Ms. Soraia Mendes
Vice Principal of Humanities
SMendes@nullnps.k12.nj.us
The Humanities Department of Technology High School includes English Language Arts, Social Studies, and World Languages. Instructors in these three disciplines strive to expose our students to a variety of learning experiences designed to prepare them to function successfully in the 21st century’s global community, a community defined by linguistic and cultural diversity, political, environmental, and economic challenges and unparalleled technological and scientific growth.
English Language Arts
The primary goal of the English Language Arts program is to provide students with the necessary strategies to develop their reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and research skills so that they will be able to express their ideas effectively, interpret information logically, and analyze resources critically. Along with helping students develop these specific skills, the language arts program also encourages students to appreciate and value literature from various literary periods and cultures, because through literature, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry alike, students gain a better insight into themselves and into the world around them.
The English Language Arts program at Technology High School offers a sequential course of study, beginning with English I for freshmen, followed by English II for sophomores, English III for juniors and English IV for seniors. Honors courses are available for qualified 9th and 10th grade students. In addition, students who are willing to accept an extra academic challenge can be scheduled for our two AP courses: AP Language and Composition for juniors, and AP Literature and Composition for seniors.
Recognizing that proficiency in English Language Arts, with its emphasis on reading, writing and critical thinking skills, is vital for success in today’s global community, our English language arts instructors are committed to providing interesting and demanding lessons that are differentiated to meet the needs, abilities, and interests of all our students so that they will develop to their fullest potential and ultimately lead productive, successful lives.
Social Studies
According to the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards (NJCCCS) for social studies, the mission of social studies education is to provide students with the necessary knowledge, competencies, and perspectives to become active, informed citizens and contributing members of their communities, the nation, and the world.
Living in a culturally diverse, complex, and rapidly changing world, it is imperative that our students are given the appropriate tools that will enable them to study human behavior, to critically examine issues, to synthesize information, and to evaluate varying perspectives of both past and current events that have helped shape our contemporary reality. Hopefully, equipped with these tools, students will learn to solve problems, make informed decisions, and ultimately become responsible citizens in a global society.
In an attempt to prepare our students to accomplish these goals, the social studies program at Technology High School offers the following required courses: world history and US History I, both offered as honors and general classes, and US History II which is offered as a general class. In addition to the required courses, we also offer three Advanced Placement courses, AP United States History, AP World History, when scheduled, and AP Psychology, a popular elective, offered for the first time during the 2009-2010 school year.
Incorporated in all of these courses are reading, writing, research, and critical thinking skills, skills that are so necessary for the development of well-rounded, intellectually competent young people who will one day become global citizens responsible for making our world a better place for all people.
Department Members:
Social Studies/History
- Mr. Ryan Caffrey
- Mr. Rodni Chalet
- Mr. Michael Iovino
- Mr. Ryan Sandor
- Mr. Langdon Wagner
Language Arts
- Mrs. Fay Carr
- Mrs. Jessica Henderson
- Mrs. Joanna Jedrzej Paruta
- Ms. Shagun Kukreja
- Mrs. Andrea Valerius
- Mr. Anthony Wallace