Establishing benchmarks for music, determining essential skills for different levels of English, refining syllabi for Regents science courses and addressing the challenge of teaching ideas and not just assigning tasks.   These are just some of the areas that Mamaroneck teachers are meeting about and working on, department chairs told the school board on Tuesday, May 19.  This is the second year that chairs have provided formal reports.

Sharing is Standard

A common theme in the presentations was collaboration — between teachers at a given grade to assure consistency, across content areas, and from one grade to the next or even between buildings.  Music teachers shadowed one another to improve teaching and visited other schools, while special education teachers focused on alignment of curriculum and transitions from one school to the next.

Liz Clain, the high school social studies chair,  explained that teachers share regularly, in their common prep times, at lunch, and “even in the bathroom.”  She and other chairs noted, however, that the opportunity to meet across a department during new 1½-hour faculty meetings has been invaluable.

Hommocks English teachers have been working with the literacy coach, also new this year, to develop writing curricula for middle school students.  The “bottom up” approach they used has been employed by other departments, including the high school English department, which has been using electronic folders and other technology to share lessons and to address the sequencing of tasks for grades nine through twelve.  This is all to assure that students are well prepared for college as well as for future jobs.

Technology is Typical

The use of technology was a common theme during the presentations.  Teachers are using technology not only to share lessons and ideas, but also to enhance student learning.  Document cameras facilitate middle school social studies lessons based on current political cartoons, while Smart Boards provide high school students the opportunity to work with interactive periodic tables and to do “virtual dissections.” Pod-casts and computer labs allow for interactive learning in multiple disciplines, and sophisticated graphing calculators allow math students to explore relationships between various three-dimensional shapes.

Technology itself sometimes drives goals, as in high school art classes, where teachers have had to learn – and then teach students – how to shift from 35 mm slides to digital portfolios to send student work to colleges.

Many chairs noted that the generosity of the Mamaroneck Schools Foundation funded the purchase of some of the technology described in the reports.

Board members expressed appreciation for the work presented. Trustee Nancy Pierson wondered how to get the word out to parents, who are concerned about teaching and curriculum but were noticeably absent from the meeting.  The program was taped by LMC-TV.

Student Honors, Awards, Celebrations & More

The district announced the list of students initiated into the Honor Society for this year and also those who received special awards. 

The annual MHS Celebration of the Arts on May 19 showcased all facets of the arts curriculum.  Students came into the library during free periods and with their classes and were treated to an array of offerings including PACE improv, a poetry jam, numerous musical performances, and the Force’s percussion magic.  The day also featured a special guest speaker:  Victor Nelli, a Mamaroneck district parent who is the co-executive producer of the television show “Ugly Betty.”

photo by LInnet Tse

MHS sophomore Theo Bodor was honored for his diving.  In the two years he has been on the varsity team, he has been undefeated in individual diving competition.

Jan Northrup of the Kemper Memorial Park Preservation Fund and Eileen Mason from LMC-TV presented the district with a video highlighting various activities at the high school’s Kemper Park.

Superintendent Paul Fried expressed appreciation for a new scholarship offered by community members in honor of the work of MHS Guidance Counselor Pete Williams.  In addition, the three benefactors who have funded Small Treasures, the district’s program for children aged 0-3, have offered to fund the program for another year.

Dr. Fried also indicated that he is in touch regularly with the Westchester Department of Health to track swine flu information and recommendations.

Seth Weitzman, principal of the Hommocks Middle School, announced significant happenings this week for both of his assistant principals.  Larry Keane, who is retiring effective July 1, has been elected to serve on the school board in Mahopac, where he lives, and Nora Mazzone has just been awarded her doctorate in instructional  technology from PACE University.

MAMARONECK HIGH SCHOOL

MAMARONECK, NY 10543

NHS Inductee List for 2009 – 2010

The National Honor Society of Mamaroneck High School is a duly chartered and affiliated chapter of this prestigious national organization. Membership is open to those students who meet the required standards in four areas of evaluation: scholarship, leadership, service, and character.

Special Awards

Smith College Book Award – Rebecca Badner

University of Pennsylvania Book Award – Daniel Cooney

Yale University Westchester Alumni Book Award – Brendan Gaffney

Princeton Book Award – Simon DeCarvalho

Bryn Mawr College President’s Book Award – Elissa Miller

Wellesley College Book Award – Emily Wharton

Harvard-Radcliffe Book Award – Kristen D’Alba

George Washington University Book Award – Megan McEvily

Vassar College Book Award – David Benudis

Cornell University Alumni Book Award – Nicholas Gersh

Oberlin College Award – Emily Weitzman

Brown University Book Award – Zoe Gould

American Association of University Women – Lily Goodspeed

Mamaroneck Federation of School Secretaries’ Scholarship Award – Kayla Romanelli

Sogetsu Houka Study Group Scholarship – Lindsay Naughton

Garden Club of Mamaroneck – Benjamin Viagas

P.E.O. Scholarship – Elise Geithner

To the Top with Laptops – Victoria DeAndrea, Karina Pedraza, Diana Rogiero, Ana Ruano, and Sagirah Wheeler

Joseph Markowitz Award – Sagirah Wheeler

Certificate of Merit for Community Service from the office of Suzi Oppenheimer, State Senator – Jade Mandel

Peter Williams Scholarship – Ken Burr

New York State Comptroller Achievement Award – Peter Gelman

Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition – Anna Reddicliffe

Town of Mamaroneck Police Benevolent Association – Patrick Joyce

Susan R. Norman Memorial Award – Natalie Rodriguez

Larry Armstrong Memorial Award – Michael Rubin

Daughters of the American Revolution, Larchmont/Mamaroneck

Chapter – Daniel Luzzi, Taraneh Moussapour, and Sagirth Wheeler

University Club of Larchmont – Andrew Katzenstein and Jennifer Fasman

The New York Lottery Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship – Jade Mandel

