Verona High Tennis Coach Bids Farewell After 40 Years

'It's bittersweet, sad to leave,' Patricia Schoenig said.

Former Verona High School physical education teacher Patricia Schoenig retired after 37 years on the job three years ago. Since then, she's served as varsity tennis coach. But now, she's announced her full retirement, acccording to the Verona-Cedar Grove Times. Schoenig, who called her departure "bittersweet," said her three years as tennis coach was "great transition" for her. Just last year, the coach led the Verona boys and girls tennis teams to state sectional championships

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Verona High School Captures San Fillipo Cup

The cup is on campus and will be visible to all high school visitors during the new school year.

The Hillbillies have been awarded the Ron San Fillipo Olympic Cup for the 2012-2013 sports year, symbolic of overall athletic excellence, announced Verona athletic director Gary Farishian earlier this month. “On behalf of the athletic department, I’d like to congratulate all the coaches and student athletes for helping to bring this award to Verona High School”, Farishian said.“I’m very proud of everyone who helped make this possible.  Millburn and Mt. St. Dominic won the award in past years, and we knew it wouldn’t be easy to win in such a competitive conference.” The cup is on campus and will be visible to all visitors at the high school for the upcoming school year. Named after the Super Essex Conference’s Executive Director, the Ron …

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Verona Offers College-Credit Summer Courses for High Schoolers

Vietnam War and psychology classes can be taken by residents and non-residents through Verona Summer Enrichment Academy.

Not all local high school students will put their notebooks away at the end of the month. The Verona Summer Enrichment Academy is partnering with Caldwell College to offer two college-level courses for students looking for enrichment, high school credit and/or college credit. Two classes, one on the Vietnam War and another on general psychology, will be taught at the high school from late June through the end of July. The classes are open to sophomores, juniors and seniors with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. “We think it’s a great opportunity for them to get college credits at a reduced cost and to really get the feeling of what a college course would be like once they get to college,” said Kimberly Ferlauto, Director of School …

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Stiefbold Steps in as Verona Volleyball Coach

Verona native brings more than 20 years experience to Hillbilly squad.

Jeff Stiefbold is returning to his coaching roots.    The longtime James Caldwell High School girls volleyball coach, with a career record of 497-101, has accepted a position coaching Verona’s squad next year. Stiefbold not only began his coaching career as a volunteer volleyball coach for Verona in 1987, he was raised in town and graduated from VHS. “I am excited to return home, to Verona, and continue my volleyball coaching career,” Stiefbold said. “I am eager to get back into the gym and start working with the outstanding student athletes at Verona High School with hopes of helping the volleyball program reach new heights.” If those heights are anything like what the Caldwell Chiefs achieved under his leadership, from 1988-2009, things …

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Teen Band GNGR Prevails at Cops & Rockers

Photos and video from third annual battle of the bands at Verona High School.

The third annual Cops & Rockers battle of the bands pinned the talent of eight teen bands against Undercover, a group made up of local police officers from Verona and Montclair. The bands took the stage at Verona High School Saturday and raised $3,000, which will be split with the school’s music program and an effort to rebuild a community center in Brick destroyed by superstorm Sandy. Each band played one original song along with a selection of popular covers. The youth once again out-rocked the cops with the band GNGR taking first place. The winning band received a day in a music studio, where they will record a CD and make a music video, as well as receive a consultation with RCA Records in New York. The winner was selected by text vote…

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Verona Police, Youth Face off in Rock Contest

Cops & Rockers scheduled to take place May 18 evening in Verona.

Verona kids are fine tuning their instruments and getting ready to take on township police in the third annual Cops & Rockers battle of the bands. This year's show will be held at on Saturday, May 18, at the Verona High School Auditorium, 151 Fairview Ave. Tickets will cost $10 at the door. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the performance starts at 6 p.m. The show was originally scheduled for Saturday Feb. 9, but was rescheduled following a snowstorm. “We wanted to give local kids a chance to show off their talents at a battle of the bands and give them the ultimate rock star experience,” said Cops & Rockers Sgt. Dan Greco who founded the event in 2011 with the help of the Verona PBA Local #72. “The Verona kids put on an amazing show for our first…

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Verona High Moves Up 57 Spots in Newsweek's Top High Schools

School ranks 718 in the nation's top 2,000 high schools.

In the most recent Newsweek America's Best High School rankings, Verona High School was rated number 718 and also ranked number 44 of the highest among open enrollment schools in New Jersey.  Since 2012 the school has moved up 57 spots, having come from 775th nationally in 2012. "This honor comes as the result of many years of planning and implementation of new curriculum and expanded offerings district-wide," said Verona Superintendent Steven Forte. "This is truly an amazing accomplishment for Verona." The publication gave the high school an overall score of 3.13. The top school in the country, Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky, was given 4.84. Newsweek ranked the high schools based on six components: 25 …

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How Do Verona, Cedar Grove Compare to State's Top High Schools?

U.S. News and World Report releases 2013 "Best High Schools" report.

U.S. News & World Report released its annual list of the nation’s best high schools Tuesday, but neither Verona nor Cedar Grove made the list. The list, which includes the top 50 performing schools in New Jersey, measures a variety of criteria including, the proficiency levels on High School Proficiency Exams (HSPA). Other information included in the report shows 16 percent of Cedar Grove High School participated in Advanced Placement (AP) testing, the school has a student to teacher ratio of 15-to-1 with 31 full-time teachers. Out of the 450 students enrolled, two percent of the population is categorized as economically disadvantaged. At Verona High School, 38 percent of students participated in AP testing. The school has a student to …

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Mehru Syed

9:37 am on Wednesday, April 24, 2013

The match scores for Cedar Grove high school are really disappointing.   more ›

Marketing Class At VHS gets Real World Presentation

Students in Verona High School Essentials of Marketing Class meet learn how marketing applies to Stryker Orthopedics.

Verona Commences New Five-Year Plan

Verona High School student Mira Braneck writes Letter to the Editor regarding Verona's five-year plan.

Verona is looking ahead to the next five years. The Verona Public Schools, at the end of the current five year plan, is in the process of writing a new Strategic Plan for the development and improvement of the district over the course of the next five years. “This plan is reflective of our growth as a district,” said Elizabeth Jewett, Director of Instructional Studies, and the Strategic Plan Internal Coordinator. Jewett, who arrived during the second year of the current Strategic Plan says that it “served as a guidepost” for the creation of the new plan, especially “for curriculum and instruction.” The past five year plan was focused on “teacher outcomes,” which was necessary to lay the groundwork for the current plan, said Jewett, which “…

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