nelson Ribon has announced that the delayed openings of the Fair Haven schools will follow the Plan B schedule, which is a two-and-a-half hour delay to prep “both campuses for students and staff.”

And, “AM Pre-K and Kindergarten both begin at 10:30; PM Kindergarten begins at 1:00, followed by PM Pre-K at 1:10. No lunches will be served,” according to the district website.

Rumson School District — Forrestdale and Deane Porter

• There will be a 90 minute delayed opening of the schools.

*Pre-school a.m. session will be open from 10:10 a.m. to noon

* K-8 will operate on a 10:10 am to 3:05 p.m. schedule

There will also be no 1 p.m. dismissal, as previously scheduled for parent/teacher conferences. They will be rescheduled, according to the website.

Rumson Fair Haven Regional High School

• The high school will open on 90-minute delayed schedule.

* Staff sign in is at 9a.m.

* The warning bell will sound at at 9:10am.

* Period 1 starts at 9:15 a.m.

“Buses will be running this morning on a 90 minute delayed schedule,” the website says.

Schools Scene

RFH Students, Staff Pursue Sources of Strength

March 4, 2015 Elaine Van Develde Leave a comment

The following is an edited press release from Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School:

Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School’s (RFH) peer leaders and staffers recently tapped into Sources of Strength training resources to enhance their knowledge of suicide, violence and substance abuse.

Approximately 80 RFH students who are members of the RFH Peer Leaders organization along with 16 faculty members trained in what is dubbed Sources of Strength, or SOS, on Feb. 18.

“Helping students learn how to access their Sources of Strength during life’s challenging moments will help them to build resiliency and improve wellness throughout their lifetimes,” RFH Student Assistance Counselor Suzanne Fico, who helped organize and participated in the training,” said.

Sources of Strength (SOS), according to the organization’s website, “leads in the field of suicide prevention by respecting differences among individuals, communities, and cultures and by drawing out stories of strength and healing.”

The group’s mission, according to the site is “to provide the highest quality prevention for suicide, violence, and substance abuse. This is accomplished by training, supporting, and empowering both peer leaders and caring adults in the school community.”

“We approach prevention in a different way,” Barnabas Health’s Turning the Tides Program Manager and event facilitator Rachel Alvarez said in her introduction to the group at the February training session. “Research has shown that programs like this one work best when people like you — here in this gym right now — learn how to use your own strengths to send positive messages of hope, help, and strength to your peers.”

Jamie Juliano, RFH Child Study Team member and co-advisor to the Peer Leaders, helped organize the event and participated in the SOS training. She described it as a fun experience that appeared to have a powerful impact on all involved.

“It was encouraging to see the students developing creative ideas to spread hope, help, and strength messages to their fellow classmates,” said Juliano. “As one of the adult advisors, I hope to continue helping these students turn their ideas into action so that our whole community can feel the effects of Sources of Strength.”

The group took part of a number of exercises, and learned how to break down communication barriers — or what SOS refers to as codes of silence — to help bring about positive change and also increase the likelihood of peer leaders encouraging their fellow students to seek help when they need it.

“The SOS training makes you think about things in a different way,” RFH sophomore and Peer Leader Ben Pelino said.

Local Life

RFH Retro Show Time

Image February 26, 2015 Elaine Van Develde Leave a comment

Rehearsal for Plaza Suite circa 1975. Photo/RFH yearbook — Rehearsal for Plaza Suite circa 1975.
Photo/RFH yearbook

Our Retro Pic of the Day honors, in a small way, Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) shows.

This shot is a yearbook picture of yours truly, your editor, in rehearsal for Plaza Suite circa 1976.

The co-star was a very nice guy, who dropped five pages worth of lines.

No problem. It was a wonderful experience. Thanks to Dan Olshansky for dropping those lines. It made this editor a better actor.

Cheers to the cast of Young Frankenstein!

Schools Scene

RFH Girls Winter Track Team Scores Big

February 15, 2015 Elaine Van Develde Leave a comment

The following is an edited press release from Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School:

The Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) Girls Winter Track Team has earned a double victory.

The team garnered the school’s first Group II State Relay championship for Winter Track and scored its fourth consecutive Central Jersey Group II Sectional title.

The historic State Group II Relay Championship was the result of a first-place finish at the State Relays in January, where 24 teams competed and RFH bested Holmdel by three points.

Continue reading RFH Girls Winter Track Team Scores Big →

Schools Scene

RFH Athletes’ Letters of Intent Signed

February 8, 2015 Elaine Van Develde Leave a comment

An official goal has been scored for four student athletes at Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH).

Letters of Intent — the written commitments of those sports stars to play college soccer and football at certain schools — were signed on Feb. 4 in the RFH library.

Parents and faculty present, the following RFH athletes did their signing to the specified colleges on National Signing Day 2015:

• Sam Eisenstadt, Elon University, football;
• Meagan McGurl, Lafayette College, soccer;
• Grant Rataski, Bryant University, football;
• Charlie Volker, Princeton University, football.

Volker is one of four Shore Conference athletes who will play football in the Ivy League. Others will be playing for Yale University and University of Pennsylvania.

*Information culled from a Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School press release.

Schools Scene

RFH Hot Topic: ‘Art, Censorship & Violence’

January 28, 2015 Elaine Van Develde Leave a comment

In light of the recent massacre of 12 staffers at the Paris headquarters of magazine Charlie Hebdo over a cartoon satirizing the Muslim prophet Muhammad, staff at Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) held a seminar dubbed Art, Censorship and Violence for students to examine this and other similar global issues from both philosophical and historical perspectives.