The National Merit Scholarship Corp. Award – Jennifer Fasman and Antonia Lloyd-Davies

Mamaroneck American Legion, Post 90 – Victoria DeAndrea, William Goodenough, Raymond Gualano, Daniel Luzzi, and Samantha Humphrey

Thomas DeLitto & Sons Scholarship – Raymond Gualano, Daniel Luzzi, Karina Pedraza, and Sagirah Wheeler

Knights of Columbus-Justice Martin King Scholarship – Antonia Lloyd-Davies

Department Awards

Mathematics Department

The John Genereux Award – Nikhil Kumar

AB Calculus Award – Lily Goodspeed, Matthew Kanterman, Andrea Plate, and Isobel Tanner

American Mathematics Competition 12 – Noah Rauschkolb 

Honorable Mention to Zoe Jacobson, Ying Tang, and Adam Wrobel

American Mathematics Competition 10 – Troy Whittemore

MHS Math Team – Max Hinchcliffe and Joe Taafe

Ten County Mathematics Education Association Award – Diego Cabaleiro, Violeta Contraras, Irene Dambriunas, Melanie Halbout, and Samantha Stillman

World Language Department

Spanish AP Language and Literature Award – Carlos Chinchilla

Spanish AP Language Award – Carla Staffaroni

French AP Language Award – Andrew Katzenstein

ELL Award – Carmen Castaneda

Chinese Award – Jordan Gratch

Science Department

Bausch & Lomb Award – Natalie Diacovo

Ciba High School Science Award – Karly Wentz

Rensselaer Medal – Catherine Gerkis

George Washington High School Medal – William Seife

AP Biology Award – Audrey Lorberfeld and Yuni Sameshima

AP Chemistry Award – Daniel Crowe and Jacob Ward

AP Environmental Award – David Adler and Samantha DiBiccari

AP Physics B Award – William Seife

AP Physics C Award – Matthew Habig

Forensic Award – Carmela Ortiz and Samantha Stillman

Science Research Award – Jennifer Fasman, Sarah Henkind, Alex Mendez, Jack Miller, and Robert Towle

Interscholastic Athletics

William E. Warren Scholar/Athlete Award – Jennifer Fasman and Andrew Katzenstein

SEZ Fitness Awards – Christian Degenhardt, Elise Geithner, Sara Hess, Kenji Kaneshiro, Erika Romagnoli, and Christopher Tofalli

Art Department

Rhode Island School of Design Book Award – Tae Jun Park

The Elise M. Herz Ceramics Award – Dana Dotti

Home & Career Skills, Technology and Business Education Department

Photo 1 – Kaitlin Gerringer, Elaine Kung, and Josh Zoland

Photo 2 – Liz Foster and Melanie Keating

Advanced Photography – Lindsay Naughton and Adrienne Szamotula

Independent Studies in Photography – Melanie Halbout and Carly Kriss

Engineering – Stephane Moise and Kyle Rudge

Digital Photography – Justis La Manna and Dylan Rose

Introduction to Architecture – Bryan Cummings

Architecture 1 – Peter Fanelli

Architecture 2 – Ryan Gerspach

Digital Animation/Web Design – Aaron Bendich

Advanced Digital Animation/Web Design – Rebecca Gottfried

Fashion Design – Alessia DeFrancesco, Melissa Pizzol, and Marianna Rudelic

Family and Consumer Science – James Reddicliffe

American-European Cuisine – Sarah Scudder and Kayla Sherwood

Child and Adolescent Psychology – Shanni Davidowitz and Emily Silver

Social Studies Department

Thomas F. Rock Merit Award – Elise Geithner and Jade Mandel

Lorna Minor Award – Rebecca Zell

Columbia Book Award – Nicholas Gersh

Social Studies Award for Excellence in U.S. History and Government – Suzannah Rubinstein

Music Department

Joseph T. Downey Award – Dan Garfield and Sarah Hess

MHS Band Award – Andrea Plate and Dan Smith

MHS Band Director’s Award – Jeff Dobronyi and James Rohman

Carl Strommen Stage Band Award – Jeremy Forsyth

Orchestral Studies Award – Jocelyn Baumgarten, Julia Bilbao, William Carlyon,

Yuni Sameshima, Carla Staffaroni, Ying Tang, and Jonathan Williams

MHS Concert Choir Award – Sarah Colburn and Evan Thompson

MHS Choir Director’s Award – Erica Arace and Melissa Pierson

MHS In Treble Award – Nia Lugo, Christine Marsico, and Casey Moretti

Music Department Award – Kate Rainey

English Department

Margaret Reich Award – Elise Geithner

American Association of University Women Excellence in Writing – Williamena Granger

Sophomore Awards in English – Matt Conley, Eric Sadler, Oliver Shirley, and Alyssa Slater

Freshman Awards in English – Sarah Blunt, Lily Goldstein, Max Gersh, and Sarah Meister

PACE

Acting Awards – Billy Berger-Bailey and Zsuzska Beswick

Playwrighting Award – Madeline Hendricks

Theatre Classwork Awards – Rebecca Kitsis, Charlotte Gardiner, Joanna Lyons, and Charlotte Wiesenberg

NYSTEA (New York State Theatre Education Association) Award – Sara Stevens

Dance Performance Award – Katie Feller

Choreography Awards – Sarah Hadi and Jessica Madris

Music Classwork Award – Abby Brammer

Songwriting Award – Phoebe Hanley

Musical Theatre Award – William Carlyon

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• District Reaching Goals in Math & Literacy
• Original Science Research Shines at MHS
• Some Progress, Some Setbacks: Principals Report on Goals
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