CHS Music and Art Academy: Empowering Students Through Creativity and Achievement
CHS Music and Art Academy: Empowering Students Through Creativity and Achievement
By: Emma Simon
Comsewogue High School introduces a new academic academy to its students. The Music and Art Academy opens up new opportunities to students, encouraging creative mindsets and setting up students for success beyond high school.
“You do not have to be majoring in art or music to be in the academy, you just have to have a love for those subject areas. It gives you a chance to really enrich yourself in that particular area that you love and then it’s a bonus if you choose to take those courses in college and if you choose to major, you’ve already built a great foundation and portfolio for yourself,” says academy advisor, Mrs. Verdisco. Mrs. Verdisco advises the students looking to go down an art pathway in the academy.
On the music side of the academy, advisor Mrs. Holmes says that joining the academy helps students feel more confident in the subject area that they are looking to pursue. She says, “The Music Academy is a really good foundation for students that are looking to go into music in the future and the classes that we offer help them so that when they go into college they feel more confident in their subject.”
Principal of the school, Mr. Mosca highlights the importance of having specialized academies within the school and the benefits that these academies bring to the students. He says, “When students are interested in a subject area they’re going to be more apt to pay attention and excel in that curriculum.” He also talks about how the academies within the school benefit students beyond the high school setting, saying, “Our goal is to prepare students for what they want to do once they leave high school.”
Students within the Music and Art Academy state that the academy has helped them build their portfolios for college and prepare them to apply to a music or art school. Beyond academics, students mention the community that the academy has created within the school. Elliot Jaklitsch, a music academy student planning to study cello performance in college shares that “Having a specialized academy for the career that you want to have allows you to study with the people who have the same interest as you and have a good community for that.”
Similarly, Ava Kalberer, an Art Academy student, aims to study fashion design. Ava appreciates the collaborative environment within the academy. “I love getting to work with other artists and go to them for feedback and inspiration, and I love getting to see what the music students are working on,” she exclaims.
The Music and Art Academy at Comsewogue High School has provided students with a unique opportunity to explore and build upon their passions while also creating an encouraging community amongst these students. With guidance from dedicated advisors and a strong curriculum, students are able to develop skills that will benefit them beyond high school. The Music and Art Academy is more than just an academic program, it’s a community of students who share a passion for art and music; it brings a sense of belonging amongst its students. As senior, Ava Kalberer puts it, “I really enjoy the community that the academy has created within the school.”
(AI-generated image created with the help of ChatGPT)
(Video prodouced by Emma Simon)
(Photos property of Comsewogue High School)
Healthcare: The New Generation
By: Abigail DiLieto
As a multitude of new academies are incorporated into Comsewogue High School, HOSA (Future Health Professions) is a notable addition that helps to prepare students for their aspiring healthcare careers. As a recently added club, HOSA has gained around 25 new student members who consider the club a stepping stone to their future careers.
Chemistry teacher Jake MacGregor was first introduced to the club last spring when beginning efforts were being put together. As a knowledgeable individual in the science field, Mr. MacGregor took on the role of an advisor for the club. Due to his experience and background, Mr. MacGregor understands the importance of having career-specific clubs.
“Any student that is interested in becoming some sort of nurse, doctor, physical therapist, or anything along the health lines should be joining this club because it’s going to expose you to many different areas and fields that could be interesting to many people,” teacher Jake MacGregor stated.
Additionally, students have taken an interest because of the preparation aspect of the club. With future planning, college is a serious consideration for students in the club. Students Natalia Pashkin and Rina Mena joined the club to help prepare for their future professions.
“I want to major in biology and then go to become a vet, so even though I want to be involved with animals more than humans in my future, being a part of HOSA still gives me a good opportunity to kind of get into the healthcare system,” said student Natalia Pashkin.
Even though Natalia’s passion is to work with animals, the club still helps her to understand the basic, holistic approaches to healthcare. This objective of the club is an enticing factor for other students.
“I want to be a Physician’s Assistant, basically it’s the person who helps the doctor, they work more independently but they also work in group settings and I want to work specifically in Emergency Medicine,” said student Rina Mena.
Student members have participated in events such as Trick or Treat Street, Homecoming, and the Medical Career Fair that Northwell Health sponsored. It’s important for students to understand the careers that they’re going into before choosing a future path.
“It’s a great opportunity to kind of understand the meaning of a health career and it also looks very good on college applications and it helps you get your feet wet with getting ready for college,” said student Natalia Pashkin.
For Comsewogue students, it’s important to have a community where students have similar passions. With the help of other students, HOSA members can flourish.
“One of the main objectives for HOSA is to connect students to the healthcare world and I just wanted to be a part of that and also inspire future healthcare workers,” said student Rina Mena.
