District NewsletterSummer 2013

Pleasantville Public Schools www.pleasantvilleschools.com

Vol. 61 No.4

Published by the Board of Education, Pleasantville Union Free School District, Pleasantville NY

Merryl Ber-liner has beena special edu-cation teacherfor 21 years.She joined theHigh Schoolstaff 13 yearsago primarilyas a resource

room teacher, then relocated to theMiddle School in 2009. Ms.Berliner’s retirement plans includerenovating her house in Rhode Is-land and spending time with hergrandchildren in Los Angeles andNew York City.

M a r g a r e tLeibowitz ,Teacher ofthe Year in1999, hasspent 28 ofover 30 yearsas a speciale d u c a t i o nteacher in

Pleasantville. A program she be-gan to keep special education stu-dents in-district evolved into themodified program and Mrs.Leibowitz eventually became partof the eighth grade team, whereshe also undertook the role of TeamLeader. She initiated the UpsideDown Referral Program, which

Best Wishes to Our Retirees and Graduates

Ms. Berlliner

Mrs. Leibowitz

became the basis of PAWS, to re-inforce positive behaviors. Withtwo grown children living in SouthDakota and San Francisco, Mrs.Leibowitz is “looking forward tonew places to see and adventuresto try.”

C a r o l y nMoss beganher Pleasant-ville career in1986, teach-ing Spanishand StudioArt in theHigh Schooland Art in theMiddle School. As Middle Schoolenrollment increased, she becameits full-time art teacher. Mrs. Mosshas been involved in the 7th gradeFishkill Environmental Trip, the 8thgrade Washington Trip, and TAPfood drives “forever” and offeredafter-school clubs through the MSPTA and the Recreation Department.Although she is retiring from teach-ing, Mrs. Moss will continue to runher Shaklee distributorship, alongwith plans to travel “without worry-ing about the school calendar.”

Alida Pisano has been a pediatricoccupational therapist since 1974.She worked at Bedford Road Schoolas an outside consultant beginning

Mrs. Moss

in 1991 andwas hired as afull-time staffmember in2005. Ms.Pisano intro-duced yogainto the kin-d e r g a r t e nclasses andreceived a Fund for Learning grantto provide them with hand strength-ening activities (“OperationKinderfingers”). Her plans include“time to practice my yoga, work onmy jewelry making, and travel.”

Susan Weillhas been aneducator for32 years, in-cluding 16 asthe MiddleSchool’s as-sistant princi-pal. She hasbeen directlyinvolved with all aspects of theschool’s management and the manydaily occurences that are part ofschool life. Though she has no spe-cific plans as yet, she moves on tothe next phase of her life with thisquote, author unknown: “You neverreally leave a place or people youlove; part of them you take with you,leaving a part of yourself behind.”

Ms. Pisano

Mrs. Weill

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Previously presented at the PHSSenior Awards Assembly on May16, 2013 or prior to graduation.

American Association of Univer-sity Women — for a senior girlwho excels in both creative andformal writing:

Danielle Labruzzo

American Association ofUniversity Women — for a seniorgirl who best combines service toschool, academic ability, and

Class of 2013 — Awards and Scholarships

Valedictorian Danielle Labruzzo,a dedicated student of dance fromthe age of four and active participantin ECHO, SADD, Link Crew, thestudent newspaper, among others,will attend Boston College in thefall. She is interested in the area ofenvironmental policy and is think-ing of majoring in biology. Saluta-torian Francesca Trombetta, afour-year member of the VarsityGirls’ Lacrosse team and captain ofthe Varsity Girls’ Soccer team, in-tends to major in biochemistry at theUniversity of Virginia. She com-peted as a member of the HighSchool’s Challenge Team and wasvery involved in her church’s youthgroup throughout grades 9–12.

Valedictorian Danielle Labruzzo andSalutatorian Francesca Trombetta

potential for future service relatedto women’s social and civicproblems:

Stephanie Rogers

Athletes of the Year Award:Nicholas GretoAlicia Marino

Bedford Road School PTAScholarship — for service to thestudents and teachers at BRS:

Katherine Frawley

Benjamin Sze MathematicsAward — for two students, onemale and one female, who haveexcelled in mathematics:

Danielle LabruzzoJeewan Naik

Benjamin Sze Science Award —for two students, one male and onefemale, who have excelled inscience:

Danielle LabruzzoJeewan Naik

Community Scholarships — TheCommunity Scholarship Fundawarded 55 scholarships totalingover $40,000, including these spe-cial awards that are managed bythe committee:

Dad’s Club:Lauren BernarducciPeter Salzarulo

Lacrosse Award (new this year):Gregory Gautieri

Richard Oaks Music Award(new this year):

Issei HerrEmmalisa Stangarone

Robert and Margaret WilleyHistory Award:

Amrithaa GunabalanStephanie Rogers

Rotary Award for CommunityService:

Conor Mittelstadt

Debbie Perino Scholarship — foran athlete who exemplifies talentand dedication on the field and inthe classroom:

Alicia Marino

Garden Club Scholarship — forcommunity service:

Anna McGovern

Gerard J. Bombardier ForeignLanguage Award:

Ruan Zorgman

Glass Onion Art Award — for asenior who plans to pursue art incollege:

Amelia Graj

Helen Heed English Award —for skill and creativity in English:

Stephanie Rogers

Holy Innocents Parish ServiceAward — for services to the com-munity:

Teresa IndrioloAllison Longo

Hudson Valley Blood CenterAward — for an ECHO memberwhose hard work and service re-sulted in successful communityblood drives:

Andrea Coza

John E. Morgan MemorialAward — for musicianship, char-acter, leadership, service, andscholarship:

Eden Igielski

Klein Family Scholarship — fora student who has overcome aca-demic challenges:

Pierre Williams

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Class of 2013 — Awards and Scholarships

President’s Award for Academic Achievement

Inset: Colette McCullagh. Front: William Matchen, Thomas Casey, RachelCultice, Michael Gratz, Jeewan Naik. Middle: Lucy Becker, Danielle Labruzzo,Nicole Tu-Maung, Dana Stopler. Back: Francesca Marino, Stephanie Rogers,Francesca Trombetta, Emily Perrotti, Emmalisa Stangarone.

