2019 Summer Reading List
This was the third consecutive year Columbia High School participated in the New Jersey State Teen Arts Festival on May 30th, 2019 at Ocean County College.
South Orange Maplewood Schools was the only district from Essex County participating in the New Jersey Teen Arts Festival for the 3 year in a row. Sixteen CHS Visual Art and Photography students had work on display at the festival from May 29th to May 31st. These students are, Christopher Lopez, Desiree Hume, Elliot Dix, Freya Zaccerelli, Iman Zubieta, Jesser Pilato, Jorden Fastov, Laura Rafolo, Lucia Garritano, Miriam Sorkin, Naomi McMechen, Rowan Slater, Shakeelah Gilkes, Tayor Goodson.
In addition, Iman Zubieta, Josie Lally, Eliot Dix and Rowan Slater were selected to be part of the 2019- 2020 NJ State Teen Arts Touring Exhibition.
District involvement in the annual New Jersey Teen Arts Festival was initiated and led by Fine Arts Supervisor James A. Manno who secured participation by coordinating efforts with festival director and by providing student product entries via a digital adjudication process.
Special thanks to this year’s participating teachers Jon Fisher (Photography), Karen Murphy (Visual Art), Nicole Thomas (Visual Art), Alexandra Cappucci (Visual Art).
The 2019 Columbia High School “Hall of Fame” Induction Ceremony will take place on Wed., 6/5 in the CHS Auditorium in two assembly programs from 9:13-10:13 am and 10:17-11:17 am. This year’s inductees are Bisa Butler and Ibtihaj Muhammad.
As many residents of the South Orange-Maplewood community are aware, Columbia High School is a special place! Many CHS graduates have gone on, and continue to go on to do great things in the world – from doctors, to lawyers, to activists, actors, athletes, artists, musicians, producers, designers, the list goes on!
In the mid-1980’s, the CHS “Hall of Fame” Committee was established as part of Student Council, to recognize the vast accomplishments of its graduates. In 1985, the Hall of Fame inducted its first two alumni – Senior U.S. Circuit Judge, Amalya Kearse, and world renown actor, Roy Schneider. Since then, every year, the committee has inducted anywhere from 1-4 former students who had demonstrated academic excellence during their time at CHS, and have gone on to influence the world around them in positively meaningful ways.
On Wed., 6/5, we will induct two more alumni, whom you may know, who have gone on to do great things in South Orange, Maplewood, and beyond!
This special event is open to all CHS students, faculty, staff, and members of the Board of Education. The 2019 CHS Hall of Fame inductees’ names will be made known to CHS students, faculty, staff, and the public the day before the event on Tue., 6/4.
Columbia High School
17 Parker, Avenue, Maplewood, NJ
Tickets on Sale: $10, $12, $18
For more information contact Mrs. Point-Du-Jour (973) 762-5600 Ext. 1066
May 3, 2019 – On Thursday, May 2, 2019, United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) delegates visited Columbia High School to speak about the 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages as declared by the United Nations. This event was one of the first held outside of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization‘s (UNESCO) auspices on the International Year of Indigenous Languages, and is the first side event held at a high school.
Indigenous peoples from North America and West Africa were represented at the Indigenous Peoples Celebration at CHS, which Mariam Wallet Aboubakrine, former Chair of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and Co-Founder of Tin Hinan Canada, recognized to be on historic indigenous (Lenni Lenape) territory.
In addition to Dr. Aboubakrine, Kenneth Deer, Secretary of the Mohawk Nation at Kahnawake Haudenosaunee, Joe Deom, External Relations Committee and Sub Chief of the Mohawk Nation at Kahnawake Haudenosaunee, and Saoudata Wallet Aboubakrine, Founder/President of Tin Hinan Sahel also spoke to the audience of CHS students, MAPSO community members, and visitors from neighboring towns. The event was also attended by several other UN delegates, notably Tiffany Ente-Jordan, a Resource Person of Tin Hinan.
Both Dr. Aboubrakine and Dr. Deer, along with their colleagues, are leading experts on indigenous issues in the world. In their presentations, they recognized the need for youth to learn about indigenous issues and to realize their importance to global issues, such as globalization and climate change. Dr. Deer noted the urgency of the need to address the disappearance of indigenous languages, claiming that an indigenous language dies out every month, and with the death of every elder, a few words with cultural and historical significance also die out.
CHS students also had the opportunity to learn about Tuareg fashion and games used to spread messages of peace. The Tuareg people are a pastoralist people from the Central Sahara in Northwestern Africa. CHS students dressed in clothes made by Tin Hinan for the 2019 third edition of the “Festival Vivre Ensemble Tombuktu“ in Timbuktu, Mali, which carry messages about the right to education for girls, violence against girls and women, the right to peace, and the International Year of Indigenous Languages.
This event was organized by the Indigenous Peoples Celebration Organizing Committee at Columbia High School. CHS senior Hikaru Hayakawa, who is the Chair of the Organizing Committee for the event, has been volunteering for Tin Hinan for three years and was a delegate to the 2017, 2018, and 2019 sessions of the UNPFII as an intern and volunteer for Tin Hinan. CHS juniors and Vice Chairs of the Organizing Committee, Jeremy Giles and Isabel Wolter, also attended the 2019 session of the UNPFII as delegates and volunteers for Tin Hinan. Along with student volunteers, Jasmine Quraishi, Maisie Conrad-Poor, and Milo Orbutz, faculty advisors, Rocio Lopez and Stephanie Rivera, they worked hard to organize the event held on May 2 with the help of Bibi Hayakawa, Randi Mandelbaum, Lisa Novemsky, CHS Principal Dr. Kalisha Morgan, CHS Athletics Director Kenneth Mullen, CHS Athletics Department Secretary Amy Singer, and the Board of Education.
The South Orange Maplewood School District, in partnership with the Achieve foundation, is proud to announce the launch of the Chromebook & Mobile Hotspot Loaner program at Columbia High School. CHS students with limited access to technology at home may borrow a managed mobile hotspots and/or Chromebook from the CHS library. Many projects and assignments require the use of the internet, making it important to ensure students in need have access outside the classroom. Students can check out a hotspot device and / or Chromebook for up to one marking period. Interested students should contact the CHS library or guidance office staff for more information.