East Side High School

Anas Amos scores his 1,000th point for Newark East Side

By Jason Bernstein | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

When thinking of all of the ways that Anas Amos can impact a basketball game, scoring is not usually near the top of the list. Despite making his reputation as a pass-first guard and a lockdown defender, Amos now finds himself in exclusive company in Newark East Side history as the program's eighth 1,000-point scorer since co-head coaches Anthony Tavares and Bryant Garvin took over in 2000.

Amos scored 10 points, including the 1,000th of his career as East Side, No. 17 in the NJ.com Top 20, defeated Payne Tech, 70-60, in Newark. Amos, who set the milestone with an and-one late in the first quarter, now has 1,003 points.

For Amos, who has been the team's starting point guard since the moment he arrived in the Ironbound school as a freshman, his greatest impact can be measured by the amount of wins the Red Raiders have gotten with him running the offense. Thursday's win was his 99th in an East Side uniform, more than any other player to wear the red, white and black. He'll be going for No. 100 - and a third straight Essex County Tournament title - on Saturday when Newark East Side plays Montclair Immaculate in the ECT final at 3:30 p.m. Earlier this season, the 5-foot-9 senior became just the second player, joining Science Park great Kenneth Ortiz, to win four Newark Public Schools championships.

This season, Amos has taken on a larger scoring role, netting 13.9 points per game for Newark East Side (21-4). As a junior, he averaged 7.8 points per game on a team, which made the NJSIAA Group 4 final. He averaged 7.0 points as a sophomore and 6.7 as a freshman.

Nasir Johnson and James Paul each scored 16 points for Newark East Side, which jumped out to an 18-10 first quarter advantage. Mikah Johnson Jr. added 15 points.

KyYon Chapman paced Payne Tech (11-11) with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Jaden Lampley scored 18 points and Dashaun Galloway added 17 points and five rebounds.

NEWARK EAST SIDE'S 1,000-POINT SCORERS SINCE 2000

Randy Foye (2002) - 1,804
Dave McSwain (2003) - 1,024
Corey Chandler (2007) - 1,618
Aaron Bodie (2012) - 1,002
Akbar Hoffman (2014) - 1,005
Jahid Jenkins (2018) - 1,133
Shamir Johnson (2018) - 1,172
Anas Amos (2019) - 1,003 (*through Feb. 21)

East Side Students Excel Receive Full Four-Year Scholarships and QuestBridge Honors

[Newark, New Jersey, December 21, 2018] Gabriel Margaca, an academic leader of the Class of 2019 has just been matched by the QuestBridge Foundation to attend Dartmouth College, an Ivy League School, on a full scholarship. The QuestBridge National College Match is a college and scholarship application process that helps outstanding low-income high school seniors gain admission and full four-year scholarships to the nation’s most selective colleges. His academic excellence includes all Honors and AP classes with a Cumulative GPA of over 4.5. In fact, this year, Gabriel took advantage of our IB program and took an IB class as well. Gabriel had visited Dartmouth through East Side’s Student Council two years ago and was very impressed by this very prestigious college. Once he became a QuestBridge finalist, Dartmouth was on the top of his list. Gabriel is one of 25 students who has been matched through QuestBridge to Dartmouth. This is quite an accomplishment and his East Side family could not be happier for him.

Gabriel is a graduate of Oliver Street School and East Side was his first pick to attend. According to Principal Michael West, Gabriel is not only defined by his academic excellence but also his commitment to our school and community. Gabriel is so proud to be an East Sider and it shows.” Gabriel is President of the Student Council, Vice President of the Honor Society and a host of other activities where he shows his leadership in promoting and helping anyone in need. Gabriel is also a scholar athletic by being the Co-Captain of our Golf Team. His brilliant, leadership and compassion will serve him well. Congratulations to Gabriel Margaca for your QuestBridge Match and good luck at Dartmouth College next year.

Natalie Fernandez, our salutatorian for the Class of 2019 has also been matched by the QuestBridge Foundation to attend University of Notre Dame on a full four-year scholarship. Last year, Natalie went on a Student Council trip to visit Notre Dame and this opened the possibility of attending the most beautiful campus that she had ever visited. So, once she became a QuestBridge finalist she put Notre Dame at the top of her list. Notre Dame only accepts 42 QuestBridge matches a year. This is a dream come true for any student. QuestBridge will pay the total tuition for four years. Natalie’s academic achievement includes all Honors and AP classes with a cumulative GPA of 4.5 along with highs scores on her AP placement tests.

Natalie is a graduate of Hawkins Street School. Natalie has a host of extra-curricular activities and community service projects. She is a member of our National Honor Society where she was elected treasurer this year. She is the Secretary to the Student Council, a member of UN, the Anatomy Club, and Public Speaking. She joined the Robotics Club in her sophomore year and is now the driver and Co-Captain of the Club. Natalie has a generous spirit and has always given back to her school and community. She has raised money for breast cancer, was active in fundraising for Hurricane Harvey and Maria worked at a Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity and countless other initiatives. The one that stands out is what she did over one summer. She returned to the DR to help out victims from the hurricane. She went into the mountains where her family is from to give medical aid to the elderly and helped bring supplies to them. According to Principal West, “Natalie is a brilliant student and community servant and we are so excited for her to attend the University of Notre Dame on a full scholarship.”

Hockey Scholar at East Side H.S. Selects Washington University for College

Matthew Atehortua, a scholar and hockey player at East Side High School, will attend Washington University of St. Louis in the Fall of 2019. Washington University’s ranking in the 2019 edition of US News Best Colleges is 19 for National Universities.

Matthew is a hardworking student-athlete at East Side High School. His work ethic allows him to balance his duties as captain of the ice hockey team and vice president of the student council while maintaining a 4.4 GPA. In addition to being an active student at East Side High School, Matthew gives back to the community by volunteering as a mentor and coach in Newark for Hockey In New Jersey.

In the near future Matthew will play hockey for the Bears and major in Biology at Washington University. Matthew plans to study Pre-med, attend, medical school and ultimately become a surgeon.

Kevin Lopez, former East Side Hockey Player Stops by to Discuss Time Management for Student Athletes

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”156618,156617,156616″ img_size=”250×188″ onclick=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Kevin Lopez, who played hockey for East Side High School and graduated from Technology High School visited East Side to teach time management for a student-athlete.

After high school, Kevin continued his studies and played hockey at Princeton University, where he graduated in 2016. The hockey team was able to learn Kevin’s approach to balancing academics and hockey during high school and college, while still managing to find time for his family and friends.

Currently, Kevin is at Fordham Law, but took time out of his busy schedule to share his experiences with our students to help them achieve their goals.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

East Side Graduate Stars in the Movie “SHINE”

[NEWARK, NJ, October 18, 2018] East Side High School graduate Grisselle Ponce came home to Newark for the debut of the acclaimed movie, “SHINE.” Ms. Ponce, a 1994 graduate from East Side, stars in the movie and choreographed the dance sequences in the movie as well.

The movie SHINE focuses on community and family struggles with gentrification in the old neighborhood with a focus on preserving the arts and culture of the neighborhood. The movie debuted at CityPlex 12 on October 5 with a Red Carpet list of local and state elected officials, students, friends and supporters. The red carpet included Superintendent Roger León, Board Chairperson Josephine C. Garcia, Mayor Baraka, Senator Ruiz, Councilmen Ramos and Quintana and actor David Zayas.

Superintendent León said, “We are here to congratulate Ms. Ponce and to serve as a reminder that Newark students can do anything and everything. Whatever your hearts desire, you should know that you can begin that journey right here in Newark Public Schools.”