City School District of New Rochelle
News & Updates
March 5, 2021
New Cohorts for Middle and High Schools
 Set to Debut March 23
City School District of New Rochelle leadership is now working through considerations, planning and groupings for the next configuration of middle and high school cohorts. These arrangements would enable additional students to safely return to in-building learning. Parents and guardians are expected to be notified about the modifications by Friday, March 19. The cohorts would launch on Tuesday, March 23. 
 
COVID-19 research and protocols outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the New York State Department of Health continue to evolve, and District leadership methodically works within those regulations to safely provide as much in-person education as possible.

On February 11, elementary school cohorts were combined, providing four days a week of in-school learning for students and families selecting in-person education. Interim Superintendent of Schools Dr. Alex Marrero and his cabinet held two virtual Town Halls to gain insights on that step, as well as two additional forums to help shape plans for more students to return to in-school learning at Isaac E. Young Middle School, Albert Leonard Middle School and New Rochelle High School, including the Alternative Campus High School. Overall, there were more than 400 participants.
 
March 3 marked the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Rochelle. The District continues to focus on its core mission of providing a nurturing, high-quality education to every child in a safe environment. 
 
We thank our students, families and dedicated staff members who have patiently and successfully navigated our phases of remote and hybrid learning over the past year. We will continue to provide updates on this fast-moving situation. Learn more about District policies and procedures, and read frequent updates, by visiting the COVID Resource Center on the District website, nred.org.
Budget Proposal for
2021-2022 Maintains Staffing, Programs
City School District of New Rochelle administration has proposed a $290,462,166 budget for 2021-2022 that would increase spending 2.3 percent while maintaining staff and programs.

The plan includes funds for 10 additional positions to meet special education and English-as-a-new-language mandates.

Designed to continue providing high-quality education during the continuing pandemic crisis, its initiatives begin with an “aggressive summer school program,” Interim Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero said while presenting the plan at the Board of Education meeting Tuesday. That program will be described in detail in the upcoming budget review meetings, he said.

“This is a responsible budget that maintains staff and programs, not just in the classroom but for social emotional learning and for meeting all of our students’ needs,” Dr. Marrero said. “It maintains the small class sizes at all levels, while also remaining mindful of taxpayers, particularly in these difficult times.”

The spending plan is $6,531,631 higher than this year’s budget. It carries a proposed 3.01% increase in the tax levy, which is the total amount to be raised by taxes. It remains within the state tax cap.

Tuesday’s presentation can be found here. More information is available on the District website’s budget page at nred.org.

The plan will next be discussed at the first of three budget review sessions on Tuesday, March 9 at 7 p.m. The first session will focus on elementary education, including elementary special education, summer-school English-language learning instruction and pupil personnel services, as well as debt service.
NRHS Swimmer Carsen Perseveres
To Set School Record
New Rochelle High School junior Jonathan Carsen missed his team’s first three swimming and diving meets because of a sprained ankle. On top of that were potential distractions related to COVID-19 safety protocols and virtual competitions.

Yet Carsen and his teammates rose to the challenge in the Section 1 championship meet. Carsen won the sectional title in the 100-meter freestyle (47.63 seconds) and was third in the 50 freestyle in a school-record time of 21.53 seconds. The record had been held by Mike Lawson, who went on to swim at the University of Hawaii.

Carsen, an eighth-grader when Lawson was on the New Rochelle squad, exceeded his own expectations regarding his speed. “I didn’t think I was going to go that time,’’ he said. “Saying I have a school record at a school known for having quick swimmers is a nice feeling.’’

Carsen also had a nice feeling about the sectional performance of teammates as well. The 200 freestyle relay team of Michael Cohen, Narmeri Franklin, Nate Dower and Carsen placed 10th. The 400 freestyle relay team featuring the same swimmers placed 12th, and the 200 medley relay team of Conor Fieldale, Franklin, Dower and Cohen was 15th. Overall, 22 teams competed. NRHS placed seventh, with 110 points, in the team results.

“The amount of improvement that everyone had throughout the year was insane,’’ Carsen said. “I’m proud of that. They really stepped up to the challenge.’’

The team persevered through a season with COVID restrictions, including virtual meets that had each team swimming and diving in its own pool. But it also had a heavy dose of perspective.

“Our whole feeling was, ‘We have something’,” Carsen said. “Let’s just deal with it, take it as it comes and do the best that we can.”
Click on the image above to view the gallery.
Barnard Kids Embrace Reading Adventures, Join National Initiative
Look at all the different books Henry Barnard Early Childhood students are reading!

