City School District of New Rochelle
News & updates
July 10, 2020
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Relkin, Iannuzzi Named BOE President, V.P.
The New Rochelle Board of Education has selected Rachel Relkin as its President and William Iannuzzi as its Vice President for the 2020-21 school year.

The appointments were made at the annual organizational meeting on Tuesday.

Relkin, an attorney, is the longest serving member currently on the nine-member school board, having joined in 2011. She previously served as President from July 2016 to June 2018, and served two years as Vice President before that.

“In this time of uncertainty, we must still continue to do the real work of the Board, and I believe we must be guided by our core beliefs as we create concrete action steps to move the strategic roadmap from merely aspirational to a reality,” she said Tuesday. “New Rochelle is an excellent school district, let’s take it to new heights together.”

Iannuzzi, the Director of Programs at the Boys and Girls Club of New Rochelle, joined the Board last year. He had served the previous year on the Board’s Advocacy & Community Outreach Committee. He has worked with the Boys & Girls Club for eight years, starting as Youth Development Professional.

“My first year on the board has been a whirlwind,” he said. “We accomplished a lot, made some essential hires and helped stabilize the district. But we have so much more work to do. I am ready and prepared to work with every single member to move our district forward.”
Rachel Relkin
William Iannuzzi
New Arts Director Will Expand Programs
The New Rochelle Board of Education has hired Deepak Marwah, an experienced arts educator and administrator with stage experience, to fill the newly created position of Director of Visual and Performing Arts for the City School District of New Rochelle.

The 12-month position expands the former role of Supervisor of Music and Art, from which Marc Schneider retired last month. Marwah, who begins Sept. 1, will be responsible for extending arts offerings into the summer months as well as overseeing year-round arts curriculum including the celebrated Performing and Visual Arts Education (PAVE) program.

For the past five years, Marwah has served as Director of Fine Arts for the Byram Hills Central School District. His 18 years of experience also includes serving as a teacher and administrator at the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, the school featured in the 1980 movie musical Fame . Marwah said his years at LaGuardia – which he also attended as a student – came to mind when he learned about New Rochelle’s intensive PAVE program.

“I was drawn to New Rochelle because of its well-established arts programs, including PAVE,” he said. “Students who are interested in the arts have the opportunity to study their art form in great depth.”

His arts education experience is complemented by his performance experience as an operatic tenor, marrying two "parallel passions,” he said. His former students have attended many of the top music schools in the country including the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and the Juilliard School in Manhattan. They can be seen on stages throughout the world including Los Angeles Opera, Opéra national de Paris, San Francisco Opera and Broadway.

“I look forward to having Mr. Marwah continue to advance our highly regarded arts program, and to expand opportunities for more students to fall in love with the arts,” said Superintendent Dr. Laura Feijóo.

Marwah has been running the Byram Hills arts program since 2015. He has been teaching and serving as administrator for arts programs since 2002, when he began teaching vocal music at Bayside High School’s Academy of Music program. His other positions have included vocal music instructor at LaGuardia Arts High School from 2008 through 2014, also serving as assistant to the Music Department Chair for the final four years of that time.

On the college level, he served as Adjunct Professor for the New York University Steinhardt School of Education from 2014 to 2017 and has served on the voice faculty for the Aaron Copland School of Music of Queens College since 2017.

A freelance classical singer, he has performed operatic roles and has been a featured concert soloist with regional choruses and orchestras. 
Four Rising NRHS Seniors Named
Statewide MBK Fellows 
Four rising New Rochelle High School seniors have been chosen to spend their final year in high school honing leadership skills as Fellows of My Brother’s Keeper in a statewide program.

Justin Clarke, Sevien Caballero-Konah, Samuel Elias Diaz and Dumyr Decime-Barlatier were chosen for the program that entails developing service
projects that benefit their school and community, and includes them in symposiums, retreats, village meetings and other activities around the state.

"The My Brother's Keeper Fellows Program sponsored by the New York State Education Department provides leadership and public speaking training for the students selected for the program and awards them a $1,500 stipend each," said Colleen Gardephe, Managing Director of My Brother's
Keeper New Rochelle. "The students establish a community service project, lead programs at the high school with other MBK Ambassadors, work with school
and community Mentors and get to travel to Albany once a year to meet other Fellows from around the state. The students love this experience and really grow from it."
 
This is the third annual round of Fellows from NRHS. They were
inducted virtually in April and the second group of Fellows visited Albany in February.
 
“These young men were selected based on their leadership qualities and desire to be part of something larger than themselves,” NRHS Interim Assistant Principal Rachel Cornelius said of the latest Fellows. She serves as the MBK New Rochelle school district representative.
 
The MBK Mentors are Timothy McKnight, Alprentice McCutchen,
Daniel Bonnet and Alejandro Alvarez.
 
Since the closure of school buildings in March, the students have joined Mastermind Calls based on a book they read, MADD Truth: Lasting Lessons for Students of Life , by Dr. Alfonso Wyatt. The calls included MBK Fellows and Mentors from throughout the state. Dr. Wyatt himself took part in two of the calls.
 
