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2024 Mahopac Middle School Students
Impress Community at STEAM Fair
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A homemade hovercraft, original scientific studies, and even a 3D printer with custom, recycled filament were all on display at the Mahopac Middle School 2024 STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) Fair.
Among the future scientists, artists and engineers were a pair of brothers seeking to take landfill-destined plastic waste and repurpose it to print tools, replacement parts, and anything else that a 3D printer can be used to make. Seventh-grade student Thomas Theanthong and his brother, sixth-grade student Timothy Theanthong, showed several objects that they had 3D printed with their recycled filament.
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“We start by turning the plastic into a strip, then we run it through a glue gun,” said Thomas Theanthong. “Once you have that, you can just roll it up into a spool and use it like normal filament in a 3D printer with the right settings… 3D printing is a really important technology. People are 3D printing houses, so if we can make filament cheaper and more accessible, more people will be able to make tools and parts and other useful things with it.”
Another student stood alone with a strange, garage-built circular device, whose function remained a mystery until he turned on the loud attached leaf blower. Sixth-grader Dylan Fumusa had constructed a hovercraft capable of floating on a cushion of air contained by a flexible skirt. Most impressive was when Fumusa stood on the device, which continued to float without issue.
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“My dad helped me design it but I built it myself,” said Fumusa. “It took me two weeks. I made the platform out of plywood, the skirt out of an old shower curtain, and the air comes from a big leaf blower. It took a long time to figure out how to attach the skirt to the platform, I used staples, silicone, and tape to attach it and make the seal air-tight.”
“I want to double the size of it,” said one fifth-grade student, reviewing the hovercraft. “That way, I can get on it with my cats and fly around!”
Margaret Fox and Kelly Kischak, the event’s organizers, aimed to include the next generation of young inventors and scientists by inviting Mahopac’s fifth-grade classes up the day before for a special early view of the fair. The STEAM Fair offers students a chance to explore a personal interest in STEAM, including everything from homegrown scientific studies to novel prototype inventions.
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Mahopac High School WISE Students Begin Internships | |
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Fifty-nine Mahopac High School seniors will participate in the District’s Wise Individualized Senior Experience (WISE) Program this year, learning outside the classroom through valuable internships.
“The WISE Program provides an amazing opportunity for our students to gain real-life experience in a field they are interested in,” said MHS Principal Patrick Keevins. “They can make connections and build relationships with the professionals and leaders of these fields. There are countless stories of alumni that have used this program as a springboard to a successful career.”
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Seniors aren’t cutting their curriculum short to participate in the program. To be eligible to take part in the internship program in the second semester of their senior year, students must condense the entire senior English and Social Studies curricula into the first semester.
“We’ve been working together all year,” said senior Abbie Kreiner. “We worked with our teachers on the condensed curriculum and helped each other with all of the paperwork for our internships… We’ll all still have some classes, but we’ll be working for at least 10 hours each week at our internships after school.”
Mahopac students will have internships at hospitals, engineering firms, production studios, and local businesses. Some students will return to Mahopac Schools to help in the very classrooms where they were students almost a decade ago.
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“I’m going to be interning with my old fourth-grade teacher at Lakeview Elementary,” said senior Kaitlyn Pearsall. “I reached out by email in May of last year and I met the class in the Fall. I want to teach after I graduate, and I’m excited to get experience working directly with the kids.”
Brooke Geller has been a prolific audio and video student in her time at Mahopac and will be diving into the world of film production at DePalma Productions in Scarsdale alongside fellow WISE Program student Isaiah Gordon-Nicholson.
“Another student went to DePalma last year. She got me into WISE and helped me get my foot in the door at DePalma,” Geller said. “I’ve already been to photo shoots and sets where they filmed commercials. I can’t wait to work on set, setting up and breaking down for shoots.”
Lauren Galarza will go to Manhattan for her internship at Wingate Law Firm on Lexington Avenue. She highlighted a critical benefit that the WISE Program offers students; the ability to make a more informed decision about their future.
“I’m going to be working under the managing paralegal for the firm,” Galarza said. “I think that I want to practice law. I’m hoping to major in Philosophy at Fordham University but I’m really excited to get some hands-on experience so I can find out if I’d really want to take this path in the future.”
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The Great Kindness Challenge | |
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Mahopac's elementary schools celebrated kindness last week during the Great Kindness Challenge. Students wore blue and gold on Monday to celebrate Mahopac's spirit of kindness, jerseys of their favorite teams on Tuesday, red and pink on Wednesday, tie-dye on Thursday, and pajamas on Friday.
Students pledged themselves to kindness at the start of the week and engaged in activities designed to empower students to create a culture of kindness and compassion throughout the week. Check out some photos below of students during Tie-Dye Day:
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Mahopac High School Senior Scholarship Opportunities | |
Mahopac families, clubs, and organizations want to support seniors with post-graduate plans through scholarship opportunities. Seniors should visit the Senior Awards Website to see which scholarship opportunities are a good fit for them. | |
Mahopac Friends of Music Paint Night | |
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Kindergarten Registration for the
2023-2024 School Year
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Kindergarten registration for the 2024-25 school year will be held from January 1st, 2024 - March 31st, 2024. Check out the attached documents to register.
English Document https://5il.co/2bd71
Spanish Document https://5il.co/2bd70
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Ad Hoc Advocacy Committee Opens
Suggestion Box
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The Ad Hoc Advocacy Committee invites our community to provide any concerns/issues/policies for the Advocacy Committee to discuss and consider advocating for/against. Your information will remain confidential and only your suggestions will be shared.
On behalf of the Mahopac Advocacy Committee, thank you for your participation!
Advocacy Suggestion Box
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Mahopac Students Against Cancer took their first lap for Relay for Life on Saturday, January 6th. This event, initiated by the American Cancer Society, was intended to motivate people to start setting up their Relay for Life team and start fundraising. Relay for Life is June 1st this year, at our High School track and campus.
Thank you to the Mahopac Students Against Cancer Club and student president, Victoria Carneiro, for sharing this fact!
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Mission Statement
The Mahopac CSD develops educated, upstanding citizens with practical life skills through rigorous preparation for the real world.
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Mahopac Central School District
100 Myrtle Avenue, Mahopac, NY 10541
Phone: 845-628-3415 Fax: 845-628-5502
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