There the students are, showing off their favorite volumes and reading or talking about them in an interactive gallery the school posted for Read Across America Day on Tuesday. “I am a Frog,” “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus,” the “Pete the Cat” series and a box set of “Amelia Bedelia” were just a few of the titles featured in the videos and photos posted on the electronic bulletin board. It was the school’s way of celebrating the annual event amid COVID-era restrictions.

“We wanted to do it in a way that was inclusive of all students, both in person and virtual,” said Principal Dr. Nicolas Cracco. “We wanted to emphasize the amazing job our kids are doing with reading.”

Kindergartener Lily Adams read a book called “How Doctors Help” and explained, “I like this book because when I grow up, I’m going to be an animal doctor,” she said.

Second-grader Camila Senteno posed with the entire seven-book Harry Potter series spread before her and explained that she likes them because “they have a lot of excitement and magic.”

Senteno related how, as an infant, Potter survived an attack by the evil Lord Voldemort, escaping with only a scar on his forehead.

“That’s why everyone likes him,” she said. “But he never knew anything about the wizarding world because that just happened when he was a baby, and nobody remembers when they’re a baby.”

Teachers got into the spirit, too. Reading teacher Melissa Head read the book “Paper Bag Princess” – and she dressed in brown paper to do it.

“I love this book,” she wrote, “because it reminds us that it doesn’t matter what you wear or what you look like to be a smart, caring and clever person.”

Once the bulletin board was posted, its popularity took off, said Kimberly Purzewski, the school reading specialist who spearheaded the project.

“The students saw their friends posting their favorite books and it seemed like they couldn't wait to give them a heart – to ‘like’ their post – and get on and post their own,” she said. “Even the parents were eager to get their children on (the bulletin board).

“This was a simple and germ-free way of celebrating our love of reading. The kids looked so happy doing it! They are still posting days later!”
Opportunities Aplenty
At Upcoming Job Fair
Need a job? The Workforce Employment Readiness Center is sponsoring a job fair on Wednesday, March 10.

To learn more, click on the flyer below to see a full-sized version.
Webster Elementary School singers hope that "people all around the world live in harmony." Click on the image to see the exhibitions.
Black History Month Celebrated in Song, Poetry, Paintings & More
A fourth-grader shares the importance of befriending people who are different. Three New Rochelle High School students examine systemic racism. A young poet writes, “United we Prosper, Divided we Fall.”

These were some of the discussions and thoughts expressed in the 2021 Black History Month Celebration posted on the City School District of New Rochelle's website last Saturday. Across the District, thousands of students participated in educational art projects in the annual event, presented virtually this year because of COVID-19 restrictions. 

Columbus Elementary School teacher Aisha Cook’s fourth-graders shared thoughts on the importance of working together, making friends with those different from us and learning about other cultures. As student Ximena Oceguera explained; “Until people get to know each other, they won’t know that they’re not so different and it will make them feel equal.”

The celebration includes paintings, drawings, poetry, music and thoughts and reflections. It is presented by the Westchester Alliance of Black School Educators in conjunction with the District and the Black History Month Committee. The theme this year was the 60th anniversary of the decision in the Lincoln School desegregation case in New Rochelle.

William B. Ward Elementary School fourth-graders Camila Minaya and Ava Nardozzi led their classmates in a video re-enactment of how activism by Lincoln School parents and community members led to the landmark decision. Students played roles representing various constituents involved in advocating for, and implementing, desegregation. 

The Webster Singers from Daniel Webster Magnet School performed “Freedom” and “Love Train.” Under the direction of teacher Heidi Jaye, about 70 students performed in the video, which also included cameo appearances by some teachers. The introduction to the video underscored the students’ desire that “people all around the world live in harmony.”

High school students Chris Colavito, Maeve Ingram and Ava Vernor reflected on the significance of Black History Month in a short video containing personal narratives. They also discussed the need for all children to learn about their heritage early in their schooling and they encouraged community members to engage in open dialogue about racism in their own neighborhoods.  

NRHS senior Azizah Rashid spoke of the importance of expanding our understanding of history in a video entitled “A 60-Year Retrospective of the Lincoln School Decision.”

“Guilt and shame can get in the way of many things… especially the truth,” she said. She welcomes opportunities to examine history through various lenses and from different perspectives.

Poetry included "When You See Me," by NRHS student Darrin Greaves II, which includes the lines:
United we Prosper, Divided we Fall
Why can’t we all unite instead of hitting a brick wall
Why can’t we bond instead of staying small
Why do you judge, without knowing their haul.
Science Researchers, Put To the Test, Sharpen Presentation Skills
The 60 community volunteers helping the Science Research Program students prepare for one of their biggest competitions were not there to go easy on them.

