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June 2022

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Seniors Gain Real World Experience

Before they set foot in college or the workforce, many Croton Harmon High School seniors gain professional experience in a wide array of fields as part of the district’s CHOOSE program.

CHOOSE, which stands for Croton-Harmon Options and Opportunities for a Senior Experience, allows students to intern for the last weeks of the school year in businesses ranging from museums to nature centers to carpentry services. Those internships are often exciting, illuminating, and empowering. And sometimes, they might just set a student on a career path.

Although the program continued to operate during COVID, school leaders and faculty said they were thrilled to be back in action in a fuller, more hands-on way. An important take-away from the COVID years, however, was that some students may want to explore remote internships with professionals in other parts of the country. Allowing for remote internships means the sky is the limit for student experiences.

Take, for example, Lucas Valentine and Luke Robinson who worked at Wami River Ranch, a sustainable ranch in northwest Tanzania. The opportunity came through a friend of Luke’s family. Lucas tended to animals on the ranch, focusing on studying how changes to chickens’ diets would impact their growth.

“I think the biggest takeaway I had during this trip was the urge to travel and see more of the world, in addition to reaffirming my decision to attend Stockbridge School of Agriculture at UMass where I will study sustainable food and farming,” said Lucas.

Some students commuted to work this year, often to New York City. Senior Emma Castro worked at the Museum of Natural History in the Department of Exhibition Design. She said she learned to be more independent during her internship. Sara Croese commuted to the city three times a week to work at the National Museum of Mathematics where she gave tours.

“There’s pressure because sometimes you don’t have the answer to a visitor’s question,” she said. “So I have to be able to respond and sometimes that means I have to research the question.”

The majority of seniors at Croton-Harmon High School participate in CHOOSE, with the exception primarily being students who attend the Career and Technical Education Center at PNW BOCES. Those students are already engaged in real-world experiences through their ongoing work in that program. Each student is assigned a Croton-Harmon faculty or staff member who must approve their internship and provide guidance during it. Students record their hours, complete a sophisticated research component and present about their experience to faculty, parents and employers.

Dan Griffin, a 2003 graduate of Croton Harmon High School, said his CHOOSE experience at PepsiCo was transformative. While he had originally planned to study engineering in college, Griffin said his bosses at PepsiCo helped him discover his aptitude for and interest in business. He changed his major and went back to intern at PepsiCo for the next several years.

Now at Westfair Agency, Griffin is an employer for the program. “I hope that students might get something out of the experience like I did. If they come out with a new thought on something, or a direction they didn’t have before, I consider that a win.”

Though the program has existed for 30 years, it was about five years ago that the district expanded it and added additional advisors where previously there was just one. The current CHOOSE advisors are Susan Ardolino, Kurt Lindner and Stephen Palencsar.

Ms. Ardolino said she enjoyed making connections with students outside of their regular academic environment. “It’s wonderful to help them follow their passions and apply their skills to a real-world opportunity,”she said.

Some of those opportunities are closer to home. For example, Gwen Labbate worked at the Greenburgh Nature Center in a sustainability internship. Labbate, who is interested in taking environmental studies in college, researched existing and alternative ground maintenance equipment and techniques. Clearing invasive species from the property is hands-on work and Labate has learned that “it takes a great deal of patience.”

Madelin Fabian worked with two small carpentry businesses during her internship. She learned how the businesses were managed, how to engage with customers and how to prepare estimates for clients.

Renee Kuri was one of the students who worked remotely, with the NYC Fair Trade Coalition’s Sustainable Apparel division. She learned about branding and marketing and how different messages resonate with different audiences. She assisted her employers in developing a Brand Kit for the organization.

Advisor Kurt Lindner said it doesn’t always work out perfectly. While some students might discover a new passion or affirm an existing one, some students discover early on that their internship is not what they had expected, or that the work is just not for them. And that’s okay. He said that creates an opportunity to learn another life lesson: whether to stick it out or make a quick change.

The CHOOSE program supports the Croton-Harmon Profile of a Graduate by helping students to develop the skills of thinking/problem solving, creativity/innovation, communication/ collaboration, flexibility/adaptability, and empathy and initiative/self-direction. The ultimate goal is that these professional experiences will help students find fulfillment and success, whatever career path they choose.

CHANGE Program Challenges Students

Can one person change the world? The faculty of the Croton-Harmon School District believes so. And they believe that you’re never too young to facilitate change.

