November 18, 2022

Senior Signing Day

Standing L-R: Jake Degnan, Mike Rettberg, Emma Morretta, and Lauren Beberman; sitting: Marie Camastro, Maya O'Keefe, Maddie Orsini, and Riley Massett.

Eight Mahopac High School seniors have committed to play sports at the college level next year. They are: Jake Degnan, Mike Rettberg, Emma Morretta, Lauren Beberman, Marie Camastro, Maya O'Keefe, Maddie Orsini, and Riley Massett. The students announced their intention at a ceremony held on Wednesday, November 9th, with a crowd of family members, friends and school officials in attendance. “My parents really pushed me to be the best person and player that I could be, but they were never hard on me,” said Masset, who committed to play Lacrosse at Widener University. “They were very supportive of whatever I wanted to do. They were always willing to drive me to play, whether it was down the street to the high school or to a tournament in Maryland.” The student-athletes credited coaches and peers who had helped them achieve their success. Beberman, who will play Basketball at Adelphi University, thanked one of her longtime coaches, saying, “I’ve had the same AAU basketball coach since the 5th grade, Kristi Dini. She helped me by teaching me basketball, but she also pushed me whenever I hesitated and was always there to talk and support me.” Rettberg specifically named the larger Mahopac Community as critical to his growth, saying, “The support from students and the community is outstanding. It doesn’t matter how well they know you, we always have fans turn out to watch and support us and that makes a huge difference.” Only one in 13 high school athletes goes on to play at the collegiate level. The students who will play their sports at a college level next year are:

A Veteran’s Visit to Lakeview Elementary

Fourth graders in Jeanne Russo’s class at Lakeview Elementary had the chance to see Assistant Superintendent Michael Tromblee in a new light when he made a Veterans Day visit to speak about his own military experience. “All military branches have their specialty,” Tromblee said, “but they also have a lot of cross-over… In the Air Force we have ground troops just like the Army does. I was a ground troop, I flew in helicopters and operated communication equipment.” Tromblee showed students pictures from when he served as an Airman in the United States Air Force in the late 1990s and early 2000s. “Why aren’t you smiling?” a student named Emily asked as she looked at an old photo of the assistant superintendent in his dress uniform. Without any hesitation, Tromblee said, “Because I’m trying to look tough.” He explained the concept of ‘military bearing,’ saying that it was important to exhibit a professional demeanor and not to reveal one's emotions. The Lakeview fourth graders listened closely as Tromblee’s described his experiences in the mountains of Montana, in Italy, and even during his forward deployment to war-torn Bosnia. “Anybody see the guy in war movies with the radio on his back,” he asked. “That was me. Talking to planes, talking to helicopters, talking to other units, that was my job.” Tromblee described a deployment activity to Bosnia where he aided special forces participating in anti-sniping missions, working to address communication equipment issues their team was having. Tromblee passed around a ‘shadow box’, containing his commendations and medals as well as a photograph of his grandfather, who served in Europe during World War II and in the Korean War. As the class ended, Tromblee revealed a final gift for the students. He had a pile of special Mahopac ‘challenge coins’ which he handed out for the class’s excellent questions. When the students received the shiny coins, their eyes went wide and smiles spread across their faces. “When you get a challenge coin in the military,” the assistant superintendent said, “you have to keep it on you and always be prepared for a member of your team to ask you to show it.”

Learning About the Great American Smokeout at Mahopac Middle School

“Most young e-cigarette users want to quit.” This was the message written on the Cove Care Center display board at Mahopac Middle School on Wednesday, in preparation for the Great American Smokeout the following day. Jillian Kulka was present to speak to students about the dangers of smoking and using e-cigarettes. “Weren’t e-cigarettes supposed to help people stop smoking cigarettes?” asked sixth grader Erick Rodriguez, “Or was that just a marketing ploy?” With a crowd of students listening intently, Kulka explained that people can be just as addicted to the nicotine in e-cigarettes as they can to the nicotine in cigarettes. Many of the health risks associated with e-cigarettes remain unknown, but Kulka emphasized that, what is known, is that nicotine is highly addictive. After one crowd of students moved on to get their lunch, one student stepped out of the crowd to ask Kulka a question. “Is there anything you can smoke that isn’t addictive?” the student asked. “Our lungs are made to breathe air,” Kulka said, “anything else could cause damage and illness. Even vapes have chemicals in them, it isn’t just air. A lot of the vapes that say they don’t have nicotine, still have some nicotine in them.” Kulka emphasized the importance of conducting this outreach to students in schools and of being recognized by students every time she comes back. “It’s important to have a time where they are focused on thinking about substances and the impact that they can have on their lives,” Kulka said, “they can ask me difficult questions because I’m not a stranger.”

11/23 - Half-day for students 11/24 - Thanksgiving (School closed) 11/25 - School Closed  Click Here for the Full District Calendar

Mission Statement To prepare each and every student for college and career readiness, and to educate all students to be responsible and productive members of the global community.

Mahopac Central School District 179 East Lake Boulevard, Mahopac, NY 10541-1666 Phone: 845-628-3415 Fax: 845-628-5502

CONNECT WITH MAHOPAC