FALL 2015
Welcome to the first edition of the Yorktown Central School District's e-newsletter for 2015-2016!
New beginnings and communication upgrades abound. You will see lots of stories of physical and educational changes, award announcements and inspiring student programs, which we are so proud to share.
Also new is enhanced communication between the district and the community to keep you better informed. Our formats have expanded and some older ones have been revamped. We are meeting people where they are -- whether it is on Twitter, Facebook, our website, e-mail or even the telephone. Stay tuned for more connections on other sites. What's your favorite?
What is the point of keeping quiet about Crompond school's Farm Fest, Mildred E. Strang Middle School's Unity Day or districtwide support for high school sophomore Brielle Furci's cancer battle?
This e-newsletter is just the beginning of broader communication efforts by the district enacted this September with support from the Board of Education.
Here is how to make sure you don't miss out:
*Regular e-newsletter dispatches to parents and staff / teachers delivered to your inbox. (If you don't have a child in the district but want to keep informed, send your email address to [email protected].)
*Regular attention to Twitter @YorktownCSD with photos. Follow us and retweet!
*Revamped district website with more updates and easier navigation. Check us out at www.yorktown.org and see a news section on the left and a dedicated middle section for Superintendent Dr. Ralph Napolitano. Keep watching for more changes.
If you have suggestions or want to talk about communication, please contact me at:
Email [email protected]
Phone (914) 243-8000, ext. 18011
Happy reading,
Barbara
Barbara Nackman
Media Manager
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Class of 2016 Valedictorian:
Jillian Barry
Yorktown 's Jillian Barry doesn't view her valedictorian status as the culmination of her high school career but as a strong foundation for her adult life.
"This is only the beginning and I know a lot of people say that but I really think it is true," she said speaking from the school's library. "High school and all the schools in Yorktown prepared me for the future."
And she does have plans.
In college Barry plans to major in pre-medicine with a minor in creative writing.
In high school, she particularly liked studying and writing about medical ethics and significant health/social issues and looking at ways they
intersect.
"Things are always changing and you have to keep up," she said. One topic that intrigues her is world population and how medical treatments vary globally from one location to another.
Right now biology is her favorite class and she is taking AP Biology this fall term. But she also has an outline for a screenplay in her desk and has started a novel.
"I was very excited when I heard I was valedictorian," she said. "My mom screamed into the phone when I told her."
Barry, an only child, has been in Yorktown schools since kindergarten and has been involved in many community projects, such as interning at Guiding Eyes for the Blind, working with Leo's Club (a junior version of the Lion's Club International) and participating in the high school's Science Olympiad. She has played the violin since fourth grade and is a member of the Student Senate.
She admits that she has worked hard and has had to juggle her time. It helped, she said, to have friends who were also motivated and understood when she had to devote extra time to studying or writing more for an assignment. And she also finds time to play golf.
When asked to sum up her high school years, Barry smiled broadly and said: "These four years of have been great."
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Class of 2016 Salutatorian:
James WoMa
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This year's Salutatorian James WoMa accepts credit for his top grades. But with equal measure he acknowledges the support from his family and friends that he says has made his hard work possible, and even fun.
"You have to work and work hard," he said from the high school library, where he is clearly at home. "But I owe a lot to my friends and family."
"If I need help my friends have always been there," he said. "And my mom, in particular, has made it possible for me to do all my activities."
"I am fortunate and I appreciate it," he emphasized.
WoMa is certainly juggling a varied schedule.
This fall, he is a member of the high school Cross Country team and in the spring he will return to the tennis team. He also found time to continue with the Boy Scouts and this year become an Eagle Scout.
And with an eclectic taste in music from classical Chopin to contemporary pop sounds, he plays the piano, his first musical instrument. He is also an accomplished violinist participating in high school and New York State School Music Association orchestras.
Math is clearly an important academic subject for WoMa as well. He plans to study engineering, finance or computer science purposely taking a slightly different path than his 25-year-old sister, who is studying to become a physician.