MBK New Rochelle also granted $350 scholarships each to four
exemplary members of the Class of 2020 as they graduated last month. They were: Judah Johnson, Dewin Parades, Javier Hernandez and Matthew Chang.

Since 2017, MBK New Rochelle has awarded nearly $5,000 in scholarships to NRHS students. 
Brooks, Minaya Join
Board of Education
The New Rochelle Board of Education gained two new members with experience in driving equity and inclusion in schools when Adina Berrios Brooks and Katie Castellano Minaya were sworn in during the annual organizational meeting on Tuesday.

Brooks and Minaya were the top vote-getters among 12 candidates who ran for the seats last month. The historic election was conducted entirely by absentee ballot and drew a drastically higher turnout than previous votes.

“When you’re an elected representative in New Rochelle, you want to represent everyone, not just your neighborhood, not just one group, so I was happy that the turnout was so high,” said Minaya, an educator at P.S. 105 in the Bronx, N.Y. She teaches fifth grade English as a New Language and is an Integrated Co-Teaching instructor for students with special needs.

Equity in representation and opportunities is a key goal for both new members on the nine-member board.

“I want to really make sure that every community in New Rochelle feels that they can be heard by the District – that everybody feels that they can come to a Board of Education meeting and they will be respected and listened to,” said Brooks. She serves in Columbia University’s Office of the Provost, focusing on faculty diversity, inclusion and faculty development.

“Studies and evidence have shown that all students benefit from a diverse teaching staff,” Brooks said. “Schools are really designed to create engaged citizens. We all benefit from having a well-educated population so that we can self-govern.”

The new members joined the board in the midst of the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, which presents additional challenges as the District relies on distance learning to deliver education. Brooks said she hopes the District emerges with a more strategic approach to using technology.

Her 15 years at Columbia have included undergraduate and graduate admissions roles and student advising. Her early career experiences included an organizing position with the Children’s Defense Fund-New York, working on children’s health advocacy with community organizations across New York State.

Minaya began her career in education serving six years with Teach for America at P.S. 333 in the Bronx. As a bilingual Spanish/English second and third grade teacher there, she used Title III funds to create the family literacy program SI SE PUEDE, bringing together families and teachers. She then served as an education technology consultant with a company whose goal was to foster a love of literature in all students. She later became a founding dean and kindergarten teacher at Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School and director of Operations at Harlem Village Academies.

She said the District needs to make sure to include the voices of students and families in policies and other decisions.

“We have to make sure that families, and teachers as well, are part of the decision-making process,” she said. “New Rochelle has the potential to be the greatest school district in the nation. Other districts will look to New Rochelle as the district that is coming up with innovative programs to meet the needs of all students and building on family strength.”

Both members were sworn in to full five-year terms, taking positions formerly held by Christopher Daniello and Lianne Merchant.
Adina Berrios Brooks (left) and
Katie Castellano Minaya
Grads: Send Your Commencement Gown
To the COVID-19 Front Line
Recent graduates: if you’re looking for a meaningful second life for your commencement gown, you can donate it to serve as protective wear on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The organization Gowns4Good will upcycle the purple gowns as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for medical care workers.

“Graduation gowns are more effective than other PPE alternatives given their length, sleeves, and easy zippered access,” reads the organization’s website.

The initiative reached the New Rochelle community thanks to Volunteer New York! and New Rochelle High School rising junior Daniel Ostrager, who discovered the local effort when he was told about it by an out-of-state friend.

"When my friend from New Jersey mentioned to me that he was collecting graduation gowns that could be used as PPE, I thought it would be great to do the same thing here in my community,” said Ostrager. “I did some research and found out that Volunteer New York! had this posted as a volunteer opportunity on their website. It made perfect sense to join them and get the word out to inform recent graduates about how their gowns can be used for much needed PPE. When this started, it was a more local dire need. Now many across the country could use our help."

A box will be set up at New Rochelle City Hall to drop off the gowns. To find out if you have the type of gown that is eligible for donation and for instructions on cleaning your gown to ensure it will meet the standards for use as PPE,  Volunteer New York! asks you opt-in here to express interest . The organization asks that donors do not drop off gowns without registering first.

“Volunteer New York! is thrilled our partnership with the City of New Rochelle continues to grow and inspire local volunteerism,” said Jeanette Gisbert, Volunteer New York! Executive Director. “That includes attracting change-makers like Daniel Ostrager who is willing to get off the sidelines, take action, and set an example for others to follow.”
Volunteer New York! flyer on gown donations
District Reviewing, Revising Code of Conduct
The City School District of New Rochelle is reviewing and revising the Code of Conduct for the 2020-21 school year.

Dr. Anthony Bongo, Assistant Superintendent for Pupil & Student Support Services, presented the latest draft with proposed changes to the Board of Education on Tuesday on behalf of the  Solutions to Suspensions   Team .

Find the presentation below, as well as the draft code in English and Spanish.

The changes discussed are highlighted in yellow. If you have any questions, or wish to provide feedback, please contact Dr. Bongo at abongo@nredlearn.org .

The District administration is scheduled to present a final draft to the Board of Education for approval on August 4.




City School District of New Rochelle | http://www.nred.org/