Summer 2018 Vol. 66 No. 4

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

Upcoming Board Meetings

Unless otherwise noted, meetings will take place in the Pleasantville High School Library Media Center and begin at 7:30 p.m.

Board meeting dates are listed on the District website calendar and are announced on 741-1460. Click on BoardDocs under Board of Education for the meeting agenda.

Tuesday, July 10 Tuesday, August 7 Tuesday, September 4 Tuesday, September 25

Eileen Prizeman – Teacher of the YearS e c o n d g r a d e teacher Ei leen P r i z e m a n w a s named the Dis-trict’s Teacher of the Year at the May 22 Board of Education meet-ing. In announc-ing her selection, Super in tendent Mary Fox-Alter said: “Each year...we take time out to

celebrate and recognize the teaching profession by selecting a teacher whose career and work with students has earned them the title of Teacher of the Year. [Mrs. Prizeman] has had an outstanding impact on the formative lives of students...[her] dedication to the profession is unparalleled and humbling.”

Mrs. Prizeman received proclamations from the Board of Educa-tion; Margaret Cunzio, representing the Westchester County Board of Legislators and Westchester County Executive George Latimer; Village Trustee Steve Lord, on behalf of Mayor Peter Scherer and the Village Board (re-naming her “Prizewoman”); Regent Judith Johnson; State Senator Terrence Murphy; State Assemblyman Tom Abinanti; and Gov-ernor Andrew Cuomo. Both the County and the Village declared May 23 “Eileen Prizeman Day.” BRS principal Peggy Galotti then read from letters she received over the years from parents and students, includ-ing this from Corinne: “I just want to thank you for the fun year I had! It was a wonderful, enjoyable, absolutely fantastic year! Without you BRS would not be perfect.”

Speaking extemporaneously, Mrs. Prizeman – a Pleasantville resident whose two sons attended school here – thanked everyone for their support and spoke of her love of teaching, of her students, of her colleagues, and of her community. Her words were directed to the audience of family members, friends, dignitaries, and current and retired colleagues who attended the meeting to honor her achievement.

Mrs. Prizeman with her class

Gold Medal for PHSPleasantville High School placed in the top 500 and earned a gold medal in the 2018 U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings of the country’s best high schools. The magazine used a four-step process to rate 20,548 public high schools across the country based on their performance on state-required tests, graduation rates, and how well they prepare students for college. PHS is ranked: • #228 nationally; • #34 in New York State; • #135 nationally in STEM High

Schools.Only twelve Hudson Valley schools were included in the STEM High School ranking.

Adelphi University (2)American University (4/2) Appalachian State UniversityArt Center College of DesignArt Institute of SeattleBarry UniversityBentley University (2/1)Berkeley College of White

PlainsBerklee College of MusicBoston University (6/3)Brandeis University (3/2)Bryant UniversityBucknell UniversityCaldwell UniversityCarlow UniversityCarnegie Mellon UniversityCatholic University of America

(5/2)Champlain College (2)Chapman UniversityCity University of New York: Baruch College (2) Bronx Community College (2/1) Brooklyn College City College (3/2) City College of Technology Hunter College (4/2) John Jay College of Criminal

Justice (2/1) Lehman College Manhattan Community College Queens College York CollegeClemson University (3)College of Saint RoseCollege of the Holy Cross College of Mount Saint VincentCollege of WestchesterCollege of William and MaryColumbus College of Art and

DesignConcordia CollegeCornell UniversityCulinary Institute of AmericaCurry College (3/2)D’Youville CollegeDaemen CollegeDeSales University (2/1)Dickinson College (2)Dominican CollegeDrew UniversityDrexel University (5)Duquesne UniversityEast Carolina UniversityEast Stroudsburg University of

PennsylvaniaElon University (2) Emerson College (2)Endicott CollegeFairfield University (7/3)Fairleigh Dickingson University (2)Fashion Institute of TechnologyFlagler College

Florida State UniversityFordham University (8)Franklin and Marshall (3/1)Franklin Pierce UniversityGannon UniversityGeorge Mason University (2)George Washington University (2) Georgetown UniversityGeorgia Institute of TechnologyGettysburg CollegeGoucher CollegeGrinnell CollegeHartwick CollegeHofstra University (2)Husson UniversityIndiana University at

Bloomington (3/1)Iona College (13/1)Ithaca College (6/2) Jacksonville UniversityJames Madison University (6)Johnson & Wales University (5/4)Keene State College (4)Kent State UniversityLa Salle UniversityLafayette CollegeLasell CollegeLesley UniversityLewis & Clark CollegeLong Island University, PostLock Haven University of