"I'd like to go on my own path," he added, noting too that his mother is an accountant; his dad, a chemist.
"What I have really learned during my high school years," he said, "is that learning is not about repeating things or memorization but about understanding concepts and what they mean." |
National Merit Semifinalist
Dylan Mariuzza
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Dylan Mariuzza has been named a semifinalist in the 2016 National Merit Scholarship competition making him one of 962 students in New York who scored the highest on PSAT tests.
The Yorktown High School senior will advance to the next level of the prestigious annual award which will be announced in February.
"I was quite pleased," Mariuzza said modestly.
Mariuzza is particularly interested in math and science topics and plans to study bioengineering in college with the intention of pursuing a career in cancer research.
He said that his future course was set by his summer internships and participation in the Relay for Life events, which highlight cancer survivors, families and those lost to the disease.
Mariuzza helped analyze data on pediatric cancer research during two internships at New York Medical College.
"It was a great experience all around," he said. "If I can make a contribution and help - that would be good."
Mariuzza is a three-season runner and track athlete. This fall he is the captain of the Yorktown High School's Cross Country team.
He is also a fan of Harry Potter books and likes the movies as well.
Nationally there were were about 16,000 semifinalists named this fall out of about 50,000 students who took the test. The National Merit Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. High school students enter by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
And the 2016 Commended students in the National Merit Program are:
Andrew Amini
Allan Farkash
Caroline Foster
Pradeepa Krish
Meera Kumanan
Eileen Leddy
Amanda Pelkey
Max Stern
Gowri Viswanathan
James WoMa
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Blue for Brielle
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| Brielle Furci is happy for the support her school and community are offering. |
The color in support of Brielle Furci is blue but the sentiment is anything but. It is uplifting and positive.
A smiling and polished-looking Brielle got plenty of support last month at Yorktown High School. She looked more like a movie star than a teenager battling cancer.
She arrived at school from her medical absence to see friends, meet with teachers and check out Dress Blue for Brielle Day, October 14. In late August after wondering why she had nausea, loss of appetite, fatigue and a sizeable lump in her abdomen, Brielle was diagnosed with aggressive Stage 3 Ovarian Cancer. This is unusual for a teenage girl, but a disease that she and her family are treating aggressively.
She had a 3-hour surgery to remove a 2.5-pound tumor the size of a melon before the school year began. And by December she will have had four rounds of chemotherapy at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York City.
But Brielle shows no signs of feeling sorry for herself. "Everyone has their battle. This one is mine," she said. "People have shown such support and been so kind. The sense of community at school and in town have been so amazing." Brielle says she doesn't want people to worry, even her family.
TO READ MORE, CLICK HERE |
Unity Day: All About Orange and Showing Respect, Tolerance
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| Middle School students celebrate Unity Day. |
Yorktown schools were awash in Orange for Unity Day in late September, a day devoted to anti-bullying.
The vibrant shade worn by many Yorktown students and staff was a visual way to encourage everyone to come together and, as touted in national posters, promote " kindness, acceptance and inclusion" in your daily lives.
The districtwide event was spearheaded by Principal Marie Horowitz at the Mildred E. Strang Middle School.
"Yorktown stands united for kindness, acceptance, peace, strength, compassion and inclusion," she said, and "we wanted to reach out to all the students."
Students got the message out, creating placards on school hallways that said Stand Up Don't Bully and We Are United Against Bullying. They shared good anti-bullying suggestions including "reach out to new friends" and "don't stand by when you see a bully."
"The idea is that if everybody wears orange we all look like one group with fewer differences," Nick Jacoby, 11, said of the one-day orange-wardrobe message. "Bullying is just bad, and it is important to realize how it happens and how to stop it, everyday."
His sixth grade classmate Sydney Leitner explained that cyberbullying has added a new dimension to the problem because it is no longer just face-to-face.
"No matter how it happens there is no reason to bully," she said.
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Crompond Students Celebrate Farms, Produce and Gardens
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| Crompond students hold up some fresh produce at Farm Fest. |
Bees in hives, samples of roasted vegetables and blended smoothies, and baskets of organic fresh produce sparked plenty of curiosity from the fourth and fifth graders at Crompond School.
