First things first. As I recollect what has happened at BHS during the last ten weeks, I see there is so much to celebrate. I will high-light these events in this edition of Grads-O-Gram, as well as in my Friday messages. I wish to emphasize and bring to the fore-front what makes all of this possible. Our BHS Community de-serves high praise: teachers, administrators, support staff, stu-dents, and the high school’s PTSO. A number of new initiatives have moved from the exploration phase to become integral parts of our high school operation. I am heartened by the interest demonstrated by all the participants in these new initiatives and I believe the processes have been very worthwhile. Consequently, there has been a shift towards movement, after years of sputter-ing along, and I am convinced that we can continue to look for-ward to further progress in the ensuing years.

As you read through the articles in this third issue, I think we can all agree that several programs have been brought into the high school which have been very well received. Some programs were single appearances, like the recent “Attaboy” assembly, and others have been developed over time, like the PBIS and OLWEUS initiatives. These initiatives, and others, should be viewed as a means of enriching the school curriculum and wid-ening the horizons for everyone in our BHS Community: two un-deniably important goals. Thank you for your continued support and partnership as we continue to move forward at Beacon High School.

April 2016 Volume 1 , Issue 3

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Math Dept .......................... 2

Social Studies Dept………….3

English Department .......... 3

Art Department………..……..4

Science Department ........... 4

Athletics ............................. 5

Other News ........................ 5

Beacon Players ................... 6

Music Department…………..6

PBIS News …………………….7

PTSO News......................... 8

Guidance Corner ................ 8

SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST

*BHS BASEBALL TEAM WON THEIR SEASON OPENER IN 8 INNINGS VERSUS JOHN JAY . CURRENTLY THE TEAM’S RECORD IS 2-1-1.

*THE BOYS TENNIS TEAM OPENED THE SEASON WITH A 6-0 RECORD

*PI DAY CELEBRATIONS

*PTSO ASKING FOR VOLUNTEERS

*PETER PAN SELLS OUT ALL THREE PERFORMANCES

The Principal’s Message

Dr. Joannes Sieverding

Mr. Yacovone and Ms. Morrison’s Geometry NR classes worked on a 3-D project. Students had 2-3 dimensional figures each including spheres, cylinders, rec-tangular prisms, pyra-mids, and cones. Stu-dents worked with a partner or in small groups to create their figures out of construc-tion paper. They then measured the dimen-sions using centime-ters or inches and cal-culated the volume and surface area for each. They put all their work on a poster board along with pictures de-picting their figures. Students spent a week doing this and worked very well together.

NEWS FROM THE DEPARTMENTS:

MATHEMATICS-STAFF WRITER— DAVID RYLEY

Regents review classes for all Math Regents exams will begin in early May. These session are invaluable to students in helping them prepare for the NYS exams. This is especially important to Algebra I students who are required to get a minimum of 70 on the Algebra Regents to be placed in a Regents Geometry class next year.

Algebra II students will be taking both the brand new Common Core Alge-

bra II Regents (on June 1) and the Algebra2/Trig Regents (June 17). At-tending the review classes will be crucial to them due to the early date of the Common Core exam.

MATH-STAFF WRITER —THERESA LUCARINI

A Great Way to Celebrate Pi Day!!

This year Pi (3.141592654…) Day occurred near 2016’s Mid-Hudson Valley National Engineers Week. The National

Engineers Week-DiscoverE program is designed to spark an interest in math and science in our community’s youth to

help them become the engineers of tomorrow. Some of our Beacon High School students have been fortunate to have

been visited by engineers from IBM, Global Foundries, and affiliates over the past few years and the experience is re-

warding for both parties. This year’s engineers were Laura Sperling, Michael Sperling, Joanna S. Garcia-Morales, and

Jim Fenner. They visited our juniors and seniors in Mr. Ryley’s, Mrs. Lucarini’s and Mr. Atwell’s classes during their

