Kearny High School continued its 20+-year tradition of community connection, hosting the annual Senior Citizen Appreciation Night at Kearny High School Wednesday, March 11. The evening brought together more than 200 local senior citizens, including several KHS alumni, and many recurring guests who look forward to the gathering every year.
The night began with a three-course dinner in the high school atrium, prepared and served by students in the high school culinary program.
Under the leadership of chef-instructors Jessica Barone, Matthew Barone and Joseph Carratura, the students managed a professional-level service experience they’d prepared for weeks. The menu featured a crispy potato croquette and penne alla cacciatora, followed by a brown butter tart with chocolate ganache and a blueberry streusel loaf.
“The event was such a great success, but it only could have happened with the help of our students,” Carratura said. “A lot of time went into the preparation, but the students really looked forward to displaying the professional talents they have worked so hard to develop.”
Following the meal, the focus shifted to the stage for a special dress-rehearsal performance of this season’s musical, “James and the Giant Peach.” This marked the first time this year performers, the school orchestra and band performed the production in front of a live audience.
Musical Theatre Academy students brought the story to life through choreography and vocals, supported by the live orchestration of the student band and orchestra.
“We were incredibly proud to witness our performers bring ‘James and the Giant Peach’ to life,” Superintendent of Schools Flora Encarnacao said. “Seeing more than 200 members of our community applaud the dedication and skill of our students was a powerful reminder of the bridge our schools build between generations. It was a great success for both our culinary and performing-arts programs.”
Learn more about the writer ...
Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.