NRHS Senior Win National Merit Scholarship | | |
New Rochelle High School senior Momir I. Petrovic has been named a winner of the prestigious National Merit Scholarship, one of just 3,000 winners in the nation announced this week.
National Merit Scholarships are financed by U.S. colleges and universities with officials of each sponsor college selecting their scholarship winners from among the Finalists in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program who plan to attend their institution. Momir’s sponsor college is Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, which he will attend in the fall to study computer science.
The Merit Scholarship program recognizes talented high school seniors with outstanding academic achievement.
High school juniors entered the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2021 Preliminary SAT. To compete for Merit Scholarship awards, Semifinalists submitted a detailed scholarship application, which included writing an essay and providing information about extracurricular activities, awards, and leadership positions. Semifinalists also had to have an outstanding academic record, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, and earn SAT® or ACT® scores that confirmed the qualifying test performance. From the Semifinalist group, over 15,000 met requirements for Finalist standing, and about half of the Finalists will be Merit Scholarship winners in 2023.
"New Rochelle High School celebrates with tremendous pride the success of Momir," said NRHS Principal Dr. Dagoberto Artiles. "We are extremely grateful for the efforts of the incredible teachers who supported and inspired him to be a high achiever. I also want to thank Momir’s parents and our central office and board of education for supporting us in providing a world class learning environment. Go Huguenots!!!"
At school, Momir is a board member of the Computer Science Honor Society. He is currently taking afternoon classes at Iona University.
“I want to get a job as a software developer while pursuing game development as a hobby,” he said.
| | Red Carpet Treatment for Webster Student | | |
There’s no predicting what will really impact a student. For Daniel Webster Elementary fourth grader Christopher Woodley, it was the role of a Munchkin in first grade in the school’s production of “Wizard of Oz.”
“He came home saying, ‘Mommy, I really want to be an actor,’” Christopher’s mom Nicole Woodley said.
And so, it came about. Tomorrow, Christopher will walk the red carpet at the Tribeca Film Festival with actors Billy Porter and Luke Evans for the premiere of their film “Our Son,” in which Christopher plays the lead.
Although this is his most notable role to date, Christopher has quite the IMDb bio. He guest stars on “Law and Order: SVU” on NBC, co-stars on “Mike” on Hulu and has a part in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” on Amazon Prime. He is also a voiceover artist with a recurring role on “Alma’s Way” on PBS and a guest voice on Netflix’s “Spirit Rangers.” Christopher was recently cast in the lead role of Little Jack opposite Adrienne Warren in the currently postponed “Room” on Broadway, which would have been his Broadway debut.
Shortly after that Munchkin role Christopher began his acting career at age six when he booked several regional and national commercials. “He loves being on set and in front of the camera,” his mom says. “He has an outgoing personality and a great sense of humor. He’s a natural.”
"Being able to bring a character to life in my own special way is energizing and exciting,” he says.
Keep an eye on this guy – he’s aiming for the big time. "I watch the Oscars every year and already have my speech ready!"
Not surprisingly, Christopher is mature beyond his years. He would like to say to everyone who has a passion and a dream, in particular to his fellow classmates, "Work hard and never give up. Learn from your mistakes and disappointments and never stop believing in yourself!"
Besides acting, Christopher enjoys playing basketball, dancing, reading history books, and gaming with his friends.
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Orchestra Breaks 25-Year Drought in State Ranking
In a major accomplishment for the high school orchestra program, the New Rochelle High School Symphonic Orchestra earned a Gold Rating at the New York State School Music Association Major Organization Evaluation Festival on May 22.
The 28-member orchestra performed “St. Paul's Suite” and “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” at the festival which was held at Walter Panas High School and featured only outstanding quality ensembles from throughout New York State. NYSSMA Major Organization Festivals are opportunities for music teachers to bring an exceptional ensemble (band, chorus, orchestra, or jazz) to perform for two specially trained adjudicators.