PreCalculus and Statistics sections. The visit included conversations about college in general, and majors/future

careers in the fields of math, science, and engineering in particular. Recruiting students into these majors is highly

beneficial to both the students and the industry! The engineers are always impressed with our students and by how

many of them are considering a future STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) career. The students

thoroughly enjoyed this year’s visit, speaking highly of the guest speakers. The students were able to meet “real people”

genuinely enjoying their chosen careers and the challenges they each have. The students were also excited to learn

there are many facets to engineering (or STEM) jobs to fit almost any personality or interest. Any student or teacher is

encouraged to email the coordinator Laura Sperling at LMDANIEL@US.IBM.com with any further questions or

concerns they would like to discuss with any of the engineers. In addition to eating all our circular, cylindrical, and

spherical treats, we couldn’t think of a better way to spend Pi Day!!! 2

Mr. Lofaro's DCC Economics class began presentations of

their Entrepreneur Projects on Monday April 11,2016. Each

group will be presenting their "dream business" which they

have been working on for the past month. Students have

developed businesses in a broad spectrum across the eco-

nomic marketplace. These include everything from retail

stores to extravagant spa getaways. Each group, which

consists of anywhere from 2 to 4 students, will present a

power point based on their business plan, to their individual

classes. The major goal is to make a maximum profit on

their individual proposal.

SOCIAL STUDIES-

3

ENGLISH –STAFF WRITER —TRISHA AURIGEMMA

STAFF WRITER—FRANK LOFARO

Ms. Driscoll and Miss Gunsett’s English 9 classes recently finished reading the novel, Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson. One of the culmi-nating assignments was a group project in which students were asked to re-create an art project that was highlighted in the book. Specifically, the main character in the book is asked to make meaning from an object as an art class assignment; the object she is assigned to work with is a tree. This appears (on the surface) to be a simple task, but it presents a major obstacle for the main character, as she is struggling with the communication and is consequently unable to create a tree that “speaks” something to an audience. The tree (in its many itera-tions) comes to symbolize the character and her various emotional states. Ms. Driscoll and Miss Gunsett’s students created final versions of the tree to illustrate the final version described in the story. Once each group created their tree, the students then correlated each char-acteristic of the tree to the character’s emotional state at the end of the book; both the character and her tree reflect an overall state of healing and growth. It was a fun and meaningful way to conclude a unit.

ENGLISH –STAFF WRITER— JOANNA DRISCOLL

“Insist on yourself. Never imitate.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson Eleventh grade classes worked in groups to devise Transcenden-talist societies that adhere to Transcendentalist ideologies. Stu-dents chose setting, wrote pledges, established work force roles, and decided upon currency and crimes and punishment sans violence. Their creative talents were put to use in the creation of a flag. An urban island name Gambol, Tree City, and Libertatem are a few of the clever examples that student groups produced and presented to their peers. In regard to writing, students chose quotes by Emerson and Thoreau which they analyzed and applied to their present and future lives and society as a whole. Transcendentalism enables juniors to focus on individuality and empowerment as they transition into their senior year and focus on a more independent life after high school.

ART DEPT— STAFF WRITER—CLAUDINE FARLEY

THE ART DEPARTMENT HAD SEVERAL ART STUDENTS ACCEPTED TO COLLEGES WITH GREAT SCHOLARSHIPS:

EMILY PURDY WAS ACCEPTED INTO THREE DIFFERENT ART COLLEGES: SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS WITH A $50,000 ENHANCED CHAIRMAN’S MERIT AWARD, MARYLAND INSTITUTE COLLEGE OF ART WITH A $46,000 CREATIVE VISION AWARD AND PRATT WITH AN $84,000 PRESIDENTIAL MERIT BASED SCHOLARSHIP.

GABBY SNEDIKER WAS ACCEPTED INTO SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS FOR A BFA ANIMATION WITH THE ENHANCE CHAIRMAN’S MERIT AWARD SCHOLARSHIP.

RACHAEL NG WAS ACCEPTED TO RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, SUNY STONY BROOK AND SUNY BINGHAMTON.

ANTHONY GALLEGO WAS ACCEPTED INTO SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS WITH A CHAIRMEN’S MERIT SCHOLARSHIP AND HE WAS ALSO ACCEPTED INTO MERCY COLLEGE.

ARIANNA PUNTER WAS ACCEPTED INTO THE SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS.

