High school students who excel in both art and academics are invited to join the National Art Honor Society.
This spring, 22 students from the junior and senior classes at the Academy of the Holy Angels were eligible for induction.
Officials said AHA’s 2018 inductees are Caroline Bruder of Hoboken, Nicola Callegari of Upper Saddle River, Justine Garcia of New Milford, Kirsten Garino of Oradell, Maria Hannoush of Wyckoff, Katarina Katzarov of Clifton Jennifer Kim of Fort Lee, Ernestine Klecz of River Edge, Gabrielle Layne of Upper Saddle River, Gabriella Licini of the Township of Washington, Kerry Limberg of Mahwah, Julia Malnak of Montvale, Madison Mancha of Secaucus, Allyson Martin of Bergenfield, Kym McGowan of Clifton, Allyx Miles of Stony Point (NY), Astha Patel of Pine Brook, Emily Pintarelli of River Vale, Vanessa Quinn of River Edge, Katelyn Spinks of Stony Point (NY), Grace Velarde of Oakland, and Ji Won Yang of Edgewater.
The National Art Education Association established the National Art Honor Society in 1978 to recognize high school students who demonstrate a high level of scholarship in art and academics. NAHS also encourages good character, art education within and outside the halls of AHA, and service projects such as the Academy’s art shows.
This year, student artists from AHA received numerous honors in the regional Scholastic Art and Writing competition. Three Angels who continued on to the national competition received gold and silver medals in sculpture and photography.
The AHA Art Department includes AHA Fine Arts Chairperson Jennifer Lee, Kathryn Biskup, and Christine Wraga DeGennaro.
The art department is housed in Kelleher Hall, a former convent that underwent major renovations in 2017. The building is named in honor of Sister Genevieve Kelleher, the Academy’s longest-serving School Sister of Notre Dame. S. Genevieve was active between 1948 (when the campus was located in Fort Lee) and 2011, when she retired and moved to Connecticut. She was an honored guest at the October 2017 dedication of the building she once called home.
Founded by the School Sisters of Notre Dame in 1879, the Academy of the Holy Angels is the oldest private girls’ school in Bergen County. While AHA is steeped in Catholic tradition, this prestigious high school serves young women from a broad spectrum of cultural and religious backgrounds. Over time, thousands of women have passed through AHA’s portals. Many go on to study at some of the nation’s best universities, earning high-ranking positions in medicine, government, law, education, public service, business, arts, and athletics.
The Academy’s current leaders continue to further the SSND mission to provide each student with the tools she needs to reach the fullness of her potential—spiritually, intellectually, socially, and physically, by offering a first-rate education in a nurturing environment where equal importance is placed on academic excellence, character development, moral integrity, and service to others.