The fifteen students who placed in the top 10% of the Class of 2013 have amedian grade point average of 97.56 and received multiple acceptances tosuch highly competitive colleges as Columbia, Cornell, Yale, Barnard,Bates, Boston College, Bowdoin, Bucknell, Carnegie Mellon, Duke, GeorgeWashington, Harvey Mudd, McGill, New York University, Occidental,Tufts, Vassar, University of Michigan, and University of Virginia.

National Merit Scholarship —Finalist:

Jeewan NaikLetters of Commendation:

Thomas CaseyDanielle LabruzzoWilliam MatchenColette McCullaghWilliam PostStephanie RogersNicole Tu-Maung

Nita M. Lowey Certificate of Spe-cial Congressional Recognition— for outstanding and invaluableservice to the community:

Emily Perrotti

NYS Comptroller AchievementAward — for leadership potentialand a commitment to public service:

Barrett Rosenbaum

NYS Scholarship for AcademicExcellence:

Danielle LabruzzoFrancesca MarinoStephanie RogersEmmalisa StangaroneFrancesca Trombetta

NYSTEA Excellence in TheatreAward:

Emily HamiltonJeewan Naik

PHS Social Studies Award — fora senior who has completed fiveyears of social studies and exhibitsthe qualities of inquiry, apprecia-tion of diversity, involvement inthe local community, and aware-ness of the global community:

Stephanie Rogers

P.I.A. Service Award — for out-standing completion of student am-bassador commitments:

Lucy BeckerKelly Bonanni

Sarah Della PucaEden IgielskiDeanna LongBrittany LopezJulie SanduskiDana StoplerNicole Tu-Maung

Principal’s Leadership Award— recognizes students who goabove and beyond in serving theschool community to make it abetter place:

Lucy BeckerCamille BrownThomas CaseyMatthew ColeAndrea CozaJulia DePintoAlyssa DiBenedettoChristina DiBenedettoMichael GratzAmrithaa Gunabalan

Nick HansenIssei HerrChristina HibnerMichael HuffPeace IbeDanielle LabruzzoWilliam MatchenColette McCullaghConor MittelstadtEmily PerrottiStephanie RogersNoelle StellaMorgan SullivanFrancesca TrombettaEmily Ultan

Rhode Island School of DesignScholarship — for an outstandingartist who will pursue a program inthe fine arts:

Amelia Graj

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Class of 2013 — Awards and Scholarships

Tina Gambino Athletic Award:Lauren BernarducciCaroline Fraylick

VIP Award — for outstandingcommunity service to the VIP Rec-reation Program for special needschildren:

Michael GratzMatthew LangeElizabeth ManleyMichael ProehlStephanie RogersJeremy SchneiderMegan Wong

Visions Award — for organizingand promoting events in collabora-tion with the Pleasantville Recre-ation Department and Chamber ofCommerce that improve and enrichthe whole community:

Eden IgielskiColette McCullagh

Westchester Lower HudsonCouncil for the Social StudiesAnnual Scholarship:

Stephanie Rogers

Women’s Club of PleasantvilleScholarship:

Mackenzie BrownSara Crimmins

Presented at Commencement onJune 21, 2013

Barbara C. Zimmer MemorialScholarship — for a senior whointends to study music in collegeand has contributed time and tal-ent to the betterment of the HighSchool and the community:

Issei Herr

Community Scholarship FundTruslow Hyde Scholarship:

Stephanie Rogers

Dr. Renato Vellutino Scholar-ship — for a senior who has sig-nificantly enhanced the cultural lifeof the High School and Villagecommunities and plans to pursue acareer in some aspect of the per-forming arts:

Emily HamiltonEmily Ultan

Friends of Visual Arts (F.O.V.A.)Scholarship — for a senior whohas excelled in the visual arts andsignificantly enhanced the culturallife of PHS by virtue of her charac-ter, service, and leadership:

Dana Stopler

John Aerakis MemorialScholarship — for two seniorswho exhibited positive schoolspirit throughout their high schoolexperience:

Michael ProehlJenna Rush

Joseph & Suzanne MoranScholarship — for a senior whohas maintained high academicstandards and shown exemplarycharacter in school and in thecommunity:

Kara Fanelli

PHS Rosebury Scholarships —to encourage students who contin-ued to improve scholastically topursue higher education:

Victoria DeAngelisAlyssa DiBenedettoJoseph HartmanMark LauriaMorgan Sullivan

Pleasantville Alumni Associa-tion Scholarship — for out-s tanding serv ice to bothPleasantville High School and

the Pleasantville community:Alicia Marino

Pleasantville PBA Sciruto Me-morial Scholarship — for a cheer-ful, positive attitude and outstand-ing public spirit:

Christina DiBenedettoJeremy Onuma

R.E.F.L.E.C.T.I.O.N.S. TinaGambino Memorial Scholarship— for a senior who earned therespect of peers and mentors,achieved to his/her academic po-tential, and participated in athletic,co-curricular, and community ser-vice programs:

John LeydenStephanie Rogers

Ronnie Mastafiak Scholarship— for two athletes, one female andone male, who have demonstratedcommitment, effort, school spirit,and character:

Michael GratzEmily Perrotti

Ruth & Walter Goodman Schol-arship — for scholarship in En-glish Language Arts and overallschool citizenship:

Matthew Pastore

2013 Class SurveyCurrent as of June 21, 2013

Number of Graduating Seniors ..... 148

AttendingPost-secondary Schools ............ 142

Enlisting in Military Service ............. 1

Other / Gap Year ............................... 5

National Merit Scholarship:Finalists ........................................ 1Letters of Commendation ............. 7

