Teacher Says Goodbye to Watchung Hills 'Family'

30-year veteran teacher Barry Kostibos retires this year.

“There are a lot of good people here; it’s more of a family atmosphere,” Barry Kostibos said, as he reflected upon his 30-year teaching career at Watchung Hills Regional High School, which comes to an end this year. Kostibos, a Villanova University graduate, came to Watchung Hills in 1983 as a member of the Social Studies Department and taught such courses as American History, Introduction to Psychology, Human Relationships and a myriad of Advanced Placement and College Prep courses in history and related social studies areas. Along the way, he himself was taking courses which would lead to two master’s degrees, one in methods of teaching (Seton Hall University), and one in administration (Rutgers University). The name Kostibos  has become…

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Underdog Warriors Repeat as Somerset Softball Champs

Watchung Hills led by Abby Cline and MVP Dana Mertz in 3-1 victory over Hillsborough.

Saturday's Somerset County softball final came down to the two teams that fought for the crown last year: Watchung Hills and Hillsborough. And just like in 2012, the Watchung Hills Warriors left as champions, with a 3-1 victory. 1 Hillsborough drew first blood, scoring in the second inning on a line drive by Jess Santelli, sending courtesy runner Josette Spenser home.  But that would prove to be the only run the Raiders would score. Watchung Hills would get on the board in the fourth inning when McKayla Brady's single slid up the middle, which scored courtesy runner Madison Scuderi.  In the sixth inning, Meghan Kovac singled up the middle, and a bunt single by Deanna Gonnella moved her to second.  But Hillsborough would get a showstopper …

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Dance Ensemble to Unveil New Show at Watchung Hills' Spring Festival

Annual program features original presentations—don't miss this year's show.

The Watchung Hills Regional annual Spring Festival of the Arts offers a nearly-overwhelming array of artistic expression by students at Watchung Hills, from fashion and sculpture, to drawing and painting, video productions and dance. For the dance ensemble, the show includes a premiere of original choreography, and this year's presentation will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday nights. Tickets to the show at the school's Performing Arts Center are $10 ($5 for students; seniors free) and are available at the door.    WHRHS Dance Teacher Marisa Joshi encourages everyone to "Come out and support these talented dancers and choreographers as they present an evening of new dance works."  

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Director Retiring as Adult School Set to Shut Doors

Sandra Hockridge and advisory council to be honored by Watchung Hills BOE.

Sandra (“Sandy”) Hockridge, who will retire after 26 years as Watchung Hills Regional High School’s Adult School director/administrator, has compared her position to that of an artist who is faced with a huge, blank canvas that has to be filled in with all kinds of themes, colors, motifs. Every year a new canvas must be filled in, yielding to the tastes, preferences and needs of the viewers. It is a task Hockridge has successfully completed for almost three decades. “I’ve enjoyed my run here: the environment, the energy, the supportive administration, the cooperation and help of the Buildings & Grounds people.  I think I’ve given a lot, but I’ve gotten a lot back," Hockridge said. However, as Hockridge steps away, the Adult School itself …

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Ceramics Show Honors Students' Work

Philadelphia's Clay Studio to showcase Watchung Hills students' work.

Vo-Tech Earns Bronze Rank From U.S. News & World Report

But the reports do not fully measure the work of students who are on shared time.

The Somerset County Vocational & Technical High School received a bronze ranking through the U.S. News & World Report’s list of the best high schools in the state. “The designation is a wonderful acknowledgement of the work we do with a diverse group of students,” said Chrys Harttraft, superintendent of the school. “We won a bronze medal of excellence this year and last, based on the exam scores of our students.” Harttraft said the rankings are given by using three criteria, including overall student performance and disadvantaged student performance on language and math proficiency tests. Harttraft said the focus for the school is on career and college readiness, which is not actually considered in the filtering of requirements for …

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Watchung Hills Regional Board Names New Superintendent

Elizabeth Jewett set to begin July 1.

Elizabeth Jewett will become superintendent of Watchung Hills Regional following the retirement of Frances Stromsland, as the school's board of education unanimously approved a resolution to hire her Monday. Jewett is currently the Verona school district's director of Instructional Studies, overseeing the district's curriculum. She was acting superintendent for the 2,200-student K-12 school district for a six-month period in 2011 as that district transitioned to a new superintendent. "I'm truly humbled and honored to be selected to be the next leader of the Watchung Hills Regional High School district," she said. She said Watchung Hills Regional was a "highly achieving district that is characterized by outstanding educators, a highly …

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Students' Bones Project Highlights Genocide

School joins larger effort with contribution to installation in Washington, DC.

Bones can tell the story of lives taken on a large scale and in disparate locations around the globe, infamous sites such as Armenia, Auschwitz, the Congo, Cambodia, Rwanda, Darfur, the Sudan, Burma. Some bones are not the bones placed reverently in cemeteries, but are hidden in deep pits in dark forests, bleaching on open plains or moldering in caves...some never to be discovered, while others are blatantly displayed. These are the bones of lives taken in events known as holocausts.  So significant, so urgent, is the area of Holocaust studies that the State of New Jersey has mandated its inclusion in the school curriculum. At Watchung Hills Regional High School this year, genocide education is being pursued in a unique way, a …

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