At their regular meeting on Monday night, the Pascack Valley Regional High School District Board of Education recognized student achievements, acknowledged Tammy Molinelli’s last meeting, and listened to presentations.

From Pascack Hills, the following students were recognized as National Merit Scholar Commended Students. They earned this recognition based on their scores on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT).

• Jake Agranovich
• Trayee Jha
• Rachel Kim
• Jonathan Mathew
• Sabrina Moe
• Aditya Pokala 
• Austin Sibley
• Lara Smith

Students from Hills were also recognized for Advanced Placement (AP) scores on several exams. The following were recognized as AP Scholars, which are students that scored a three or higher on at least three AP exams.

• Gillian Barcus 
• Jordana Brief
• Dylan Cochin
• Lydia Edelshain
• Justin Glazer
• Nicole Golub
• Aditya Pokala
• Aastha Shukla
• Austin Sibley
• Grace Zak

The following students also received recognition for their AP scores, but as AP Scholars with Honor. These students scored a 3.25 average for all of their exams and earned a three or higher on at least four exams. 

• Tala Atkinson
• Trayee Jha
• Grant Linardic
• Jonathan Mathew
• Sabrina Moe

The last AP recognition is AP Scholars with Distinction. These students scored an average of a 3.5 on all their exams and earned a three or higher on at least five exams. 

• Jake Agranovich
• Cameron Schmidt 

The final student recognition acknowledged by the BOE was for the Bergen County Honors Band. From Hills, senior Ariel Sharon was accepted for percussion. He will be performing with the band in a concert on Jan. 15. 

Since this meeting was the last one for 2022, BOE president Joseph Blundo recognized the work of BOE member Tammy Molinelli. She did not run for reelection this year, and someone new will be filling her spot for the rest of the 2022-23 school year.

“[Molinelli] has been very active in all kinds of public service…she presided over three of the toughest years…thank you Tammy for your service you will be missed,” he said. 

At the beginning of the meeting, BOE members listened to different reports. BOE representative Olivia Ge and superintendent Sarah Bilotti gave their monthly reports, and committee reports were given for Finance, Facilities, and Health and Wellness. 

Bilotti’s report discussed the Dream’s Grant Program, which is aimed to help with student wellness and the Child Study Team. This tied to the Health and Wellness report, which focused on the Wellness Center at both schools and how students and staff have access to use it. 

The Finance Committee mainly discussed the district audit, according to member James Stankus. A presentation of the annual audit was given later in the meeting, which showed members how much money they had and how they can use it for district projects, such as roof and auditorium renovations. 

In addition to these projects, another location that is being worked on is the girls’ locker room at Hills. According to member Michael Weaver, the Facilities Committee is still working with the district architect to “see options and tie them to costs.” 

The final presentation that the BOE listened to was given by Barry Bachenheimer, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. He shared the results of this year’s Start Strong Test, which is an assessment that was given to students at the end of September. 

According to Bachenheimer, this year’s scores were higher than last year’s, and he expects them to increase every year. The test is “designed to give [the district] information to help adjust for students who may have had some learning loss over the summer,” but he said that those who may have needed extra help were given it at the start of school, not just after the test results came back.