They were assisting the students on WESEF Practice Night, when New Rochelle High School’s young scientists try out the presentations that they will use to enter the upcoming annual Westchester Science and Engineering Fair.

Teacher Jeff Wuebber, the head of the Science Research Program, instructed the judges to grill the students. The young scientists were encouraged to be enthusiastic, clearly explain the gap in existing research they sought to close -- and “wow” judges. 

“The idea here is to give kids a dry run and a practice night so that by the time they get to WESEF, they’ve got this,” Wuebber said during the Zoom-based event Thursday night. “This should be harder than WESEF.”

Students rose to the challenge. 

“Tonight is a huge help for me,” said junior Jobin Daniel, who researched efforts to strengthen bricks and concrete with carbon nanofibers. “WESEF is such a big competition. This practice night will alleviate a lot of the pressure we feel. We get a lot of feedback from adults that are in our research fields. We get that experience that we need before the actual fair.”

WESEF Practice Night has become a District tradition. Volunteers from the community, many of them in the sciences, join in to hear the students discuss their research and to ask questions. The event helps students hone their skills in explaining their work and their findings. 

WESEF, the largest local science fair in the nation this year, takes place March 15 through 18. One of several key competitions students enter, it is sponsored by Regeneron and will be held virtually this year.

“These students have done college-level, or graduate level, or doctorate-level research,” Wuebber said.
COVID Testing
To Begin March 17
COVID-19 testing in City School District of New Rochelle schools will begin March 17 and will be conducted every Wednesday at different sites. 

“In order to carry out this voluntary testing program, we need your help and cooperation,” said Interim Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero. “Please complete and return your child’s consent form, which can be found on our District website or in your child’s backpack.”

Parents and guardians will be notified of the date when their child will be tested. A parent or guardian must be present when a child is tested, except for high school students.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised that school safety is increased when students and staff are tested on a regular basis.

“Testing is quick, easy and safe, and will be carried out under strict medical supervision,” Dr. Marrero said. “Please join us in this important effort and send in your consent form today.”
Artists: March 12 is the Deadline To Apply for NRHS' PAVE Program
The deadline is March 12 to apply for the Performing and Visual Arts Education (PAVE) program at New Rochelle High School.
 
Students in grades 8, 9 and 10 can apply for the dynamic, arts-centered program. Participants major in a specific art form – dance, music, theater or visual arts. Admission is by audition. Information, an application and a video can be found here: https://sites.google.com/view/nrhsarts.
New Rochelle High School students and faculty members review a clip of Amanda Gorman reciting her poem "The Hill We Climb" at President Biden's inauguration.
At NRHS, Inauguration Poem Inspires Discussion

Was Amanda Gorman’s poem, a highlight of President Biden’s inauguration, an uplifting moment or did it reflect false optimism?

These were among the views New Rochelle High School students expressed when discussing Gorman’s work “The Hill We Climb,” which the 22-year-old poet read at the January 20 inauguration in Washington, D.C.

“You got this feeling of hopefulness, yet at the same time, it’s very realistic about how America is right now,” student Carolina Sandoval said during the Zoom-based forum last Friday. “She states that although America is far from perfect and we aren’t where we want to be right now, we are working toward becoming that unified nation through democracy.”

Senior Asante Pierre-Louis shared a poem he wrote in response, “The Contentment We Share.” He wrote it, he said, to counterbalance the optimism.

“She told me that we are ‘fierce and free,’ so how come they get upset when one of us takes a knee?” one line reads.

The forum was facilitated by senior Solomon Darden. It was held by Laurie Collins Thomas’s African American Studies class and Nikyta Knott’s African American Literature class, with the Black Culture Club, as a way to close the celebration of Black History Month. Students had the opportunity to prepare by analyzing the piece for its historical and literary merits.  

One of Gorman’s verses noted often was:
And so we lift our gaze, not to what stands between
us, but what stands before us.

It was a favorite verse of senior Aggrey Scott Jr., who said it reminds him not to fixate on the barriers between him and others. 

“They could just be removed very easily if I stopped focusing on them. I would be able to look at the problem that were all facing and the problem that endangers us all,” he said.

Assistant Principal Camille Edwards Thomas, who joined the forum, told the students she was impressed that the students were “able to express so eloquently your feelings about something that is so difficult to express and so delicate.

"I can’t even say how much I am enjoying watching students work through this and asking hard questions and getting real responses.”
City School District of New Rochelle | http://www.nred.org/