It’s been 25 years since the New Rochelle High School orchestra earned a gold level ranking.
“All the students are incredibly dedicated to making music and really gave it their all. I am incredibly proud of what they accomplished,” said Claire Stancarone, who teaches the Huguenot Orchestra, Symphonic Orchestra and PAVE Strings. “The students worked really hard and prepared for many months. We had to push to the very end and dig deep to continually make it better before the competition,” she said, adding that the students recorded themselves to better analyze their performance and made changes.
“In a way I think NYSSMA Majors really brought our orchestra together as we knew we all shared the same goal,” said concertmaster, senior Ari Barrios. “It made us push ourselves to become better and it pushed me to be the best concertmaster I could. But in the end, our hard work definitely paid off, and I couldn’t have asked for a better performance from our orchestra.”
“NYSSMA Majors was an experience unlike any other in my time as a violinist,” said junior Brianna Young. “We had to be open to new ideas and had to consistently practice. I think that winning gold at Majors has given us a boost in our confidence and the push we need to continue performing and improving together as an orchestra, while making us better musicians overall.”
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Sophomore Science Research Students Set
New School Record
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New Rochelle High School sophomore science research students set a school record at the recent Somers Science Fair, coming home with seven first place awards among a total of 16 medals.
The Somers Science Fair provides a unique opportunity for first-year science research students to present, via a poster presentation, in-depth understanding of proposed research that they could conduct given proper resources and facilities, based on a thorough review of previous literature. The purpose is to demonstrate sound scientific thinking and insight.
New Rochelle first place award winners are Aleksandra Zelatis, Jesse Abrego, Jordan Weiner, and Lauren Bryan in Behavior; Andy Krasner in Medicine & Health; Joseph Francois in Microbiology and Karun Kulamavalavan in Environmental Science.
Rachel Cooper and Edwin Michael both placed second in Behavior; Caroline Bach second in Medicine & Health; and Elena Adams and Ella Kirk second in Medicine & Health.
Third place awards were received by Sophia Pedroza and Mason Vollandt in Behavior; Farheen Paracha and Dylan Rittenberg in Medicine & Health.
“I am so proud of all of our students. All of the work, practice, and enthusiasm for science was clearly evident,” said Science Research program supervisor Jeff Wuebber. “This is a great way for our sophomores to close out the school year!”
| | Some of the first-place award winners at the Somers Science Fair. | | Japanese American Incarcerated During WWII Addresses High School Students | | |
In a powerful presentation last month, a Japanese American who was incarcerated for three years as a child during the Second World War spoke to high school social studies students of his harrowing experience, conveying a message of perseverance, courage, and lessons to be learned from history.
Now 90 years old, Sam Mihara was imprisoned at the Heart Mountain, Wyoming Relocation Center at the age of nine. Born an American citizen and raised in San Francisco, Sam and his family, along with everyone of Japanese ancestry living in the Western U.S., were forced out of their homes and into prison camps by U.S. Federal Government Executive Order 9066. He shared his story of deprivation and humiliation and discussed the relevance of the subject in today’s world.
“Mr. Mihara was incredible, and the students were captivated,” said Brett Raboy, U.S. and AP U.S. History teacher. “This morning was one of the most memorable days of my school year.”
“It was phenomenal. My students LOVED it,” said Francisco Sandoval, Social Studies teacher.
Wes Smith, a NRHS junior in AP Human Geography said, “It was excellent. I am so glad I got to hear him talk.”
NRHS Assistant Principal Zahida Aminy observed, “It was amazing. Truly inspiring and embodies the mantra that your circumstances do not have to define your future.”
Mr. Mihara’s visit took place during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and was notable in part because of his message of overcoming early childhood traumas and discrimination. He spoke to NRHS students about returning to San Francisco after the war, facing post-war racism, continuing through high school, earning degrees and graduating from UC Berkeley and UCLA graduate school. He spent his career as a rocket scientist at the Boeing Company.
