Congratulations to this year's North Bergen High School's Valedictorian Vimbisai Basvi, and Salutatorian Mishael Hernandez.
Both students were awarded the honors and recognized by Dr. Solter, Superintendent of Schools.
"We are proud of all of our students in North Bergen, and we salute Vimbisai and Mishael today, while looking forward to seeing all of our seniors graduate as the Class of 2021 proudly," stated Dr. Solter.
Dr. Keshishian added, "I am privileged to be the Chair of STEM Academy, and to see 10 out of the 11 of our graduating students in the top five percent of the graduating class, with six of the top ten being STEM students."
"Bruins rise above adversity and challenges, and I am proud to be leading this school every day - and especially on a day like today," stated Richard Locricchio, Principal of North Bergen High School.
Guidance Counselors Jocelyn Marto (Mishael's counselor and STEM Academy Guidance Counselor), and Rebecca Cruz (Vimbisai's counselor) were on-hand to celebrate, and strategize about the next four weeks when most college decisions finish arriving. Mrs. Theresa Rabelo, Director of Student Personnel Services and Nursing for the North Bergen District acknowledged all of the counselors' incredible efforts and said "Our Guidance Counselors are consistently mapping out courses that students empath, and when the outcomes and hard work come together - regardless of the goal - we've created a successful experience for all of our high school students and our North Bergen community."
Rounding out the "squad" were Vice Principal Edward Somick, (leading discipline and safety efforts during the pandemic), and the Advanced Research/Experiential duo Dr. Krista Welz and Mrs. Stephanie Stern-Protz.
Krista and Stephanie told us that, "What we feel makes an enormous difference for the students in both the Academy, along with NBHS students who have participated in Advanced Research or college programs, is that they learned outside of the classroom in real university settings. This gives the students windows of insight and opportunity while they are still in high school. We feel - as Dr. Solter and Mayor Sacco first envisioned - real life learning that begins with the student at the center."