Superintendent’s Report
Dr. Johanna S. Ruberto, Interim Superintendent
Volume 11  Issue 11    July 10, 2025

Congratulations Class of ’25!
Piscataway High School honored and celebrated the Class of 2025 on Wednesday, June 18, at an impressive 65th Annual Commencement Ceremony at Jersey Mike’s Arena on the Rutgers University campus. The 561 graduates finished their high school careers before thousands of friends, family members, and Piscataway educators in a grand celebration where the theme was seizing the future.
Congratulations to the Conackamack, Quibbletown, and Schor middle schools Class of 2025. The eighth-graders were celebrated on June 18 in promotion ceremonies by their families, teachers, administrators, and Board of Education members.

SAIL Graduates Carry Work Skills into Their Adult Life
Congratulations to the students who graduated from our amazing SAIL program on Tuesday, June 17, at our Administration Building. SAIL stands for Students Achieving Independent Life Skills and is a program that introduces students 18-21 with autism or developmental or cognitive disabilities to workplace skills, while beginning the process of transitioning to adult life. The students were celebrated by their teachers, administrators, staff, classmates, and families in an emotional ceremony hosted by Special Education Supervisor Dawn Brzozowski. Interim Superintendent Dr. Johanna S. Ruberto and Board of Education President Shantell Cherry awarded the students their diplomas and gave heartfelt thanks to the families and SAIL program staff for giving our students valuable life skills as they transition to adult life.

Seniors Earn Awards & $104,000+ in Scholarships
Congratulations to all the Piscataway High School seniors who were honored with awards and scholarships at awards programs on Wednesday, June 4. Members of the Class of 2025 collected over $104,000 in scholarship funds and hundreds of academic awards. Thank you to all our generous donors, to our students for their hard work, and to our families for their great support.

Eisenhower Students and Staff Celebrate Summer
To celebrate the last day of school, Eisenhower Elementary School staff greeted students in inflatable costumes. Then at the final pep rally of the year, students coated Principal Vincenzo Stio in Silly String.

Distinguished Alum Delivers Keynote to Quibbletown
Thank you to Kevin Carolina for serving as the keynote speaker at the Quibbletown Middle School promotion ceremony on Wednesday, June 18. Mr. Carolina is a 2017 graduate of Piscataway High School, and prior to that was a student at Quibbletown. He is a 2022 Magna Cum Laude graduate of Rutgers University and is now a 4th-year medical student at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. He’s one of the founding members of his school’s chapter of Black Men in White Coats, which aims to increase the number of Black men in the medical field, and serves his community as a student member of the Community Advisory Board for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. We’re very fortunate to have alumni such as Mr. Carolina serving as wonderful role models for students in Piscataway. From left are Quibbletown counselor Mawiyah Husbands, Mr. Carolina, Assistant Principal Alexandra Artist, Principal William Gonzalez, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Student Engagement Dr. C. Alex Gray, and Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction Dr. William Baskerville.

Coming Up
Aug. 4: Curriculum Committee meeting, 6:30 p.m.
Aug. 14: Board of Education meeting, 6:30 p.m.
Aug. 28: First day of school for teachers
Sept. 2: First day of school for students
Sept. 3: Fiscal Planning and Operations Committee meeting, 7 p.m.
Sept. 4: Policy/ Legislative Committee meeting, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 11: Board of Education meeting, 6:30 p.m.

Great Thanks to Staff Members of the Year and Retirees
Congratulations to our Staff Members of the Year and this year’s retirees, who were honored for their exemplary contributions to our district with a ceremony on Thursday, June 12. The guests of honor – including Teachers of the Year, Education Service Professionals of the Year, and School Support of the Year – received certificates and applause in front of their families, colleagues, and administrators. The event was hosted at Conackamack Middle School by Director of Human Resources Colleen Pongratz and Piscataway Township Education Association President Joe Toma, and honorees were lauded in remarks by Interim Superintendent Dr. Johanna S. Ruberto and Board of Education President Shantell Cherry. The audience was entertained by a talented PHS string quartet, and videos of the honorees’ principals and supervisors thanking them for their dedication.

7 Students from Piscataway Earn Taekwondo Black Belt
Congratulations to seven of our students who achieved the level of black belt through Black Belt World Taekwondo in Piscataway. They are Ayansh Sahni, (3rd grade, Eisenhower), Ashmit Karnik (5th grade, M.L. King), Travis Dunkelman (2nd grade, Knollwood) Saavi Patel (6th grade, Schor), Hetvik Adari (3rd grade, Eisenhower), Jetson Jenkins (5th grade, M.L. King), Sunaina A (2nd grade, Eisenhower).

Seniors Share College-Level Molecular Biology Research
Seniors in the PHS molecular biology research class hosted a poster session on Wednesday, June 11, to display the college-level research they have conducted over the year in Dr. Craig Lollin’s class. Visitors got to inspect and were encouraged to ask questions about the research displayed on the posters while the students explained their findings. The class – Research in Molecular Biology & Bioinformatics – is a partnership with Rutgers University. It gives students the opportunity to learn and perform college-level research procedures and study protein structure and function. All these students have their work published to the National Center for Biotechnology Information database – another college-level achievement. The student presenters were Madeline Bullock (pictured), Suhani Kachhia, Jimi Huang, Taylor Huggup, and Suhavi Buar.

SAIL Grad Wins 4 Golds in Special Olympics Powerlifting
Congratulations to Ankit Samal, a graduating student in our SAIL program, for winning 4 gold medals for powerlifting in the Special Olympics NJ 2025 Summer Games. Ankit competed for The Mighty Ducks club in the 93 kg weight class on June 7 at The College of New Jersey, and took first place in every event, which included bench press, squat, deadlift, and combo events. His outstanding finish earned him the right to try out for the national Special Olympics competition, which will be held in June 2026 in Minneapolis.