ERICA TAYLOR WAS ACCEPTED INTO RIT AS A PHOTOGRAPHY MAJOR.

In my Conceptual Earth Science classes we have been studying the atmosphere, weather, and weather related phenomena. Students constructed a brochure entitled "Layers of the Atmosphere". After pasting a diagram that shows how temperature changes through each layer of the atmosphere, they organized the images of different phenomena that are found at varying altitudes in the atmosphere. Then they researched the topic and gathered facts pertaining to each layer of the atmos-phere. To complete the brochure they used what they had con-structed to answer summary questions that reinforced the essential understandings about the layers of the atmosphere.

This activity worked well because students were able to visualize the information and or-ganize it kinesthetically. It worked especially well for ENL students who are acquiring vo-cabulary and developing a knowledge base for science topics. Using the brochure as a resource validated their efforts and brought meaning to the activity.

SCIENCE DEPT— STAFF WRITER — RALPH SANSONE

4

ART DEPT—STAFF WRITER—SERGIO PEREZ

This past March Beacon High School students participated in the School Invi-

tational Theme Exhibition (SITE) Mentor Exhibition at The Riverside Galler-

ies at Garrison Art Center. The theme this year was “Living Fossils”.

The Mentor program gives high school students, serious about art, an oppor-

tunity to be paired with a professional artist in the pursuit of furthering their

development in an area of special interest. This unique pairing has enabled

students to challenge themselves in a deeper exploration of a medium in

which they already have proficiency and to gain insight from the professional

life experience of their mentor.

Many of those artworks are currently on display in the Beacon High School

Fine Arts Gallery. Kyra Husbands

5

ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT—STAFF WRITER—MARTY NEMECEK

Spring sports are up and moving. The girls Lacrosse team opened up with a home victory over FDR. The Boys and Girls Spring track teams are vying for another League and Section Title and we are excited about the possible individual accomplishments that are ahead.

Baseball and Softball are waiting to get their seasons started as we wait for the weather to break. Modified programs have started and the number of student-athletes participating at that level are out-standing.

As we come to the end of the year, High School students are reminded to talk to their Physical Education Teachers to make sure that their PE grades are satisfactory, especially the Seniors. Please don’t wait until the last minute to see if classes need to be made up.

Congratulations to Amanda Fultz for being

recognized as a winner of the Bausch & Lomb

Honorary Science Award. If she applies and is

accepted to the University of Rochester she will

be eligible to receive a scholarship of up to

$40,000 (over her four years) Great job Amanda!!

We had 2-100 win wres-

tlers, Boys and Girls Bas-

ketball participating in

and winning games in sec-

tional play, successful

bowlers, swimmers, di-

vers and an exceptional

indoor track season that I

am sure Coach Henry will

be more than happy to

talk about. The Dance and

Cheer squads worked

hard and showcased their

talents at our basketball

games. Our JV programs

showed an enormous

amount of improvement

in player and team devel-

opment that will only im-

prove our programs in the

coming year.

The winter programs produced 28 All-LEAGUE play-

ers, 2 ALL-SECTION WINNERS and 2 ALL COUNTY

recipients. 6 teams were recipients of the NYSPHSAA

Team Scholar Athlete Award, in which as a team they

averaged 91 or better. It also has produced a new

member of the 200 wins for coaching here at Beacon.

Congrats to coach Ron Tomkins-wrestling joining

coach Dave Ryley-tennis and coach Tom Powers-boys

basketball. Great Job!!

The WINTER season has been a great one for Beacon Athletics!!