PennsylvaniaLoyola University Maryland (3)Lynchburg CollegeLyndon State College (Northern

Vermont University)Macalester CollegeManhattan College (9/4)Manhattanville College (5/2)Marist College (6/1)Maryland Institute College of Art (2)Massachusetts College of Art and

DesignMcGill University (2)Mercy College (7)Mercyhurst UniversityMiami University, Oxford (2)Michigan State UniversityMonmouth University (3/1)Monroe CollegeMount Holyoke College Mount Saint Mary CollegeMuhlenberg CollegeNew School – All DivisionsNew York Institute of Technology (3)New York University (4/2)Niagara University (3)Nichols CollegeNorth Carolina State UniversityNortheastern University (5/1)Ohio State UniversityPace University (11/1)

Pennsylvania State University, (7/4)

Plymouth State University (3)Pratt InstituteProvidence CollegePurdue University (2)Quinnipiac University (10/2)Rennsselaer Polytechnic

Institute (4/1)Rhode Island School of Design

(2/2)Ringling College of Art and DesignRochester Institute of Technology (3)Roger Williams University (4)Rowan University (2)Sacred Heart University (4)Saint Anselm CollegeSaint Joseph’s University (3/1)Saint Michael’s CollegeSalisbury University (3/1)Savannah College of Art and

DesignSchool of the Art Institute of

ChicagoSchool of Visual ArtsSeton Hall UniversityShippenburg University of

PennsylvaniaSiena College (6/1)Sierra Nevada CollegeSkidmore College (2)Smith CollegeSouthern New Hampshire

University (2)Springfield College (2)St. John’s University, QueensSt. Lawrence University (2) St. Thomas Aquinas College (2/1)State University of New York at: Albany (19/3) Binghamton (24/7) Buffalo (9/1) Stony Brook (9/2)SUNY College at: Brockport (3/1) Buffalo (5) Cobleskill Cortland (11/2) Delhi (5/1) Fredonia Geneseo (15/2) Morrisville (3) New Paltz (10/3) Oneonta (11/2) Oswego (13/2) Plattsburgh (6) Potsdam (2) Purchase (8/2)SUNY Community College: Broome Westchester (13/11)Stevens Institute of Technology (2)Stonehill CollegeSuffolk University

Class of 2018 — College Acceptances and Destinations

Syracuse University (11/3) Temple University (5)The College of New Jersey (3)Trinity College (2)Union College (3/1)University of AlabamaUniversity of Arizona (3)University of BridgeportUniversity of Central FloridaUniversity of CincinnatiUniversity of Colorado at BoulderUniversity of Connecticut (4)University of Delaware (4/1)University of Hartford (4)University of Illinois at Urbana-

ChampaignUniversity of Kent (Scotland)University of Mary WashingtonUniversity of Maryland, College Park (3)University of Massachusetts,

Amherst (11/1) Boston Dartmouth LowellUniversity of Miami (2/1)University of Michigan (2/1)University of New Hampshire at

Durham (7)University of New Haven (2)University of North Carolina at

WilmingtonUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of RedlandsUniversity of Rhode Island (10)University of Rochester (5/4)University of the Sciences in

PhiladelphiaUniversity of Scranton (4)University of South Carolina (2)University of South Florida, TampaUniversity of St. AndrewsUniversity of Tampa (4/1)University of Texas, AustinUniversity of Vermont (8/2)University of VirginiaUrsinus College (2)Utica College (2/1)Vermont Technical CollegeVillanova UniversityWashington CollegeWashington and Jefferson CollegeWesleyan University West Virginia University Western Connecticut State

University (3/2) Western New England

UniversityWestminster CollegeWheaton College Widener UniversityWilkes UniversityWorcester Polytechnic InstituteYork College of Pennsylvania

Bold type indicates the schools the Class of 2018 will attend in the fall, as of June 22, 2018. Those with numbers in parentheses accepted more than one student (e.g. 3/1 means that three were accepted and one will attend). This list of colleges and universities includes 25 that are rated most/highly competitive; 66, very competitive; and 106, competitive (based on Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges).

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Presented at the PHS Senior Awards Night on May 24, 2018.

