High School News

Read all about the wonderful news in the school district below in the BRRD December Newsletter.

BRRSD December Newsletter

 

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The world-famous Oktoberfest was celebrated recently by students at Bridgewater-Raritan High School.

The high school students who comprise the German Honor Society gathered to celebrate this renown tradition. 

Oktoberfest is an annual festival that is held in Munich, Germany over a two-week period that runs until the first Sunday of October.

These Bridgewater-Raritan High School students, under the guidance of Petra Hanning-Eisenberger, who is a German Teacher and the advisor to the German Honor Society, celebrated on Thursday, November 16, in the small cafeteria with food, beverages–and not beer unlike the festival in Germany–and music as well as German games.

One game was an egg race, which is called Eierlauf. The purpose of this relay race is to carry an egg on a spoon through an obstacle course, which was set up in the cafeteria, and to then hand it off to your partner.

This is an annual event for us and gives the students a chance to socialize and have a full celebration,’’ Ms.Hanning-Eisenberger said.

 

The Bridgewater-Raritan High School's Robotics Team, known as The T.E.S.T. Team 303, will sponsor a double-feature event on Saturday, December 9, from 11 a.m.to 3 p.m. 

The event, annually held as the STEAM and Sensory Fair, will be held at the Bridgewater-Raritan High School. The STEAM Fair will be on display in the large cafeteria and the Sensory Fair will be shown in the small cafeteria.

Activities in the STEAM fair include hands-on experiments, interactive displays, and demonstrations that bring the marvels of science and technology to life. From robotics to engineering marvels, the fair provides a stage where budding scientists and engineers can engage with cutting-edge concepts and marvel at the possibilities of tomorrow. 

The Sensory Fair is a specialized section dedicated to children from grades K-8 who may have sensory needs that require a more serene and controlled environment. 

John Kowalski thought it “would be a shot in the dark’’ when he launched his attempt to locate a United States Naval officer who would be able to speak to his freshman girls’ soccer players at Bridgewater-Raritan High School.

The idea was born when, one afternoon during a freshman girls’ soccer practice this season, a player, Charlotte Ribeiro, had mentioned to Coach Kowalski that she had a desire to one day join the United States military service.

Then, during another practice session, Coach Kowalski heard his players chattering about the movie “Top Gun: Maverick.’’

So Coach Kowalski, who is a Science Teacher at Bridgewater-Raritan High School, explored the opportunity to connect a Navy officer with his players through a virtual meeting.

“I began to do some research and figured that I had nothing to lose so I emailed the Navy,’’ Coach Kowalski explained. “I thought that I would never her back.’’

He happily admitted that he was wrong.

“A day later, my email had been forwarded to an office named Commander Kristen Findlay,’’ Coach Kowalski said. “She communicated with me and we set up a Google meeting.’’

But little did he know at the time, but Commander Findlay was the owner of a spectacular resume.

“What was exciting about Commander Findlay’s background is that she is also a Navy pilot,’’ he said.

“And she is not just any Navy pilot.’’

He went on to describe what luck he ran into in being able to connect with Commander Findlay.

‘’She is a former Top Gun pilot. And she is not only a Top Gun pilot but a former Top Gun instructor,’’ Coach Kowalski explained.

“And it gets even better.’’

“She is one of the pilots flying the planes in the movie “Top Gun: Maverick.’’

And to boot–no pun intended—Commander Findlay was a collegiate soccer player at Navy.

“She was a Division 1 soccer goalie,’’ Coach Kowalski stated. “This is what everything I had hoped for.’’

‘’Boy, I hit  a home run.’’

Or, in this case, a winning goal.

So after school was dismissed on Tuesday, November 14, Coach Kowalski and his soccer players, who sported an 11-2-1 record this autumn, gathered in his classroom–room 817-and they listened during the virtual meeting to this impressive presentation delivered by Commander Findlay.

She spoke of her career in the Navy and her exploits as a pilot and performing in the movie while she also shared her experiences as a soccer player.

Then she fielded questions from the coach and the players.

“I really enjoyed it,’’ Charlotte said.

All this was a result of Charlotte revealing to her coach that she wanted to pursue a career in the military, such as her father Hugo, who had served in the United States Air Force.

“I always thought it would be interesting to serve our country,’’ she said.

Coach Kowalski can be saluted for his effort that will receive flying colors.

‘’I want my players to be inspired and know that they can do anything and be anything’’ Coach Kowalski said. ‘’Commander Findlay flew F18 Super Hornets and was a Division 1 soccer player. That’s pretty much the top of the inspirational list.’’

When asked if she would continue her dreams after the meeting with Commander Findlay, Charlotte answered:

‘’Yes, even more so now.’’