Cortland High School Newsletter
6/25/2018
Upcoming Events
  • 09/3: Labor Day
  • 09/4: Professional Development Day
  • 09/5: First Day For Students
  • 10/9: Columbus Day, No School for Students
126th Commencement Exercises of CHS
As the graduates filed into the SUNY Cortland Park Alumni Center, the orchestra played the traditional commencement march “Pomp and Circumstance.” Parents, relatives, brothers and sisters looked on as the Class of 2018 took their seats. The ceremony opened with a welcome by Principal Joe Mack, followed by the Senior Class Officers leading the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance and the singing of the Cortland Alma Mater. Class of 2018 salutatorian, Tristan Stevens, spoke next and gave a piece of advice to the rows of graduates seated below him when he stated that “learning from your mistakes only makes you stronger.” Janet Griffin, School Board President spoke next, encouraging students “to try new things, be opened minded, explore and think positive thoughts.” Read more...
Meet Our Valedictorian and Salutatorian
Valedictorian and salutatorian honorees come from all walks of life and each enjoys a unique set of experiences during their time in high school. However, they all share one common similarity in being the brightest and best students throughout New York and across the country.

Cortland High School valedictorian Jonathon Frederick and salutatorian Tristan Stevens recently shared their thoughts on the past and present, as they get ready to leave Cortland and embark on their journey to adulthood. Read more...
Spring Sports Wrap Up
After a long hibernation made longer by a late start to spring, students are finally trading in their boots and coats for sandals and sunblock. Before the school closes in June and students officially start their summer break, it is important to reflect and recognize our student athletes. The short “spring” was jam packed with excitement as most of the Cortland Athletics teams made it to the sectional qualification level.
With schedules winding down, we sat down with all of our varsity head coaches to reflect on the spring season. The following rundown will give you a glimpse of the results of our spring athletics program.

BASEBALL
After a slow start to the season, 0-5 in the team’s first five games, the squad turned it around at home against the JD Red Rams and earned an upset win at home. This was the start of a six-game win streak that saw the team play some really good baseball over that stretch.

The Varsity Baseball group earned a bid in the Sectional Tournament and received a home game against a tough squad in New Hartford. New Hartford edged the Purple Tigers to end their season.

However, the team had earned the Sectional Bid and achieved the NYS Team Scholar Athlete Team Award. Currently the CHS Baseball Team is expecting to also be nominated for the ABCA Academic Excellence Award. This award is presented over the summer, but is based on the team’s overall GPA from the Spring Semester. Read more...
Seniors Playing Sports in College
The Cortland Purple Tigers Athletics program is proud to announce that the following student-athletes will be continuing to participate in athletics during their college career:
  • Damian Brown, Soccer, SUNY Fredonia
  • Kelsey Gibbons, Field Hockey, Coker College
  • Natalie Gier, Volleyball, Cornell
  • Taylor Hart, Softball, SUNY Oswego
  • Jessica Kenyon, Softball, TC3
  • Logan McGee, Lacrosse, SUNY Oneonta
  • Alex Myers, Lacrosse, Wilkes University
  • Lauren Phetteplace, Cross Country and Track, SUNY Poly
  • Alaina Rabusin, Soccer, Concordia
  • Cameron Woodard, Baseball, Alfred State

Athletic Director Tim Wagoner said, “I am pleased that so many individuals in the Class of 2018 wish to continue to participate in athletics at the collegiate level. Being part of a sports team at the college level is a dream for many athletes. I am proud our Purple Tiger athletics program prepared these students for the next level.” Read more...
Ed Porter Receives Teacher of the Year Award
As students file into Mr. Porter’s room he greets students at the door with a smile and friendly, “how are you?” Students respond and walk in to take their seats as music fills the air. On this particularly day Mr. Porter choose Frank Sinatra, his voice ringing a familiar sound of jazz mixed with pop. Mr. Porter starts every class with checking in with his students, discussing current events, and often tells stories about life experiences.

There is no question that students in Mr. Porter’s class enjoy his teaching and feel thankful that he is their teacher. One student, Coral Sickmon, a 10th grader said, “Mr. Porter is a great teacher because he cares about all of his students and wants us to all get a good education and fulfill our goals. He tells good stories in the beginning of class that are really funny and interesting. He has a lot of energy and has good advice.” Jake Gilbert, also a 10th grader said, “Mr. Porter is entertaining and compares what we are learning about to the real world.”

Ed’s road to teaching started in 2003. Ed wanted to become a teacher because of the influence of his parents who he said, “were not teachers by trade but dedicated their lives to instructing and modeling for my brother and sisters how to live an honest and honorable life.” Read more...
Three Students Participate in STEM Internships
For most students, summer jobs consist of service industry positions such as camp counselors, fast food restaurants, or scooping ice cream. However, three select students at Cortland Senior High School will be spending their summer engaged in science and engineering. Two Cortland students, Alex Ryan and Elyssa Yonta, are packing their bags to go to a two week summer intensive program at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. Another student, Tess Engst-Mansilla is going to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for an exclusive, six-week intensive program.  

The two students heading to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) will participate in a hands-on learning program for two weeks in July. Students will reside at the ORNL and will be organized in teams. Team members generally do not know each other initially, but friendships become established over the two-week research experience. Each team will choose a topic of choice to begin to research and form a question. Senior scientists will act as mentors to oversee the teams. Activities include lab time and visits to nearby industries, universities, and museums to experience real-world applications of science, math, and technology. Each program culminates in a graduation ceremony showcasing participants' work. To read more about the ORNL summer program, click  here .

Elyssa Yonta said, “I wanted to go to ORNL because I am interested in physics and want to study it in college. I think this summer experience will be a great opportunity for me. I like to study new things and see how science can be developed more. Specifically, quantum physics interests me and I hope to study that more in the future.”

Alex Ryan will be joining Elyssa Yonta at the ORNL. Alex said, “My physics teacher, Mr. Canestaro said I should look in to the ORNL. The more I looked into it, the more I decided it would be a great opportunity for me. I really like physics and want to explore different fields of science while I am at the ORNL.  
The other student pursuing science and technology learning this summer is Tess Engst-Mansilla. Tess applied and received admission to one of the most rigorous pre-college programs high school students can get in to. She was selected from thousands of applicants to be one of seventy five students to go to the six week summer intensive MITES program at MIT. Read more...
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