American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese: Certificate of Excellence Arthur Rogers Honor Award Kayley Lewis Service Award Gabe Finehout Declan McDermott

Assistant Principal Leadership Awards — recognizes students who go above and beyond in serving the school community to make it a bet-ter place: Rachel Brody Tori Cahill Nicole Ciano Jenna Dolgetta Andrew Mathew Majlinda Novaj Alex O’Reilly Katherine Pedlow James Prizeman Cathryn Puglia Sophie Rapley Katelin Schaub Aigiris Stukonis TJ Togneri

Athletes of the Year Award: Alden Iaconis Declan McDermott

B e d f o r d R o a d S c h o o l P TA Scholarship — for service to the students and teachers at BRS: Hana Rossi

Benjamin Sze Mathematics Award — for two students, one male and one female, who have excelled in mathematics: Rohan Chandy Olivia Wislocki

Benjamin Sze Science Award — for two students, one male and one female, who have excelled in science: Rohan Chandy Katelin Schaub

Class of 2018 — Awards and Scholarships

Community Scholarships — The Community Scholarship Fund award-ed 18 scholarships totaling over $40,000 this academic year, including these special awards that are managed by the committee: Griffin Family Award: Jack Fitzgerald Grunenwald Family Award: Benjamin Trombetta Liberal Arts Award: Daniel Stangarone Rotary Award for Community

Service: Mia Dillon Mateo Rodriguez

Debbie Perino Scholarship — for female athletes who exemplify talent and dedication on the field and in the classroom: Briana Tucci

Dennis Vaccaro Scholarship — for a senior who is a true volunteer and has great pride in PHS: Majlinda Novaj

Ed Dans Celebrate Science Award (new this year) — in honor of longtime PHS science teacher Ed Dans: Benjamin Baylies

Foodchester Farmers’ Market Award — for a student who exempli-fies, through his or her actions, the value and mission of the market: Mia Dillon

Garden Club Scholarship — for community service: Isabelle Graj

Glass Onion Art Award — for a se-nior who plans to pursue art in college: Melissa Jacobs Kayley Lewis

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

Holy Innocents Parish Service Award — for services to the com-munity: Jack Fitzgerald

Valedictorian Benjamin Trom-betta and salutatorian Arthur (A.J.) Rogers between them are members of seven different honor societies, and officers in several of them; are AP Scholars; and performed in the annual mu-sical all four years of high school. Ben is a four-year member of the Concert Choir and Razor’s Edge who also performed in All-State and All-County choruses; a four-year member of the Track and Cross Country teams; a Link Crew leader; and a participant in the Appalachia Service Project for the last three summers. A.J. served as Vice President of Student Government for four years; played on the tennis team; was captain of the Speech and Debate team; and volunteered in the VIP Recreation Program for special needs children. This fall, Ben will attend the University of Virginia Scholars Program and A.J. will be at Boston University.

Salutatorian Arthur Rogers and Valedictorian Benjamin Trombetta

Class of 2018 — Awards and ScholarshipsIsaac Newton Math Award: Maxwell Coleman

John E. Morgan Band Award — for musicianship, character, leadership, service, and scholarship: Mateo Rodriguez

Lions Club Award — for the re-cipient’s winning essay on his/her involvement in community service: Benjamin Trombetta

National Merit Scholarship: Finalists Allegra Copland Olivia DeMeo Letters of Commendation Hannah Collins Michael Kokkatt Kayley Lewis Arthur Rogers Andrew Song

National World Language Exams: Bronze Medalists Hannah Collins — Italian Gabriel Finehout — Spanish

Honorable Mention – Italian Timothy Driscoll Mallory Gerosa Sydney Levine Pasquale Noce Alexa Pattenati Benjamin Trombetta Honorable Mention – Spanish Kayley Lewis

Nita N. Lowey Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition — for outstanding and invaluable service to the community: Charlie McPhee

NYSSMA All State Award: Katherine Stargiotti Carter Tanis

NYSTEA Excellence in Theatre Award: Julia Hunt

P.E.O. STAR Award — given by the P.E.O. Sisterhood, an interna-tional philanthropic and educational organization that promotes increased

educational opportunities for women, based on excellence in leadership, extracurricular activities, community service, academics, and potential for future success: Sophie Rapley

PHS Friends of STEM Leadership Award — for consistent involvement in and support of STEM-related learn-ing opportunities: Benjamin Baylies

PHS Social Studies Award — for a senior who exhibits the qualities of inquiry, appreciation of diversity, involvement in the local community, and awareness of the global com-munity: Sophie Rapley

P.I.A. Service Award — for outstand-ing completion of student ambassador commitments: Caitlin Anttila Ethan Balletta Jack Cooper Kayley Lewis Harrison Waxler

Principal’s Leadership Award — recognizes a student who goes above and beyond in serving the school community to make it a better place: James Persons

Tina Gambino Memorial Award — for a caring, loving teammate: Katie Keane

Victor A. Ridder Scholarship — awarded by the Westchester-Putnam College Conferences based on partici-pation in community service, leader-ship skills, and academic performance: Kamelle Ruano

VIP Award — for outstanding com-munity service to the VIP Recreation Program for special needs children: Vikrant Bakshi Rohan Chandy Nicole Ciano Arthur Rogers

