Students and teachers make good use of a four day weekend, as a result of the NJEA’s teacher convention in Atlantic City.

Over the extended weekend, students passed their time by having fun with friends, going on college visits, or vacationing. Students may think that all teachers in school were present at the convention, however, some did not attend.

Over the weekend, many students set aside all school work and made it a priority to have fun.

Brendan Geen, an athlete on the boys varsity soccer team, played his last game of the season on Friday in which the team lost to Ramsey 2-0. Brendan reminisces about his first year of varsity soccer:  “It was an awesome season, and I’m really glad that I was a part of it. I will always remember playing with the many seniors who kept our season alive.” On the bus ride home, Coach Cusack and the team talked about the great season and its key moments.

Students also kept an educational mind set for their future and went college hunting.

Ariel Shilitz, along with other numerous juniors, took advantage of the weekend by visiting colleges. She looked at Wesleyan University, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Boston University, Northeastern University, and Brandeis University.”Since this was my first of many college visits,” Ariel said, “I really enjoyed seeing the different types of schools and campuses. I learned a lot about which characteristics of schools I like and which ones I don’t like.”

Some lucky students got away from the cold temperatures and went on vacation.

Briana Garcia left Glen Rock and traveled to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic with her family. She was there for five days and four nights, where she stayed at the Hard Rock resort. “The hotel is on the beach,” she said. “So I enjoyed the chill summer breeze on the gnarly sand every day.” The resort had many different culturally-themed restaurants, of which she dined at an Asian restaurant one night, Brazilian the other, Italian the next, and Dominican the last. Briana spoke a lot of Spanish there and said it was nice to experience the culture.

Some of the teachers at Glen Rock High School were not in attendance in Atlantic City, opting to use the weekend for other endeavors.

Mr. Toncic said that he spent a lot of time editing student articles and catching up on work.  He also explained that it was nice to “relax and spend time” with his family.

Ms. Leah Wittenberg, math teacher, finally got her first chance this school year to sleep. “I enjoyed looking at the inside of my eye lids,” she said.