While the total number of graduates is still unknown, North Bergen High School Principal Pascual Tennaro said that his students, as in previous years, proved to be academic achievers.
While Tennaro awaits the final report cards of the 447 seniors, Guidance Counselor Christine Ferraro said that they were hopeful that a large amount of students would be graduating and “getting out in to that big world.”
North Bergen High School will hold its graduation at Bruins Stadium, located within James J. Braddock Park at 10:30 a.m. on June 24.
Tennaro said that the High School Statewide Assessments results, which students take during their junior year, depicted the school’s long history of success, with 97.1 percent of the students passing.
Ferraro is waiting for the total financial aid numbers, but said that last year’s seniors received around $1 million.
Valedictorian Parag Patel will attend Rutgers University, New Brunswick with a full scholarship and partial room and board. He was accepted into the school of engineering’s honors program, where he will major in civil engineering.
Salutatorian Michael Guiterrez received full tuition and partial room and board from the University of Pennsylvania.
“They are the reflection of the kind of quality that we have here,” said Tennaro.
Top two
Patel said that he was anxious about graduation, but felt that his school prepared him for multitasking. He was a part of the school’s Key Club, student council, and bowling team, with whom he went to the county championships with for the past two years.
“It’s really in our hands,” said Patel. “The school has done everything to put us in a place to succeed.”
Gutierrez is currently unsure whether he would like to complete a double major in French studies and international relations or biology.
He agreed that the school had prepared him for responsibility and time management. Gutierrez was the president of the National Honors Society, Key Club, French Club and the Chess Club. He was also the captain for the school’s varsity tennis team.
Standout students
Daniel Orbegozo, who was ranked fifth in the senior class, is awaiting a final answer from Cornell University, but has been accepted to Carnegie Mellon University with full tuition and partial room and board.
He plans to major in environmental engineering and would eventually like to specialize in creating better water supply methods. As a child growing up in Colombia he always went fishing with his family and since then has been interested in the environment.
“North Bergen High School is a very special place and they are a reflection of [that].” – Pascual Tennaro
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Orbegozo was the secretary for the French Club for three years, helped found the math club and of course was a member of the environmental club. He is fluent in Spanish, French and English.
Beatrice Santos, who came in at 21st in the senior class, will be majoring in English at Rutgers’s New Brunswick University this fall. Santos, who was the vice president of the student council, will receive half of her tuition through student aid.
Santos would like to become a teacher at this point, but isn’t crossing music out. She has studied piano for 14 years and recently received her diploma from the National Guild of Piano Players, allowing her to teach. She also studied dance.
Anthony Labib, who ranked fourth, will be attending the pharmacy program at Rutgers University, New Brunswick and will have half of his tuition paid through a scholarship. He said his mother is a pharmacist, his father is a doctor and his two brothers are currently in medical school, and while he hasn’t ruled it out, he is “pretty set” on pharmacy.
Labib was a member of the student council, Key Club and German Club. He has taken German for the past four years. He is also teaching himself piano.
“[I will basically miss] the environment of coming to school and seeing the teachers,” said Labib.
‘A special place’
Tennaro said that these students were representative of the school’s culture as a whole.
Ferrarro said that they deserved the best and that they had earned everything.
“They bring to our high school great complexity,” said Tennaro. “North Bergen High School is a very special place and they are a reflection of the special place this high school is.”
Tricia Tirella may be reached at TriciaT@hudsonreporter.com.