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Thirteen members of the Class of 2018 will continue their athletic endeavors at the college level. Pictured: Tim Driscoll (Union College, Football), Jack Fitzgerald (Bentley University, Lacrosse), Jack Minerva (Catholic University, Football), Katie Keane (Western Connecticut State University, Lacrosse), Anna Touitou (Brandeis University, Track), Declan McDermott (Georgetown, Lacrosse), Nick Salzarulo (SUNY Cortland, Football), Cullen Dell (Ithaca College, Lacrosse). Not pictured: Emma Buccheri (University of Central Floriday, Rowing), James Daniele (Utica College, Lacrosse), Charlie McPhee (Wesleyan University, Football & Lacrosse), Brian Reda (Fairfield University, Lacrosse). (revised 7.16.18)

President’s Award for Academic Achievement —presented by the President of the Pleasantville Board of Education to the students who placed in the top 10% of the Class of 2018.

Seated: Allegra Copland, Katelin Schaub, Maxwell Coleman, Sydney Levine, Benjamin Trombetta, Sophie Rapley. Standing: Declan McDermott, Harrison Waxler, Arthur Rogers, Rohan Chandy, Kayley Lewis, Hannah Collins, Alexa Pettenati. Not pictured: Katherine Stargiotti, Olivia Wislocki.

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Class of 2018 — Awards and ScholarshipsPresented at Commencement on June 22, 2018.

Barbara C. Zimmer Memorial Scholarship — for a senior who in-tends to study music in college and has contributed time and talent to the betterment of the High School and the community: Katherine Stargiotti

Community Scholarship Fund Truslow Hyde Scholarship: Katherine Stargiotti

Dr. Renato M. Vellutino Scholar-ship — for a senior who has signifi-cantly enhanced the cultural life of the High School and Village communities and plans to pursue a career in some aspect of the performing arts: John Bentley

Friends of Visual Arts (F.O.V.A.) Scholarship — for two seniors who have excelled in the visual arts and significantly enhanced the cultural life of PHS by virtue of their character, service, and leadership: Melissa Jacobs Kiara Vedovino

John Aerakis Memorial Scholar-ship — for two seniors who exhibited positive school spirit throughout their high school experience: Jack Fitzgerald Sophie Rapley

Joseph W. & Suzanne S. Moran Scholarship — for a senior who has maintained high academic standards and shown exemplary character in school and in the community: Kathryn Finnegan

Pleasantville Alumni Association Scholarship — for outstanding ser-vice to both Pleasantville High School and the Pleasantville community: Emma Hickey

Pleasantville Police Benevolent Association Award — for a cheer-ful, positive attitude and outstanding public spirit: John Mueller Katherine Pedlow

Richard F. Modica Memorial Schol-arship — for contributing to all areas of the performing arts program and demonstrating good character and leadership: Benjamin Trombetta

Rosebury Scholarship Awards — to encourage students who continued to improve scholastically to pursue higher education: Quinn Agabob Rachel Brody

Louis Conte Andrea Martinez John Minerva

Ruth & Walter Goodman Scholar-ship — for scholarship in English Language Arts and overall school citizenship: Benjamin Trombetta

Tina Gambino REFLECTIONS Memorial Scholarship — for two seniors who earned the respect of peers and mentors, achieved to their academic potential, and participated in athletic, co-curricular, and com-munity service programs: Thomas Carty Declan McDermott

2018 Class SurveyNumber of Seniors ....................................................................... 138Attending Post-Secondary Schools ............................................. 134World of Work .................................................................................. 1Other ............................................................................................... 3National Merit Scholarship Finalists ................................................. 2National Merit Scholarship Letters of Commendation ...................... 5Total Scholarships Awarded ............................................. $7,545,920

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A Fond Farewell to Our RetireesSam Aidala has spent 24 of his 28 years in education in Pleasantville. In those years, he taught first grade, third and fourth grade science, and sixth grade science. He also spent a number of years in service to the District’s technology and assistive technology needs. In September, Mr. Aidala will begin his “next chapter” with a trip to Puerto Rico for the Festi-Carnaval Jueyero de Maunabo. After that, he’ll be “in Vermont and any other place I choose.”

Physical education teacher Dawn DiMassimo has taught in the Middle School for 21 of her 27 years in education. In addition to introducing Hoops for Heart, an annual obstacle course, and a bowling unit, among others, she has coached softball, soccer, field hockey, volleyball, and track. She is looking forward to spending time with her grandchil-dren, taking up golf, doing volunteer work, and “boogie boarding on the beach” in Florida.

