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2011 - 2012 Bulldog Spotlight

2011 - 2012 School Year
Fariha Choudhury and Karolina Furdyna The Top Students of 2012
PCTI proudly introduces the top two students of 2012: Fariha Choudhury & Karolina Furdyna!

The graduating Class of 2012 stands on the field. PCTI Graduates Largest Class to Date
On Wednesday, June 20th, students of Passaic County Technical Institute (PCTI) lined the auditorium eagerly anticipating their final trek onto Tech’s football field for the last time as seniors. The sun was high, the temperature pushed a hundred degrees, but nothing would dampen the spirits of 750 students and more than 3,000 guests. Parents, family, friends, teachers, faculty, and staff, braved the heat to share in the momentous occasion of graduating PCTI’s largest class yet - the Class of 2012!

The PCTI Drill Team poses for a photo. Drill Team Qualifies for Championship
PCTI’s very own Drill team was chosen to compete in the Area 4 Drill Championship. Out of fifty-one high schools with NJROTC programs, only fifteen were invited to participate. Qualifying for the event was based upon whether a school finished either first or second in a drill meet held during this past year.

A headshot of Mariann Lobue. Passaic County School Counselor of the Year 2012
Mariann LoBue has been guiding students toward success for the past twenty-two years. Her passion for people and profession are unparalleled. She is often described as kind-hearted and easy to speak with. It’s no wonder she’s serviced thousands of students and has been declared Passaic County School Counselor of the Year!

Sierra McDuffie and Nikia Richardson sign papers. Graduating seniors Sierra McDuffie and Nikia Richardson have been awarded grant and aid scholarships for Women’s Basketball. These scholarships will provide them with complete academic funding at the following institutions—Sierra will attend Felician College while Nikia Richardson will attend Monroe College.

Ismaeel Skalli, faculty, and staff pose with a prize check. Sophomore Wins Top Spot
Project Lead the Way Student Ismaeel Skalli took home the gold in the 2011-2012 CareerSafe National Youth Safety Video Contest. His animated entry depicting safety in the workplace won him a $2,500 scholarship and a $5,000 cash prize for PCTI.

A group photo of PCTI students. Congratulations to PCTI’s 4th Marking Period 2011-2012 members: Sweta Patel, Amran Hussain, Donovan Tiberio, Harris Sheikh, Paula Hoyos, Michael Ramirez, Nesar Ahmed, Monique Colondres, Tiffany Ronzel, Abida Miah, Kimberly Zabala, Anthony Ledesma, Fernanda Morales, and Jyana Gutierrez

A headshot of Mariann LoBue. Mariann LoBue was named Passaic County’s Guidance Counselor of the year.

PCTI's drill team. PCTI’s Drill Team was invited to compete in Area 4 Drill Championship where they finished third place overall. Other notable achievements include: the Armed Basic and Two-Man Armed Trick teams finishing first, the Varsity Color Guard and Armed Exhibition winning second, and the Varsity Inspection team finishing third.

A headshot of Yehaira Hernandez. A student of the LPN Day Program, Yahaira Hernandez, was awarded a $1,000 Nursing Scholarship by the New Jersey League for Nursing at the Practical Nurse Student Election Day.

PCTI's Boys Basketball team. PCTI’s Boys Basketball team was declared State Champs!

Staff pose with raffle winner Cheryl Duncan. Barbara Moschetta (center) and Marlene Mora (right) congratulate Cheryl Duncan (left), parent of Morgan Duncan, who won the PCTI – PTSO 50/50 scholarship raffle in the amount of $2,600.

A group photo of students. Congratulations to our School-To-Careers Students of the Year 2012: Tahji DeVore, Magdalena Krowka, Gian Carlo Pepin, Doua’a Souman, Dominick Henderson, and Melissa Guerrero.

The Engineering Robotics Club. The Engineering Robotics Club took home two trophies from the 11th Annual North Jersey Robotics Competition. They tied for third place with Panther Academy in the Tangram Puzzle Challenge and then proceeded to take second in the Obstacle Course Challenge.

The LPN graduating class. PCTI’s Licensed Practical Nursing Day Program celebrated the Capping Ceremony of the Class of 2012. Congratulations to Melissa Aleman, Tamara Awari, Anthony Carmenaty, Morgan Christman, Erica Dina, Jonathan Forson, Guoqing Fu, Deepa Gandhi, Halina Guzman, Richard Harrison, Yahaira Hernandez, Amandeep Kaur, Amarpreet Kaur, Melany Lintag, Yeshi Palmo, Iva Piemontese, Shatanna Pitts, Christine Rodgers, Kevene Rose, Conrado Tescon, Ricky Weah, Nicole White, & Natalie Zirpolo!