The presentation for students and faculty was coordinated by NRHS Social Studies teacher Eric Katz, who met Mr. Mihara at the former prison camp last August. Mr. Katz was at Heart Mountain, Wyoming, participating in a Landmarks of American History workshop sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
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“So Can You” Speaker Series Concludes with Powerful Messages
More than 125 students attended the concluding session in the “So Can You” Speaker Series on May 30, listening to powerful messages from U.S. Congressman Jamaal Bowman and NY State Education Department Chancellor Dr. Lester Young.
Speaking in the Linda Kelly Theatre, the two guests told their stories of how they faced discrimination and challenges to make history as they rose to their present positions.
Dr. Young spoke of experiencing racism as he rose to become the top decision maker in New York State education, how it made him a stronger person and prepared him for life’s challenges. He singled out perseverance as a guiding principle.
“Perseverance will allow you to never give up. You must know how to push through adversity, challenges, and hurdles throughout the course of your life,” the Board of Regents Chancellor said.
Speaking with passion, Congressman Bowman, who represents New York’s 16th congressional district, also spoke of rising through adversity.
“If I can come from the cocaine epidemic, drug addiction in my family and a single-family home, ‘So Can You’,” he said, evoking the speaker series theme.
The Congressman has made history twice, he said. Once by starting his own school in Yonkers and then by defeating a 30-year incumbent in a landslide victory.
He urged students to exercise their power by voting and to not “leave the decisions of their future to other people.”
Both speakers emphasized that the students are SOMEBODY and that the work starts from within.
Their messages resonated with the students: Freshman Anthony Athanase said, “To see two powerful men working for my community this way inspires me to keep pushing hard and I look forward to following both of their careers. Very inspiring message.”
For senior Juan Barajas the event was personal. “I am super grateful for the contribution of Chancellor Young. If he didn’t advocate for New York to take the MBK pledge, I wouldn’t have been granted the opportunity to be a MBK New Ro Fellow. I thank him for his perseverance and commitment.” MBK is My Brother’s Keeper, a mentoring program for boys and young men.
The “So Can You” speaker series delivers powerful guest speakers from a variety of business sectors, both public and private, delivering a message of determination and hope for young students.
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Webster Music Teacher Recognized
Daniel Webster Elementary School general music and choral teacher Heidi Jaye has been named a semi-finalist for the Grammy Music Educator Award presented by the Recording Academy and Grammy Museum, which recognizes educators who have made a significant contribution to the music education field.
“I am both surprised and thrilled to be nominated for the award and chosen as a semifinalist,” she said. She is one of 25 semi-finalists selected from 1,205 initial nominations submitted from 47 states.
“Heidi Jaye is one of the most exciting, passionate, and student-centered music educators I have worked with,” said Deepak Marwah, Director of Performing and Visual Arts, who nominated her. “Her ability to inspire young students to become storytellers through music and to use music to enhance the school community is truly something special.”
“I love bringing the joys of music into the classroom,” she said, adding that she is grateful to be working in a school district that has strong support for the arts.
Ms. Jaye, who has worked in the district for six years, says she is especially proud of the school’s volunteer singing group and music club, the Webster Singers, which performs throughout the district.
At Webster, Ms. Jaye said that students are taught to embrace music, participating in such a way that they are largely taking ownership of their music education. “They help choose music selections for learning opportunities, practice, and performances, and they self-critique their rehearsals and performances,” she said.
“I am very proud of all of them, but especially for the way they work together and encourage each other. I view my role as one to support them as they explore their musical talents and ambitions.”
When not teaching, Ms. Jaye performs in musical theater productions in the New York metro and Long Island areas.
| | | Space Unit Concludes with Simulated Launch | |
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If you’re a fourth or fifth grader, there can’t be a better way to conclude a unit on space than to launch a space probe.