Music Department chair Dr. Thom-as Heintzelman has been a band teacher/director for his entire 40 year career, 11 of those at Pleasant-ville High School. He also has led the band at athletic events and was musical director for the annual spring musical. “Doc” will miss “the kids who keep him active and young.” As for future plans, “We’ll just have to see what life brings!”

Math teacher Carol Ierace has taught at the Middle School for 19 of her 34 years in education. She has served on various professional com-mittees. Mrs. Ierace hopes to travel often with her family and become involved in some community service projects. She also will be teaching a Math Methods course at Pace in

the fall and is “excited to share my teaching experiences with future teachers.”

Drew Marino has been at the High School for 19 of his 35 years in education. He taught webpage de-sign and CADD computer courses, which led to his becoming coordina-tor of technology. Mr. Marino also coached baseball and softball, often as a volunteer, and assisted with the school’s annual Toy Drive. He plans to relocate to Florida, get back into professional baseball, and “enjoy the family, golf and fishing.”

Sixth grade social studies teacher Kelly McCaden celebrated her silver anniversary (25 years) at the Middle School this year, bringing her total years in education to 30. She admits to “borrowing” the idea of a Hemisphere Day from the fifth grade/MS PTA to initiate Eastern Hemisphere Day for the sixth grade. Her initial post-retirement plans include minimizing the amount of “stuff” she owns and “discovering personal interests to pursue.”

Middle School “Music Man” Dorian Nuccio has taught chorus, band, and general music; formed the 7th/8th Jazz Band that performed regularly at the Clinton Street Center; led the 7th/8th Band in the Village’s annual Ragamuffin Parade; organized a number of Talent Shows; taught/supervised lighting and sound crews; was TAP president for six years; and more. He has been with us for 29 of his 34 years in education.

Katie Weisblatt has been a teach-ing assistant at the Middle School for over 20 years, most recently in the computer lab. She plans to enjoy more time with her four grandsons and to “travel on a whim.”

Sam Aidala

Dawn DiMassimo

Tom Heintzelman

Carol Ierace

Drew Marino

Kelly McCaden

Dorian Nuccio

Katie Weisblatt

School News

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Senior Internship ProgramVirtually 100% of the PHS Class of 2018 participated in the Senior Internship Program, compared to 9% at its inception in May 2012. The 137 seniors worked in over 70 different locations. Many thanks to all those who provided invaluable work experiences to our students.

This annual program typically runs from mid-May (post-AP Exams) until the week before graduation.

Honor Societies Induct New Members

New members of the Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society are (seated) Keon Ansari, Pat Doherty, Dan Igielski, Mark Indriolo, Sam Selesnick; (standing) Ciara Hickey, Grace Hammond, Sofia Tomé, Emma Murphy, Katherine Moore, Julia Goodman; (not pictured) Guy Barzilai, Anisha Chandy, Catherine Kauber, Shannon Kauber, and Mike Matica.

Scott Castillo and Riik Acharya were inducted into the National Speech and Debate Honor Society.

New members of the National Technical Honor Society at Southern Westchester BOCES are Anthony DiGilio (Sound Production) and McKayla Mul-vaney (Animal Science).

Sze ScholarshipsThe Benjamin Sze Scholarships are awarded annually to one male and one female student in each grade who have excelled in math (m) or science (s). Awards are $275 for freshmen, $375 for sophomores, and $475 for juniors; seniors receive $1,625 for math and $2,125 for science. The schol-arships are funded by the estate of Mrs. Lydia Sze, who established the scholarships in honor of her late husband, a member of the PHS Class of 1944.

S e n i o r s K a t e l i n S c h a u b (s), Rohan C h a n d y (m,s); not p i c t u r e d : O l i v i a W i s l o c k i (m)

Juniors Devin Juros (s), Catherine Kauber (s,m), Mark Indriolo (m)

Front row: Freshmen Benjamin Hahn (m, s), Abhaya Ravikumar (m, s); Back row: Sophomores Ryan Dirgins (m, s), Maya Sauthoff (m, s);

School News

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8th Grade Writing Contest

Joe Wallace, winners Abigail Lee & Addyson Huling, runners-up Cecelia Follman & Sadie Kristensen

The 8th Grade Writing Contest, now in its fifth year, is co-sponsored by local author Joe Wallace and The Village Bookstore, who also co-sponsor the 11th Grade Writing Contest. Mr. Wallace was assisted in the judging of the contest entries by the winners of last year’s 11th grade contest.

Olympics of the Visual ArtsThe Olympics of the Visual Arts (OVA) is an extracur-ricular school program sponsored by the New York State Art Teachers Association. Students work alone or in teams to create solutions to long-term problems in Architecture, Drawing, Fashion Design, Illustra-tion, Painting, Photography, Sculpture, or Typography Design. There are three levels per category: K-6 (ES), 6-8 (MS), 9-12 (HS). Of the over thirty school districts that participated, Pleasantville was the only one from Westchester County.