It was all part of the school's Farm-to-School Month in October designed to teach students about nutrition and sustainability, said Principal Lori Roberts. The school's Garden Committee organized the event along with the PTA and the Foundation for Excellence, which have coordinated numerous green events and secured grant money for some programs.
The school was named a National Green Ribbon Winner by the U.S. Department of Education, making it the only public school in the state to garner this award in 2013.
Committee member and teacher Cari Byrnes said one goal of the fest has been "to get the students outside, engaged and thinking about what they eat and where it comes from." And she explained that the outside classroom and the garden are ongoing projects to inspire the children.
TO READ MORE, CLICK HERE |
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Cheers for School Spirit and the 2015 Homecoming Weekend
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| Freshmen Larry Hetz, Abby Menocal & Kate Baker get in the spirit. |
Yorktown High School celebrated Homecoming the first weekend in October with all the cheer and pageantry to be expected of this great American tradition.
Homecoming capped off Spirit Week, which included a variety of activities including dress-up days, music in the hall between periods and a pep rally.
"It's my favorite event of the year. I like how the whole school becomes unified....everyone is into it," said senior Kelsey Fiore, a cheerleader, who used a selfie-stick to take some pictures with her friends in the stands after their rousing performance.
Kate Baker, 14, hung out with her friends Abby Menocal and Larry Hetz, all freshman.
"It is a way to get the high school together," said Kate, as they watched relay races and recreational games that involved many students.
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Students Connect With Red Ribbon Activities
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There were hundreds, possibly thousands, of red ribbons throughout Yorktown schools during Red Ribbon Week. This is an alcohol-, tobacco- and other drug-and-violence-prevention-awareness campaign held each year. Students in the district's five schools participated in a lot of activities from Oct. 26- 31 that encouraged them to make good choices in many areas of their lives.
Students wore hero-inspired outfits, pajamas, or bright red to school on specific days to boost the community spirit, and participated in special activities to focus attention on the campaign's message. Activities ranged from writing in journals, listening to storytimes, choosing healthy foods to eat and thinking about how to be a good friend.
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Two Siemens Foundation Semifinalists for Yorktown High School
Yorktown Central School District students, James WoMa (left) and Andrew Amini (right), members of the school's Science Research Program, were recently recognized by the National Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology for their multiyear research projects.
The students were two of only seven recognized in Westchester County. The only other high school with two semifinalists was Pelham. There were 466 semifinalists nationwide.
The teachers of the Yorktown Science Research Program, Michael Blueglass, Rachel Koenigstein and Dominic Guazzo, said they were very proud of the students' dedication to research and noted that Yorktown has been successful in this competition for more than a decade.
"This has been an amazing year," Blueglass said, noting that there have been a range of creative projects from the more than 60 students within the Yorktown Science Research Program.
TO READ MORE, CLICK HERE |
District homeowners to get a property tax refund
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This year many taxpayers in the Yorktown Central School District will be eligible for a refund check from their school property taxes.
The Property Tax Freeze Credit is a tax relief program that reimburses qualifying New York State homeowners for increases in local property taxes on their primary residences, if certain conditions are met. We are happy to announce that the Yorktown Central School District has done its part.
The district submitted a Government Efficiency Plan to enact substantial cost savings through shared services, newly negotiated contracts (not labor but service contracts) and more. The plan was accepted by the state's Division of the Budget setting the refund process in motion.
"This coupled with our ability to comply with the tax cap limits, means that we have qualified our residents for a refund," Thomas Cole, assistant superintendent for finance, said. Homeowners do not have to apply as the state will review all who are eligible. It is unclear when refunds will arrive. Last year, they ran from October through February.
To receive the refund for 2015 property owners:
- Must receive the STAR property tax exemption.
- Property must be the homeowner's primary residence.
- The total household income must be $500,000 or less.
For more information, go to: http://www.tax.ny.gov/pit/property/property_tax_freeze.htm |
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