41 PHS Computer Scientists Attain Java Certification
Congratulations to 41 Piscataway High School students who passed rigorous Java programming exams. 25 students passed the Java Foundations certification, and 16 students passed the more advanced Java SE 8 Programmer I exam. All of these students were enrolled in the PHS Java Certification class taught by Brinder Soin and are now certified through Oracle, a global leader in technology and software development. The Java Foundations exam introduces core programming concepts, while the Java SE 8 Programmer I exam assesses professional-level skills in object-oriented programming and Java 8 features. These industry-recognized Oracle certifications highlight the strength of our PHS computer science program.

Engineering Design Projects Tackle Real-World Problems
Seniors in the PHS engineering program capped off a year of hard work on Wednesday, May 28, by presenting a range of novel designs aimed at tackling real-world design problems. The students are part of the Engineering Capstone course, a culminating research-focused course in which students apply the engineering design process learned in their prior engineering courses. The students, working in teams, presented eight design solutions to open-ended problems they identified early in the school year. The students’ presentations included the display of their design prototypes for projects such as compression socks, a power monitor, a high chair for use in restaurants, pockets for women’s pants, and a more stable umbrella. The five judges were present in January when the students initially presented their design problem, and they include PHS faculty, professional engineers, and a Rutgers engineering student who were excited to give students feedback on their final designs.

Conackamack ESL Students Visit Immigration Landmarks
English as a Second Language classes from Conackamack Middle School visited the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island on Monday, June 2. For many, it was the first time seeing the monument in person. Students were able to explore Liberty Island and learn about the statue’s construction, the symbolism of the torch and crown, and the millions of immigrants who passed through Ellis Island. Thank you to ESL teacher Nathaniel Sullivan for this enriching experience.

King Student Wins 1st Place in FAA Minecraft Competition
Congratulations to Ashmit Karmik, a fifth-grader at Martin Luther King Intermediate School, for winning first place in the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Design Challenge. Ashmit competed along with his cousin, Aneek, under the team name, AK Airline Design Crew, in the K-6 non-primary airport category. They faced off against teams from around the world to design an airport of their choice in Minecraft. They chose to design Teterboro Airport.

Schor Students Focus Creativity on Ancient Japan
8th graders in Michael Simko’s social studies class at Schor Middle School showed great creativity in designing activities to teach classmates about ancient Japan. Among the student projects were painting and molding Shinto shrines, decorating Samurai helmets, and comparing the U.S. Constitution with Japan’s post-war constitution. Students researched topics including the rise of Shogun, Shinto religion, Japanese economy and culture, and early Japanese government to give them a base of knowledge for their ingenious projects.

Senior Wins Middlesex County Administrators Scholarship
Congratulations to Piscataway High School senior Tanvi Narava, who was selected for the Middlesex County Administrators Association Scholarship. She is one of five honorees out of 86 applicants. She was joined at the celebration dinner by Interim Superintendent Dr. Johanna S. Ruberto on Tuesday, June 10, at B2 Bistro in North Brunswick.

Quibbletown Mentorship Wraps Up Successful Year
The Golden Knights Mentorship Program at Quibbletown Middle School celebrated another great year at their final meeting. On June 11, students and volunteer staff mentors gathered to create picture frames and beaded bracelets and key chains, while take pictures together and enjoying an ice cream sundae bar.

Chiefs Football Coach Inducted into State Hall of Fame
Congratulations to Piscataway High School football head coach Dan Higgins for being inducted into the New Jersey Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Coach Higgins is 173-58 in 21 seasons and has won seven state titles, with 10 championship game berths. He becomes the third Piscataway football coach in the Hall of Fame, joining his late father, Tom Higgins, who coached 1970-89, and Joe Kuronyi, 1990-2002. Coach Higgin was inducted at halftime of the annual Phil Simms NJ North/South All-Star Football Classic, which was held at Kean University on June 9.

Pway Fast Fact
Did you know: Piscataway Community Education offers fee-based Before and After Care Programs. For information, go to the District website under the “Community Education” tab. Parents must register for these programs every year through Community Pass.

Schor Musician Performs with All-State Orchestra
Congratulations to Schor Middle School musician Ethan Vito, who performed with the NJ All-State Intermediate Orchestra the weekend of May 17. Ethan was selected for this honor through competitive audition. Thanks to his teacher Grace Lee for supporting Ethan in this great accomplishment.

Student Groups Celebrate Juneteenth with Food & Fun
Three Piscataway High School student organizations enjoyed a day of fun, food, and friends to celebrate Juneteenth on Thursday, June 19. Students from the PHS Black Student Union, Student Council, and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) gathered in Johnson Park for the picnic, along with three Board of Education members, Assistant Superintendent of Schools Dr. Glenn Lottmann, and PHS School Resource Officer Elk Peterkin, as well as SADD adviser Laura Benjamin and BSU adviser Akilah Johnson.

PHS ESL Students Bring ‘Romeo & Juliet’ to the Stage
Piscataway High School students in the English as a Second Language 5 class embraced one of the classics of English literature. After studying Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” in class, students in Alexandra Bryant’s class performed their own rendition of the play on May 22 for other ESL students of all levels in the PHS Performing Arts Center. After many months of rehearsing in their classroom, they were passionate about re-creating the story, and took leadership of all aspects of the performance, including costume design, set design, music, and curtains.

Conackamack 6th-Grade Ecology Lessons Go Wild
Sixth-graders from Conackamack Middle School recently went for an adventure at the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Chatham. While walking through the woods with naturalists, students learned how to identify different types of wildlife. This was an extension of their ecology unit in science.