That’s what students in the district Kaleidoscope class did during a field trip to the Buehler Challenger and Science Center on May 18. The Paramus center is set up as a simulated spacecraft and mission control, and the students’ mission was to launch a probe to study Halley's Comet. Using skills in the areas of science, technology, mathematics and communication, students at mission control monitored the status of the crew and craft while those on the spacecraft worked to maintain the health of crew members onboard while launching the Halley’s Comet probe.
Students worked together to navigate the best possible location to launch the probe and conducted experiments on the spacecraft including testing meteoroid samples, microscopic examination of insects on board and analysis of gasses from the comet’s tail.
The district Kaleidoscope program is a two-year enrichment program for academically advanced fourth and fifth grade students from throughout the New Rochelle City School District who meet specific academic criteria.
The trip was the culmination of a three-month unit on space, which included a variety of topics including comets, electromagnetic spectrums, coordinate planes, and trajectory of an object.
The visit to the science center was clearly a winner with students.
“It was really fun working together as a team to get information about comets and to get the mission done,” said Teegan S.
“It was amazing. As the communication officer, I got to send messages to help everyone do their experiments. It was a spectacular trip that I truly enjoyed,” commented Truman R.
“I think that it was a great experience. I was on the remote team so I got to do a ton of experiments and I thought it was a lot of fun,” said Mikey M.
“I was on the navigation team, so I helped a lot with finding the comet and launching the probe. When the probe was released, it felt like a big accomplishment,” said Hailey Y.
“I thought it was a very realistic experience. As the navigation officer, it was really fun trying to figure out where to launch the probe,” said Liam O.
“It was a mix of fun and learning. I was on the probe team, so I got to use mechanical parts to build the probe. It was an interactive realistic experience that I will never forget,” said Melanie S.
| | | | Davis STEM Festival Draws a Crowd | | |
The second STEM Festival at George M. Davis Elementary School on May 11 was a district affair, with students from both the high school and Isaac E. Young Middle School adding to the fun.
At what is now an annual event, Davis students and their families shared a range of hands-on, interactive experiments, including making bubbling lava lamps and building popsicle stick bridges.
The New Rochelle High School Robotics Club, led by Maria Walsh, had small robots for Davis students to test out, and IEYMS's new STEAM Club presented an iBot introduction to programming and coding and helped students with an engineering task to design their own shoe.
"I love that our district's STEM and science resources are so complex and rich, and by combining forces we can introduce parents and students to some of the amazing programs available here as our kids progress through the grades," said committee chair and parent Jenna Dedic.
Besides all the robots, engineering, and hands-on experiments to try, some of Westchester's most popular STEM programs also participated. The Regeneron BioBus offered hands-on use of powerful microscopes, the Westchester Children's Museum wind tunnel challenge took things to new heights, and the New Rochelle Healthy Yards composting booth and Westchester Land Trust Pollinator Pop-Up provided fun information about earth-friendly landscaping for bees, butterflies and other pollinators. Other exhibitors included Davis Girl Scout Troop 2924, iCamp, New Rochelle Parks & Recreation, The Nerdy Duo, Sheldrake Environmental Center, Chinitz Orthodontics and Mercy College Center for STEM Education.
"I am a high school science teacher; I don't get reactions like I did at the Davis STEM fair very often! I usually don't hear a kid exclaim, 'COOL' after one of my demos," shared Davis kindergarten parent, Alex Fry.
Students also voiced their approval for the interactive event. "It was a lot of fun," shared one Davis second grader. "I liked being able to do the fun experiments with my family."
Davis Elementary looks forward to carrying on this new yearly tradition and can't wait to see how the event unfolds next year. “The Davis STEM fair brings the community together to explore and celebrate the beauties of science in approachable and fun ways for kids (and adults) of all ages. We will look forward to it every year!" said Davis parent, Leah Rivlin.