Three more Student-Athletes will be signing Letters of Intent to participate in Interscholastic Athletics at the College Level. *David Adams: Track and Field-North Eastern University *Terrell Davis: Track and Field –Hartford

*Brendon Malouf: Baseball-LIU 2016

OTHER NEWS— HALF DAY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAYS WILL BE ON APRIL 27 & MAY 18

THERE WILL BE NO SCHOOL MAY 27 & 30 FOR MEMORIAL DAY RECESS

THE SENIOR PROM WILL BE HELD ON JUNE 3, 2016

REGENTS EXAMS BEGIN ON JUNE 14, 2016

BHS TO HOST A CAREER DAY ON THURSDAY MAY 26, 2016 IF INTERESTED IN PARTICIPAT-ING CONTACT MICHELE POLHAMUS @POLHAMUS.M@BEACONK12.ORG

STUDENTS AGAINST DESTRUCTIVE DECISIONS WITH THE HELP OF MRS PHYPERS’ HEALTH CLASSES AND STUDENT COUNCIL ONCE AGAIN TOOK PART IN THE OPTIMUM CHARITY OF CHAMPIONS CONTEST TO SUPPORT AND RAISE AWARENESS FOR A LOCAL ORGANIZATION. PUPPIES BEHIND BARS RAISES PUPPIES WITH THE HELP OF THE COMMUNITY AND PRISONERS IN FISHKILL CORRECTIONAL FACILITY FOR VETERANS SUFFERING FROM PTSD AND TBI. STUDENTS WERE ABLE TO RAISE $2,385.00 THAT WAS DONATED TO THE ORGANIZATION ON 3/29/16 HERE AT THE HIGH SCHOOL. VIDEO OF THE PRESENTATION CAN BE FOUND AT: HTTP://WWW.OPTIMUMCOMMUNITY.NET/CHARITY-CHAMPIONS

6

MUSIC—STAFF WRITER --SUSAN WRIGHT OTHER MUSIC NEWS— STAFF

WRITER— MAUREEN STICKNEY

At the end of April, there are 9 students from the Choral program who will be participating in the NYSS-MA (New York State School Music Association) solo festival. These students have learned a selected solo (mostly Art song or Lied) and have been practicing their sight singing skills (to sing a piece of music they have never seen before). The last weekend in April, these students will sing their song and sight sing for an adjudicator to receive a grade and comments. The data collected aids the student to be accepted into All-County, Area All-State and the All-State conferences. We wish the best to the following students who are participating in the solo festival:

Harleigh Ebeling, Elizabeth Cenicola, Savana Rogers,

Jaylen Hills, Dana Miller, Brianna DerBoghossian,

Madeline Simmonds, Alexander Ullian and Stefon

Seward.

THE BEACON PLAYERS—STAFF WRITER—MR. PJ DEVINE

The Beacon Players presented

PETER PAN

In the beloved 1954 musical adaptation of

J. M. Barrie's 1904 play.

The Beacon Players would like to thank the

students, staff, parents, and the community for

3 totally sold out shows! We could not do what

we do without the amazing and generous

support from everyone in Beacon! Stay tuned

for what our Fall production will be!

The cast of PETER PAN included Beacon High School drama club members (The Beacon Players), and a Youth Cast of Beacon

City School District 5th through 8th grade students selected through a rigorous audition process. The company is led by BHS

Freshman Alexander Ullian as Captain James Hook (seen in the last show, A Christmas Carol, as “Bob Cratchit”), BHS Sopho-

more Leah Anne Siegel as Wendy Darling (seen last year in the role of the “Lead Player” in the Beacon Players production of

PIPPIN), and BHS Junior Rhiannon Parsaca as the “boy who wouldn’t grow up,” in the title role. Other cast members in-

clude: Adam Lagomarsini*, Ali Caruso*, Alyssa Aquino*, Amanda Montaldo, Anaela Hurt*, Anna Cenicola, Audrey Lewis, Dariya

Felix*, Dior Gillins, Dominique Lewis*, Eliza Principe, Elizabeth Cenicola*, Elyse Istvan*, Emily Kidd*, Emma Labodin, Eric Capo-

rale, Gaby Snediker*, Henry Quinn, Ila Harvey, Isabel Quinones*, John Sgorbissa*, Jonah Mensch, Jordan Walsh*, Kailey

Mesorana, Keira Seaman, Kent Patino*, Lila Quinn, Lindsay Fister, Lowell Freedman, Maddie Simmonds*, Maddy Rosaler*, Mar-

go Burke, Michael Bonanno*, Nathaniel Ramos, Ruby Rodgers, Samantha Springer*, Shepard Rodgers, Sierra Caban*, Stefon

Seward*, Tyler Hulse*, Victoria Ambrose*, and Yvette Bien-Amie*. * denotes a member of the Beacon Players

Music Production class

is up and “playing” at

BHS. This music elec-

tive is for 10th, 11th

and 12th graders who

want to learn how to

make music with com-

puters and keyboards.