American UniversityArcadia University (2)Arizona State College (2/1)Assumption CollegeBabson CollegeBard College (3)Barnard CollegeBates CollegeBecker CollegeBerkley College of NYCBloomsburg University of PA (2)Boston College (3/2)Boston University (9/3)Bowling Green State UniversityBryant UniversityBucknell University (2/1)Calvary Chapel Bible CollegeCarleton UniversityCarnegie Mellon University (2/1)Case Western Reserve

University (2/1)Castleton State CollegeCatholic University of America

(3/1)Centenary CollegeChamplain CollegeChatham UniversityChristopher Newport UniversityCity University of New York:

Borough of Manhattan CCBrooklyn College (5)City College of New YorkHunter College (3)John Jay College of Criminal

JusticeLehman College (2)Macaulay Honors CollegeNYC College of TechnologyQueens College

Clark UniversityClarkson UniversityColgate UniversityCollege of Mount Saint VincentCollege of New Jersey (2)College of Saint RoseColumbia UniversityConcordia University, IrvineConnecticut CollegeCornell UniversityCurry College (2/1)Daemen CollegeDaytona State CollegeDean CollegeDeSales University (2)Dickinson College (3)Drexel University (10)Duke UniversityDuquesne UniversityDutchess Community College (2)East Carolina UniversityEast Stroudsburg of PAElmira CollegeElon UniversityEmerson CollegeEugene Lang College (2)Fairfield University (9)Florida Institute of Technology

Fordham University (17/1)Framingham State UniversityFranklin College of SwitzerlandFranklin Pierce UniversityGeorge Mason University (2)George Washington University

(4/2)Gettysburg CollegeGoucher College (2)Green Mountain CollegeHartwick College (2)Harvey Mudd CollegeHigh Point UniversityHofstra University (5/1)Howard UniversityIndiana University at

Bloomington (2/1)Iona College (9/1)Ithaca College (4/2)James Madison University (10/5)Johnson & Wales UniversityJulliardKeene State College (9/2)Kent State UniversityKeystone CollegeKing’s CollegeKutztown University of PA (2/1)La Salle University (2)Lafayette CollegeLandmark CollegeLe Moyne CollegeLehigh UniversityLesley UniversityLong Island University, BrooklynLoyola University Maryland (5)Lynn UniversityManhattan College (8/3)Manhattan School of MusicManhattanville College (2/1)Marist College (5/1)Marlboro CollegeMarymount Manhattan College

(5/2)Massachusetts College of Art &

DesignMcGill University (2)Mercy CollegeMichigan State UniversityMillersville University of PAMissouri State UniversityMontclair State UniversityMount Saint Mary CollegeMount Saint Mary’s UniversityMuhlenberg CollegeNew England College (4)New York Institute of

Technology, ManhattanNew York University (6/1)Newbury CollegeNortheastern University (15)Nyack CollegeOccidental CollegePace University (15/3)Parsons New School for DesignPaul Smith’s CollegePennsylvania State UniversityPepperdine University

Philadelphia UniversityPlymouth State University (2)Post UniversityPratt InstituteProvidence College (3/1)Quinnipiac University (12)Regis CollegeRichmond The American Int’l

College in LondonRochester Institute of

Technology (2/1)Roger Williams University (3)Rose-Hulman Institute of

TechnologyRowan UniversityRutgers University:

CamdenNew BrunswickNewark

Sacred Heart University (9/1)Saint Anselm CollegeSaint Joseph’s University (7)Saint Michael’s CollegeSaint Vincent CollegeSalem State UniversitySalisbury University (5/1)Salve Regina University (2/1)Santa Clara UniversitySeton Hall University (2/1)Siena College (14/2)Southern Connecticut State U.Spelman CollegeSpringfield CollegeSt. Bonaventure University (2)St. John Fisher CollegeSt. John’s University (2)St. Thomas Aquinas College (2)State University of New York at:

Albany (18/4)Binghamton (17/4)Buffalo (3)Stony Brook (3)

State University of New YorkCollege at:Brockport (2)Buffalo (4)CantonCobleskill (8/2)Cortland (13/2)DelhiEnvironmental Science and

ForestryFredoniaGeneseo (12/3)Maritime College (3)Morrisville (4/1)New Paltz (5)Old WestburyOneonta (10/1)Oswego (5/1)Plattsburgh (3/1)PotsdamPurchase (3/2)State University of New York

Community College:OnondagaWestchester (22/17)

Class of 2013 — College Acceptances and Destinations

Stevens Institute of TechnologyStonehill CollegeSuffolk UniversitySusquehanna UniversitySyracuse University (4)Tel Aviv UniversityTowson University (3)Tufts University (2/1)Tulane University (3/1)University of ArizonaUniversity of BridgeportUniversity of British ColumbiaUniversity of CalgaryUniversity of Central MissouriUniversity of Connecticut (5/1)University of Delaware (13/6)University of Hartford (8/1)University of IowaUniversity of MaineUniversity of Maine at MachiasUniversity of Maryland:

Baltimore County (2)College Park (8/1)

University of Massachusetts:Amherst (10/2)Dartmouth

University of MiamiUniversity of Michigan (3/3)University of New Hampshire (6)University of New Haven (7)University of North Carolina:

AshevilleChapel HillCharlotteWilmington

University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pittsburgh (2)University of Rhode Island (8)University of RochesterUniversity of Scranton (8)University of South Carolina (2)University of Southern Maine (2)University of TampaUniversity of Tennessee,

KnoxvilleUniversity of Vermont (15/1)University of VirginiaUniversity of Wisconsin, MadisonVillanova University (3)Wagner CollegeWake Forest UniversityWashington College (3)Washington University in St.

