February 19, 2024

RICE Club Members Advocate for Students

February is Black History Month and Mahopac High School’s Racial Inclusion and Cultural Empowerment (RICE) Club aims to bring all Mahopac students together in the spirit of inclusivity. Mahopac High School’s Principal Patrick Keevins met with members of the RICE Club to discuss their experiences and what the high school is doing to support students while providing a welcoming environment.

“Our parents send us all to school to get an education. My mom says that to me all the time, that’s the first priority,” said RICE Club officer Erika Billingsley-Perez. “Students need to feel safe and know they aren’t going to be treated poorly in order to focus on their education.”

Keevins listened to students as they relayed their experiences and that of their classmates. The students shared moments where they were on the receiving end of hateful comments. Keevins shared his own experiences with students who struggled with discrimination in his position as a coach in another district.

“Several years ago when I was a coach in another district, my players experienced discrimination when we traveled to other schools,” said Keevins. “For the first time in my life, I saw it happening to my students, my players, and I saw how it affected them.” Influenced by this experience, Keevins found a passion in working to ensure the safety of his students and in creating a positive learning environment for all students. He also described what the Mahopac Central School District is doing to create a welcoming and affirming environment for all students.

“I was really excited to hear that this is an important topic to the rest of the administration, not just me,” Keevins said. “The District is following through with a plan to improve the experience of all of our students.”

With support from Southern Westchester BOCES, a District equity plan is being developed. The first focus will be on "Creating a Welcoming and Affirming Environment" for all. Conversations are taking place about how best to foster a positive and supportive culture at each of Mahopac’s schools that will allow every student to reach their full potential. Staff will be brought up to speed on what every teacher and administrator can do to enhance the experience of learning in Mahopac. The presentation to the Board of Education on this topic can be found here: Mahopac CSD Equity Plan Update 12.2023.

German Language Students Excel On

National German Exam

Eight Mahopac High School students scored in the top 10% of students taking the National German Exam, up from four last year. Their achievement qualifies them to compete for an all-expense-paid trip to Germany.

Last year, Mahopac student Danica Parent was one of 48 students out of 12,300 applicants to win a trip to Germany, where she had the opportunity to put her language skills to practical use and deepen her knowledge of German culture.

“We spent three weeks in Germany,” Parent said. “It was scary and exciting at the same time. I learned so much that you can’t really get from the classroom.”

Parent lived with her host family in Kiel, Germany, but she also had a chance to explore Germany for herself.

“I truly got to live like a German while I was there. My host mother had a job, my host sister is a professional soccer player, so they were out a lot,” Parent said. “I biked six miles to class and six miles back every day. I made my own schedule, I would stop at bakeries or to get ice cream after class. Sometimes I explored the city with other students and sometimes I explored on my own.”

Parent said the trip was much more than a vacation. After years of rigorous study, she said she was able to take her learning to another level.

“You think that you know enough about a foreign language, but I learned so much more than I expected to,” Parent said. “I studied really hard for a long time, but there are some things that you have to learn in the country. For example, it’s hard to create relationships in a foreign language. I could order food, but talking with my host family and communicating what I needed and wanted was a learning experience.”

The following students scored in the top 10% on the National German Exam this year, earning Gold Medals and the chance to apply for a trip to Germany: Cira Graap, Maya Lewis, Chloe Lex, Megan McGourty, Gloria Nelson, Danica Parent, Liv Tesch, and Matthew Torrey.

This Week in Photos

Mahopac Middle School Students Explore Exhibits at the MMS Health Fair

Just before Winter Break, Mahopac Middle School students got an opportunity to learn about health from everyone from EMTs to mental health specialists at the Mahopac Middle School Health Fair. Thank you to the following organizations that created exhibits and engaged with Mahopac Middle School students:

Apple Bank, Carmel Police Department, Cove Care Center, Green Chimneys, Mahopac Volunteer Fire Department, Mahopac Health Education Department, Mahopac Leo's Club, Mahopac Physical Education Department, Mental Health Association in Putnam County, Prevention Council of Putnam, Putnam County Mental Health - Children's Mental Health Services, and Putnam County Youth Bureau.

Mahopac's Elementary Schools Celebrate the 100th Day of School

All three of Mahopac's elementary schools celebrated the 100th day of school last week by asking their kindergarten classes to come in dressed as 100-year-olds. The world's youngest centenarians strolled in with canes, mustaches and suspenders and completed various 100th-day-of-school-themed activities. Check out some photos of their outfits below:

Austin Road Elementary

Fulmar Road Elementary

Lakeview Elementary

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.

Kindergarten Registration for the

2024-2025 School Year

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

Ad Hoc Advocacy Committee Opens

Suggestion Box

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

The Mahopac CSD recently voted to increase the tax exemption allowances for Veterans, Senior Citizens, Persons with Disabilities, and Volunteer Firefighters and Ambulance Workers. Eligible homeowners must apply through the Town by March 1.

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Mission Statement

The Mahopac CSD develops educated, upstanding citizens with practical life skills through rigorous preparation for the real world. 

Mahopac Central School District

100 Myrtle Avenue, Mahopac, NY 10541

Phone: 845-628-3415 Fax: 845-628-5502