A US News and World Report bronze medal. Passaic County Technical Institute received the Bronze Medal from U.S. News & World Report: Best High Schools. Congratulations on this well-deserved honor!

Arni Cabatingan, Robert Lane, & Laura Sanchez. Arni Cabatingan, Robert Lane, & Laura Sanchez received the Garden State Silver Plate Scholarship from Passaic County. The New Jersey Educational Foundation selected the three students based upon essay submissions. Each Culinary Arts senior will receive a $500 scholarship and engraved silver plates.

Students pose with their awards. The VFW and Ladies Auxiliary District One celebrated the Patriotic Art winners for Passaic County on May 6th. Congratulations to Advertising Art & Design’s Dana Martinez (1st place), Jessica Gomez (2nd place), and Guillermo Sanchez (3rd place).

A headshot of Daimi Delgado. Daimi Delgado received a $2,000 scholarship from the New Jersey Association of Federal Program Administrators. The organization awards scholarships to students who participate in federally funded programs..

A headshot of Didar Ali. April Student of the Month
Didar Ali is a Paterson local whose niche lies in using his mind as the ultimate computer. Every situation he encounters offers a problem to be solved. Perhaps that’s why Didar found himself drawn to the Academy of Information Technology. Focusing on Computer Repair, he chose PCTI for all the afforded opportunities, extracurricular and otherwise.

A headshot of Alexander Katz. Freshman Qualifies for Mathematic “Olympiad” Opportunity
Freshman, Alexander Katz, has qualified for the 41st USA Mathematical Olympiad – an exclusive exam which only accepts 500 participants (out of 12,000).

SkillsUSA logo. PCTI students won 17 medals at the State Skills USA competition.

Victoria Scarpa and Mark Vogel. Congratulations to instructors Victoria Scarpa and Mark Vogel who have been accepted into competitive summer grant programs. Victoria Scarpa will participate in The Foreign Policy Research Institute’s professional development program. Mark Vogel will participate in two summer grant programs. The first is through the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and second is through the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Malak Badeer poses with her winning poster. Communication Arts freshman, Malak Badeer, earned second place in AAA’s Safety Poster Contest. Public/Government Service Assistant of AAA Pete Tuliebitz awarded her with a $125 for the prestigious win.

The Engineering Club. Members of the Engineering Club have achieved the fantastic feat of qualifying for the finals of the Panasonic Creative Design Challenge Robotics Competition. Club members include John Valderrama, Abby Hartog, James Garcia, Alex Katz, and Muhammed Suleiman.

Computer Science students pose with awards. Congratulations to Computer Science students Tiffany Daniels, Tommy Behnke, Viran Rana and Ankit Rana for capturing 3rd place in the New Jersey Institute of Technology 2012 Web Design Competition.

HOSA logo. PCTI students were awarded with 46 different metals at the HOSA Regional Conference. Thank you to the staff who helped train our students and acted as judges, proctors, and chairpersons.

The Girls Basketball team. Girls Basketball Score County Champs Title
Under the tutelage of Mr. Williams and Assistant Coaches Bill Halbach, Ralph Fava, & Kelly Mc Closeky, the Girls Basketball team has secured the title for themselves. For the second time in Bulldog history, PCTI’s Girls Basketball team has been named All County Champs!

Laura Sanchez poses with her awards. PCTI Takes the Gold
It was against outstanding odds that PCTI’s Laura Sanchez rose to victory from amongst high school students across the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, Staten Island, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, taking home the gold as America’s Best High School Pastry Chef. Congratulations also to Harold Moreno and Angelina Hernandez who competed in the First and Second Rounds of America’s Best High School Chef.

Kaitlyn Lysaght March Student of the Month
Kaitlyn Lysaght is a young woman whose community service philosophy echoes throughout all areas of her life. She came to PCTI as a sophomore and has since become a proud member of the School of Communication Arts, majoring in Advertising Art & Design. With boundless kindness and creativity, this Hawthorne local is set on leaving her mark on the world.

Jhon Guzarem February Student of the Month
Jhon Guzarem has a long history of tinkering with objects to figure out precisely how they work. Hailing from the Philippines and now living in Paterson, this young man comes from a long line of engineers. It’s no wonder he’s chosen PCTI’s School of Engineering to get a jump start on his future!