LouisWellesley CollegeWest Virginia University (4)Western Connecticut State

University (5/2)Western New England UniversityWheaton College (2/1)Widener University (3)Winthrop UniversityWorcester Polytechnic InstituteYale UniversityYork College of Pennsylvania

(3/2)

Bold type indicates the schools the Class of 2013 will attend in the fall, as of June 21, 2013. Those with numbers in parentheses acceptedmore than one student (e.g. 3/1 means that three were accepted and one will attend). This list of colleges and universities includes 184 thatare rated most/highly competitive (63 ), very competitive (56 ), and competitive (65), based on Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges.

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School News — A Sampling of Recent Events

Pleasantv i l l e Rotary membersdistributed evergreen saplings to allsecond graders for Arbor Day.

Explorations offered first graders amorning of activities based on science,math, and social studies concepts. MapQuest reinforced the points of thecompass.

Main St. Math gave kindergartners amorning of math-related activities. Inthe Toy Shop, students made beadbracelets from patterns they created.

Second-graders enjoyed a morning ofMath Mania—rotating through fourcurriculum-related hands-on activities. Inthe one above, students learned aboutvolume using liquid measures.

(Pictured at left) The 6th grade Eco-Footpr int Program and the PHSEnvironmental Action Club participatedin the Middle School PTA’s Green Fair.

Fourth grade “soldiers” pitched a tent, one of many Revolutionary Day activities.

A Pair of BRS Wellness Fairs

Students rotated through six workshopsat each grade-level Wellness Fair.Third graders (above) selected healthysnacks in a workshop on nutrition.Fourth graders (below) practiced what todo for a nosebleed in Basic First Aid.

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School News — A Sampling of Recent Events

Artist Greg Nemec worked at BRS on one of four curriculum-related murals that werefunded by a grant from the Pleasantville Fund for Learning. (Photo: Rose Mary Muench)

Honoring Local Heroes

Seventh g raders enhanced the i rknowledge o f pub l i c sa fe ty inworkshops taught by the community’s“ local heroes”—firef ighters, pol iceofficers, ambulance corps. During thetwo-day extended learn ing eventstudents participated in activities thatincluded fire hose relays (above) andresuscitation techniques (below).

Western & Eastern Hemisphere Days

Fifth & sixth graders celebrated theconclusion of their social studiescurriculum by “visiting” the countries ofthe Western and Eastern Hemispheres,respectively, that they studied. Fifthgraders built Inukshuks—Inuit stonefigures —in Canada (above) and sixthgraders used drums to communicatein Africa (below).

Kindergartners celebrated NationalNutrition Month with Healthy RainbowDay, an afternoon of “fitness fun andhealthy snacks.” Each class dressed inone color of the rainbow to representthe array of healthy foods they wereencouraged to eat. In yoga, studentslearned animal poses (above, the lionpose) from volunteer Kelly Coburn.

Many thanks to the BRS PTA and the MSPTA for sponsoring a number of thepictured activities.

Myths & Superhero Stories

(Above) Artist-in-residence Lois Bohoveskyworked with sixth graders on re-enactingGreek myths wearing masks they created.(Below) Sixth graders read the Superherostories they wrote based on interviewswith their kindergarten buddies.

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School News

PHS Honor Societies Hold Spring Induction Ceremonies

National Spanish Honor Society — Front: Maggie Kelley, Jessica Santos,Hagerah Malik, Elizabeth Hammond, Maria Howe. Middle: Aviva Klein, GabrielleSantander, Maggie Rose Heidepriem, Julia Eisenberg, Cary Chapman, GraceRountry. Back: Brendan Halloran, Jack Eisenberg, Justin Maldonado, AaronHuang, Alex Catalan, Liam Marmo. Not pictured: Olivia Passy.

National French Honor Society — Front: Alexa Kantor, Stephanie Villa, ClaireSchneider, Lila Weinstein, Miranda Stein, Katie Hoyt, Claire Inglis, NinaKapoor. Back: Dylan Franks, Adam Bucheister, Charles Finn, MichaelDarmohraj, Jacob Wallace, Benjamin Taubenblatt, Brendan Largey. Notpictured: Corinne Williamson.

National Art Honor Society — Front: Caroline Mullane, Angela Calvi, AudreyTuck, Rachel Cooper, Elizabeth Hammond, Daniella Dorio. Middle: EthanMenegakis, Hagerah Malik, Maggie Sullivan, Grace Rountry, Kelly Martin,Christina Hibner. Back: Art teachers Jim Maron, Grace Lee, Mary Lynne Bonforteand Carolyn Moss; Alynne Jeanty, Alexa Kantor, Claire Schneider, MimiSillings, McClain Butcher.

National Forensic Honor Society —Front : David Zweibaum, TuckerCoburn, Rithvik Subramanya. Back:Kathryn Nicolai, Julia Mulry, AlyssaRufino. Not pictured: Brendan Largey.

National Italian Honor Society —Front: Erin Biggar, Nicole Guastella,Cristina Portanova. Back: HannahBuckstine, Brittany Ciano, MimiSi l l ings. Not p ic tu red : Danie l leBucciero.

Forensic NewsBarrett Rosenbaumplaced 4th in the statein Original Oratory atthe NY State ForensicChampionship Tour-nament on April 14.Also competing wereAmrithaa Gunabalan,Julia Mulry, andStephanie Rogers.

Amrithaa placed 20th(of over 430) in Stu-dent Congress at theNational Catholic Fo-rensic League’s GrandNational Tournamentin Philadelphia onMay 25 & 26.

BarrettRosenbaum

AmrithaaGunabalan

School News

Varsity Sports AwardsThese Pleasantville studentswere recognized for their perfor-mances on interscholastic var-sity teams during the 2013 springseason.

