City School District of New Rochelle
News & updates
December 13, 2019
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NRHS Students, Dignitaries Tackle Timely Issues in Civics Symposium
Several New Rochelle High School students welcomed feedback on position papers from a heavy-hitting panel – two college administrators, the city’s mayor, an author and journalist and a former head of the National Urban League – in the annual Civics Symposium this week.

The dignitaries debated, praised and offered constructive criticism of the students' essays on timely issues in the symposium, which took place Tuesday in the Linda E. Kelly Theater. The theme was "Generation Z Dares to Care."

“I can use what they said to improve what I wrote,” said Trevor Frey, whose paper argued the need for United States troops in Syria. “I learned a lot.”

The event is presented each year by the New Rochelle Fund for Educational Excellence, which organizes the symposium and assembles the panel. This time, the panelists were:

  • Hugh Price, former President and CEO of the National Urban League.
  • Noam Bramson, New Rochelle Mayor.
  • Alex Eodice, Iona College philosophy professor and philosophy department chairman.
  • Yadira Ramos-Herbert, New Rochelle City Council member-elect and Dean of Students at Columbia Law School.
  • Joe Klein, political journalist author of Primary Colors.

The discussion was moderated by author and Professor Dr. Amy Bass.

The other students and their essays were:

  • Aaron Cohen - The Persistent Effects of Redlining.
  • Lydia Ochoa - A Proposal to Re-Enter the Paris Climate Agreement.
  • Julia Zaccaria - College in America Should Not Be Free.
  • Jamie Cantone - Why the Federal Government Should Regulate Social Media.

In the discussion of Zaccaria’s paper, Price countered the argument that students in free colleges would be unmotivated by noting that a no-cost high education does not necessarily mean anyone could attend.

“Free is not the same as open admission,” he said. Students would have to perform well to gain admission and remain in college.

Eodice argued that free college eventually would “come to mean open enrollment.”

In discussions of the environment, Bramson was a strong proponent of carbon reduction.

“We need deep de-carbonization and we need it yesterday,” he said.

Ochoa appreciated the comments from the mayor and other panelists.

“I’m thankful for this opportunity,” she said. “Their comments on my paper were really great.”
Students, panelists, school representatives and leaders of the New Rochelle Fund for Educational Excellence.
District Seeks
Diversity Director

The City School District of New Rochelle has launched an aggressive search for a Director to help drive equity and address disparities in academic achievement. 

The District has posted a position for Director of Diversity, Inclusivity & Innovation. This new position will be the first of its kind in the District, and the professional who fills it will report directly to the Superintendent.

The Director will have a primary role in creating equitable learning environments for students, and developing collaborative partnerships with stakeholders throughout New Rochelle’s diverse community. The Director will also work closely with other senior leaders throughout the District to support cultural fluency at all levels, inform decisions on school discipline, drive professional development and assist staff recruiting and retention.

“We can’t address equity as a stand-alone issue,” said Superintendent Dr. Laura Feijóo. “Instead, we should be looking at all of our other objectives through an equity lens. This position allows the District to start moving in that direction.”

The District is looking for experienced candidates who are expert in identifying, collecting and analyzing data necessary to assess institutional climate, disparities in academic achievement, school discipline and other areas of the learning process; and develop key strategies to address the findings.

The District hopes to interview qualified candidates and fill the position by March.

Interested candidates must apply no later than Jan. 22, 2020. Find the listing at www.olasjobs.org/lhv . EOE/Minority candidates are encouraged to apply.
Planetarium director Bruce Zeller at the controls.
‘Season of Light’ Holiday Tradition Returning to NRHS Planetarium

It’s time for a New Rochelle holiday tradition that is nearly a half-century old – the annual “Season of Light” show in the New Rochelle High School planetarium.

The culturally inclusive show looks at the astronomical meanings behind seasonal traditions such as the "Star of Bethlehem," and explores the custom of filling the long winter nights with light.

