In keeping with a well-established tradition, Principal Richard J. Baccarella proudly announced the Bayonne High School Class of 2016 Circle of Ten, representing the top ten grade point averages at Bayonne High School. Listed here in order of ranking, these outstanding scholars will be the first to receive their diplomas at the June 24 commencement ceremonies. The graduation starts at 6 p.m.
1 – Tatiana Rodas
Tatiana Rodas is this year’s valedictorian. She will be attending Cornell University and plans to major in Civil Engineering. She was also accepted to several other universities, among them Carnegie Mellon University, The Cooper Union, the University of Michigan, NYU, George Washington University, and Stevens Institute of Technology.
During her time at Bayonne High School, she has achieved both First Honor Roll and Principal’s Honor Roll. Her course load included both honors and advanced placement classes, and she was named an AP Scholar. She has also been inducted in the Italian Language Honor Society, the National Social Studies Honor Society, and the National Honor Society, of which she is vice president.
During her sophomore year, she won two Gold Key awards from the Regional Scholastic Art and Writing Awards for photography and was granted a full scholarship to a summer intensive program at Parsons School of Design in Manhattan, where she took an introductory architecture course.
She is a member of the Academic Challenge team, Science League, Italian Club, Student Government, Physics Olympics team, and T.E.A.M.S.
During her freshman and senior year, she has participated in the National History Day competition. This year, she is a national qualifier and will be traveling to Washington D.C. to compete.
Tatiana is captain of the varsity tennis team, of which she has been a part of since her sophomore year. She has been honored with the NJSIAA Scholar-Athlete Award and is the 2013 H.C.I.A.L. Third Singles Champion.
Aside from her involvement in school, she is also very involved in her community. She is a member of St. Henry’s Church, where she is a lector and a religious education teacher. She has also volunteered at Kimber Learning Center and the French Institute.
She is the daughter of William and Soledad Rodas. She has one sister and one brother, Ericka and François.
2 – Hubert Kalinowski
Hubert Kalinowski is this year’s salutatorian. He will be attending Princeton University with a concentration in Economics. Hubert was also accepted to the University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown University, and University of Notre Dame.
While at Bayonne High School, Hubert has attained principle honors several times and was inducted into the National Honor Society. He was named an AP Scholar with Honor. Furthermore, Hubert was inducted into the 800 Club for attaining a perfect score on his Math Level 2 and U.S. History SAT Subject Tests.
Hubert has been in the Polish Cultural Society since his freshman year. He served the club as both the Treasurer and Vice President. In the fall of 2015, Hubert was awarded the Meritorious Student Award from the Polish Consulate in New York City in recognition of his strong academics and involvement with his Polish heritage and culture.
Hubert achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in Bayonne’s Boy Scout Troop 25. He served the troop as a Patrol Leader, Quartermaster, and Senior Patrol Leader. For three summers, Hubert worked at the Boy Scout Camp Nobebosco as an aquatics assistant and was awarded the “First Year Staff Member of the Year” Award.
Hubert is a ballroom dancer of Standard and Latin dances. Hubert received first place in the Cha-Cha at Columbia University’s “Big Apple Dance Sport Challenge.” He also placed within the top three couples at both the “Manhattan Amateur Classic” and the “National Dance Sport Championship.”
Last Summer, Hubert attended the prestigious New Jersey Scholars Program at the Lawrenceville School. At the program Hubert conducted research and wrote a paper titled, “The Ethics of Anthropogenic Fossil Fuel Consumption.”
Hubert is also involved at his church, St. John Paul II Parish, as a lector. In his free time, Hubert enjoys reading and hiking.
Hubert is the son of Teresa and Dariusz Kalinowski. He has two sisters, Agnes and Olivia.
3 – Jaclyn Alburtus
Jaclyn Alburtus is ranked number three in the 2016 graduating class of Bayonne High School. Jaclyn will be attending the University of Delaware in the fall as an undecided major. While Jaclyn is still not sure what she will declare as her undergraduate major, she plans to lean toward the medical track.
Jaclyn was also accepted into Rutgers University, Indiana University, Ohio State University, and Syracuse University.
