City School District of New Rochelle
News & Updates
March 26, 2021
3 NRHS Students To Compete
In Elite International Science Contest
Isabelle Balachandran, Amanda Cao, Natalia McMorris
In a first for New Rochelle High School, three students from the Science Research Program will compete in the prestigious, highly competitive Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), held globally.

Isabelle Balachandran, Amanda Cao and Natalia McMorris – all juniors – earned a place in the contest when they won first place in their categories in the Westchester Science and Engineering Fair (WESEF). They were among 25 New Rochelle High School students who won a total of 31 WESEF prizes when the results were announced March 23.

“This is an incredible achievement,” said NRHS teacher Jeff Wuebber, who administers the school’s
Science Research Program. “ISEF is the Olympics of high school science. It draws the best of the best from all over the world. Only 1,800 kids from the planet get to do this.”

ISEF judging will take place from May 3 through 6 via video conferencing. Awards ceremonies and other events are May 16 through 21. The competition is a program of the Society for Science, an organization devoted to scientific literacy and science education.

The New Rochelle winners attributed the WESEF results – all 31 awards – to the intelligence and the work ethics of their classmates, and to their teacher.

“I’ve seen all the work that goes into it and all the work that Mr. Wuebber puts into us,” McMorris said. “Everyone is willing to put in the time to see the results. I am happy every single day that I am in such an amazing program."
(Please see "Science" below)
Yes, that's Davis Principal Anthony Bambrola under all that green slime!
Davis Students Show
Heart In Smashing
Fundraising Record
George M. Davis Jr. Elementary School students took a recent competition to heart – raising more than $34,000, setting a school record and even winning the opportunity to slime two teachers and their principal as a reward!

Students in kindergarten through fifth grade joined the American Heart Association’s Kids Heart Challenge. The fundraiser also helps kids learn about good heart health by incorporating physical activities such as jumping rope. 

"I thought the Kids Heart Challenge was amazing,” said fifth-grader Alexander Mutterperl. “I loved all of the activities that were organized in PE (physical education class)."

Soliciting friends and family to donate, the students set goals with the activities, which were curated by their physical-education teachers, Paul Williams and Gianmattia Catanzaro. By the time they wrapped it up in mid-February, Davis had raised the most money of any school in New York State – and were No. 23 in the nation.

“I’m happy that we were able to fundraise for such an important cause during a difficult time for so many,” Principal Anthony Bambrola said. “This money helps save lives.”

The competition also put students’ eyes on something green beyond money.

“We told them if they hit their goal, they’d be able to slime their PE teachers,” Bambrola said. “The kids exceeded that goal the final week of fundraising.”

By early this month, students had surpassed their goal of $34,000, and thus won the right to pour oodles of bright green slime over Bambrola, Williams and Catanzaro. They did just that in a ceremony in the school gymnasium, cheered on by schoolmates and Paige, the Davis dolphin.

(Donations continued to come in; by the end, they topped out at $34,384.54.)

High achievement in this fundraiser isn’t new at Davis. Last year, it raised more than $23,000, the third-most in New York State.

“Our PE teachers lead us in this challenge every single year going back decades,” Bambrola said. “After finishing third in New York State last year, our PE teachers set the goal even higher. I’m so proud of the kids for achieving their goal, as well as our PE teachers who are simply such great role models. Our PE teachers take it very seriously, so we set our goal at $34,000 this year.”

“The most important thing to me is that through this experience, we were able to cultivate empathy and really think about doing something good for others in need during this difficult time,” Bambrola said. “And as long as the kids have fun, I am happy.” 
PE teachers Paul Williams (left) and Gianmattia Catanzaro did not escape the sliming.
Jefferson teacher Georgina Diaz-Luz brought Mexico to New Rochelle via Zoom.
Jefferson Students
Zoom with School
Near Mexico City
While the COVID era has put up barriers that make it more difficult for people to get together, Jefferson Elementary School teacher Georgina Diaz-Luz turned it into an opportunity to build a bridge – all the way to Mexico.

Making use of her school’s newfound proficiency with Zoom, she linked up with an elementary school near Mexico City recently.

Students and teachers from the Colegio Federico Froebel in Tlalnepantla de Baz spoke with the Jefferson students, allowing all to practice English and Spanish.

Some Jefferson students said they were a little nervous – until they saw how friendly their foreign counterparts were.

“I felt nervous to meet the kids and teachers for the first time, but to my surprise it was fun getting to know them,” said fourth-grader Brener Vasquez Miranda.