The four showings, starting tomorrow, are free and open to all. Here’s the schedule:

  • Saturday, Dec. 14, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
  • Monday, Dec. 16, 7 p.m.
  • Wednesday, Dec. 18, 7 p.m.

The presentation has been shown annually, in one form or another, since about 1970, and its popularity endures.

“Some people come and see it every single year,” said planetarium director Bruce Zeller. “It talks about the different traditions from olden days, some of which we still practice. The astronomy part explains the possibilities of what the Star of Bethlehem may have been – a star, a planet and so on. The music in the background is very soothing. It’s just beautiful.”

Enter the planetarium near the intersection of Flandreau and Argyle avenues. Doors open 15 minutes before each show. Attendees are asked to arrive on time. As darkness is required for the show, no one can enter once it begins.

“The planetarium is one more gem that makes the City School District of New Rochelle a special place,” said Superintendent Dr. Laura Feijóo. “It is a fantastic opportunity for students to be able to learn astronomy in an actual planetarium, and it is wonderful to be able to share this experience with the New Rochelle community.”
Barnard K-Schoolers Celebrate ABCs with Cheers and Reggae

For the kindergarteners at Henry Barnard Early Childhood Center, learning the alphabet was cause for celebration, complete with cheering and dancing to a Reggae tune.

In the unit, students grouped their names by the first letter. In each class, that meant grouping first names with a separate star for each letter on a “Star Name” board – Rodrigo for R, Sadak and Santiago for S, and so on. Where no student’s name began with a particular first letter, fictional characters filled in, such as X-Men for X and Yo Gabba Gabba for Y.

They also decorated their first initials by illustrating objects that begin with the same letter.

At the end of the unit, they celebrated with a party in the auditorium. Students were called to the stage to show their letters, celebrating each one with “We love A!” “We love B!” and so on. The entire kindergarten joined in the party, including the special education students. It ended with everyone singing and dancing to the song “Reggae Alphabet,” with a video that engages them with movement (dance) and encourages repetition of the letters’ sounds.

They even added math to the lesson, tallying the numbers of students by their first initials. The most common first letter? It’s A, with 17 students.
The varsity cheerleaders practice for the nationals.
Cheerleaders Returning to National Championships
The New Rochelle High School cheerleaders will return to the National High School Cheerleading Championship in Florida in two months, aiming to top their fourth-place-in-the-nation performance of last February.
 
“After last year, the bar is set high,” said Maria Morano, a senior on the varsity team.
 
Indeed, New Rochelle has qualified for the nationals every year since 1998. The varsity and junior varsity teams both took national titles in 2013.
 
This year, both teams qualified for the nationals at the regional tournament at Nassau Community College last Sunday. The varsity team came in second place in Small Varsity Division 1 competition. The junior varsity team came in fourth in the Large JV Game Day tumbling division, and also qualified.
 
The national championship, held by the Universal Cheerleaders Association, takes place Feb. 7 through 9, 2020 in Disney World Resort in Orlando. While there, the teams will also compete in the concurrent World School Cheerleading Championship, a more recent competition.
 
Varsity Coach Angela Trozzi said the student athletes’ performance on Sunday was especially impressive because seven cheerleaders graduated last year, making for a varsity team that has a lot of newer members this year.
 
“They were still able to pull off the difficult stunts and tumbling,” Trozzi said. “The veterans really push the rookies and the rookies are eager to learn.”
 
Students on the team enjoy the competitiveness. But, as performers usually charged with boosting spectators’ spirits to support other teams, they also appreciate coming together for a weekend devoted entirely to their sport.
 
It’s an activity that develops bonds among teammates who must work together on elaborate moves including stacking into pyramids with some cheerleaders flipping onto shoulders or into the hands of teammates.
 
As team member Courtney Campbell said; “You have to learn how to trust.”