During her years at Bayonne High School, Jaclyn participated in a number of clubs and activities. She has been an active member of the Student Government since her freshman year and just served her final term as Vice President. She also was the Vice President of the Italian Club for the 2015-2016 school year. Jaclyn was a member of the Academic Challenge team who made it to the finals last year and the semifinals this year. She also participates in the Class Council.
Another extracurricular activity that Jaclyn participates in is cheerleading. This sport has consumed majority of her high school career. Jaclyn has been a varsity cheerleader since her freshman year and holds much pride in being a Queen Bee. Along with her team, she has achieved a number of titles. In 2014, the Bayonne High School Cheerleading team won first place in the AmeriCheer International Championship in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. In 2015, they brought a new title back home from Trenton, New Jersey when they won the first ever State Championship in the history of Bayonne High School Cheerleading. Continuing their success, the Queen Bees then took first place at the U.S. Spirit National Championship in Orlando, Florida. Not only did they win the National title for their division, but they also achieved the highest point score out of all divisions, making them the 2015 U.S. Spirit Grand Champions. Defending their title, the Bayonne High School Cheerleading team won the State Championship and the International Championship in Florida in 2016.
During her years at Bayonne High School, Jaclyn has been on the First Honor Roll and has received Principal’s Honor Roll. She has been inducted into the National Honor Society, the World Language Honor Society, and Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society. She has challenged herself by taking AP courses and honors courses throughout her four years.
Jaclyn has a passion for leadership and she fully supports the Rotary District. Over the summer of her freshman and sophomore year, Jaclyn was a delegate at the Leadership Training Conference at The College of New Jersey. During her junior year, she was nominated, interviewed, and selected by the Rotary District to go to the 6 day long overnight leadership camp in Pennsylvania called RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards.)
When Jaclyn is not in school, she spends her time working at a local café in town or privately tutoring elementary school students. Jaclyn feels that leadership is an integral part of her life and she feels that she must seize the opportunity to let her passion flourish at all times.
4 – Michelle Cheuk
This fall Michelle Cheuk will be attending the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University. Aside from Rutgers University, Michelle was also accepted by Fordham University and Seton Hall University with scholarships.
Throughout high school, she has taken numerous honors courses as well as nine Advanced Placement courses. At the end of her junior year, she was awarded the distinction of AP Scholar. She has also consistently been on First Honor Roll while achieving Principal’s Honor Roll on occasion. Michelle was inducted into the National Honor Society and the World Language Honor Society for Latin. Having studied Latin for the last four years, Michelle participates as an active member of the Bayonne High School Latin Club. Michelle has served as a member of the New Jersey Junior Classical League State Board as a State Contest Coordinator her junior and senior year. During her high school career, Michelle has also attended two National Latin Conventions held by the National Junior Classical League at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas in 2013 and Emory University in 2014.
Michelle has been a state qualifier in the National History Day competition both her junior and senior year. She placed first in the 2014 Law Day Essay Contest as well as first in the 2014 art competition held by the Hudson County Alliance of Teen Artists. As a member of the girls varsity tennis team, Michelle has competed in several Hudson county championships in the last few years. She also competed as a member of the Academic Challenge team and took part in Science League, Robotics, and Class Council. As a contributor to the BHS newspaper, The Beacon, Michelle also has a published article detailing the 2016 NJJCL State Convention. She has also been awarded the New Jersey Merged Branch 38 scholarship.
During the summer, Michelle had volunteered at the Bayonne Medical Center for over 85 hours. At her elementary school, Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, Michelle volunteered at the after school daycare program as well.
She is the daughter of Kin W. Cheuk and Hong Qing Pan, and enjoys the company of her beloved brother Allen Cheuk.
5 – Abner Dela Cruz
Throughout his high school career, Abner Dela Cruz pursued the best that Bayonne High School had to offer, partaking in eight AP classes and a plethora of Honors classes. He worked tirelessly during his high school career which shows in his induction to the National and World Language Honor Societies. Abner and his parents are very proud of the results of his honest work ethic and hope to achieve the same level of excellence as he attends college in the fall. Due to his great interest in the STEM and environmental engineering fields, Abner will be pursuing a nuclear engineering degree. He hopes to have the opportunity to apply his gained skill set to spread the safe use of clean nuclear energy.