Varsity Baseball. All Sec-t ion: Nick Gre to , S teveSicignano. All Section Honor-able Mention: Drew Marino. AllLeague: Louis Angiolillo, An-thony Godino, Nick Greto, DrewMarino, Steve Sicignano. AllLeague Honorable Mention:Chris Leonard, James Leyden,John Tucci. League III-B Coachof the Year: Bob Jordon.

Varsity Golf. All League:Aidan McDermott.

Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse. AllSection: Greg Drillock, BrendanHalloran. All Section HonorableMention: Josh Della Puca, GregDrillock, Brendan Halloran,Char l ie Montgomery. A l lLeague: Josh Della Puca, CharlieMontgomery. All League Hon-orable Mention: Pat Bathon,Chr is topher Doerr , GregGautieri, Joey Hartman, WillPost, Baylor Rosenbaum, NickWare. Conference III Coach ofthe Year: Chris Kear.

Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse.NYS Scholar/Athlete Team*. AllSection: Maria Howe. All Sec-t ion Honorable Ment ion:Carol ine Frayl ick , Kat ieMcAllister. All League: LaurenBernarducci , Er in Biggar ,Caroline Fraylick, Maria Howe,Katie McAllister. All LeagueHonorable Mention: Nicole

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Kneeling: Nicole DiFabio, Caroline Mullane, Camille Brown, Kelly Bonanni,Casey McBride, Gabrielle Minton, Maria Howe, Francesca Trombetta, CarolinePuglia, Erin Biggar. Standing: Assistant Coach Chris Osterhoudt, KellyMalloney, Grace Rountry, Claire Cunningham, Katie McAllister, CarolineFraylick, Caroline Guttridge, Andrea Coza, Nancy Howe, Maggie Heidepreim,Lauren Bernarducci, Coach Allison Steinberg. (photo: PHS Yearbook)

Girls’ Lacrosse Wins League Championship

DiFabio, Nancy Howe, CaseyMcBride, Gabby Minton. Aca-demic Al l -American: Kel lyBonanni, Maria Howe, FrancescaTrombetta. League III-A Co-Coach of the Year: AllisonSteinberg.

Varsity Softball. All Sec-tion: Alicia Marino. All SectionHonorable Mention: CourtneySheehy. Al l League: AliciaMarino, Sarah Powers, StephanieRogers, Courtney Sheehey. Sec-tion I Diamond 9+1 Award: Ali-cia Marino.

Boys’ Varsity Tennis. AllLeague: Alex Catalan, ChrisDurrang, Charlie Finn.

Boys’ Varsity Track. NYSScholar/Athlete Team*. AllLeague (1st place in LeagueMeet): Joseph Bennetti (110mhurdles).

Girls’ Varsity Track. NYSScholar/Athlete Team*. AllLeague (1st place in League

Meet): Olivia Heintzman (100mhurdles) , Daniel le Murray(200m), Amanda Posa, StephanieVilla, Olivia Heintzman, andDanielle Murray (400m relay).

* NYS Scholar/Athlete teamshave a 90% or better average.

NCAA-Bound AthletesCaroline Fraylicksigned a letter of in-tent to play lacrosseat SUNY Bingham-ton, a Division Ischool. She joinsRuan Zorgman, aswimmer, who alsosigned with theschool, as reportedin the January 2013District Newsletter.

Three-time All Sec-tion softball playerAlicia Marinosigned with DivisionII’s Pace University.

AliciaMarino

CarolineFraylick

Olympics of the Visual ArtsPleasantville’s student artists placed in all of the categories they entered atthe annual Olympics of the Visual Arts, held at Saratoga Springs on April 23.Participants completed long-term problems prior to the state-level compe-tition and short-term or spontaneous problems assigned on-site. The com-bined scores determine the winners in eight categories per entry level:Elementary (K-5), Middle School (6-8), and High School (9-12).

School News

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Sze ScholarshipsThe Benjamin Sze scholarships areawarded annually to two studentsin each grade — one male and onefemale — who have excelled inmathematics or science. The schol-arships are funded by Mrs. LydiaSze, who established them in 2007in honor of her late husband, amember of the PHS Class of 1944.

This year’s senior award recipi-ents were Danielle Labruzzo andJeewan Naik in both mathematics($2,000 each) and science ($1,500each). Jeewan received an additionalaward of $2,000 for having the high-est scores in math and science for allfour years.

Awards for underclassmen —$350 each for juniors, $250 eachfor sophomores, and $150 each forfreshmen — were given to juniorsCary Chapman and Aaron Huang,sophomores Eamon Coburn andIsabella Schwartz, and freshmenJames Bathon and Sophie DoraTulchin in mathematics; and tojuniors Cary Chapman and AaronHuang, sophomores EamonCoburn and Rosin Reilly, andfreshmen James Bathon and SophieDora Tulchin in science.

Front: Austin Altman (3rd place in Elementary Photography); Marisa Rodriguez,Melissa Oliveira, & Sabrina Ipyam (3rd place in MS Drawing); Ariana Altman (&Elizabeth Jankowski, 1st place in MS Numismatic Design); Jillian Labruzzo, SilpaaGunabalan, Elizabeth Faulkner (1st place in MS Fashion Design). Back: JannaMcPartland, Sarah Cusack, & Sarah Gellman (& Marisa Aponte, honorable mention inHS Photography), Jacob Nemec (2nd place in HS Sculpture); Mallory Cantor & LauraChapman (2nd place in HS Illustration); Carina Florio (2nd place in MS Photography);Samantha D’Angelo & Luisa Klein (1st place in MS Fashion Design).

ECHO Honored for Blood DrivesECHO was honored at a pre-game ceremony at Yankee Stadium on June 4as a winner in the New York Yankees High School Blood Donor Champi-onship. The total number of donations ECHO collected in its two blooddrives was the most for medium-sized schools that competed in the program.