Students talked about their daily lives, what their schools were like and other topics. Along the way, they developed literacy skills.

“We were able to make connections while the students in both schools gained cultural, social-emotional and academic growth,” Diaz-Luz. “The students came to understand how we all have more things in common than differences.”

Fourth-grader Katie Sanchez was excited to meet the Mexican students, and she learned about their country, including that there are pyramids in Mexico.

“I would like to meet them again,” she said, expressing a desire shared by many schoolmates. They will probably get their wish.
“It was a really rich conversation,” Diaz-Luz said. “We definitely want to continue it.”
Excellence In Action: National Facilities Honor For Watkins
Keith Watkins has made a remarkable impact in just four years with the City School District of New Rochelle. Now Watkins, the Assistant Director of Facilities in charge of custodial services, has been honored with the 2021 Pat Cochrane Memorial Award by the National School Plant Manager Association (NSPMA) at the organization’s annual conference.

The award is given to “someone in the association who exhibits leadership skills, passion and a vision for the K-12 facilities in America,” according to the NSPMA website. Watkins received it upon completing a term as president of the organization. He will serve as immediate past president through February 2022.

“Not only has he implemented measures to ensure the safety of the students and staff at the New Rochelle schools, but he has been a resource of information for surrounding school and national district facility managers,” said AJ Nordt, NSPMA’s Scholarship and Awards Committee chairman. “He enthusiastically promotes best practices of plant management.” 

Watkins came to New Rochelle at the urging of his now-boss, Director of Facilities Carl Thurnau, who had been Director of the Offices of Facilities Planning with the New York State Education Department. Once in New Rochelle, “I found the facilities to be very special,” he said, noting the attractiveness of buildings such as Henry Barnard Early Childhood Center and Isaac E. Young Middle School.

“We are fortunate to have an employee of Keith’s magnitude on our team,’’ said District Interim Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero. “His innovative and creative skills have been crucial in helping the District safely persevere during the pandemic, a time that called upon true leaders to stand out. Keith uses data and research to provide solutions, and effectively communicates those initiatives.”

Watkins has three decades of facilities management experience. He earned the New York State Certified Director of Facilities designation following rigorous training in 2014. Last year, he received the NSPMA School Plant Manager of the Year Award.

Since arriving in New Rochelle in May 2017, Watkins has implemented several measures, including valuable training and professional development, which have sparked a sense of ownership and commitment among the facilities staff.

He said it was especially meaningful to receive the Pat Cochrane award because it is named for a former NSPMA Board member from New York.

“I felt like I was bringing the award back home,” he said.
Announcements
Schools closed April 5:
Schools will be closed April 5, extending the Spring Break by one day, for a make-up snow day.

Spring Break travel advisory:
If you plan to travel during Spring Break, see this travel advisory.
Family U Presents: "Tough Talks with Your Teen":
Family University will present a discussion "How to Have Tough Talks with Your Teens" at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 7. Click on the image above to see the full-size flyer, including a link to register.

Resources for ENL Parents at ALMS:
The following videos are resources for parents of students learning English as a new language. In part 1, you will meet Albert Leonard Middle School ENL teachers and learn about the distance-learning schedule, Google Classroom, technology resources and reading habits at home.

In part 2, you will meet our school counselor, social worker and attendance teacher to learn about the importance of attendance, transitioning to high school, the Home Access Center, Mifi devices and Chromebooks, and parenting and mental-health challenges during COVID.
Isaac E. Young Middle School Principal Dr. Tawanda Robinson (by door) visits a class on the day cohorts combined.
Middle, High Schools
Increase In-School Time
With Combined Cohorts
The City School District of New Rochelle took another major step toward the “new normal” this week when cohorts combined in the middle and high schools.

“It’s much more lively,” New Rochelle High School senior Samuel Diaz said Tuesday, the day the new configurations launched.

At NRHS, three cohorts were redistributed into two: Purple and Gray. Each cohort now comes for in-person learning three days, rather than two, out of every seven-day cycle. The seventh days remain for remote, asynchronous learning and office hours with teachers.

Interim Principal Steve Goldberg said reassigning the cohorts “enabled us to not only balance classes, but accommodate individual requests for students to be in the same grouping with their friends. We want to be sensitive to our students, many of whom have not been physically in school for months.”

“Walking through the halls, it’s absolutely wonderful to see more students back in school and of course, following all the social distancing protocols!” Goldberg added.