During the college application process, Abner was given the opportunity to become a QuestBridge National College Match Finalist. Overall, he earned acceptances from Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Stevens University, and his school of choice, the United States Naval Academy. Abner was granted substantial benefits from each institution but chose the United States Naval Academy for its role as a training institution for leaders of America and its highly capable engineering program.
In conjunction with his intensive academia is his involvement extracurricular activities. Abner has been part of the Bayonne High School Student Government for all four years of high school serving as Special Projects Committee Member, House Chairman, Historian, and Corresponding Secretary. He participated in the successful Bayonne High School Academic Challenge Team and served as vice-president in his senior year. Abner also competed in the New Jersey Science League and in Bayonne High School’s Robotics Team as lead coder.
Abner is thankful for the lessons that Bayonne High School has taught him, within and without the classroom. He was given the tough lessons of perseverance and time management. He is grateful for the teachers that have taught him beyond the requirements of the curriculum. Abner is very excited for his education in the United States Naval Academy and hopes to gain the dual capabilities discipline and skills of an officer in the United States Navy as well as the knowledge of a capable nuclear engineer. He is perpetually thankful for the constant support of his family and friends and hopes to continually proceed successfully in college.
6 – Brianna Rodriguez
Brianna Rodriguez will be attending the University of Pennsylvania, located in Philadelphia, in the fall. She plans to major in Chemistry at the College of Arts and Sciences and hopes to earn a second degree in Management from the Wharton School of Business as part of Penn’s Dual Degree Program. She received generous financial aid through University grants.
At BHS, Brianna was inducted into both the National Honors Society and World Language Honors Society for Spanish. She was also chosen by the National Hispanic Recognition Program to be a National Hispanic Scholar. Based on her AP scores, she was also awarded the AP Scholar Award by the CollegeBoard.
While Brianna focused on a rigorous curriculum and completed nine AP courses, she also devoted her time to extracurricular activities. During her senior year, she served at the Student Government Board of Education Representative. She was also a squad leader in Academic Challenge, where her team of underclassmen finished third in the county and she also partook in Science League for Chemistry.
During her senior year, Brianna became a Questbridge Finalist and participated in the Questbridge National College Match, a program that connects and bridges the gap between high achieving, low income students with elite colleges and universities. She accredits much of her success in the college application process to the support of fellow Finalists and the resources the program provided.
Brianna would like to thank all of the teachers she has had the pleasure to learn from both the high school and the grammar school level. Without their knowledge and support, she does not know where she would be on her journey to academic success. In addition, she’d like to extend gratitude to her friends. During her four years of high school, they have stood as symbols of inspiration and encouragement. She believes that they will trump the odds and be successful in all of their endeavors, no matter where life takes them. She extends to them this advice: take advantage of every opportunity you can grasp. Stay confident and stay beautiful. Finally, she’d like to give recognition to her family, who have been there every step of the way.
Brianna is the daughter of Stephanie and Rocky Rodriguez and the granddaughter of Sonia and Peter Morales. She has two younger siblings, Rocky Jr., age 11, and Avery, age 4. She hopes that they will find success in their high school and college years, knowing that no goal is unattainable. Brianna is the first in her family to attend university.
7 – Sara Hassanien
Sara Hassanien will be attending the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University. She is leaning towards a degree in the medical and scientific research fields.
During her four years in high school, Sara has taken nine Advanced Placement classes, and received the AP Scholar award. She has also taken four years of Latin. In 2015, she was inducted into the National Honors Society, as well as the National Language Honors Society. She was a member of the Science League and participated in the American Math Competition.
As a member of the Latin Club, Sara served as a State Contest Coordinator for the NJJCL during her junior and senior year. Sara received the Magna Cum Laude award on the National Latin Exam twice. She attended the NJCL Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada in the summer of 2013, and in Atlanta, Georgia during the summer of 2014.
Sara was accepted into the The Washington Youth Summit on the Environment at George Mason University her junior year. She volunteered over one hundred hours at the Bayonne Medical Hospital during the summer of 2015, and also completed a summer program that introduced her to the AP United States History Course she took in her junior year. She also completed service learning hours at her local mosque. Sara worked through the summer after her junior year and throughout her senior year as a barista.