That’s part of the impetus for the CHANGE program at the Pierre Van Cortland Middle School. CHANGE is an innovative full-year program that challenges eighth graders to choose a real-world question or problem and conduct research to understand multiple perspectives - and maybe even come up with a new one.

Young teens are often ready and willing to become engaged with pressing issues and the wider world. They have the energy, the curiosity, and the willingness to learn and challenge the status quo – all qualities that align with our Profile of a Graduate and help create changemakers. As evidenced by the breadth and depth of their research projects, Croton-Harmon’s eight graders are no exception.

What if healthcare was free in the United States? Why are so many teens suffering from mental health challenges? Are property taxes equitable? These are just some of the questions eighth graders posed this year in their quest to learn more about the world around them. Other topics included gun control, discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community, and how to transform education.

The CHANGE program takes root in everyday learning experiences, such as Ms. Carmosino’s English class. Students are asked to look beyond the walls of the classroom to the wider world. Each student has a faculty mentor who helps them think through their research process and poses questions to help them explore different perspectives. The mentors also give feedback to the students once they have begun to create their presentations. For example, they might advise a student that their presentation is too detailed or not detailed enough.

In conducting research, students must look at different facets of the problem such as the impact on the economy and how government institutions are involved.

Eighth grader Alexandra researched animal testing in the pharmaceutical and beauty industries and discovered that it was more widespread than she originally thought. “I kind of knew that animals were used for testing, but I had no idea how big an issue it is – and how awful it is – until I started my research,” she said.

She learned that Europe has banned most animal testing and believes the US should follow suit. “Companies find ways to be innovative all the time and I think if they were forced to find new ways to do experiments, they could do it.”

That kind of critical thinking about industry, government, economic factors, and empathy toward other living things encompasses some of the attributes of the Croton-Harmon profile of a graduate. It’s also aligned with the district’s commitment to transdisciplinary learning, an educational approach that allows students to explore ideas and issues across multiple content areas, both inside and out of the classroom.

Many students said that the problem they investigated was larger than they had expected.

Eighth grader Drew researched property taxes. He said he found that there was a history of racism built into the system, something he did not expect. “I had to look at this question from different perspectives and stop to ask myself what I believed and what I thought was fair.”

The questions and problems the eighth graders tackle can be very sophisticated. And sometimes they are personal. Several students researched mental health among teens, and some cited their own mental health issues, particularly during COVID, as leading them to this subject.

Eighth grader Ruby was interested in the question of whether social media has a negative impact on teen mental health. In the end, she concluded that social media can also provide teens with important connections, helping them “find their people” during the years when that can be an elusive but important quest.

An eighth grader named Brooke chose to delve into the foster care system because she has interacted with children in foster care at her summer camp. She believes that many kids are needlessly placed in foster care. And through her research she found powerful evidence of how many children are in the system, how difficult it can be to get out of it, how many end up in prison and how others suffer from PTSD.

Something else the eighth graders learned: it’s not always easy to find a solution to a big problem. Brayden, who focused on malnutrition in children, said in the beginning, he thought there must be an obvious solution. “But when you get to the solution part of the project, you start to see that nothing is simple. There are a lot of things to be considered.”

There was nothing simple about the students’ complex tri-fold presentations, developed throughout the year. Eighth graders presented their findings multiple times in different classrooms, to each other as well as to teachers and administrators. It was a great way to practice public speaking and bolster their self-confidence to be the future changemakers the Croton-Harmon School District believes they can be.

Students Learn From Notable Authors

Fourth graders at Carrie E. Tompkins Elementary School had the opportunity to meet and learn from well-known published authors and engage in writing exercises led by community members at the school’s Writers Workshop held on June 8.

The Workshop, returning for the first time since 2019, opened with an inspirational presentation by children’s authors, Lauren Tarshis and Tommy Greenwald that helped spark students’ creativity.

“I started writing because my son—a middle school student at the time—said he wanted to read more books about a child main character going on an adventure,” said Ms. Tarshis in her opening talk about finding inspiration for writing.

Ms. Tarshis is the author of the New York Times Bestselling series I Survived, a collection of historical fiction stories from the perspective of young children living through disasters such as WWII and the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. When asked if students had read any of her books, virtually every hand in the room shot up.