The middle schools are making the same change the elementary schools made February 11, combining two cohorts into one. Dr. Tawanda Robinson, Principal of Isaac E. Young Middle School, especially enjoyed the sounds that filled the hallways anew.

“It’s just great to hear the kids and to see them with their friends, to see them smiling and to hear laughter,” she said.

IEYMS combined two cohorts into one in all three grades. In-person students now come to school four days each week rather than two. Albert Leonard Middle School has so many students attending in person – about 70% – that the school had to take a smaller step. There, only the seventh grade combined two cohorts into one on Tuesday. The sixth and eighth grades remain with two cohorts each, but are expected to combine them into one for each grade in the coming weeks.

ALMS Principal John Barnes said even the change in one grade made a huge difference.

“There was a great buzz in the building this week!” he said. “The combining of our seventh-grade cohort enabled students to see some of their peers that they may not have seen in person since the pandemic initially closed the schools last March. While visiting classrooms, it was evident that the students were excited, happy and somewhat relieved to see that we are moving into this next phase of reentry. Students expressed how thrilled they were to be back and we also heard from enthusiastic parents.”
 
In both middle schools, Wednesday remains a day for distant, asynchronous learning.

“It feels way better because you get to see more friends,” said IEYMS eighth-grader Jacob Wong-Dunn.

That makes it more fun, added his friend, eighth-grader Tarren Wilkins. But it’s about more than just having a good time; Wilkins said the return to something akin to normal also helps get the most out of his classes.

“I can focus better,” he said.

The week only got better as it went on.

“Today we had more students in the building than we did on Tuesday,” Barnes said on Thursday. “For the first time this year, the noise from the children's voices seemed ‘typical’ and it was music to my ears. We are grateful to our students for demonstrating such resilience and for following our District's health and safety protocols. It has been a wonderful week and we are thrilled to have more students together.”
Tech Upgrades, Increased In-School Time Highlight School Board Meeting
A plan to upgrade aspects of technology to foster learning and an announcement about bringing more elementary-level students back to school buildings were two highlights of Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting.

The proposed technology, facilities and transportation budgets, parts of District’s overall $290.5 million draft budget for 2021-2022, were presented. Director of Technology Anastasia Tzortzatos said a virtual desktop environment will be rolled out to allow all students – whether learning in class or remotely – to access the robust software used in some courses. The technology includes AutoCAD in Architecture, Adobe Creative Suite in Art and Repl.it in Computer Science. The $6.7 million technology budget also provides for upgrades to the computer-network infrastructure to enhance reliability and system security.

During his Superintendent’s Report, Dr. Alex Marrero said it is anticipated that additional elementary students will join combined Cohort A and B students for four days of instruction per week beginning April 12. Surveys the District sent to elementary school parents are being reviewed, and families will receive further communication the week of April 5.

Dr. Marrero also noted that the first day of COVID testing of students, March 17, went smoothly. A total of 231 individuals were tested at Columbus and Ward elementary schools, with just one positive case detected.

Other highlights from the meeting:

  • It is unclear when the District will receive its expected $13.8 million in federal American Rescue Plan funds targeted for COVID-related expenses. 

  • Assistant Superintendent for Student Support Services Dr. Jackielyn Manning Campbell reported on the District’s COVID response, focusing on meeting the needs of students through social and emotional learning and student engagement. 

  • A report on demographic and enrollment trends in the District projects a 9.8% drop in overall enrollment between now and 2030, with a 7.6% drop in K-5 from 2025-30 due to declining birth rates.

  • Voting hours for the 2021-22 school budget and Board election on May 18 have been extended to 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., to accommodate those who observe Shavuot.  

The District’s draft budget calls for an increase of 2.3% in spending. This investment maintains current staffing and programs, and provides 11.1 additional positions to meet special education and English as a New Language mandates. The proposal carries a 3.01% increase in the levy for next year, which does not exceed the state tax cap. 

To view the Board meeting, click here. A public hearing on the adopted 2021-22 budget is scheduled for May 4, with the budget vote and Board election May 18. Visit the budget section of the website for more information about the budget. Email questions to [email protected]; answers will be compiled and posted regularly to the website.
From left: Interim Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero, Director of Pupil Personnel Services Millicent Lee, artist Charles Fazzino, My Brother’s Keeper New Rochelle Managing Director Colleen Gardephe and My Brother’s Keeper New Rochelle literacy director Adjua Thomas.
Debut of Book Kiosk at Train Station Helps Cultivate Reading
Interim Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero joined New Rochelle city and community leaders at the New Rochelle train station on Wednesday to cut the ribbon on an oversized, brightly colored book kiosk created by internationally known 3D pop artist Charles Fazzino.

