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Students Debate Global Issues at Model UN ConferenceBy Aanya Tandon, Ahana Garg, Madeline Hosein, & Maahira Mehta (Issue 3)Waterfront Students Shine at STEM Showcase By Maahira Mehta (Issue 4)Upper Elementary and Middle School students Aanya Tandon, Ahana Garg, Aiden Bravo, Amara Garg, Durga Ramkumar, Ethan Bravo, Maahira Mehta, Madeline Hosein, Mishka Tandon, Nicholas Lee, Osaretin Bazuaye, Tymoteusz Suchecki, Victoria Elikishvili, and Zoe Silverberg participated in the Hudson County STEM Showcase, an event displaying numerous STEM projects from schools in the county. Held at the Liberty Science Center on Monday, March 2nd, the STEM showcase consisted of 542 participants and 274 judges. Waterfront students presented the projects they had diligently worked on for the school-wide STEM fair (see Issue 2) to esteemed science professionals serving as judges. The showcase began with students presenting their projects in a fair-esque manner to judges walking around. Each project underwent at least three rounds of evaluation by judges with relevant expertise in the project areas.The top 10% of students with exceptionally high scores were invited to attend the Hudson County Awards Ceremony on March 23rd. The ceremony lasted two hours and awarded certificates and trophies in various categories such as Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Specialized prizes, including mini-grants to pursue research and scholarships to the Liberty Science Center summer camp, were given to recipients in both the Junior and Senior categories. This year, Ahana Garg and Maahira Mehta were selected to participate in the awards ceremony. Their project, focused on generating clean electricity for Jersey City using wind turbines, won the Bronze Award in the Junior Division. “The Hudson County STEM Showcase has been a great addition to the STEM program at Waterfront Schools,” said Dr. Camille Anderson, who assisted students through the STEM process.WATERFRONTwaveTHEA C O M P I L A T I O NO FBYA R T I CLE SM E H T AM A A H I R Ahis committee to present their conclusions during the closing ceremony. “Being voted as a closing bureau representative was a very fun experience, especially since it was my first conference,” said Nicholas. In addition to solving problems in committee, delegates enjoyed the other events at the conference. These events included watching cultural performances by other schools, which varied from the Cotton Eyed Joe dance to a fusion Chinese dance. Additionally, the Waterfront students, along with fellow delegates, attended Celebration Night, a party held to honor their success. They also enjoyed music by artist AY Young, who bases his songs on the UN sustainability goals and donates the proceeds from his music to help developing countries. Additionally, during the closing ceremony, Waterfront Montessori was one of the 29 schools that received recognition for being a legacy school, awarded to schools that have participated for more than 10 years. The school received a plaque to commemorate this achievement. The plaque is proudly displayed in the Middle School classroom. The students who participated said it was “an unforgettable experience” that they would remember forever, and the seventh graders cannot wait to go again next year!From February 18th to the 22nd, seventh- and eighth-grade students Aanya Tandon, Ahana Garg, Aiden Bravo, Claire Murillo, Kashika Jain, Maahira Mehta, Madeline Hosein, and Nicholas Lee traveled to New York City to participate in the Montessori Model United Nations (MMUN) conference. The participants stayed at the Marriott Marquis, where the conference was held, and visited the United Nations (UN) headquarters for the opening ceremony. MMUN was created as a way to channel Maria Montessori’s learning philosophies into global problem-solving. By having students engage in global issues, they bring new perspectives and develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration skills through the experience. Our students took on the role of UN delegates from the Republic of Slovenia and wrote position papers to represent their stances on international problems such as the ethics of human genome editing, promoting democracy through education, and human rights’ relation to climate change. They presented opening speeches based on their country's stance on the global issue being discussed. Additionally, they created a trifold with information on the Republic of Slovenia in order to spread the word to other delegates. The trifolds were displayed around the hotel throughout the duration of the conference, so they could be viewed by all participants. The Waterfront delegates worked tirelessly with their peers at the conference in search of solutions to propel our world towards a better future. They were recognized for their hard work when Nicholas Lee, a solo delegate, who was part of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), was selected by the other delegates inPhoto Credit: Shawn Crawford