Ms. Tarshis told students that writing a book requires more than creativity. In fact, she said, she spends about a year doing research, even visiting locations where her stories take place. Her hard work and attention to detail make her stories compelling and engaging for young readers. Before sending the students to their individual workshops, Ms. Tarshis confided that many of her books are inspired by ideas she receives from young readers—students just like them.

For the writing portion of the Workshop, students could choose from a variety of classes, such as “Building Your Own World,” “How to Write Your Own Show,” “Fantasy Writing,” and “From Charades to Writing.” Each session focused on different writing techniques, but all offered valuable lessons for aspiring authors.

“Watching the students unleash their creativity and work outside their comfort zones during the individual workshops was very exciting,” said fourth grade teacher and Workshop organizer Ana Maria Strattner. “The students learn and practice very specific forms of writing in school, but there are so many different types of writing that can help bolster their writing. Not only did the students enjoy the different exercises, this kind of varied exposure helps them become well-rounded and flexible writers as they begin to develop their own writing styles.”

In one workshop, “From Charades to Writing,” students explored how to effectively express emotions in their writing by identifying words that evoke strong feelings such as “petrified,” “distraught” and “exhilarated.” Students finished the lesson with a game of charades where they acted out such emotions to help them remember these powerful words.

Another workshop, “How to Write Your Own Show,” featured television writer Michael Lee, who taught integral methods of storytelling, emphasizing how shows are more interesting when a character is forced to face a problem.

“I’m really interested in performing arts, so it’s my dream to someday write my own play,” said one student who attended Mr. Lee’s workshop.

When asked how students could achieve their dreams and become better writers themselves, Mr. Lee said: “One trait that all good writers have in common is that they are constantly curious and ask a lot of questions." These are two very valuable characteristics all young students can work on developing to become not only great writers, but also exceptional learners throughout their educational journey.

Croton-Harmon to Participate

in Learning 2025 Summit

Twenty Croton-Harmon educators will head to Washington, D.C., this June to participate in the 2025 Learning National Summit, a bold and innovative effort to redesign American public schools.

The summit, hosted by The School Superintendents Association (AASA), will bring together school leaders, faculty, staff and board members from 110 future-focused school districts to highlight their work and share ideas. The district recently joined the Learning 2025 Initiative, a collaborative network of school districts intent on advancing student-centered, equity-focused, future-driven education.

“We’re excited to collaborate with other school districts around the country that share our desire to usher education into the future, now. It will be helpful to our teachers and other staff to network with their peers,” said Superintendent Stephen Walker, adding that it is an honor for Croton-Harmon to serve as a “demonstration system” for the network.

The summit is part of a national effort to transform American education by 2025. Upon their return from the summit, the Croton participants will serve as mentors and coaches to other faculty and staff.

Daniel A. Domenech, executive director of AASA, said the goal of the Learning 2025 Initiative and the coming summit is to “galvanize and synergize” member schools to emerge from the pandemic stronger. “This initiative will ensure that educators are empowered and equipped to meet whole learners’ needs by personalizing and customizing instruction.”

What does that look like?

Rethinking the culture of schools so that they are focused on the whole learner. That means attending to the social, emotional, cognitive, and mental health of all learners. All students, their families and staff must be treated equally, regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, income, etc. And schools must be future-driven, to anticipate changes in the career landscape.

Reorienting the entire system around the learner, a fully child-centered approach to education. That might seem obvious but the American education system isn’t always oriented around the student.

Making sure that all students have equal access to resources including broadband, high-quality early education and a diverse staff that reflects the community it serves.

Croton-Harmon has taken a number of steps already in these directions including its efforts on behalf of diversity, equity and inclusion and its embrace of transdisciplinary learning. Transdisciplinary learning is an approach that allows students to explore questions across multiple content areas.

But there is more work to do. As a “demonstration system,” Croton-Harmon will receive consulting services, personalized engagement and strategic planning support. This will enable district leaders to create an action plan tailored to meet Croton-Harmon’s needs.

As a demonstration system, Croton-Harmon will be a leader, contributing to national research, practice and policy.

“We’re proud of Croton-Harmon’s rich history of being a future-focused district, and we look forward to how we can further this work through meeting like-minded colleagues from across the nation,” said Assistant Superintendent John Griffiths. “While change can be challenging, it’s also invigorating. And I’m fortunate to be part of a district in which the stakeholders are invested in creating the best possible future for all of our students.”

For more information about the summit, go to https://aasacentral.org/learning2025/.