Row 1: Norah Foley, Fiona Promisel, Devon DelCastillo & Katerina Gusarova (2nd place, HS Fashion). Row 2: Star DelCastillo, Jenna Elluzzi & Tess O’Driscoll (1st place, HS Illustration); Chloe Peters (HS Painting); teacher Jim Maron. Row 3: Nick Pugliese & Justin Corcoran (2nd place, HS Typography).

Row 1: Peter Pueyo (1st place, MS Architecture); Samantha Nappi & Fiona Lefkowitz (1st place MS Typography); Clara Neilson-Papish, Ava Coleman & Lucy Rosengarten (3rd place, ES Fashion). Row 2: Mirabelle Lapenna (3rd place, MS Drawing); Mitzy Garcia, Eliza Karaqi, Tara Trivedi & Ashley Madden (ES Illustration). Row 3: Lucy Macphee & David Sapp (MS Painting); Joseph Reinharz (3rd place, ES Drawing); teacher Emily Weiss; Ariana Carrero (3rd place, MS Photography). Not pictured: Bronwyn Bruder & Claire McSpedon (MS Fashion); Roxanne Smith (ES Illustration); Emma Marks & Katie Williams (2nd place, MS Illustration).

Leadership AwardJack Howe received the Dwight D. Eisenhower Leadership Award, which is presented by the Parents Club of West Point to high school juniors who have demonstrated ex-ceptional performance in academ-ics, athletics, community service, and leadership.Jack Howe

At the June 1st Music in the Parks competition, select choral groups Camerata and Razor’s Edge earned Su-perior ratings; John Bentley was named Best Vocalist, High School level; and the High School orchestra re-ceived an Excellent rating and first place in its category.

Music in the Parks

HS Musical Awards

The Metros. The PHS production of The Sound of Music won Metro Awards in three categories: Student Critic, Benjamin Trombetta; Cos-tume Design, Amy Franks; Techni-cal Merit, Katelin Schaub (Student Director).

A PHS student has won the Student Critic award each year since its inception in 2015.

The production received nomi-nations in seven other categories: Actress in a Leading Role – Lynd-sey Minerva (Maria); Acting Per-formance, Male – Sam Selesnick (Max); Vocal Performance, Fe-male – Sonya McGaffey (Mother Abbess); Featured Ensemble Group – Charlotte Harter, Kyle Largey/Ryan Burton, Charlotte Ward/Sydney Shulman, Mack-enzie Ennis/Eva Bucci, Nicholas Peters/Philip Dundie, Penelope Ward/Zoey Lin, Gemma Cas-cardo/Nehla Sauthoff (von Trapp Children); Child Actor – Gemma Cascardo/Nehla Sauthoff (Gretl); Outstanding Instrumentalist – An-drew Skrzypczak (bassoon); and Music Direction – Dr. Thomas Heintzelman.

Roger Rees Awards. John Bentley (Captain von Trapp) and Sonya

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School News

Metro Award winners Amy Franks, Katelin Schaub, and Benjamin Trombetta

Baseball Wins Section Championship

Kneeling: Danny Keon, Nick Satriale, Michael Matica, Massimo Stinziani, Matthew Satriale, James Braia, Nick Salzarulo. Standing: Assistant Coaches George LaMar and Michael Marrone, John DiGilio, Justin Perlman, Danny Melillo, Guy Barzilai, Nolan Egan, Nick Pugliese, Connor Burton, Colin Finnegan, Brendan O’Neill, Coach Dan Iorio. (Photo: AD John Bauerlein)

Girls’ Lacrosse – League Champions

Kneeling: Sophie Ruhl, Jenna McAllister, Callie Sullivan, Mia Togneri, Grace Hammond, Kathryn Finnegan, Jessica Mullane, Grace Capko, Sydney Levine, Katherine Guttridge. Standing: Coach Jaime Williams, Julia O’Reilly, Josie Driscoll, Maia Mayers, Julia Cicale, Mickey Kennedy, Katie Keane, Grace O’Hara, Analese Picart, Paige Long, Lauren Drillock, Erin Maloney. Not pictured: Assistant Coach Erin Sweeney. (Photo: PHS Yearbook)

McGaffey (Mother Abbess) were among the 50 students – 25 ac-tors and 25 actresses – from the Greater New York region chosen to compete in the Roger Rees Awards for Excellence in Student Perfor-mance. Each advanced to their respective group of six finalists.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED • Science Olympiad • Math Olympiad • STEM Career FairINTERESTED?

