Category: News

Smoke Signal hosts ‘Life with Layla’ screening

Ellie Kim, Ava Devincenzo, and Isabella Zuluaga

November 6, 2019

(Editor's Note: This article was updated on Wednesday, Nov. 6 to include a Facebook live stream of the Q & A.) Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said that there is no doubt that “we have an opioid and heroin epidemic” in Bergen County. Musella gave an opening speech during the star...

Harvesters’ club collects donations for foster care families

Joselyn Yoo, Staff Writer

November 4, 2019

Pascack Valley’s Harvesters' club, a nondenominational club that explores Christianity, collected donations such as food, college supplies, and hygiene products for Embrella, a nonprofit organization that supports foster families and kids. According to Embrella’s website, the organization provides scholarship pro...

The Smoke Signal wins 45 awards at GSSPA Conference

Katie Mullaney, Editor in Chief

October 28, 2019

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PV Principal to retire after 18 years

Rachel Cohen and Katie Mullaney

October 25, 2019

Editor’s Note: Updates were added to this article at 10 p.m. following the Board of Education meeting on Monday, Oct. 28. District Superintendent Erik Gundersen said Tom DeMaio has been a “dedicated, thoughtful, compassionate, and motivated person” in leading Pascack Valley. “He has really accelerated what we were able to do at Pas...

PV Choir to hold annual Halloween Talent Night

Abby Shapiro, Staff Writer

October 24, 2019

The Halloween Talent Night, hosted by Pascack Valley’s Choir, will be held in the PV auditorium at 7 p.m. on Oct. 30 and consist of singing, dancing, poetry, and comedy by students and faculty. Tickets are $5 purchased in advance and $8 at the door. All proceeds from the event will go to the choir ...

Tri-M Music Honor Society to host first-ever Harvest Festival

Sarah Shapiro, Staff Writer

October 14, 2019

The Pascack Valley Tri-M Music Honor Society will be hosting its first-ever Harvest Festival in the PV lecture hall on Wednesday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. Students and members of Tri-M will be performing, prizes will be given out, and food will be available for $5 admission to the event. “We wanted...

Longtime PV coach receives Bob Hurley Award

BJ McGrane, Sports Editor

October 6, 2019

Jeff Jasper is one of the most accomplished high school coaches of all time, surpassing 1,000 wins, as well as winning six state championships and 14 sectional titles in his 46-year tenure as girls basketball coach at Pascack Valley. However, Jasper does not think his accomplishments are solely based...

Google Chrome extensions disabled on district-issued laptops

Katie Mullaney, Editor in Chief

October 1, 2019

Due to the number of students who were bypassing their laptop’s content filter or exposing their personally identifiable information, the Google Chrome extensions on the district-issued MacBooks were disabled on Sept. 26 at 10:30 a.m. for the safety and security of the students. This change was outlined...

PVRHSD to host college fair at PV

Izzy Zuluaga, Staff Editor

October 1, 2019

The Pascack Valley High School District will be hosting a college fair on Oct. 17 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m with around 180 colleges in attendance. The event will be held in the old gymnasium and new gymnasium with tables set up alphabetically with the names of each college placed on high stands. “...

Board of Education aims to promote equity within the district

Rachel Cohen, Editor in Chief

September 25, 2019

The Board of Education is focusing on educating its staff members and students on implicit bias to ensure that every student is treated in an “equitable fashion” this school year and the years following, according to Superintendent Erik Gundersen. “We want to make sure students feel equa...

Smoke Signal to host screening of PV alum’s documentary

Sarah Shapiro and Morgan Jones

September 23, 2019

(Editor’s Note: The phrase "a drug-addicted family" has been corrected to "a family struggling with substance abuse" to better characterize the situation.) The Smoke Signal will be sponsoring a screening of Pascack Valley 2008 alum Ken Spooner’s 2019 documentary “Life with Layla” as a fun...

PV to hold fifth annual homecoming

Rachel Cohen, Editor in Chief

September 12, 2019

Pascack Valley’s fifth annual homecoming BBQ will be held adjacent to the football field from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28. Admission to the event is free and will include food and music before, during, and after PV football takes on Demarest at 1 p.m. If there is inclement weather, ...