Students also learn

how to make home re-

cordings sound better

and are taking a field

trip to a professional

music recording studio

in NYC.

PBIS— STAFF WRITER—MS. JACKSON

BHS recently rolled out a SUCCESSFUL PBIS program to the entire student body. The team also had its first student and staff recognition ceremony and it was well received by all in attendance. Students were nominated by faculty, staff, and their peers who demonstrated BHS PRIDE POSITIVITY. Five lucky stu-dents were randomly selected to receive a coupon for a free ice cream in the community (provided by the PTSO) and wristbands that allowed them to skip the lunch/snack line. Staff was not left out in the celebra-tion as Ms. Polhamus and Mrs. Hoben were recognized for their constant POSITIVITY. Please stop by our PRIDE bulletin board to see our BHS PRIDE students and staff on display. The team is hard at work creat-ing ideas on how to improve our program for next year and make it a way of life! The PBIS team would like to thank the PTSO for their support. #BHSPRIDE

7

The Culture Club worked very hard

on these great posters which are

now found throughout the school!

Pictured from the Culture Club

Leadership Team are:

Tarron Smith, Josiah Walker, Kyra

Husbands and Daisy Okoye

Not pictured are: Markee Glover,

Ricardo Nunez, Jummie Akinwunmi

BEACON PRIDE

There are many scholarships still looking for seniors to apply!

Beacon Teachers’ Association Scholarship—Deadline 5/6/16

Beacon Volunteer Ambulance Corps-Catherine S. Patrridge Memorial

Scholarship—Deadline 5/2/16

I Am Beacon “Making A Difference” Scholarship—Deadline 5/16/16

Jasmin Matos Memorial Scholarship —Deadline 5/2/16

The Elizabeth Wolf Memorial Scholarship—Deadline 5/11/16

Beacon Educational Administrators’ Association Award—Deadline 5/2/16

Seniors are Highly encouraged to go to the guidance section of the BHS website to find scholarships with

extended deadlines which are still up for grabs!

GUIDANCE CORNER—

Beacon High School

101 Matteawan Road

Beacon, NY 12508

Phone: 84-838-6900

Fax: 845-838-0796

E-mail: sieverding.j@beaconk12.org

FROM THE PTSO

The PTSO is looking for volunteers for the following West Point Fundraisers: Sat., April 16th 2 games 12:00 (arrival 11:00) & 3:30 (arrival 2:30) Sat., April 30th 1 game football at 7:00 pm (arrival at 5:00) Sat., May 21st Graduation 9:00 am (arrival at 7:00 am) This is a great opportunity to obtain volunteer hours! If you are available or have questions please contact Wendy Mann @ (914)774-2478 or ozzy7988@aim.com The following are upcoming celebrations: Thursday May 5th Staff & Teacher Appreciation Luncheon in the Community Room (starting at 10:30 am) Friday May 6th Honor Students Ice Cream Social in the Community Room (details to follow) Tuesday June 7th Senior Awards Friday June 10th Senior Breakfast in the Community Room. Seniors please join us at 7:10 for juice, milk, bagels, donuts, fruit and yogurt!! Seniors please remember to fill out the BHS PTSO Scholarship Applications found in the Guidance Office. This

year’s PTSO Scholarships will be $500 to a male and $500 to a female student. The PTSO is also offering Teacher Mini Grants, request forms are in the main office. We provided the students with an amazing assembly by “ATTABOY”. The band shared personal experiences and

gave a relatable message about positivity. It was one of the best received assemblies by the students and faculty alike. A big thank you to Wendy Mann RMS PTO President for suggesting and sharing this amazing assembly with BHS!!

Join us for our final PTSO meeting in the BHS Library on May 12th At 7pm

Your PTSO executive board: *Kim Lennon *Risa Ostrow *Jen DiGregorio *Christina Landers

8