Humans of Cresskill

The squeak of wheels and an echo of laughter filled the hallways on Thursday, January 19th. If your teacher was lucky, they might have found the source of the sound: pushing a cart, Dr. Hughes greeted those passing by with a friendly smile, offering coffee to the teachers he encountered. This man – the one you saw at all the girls' and boys' basketball games, at Spirit Day, and popping into your class to...

Cresskill’s high school varsity soccer team had a great season this year. Captain Dylan Costa had an exceptional season scoring 12 goals and assisting 8. The team had an unfortunate loss in the quarter finals of states against Boonton, conceding a goal in the second half of overtime to end their season. This game doesn’t represent the full season with a winning record of 12-5. Dylan Costa was one...

Walking to Mrs. DeMarco’s desk, organized with colorful bins and pom poms strung across its front, Mr. Gambino’s boots left dusty footprints across the front of the room. Though he had been in the building almost every day this summer, he now seemed out of place walking into C14. Mr. Gambino hadn’t changed out of his construction books because prior to entering the Journalism Classroom; he ha...

As he prepares for school, he throws on tan khakis and a stylish button-down shirt. He reviews today’s lesson plan for his senior students, or as he calls them, his therapists (for all the voices in his head). Sir Sylvester Grrrksalot (not a r*t, but a rodent of unusual size) takes residence in his chest pocket. Walking to the door, he must choose between driving his 1994 Red Volvo Wagon or s...

As the start of another unconventional year at Cresskill begins, we welcome new faces into our community. One of these is Mr. Meier, the newest addition to our school’s history department. I talked with Mr. Meier to get an idea of what his first few weeks have been like at CHS. “Everyone has been very welcoming,” he said. “The students have been great.” This year, he has taken on the ta...

Amidst a tumultuous year consisting of a pandemic, extreme flooding, virtual classes, and multiple CHS staff positions to be filled, Ms. Taha took the position as the new Vice Principal. Entering a new school as part of the administrative staff is never easy, however, taking it on during such a chaotic time has to be a challenge. Excited to meet this new administrator playing a role in keeping Cre...

Niamh Tobin picks up her phone to see she is getting a call from her volleyball coach, Ms. Durakis. “Hey coach, what's up?” Niamh says.  “I am very happy to tell you that you have just been awarded Athlete of the Week.” When Niamh heard this she couldn’t believe it had actually happened, she had been picked to be Athlete of the Week.  Athlete of the Week is an award that is given ...

Cresskill has a history of great track and field athletes. The newest one is sophomore Danielle Tilp. Inspired by her dad, Danielle has been running for the past 9 years and even qualified for the Junior Olympics in 2015. In the 2020-2021 track and field season, Danielle has made Cresskill History. She started off strong, in her very first meet she was awarded with a black shirt in the 1600m, meaning...

Arihant Birani is a junior student attending Cresskill High School. He is noted for having an exemplary academic career across all subjects covered in his courses. “This year, my junior year, I am enrolled in five AP classes, and I decided to challenge myself, junior year, to set myself up for future success. [...] I am just trying to take more difficult classes senior year, too so I can maintain a g...

It’s safe to say that 2020 will not be a year people look back on fondly. Whether it be quarantine, losing a loved one, becoming unemployed, or simply not knowing what tomorrow will bring, everyone has struggled. For Cresskill High School's new English teacher, Ms. Izabella Sandoval, even the question of teaching in-person was unclear for many months. “When I got hired it was all still up in t...

This September, Mr. Calandrino began his first year as a physical education teacher at Cresskill High School. Longtime Cresskillians, however, know him as a familiar face. Mr. Calandrino attended Emerson High School in Emerson, New Jersey and later studied Health and Physical Education at Ithaca College. His passion was always to coach wrestling or football; however, he finds physical education an...

Every student ponders about their success in the future, wondering what they can amount to. For Mr. Carini, Cresskill’s very own Business Law teacher, his eyes were set squarely on Wall Street from the very outset. His childhood aspirations lay not only in becoming a business teacher, but also a trader.  Mr. Carini grew up in Harrington Park, attending Bergen Catholic High School in Orade...

Senior Jacqueline Lulaj made her mark on Cresskill history this past Saturday at the Cross Country Bergen County League meet. Lulaj broke the 5,000m record standing since 2016 at 20:02, surpassing it by an astounding 29 seconds and reestablishing it at 19:35. September 14 marked the start of her remarkable season with a time of 23:11. Cutting her times down consistently every race, Lulaj’s goal beca...

In room C-14, a brightly-painted mural at the back of the room, depicting a lineup of renowned literary figures (among them Shakespeare and Edgar Allen Poe), has always captured entering students. This year, though, it has competition: a neat row of crates and bookshelves piled high with glossy paperbacks. The conspicuous new addition - a miniature, well-organized library - was assembled by Ms. Taliento...