Wellness club's Holiday Wellness Week

The Wellness Club members hosted their annual Wellness Week from November 12th-15th. The students and staff enjoyed participating in a different activity each day during the lunch periods.    In the spirit of the season, the members organized several activities including letters of gratitude to staff members and affirmation pumpkins.  

Going Green Attends WPF Gala

Students from Going Green were invited to attend the Westchester Parks Foundation (WPF) Gala on September 25, 2024 at the Glen Island Harbor Club in New Rochelle. 

The focus of the WPF Gala was to honor volunteers in the community. Going Green began working with the Westchester Parks Foundation for many years participating in county-wide clean-ups and reconstruction of trails. In 2019 we joined the Clean River - Bronx River Project. It is a longitudinal study clearing out trash from the Bronx River by the Crestwood Boom. Students remove and record the amount and types of trash that is found in the river. Going Green when not in the Bronx River, removes  invasive species from the Bronx River Reservation. 

R.U.L.E.R. Implementation in Global History

In Mrs. Dempsey, Mr. Gizzo, and Mr. Manganiello’s 9th grade Global History classes, a study of ancient civilizations was integrated with the School District’s social-emotional learning initiative, R.U.L.E.R., to offer students the opportunity to examine the intersection of ancient Chinese belief systems—specically Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism—and contemporary socio-economic policies. The focus was on Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness (GNH) index, which is a framework for evaluating societal progress. This interdisciplinary approach provided students with a deeper understanding of how different cultures conceptualize well-being, emphasizing the importance of non-economic factors in dening happiness and fostering a more holistic perspective on societal development. 

NYSSMA Accomplishments

Soo Jung Lee was accepted to the 2024 New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) All State Symphonic Band.   Each year roughly 7000 Sophomores and Juniors from New York State audition for a coveted spot in one of the 8 ensembles.  Approximately 600 students are selected based on their NYSSMA evaluation.  The NYSSMA Winter Conference and concerts take place at the Eastman Kodak Theater in Rochester, New York, December 5-8. Congratulations Soo!! 

The following students were selected to participate in NYSSMA Area All State which is comprised of students in Westchester County who scored favorably on their NYSSMA level 5 or 6 solos.  The concerts took place at New Rochelle High School. 

(Left to Right)

Paul Moser - Concert Band

Chloe Jung - Concert Band

Erika Lunenfeld - String Orchestra

Tatum Schilo - Treble Choir

Amy Ham - Concert Band

Soo Jung Lee - Symphony Orchestra

Art department's visit to 

lehman college's art gallery

AP Studio Art, AP Art History, and Advanced Art visited 3 museums and galleries on Wednesday, November 20th. Curator of Incandescent: The Chandelier in Contemporary Art, Bartholomew Bland greeted students at Lehman College Art Gallery and gave students a private tour of the gallery focusing on several conceptual contemporary artworks. At Wave Hill students were given a tour of a Real and Imaginary.  Real and Imaginary presents Judy Pfaff’s recent sculptures, mixed-media drawings, and works on paper, as well as site-specific installations created for Wave Hill, responding to its gardens and historic architecture.  At the day's last destination, students viewed the group exhibition No Bodies: Clothing as Disruptor curated by Alva Greenberg at the Hudson River Museum. The exhibition uses clothing to play with assumptions about materiality and cultural identity and as a vehicle for social and political activism.  Juxtaposing selections from the HRM’s Chinese porcelain collection with the work of seven New York-based artists, Clay Conversations, curated by Karintha Lowe, spotlights how contemporary ceramicists reference and critique the medium’s longstanding ties to themes of exclusivity and exoticism. Art teacher, Rachel Sydlowski, who created a site-specific installation for Clay Conversations led students through the exhibition and gave an artist talk about her artwork Porcelain Dreams and Gilded Schemes.  

Careers in Business Night and Trip to Met Life Stadium

This week Eastchester High School held its seventh annual Careers in Business Night. Representatives from approximately 35 careers shared their experiences and gave advice to students on Thursday, November 7th. There were approximately 200 students from grades 9-12 in attendance.

The participants work in a variety of fields including finance, human resources, marketing, entrepreneurship, accounting, and business law . Companies included WWE, Spotify, Key Bank, IBM, Aramark, Citibank, American Express, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, and local entrepreneurs.

The evening provided our students with an opportunity to explore areas of business outside of the classroom environment.  It is beneficial for students to be able to talk to and ask questions of people who actually work in their fields. Students were also able to practice networking and communication skills that will help them in whichever career they choose to pursue.

Students had the opportunity to rotate around the different stations and ask pertinent questions. The night provided students who are already considering a particular career path with additional information and meeting so many professionals under one roof assisted students who are still discerning their paths.

Thank you to all the volunteers who attended and made the event a success.

Additionally, students attended a field trip to MetLife Stadium to meet with executives from the New York Jets for "Sports Business Day".  Students received a tour of MetLife Stadium while Jets executives spoke about their roles within the organization. Additionally, there was a Q&A session with various departments such as: community relations, corporate partnerships, ticket sales, sponsorships, and customer service. This trip allowed students to experience the inner workings of an organization that they are familiar with while being able to access the Jets Locker Room and spent time on the field!

AP LIt and Npr's the moth story slam

On October 18th, several AP Lit students met up for NPR's THE MOTH Story Slam in New Rochelle.  AP Lit teacher, Jen Gavin facilitated admittance into the even through one of the producers at the Writers' Workshop at The Exeter School in New Hampshire.  The event connected to storytelling in The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien.  One student, Jackson Young, put his name in the hat to perform, got selected, and told his story, which was eagerly received by the audience.  

"I thoroughly enjoyed attending the slam. I heard so many enjoyable stories that made me understand that you don't have to stick to one specific emotion to talk about hope. Hope can be humorous, sad, or joyful; it's all in how you get the point across. I loved hearing stories regarding hope from all kinds of people around, who all have different parts of their lives that can represent a certain theme. It's wonderful seeing people come together to listen and support others, like I did. I really hope that I get to do it again." ----
-Valentina Castaldi 

"Thank you so much for telling our class about The Moth, tonight was an amazing experience. I plan to start journaling now so next time I go to one of these events I might have a story to tell! I’ve always been terrified of speaking in front of a group of people and I took this class in 6th grade (maybe 7th?) and I forgot what it was called (I think it was stem communication) but it was to help with speaking and it did absolutely nothing besides make me even more anxious. After doing that storytelling project in your class I finally felt more comfortable speaking and this event made me hopeful as well. Thank you for this opportunity!" -Sara Rogers

"It was really cool to see people's perspectives.  Seeing stories through the lenses of other people was inspiring."   -Ava Pennachio

"It was fantastic!  The stories were humorous, interesting, and inspiring.  Just like Tim O'Brien, the storytellers speak about their experiences to mend their trauma and bring people together." -Mayah Casey