Click on “STEM Coach/Volunteer Form” at pleasantvilleschools.com

School & District News

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Budget Vote & Board Election ResultsTotal # Votes Cast....................732

Budget Vote ....... 583 Yes / 139 No

Board Election (to fill 2 seats) Lawrence Boes .....................536 Keith Menig .........................304 Emily Rubin Persons............479

Spring Varsity AwardsBaseball. All Section: Brendan O’Neill. All Section Honorable Mention: Michael Matica. All League: Danny Melillo, Michael Matica, Brendan O’Neill, Nick Salzarulo. Conference III League A MVP: Brendan O’Neill; Come-back Player of the Year: Danny Keon; Coach of the Year: Dan Iorio. Conference III Coach of the Year: Dan Iorio.

Golf. All League: Ryan Kwiat.

Boys’ Lacrosse. All American: Declan McDermott, Brian Reda. All Section: Cullen Dell, Jack Howe, Declan McDermott, Charlie McPhee, Brian Reda. All Section Honorable Mention: Jake Cole-man, James Daniele. All League: Jake Coleman, James Daniele, Cullen Dell, Patrick Doherty, Tim Driscoll, Jack Fitzgerald, Jack Howe, Declan McDermott, Char-lie McPhee, Jack Mueller, Brian Reda. State Semifinal Sportsman-ship Award: Tim Driscoll. State Championship Offensive MVP: Brian Reda.

Girls’ Lacrosse. NYS Scholar/Athlete Team* All Section: Lau-ren Drillock, Kathryn Finnegan. All Section Honorable Mention: Grace Capko. All League: Grace Capko, Lauren Drillock, Kathryn Finnegan, Katherine Guttridge, Katie Keane, Paige Long, Jessica Mullane. All League Honorable Mention: Sydney Levine, Grace O’Hara.

Softball . NYS Scholar/Ath-lete Team* All Section Honor-able Mention: Briana Tucci. All League: Mary Grace O’Neill,

Jackie Sicignano, Briana Tucci, Sarah Whynott.

Boys’ Tennis. NYS Scholar/Ath-lete Team* All League: Rohan Chandy, Mark Indriolo. All League Honorable Mention: Keon Ansari, Jonathan Hayes, Gabe Healy, Dan Wallen, Harrison Waxler. All Con-ference: Mark Indriolo.

Boys’ Track. NYS Scholar/Athlete Team* All Section Hon-orable Mention: Jack Martin (High Jump). All League: James Anderson (Javelin, Shot Put), Daniel Bucci (800, 4x400), Jack Martin (Long Jump, 4x400), Samuel Raffalli (400, 4x400), Adrian Rippstein (400 Hurdles), Luke Scopino (4x400). All League Honorable Mention: Daniel Bucci (4x800), Scott Castillo (4x100), Aidan Lynch (4x800), Daniel Mer-ritts (4x100), Adrian Ng (4x100), Samuel Raffalli (4x100), Adrian Rippstein (110 Hurdles), Luke Scopino (800, 4x800), Benjamin Trombetta (4x800).

Girls’ Track. NYS Scholar/Ath-lete Team* All League: Isabelle Kapoor (100 Hurdles). All League Honorable Mention: Alden Iaco-nis (100 Hurdles), Isabelle Kapoor (400, Triple Jump), Emma Murphy (4x100, 4x400), Amber Nanaj (4x100), Ella O’Malley (4x100), Hayley Piccolino (4x400), Kaylei Raefski (800, 4x400), Abhaya Ravikumar (4x400), Anna Touitou (200, 4x100).

* A NYS Scholar/Athlete team must have an academic average greater than or equal to 90.00 for 75% of its roster.

Best WishesBRS Assis-tant Principal John Morash was chosen as the new principal of the William E . C o t t l e Elementary School in the

Tuckahoe School District. We wish Mr. Morash great success in his new endeavor and thank him for always doing his best to “fill our buckets.”

Rachel Hunger, the new BRS Assistant Principal, will be working with Mrs. Galotti over the summer, making plans for the new school year. Mrs. Hunger (B.S. in El-ementary Education, University of Maryland; M.S. in Literacy, Mercy College; M.S. in School District Leadership, Baruch College) was assistant principal of PS 204 in the Bronx; prior to that, she taught first and fifth grades and science.

Best wishes to High School Curriculum Coordinator Chris-topher Welsh, who was hired as Assistant Principal of Scars-dale High School.

John Morash & Rachel Hunger

Chris Welsh

District News

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Tenure GrantedThe Board of Education approved tenure recommendations at its June 5 meeting for the following High School staff members: school counselor Rebeca Castellano, special education teacher Dillon Clark, and math teacher Gianna DiPaolo; teaching assis tant Christopher Osterhoudt was awarded tenure on December 19, 2017.