The Jan. 13 study hall seminar, organized and hosted by RFH English teachers Erin Burke and Dana Maulshagen, social studies teachers Tom Highton and Mike Emmich, and art teacher Kate Okeson, 25 students opted to participate, a release from RFH said.

“Sometimes certain events occur and they really make you think about what you are doing at school and in your daily life,” Okeson told the students, according to the release. “We are hoping that this is just the start of a series of conversations we can have about what ‘plays out’ as a result of current events.”

Okeson sparked discussion by reading aloud from an Art, Censorship and Violence packet that was given to participants containing informational articles, links, and questions on the topic.

Among the issues addressed were those involving the interpretation of the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment, or “freedom of speech,” the release added. Students and staff discussed the ways in which laws of certain cultures and religions can be misconstrued; and, whether anyone has the right to prevent any type of artist from displaying complete creative expression.

Questions the students grappled with: everything from “Does censorship promote ignorance?” to “Is freedom of expression always a good thing?”

“It is always a good idea to put yourself in the mindset of the people creating art, and to have an open mind toward other peoples’ perspectives as well as your own,” said sophomore Rachel Makstein in the release. “That might be a way to more fully understand creativity and censorship and other peoples’ motives.”

The teachers, according to the release, were pleased by the turnout as well as the results of the seminar and hope to plan similar events.

“I think that events like the one in Paris regarding censorship and violence can cause us to question ourselves,” Burke told the students. “But they also spark discussions like these, in which we are asking difficult questions such as ‘What is truly important for us to experience and be aware of?’

“I think we have all learned a lot from one another today, and I hope we can have more discussions like this in the future.”

Local Life, News

Rumson on Blizzard Prep

January 26, 2015 Elaine Van Develde Leave a comment

With the predicted blizzard headed the Rumson way, officials are offering advisories on the borough’s website:

• Borough parks will close at dusk;

• There will be no Tuesday garbage collection;

• and Forrestdale, Deane Porter and Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School will be closed on Tuesday.

Residents are also advised, according to a post by Councilman Ben Day, that there will be “NO overnight parking on Borough streets or Borough Parking Lots to allow for DPW Crews to clear. Cars left there will be towed.”

Local Life, News, Schools Scene

R-FH Schools Blizzard Prep: Early Dismissals

January 26, 2015 Elaine Van Develde Leave a comment

The impending blizzard brings with it closings and cancelled/postponed meetings and events within the next few days.

So far, in Rumson:

• There will be a 1 p.m. dismissal on Monday at Forrestdale and Deane Porter schools, according to the district website.

All activities are cancelled.

• The school district’s PARCC Parent Workshop set for Monday at 7 p.m. will be rescheduled. Check the district website for updates.

So far, in Fair Haven:

• There will be early dismissals on Monday at both Sickles and Knollwood schools, according to the latest post on the Fair Haven Schools website.

Sickles will dismiss at 12:10 p.m. and Knollwood at 12:30.

“For the safety and well-being of our students and staff, FH schools we will have an early dismissal today,” Superintendent Nelson Ribon post on the district website. “Overnight forecast models show a potential for extremely windy conditions (blizzard warnings) during the early afternoon along with snow.”night:

So far, for Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School:

• There will be an early dismissal at 11:45 a.m. on Monday.

All after-school activities have been cancelled.

Rumson-Fair Haven Retrospect will update this article as information becomes available. Please check back for updates.

Local Life

By George! Going Retro with an RFH Photographer

Image January 20, 2015 Elaine Van Develde Leave a comment

RFH 1978 yearbook photography editor George Day in his yearbook profile shot.
Photo/RFH yearbook screenshot

Our Retro Pic of the Day is in honor of George Day, 1978 Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) photography editor.

George did some excellent work, not only at RFH, but all over the area in the 1970s, and before and after that.

He got in touch with Rumson-Fair Haven Retrospect; and, we are thrilled to say, he will be collaborating with us on some fabulous Retro Pic of the Day posts. We just may call them Retro Pic of the George Day posts.

Thanks, George! Great to know that you’re out there and will be contributing to this site! Your talent is and always has been appreciated.

News

Going Retro with RFH Library Ladies

January 13, 2015 Elaine Van Develde Leave a comment

The ladies of the RFH library. Photo/screenshot of the RFH yearbook — The ladies of the RFH library.
Photo/screenshot of the RFH yearbook

We couldn’t possibly feature the Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) teacher aides without also posting a Retro Pic of the Day featuring the library ladies.

Remember these women circa 1977 or so? That had it rough in that library. Yet, somehow they managed to keep enough noses in the books and paper airplanes and pranks at bay — sort of.

Remember their names?

Local Life

A Retro Look at RFH School Days

January 9, 2015 Elaine Van Develde Leave a comment

Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School teacher aides of the 1970s. Photo/screenshot of RFH yearbook — Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School teacher aides of the 1970s.
Photo/screenshot of RFH yearbook

Aides. They are the unofficial mentors of our school days.

In this photo are some special ladies who had the sometimes daunting task in the late 1970s of trying to assist, with patience, some annoyingly energetic, mischievous Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School (RFH) students.

They were the RFH aides. In the center of the photo is Nancy Dexter, who passed away last year.

Those pictured around Mrs. Dexter, many of whom have passed, are: Mrs. Williams, Mrs. Cupples, Mrs. DiNicola, Mrs. Parker, Mrs. Blake, Mrs. Waldron.

Remember Mrs. Parker singing over the loud speaker around Christmas time? Did you ever hijack the mic from Mrs. Cupples to announce your party? And, I’m pretty sure one of these ladies, very kindly, told me to go play in traffic when I got busted sending messages via paper airplane (that never landed where it was supposed to) to my friends in English lab.

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