March, 2023
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Meet our new Band Teacher, Mrs. Beckman!
Meet our new Band Teacher, Mrs. Beckman!
by Jordyn Tremblay
Q: What inspires you to teach?
A: Music is another language that allows us to express things we sometimes can’t find words for. My life is much richer because of all the music I create with others. I love sharing this gift!
Q: What's your educational background (where did you go to school)?
A: I attended Ithaca College and have a bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance. Currently, I am studying for a Master of Divinity from Northeastern Seminary.
Q: What former schools have you worked at?
A: In 2010, I started teaching general music at Holy Family Elementary and the former middle school. I eventually added Saint Mary our Mother and the Corning Christian Academy. For the past year, I have been working at Hendy Elementary. This is my first time working with high school students and I am thrilled to be here!
Q: All-time favorite book, movie, and/or song/artist?
A: Oh, there are so many! The best book I read recently was “Cloud Cuckoo Land” by Anthony Doerr. Favorite movies are Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. (Can’t pick one.) My favorite group is the Eagles and I also appreciate Lady Gaga.
Q: Do you have any pets (what and what are their names)?
A: We have a cat, named Crackerjax. My younger son, Matthew, lives at home with his dog, Vesper.
Q: If you could teach any other subject here what would it be (and why)?
A: I suppose if I could teach any other subject, it would be theology, because I am studying that now, and it is fascinating.
Q: Have you ever been in a band (if so, what band)?
A: I have not performed with a band, if you mean small groups with guitar, bass, and drums. I was in band throughout high school and was drum major for the marching band. As a percussionist, I participated in regional music festivals and was a member of the Pennsylvania Lion’s All State Band from 1986-1989. This group toured New Orleans, Taipei (Taiwan), and Denver, allowing me to perform in the Superdome and Mile High Stadium.
Picture by Mrs. Barkley
Scholastic Art Awards
Scholastic Art Awards
by Violet Daly
Two Notre Dame students were recipients of the New York/Pennsylvania Scholastic Art Awards, which were awarded this past February. Junior Sophia McMaster was awarded a Silver Key for her acrylic painting titled "Soaring Sunset." Senior Oliver Fogarty was awarded a Gold Key in drawing and illustration for "Sing No More," an ink drawing. Oliver was also the recipient of an American Vision Award, an honor given to the top 5 submissions who achieve Best in Show. This Award qualifies his artwork to be sent to NYC to compete in the National Competition. Oliver says, "I submitted a few original pieces through the Scholastic website. Out of all the pieces that I submitted, I never would have expected "Sing No More" to win anything. It was a very quick pen sketch that I had submitted as a last thought. The drawing was done on red paper and shows a bird hanging from a thin tree branch. It's a little bit of a depressing piece, but it was a sketch from a rough patch in my life and it shows a lot of the emotion I felt at the time. I wish that I'd been able to submit some of the more ambitious projects that I've completed more recently, but I'm glad to be able to say that I'm an American Visions Award nominee thanks to this little sketch. I think that a lot of the time, real inspiration comes when we aren't looking to create something that's necessarily groundbreaking. The drawing is on display at the Arnot Art Museum for a few months and I'm honored to have this much recognition for such an unassuming little drawing of a bird."
Congratulations, Oliver and Sophia!
Top: Oliver Fogarty with his ink drawing, "Sing No More" - Bottom: Sophia McMaster with her acrylic painting, "Soaring Sunset"
Photos by Mrs. Barkley
Scholarship Challenge
Scholarship Challenge
by Zharia Ashley
This year, Notre Dame students Isabella Hazelton, Stephen D’Ortona, Kurt Golden, and Sophia McMaster devoted their Friday mornings to practicing questions in Mr. Milliken's room. These practice sessions were in preparation for the upcoming Scholarship Challenge. The Scholarship Challenge is a trivia game that is broadcast across a bunch of radio stations ranging from Corning to Ulster. Many of them are involved in Quiz League and say that it was extremely helpful in preparing them to compete as it is a similar concept. In the Scholarship Challenge, the team faced other teams from different schools to represent Notre Dame and win money for their team to use in the future. Isabella Hazelton mentioned that the Scholarship Challenge differs from other groups such as Quiz League because in the Challenge they lose points for answering questions incorrectly. Ultimately our amazing team placed second and beat every New York school. The second place earned the team, and our school $1,500. Stephen D’Ortona stated, “I had a great experience with it; overall, it felt like I finally had an opportunity to use all the random things I learned throughout my life." The team would like to give a big thanks to Mr. Miliken for all of his help!
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