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Columbus Families Participate in STEM Program
About 30 families attended a series of six evenings of science classes at Columbus Elementary School this spring, participating in a STEM program for kindergarten through third grade students and their parents.
Known as FLORES, (Family Learning and Outreach for Research), the program is designed to help families become more involved in their children’s science studies and involves families attending classes offered in English and Spanish. The program was created by the Mercy College Center for STEM Education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).
“The purpose of FLORES is to enable parents to think of themselves not as homework helpers but to truly embrace how much they can teach their children,” said third grade teacher Anny Vanegas, who helped coordinate the event. Ms. Vanegas is a Mercy College STEM Master Teacher Fellow and a NYS STEM Ambassador.
The program’s goals include teaching families how to ask questions to facilitate science learning and to build science self-efficacy in both students and their parents. FLORES also helps develop students’ fundamental science knowledge and vocabulary, as well as building 21st century skills such as critical thinking, collaboration and problem solving. It was was introduced to Columbus for K-1 last year and plans are in hand to extend it through grade five next year.
The first three Columbus workshops were designed by Mercy College for kindergarteners and first graders, with students and their families learning about the engineering process by constructing a doghouse, about sound by building cup phones, and coding through coding mice.
The second three workshops, created by Ms. Vanegas, first grade teacher Maia Starcevic and retired science facilitator Elizabeth Barrett-Zahn were designed for students in grades two and three and their families. They addressed magnets through Maglev, sustainability through vermiculture and composting, and coding with families building robots using Code,org, Ozobots, Dash Robots, and Bee Bots. Members of the New Rochelle High School Robotics Team were on hand to help families with the robots and also spoke about their coding experience and demonstrated the robots they had created.
Second grade teacher and NYS STEM Ambassador Sebastian Arango, special education teacher Vanessa Guzman-Cruz, ENL teacher Elva Franco and kindergarten teacher Rebecca Valentin helped facilitate the workshops.
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Students Recognized for Substance Use Prevention Work
Four New Rochelle HS students were recognized by Westchester County Executive George Latimer for their work in preventing youth substance use at a May 15 meeting of the Westchester County Youth Leadership Task Force.
As members of the Youth Leadership Task Force, New Rochelle High School juniors Samara Brecher, Gabrielle Roberge, and Lucy Casanova attended the event together with high school students from all over Westchester County. County Executive George Latimer thanked the students for the year's activities and heard their perspectives on vaping, alcohol, marijuana, and other substance use.
The May 15th meeting was the last meeting of the task force for the school year and provided an opportunity for the students to receive certificates of appreciation from the County Executive. Sophomore Najah McCutchen also represents New Rochelle HS on the Task Force but was not able to attend the meeting.
The Youth Leadership Task Force consists of 60 students from 26 schools. It is part of the Westchester County Coalition for Drug and Alcohol-Free Youth and is charged with identifying needs and contributing ideas for countywide substance use prevention strategies and with implementing those strategies in members' schools and communities.
The Task Force is coordinated by Student Assistance Services. The New Rochelle Task Force members participate in the high school's SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) club and meet monthly to provide input on media campaigns and other prevention activities directed at youth.
“We tackle issues such as drug prevention, alcohol abuse, mental health awareness, co-occurring disorders, etc. We typically share our ideas regarding prevention strategies and then work to implement them in our schools,” said Samara, who will be co-president of SADD next year with Lucy. “Being on the task force is an awesome opportunity to learn from other high school students and share our own ideas with others as well,” she said. “It's a great way to hear different perspectives and try out new strategies. It is incredibly rewarding to see your own ideas making a difference in the community.”
| | Caption: New Rochelle HS students Lucy Casanova, Gabrielle Roberge and Samara Brecher (top row, third, fourth and fifth from left) at the May 15 event. The students are holding posters addressing the dangers of youth marijuana use. The messages were created by the Task Force and were distributed on social media and in schools and other locations in the county around April 20, designated as Healthy Brain Day. | | Graduating Students Celebrate Collective Accomplishments | | |
The 38 graduating seniors in Pamela Hallman-Johnson’s English 4 CORE and Resource Room recently celebrated their accomplishments with a Pearl and Tie Ceremony in recognition of each of the students’ post high school plans.