It was the seventh “pop-up library” to be installed in the city, completing the first phase of a Pop-up Libraries Community Collaboration spearheaded by My Brother’s Keeper New Rochelle and the New Rochelle Council on the Arts in conjunction with the New Rochelle Department of Parks & Recreation and the New Rochelle Public Library. 

“These kiosks are a wonderful idea,” Dr. Marrero said. “In the schools, our educators are devoted to developing literacy and fostering a lifelong love of reading in our students. These ‘Little Free Libraries’ help keep that love alive for children and adults alike when they are out in the parks or taking a train.”

Millicent Lee, the District’s Director of Pupil Personnel Services, joined Dr. Marrero at the event, which also included Mayor Noam Bramson and others.

The kiosks are part of the “Little Free Library” movement, which the City joined in 2019. Windowed wooden boxes hold books for anyone to take; people can also leave books for others to read. Each New Rochelle library kiosk was embellished by a different artist.

The others are at Glenwood Lakes, Hudson Park, Huguenot Park and Lincoln Park and outside Columbus Elementary School. Fazzino’s edition at the train station features an interactive design that measures 7 feet long and includes playful built-in seating (in the shape of red lips) so that browsers can sit for a few minutes and read.

“The installation at the train station, with Charles Fazzino’s whimsical design, reinforces the truth that reading is not just important, it’s fun,” Dr. Marrero said. “We thank My Brother’s Keeper New Rochelle, the New Rochelle Council on the Arts, the New Rochelle Public Library City and the New Rochelle Department of Parks and Recreation for installing these little libraries around the city, including one in front of Columbus Elementary School.”
Science (continued)
In Science Research, students find mentors in colleges, universities or science-oriented companies to guide them in a research project they execute on their own. The NRHS program has been growing and earning more awards in recent years.

This is the first time any of the program’s students made it to ISEF.

“We are incredibly proud of the Science Research Program and the amazing things the students have accomplished,” said Interim Superintendent Dr. Alex Marrero. “From winning numerous awards to having research published in an international journal, and now making it to the apex of contests, the students and Mr. Wuebber are bringing immense pride to the entire New Rochelle community.”
 
WESEF President Michael Blueglass said it has been gratifying to watch the New Rochelle Science Research Program grow into a force to be reckoned with in regional and even international competitions.

“It has been so rewarding to see the New Rochelle Science Research Program finally grow to the level it deserves under the guidance of Jeff Wuebber,” Blueglass said. “The numerous, talented, intelligent students of the New Rochelle program under Mr. Wuebber’s guidance have now risen to the top echelon in one of the most competitive regions in the country.”

The first-place winners’ projects touched on cancer research, COVID-era stress and perceptions of men and women in medicine. McMorris took first place in behavioral science for her research that sought – and found – specific predictors of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that are influenced by the stress of the COVID-19 era.

“Maybe we can get to the point where we can avoid PTSD from developing in its entirety,” she said. “If we can find these individuals sooner, then we can treat them early on.”

Cao also won first place in behavioral science – categories can have more than one winner depending on how many students enter – for her analysis of more than 3,000 data points weighing whether patients’ online reviews of physicians showed a gender bias. She found that while male doctors receive more reviews than female doctors, there was no difference in the perception of the doctors’ abilities.

“In terms of the content, such as the physician’s ability to answer questions, and the skill-based categories, there was no difference,” she said.

Balachandran’s research helped identify types of cancer that might respond well to a specific form of treatment alternative to chemotherapy and radiation. She won first place in the Medicine and Health category for her analysis of data identifying three types of cancer in which the cancerous tissue showed a higher prevalence of a specific protein targeted by the alternative treatment.

As the three prepare for the international contest, Wuebber said he will call on scientists in the New Rochelle community help with another practice night, like the one held via Zoom on March 4, but with higher stakes. The WESEF winners were still basking in the thrill of having made it to ISEF. Cao noted that the students excelled in a competition made more challenging because of the unusual situation.

“We were able to push past the technical difficulties and have a really successful week,” she said. “It definitely shows the perseverance of our program and the passion of the students – and of Mr. Wuebber, of course!”

Balachandran said she was eager to keep moving forward. “I’m just grateful,” she said. “I’m really excited to continue my research with the other two amazing students that I am moving on with.”

Photo above: Jeff Wuebber
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