Pelal Deeb Wrestler, Pelal Deeb recently concluded his illustrious wrestling career by placing 6th in the State Tournament. He was also PCTI’s 1st three-time Passaic County Champ, three-time District Champ, and three-time Region Champ. He placed 7th in the State Tournament in 2011.

A group photo of students. Announcing the Foundation of Success Members for 2011-2012! The following freshmen have shown extreme academic promise and demonstrate qualities to be emulated by the PCTI community. They are Kevin Behnke, Naveen Kamath, Faith Senecca de Vergara, Farzana Khan, Peter Kelly Jr., Alexander Katz, Aaron Varghese, Kabrina Spates, Jessica Dominguez, Mark Conforti, and Ana Alpizar.

A group photo of students. Congratulations to Second Marking Period’s Circle of Success students: Sleidher Rodriguez, Johnny Estrella, Eric Atempa, Anton Uri, Karen Luna, Aaron Falette, Darshil Tailor, Danis Cespedes, Zahira Torres, Chaimaa Elborki Elidrissi, Justin Acevedo, Andrew Davis, Aida Sono, and Jessie Saravia.

A group photo of students. Congratulations to First Marking Period’s Circle of Success students: Joanna Avila, Jennifer Castillo, Ankit Rana, Brandon Holmes, Clara Medina, Jeremy Figueroa, Charlie Guzman, Deven Burke, Ja’Tayshia Harris, Michelle Sadek, Laura Taveras, Dominic Borghetti, Arisleidy Nunez, and Keirra Dailey.

A group photo of students on the set of The Challenge. PCTI students were invited to compete on MSG Varsity’s The Challenge where they faced off against Midland Park. After numerous rounds of answering questions, our students were declared the winners! Those who competed for PCTI were Bryan Kiel, Meet Patel, Shaili Nikanth Patel, Paola DeLaTorre, and Erik Pinos.

Students showing their winning truck designs. Communication Arts students participated in a truck design contest run by Green Sky Industries. Two students stood out from amongst the rest—William Bonet and Monushra Miah--whose designs will be showcased on a brand new recycling truck.

A group photo of Criminal Justice students. PCTI’s Criminal Justice Students finished first in the Passaic County Mock Trial Tournament. Their hard earned win has earned them a spot in the North Regional Competition held in New Brunswick, NJ.

Tyjee Williams Tyjee Williams signed an academic and athletic football contract with New Haven University. He is Co-Captain of PCTI’s football team of which he has been a member throughout his high school career.

Culinary Arts students show off their awards. Culinary Arts students have claimed the ProStart win for a fifth consecutive year. The Cooking Team won first place, while the Management Team took home the silver. Participants included Harold Moreno, Angelina Hernandez, Jazmin Velasquez, Yudelka Torres, Jessel Fabara, Kheanni Burwell, Raquell Santiago, Mirella Gonzalez, JaTayshia Harris & Hafeezah Freeman.

The Engineering Club. The Engineering Club captured second place in the First Tech Challengem Robotics Qualifying Tournament. Honored students include Michael Garcia, Jorge Salome, Ingrid Medrano, Nesar Ahmed, Harris Sheikh, and Ismaeel Skalli.

Academy of Finance students pose with their awards. Academy of Finance Students won the Consumer Bowl Competition, gaining the Passaic County title and a spot in the Regional Consumer Bowl Competition.

A group photo of students. Tom Bove was named Liberty II Division Coach of the Year by the Big North Conference. He coaches Girls Varsity Tennis and is also a Culinary Instructor at PCTI.

Students pose with a certificate. PCTI has become W!se Financial Literacy Certified, passing the course which teaches students the value of financial literacy in education. We are now labeled a Blue Star School.

Diana C. Lobosco poses with an award. Superintendent Diana C. Lobosco was presented with the 2011 Achievement Award. The honor was bestowed by the Passaic County Superior Court for PCTI’s role in the Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) after the devastation of Hurricane Irene.

A map of the PCTI main building. PCTI’s nationally recognized Emergency Management Plan was hailed as a standard for others to emulate. Nevada is currently constructing protocols based upon PCTI’s method. Our Emergency Plan is famous for utilizing safety preparedness, fostering professional relationships with first responders, becoming NIMS (National Incident Management Systems) compliant, having 256 key personnel certifications, and more.

Abigal Hartog Abigail Hartog was named a Commended Student in the 2012 National Merit Scholarship Program. She was one of 34,000 students recognized throughout the nation for her exceptional academic promise.