By Maahira Mehta (Issue 8)A New Chapter Begins for Waterfront GraduatesOn June 13th, the school community was welcomed at Liberty House to celebrate the Waterfront Schools eighth-grade graduation! Held annually, the classy graduation ceremony is organized by Ms. Gina Hemenes, who planned all aspects of the event, from the venue to the menu. Guests were welcomed at 10:00 am, and attendees admired the beautiful scenery of Liberty State Park from the Liberty House lawn. Families and staff enjoyed the venue and refreshments while students had fun outside. Then, at around 11:00 am, guests took their seats on the lawn and the formal graduation ceremony began. Ms. Alex Major, Upper Elementary teacher, gave a welcoming speech for all attendees. After this, Keyan Omran, a kindergarten student, was invited up and celebrated for moving up to first grade. Next, Mr. Zach Makowski, Upper Elementary teacher, delivered a speech wishing the graduating class the best of luck in the future and reflecting on each of their individual impacts on the Waterfront community. Following an introduction by Mr. Shawn Crawford, Associate Head of School and Middle School teacher, the graduates presented their graduation speeches, highlighting their accomplishments and time at Waterfront. “I have been waiting to give my graduation speech since I first attended the gala,” said Ahana Garg, part of the graduating class. “And now, after finally being here, it’s everything I thought it would be!” Lastly, Ms. Christina Park, Co-Owner of the Waterfront Schools, concluded the ceremony with a closing speech acknowledging each of the graduates and their year at Waterfront. After the formal graduation, guests and the graduates were invited inside the private event space for a delicious brunch featuring a live omelet station, a parfait bar, fruits, pastries, French toast, and much more! Adults and children were also invited to dance, and all guests, including teachers, had tons of fun dancing to popular songs until the end of the event at 1:00 pm. Invitees also loved taking pictures in the photo booth with fun picture props! “My favorite part of graduation was hanging out with my friends, dancing, and taking photos in the photo booth,” said Zoe Silverberg, graduation attendee. “I had a lot of fun graduating with all my friends,” said Madeline Hosein, eighth grader. “It was a wonderful experience.” All students and parents greatly enjoyed the graduation ceremony, and it was a wonderful way to acknowledge students’ accomplishments and how far they had come!From Students to Stars!By Maahira Mehta (Issue 6)During the first week in May, Primary 1 and Primary 3 put on the play, Journey of the Planets based on the children’s book Planets: A Solar System Stickerbook! The play followed a journey through the solar system, woven with songs and poems about the planets, and was held in the Lower School Multipurpose room. The script was written and directed by Ms. Nanuli Elikishvili, the Primary 1 Lead teacher. She was supported by Ms. Cristina Weisman, the music and theater teacher, who offered feedback and ran sound cues. Primary teachers, Ms. Abby Salazar, Ms. Lia Dignam, Ms. Janani Raman, and Ms. Sharon Jnobaptiste, helped out offstage by cuing the students and keeping everything organized. The students began preparing for this play in early April and did a remarkable job in just a few short weeks. The Primary 1 show was held on May 6th, and Primary 3 performed on May 7th, both to a full house. Most Pre-K 3 and 4 students acted as stars and comets, while the kindergarten and some Pre-K students acted as the planets. “I liked singing,” said Edith Jones, a kindergarten student.Layout by Maahira Mehta Content by Maahira Mehta & othersPhoto Credit: Maahira MehtaPhoto Credit: Alex MajorBy Maahira Mehta (Issue 6)Little RipplesKnuffle Bunny Mo Willems 2+Dive Into Great ReadsFollow Trixie, a two-year-old girl, on her trip to the laundromat where she misplaces her beloved stuffed bunny, Knuffle Bunny. Filled with a mix of illustrations and photographs, this relatable book is perfect for fans of the Elephant and Piggie series.living on a farm as they battle their farmer for electric blankets by writing messages with a typewriter! This lively read with distinct characters makes it an easy-to-follow story perfect for younger kids.Click, Clack, Moo Doreen Cronin 3+Little RipplesBy Maahira Mehta (Issue 1)This hilarious picture book follows cows
