Northern Highlands Education Association

08/25/2026

Our Boomerang Project Student Ambassadors participated in their summer retreat on Sunday & Monday at YMCA Camp Fairview Lake in Newton, NJ. The 72 ambassadors developed leadership skills, deepened partner relationships and learned how to run the annual freshmen orientation that is taking place next Monday, 8/31. During free time the students were able to enjoy some of the camp activities including boating, beach volleyball, archery, hatchet throwing, low ropes challenges and more! The group also capped off their first night of training with a campfire and s’mores! We thank our Boomerang advisors: Mr. Beatty, Ms. Collova, Mrs. Howe, Mr. Norrell, Ms. Pagan, and Mr. Schemly for working with the students to prepare them for the year ahead and taking time during the summer to ensure that these students are ready to welcome our incoming Class of 2030!

We hope all our incoming freshmen at Northern Highlands Regional High School are excited for orientation at 9 am next Monday!! We can’t wait to see you there and help you embark on a successful NH journey!!

08/21/2026

We are so happy that Science Teacher Traci Vogel was recognized as the “Nicholas Markets Fresh Grocer Amazing Teacher” for August! Our students and staff are so lucky to have Ms. Vogel as one of our educators because she cares so deeply about the connection students have with her course and makes sure to connect each topic with their lives. Traci spends countless hours redesigning and enhancing her courses each year and makes sure that her love for biology and the connections she builds with her students is engrained in everything she does. Congratulations Ms. Vogel on the well deserved recognition for your years of hard work and dedication!

Read the full story here: https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/education/2026/08/19/meet-augusts-nicholas-markets-fresh-grocer-amazing-teacher-winner/91337934007/

07/01/2026

Enjoy this trip down memory lane of great athletes from NH! njersy.co/4wf3Ho0

Check out photos of Northern Highlands' best high school athletes of the last 20 years. See link below ⬇️

📸 KEVIN R. WEXLER / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

06/27/2026

While summer may just be beginning, our teachers never stop expanding their knowledge of the classes that they teach! Mr. Beatty and his wife took a trip to NYC today to check out the “Mind of a Serial Killer: The Experience” Pop-Up in Manhattan. Mr. Beatty, our forensics teacher, had the opportunity to explore the physical archives, timelines, and case files of 20+ notorious serial killers like Dahmer, Bundy, Gein, BTK, and more! He was able to see first hand the recreated scenes of many of these grisly cases and learn to differentiate fact from fiction regarding cases that he often is asked about in class. Meticulously recreated physical sets, detailed replicas, and historical relics of famous cases, allows those in attendance to examine the physical spaces exactly as the first detectives found them. Mr. Beatty was able to trace decades of criminal history from the early 1900s to today’s most infamous cases. He said If you’re into true crime, criminal investigations or you are a former Forensics or SUPA Forensics student, you definitely should check it out! Originally set to close soon, they informed him today that they should be around until November!

06/24/2026

Class of 2026!

06/23/2026

Putting the final nail in the school year today with the last day of final exams for our Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors followed by graduation practice for our Seniors! Pictured are some of Mr. Heissler’s woodworking students with their annual Adirondack Chair final projects! We hope these students and their families have found a nice place for their chairs for this summer and beyond to enjoy some much needed relaxation. We also hope that every time these chairs are used they inspire reflection on the year and the great hands on lessons these students learned from Mr. Heissler!

06/20/2026

Mr. Meizys mailed 100 letters written by his AP Government students to their Congressmen and Senators, lobbying them with the information they learned from the class. We love that Mr. Meizys enhanced his student learning behind the AP exam by ensuring they would become active contributors of society and the government process! Pictured is Mr. Meizys with department supervisor Mrs. Schumacher.

06/18/2026

A few weeks ago, our Gender & Sexuality Alliance threw our third annual PRIDE DAY! They decorated the lobby with balloon bouquets to celebrate 10 different gender and sexual identities, hosted a bake sale at lunch and after school, distributed (and ran out of!!) temporary Pride tattoos, played music that featured Q***r artists, and invited everyone to support the LGBTQ+ community through wearing pins, GSA apparel, and Pride colors. Once again, the support received from both students and staff was inspiring. Some of the loudest and most supportive students and staff were in fact the allies who were buying cupcakes, wearing tutus, and plastering sparkly tattoos on their faces.

Thank you to Gifted Favors for donating the beautiful and delicious cookies for the club to sell as our primary fundraiser. They were able to cover the cost of hosting this event for this year and next year, as well as make a generous donation to the HiTOPS organization on behalf of the NHRHS GSA.
Thank you to everyone at NH who helps those of the LGBTQ+ community breathe a little easier.

Happy Pride Month! 🏳️‍🌈

06/17/2026

Today, on our last full day of school, we want to celebrate four extraordinary members of the Northern Highlands family as they begin their well-earned retirements: Tom Walsh, Al Mugno, Andrea Pascale, and Elizabeth Duch. ❤️🖤

Collectively, they have dedicated more than a century of service to education, inspiring thousands of students through their passion, expertise, leadership, and unwavering commitment to our community. From classrooms and athletic fields to internships, engineering labs, yearbooks signed, clubs advised, science labs performed, meals cooked, and beyond, each has left an indelible mark on Northern Highlands.

Tom brought endless energy, mentorship, and school spirit. Al built a nationally respected engineering program while inspiring generations of future innovators. Andrea devoted decades to teaching science and supporting students both inside and outside the classroom. Elizabeth shared her creativity, resilience, and compassion, making Highlands a true family for both her students and loved ones.

While their daily presence will be deeply missed, their impact will continue to be felt for years to come through the countless lives they have touched.

Please join us in congratulating Tom, Al, Andrea, and Elizabeth on their retirements and thanking them for their incredible service to Northern Highlands. Wishing each of you happiness, adventure, relaxation, and all the best in this next chapter!

06/13/2026

On Wednesday, Mr. Mugno’s Honors Engineering students participated in the 11th Annual Boat Regatta at Crestwood Lake. This event began in 2011 with a dream and an idea that was wonderfully supported by the administration. This spectacular project that 23 students have been working on since mid-March, included many amazing parts to bring the whole school and alumni community together! Congratulations on a successful last Regatta Mr. Mugno, that was complete with Mugno Weather for a beautiful day!

Event Highlights Included:

The Races: Twelve custom-built boats competing across six thrilling races.

National Anthem: Sung by Mr. Ciaran Sheehan, the acclaimed actor and Tony Award winner who played the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera. Included with the National Anthem was 5 members of our sign language courses signing the anthem.

Wildlife Experience: Attendees met Gryphon, an American Bald Eagle Ambassador (one of only about a dozen trained for public events in the USA), along with three other majestic raptors. Guests could view them, learn about their species, and take photos!

Historic Cannon Blasts: “Thundering Barbara,” a Revolutionary War cannon, showcased her loud and proud history by blasting off multiple times throughout the day.

Final Top 3 Finishers:
1. Edmund Fitzgerald Boat* (New Course Record!)
2. The Coral Boat
3. The Michael Jackson Boat

Mr. Mugno, with just 8 days left before retirement, is thanked for his vision, dedication, and leadership in building the NH Regatta into the extraordinary community tradition that it has become. Mr. Mugno’s impact on Northern Highlands will be felt for many years to come.

Here is a link to the regatta livestream for those of you that missed it!

https://www.youtube.com/live/4JPZqySbE18?si=j77GCQDxeFCWPkdp

Additional special thanks to The Bergen Record/NorthJersey.com for covering this special event:
https://tinyurl.com/59j66hek