The ceremony was part of the Second Annual College Acceptance and Post-Secondary Activity Commitment Celebration, where each of the students’ college commitments, trade programs or work choices were recognized.
Notable among these were the $4.4 million in college scholarships the students had been collectively offered from various institutions of higher learning.
The English 4 CORE program is designed for students who learn uniquely and “walk through life differently,” explained Ms. Hallman-Johnson. "I am so proud of my amazing scholars. These students overcome many obstacles to get here. It is my mission always to educate, encourage and enlighten all students to greater possibilities. The sky has no limit for them.”
Guest speakers at the event included The Honorable Judge Reginald J. Johnson from the Peekskill City Court; Debra Ehrenberg and Stephen Russell from NYSED Access-VR; Monica Jackson, Director of Accessibility Services, SUNY Rockland Community College; and Anita Mahar, Resident Director, SUNY Binghamton University.
During the Pearl and Tie Ceremony, a woman of influence adorns a young lady with a string of pearls and a man of influence places a tie on a young man.
“Strive to be on the inside what their tie represents to the world on the outside,” Judge Johnson advised the young men. “Be a person of honor, integrity, determination, gentleness, elegance, and stability.”
Ms. Hallman-Johnson reminded the young ladies that their pearls are a representation of their strength, resilience, gifts, talents, and abilities.
“Clutch your pearls because like pearls, you too are priceless,” she said.
Closing out the occasion, the young men and women shared reflections of their time at New Rochelle High School.
"I have learned how to ask for help and to not be afraid to ask for help,” said Joel Wellington who is headed to Rochester Institute of Technology (National Technical Institute for the Deaf Program). “I am grateful for my teacher and my counselor for helping me to get through all these applications, applying for college, financial aid, access-vr and everything that needed to be done to get ready for college. I 100% feel like I'm ready and I got this. I feel ready to go to college, start learning, learn new experiences in college, meet new people and friends."
Jaidan Wells, who is headed for Mercy College, appreciated the send off.
"I thought the event was really really nice. I thought it was special to wrap up our senior year as a class.”
Professional Photos by Vanessa Williamson, Founder/Owner of VW Freelance Photographer.
| | | Senior Internship Program Returns to NRHS | | |
The senior internship program returned to New Rochelle High School this spring after a three-year hiatus with 21 students participating in the four-month program.
Students secured internships in a wide variety of fields including real estate, medical, finance, fashion, architecture, accounting, music education, architecture, marketing, sales, and website design.
Coordinated by business teachers Peter Davis and Robert Thompson, the students were responsible for their time spent at the internship and were required to submit weekly journal reflections, some research assignments, and give a final presentation sharing their experience with other intern participants.
"We are so happy this program has been brought back for the students,” said Mr. Thompson. “The opportunity to get real world experience, as well as the ability to network and make connections, is truly rewarding for the participants."
And so it was for David Madrid, who interned with the sales manager at Scarsdale Ford. “I learned a lot and I got a sneak peek into my potential career of the future.”
“The program was a massive success,” said Mr. Davis, “Many students were asked by the employers to continue on through the summer and beyond, a testament to how hard they worked. We look forward to the continued success and growth of this program.”
The following businesses and organizations hosted our students for their internships. Montefiore Hospital, White Plains Hospital, Tax Assurances, LLC, Mateo Mattia Leather Goods, Songcatchers, Flynn Financial, Black Mountain Capital, Century 21 Marciano, RXP Real Estate, Comfort Homes Real Estate, Applied Motion Physical Therapy, AC Design and Development, Scarsdale Ford and NY Performing Arts Center.