ECHO officers, front: Ian Singer, Gabby Minton, Camille Brown, Emily Perroti,Michael Zakher; back: Brendan Klein, Greg Gauteri, Barrett Rosenbaum, JackEisenberg, Michael Gratz, Owen McAndrew; not pictured: Andrea Coza, DanielleCuneo.

BRS Student Council members workedwith ECHO to assist blood donors at theMay 6 Community Blood Drive.

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School News

BRS and Middle School Students Participate in Math Olympiad

Twenty-six fourth graders, selected for their math abilities and interest, participatedin the Math Olympiad program offered by Extended Learning Coordinator LisaRodriguez. Abhaya Ravikumar placed in the top 10% of all elementary participants.Pictured, sitting: Benjamin Hahn, Jonathan Pellon, Emilie Kalt, Abhaya Ravikumar,Carolyn Lee, Hayley Piccolino, Matthew Valente, Jonah Sreedhar; kneeling:Tommy McPhee, Isabelle Lahiri, Sarah Schuster, Jillian Frank, Abigail Welch,Josie O’Driscoll, Connor Whynott, Ben Klinger; standing: Matthew Fuccillo, RyanDuffy, Matthew Buccheri, Nicholas Wiebke, Isabella Pepdjonovic, Maia Mayers,Michael Collins, Erick Roye, Brennan McDermott, Nathaniel Hoadley.

For ty Midd le Schoo l s tudentsparticipated in two after-school MathOlympiad clubs, with five earning silverpins for placing in the top 10% of nearly150,000 5 th–8 th g rade s tudentswor ldwide. One c lub was led byvolunteers Noel Furness and UshaShankar and the other by Olga Kowal.Pictured, front: Brendan O’Neill, EllaFurniss, Anisha Chandy; back: CherylChen, Allegra Copland.

High School Theater Award Nominees & Winners

The cast and crews of Peter Pan assembled on the front steps of the High School on June 3 before travelingto the Metro High School Musical Awards ceremony held at the Paramount Hudson Valley Theatre inPeekskill. Peter Pan was nominated for awards in fourteen categories and won in three of them (indicated bybold type): Outstanding Overall Production, Actress in a Leading Role (Emily Hamilton, Peter Pan), Actressin a Supporting Role (Emmalisa Stangarone, Wendy Darling), Child Actor (Griffin Senyek, MichaelDarling), Outstanding Duet (Emily Hamilton & Emmalisa Stangarone), Chorus, Stage Crew, GraphicDesign (Jacob Nemec), Direction (Kathleen Donovan-Warren), Musical Direction (Thomas Heintzelman),Choreography (Annie Doss), Costuming Design (Debbie Paruolo & Lisa Ultan), Lighting Design (DevonAllen), and Scenic Design (James Britt, Greg Nemec, and Bill Brown).

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School News

Of Note…Camerata and Razor’s Edge, both under the direc-tion of Kathleen Donovan-Warren, participated inthe Music in the Parks Festival held on May 17 atHershey Park, PA. Camerata received a Superior

Rating and First Place in theWomen’s Choir Division; Razor’sEdge earned an Excellent Ratingand Second Place in the Men’sChoir Division. Razor’s Edgemember Justin Maldonado, a jun-ior, was named Best Overall Vo-cal Soloist. Participating en-sembles, comprising a total of ap-proximately 3800 students, per-formed at one of three venues.Each ensemble was evaluated by

adjudicators against standards set by the National

JustinMaldonado

Liana Frasca

Association for Music Education (NAfME) andreceived ratings of Superior, Excellent, and Fair.Additionally, final scores were used to rank theensembles (First Place, Second Place, etc.) at eachvenue. One of the event’s organizers noted that theattainment of Pleasantville High School’s two groupsshould be a “source of accomplishment and pride tothe community” and added that there are “very, veryfew Superior ratings handed out.”

Two poems by sophomore Katie Zizmor were cho-sen for publication: “Courage,” in Eber and Wein’sIn My Lifetime anthology; and “Depression,” in theBest Poets of 2013 anthology.

An essay by freshman Elena Phethean received asecond place award in the freshman/sophomorecategory of a contest held to celebrate Women’sHistory Month by the Ninth Judicial District Com-mittee to Promote Gender Fairness in the Courts.

“Safe.” a poem by sophomore Kelly Martin, wasselected by Creative Communications for publica-tion in its Spring 2013 anthology.

Sophomore Liana Frasca receivedthe Bronze Award from Travel forTeens for her essay on the value ofinternational friendship. Theaward includes a partial scholar-ship for a two-week trip abroadthat combines service and sight-seeing. Liana, who has chosen towork with abused women and chil-dren in Sicily, is deferring her trip

until next summer, in order to raise the remainderneeded. The High School faculty, administrators,and staff donated half of its Dress Down Friday fund($910) towards her trip. Gaffney Murray, Liana’sEnglish teacher, said, “Liana is a wonderful, tal-ented student, and we are so happy to help herachieve her goal. This is…a nice reminder that wedon’t just teach subjects—we teach students!”

Eight of the twenty-four Spanish 5 and AP Spanishstudents who participated in the 2013 NationalSpanish Examinations, taken by over 156,000 stu-dents nationally, won medals and nine receivedhonorable mention. Cary Chapman and Leslie Mo-

BRS Peer TutorsBRS principal Peggy Galotti initiated a pilot pro-gram this year in which fourth graders tutored firstand second graders in math facts and skills. Thetutors were selected and trained by Mrs. Galotti,then worked with students on a needs basis. Mrs.Galotti will benchmark the effectiveness of theprogram and hopes to continue and expand upon it.

Kneeling: Matthew Valente, Maeve Roney, Laila Vedovino,Brigid O’Mara; standing: Madison Schneeweiss, MatthewMoses, Katie Albaum, Brennan McDermott, EthanSpanierman; not pictured: Erick Roye.

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School & District News

Mimi Sillings

Erin Weitzman shares hergood news with BRSprincipal Peggy Galotti.