The Pleasantville Fund for Learning — in partnership with the BRS PTA, the MS PTA, the PHS PCO, and SEPTA — awarded ten Excellence in Education grants totaling $52,903 that foster innovation and enrichment in our schools. These grants will fund the following educational programs, which are not covered by state and federal funding or tax revenues.• 3DDesignand3DPrinting:three 3D printers and supplies for a MS

computer-aided design (CAD) course; submitted by Dr. Kern Mojica.•ABeautifulBass: a bass instrument for the BRS and MS orchestras;

submitted by Barbara Berg and Peggy Galotti.•ActiveLearningSpaces–Inquiry&STEAMLabs:furniture and

supplies for an Active Learning Center in the Middle School; submitted by Melissa Brown and Marissa Fraher.

•AlternativeSeating: seven Sit-to-Stand desks for modified and general ed MS students in ELA and math; submitted by Chris DeGrazia, Donna Gavagan, and Nancy Pregiato.

•ClassroomVirtualReality: eight interactive virtual reality headsets for HS social studies classes; submitted by Tom Bafutto and Sean Campbell.

•ElevatingDistrictArtShows: two new display boards for art shows; submitted by Melissa Akey and Jim Maron.

•IntrotoUsingPhotoshop: a color printer, digital camera, and supplies for Photoshop instruction at BRS; submitted by Erica Siciliano.

• iPodStationsforMusic: six iPods and supplies for music instruction at BRS; submitted by Kat Hughes.

•NextGenerationSciencethroughInquiry: an inquiry-based science program for grades 5 & 6 aligned to the Next Generation Science Stan-dards; submitted by Melissa Brown, Janel Cassino, and Ashley O’Hara.

•RULER (Recognizing Understanding Labeling Expressing andRegulating Emotion): a program to teach emotional intelligence and integrating social and emotional learning into the schools; submitted by Dr. Rukmini Bhalla, Rosemary Browne, Joe Palumbo, and Dierdre Vedovino.

Grant recipients, front: Kat Hughes, Erica Siciliano, Donna Gavagan, Nancy Pregiato, Melissa Brown, Janel Cassino, Kern Mojica; back: Tom Bafutto, Sean Campbell, Deirdre Vedovino, Rukmini Bhalla, Joe Palumbo, Rosemary Browne

Pleasantville Fund for Learning Grants

PHS Alumni Plaza The PHS Alumni Plaza brick-purchasing program is an ongoing fundraiser for the Pleasantville Fund for Learning. For $100 per brick, the name of the PHS graduate and year of graduation are etched on a premium-quality red brick for placement in PHS Alumni Plaza. Bricks also can be purchased for District retirees. Brick donors and honorees are invited to the annual brick-laying ceremony at Alumni Plaza Homecoming Weekend.Visit phsalumniplaza.org to pur-chase a brick for a PHS graduate or retired District employee.

TransportationAny family that moves into the District over the summer and re-quires transportation to a private or parochial school must submit a written request to the District Office within thirty days of oc-cupancy. Transportation Request forms are available on the District website under Parents/Commu-nity. For more information, contact the Business Office at 741-1400, x10521.

The Board of EducationPresidentAngela Vella (769-5729)pleasantboardav@gmail.comVice PresidentLarry Boes (773-1882)pleasantboardlb@gmail.comMembersLouis Conte (773-1532)pleasantboard7@gmail.comShane McGaffey (409-3487)pleasantboard6@gmail.comEmily Rubin Persons (747-0136)pleasantboardep@gmail.comSuperintendent of Schools Mary Fox-AlterDistrict Websitewww.pleasantvilleschools.comBoard Meetings and School Closings: 741-1460Editor / PhotographerJulie Schwartz

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

NONPROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDWHITE PLAINS, NYPERMIT NO. 7046

Boys’ Lacrosse: League, Section, Regional & State Champions

Front row: Ray Raefski, Declan McDermott, Brian Reda, Cullen Dell, Jack Fitzgerald, Jack Howe, James Daniele, Jake Coleman, Robert Feeney, Brennan McDermott, Coach Chris Kear, Assistant Coach Bob Kear. Middle row: Shane McBride, Matt May, Jack Roye, Jack Halloran, Garrett Carney, Charlie McPhee, Pat Doherty, Jack Mueller, Jack Collins. Back row: JV Coach Paul Bordonaro, Sean Mueller, JV Coach Phil Sanders, Willie Cahill, Alex O’Reilly, Tim Driscoll, Justin Lupo. (Photo: Donna Mueller)