Sara is the thankful daughter of Amal Serour and Khaled Hassanin. She is grateful for her two siblings, Omar and Mariam Hassanien, and two cats, Snazzie and Olive. She enjoys spending time with her friends, swimming, reading, and napping.
8 – Monika Fanous
Monika will be attending the University of Notre Dame in the fall as an undergraduate in the Mendoza College of Business. Monika has received a full four year scholarship to the University of Notre Dame.
Monika was also accepted to the University of Miami, University of Virginia, Vassar College, and the University of Connecticut.
As a partaker in more than ten rigorous advanced placement courses, Monika was inducted into the National Honor Society and the Italian Honor Society. A well-rounded student, Monika has balanced her academics while working her four years of high school at Barney Stock Hosiery Shops. Monika was also the President of the Italian Club, a member of class counsel and math league.
Monika is the daughter of Magda Ibrahim and Nesseem Fanous. She has two older siblings, Merit who completed her masters in public health and Bishoy who recently graduated from The College of New Jersey.
9 – Briel Peters
Briel Peters will be attending the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University in New Brunswick this fall, majoring in Liberal Arts. She will receive over $15,000 in grants each year.
Briel was also accepted to Fordham University, Villanova University, Fairfield University, Quinnipiac University, Monmouth University, Montclair University, Kean University, Saint Peter’s University, and the University of Scranton, where she received very generous scholarships.
During her four years at Bayonne High School, Briel focused on her Advanced Placement and honors courses, where she consistently received First Honors. In 2015, she was inducted into the National Honors Society and the World Language National Honors Society. Briel also participated in Ambassadors Club, Student Class Council, Academic Challenge, AMC Math League, Math Madness, and represented her school in the National History Day State Competition this past May. She has also represented BHS on the varsity tennis team where she won the 2015 HCIAL First Doubles Championship, and participated in several county championships. Briel also won this year’s Bayonne Fire Prevention Poster Contest for Digital Imaging.
Aside from her academic participation in school, Briel is involved as an altar server and a member of the Saint John Paul II Parish Youth Group. She has volunteered over one hundred hours at her church’s religious education program and parish fundraisers. Briel worked for the Bayonne Recreation Arts and Crafts Camp during several summers, and is currently employed at Intercruises Shoreside & Port Services. In her spare time, Briel enjoys playing tennis, camping, reading, and spending time with her friends. She also enjoys watching riveting television series and movies.
In 2015, Briel was recognized as the GFWC Peninsula Women’s Club Young Woman of Achievement Award. This year, as a Girl Scout, she earned her Gold Award, the highest achievement in Girl Scouts. Also this year, she was granted the Prudential Spirit of Community Award of Achievement.
Briel is the daughter of David and Christine Peters. She enjoys spending time with her younger sister, Stephanie, who is a sophomore at Bayonne High School, and her dog, Mona.
10 – Ramez Asham
Ramez will be attending Rutgers University in New Brunswick to major in Cell Biology and Neuroscience. He has always been passionate about working in the STEM field and being part of advanced research. His dream is to continue with research and one day become a veterinarian.
Throughout high school, Ramez has played on the school’s varsity soccer team while enrolling in the advanced placement courses offered in school. He participated in the National History Day competition and made it to regionals and states in his freshman and junior years. Helping his group members, Ramez was able to win first place in the state in the Constitution Competition during his sophomore year. In the summer of his junior year, Ramez participated in an internship with Partners in Science to conduct coastal engineering research at Stevens Institute of Technology. He was also involved in the Molecular Biology Research Program in the school in which he worked on a DNA encoding research and published his results.
He was inducted into the National Honor Society, the Spanish Honor Society, and was consistently on the First Honor Roll at Bayonne High School. Ramez also enjoyed writing about sports and published articles in the school’s newspaper, the Beacon.
Ramez managed to keep a balance between his academics and extra-curricular activities. Besides his achievements in school, he plays for the prestigious Boca Juniors Soccer Academy, and worked in a local restaurant over the weekend. He plans to continue with his passion for soccer and education for as long as he can.
Ramez is the son of Tharwat Asham and Hanan Aziz, and has one older brother, George Asham.