On Sunday, October 24, 2010, the Gloucester County Institute of Technology held the 2^nd Annual Out of The Darkness Walk for Suicide Awareness and Prevention.  Four hundred and eighty-one people walked in memory of a loved one lost to suicide and $17,000 was raised for education and research.

Thank you to those who volunteered and participated to help make this event a success.  To see photos from the event, click here...

On November 10, 2010, the GCIT SkillsUSA Chapter elected its 2010-2011 Officer Team. President: Adara Wright, Vice President: Alex Cavaliere, Secretary: Taylor Heaney, Treasurer: Kasandra Sigmund. 

The team has already met with New Jersey SkillsUSA State Director, Mr. Peter Carey to plan upcoming leadership events for the year. 

The Admissions Department will hold their final two Parent-Student Information Sessions this January. We will open our doors for prospective 8th grade students and their parents to learn about our programs, meet our staff, and explore our state-of-the-art facilities.

Explore your options at our Information Sessions:
Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 10:00am
Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 6:00pm

Girls Circle 

Girls Circle is a female-specific support group that meets after school at GCIT for eight week cycles. SBYS is currently recruiting for the next group, which will begin January 2011.

The goal of the group is to enhance self-esteem, learn about healthy choices and relationships, and to explore female-specific issues in a safe and confidential environment. If you are interested in joining our next group, please contact Ms. Fornes-Howey or Ms. Glazer in the SBYS office.

Show Us Your Grades 

Once again, GCIT is partnering with Jack Frost/Big Boulder ski areas to bring the "Show Us Your Grades" program to GCIT.

Any student who achieves Honor Roll or Principal's List for the first marking period will receive a free Snow Pass valid all winter long to either ski area. This pass is good for one day of skiing or snowboarding. Passes will be distributed once we receive them.

For more information regarding Jack Frost/Big Boulder, please click here to visit their site...

Secret Santa Workshop

SBYS is currently hosting our Secret Santa Workshop. There are many gift items for adults, teens and young children. Any student who would like to choose a gift for a family member or loved one may do so in the privacy of the workshop. There is no fee to participate. For more information please contact a member of the SBYS staff.

School Based Youth Services 
SBYS is a counseling agency set up in GCIT. Counselors are on staff to assist with any issue that someone might want to explore in the confidence of a trained professional.

Services are open to Gloucester County high school students.

Hours
Monday - Thursday  
8am - 8pm
Friday
8am - 3pm

For more information, visit the SBYS web page or call Kim Glazer, Director of SBYS, at 856-468-1445 X 2691.

The Branch
The Branch is a teen drop-in group held every Thursday at GCIT when school is in session. It is open to all Gloucester County high school teenagers. The group is for teens, facilitated by trained teen leaders with adult staff present.

Topics of discussion include communication skills, enhancing self-esteem, drug and alcohol education, stress reduction and more. The group meets in the Media Center, 2nd floor of the 100 wing. Sessions will begin promptly at 3:30pm and end at 5:00pm. For more information, please contact a SBYS counselor.

Crabfest a Huge Success

Written by Blaise Colamarino and Ryan Lee, Culinary Arts students

On Friday, November 12, 2010, GCIT held its second annual Deadliest Crab Fest. This is a very exciting night for everyone involved. The planning for the dinner begins months in advance, although crunch time is the day of the event.   The students that were helping with the event stayed after school and immediately went to work. We set up the tables, decorated the dining area, and prepped the food for dinner service.  While some students were doing this, others were setting up for the basket auction which began at 5:30 pm.  Dinner service began at 6:30 pm and although it was definitely a time for fun, it was nerve racking too. Students had varying roles such as a waitress or waiter, or working the back of the house plating the food.

To read the rest of this story, please click here...

Challenge Day
Written by BreAnn Burness, Marquis Cooper, and Alexis Favretto

Have you ever thought of what it feels like to walk in someone else's shoes or wondered if anyone else could have the same problems as you?  Many members of the student body at GCIT did ask these questions, but we kept them to ourselves.  When many of us were asked to participate in Challenge Day we asked some more questions.  This time, however, we asked them to each other.  "What's the purpose of Challenge Day?" and "Do you know anything about Challenge Day?" were a few of them.   

To read the rest of this story, please click here...

Grounds for Sulpture
Written by Ashley Fischer and Nicole Ireland

On October 27, 2010, School Based Youth Services sponsored a trip to Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ.  Approximately twenty students had the opportunity to participate in this event.

Grounds for Sculpture is a thirty-five acre sculpture garden with ponds, walkways, and sculptures.  They are constantly growing and changing their displays. 

To read the rest of this story, please click here...

Seniors: Alyssa Engstrom, Brooke Favinger, Deanna Wheeler, Stephanie Lukas, and Emily Holland

2010-2011 Girls Soccer Team

2009-2010 Girls Softball Team Earns Honors

The varsity softball team was named to the 2009-2010 Girls Got Game/National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Academic Team. GCIT's unweighted team Grade Point Average (GPA) was 3.53. This team GPA earned the Lady Cheetahs a ranking of thirty-four (34) nationally.

The following varsity players were named to the 2009-2010 Girls Got Game/NFCA Scholar Athletes:

The Junior Drama class performed Steel Magnolia's by Robert Harling for their showcase this year.  The students performed November 16 to 19, 2010. Not only did they perform to show their talents, but they turned it into a service learning project. Students wanted to highlight the relevance of the show in today's world. 

The main character, Shelby, was a sassy southern woman who struggled her whole life with diabetes.  The junior class researched the number of people dealing with diabetes today and wanted to find a way to spread awareness.  These students wanted to perform, incorporate it into their curriculum, and found a way to donate to research efforts.

The Junior Drama class, the Cosmetology program, the Allied Health program, and the local salons joined in the efforts to create awareness.  The Allied Health program developed lesson plans on how to identify the warning signs of diabetes and created posters for displaying the nights of the show in order to educate the audience about the condition.  Our Cosmetology program and local salons created baskets for an auction to raise money for the City of Hope Cancer and Diabetes Research. 

In total, the Junior Drama class, with support of the other departments, raised over $400 for the City of Hope.  They took a wonderful play and brought it to life, not only on stage but in the classroom and research.

The New Image Salon

The Salon is now open for business for the 2010-2011 school year. It is located on the GCIT campus in the 100 Wing and offers a full range of services at affordable prices.  All services are performed by junior and senior cosmetology students, under the supervision of an instructor.

To view a price list of services, click here.  To schedule an appointment, please call 856-468-1445 X 2875.

9th Grade Transportation

Students have been learning welding fundamentals, starting with basic welding safety and Oxyfuel torch fundamentals. Since that point, they learned about plasma arc cutting and Mig welding principles. The students also have been working on related projects in the shop area. They are required to demonstrate their knowledge of the equipment and explain the safety/procedures for each task.

12th Grade Restoration

The class has been learning about automotive systems which starts with electrical system fundamentals and their diagnosis. The students also have been learning about reading and analyzing wiring diagrams. Some of the shop activities require the students to read a diagram and use it to troubleshoot on car problems. We will be moving on to each of the main automotive systems over the next few months.