national congressional art competition

Each spring, the U.S. House of Representatives hosts a national Congressional Art Competition, known as The Artistic Discovery Contest. Congressman Jamaal Bowman has selected eleventh-grade student, Amanda Monteleone's artwork to represent the 16th Congressional District for high school students in grades 9 to 12. The exhibition will be held at The Blue Door Gallery in Yonkers on Friday, May 27 from 7-9 PM.

The winning student from the exhibition at the Blue Door Gallery will have their artwork displayed in the U.S. Capitol for 11 months and may have the opportunity to travel to the Capitol for a Congressional Art Reception. The second and third place winners will also have their artwork framed and displayed in Congressmen Bowman's DC and District congressional offices. We wish Amanda the best of luck and congratulate her on being selected for the regional exhibition.

The School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University (SMFA at Tufts) has announced its 2021 class of SMFA at Tufts Traveling Fellows, made up of five artists who will journey to places around the world to conduct research and find inspiration for their art.

Since 1899, the SMFA Traveling Fellowships program, one of the largest endowed art school grant programs in the United States, has provided support for SMFA at Tufts alumni. Selected by a jury, SMFA Traveling Fellowship recipients receive up to $10,000 to explore locales and visit communities that will inform current or future art endeavors. This year’s fellows plan to travel to Brazil, Germany, Denmark, Appalachia, the Hudson River Valley, and First Nations communities in Vancouver, Canada.

Art teacher Rachel Sydlowski will delve into the complex relationship between conspicuous consumption and wellness luxury experiences by gathering imagery and evidence through the guise of a guest at multiple Victorian-era resorts in the wilderness of the Hudson Valley.

The application process is open to SMFA at Tufts alumni working in any contemporary visual art discipline. The jury selecting the fellowship recipients was composed of Dan Byers, director of the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts and a lecturer on art, film, and visual studies at Harvard University; Kelli Morgan, a professor of the practice and the director of curatorial studies in the Department of the History of Art and Architecture at Tufts University; and Jen Mergel, an independent contemporary art curator.

Business Honor Society Induction

Congratulations to the new members of Lambda Alpha Beta Gamma. Each student met the requirements regarding business classes taken, upstanding character, and GPA in order to be inducted. The society had a memorable evening celebrating the ideals of the Business Honor Society: Truth, Scholarship, Knowledge, Honor, Cooperation and Leadership.

GSA pride event

On June 1st, the GSA hosted its annual Pride sidewalk chalk event in front of the High School. Students and staff were invited to use sidewalk chalk in the front of the building to write positive messages of inclusion and unity. Over thirty teachers, administrators, and students were in attendance for this amazing event.

snuggies for a cause

Ms. Gavin's English 12 classes participated in, "Snuggie Day" and raised $540 for the Ukrainian Red Cross. All interested seniors donated $5 per Snuggie and then $5 to the crisis in Ukraine. Students wore their Snuggies all day as an end-of-year activity and judging by the pictures, all of the students had a blast.

first annual wiffleball tournament

On Friday, May 13th, the first annual Wiffle Ball Tournament was hosted by the Class of 2024. The event was a fundraising event for the sophomore class and the, "Play for Ten" Foundation, honoring former Eastchester educator and baseball coach, Dom Cecere. Students from all grade levels created teams with their peers and asked a teacher to coach. This collaboration made for a great night, with over 100 student participants and more than a dozen teachers competing for the coveted trophy. Close to twenty games were played on the turf and the competition ended with Mr. DeBellis' team winning the championship. The event raised over $1000 and students and teachers are already looking forward to next year's tournament!

ehs wise experience

238 seniors participated in the year long WISE Program. Students completed lessons and assignments in career exploration, resume writing, workplace etiquette and professionalism culminating in a 6 week work experience at the end of their senior year. While most students completed internships, 10 students opted to complete passion projects in areas of interest. Students will present about their experiences at an expo style evening called the WISE Showcase on Thursday, June 16 at 6pm in the high school upper gym.

Habitat For Humanity Final Article

Starting the year off with roughly 50 members, Habitat ended the year with 168 dedicated members who did an amazing job bringing the club back to life in the post COVID era. All year, the members gave their time to help the local community and continued to do so throughout the year. Habitat For Humanity remained busy with builds, fundraising and preparing to celebrate our town.

Since the beginning of March, the club participated in three builds involving the construction of houses. (March 12, March 26 and May 7). At the builds, over 50 members spent their Saturdays hard at work. In late March, members were in Yonkers to rebuild a garden, planted flowers and vegetables while surrounding each bed with a wood barrier for protection. The builds continued in March and May to focus construction on a house destroyed by Hurricane Ida. The basement, which was an apartment prior to the hurricane, was completely replastered by the team. These builds demonstrated the club’s true mission to come together to help the community in times of need.

In addition to our $3,000 donation, the major fundraising event in the second half of the year was through the American Cancer Society’s, "Relay For Life". In the weeks leading up to Relay, members raised money from friends and family in town, all of which went towards cancer research. On March 15th, the club sold green necklaces to wear for St. Patrick's Day and on April 26th and 27th, successfully sold chocolate covered pretzels in the cafeteria during all lunch periods. All proceeds made from these school fundraisers were donated to Relay. Prior to Relay, members helped Mrs. Reilly and Genna Handel plan the Survivors Dinner and organize activities for the night of Relay. The special event took place on May 21st from 5-11 pm where 115 members came out to support this great cause. The night consisted of the Survivors Dinner, Luminary Ceremony, singing, dancing and games! Sarah Stern delivered a beautifully crafted and heartwarming speech during the ceremony. Her speech centered on the impact cancer has in our world and the importance that Relay holds. All together, the club raised over $26,000 with Sarah Stern raising the most of any individual with a total of $5,400.

To end the year off strong, the club participated in the, "Celebrate Eastchester Fair" on June 18th and sold water to further add to their fundraising efforts.

Thank you to the members and their supporters for a very productive year!

-Jessica Mazzella, Co-President