Mr. Micucci with Fun Runners

rales earned gold medals; Aaron Huang, HagerahMalik, and William Matchen received silver med-als; and Maria Howe, Gabrielle Santander, andJessica Santos earned bronze medals.

Junior Mimi Sillings was one offour winners of a state-wide essaycontest sponsored by the ItalianHeritage and Culture Committeeof New York and the AmericanAssociation of Teachers of Ital-ian. Her essay, about hergrandmother’s experiences as animmigrant, was the only one writ-ten in Italian. Mimi received a

$200 prize and will be honored at a future ceremonyto be held at the Italian Consulate in New York City.

The Middle School’s sixth grade Eco-FootprintProgram, developed by science teacher Sara Keeganwith the help of a Fund for Learning grant, receiveda 2013 Earth Day Award from Westchester Countyat its Earth Day celebration on April 21 at KensicoDam Plaza.

The Middle School’s two annual talent shows, di-rected by music teacher Dorian Nuccio, used “ticketsales” to help stock area food pantries. Over 1,300items of canned goods were donated to the localfood pantry and a total of approximately $1,400 wasgiven to the Westchester Food Bank, the equivalentof $14,000 in purchasing power.

BRS physical edu-cation teacher TomMicucci signed up113 BRS studentsfor PleasantvilleDay’s 1 Mile FunRun to promote fit-ness, education(proceeds benefitthe CommunityScholarship Fund),and community in-

volvement. A group of 130–140 students and parentsmade the run down Washington Avenue.

A poster submitted by thirdgrader Erin Weitzman wasthe second place winner inthe Fire Poster Contestsponsored by the HudsonValley VolunteerFiremen’s Association.Erin received a certificateand a gift card from theassociation.

Teacher of the YearPleasantville High SchoolEnglish teacher/depart-ment chair/author ScottJohnson was named as thePleasantville SchoolDistrict’s 2013 Teacher ofthe Year at the Board ofEducation’s April 16 meet-ing. A 34-year veteran ofthe district, Mr. Johnsonwas rendered “speechless”by the honor, proclama-tions, and accolades. His

“celebration of literature, the love of learning,and…the sheer joy of teaching” and his “wonderfulexample” in “fostering a love of learning” in stu-dents while also challenging them make him a rolemodel for both teachers and students. Given his turnat the podium, Mr. Johnson thanked his family, hiscolleagues both past and present, the administrationand the community for “fostering a feeling of aca-demic freedom,” and the “kids, [they are] the realFountain of Youth – [they] make you feel like youare young…seeing the smiles on their faces, it’s justa joy, a real privilege.”

Scott Johnson

Tenure GrantedThe Board of Education approved the followingfaculty members for tenure at its April 16 meet-ing: Amy Corradi (MS math), Megan Cunningham(MS psychologist), Katherine Hughes (BRS mu-sic), Christopher Welch (PHS special education/social studies), and Tania Zuccaro (MS specialeducation).

Fund for Learning GrantsThe Board of Education extends its appreciationto the Fund for Learning and its partners, thePHS Parent Council and Pleasantville AYSO,for providing seven Excellence in Educationgrants—totaling $44,942—that foster innovationand enrichment in our schools. These grants willfund the following educational programs, whichare not covered by state and federal funding ortax revenues.

District and Board News

May 21 ResultsA total of 1,037 District residents participated in theAnnual Budget Vote and Board Election on May 21and approved the 2013-2014 school budget by avote of 751 to 282. Board of Education Vice Presi-dent Shane McGaffey received 834 votes in hisunopposed bid for a second term of office.

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Transportation RequestsAny family that moves into the District over thesummer and requires transportation to a private orparochial school must submit a written request tothe District Office within thirty days of occupancy.For more information, contact the Business Officeat 741-1402.

Teachers’ Contract ApprovedAt its May 7 meeting, the Board of Education ap-proved a two-year Memorandum of Agreement withthe Teachers’ Association of Pleasantville that willsave the District in excess of $300,000 over the life ofthe agreement. This is the second consecutive settle-ment between the teachers’ union and the District inwhich the teachers have agreed to terms that aresignificantly below Triborough, an amendment to theTaylor Law that goes into effect when no contractagreement has been reached. Superintendent MaryFox-Alter thanked the teachers “for their cooperationand sensitivity to these challenging economic times.”

Major terms of the agreement include:• no increase to the salary schedule (a continua-

tion from the 2011-13 contract making a total offour years with no salary schedule increase);

• no increases for extra and co-curricular stipends;• an increase in health contributions (also in-

creased in the 2011-13 contract);• an important and significant change in the health

insurance buy-out option for those employees

District CalendarIn August, the District will mail 2013–2014 DistrictCalendars only to households with children ingrades K–12. Those not eligible to receive a calendarcan request one by contacting bdofed@pville.k12.ny.usor BOE Calendar Request, 60 Romer Avenue,Pleasantville NY 10570. A printable version of thecalendar will be posted on the District’s website byearly August.

First day of school for students is Monday,September 9.

Finance CommitteeAt its meeting on June 25, the Board of Educa-tion again authorized a School District FinanceCommittee to serve as an advisory body in suchareas as budget revenue and expense items, costimplications of state and federal mandates, pre-sentation of data to the community, and long-range planning. Anyone with financial experi-ence who is interested in serving on the commit-tee should submit a résumé to bdofed@pville.k12.ny.us. Meetings will begin in September.

who do not participate in the District’s insuranceplan;

• and a period of step deferment that amounts to asalary freeze for those periods in each year.

Board president Lois Winkler praised the teach-ers for “their willingness to do what is best for ourchildren and for the entire Pleasantville commu-nity—a community that they are a very importantpart of” in again agreeing to a settlement that isunder what they would have been entitled to by law.

