Greatest Achievement

Romeo Gonzalez has grown from playing drums on pots and pans to baton twirling under Clifton Stadium’s lights. The Drum Major for the 84th Edition of the CHS Marching Band recognizes his unique honor.

“It is pretty rare for a percussionist to [become] Drum Major because they’re very valued in the band,” said Gonzalez, 17. “It’s a big sacrifice to [take] me from the section to lead the band.”

Gonzalez played crash cymbals as a freshman and the snare drum in his sophomore and junior years. Now, he’s leaving with pride and a lasting legacy. One major obstacle was the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to lost motivation and not learning how to twirl in-person.

“Who could train me?” said Gonzalez. “I had to figure that stuff out on my own.” He embraced a better mentality and instead of sleeping and not working, he practiced as hard as possible. His efforts paid off and prepared him for the reality of the position.

Aside from providing entertainment, his key role is as a mentor. It means supporting younger students as they acclimate to CHS.

“I want to make them feel comfortable in the band and [make] sure that they’re the best they can be,” said Gonzalez.

Gonzalez grew up with parents, John and Gladys, and older sister, Valentina (CHS 2016). His other ensembles were Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Orchestra, Jazz Band, Brass Band, Pit Orchestra, and the Clifton Community Band. He was in the North Jersey Regional Symphonic Band in his junior year.

Aleksander Prelich: I started my first two businesses, specializing in home and auto repair.

Kiara Negron: Getting a great job working at the Boys & Girls Club. The Club brought me out of my shell. It definitely made me more sociable and showed me the moral values that I needed in my life. I made many friends and now I continue to bring values to younger kids.

Emely Mata: Being able to get my grades looking good again and getting accepted to college.

Albaraa Gebril: My acceptance into Columbia University. I was selected as 1 of 50 applicants to be a John W. Kluge Scholar. I later received the Gates Scholarship with a ~1% acceptance rate, arguably the most prestigious high school-to-undergraduate scholarship in the country.

The Marching Band’s November 2022 “Under the Lights” performance was highly memorable. “That was by far the most emotional performance and my best performance,” said Gonzalez.

Gonzalez will major in Music Education and Music Performance at MSU. He hopes to transfer to Ohio State University and one day become Drum Major for The Best Damn Band in the Land.

But for the long term? “I’d love to share my passion for music with other students,” said Gonzalez. “I’m going to teach some drum lessons and, one day, I hope to be a band director at a school or university.”

Justin Giglio: Earning a four-year Presidential Scholarship to MSU, where I’ll study Political Science. Also, receiving at CHS the Distinguished Academic Award as a four-year recipient and being inducted into the National Honor Society and being a member of the Marching Band is a great honor.

Sergio Ortega: Receiving recognition for my artwork. The main reason for this is that I have never shown my work before, so it kind of scared me to show it. I only posted it on my Instagram account to be recognized, but in 2022 many of my classmates and teachers noticed my drawings. After many years of dedication, I can say that my artwork is at a certain level that it could be described as advanced in Perspective. I’ll keep getting better.

Attila Tamas: Making it into Rutgers because I worked the last 12 years for this.

Kenneth Oliveros: Being able to buy and sell cars, detail cars, and manage school.

Yoxan Almonte: Being able to graduate and going to Trade School right after to do what I’ve always wanted.

Jary Hernandez: I have found many ways to express myself through sports and they have helped with my mental health by having another family to share things with.

Javier Hernandez: I could speak another language and learned new things about my future career.

Angel Urdaneta: Getting scholarships for baseball.

Emily Antinori: Making it through every grade and passing.

Mohand Abdelkarim: Putting my head behind the books and taking risks that my teachers taught me will help in the future.

Chayanne Ramos: Making it to the end of high school and buying my car.

Axel Gonzalez: Playing soccer at the collegiate level. Enoc Morales: Making it this far in my education.

John Kilroy: Improving my personal self. I believe that’s more important than any academic achievement.

Giovanni Olaya: Convincing others to trust me. Before high school, I was told I was a natural leader and took command of anything. But despite those actions, I never believed in my ability to lead and convince others to trust me to lead. That’s why I passed up opportunities to run for elections in clubs until junior year. Just back fully in-person from hybrid learning, I ran for secretary in the Gifted and Talented Club. I decided that day to run and I made my campaign video. I won and I started to realize that others were willing to believe what I was saying and that I was that leader others had said I was. I took this newfound confidence and convinced my classmates, fellow Boys State delegates, and others in my community to elect me to many different positions from Boys State Assemblyman to NHS President.

Alex Lazarov: My aquariums.