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Today’s Students Tomorrow’s Teachers
Recognizes Two from New Rochelle
With a keynote address from Congressman James E. Clyburn, the 2023 Today's Students Tomorrow's Teachers (TSTT) Recognition Brunch on May 18 included New Rochelle High School House Principal LaToya Thompson and graduate Tevin Parboosingh.
The mission of Today's Students Tomorrow's Teachers is to recruit, mentor and train culturally diverse and economically challenged students from high school through college and place them as effective teachers and committed leaders who strengthen schools and communities.
Congressman Clyburn is a longtime TSTT supporter and Honorary Recognition Chairman and delivered his address remotely with opening remarks by TSTT President and CEO, Dr. Bettye Perkins, as well as NY State and Westchester County elected officials.
Some 42 graduating high school students were recognized, and New Rochelle’s Latoya Thompson was recognized with the TSTT 5-year Teacher/Mentor Award. New Rochelle High School grad, Tevin Parboosingh, a current junior at Iona University, received the 2023 Lois Bronz Scholarship, which enables a student to join the TSTT program and continue the journey through college with a major in Education.
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Parent Teacher Home Visiting Program
Pilot Underway
Nearly three dozen educators and staff of the City School District of New Rochelle have engaged in a professional learning series hosted by the national organization, Parent Teacher Home Visit (PTHV), in a pilot program designed to strengthen home-school connections.
PTHV builds positive relationships between schools and families and strengthens that partnership to support students’ educational success. Trained staff reach out to family members they are interested in visiting and parents and teachers meet at a setting of the parent’s choice, together with the student, to get to know each other and to talk about the student’s academic future and discuss available school resources.
New Rochelle staff members were trained by PTHV in May and continue with monthly professional learning sessions. The visits bring teachers and families closer together and open the lines of communications between home and school.
Families may be contacted by a teacher to receive a home visit, which is completely voluntary.
“This is NOT a meeting to tell you what to do as a parent or to talk about your parenting. It is a time to get to know each other outside of school,” explained the district’s Director of Family and Community Engagement Eddie Castro. “Studies show that these visits increase parent involvement in their child’s education as well as academic achievement.”
The team will review the pilot during the summer.
More information regarding the Parent Teacher Home Visit program curriculum can be found at www.pthvp.org. Feel free to direct any questions to Eddie Castro at ecastro@nredlearn.org.
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Student Project Brings Apiary to High School
Just in time before she graduates high school, senior Ashley Valencia was able to see to completion an independent study project that she began in her junior year.
Two beehives, complete with three pounds of Italian honeybees (about 10,000 bees in each hive) were installed earlier this month at New Rochelle High School near the House 4 Parking Lot.
“I spent two weeks assembling the hives at home with help from my Dad,” said Ashley, who first developed the plan to bring bees to the high school while taking an AP Biology class in her junior year.
“My teacher, Dr. (Patrick) Cushing gave me the idea and has been so encouraging through the whole process,” said Ashley.
In an independent study project, Ashley created a thorough proposal in which she argued that “the apiary can be used as a learning environment for science classes and the Garden Club. It will provide an environment where students can learn hands-on how to care for bees and produce honey.”
“We installed the bees into their new home with the help of Dr. Cushing and New Rochelle High School alumnus Nick Sioufas, a local beekeeper in the community,” Ashley said. She got some help decorating the hives from high school Garden Club members Mia Lee, Aviela Lim, Veronica Yu, and Julia Polycarpe.
Ashley is on the executive board of the high school’s Garden Club, which will oversee their maintenance. “The bees will be a big asset to our garden,” she said.
“I am very thankful of the support I have received to make this possible from Dr. Cushing, the Garden Club, and New Rochelle School District officials,” Ashley said. “This experience has been wonderful, and I am thrilled that New Rochelle High School can be environmentally friendly and have a pollinator for the school garden. I look forward to harvesting honey in four to six months.”
| From left, Beekeepers and Garden Club members Ashley Valencia, Veronica Yu, Mia Lee, and Julia Polycarpe. | | | | Science Research Profiles | | |
Student to Take on AI This Summer
Nobuto Igarashi is a witness to how quickly science can advance. Last summer, for his science research project, the high school junior conducted a survey on people’s views of robots.
