The Art department and their students Make their mark

Congratulations to Yume Abdel-Rahman, Amy Chou, Elvin Chi, Elena Ferrara, Emma Ndreu, Sofia Pordage, Camilla Quintero, Sara Rogers, and Bianca Viola who were selected to represent Eastchester High School at the first Annual NYSUT Juried Student Art Exhibition: “One Fabric, Many Threads” on March 20th at 6:30 pm in the NYSUT Tarrytown Regional Building. Camilla Quintero received the First-Place prize as Best in Show for her conceptual textile.

Each school year students apply to the Scholastic Art Awards hoping to place among the best artists in the region. This year was an unprecedented success with over ten students receiving recognition in seven categories. 

Emily Forzaglia - Honorable Mention in Drawing and Illustration 

Giana Napoli-Benitez - Silver Key and Honorable Mention - Digital Art

Jackson Boyer - Gold Key - Jewelry

Mina Rincones-Parra - 3 Honorable Mentions and 1 Silver Key - Digital Art and Design

Emma Rincones-Parra - 2 Silver Keys and 2 Honorable Mentions - Drawing and Illustration and Digital Art

Jaylyn Han - - Honorable Mention - Drawing and Illustration 

Sophia Soneghete Vivas- Honorable Mention - Architecture & Industrial Design

Sofia Pordage- Honorable Mention - Drawing and Illustration

David Jiao- Honorable Mention - Sculpture

Sara Rogers - Honorable Mention - Drawing and Illustration

Over twenty students exhibited in the New York State Media Arts Show this past March. A hearty congratulations to the following distinguished artists who were able to share their photographs, prints, and digital media with the broader Lower Hudson Valley community. Lucas Perlleshi, Dillon Cordova, Emma Rincones-Parra, Sara Rogers, Kate Sweeney, Ava DiBenedetto, Max Forbes, Lucy Skipper, Despina Kostalos, Jaylyn Han, Esther Song, Dylan Babcock, Sophia Soneghete Vivas, David Jiao, Yudai Hayashi, Juliana Reda, Olivia Milaccio, Sofia Pordage, Yume Abdel-Rahman, Toma Hayashi, Jenna Rivera.

Congressman Jamaal Bowman sponsored the 2024 Congressional Art Competition. The competition, begun in 1982, recognizes the artistic excellence of high school students from congressional districts nationwide. The winning artwork from each district is hung up in the cannon tunnel of the United States Capitol building for representatives, staffers, and visitors to appreciate. Congratulations to the following students who submitted their artwork to the upcoming exhibition; Isabel Campos, Emily Forzaglia, Sarah Rogers, Sofia Pordage, David Jiao, and  Gianna Napoli-Benitez.

Over the past school year Art Club, Photo Club, and Art Honor Society worked collaboratively to raise funds for a new initiative. This initiative is to provide our school with artworks that visually enhance the learning environment, serve as unique and exciting teaching resources, and inspire students. This artwork is installed in the hallway outside the main office.

A committee of students selected alumni Ken Augushi for the first permanent commission. Students worked to assist the artist in the creation of this artwork, giving aesthetic feedback, and providing monetary support for the design and fabrication. Dye sublimation on aluminum was selected for its lightfast qualities and durability ensuring the artwork will last for decades if not centuries. We aim to add to this collection yearly.

This artwork is dedicated to the retiring cohort of administrators and teachers of 2024. 

Ms. Bohringer & Ms. Molinari's US History classes participate in a "Station Rotation" activity

Students had fun with an interactive, station-based lesson on the Roaring Twenties. After learning about the time period, students moved through four stations to demonstrate their knowledge. They utilized various primary and secondary sources to: 

(1) write a journal entry as a teenager, a stockbroker, a flapper or a bootlegger

(2) analyze modern song lyrics that illustrate a theme or topic from the Roaring '20s 

(3) create a Scrapbook entry based on images from the time period

(4) enact a Tableaux Vivant (living picture) of an image from the time period.  (The collage illustrates various living pictures the students formed)

Yearbook club shines at the signing party

The Yearbook Club had a very successful Senior yearbook signing party on Tuesday, June 4th.  24 Karat, Vol. 100 of Le Souvenir, the EHS yearbook, rolled out in style.  The 'golden' theme fits the graduation year '2024' perfectly.  Editor in chief, Mia Faustini proudly published her last book as an EHS student.  She has been involved with the Yearbook Club since she was a 9th grader and has served at the helm for the last two years.  Seniors signed books, ate ice cream, reminisced and had a good time as they look forward to all the new paths they will follow after graduation.  

Dr. Kambar and the Stonewall uprising exhibit

From June 10th-June 17th, the Stonewall Uprising Exhibition was displayed in the Eastchester High School Library classroom and at the We Are Eastchester event on June 1, 2024. This exhibition was brought to EHS through an Eastchester Schools Foundation grant, awarded to members of the PTA Council's Cultural Celebration Committee, Ruth Kambar and Cara Dippolito.