Every year, The Waterfront Schools hosts a STEM fair where students from kindergarten to eighth grade utilize the scientific process to dive deep into a topic of interest. STEM teacher Mr. Zach Makowski and science teacher Dr. Camille Anderson guided and supported the students over many months. Students spent time developing a project, conducting research, collecting data, creating a presentation, and more! “STEM Fair is an opportunity for our students to explore STEM passions,” says Mr. Zach. “They learn through the process of scientific experiment and design.” The 2026 STEM Fair was held on the evening of Thursday, January 29, and took place in the Upper School classrooms. On the day of the STEM Fair, students set up trifold boards across their classrooms and presented their projects to staff, friends, and family! The Kindergarten portion of the STEM Fair was inspired by simple machines. Students explored many kinds of simple machines and combined them to make more complex machinery, like a crane with a pulley and cars with wheels and axles. These projects were constructed out of Legos and displayed in the Lower Elementary classrooms. “I like the Legos,” said Jia Dhudia, a kindergarten student who created a swing project. In Lower Elementary, the class’s projects were based on light. All students chose an exciting project based on the different aspects of light, such as color mixing, reflection, refraction, and transmission. The children researched and experimented with different aspects of light. “It’s fun to explain to people what your project is about,” said first-grade student Shloka Ramkumar, who explored refraction. The Upper Elementary STEM fair projects ranged from a wide variety of topics, from Around the World in a Pickle to a Portable Solar Oven. Each Upper El pair worked on their project and tri-fold presentation together since the beginning of January, and set up their classroom like a gallery walk, where visitors and parents could move to each project at their own pace. Additional groups featured projects on Melting Ice, Natural Fertilizer, Liquid Plant Growth, and Cleaning with Oysters. “Making the pickles was really cool,” said 4th grader Hazel Hosein, who created Around the World in a Pickle with Yash Dange. “I can’t wait for next year!” The Middle School portion of the STEM fair had projects that explored complex topics by utilizing research, design, and critical thinking skills. There was a wide variety of projects, such as Eco Plastic, Emergency Signage Systems in Schools, Wind Power: Creating a Sustainable City, Seaweed Solution: Saving Our Environment, The Evolution of Boats, Dopamine, Surface Tension, and Next-Generation Resin Boats. “The STEM fair is a really immersive experience, including tons of projects that one could explore, research, and study,” said Nicholas Lee, a seventh-grade student. “We explored sunken ships to spread awareness about the dangers of the ocean.” The STEM fair projects become increasingly more complex and difficult as the students have a deeper understanding, but students always enjoy the opportunity to explore their passions. After the Waterfront STEM Fair, several of the UE and MS students are participating in the Hudson County STEM Showcase, the county’s largest STEM fair. “I am so excited to have the opportunity to attend the Hudson County STEM Fair, because I’m really passionate about STEM,” said 8th- grade student Ahana Garg. “I can’t wait to explore my topic even more!” The fair takes place on March 2nd at Liberty Science Center. We hope to share news on how students did in our next issue.From Ideas to Innovation: STEM Fair 2026I had this one good friend who was a year younger than me, but last year, we grew apart. We didn’t have anything in common, and last year, they did something I never forgave them for. I still feel bad about how I handled it, and now all of our interactions are really tense. I don’t want to be friends again because we were never a good fit, but I don’t want the tension to continue. What can I do? Sincerely, Undecided Dear Undecided, You’ve taken the right first step: identifying what you want to fix. The best thing to do is to talk to your old friend to clear the air so you can feel comfortable interacting and engaging with them. Even if you don’t want to become friends again, it’s always good to talk things out because it's a healthy way to clear the air. If you don’t feel comfortable approaching this issue head- on, you can always ask a trusted adult (like a teacher) to help mediate your conversation. Your old friend may be feeling the same way or not even notice the tension. Either way, it’s important to hear all sides of the story calmly and respectfully. Just keep swimming, Marina Dear Marina,By Maahira Mehta, Aanya Tandon, & Amara Garg (Issue 2)Photo Credit: Alex MajorPhoto Credit: Alex MajorIn late May, Primary 1 and Primary 3 received caterpillars and observed their growth into beautiful butterflies! Insect Lore suppl