He sought input on a wide range of sectors including service, transportation, entertainment, education, healthcare, security, exploration, and the military.
“I asked questions on how much they trust robots in each of these industries and how helpful they are,” he said.
Taking into account demographic variables such as gender, race, income, employment status, and zip code, Nobuto came to a clear conclusion:
“People who were more familiar and comfortable with technology were more inclined to have faith in robots, finding them to be both more useful and trustworthy.”
He determined tech savviness by the extent respondents used technology in their daily lives.
Since then, of course, ChatGPT has hit the headlines and made waves.
“I feel that it’s still somewhat relevant,” he says of his research but acknowledges that, “This is a turning point. A survey could be done now and find very different responses.”
Not to be outdone, Nobuto plans to put software programs like ChatGPT to the test. “I’m going to use it in terms of mathematics…see how well it can solve problems and solve an equation to solve different frequencies.”
While he isn’t certain of his career path, he does think it may lay with robots. “In the future, I would like to work with robots to solve issues currently associated with robots, such as to find a way to make robots become better communicators.”
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Supreme Court Decision Becomes Focus for Science Research
High school junior Sasha Arbetter picked up on current events for an area of focus for her science research study last summer. She sought to find out how the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade impacted people’s mental health.
“I chose this topic because I was interested in abortion rights and saw how it affected myself and friends and family and the media. I wondered if it has any significant impact on people’s ongoing mental health,” she said.
She said she dove into research about how abortion and its restrictions impact women’s mental health. Sasha created a survey using the crowdsourcing marketplace MTurk to find out how mental health might have changed after the Supreme Court decision.
“I was shocked to see how split it was and how extreme the cases were. Respondents were either very positive or very negative on the topic,” she said. People who were pro-life said that they were happier in general, while the pro-choice respondents reported a downturn in their overall mental health.
Of the science research course she says, “It’s definitely very difficult but I think that it’s a very good course – it’s really helped in a lot of my skills and given me opportunities that I wouldn’t have otherwise had.”
One of those opportunities has been entering a science research competition. “I found the competition genuinely fun – I was able to meet a bunch of new people and hear about their projects and I feel it opened up new things for me.”
Sasha placed fourth in the Behavioral Science category at the Westchester Engineering and Science Fair (WESEF).
Sasha says she really enjoys the research process and plans on doing another project this summer. She hasn’t yet decided on what direction to take but says it’s likely to be in the political vein.
“I’m really interested in further seeing how politics comes into play in people’s mental health,” she said. “I’m not really interested in politics alone – I find it more interesting to see how it affects people.”
| | NRHS Students to Compete in High School National Rowing Championships | | Five NRHS students are heading to Florida to compete in the High School National Rowing Championships. The students row with Row America Rye. | | Pictured 4th from the left is junior Gabby Opdyke, 5th from the left is junior Amna Rezvi, and 3rd from the right is junior Mimi Twomey. | | Pictured 2nd from the right is junior Kimi Twomey in the Varsity 4x category. The team placed 3rd at the New York State High School Rowing Championship. | | |
Senior Calissa Snyder Cox (2nd from right) competed in the Varsity 8+ category. The team placed 1st at the New York State High School Rowing Championship.
| | Pioneers Headed to State Games | | Congratulations to William Monzon and Christopher Conte for competing in Track and Field events at the Summer Games in Ithaca! You make us proud! | |  | The Pioneers basketball team celebrating a great year at the Pioneer League end of year dinner dance at Yorktown High School. The NRHS team competed against 16 other teams in the league. | | | NRHS Girls Cross Country Team | | | | |
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