We count down the top 10 stories of 2015, as covered by The Glen Echo.

10. Students’ lockers get emptied

Although some students found these actions controversial, all of the students’ items were returned to them shortly.

9. Fitness center replaces APR room

In the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year, Glen Rock added a fitness center in the former APR room. Mainly consisting of stationary bikes, elliptical machines, and rowing machines, the fitness center has been used by sports teams and gym classes in the early parts of the 2015-2016 school year. Although expensive to furnish, this fitness center may be open to Glen Rock citizens later on to enjoy during after school hours.

8. Glen Rock adds lights to the football fields

For the first time in Glen Rock football’s history, the home team was able to play home games under the lights. The plan was approved by the Board of Education, and the lights were installed early in the team’s season. On October 9, 2015, the team played its first home night game under the lights against New Milford and celebrated with a 6-0 win. These lights are not only useful to the football team, but to all other sports teams who use the field, as well any citizens that wish to use the available field until 9 p.m.

7.  Glen Rock students to face new SAT format

The College Board announced in 2015 that the format for the SAT will be changed for the March 5, 2016 test. The changes include removing the penalty for guessing, the addition of more graphics, and questions in social studies, history, and science. The College Board hopes that this will be more relevant to the future of the students. Some students are excited for the new SAT, while others are upset that they must adapt to the new test.

6. Parcc testing replaces HSPA

Glen Rock experienced its first year of PARCC testing. This state test was a replacement for the HSPA test. Students were put into the APR room for an hour or two, where they took the test on the school computers. Although many students came to the first day of testing, others had opted-out by the final day of the PARCC, thus bringing up question about the significance of the test.

5. Full-Day Kindergarten

Throughout the 2014-2015 school year, several parents debated about having full-day kindergarten in Glen Rock. Some wanted full-day kindergarten in order to keep their work day schedule uninterrupted. This allows parents to work until three o’clock, instead of having to pick their child up halfway through the day. Others, however, argued that the extra expenses on rooms, technology, teachers, and materials outweighed the benefits that full-day kindergarten would bring. Despite the debate, the Board of Education voted to adopt full-day kindergarten to the school system for the 2015-2016 school year.

4. New late policy

When the new Vice Principal Michael Pasciuto came to Glen Rock, he brought along a new policy that disciplined students to a greater degree. This new policy included potential loss of senior privileges for those with numerous tardies. It also included a new system that allowed late students to scan their photo ID’s in order to get their late pass. So far, the policy has proved to be effective, as the number of late students in the 2015-2016 school year has decreased from past years.

3. Football team’s journey to Metlife

For the first time since 2011, the Glen Rock football team finished its season off at the biggest stage, the North 1 Group 2 State Sectional Championship. The journey included six straight wins that allowed them to win their league. As the #1 seed in the tournament, the Panther’s playoff run began with a 42-14 win over eighth-seeded Kittatinny. It followed with a miraculous 35-34 overtime win over Hawthorne, in which Schlett orchestrated a 50-yard drive with 30 seconds to tie the game. The season finished with a 38-13 loss to #2 seeded Mahwah at Metlife Stadium.

2. Search for new English teacher

Two days before Glen Rock kicked off the 2015-2016 school year, an English teacher announced his resignation. The teacher’s late decision resulted in a chaotic search for a replacement. Since the search required extensive research and interviews, the first few months included various English teachers filling the void that the teacher left. The search concluded on Dec. 7, when the school brought on Ms. Randi Metsch-Ampel to fill the vacant position.

1. Homecoming dance gets cancelled

For the first time in Glen Rock’s history, the homecoming dance was cancelled due to an insufficient amount of ticket sales. This lengthy tradition came to an unfortunate end when, on Oct. 15, only a couple days before the dance was scheduled, the school announced its cancellation. Only a few tickets had been sold. In 2013, after behavior deemed unfit occurred, administrators began discussing how to keep students safer and better-behaved during the dance. In 2014, the dance included stricter rules that possibly caused a decrease in ticket sales the following year.

Honorable Mentions: New Mandarin and Broadcast media classes, Hockey team’s successful season, Khalil Williams becomes Glen Rock’s all-time leading scorer.