(Photo Property of Joanna Bryant)
(Photo property of Abigail DiLieto)
(Video produced by Abigail DiLieto)
(Video produced by Kayla Hardy)
(Photo property of Mr. Katyal)
(Photo property of Mr. Katyal)
(Photo property of Kayla Hardy)
The Rise of the Comsewogue Business Academy
By: Kayla Hardy
Starting a business academy is an exciting and impactful process that aims to provide individuals with the knowledge, skills, and tools to succeed in the competitive world of entrepreneurship and corporate leadership. The Comsewogue Business Academy (CBA) process began in 2019 and was officially recognized by NYS in 2022.
Mr. Ketterer and Mr. Mosca created an academy that was built after many business courses, which allowed students to focus on their work experience in a more efficient way. Through a sequence of courses, students can major in business management and administration in high school and have the opportunity to graduate with up to 30 college credits.
Mr. Mosca said, “Once Mr. Ketterer was on board, we really outlined a plan for the courses that we would need to run the academy.”
Mr. Ketterer and his team have worked hard to make sure his students succeed and understand the business industry. Each class with all the different students takes pride in their work, making sure they get stuff done. The students are very work-driven and prepared to pass the industry certification exam (NOCTI) at the end of the courses.
Mr. Ketterer says, “…they’re go-getters, they work hard, they’re future business leaders.”
Mr. Ketterer and the teachers have put in a lot of effort to guarantee that their students are successful and understand the importance of business. Every class, with all the different students, takes pride in their work and ensures that they finish their assignments. The students put a lot of work into their studies and get ready for the final exam.
Gianna Kasper said, “…we really are all like a family, we do so many things together.”
The teachers care about everyone's success throughout the several classes. Students volunteer and take part in a lot of extracurricular activities, including field excursions and VE trips. The students become very close and make new friendships when spending so much time together.
The Comsewogue Business Academy is dedicated to providing a dynamic and supportive learning environment where students can thrive in every class. As students grow in their knowledge, they also grow in their network, making the academy a place where business education and friendships meet. It would be crazy not to join and take advantage of the benefits.
The Bright Future of Comsewogue Academies
The Bright Future of Comsewogue Academies
By Abigail DiLieto
(Photo property of StraighterLine Co.)
(Photo property of Amazon.com)
As Comsewogue continues to initiate career-based learning into its curriculum, the addition of academies has created progress with students discovering their passions. Within the past few years, career clusters such as Music and Arts, Business, and Health have created academies. The idea behind this initiative is to push career inspiration at an earlier age and to open student’s eyes to the opportunities that they have in life.
Principal Michael Mosca and Head Director of Guidance Kitty Klein have worked closely together with the Guidance Department to determine the best approach to getting students more interested in their future careers. They intended to build career initiative and increase student interactions with the multitude of pathways that are presented.
“Research definitely shows that if students are interested in a topic, and they see the connection to their life and to their future, they’re going to be more engaged in it and students who are more engaged in a class are going to perform better academically,” said principal Michael Mosca.
Along with the takeoff of the current academies that are a part of Comsewogue High School, the administration does not want to stop there! A large ambition of the faculty and staff is to continue to bring academies to the high school that will span across the many careers students are interested in and the more niche choices.
“We have a large number of Comsewogue students who are interested in Teaching Education, so we are going to create an Education Academy, that’s my goal. Engineering is a rapidly growing field, a lot of our top students are interested in engineering so I would love to see some sort of a STEM/Engineering Academy in the near future. Coding and informational technology is also an area in high demand right now so that’s also in our future plans,” said principal Michael Mosca.
The work doesn’t stop there. The hard efforts and brainstorming behind these initiatives are provided by the Guidance Department as well. With their passion to help students grow, the Guidance Department has been a core part of the push for career assistance in the high school.
“We are working feverishly, partnering with local universities and colleges so that students who may not be aware or have a clear forecast of where they want to be, where they want their future to unpack, that we can at least get them prepared in both a career and a college trajectory,” said Director of Guidance Kitty Klein.
The new addition of career academies at Comsewogue has caused the community to ask the question: Why are these academies beneficial? This question has been the controlling point behind the guidance department and administration when considering student needs.
“I think one of the things that sometimes we overlook is child self-efficacy. Studies have shown that students who have career activities, career development, career paths, and academies that are kind of baked into that allow students to build self-efficacy, be better decision makers, make informed decisions, select relevant courses, and really formulate those connections,” said Director of Guidance Kitty Klein.
An important aspect of the creation of these academies is the Comsewogue community and hearing feedback from students, parents, faculty, etc. It’s vital to the administration that the community is happy with the outcome of new projects that are continuing at the high school.
“The parents are excited because they see school as a student’s ticket to their future. No parent wants to see their child come home from college and just sit on the couch without a job so I think they’re excited that we’re preparing them for careers at an earlier age,” said principal Michael Mosca.
These advancements will continue to brighten the futures of Comsewogue students and make more opportunities possible for everyone involved.
Kitty Klein states, “One of the things that I think we forget is the alignment of what teachers are doing in the classroom and the community’s centric values that get threaded, not just within a school community but outside in the larger community”.
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