Juana Ibarra works at an enlarging station in the darkroom.
Photo Classes Process Pics The 'Old-School' Way -
Darkroom and All

Moira McCaul’s photography classes at New Rochelle High School are like stepping back in time.

No digital cameras here. No iPhone images. Students learn the hands-on, trial-and-error work of developing photographs on film and photo paper in an actual darkroom.

“If you want to do it old school, you do it this way,” said sophomore Juana Ibarra.

That old-school way teaches them to concentrate on the process more closely.

“It’s a craft that takes time,” said McCaul. “They have to be patient and very precise with what they do in here.”

Photo I students start by making their own pinhole cameras. That’s a box sealed from light except for a tiny hole at one end drilled precisely into a piece of aluminum.

With a piece of photo paper in the back of the box, the students calculate how long to leave the aperture open to the light. It can be 20 seconds to 40 minutes, depending on the sunlight and the effect desired. The box must remain perfectly still the entire time.

Students also work with 35 mm film, while Photo II students create “photograms,” in which shapes are developed directly onto the photo paper without the use of a camera.

In the dark room, students work in dim red light. They submerge a photograph in basins with solutions that develop the image, arrest the process when it’s complete and fix the image to make it safe to bring into the light. A final bath of water washes away any remaining chemicals.

Many of the students know of dark rooms only from scenes in movies and TV shows.

“Usually it’s a horror movie or a mystery, where the guy discovers who the villain is by what develops on the film,” McCaul said.

The class may not have quite so much drama, but senior Aaron Davis is learning still photography to complement lessons in film making, a career he’d like to pursue.

“It helps with composition,” Davis said.

As for the process, he said; “I appreciate the way the class breaks it down and brings it back to the basics.”
WinterFest Concerts Coming Next Week

The New Rochelle High School WinterFest concerts will enchant audiences over two evenings next week, with instrumental music and on Wednesday and choral performances on Thursday.

Both concerts, holiday season highlights in New Rochelle, begin at 7 p.m. in the Whitney M. Young Jr. Auditorium of the high school, 265 Clove Road.

The music culminates with a New Rochelle tradition. On Thursday, as the choral singers prepare to perform their finale, the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah , NRHS alumni who sang while they were in school are invited back on stage to join in.
Chorale rehearsal for next week's WinterFest concerts.
Sports Schedule
For upcoming New Rochelle athletic competitions, check out the Athletics Calendar.

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Dates to Remember
  • Saturday, December 14: ACT, NRHS, 8 a.m.

  • Saturday, December 14: Planetarium Show, “Season of Light,” NRHS, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

  • Monday, December 16: Columbus Holiday Boutique Begins

  • Monday, December 16: IEYMS Winterfest Begins

  • Monday, December 16: Planetarium Show, “Season of Light,” NRHS, 7 p.m.

  • Tuesday, December 17: Board of Education Meeting, NRHS Kelly Theater. Public Portion Begins 7 p.m.

  • Tuesday, December 17: Webster Holiday Concert, 7 p.m.

  • Wednesday, December 18: Columbus Winter Concert, 9:15 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

  • Wednesday, December 18: NRHS WinterFest Instrumental Concert, NRHS, Whitney Auditorium, 7 p.m.
  • Wednesday, December 18: Planetarium Show, “Season of Light,” NRHS, 7 p.m.

  • Thursday, December 19: Columbus PTA Holiday Luncheon

  • Thursday, December 19: Webster Holiday Boutique Begins

  • Thursday, December 19: Jefferson Winter Concert, 1:30 p.m.

  • Thursday, December 19: NRHS WinterFest Choral Concert, NRHS, Whitney Auditorium, 7 p.m.

  • Friday, December 20: Barnard School Spirit Day

  • Friday, December 20: IEYMS Winterfest Concert

  • Friday, December 20: Jefferson Sing-Along, 2 p.m.
City School District of New Rochelle | http://www.nred.org/