Two other exciting events were also sponsored by the same Foundation grant:

In acknowledgement of World Refugee Month, Ahmed Badr, an Iraqi American poet and faculty member at Wesleyan University, presented to the Eastchester Community on June 7, 2024, in the EHS Auditorium. He shared his refugee experience along with those of other refugee fellows involved in the program, Narratio. His presentation, titled: "Stories that Create Stories: Building & Transforming Community through Personal Expression," emphasized how we define ourselves through the stories we tell, on our own terms. 

He is author of While the Earth Sleeps We Travel: Stories, Poetry, and Art from Young Refugees Around the World (Andrews McMeel), featuring a foreword by actor and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Ben Stiller. WTESWT was selected as the 2022-23 First-Year Common Reader for the University of Delaware. 

Ahmed is the Director of the Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Public Policy at Wesleyan University. At 25, he is one of the youngest senior faculty and staff members in the world. 

On July 25, 2006, Ahmed's home in Baghdad was bombed by militia troops. He and his family relocated to Syria, where they lived as refugees for over two years before receiving approval to move to the United States. As a teen, Ahmed founded Narratio, an organization and online platform that activates, supports, and highlights the creative expression of displaced young people through fellowships, workshops, publishing, and partnerships. In the summer of 2019, Narratio launched an annual storytelling and leadership Fellowship for resettled refugee youth in partnership with the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Over the past five years, work by 80 Narratio Fellows has reached 2.5 million individuals worldwide. 

In 2020, Ahmed began a storytelling and strategy consultancy with the World Bank’s Connect4Climate initiative. For this role, Ahmed co-hosted #Youth4Climate Live, a nine-episode series highlighting youth climate leaders in conversation with government ministers, institutional executives, and civil society. The series and the campaign reached over a billion people across 130 countries. 

Ahmed’s work has been exhibited at Juilliard, Harvard Divinity School, Yale Law School, UNICEF House, Christie's, World Bank Headquarters, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, among others. 

Ahmed received a BA in Anthropology from Wesleyan University and a Master’s in Education from Harvard University. He is a winner of the 2022 Echoing Green Social Innovation Showcase, and the recipient of a Regional Murrow Award, the Adrian Cheng Fellowship from Harvard Kennedy School, and the Social Innovation Fellowship Fund award from Harvard Business School. He is a National Geographic Young Explorer, and serves as one of 17 UN Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals in the Office of the UN Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth.

Business Honor Society Induction

The Business Honor Society Induction took place on May 8, 2024. New inductees were Diana Avila (senior), Ava Concannon (senior), Sal Conte (senior), Nicholas DiMarzo (senior), Mia Faustini (senior), Emma Kelly (senior-not pictured), Gino Lavista (senior), Mailinda Ljucovic (junior). Salvatore Pisano was inducted last year and he is pictured with the inductees. Amon Rodolitz and Anthony Siciliano, both seniors, were inducted last year and served as Co-Presidents (not pictured).

These students have shown interest in Business Education during their high school academic careers and excelled in these classes. They were successful in their studies and also demonstrated leadership outside of the classroom. These students are not just future business leaders but also exemplary role models in many aspects of their lives. Their diverse achievements represent the values of Eastchester High School.

GSA and Annual Pride Chalk Event

Happy Pride Month!

GSA hosted its annual Pride Chalk Event after school on June 10th on the sidewalk in front of the high school. Students, faculty and parents stopped by to write an encouraging message or create some art to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month. 

senior wise showcase

During the 2024 school year, 235 seniors participated in the WISE Program. On June 18, students presented about their experiences at the WISE Showcase.  The entire EHS WISE class created poster boards of their jobs along with photos, artifacts, and detailed descriptions of their 5-7 week adventure.

The Wellness club

The Wellness Club celebrated World Sleep Day on Friday, March 15th.  In honor of the day, the students wore their pajamas to school and the club members decorated the school with fun facts about the importance of sleep.  

The Wellness Club also hosted a book drive in May.  Over the course of two weeks, the members collected books and donated them to 914Cares Literacy Library.   

3rd annual wiffle ball tournament

The third annual Wiffle Ball Tournament was hosted by the sophomore class on May 30. Over 120 students participated with teachers serving as their coaches. The fundraising event sponsored the Class of 2026 and the Play for 10 Foundation, which provides sports scholarships for Eastchester students. For the first time ever, a freshmen team took home the championship. Coached by middle school teacher Matt Stern, the Diamond Demons, played multiple rounds of wiffle ball in the single elimination tournament against freshmen, sophomore, junior, and senior students. Congratulations to Ryan McGee, Greg Poli, Chris Castaldo, Joe Goglimella, and Anthony Annunizata for the win. The upcoming sophomore class looks forward to hosting next year’s Wiffle Ball Tournament in May 2025.

Ms. Goldring's Anatomy and PHysiology Students dissect a sheep's heart