On Earth Day, April 22nd, Middle School and Upper Elementary spent the day immersed in nature at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum located in Morristown, New Jersey. Students enjoyed the expansive 127-acre grounds of the botanical garden, filled with notable springtime flowers and plants, as a way to “tie in with the botany curriculum of our school and highlight native plants in our region,” said Ms. Alex Major, Upper Elementary teacher who organized the field trip and coordinated this unique experience with Earth Day. Upon arrival, the Upper Elementary (UE) and Middle School (MS) classrooms split for two different activities. MS students were guided through planting Vicks plants into individual pots to take home while learning about plant anatomy. Simultaneously, UE embarked on a guided nature walk around the property with a botany specialist from the Arboretum, who taught them about the plants, flowers, and trees growing in the park. Then the classes swapped, and MS students did the nature walk, while UE students were given the planting opportunity. After the morning activities, the students had lunch and then took a stroll through the grounds again to explore further.By Maahira Mehta (Issue 5)Students Celebrate Earth Day!Meet the Wave MakersBy Maahira Mehta (Issue 1)The Journalism Club is a new after-school activity that gives students the opportunity to become real reporters. The club publishes a newspaper titled The Waterfront Wave every three weeks. Open to students in grades 4-8, the club has generated lots of excitement for students to share their stories with the larger Waterfront community. Run by Upper Elementary teacher Ms. Alex Major, each issue of The Waterfront Wave will be full of stories from around the school community and the whole world, an advice column called Dear Marina, and an entertainment section that will vary with each paper. Current club members are Aanya Tandon, Ahana Garg, Amara Garg, Birdie Krallman, Durga Ramkumar, Maahira Mehta, Madeline Hosein, and Mishka Tandon. Creating a newspaper is certainly a difficult task, but the members of the Journalism Club are ready to take on the challenge. “Journalism Club is a place for me to get things I care about out into the world,” said Journalism Club member Amara Garg. “This opportunity makes me feel so valued in this community, and it really shows me how powerful my words can be.” Interested in joining or curious to learn more? Reach out to any of the club members or parents@waterfrontmontessori.com.As Krish Dange, an Upper Elementary student, put it, “The Arboretum was fun because I got to explore and I learned about a variety of different and interesting plants.”By Amara Garg & Maahira Mehta (Issue 7)Students Explore ButterfliesDuring the month of May, students from Upper Elementary and Lower Elementary got butterflies; Lower School students eagerly awaited theirs! The butterflies began as caterpillars from the company Insect Lore, and the students watched them grow into beautiful butterflies. The caterpillars began in a small jar with enough crushed-up malva leaves, caterpillar food, to last them until they were in their chrysalises. Then, teachers moved the chrysalises to a large netted container with enough room for the butterflies to fly around. Soon, the butterflies emerged! While Lower School students awaited caterpillars, they began observing their life cycle and exploring the world of butterflies. They started on various butterfly activities in preparation for the arthropods. The Lower School students are expecting them any day now and are thrilled for this unique opportunity! The Lower Elementary students were also sent caterpillars. The students made many observations every few days, showing how the butterflies grew throughout the days. They drew pictures above their notes and colored them in. This was an amazing experience for students to learn everything about butterflies. Upper Elementary students also received butterflies, and they went deeper into their studies. They did detailed observations on things such as size, movement, and environment. The students were learning about arthropods and insects, and continued their studies further when the butterflies emerged. “They turned into butterflies, then we released them,” says Skarlette Bravo, an Upper Elementary student who enjoyed watching and learning about butterflies. The students had a great time and can’t wait to do it again next year!Photo Credit: Radhika TandonPhoto Credit: Waterfront TeachersOn April 28th, families with students in grades 3 through 8 were invited to a seminar that discussed the high school admissions process and what to expect. This event provided an overview of the application process and answered questions from curious families. The evening was led by Mr. Kevin Harrigan, Managing Partner, who had recently gone through the admissions process as a parent and presented a general overview of what to expect. Then, a panel consisting of parents, alumni,