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Gifts and DonationsThe Board of Education extends its thanks for thefollowing gifts and donations (listed approximatelyin order of their receipt) that were given throughoutthe 2012–2013 school year:• two Nordic Track treadmills (Mr. & Mrs. Scott

and Mr. & Mrs. John Bauerlein);• $92 (Honeywell’s PAC Match program, through

the efforts of Carolyn Ramsey);• Foosball table (Mr. & Mrs. Lange);• $648 (Target’s Take Charge of Education pro-

gram);• $13,255 for Winter Track pilot program;• $7,500 to offset program cost (SEPTA);• Pro Form treadmill (Mrs. Margie Matchen);• $12,000 for the Benjamin Sze Math and Science

Scholarships (Mrs. Lydia Sze);• $2,000 for the student MSG Varsity Network

(MSG Varsity Network);• $250 for lunches for students (Donna Edlund);• landscaping elements for PHS (Joseph & Justine

Racioppo, PHS Class of 1970);• two Hewlett Packard printers (HP U.S. Em-

ployee Product Giving Program, through theefforts of Cathy Monahan);

• five donations totaling $1,749 (New York LifeYour Choice Giving Campaign, through theefforts of Sandra Tillotson);

• $500 (Westchester Foundation for Autism,through the efforts of Susanne Wilson);

• wrestling mat, complete with logo & schoolname ( Dad’s Club);

• $500 (PHS Class of 2013);• $60 (Pleasantville Hiawatha Lodge Chess Club);• $7,330 (SEPTA);• $300—$100 to each school in honor of its

graduating class (Peter Beichert);• $1,000 for a scholarship (MSG Varsity Net-

work).

Board News

• Bucket Filling Station: materials and equipmentfor BRS recess that foster cooperative play, prob-lem-solving skills, and acceptance of differences ;submitted by Cindy Kramer and Susi Wilson; fullyfunded by Pleasantville AYSO.

• Building on STEM: mechanized machines andLEGO blocks to enhance the BRS second gradecurriculum in Science, Technology, Engineering,and Mathematics (STEM); submitted by LisaRodriguez.

• Classroom Performance Student ResponseSystems: electronic input devices to be used withSmartBoards and Castle Learning by BRS thirdgrade students; submitted by Catherine O’Rourke.

• iPads for Literacy: iPads and applications tocreate literacy learning centers for BRS first gradestudents; submitted by Laura Twomey.

• Read Naturally: One-Minute Readers: ReadNaturally’s program of non-fiction stories to enrichthe BRS first grade curriculum; submitted by JoanDeConne.

• Rock of Ages: guitar music program for the MSeighth grade music curriculum that provides begin-ner guitar skills and music literacy; submitted byTraci Sandler.

• Video Streaming: Discovery Education, a video-streaming and interactive media solution, for gradesK-12; submitted by Sam Aidala, Tom Baffuto, Kelly

Benanti, America Blanco, Melissa Brown, MaryLynne Bonforte, Ed Dans, Bonnie Ellis, Tim Healy,Lance Levine, Drew Marino, Chris Marsden, BobSlotoroff, and Dierdre Vedovino; PHS Parent Coun-cil contributed $3,000 to this grant.

Grant recipients, front: Susi Wilson, Lisa Rodriguez,Joan DeConne, Deirdre Vedovino, Mary Lynne Bonforte;middle: Cindy Kramer, Melissa Brown, CatherineO’Rourke, Bonnie Ellis; top: Traci Sandler, ChrisMarsden, Sam Aidala, Drew Marino

A Tip of the Hat to Our Community PartnersThe District is very grateful to Bedford Road School, PleasantvilleMiddle School, Irvington UFSD, and the following community partnersfor providing internships to our High School students: ARC Stages,Bronx County Courthouse, Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery, Clinton Street Cen-ter, Eastern FC Soccer Club, Greenburg Nature Center, Jacob Burns MediaCenter, NBC Sports/Dew Tours, Pace University, PCTV, PFX Fitness,Phelps Memorial Hospital, Pleasantville Children’s Center, PleasantvilleAmbulance Corps, Pleasantville Fire Department, Scarborough & Tweed,Taylored Menus, The Examiner, Veterinary Care of Mount Pleasant,Walgreens, Westchester County Department of Public Safety, WestchesterFood Bank, Westchester Pediatric Center for Therapy, Westhouse Develop-ment Corporation, and WFAS.

Board of EducationPleasantville Union Free School District60 Romer AvenuePleasantville, New York 10570

NONPROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDWHITE PLAINS, NYPERMIT NO. 7046

The Board of EducationPresidentLois Winkler (747-3194)pleasantboard5@gmail.comVice PresidentShane McGaffey (409-3487)pleasantboard6@gmail.com

MembersLarry Boes (773-1882)pleasantboardlb@gmail.comLouis Conte (773-1532)pleasantboard7@gmail.comEmily Rubin Persons (747-1036)pleasantboardep@gmail.com

Superintendent of SchoolsMary Fox-Alter

District Websitewww.pleasantvilleschools.com

Board Meetings andSchool Closings: 741-1460

Editor / PhotographerJulie Schwartz

The High School Art Show was held in the Jacob Burns Media Lab on May 18.

High School PrincipalSearch UnderwaySubsequent to accepting the resig-nation of High School principalDawn Bartz on June 18, the Board ofEducation has begun the search pro-cess for a new principal. “We havereceived multiple applications sinceposting the opening on OLAS (On-Line Application System). We alsohave undertaken a parallel searchfor an interim principal, in the eventthat no suitable candidate is found.We will engage the services of aneducational consultant and form acommittee of staff and communitymembers to participate in the inter-view process.”

Summer Board MeetingsMeetings wil l take place in thePleasantville High School Library MediaCenter and begin at 7:30 p.m.

Board meeting dates are listed on thehome page of the District website and areannounced on 741-1460.

Tuesday, August 6Tuesday, September 3