Summer 2019 Vol. 67 No. 4

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

Dear Neighbors,Five months ago a steering committee of over 40 volunteers — comprised of members of the Board of Education, community, student body, and faculty — convened to discuss the priorities for Pleasantville Schools 2026, Phase Two, the next five years of our District’s strategic plan. The first phase of the plan, which commenced in 2014, led to many successful programs such as the Humani-ties Research Program at the High School and an expansion of STEM activities in grades K-8, and yielded many outcomes and best practices that we will carry forward. Among these is our focus on social and emotional well-being and the importance of inclusivity.

The steering committee met several times since February to review, research, and discuss the ideas that will best prepare our students for the future. The result of this effort is six strategies, adopted at the June 18 Board meeting, that we view as most critical to our District.

LEADERSHIPWe will hire, develop and retain an increasingly diverse group of school professionals who com-mit to continued learning and developmentally responsive pedagogy to promote a dynamic and inspiring environment of support, acceptance and diversity of thought.CURRICULUMWe will adapt curriculum that promotes dif-ferentiated instruction while empowering and inspiring students to actively engage in their education to help them become future-ready. WELLNESSWe will create a district-wide environment in which emotional, social and physical wellness

fosters a culture of engaged citizenship and inclusivity.COMMUNICATIONWe will engage home, school and community through communications that enable a robust dialogue and build essential linkages.INFRASTRUCTURE & RESOURCESWe will maximize available resources to main-tain and optimize use of the district’s facili-ties, equipment and supplies to provide a safe, collaborative, and flexible environment for all students and staff.PARTNERSHIPSWe will develop new and strengthen current partnerships among schools and community to expand learning opportunities.

We are now asking for volunteers to participate on the six Action Teams that will develop specific operational plans of action to implement these strat-egies. Action Teams will be organized in October with the first meeting to be held at 7:30 p.m. on October 22, 2019.

If you are interested in participating, please click on Action Team Sign-up under News & An-nouncements on our District website. If you have questions about Pleasantville Schools 2026, Phase Two or the Action Teams, please contact the Su-perintendent’s Office.

As we close out the 2018-2019 school year, we thank you for your support of our children’s edu-cation and wish our graduates enormous success. May you have an enjoyable and restorative summer.

Sincerely,Mary Fox-Alter, Superintendent of SchoolsThe Pleasantville Board of Education

Adelphi UniversityAlbright CollegeAlfred UniversityAmerican University Arizona State UniversityAssumption CollegeAuburn UniversityBall State UniversityBard College Becker CollegeBloomfield CollegeBloomsburg University of

PennsylvaniaBoston College Boston University Brandeis University Brown UniversityBryant University Bucknell University Cairn UniversityCalifornia Institute of

TechnologyCampbell UniversityCanisius CollegeCarnegie Mellon UniversityCase Western Reserve Catholic University of America Champlain CollegeChristopher Newport UniversityCity University of New York: Baruch College City College Hunter College John Jay College of Criminal

Justice Lehman College Clark UniversityClarkson UniversityCoastal Carolina University Colby CollegeColby-Sawyer CollegeColgate UniversityCollege of Mount Saint VincentCollege of Saint RoseColorado Mountain CollegeColorado Northwestern

Community CollegeCurry College Dartmouth CollegeDean CollegeDickinson CollegeDominican CollegeDrew UniversityDrexel University East Carolina University East Stroudsburg University of

Pennsylvania Eastern UniversityEdinboro University of

PennsylvaniaElmira CollegeElon University Emerson College Emmanuel College

Emory UniversityEndicott CollegeFairfield University Farmingdale State CollegeFlorida State University Fordham University Franklin and Marshall Franklin Pierce UniversityGeorge Mason University George Washington University Georgetown University Gettysburg College Gordon CollegeGoucher CollegeGrove City CollegeHamilton College Hartwick College High Point UniversityHofstra University Houghton CollegeIndiana University at BloomingtonIona College Ithaca College James Madison University Johnson & Wales University Keene State College Kent State UniversityLa Salle UniversityLafayette College Lancaster Bible CollegeLe Moyne CollegeLehigh UniversityLesley UniversityLock Haven University of

PennsylvaniaLong Island University, PostLoyola University Maryland Manhattan College Manhattanville College Marist College Massachusetts College of Art and

DesignMcDaniel CollegeMercy College Messiah College Miami University, OxfordMiddlebury College Molloy CollegeMonmouth University Mount Saint Mary CollegeMuhlenberg College New England CollegeNew York Institute of TechnologyNew York University Northeastern University Nyack CollegeOhio State UniversityOhio UniversityOld Dominion UniversityPace University: New York City Westchester Campus

Pennsylvania State UniversityPepperdine UniversityPlymouth State UniversityPratt InstituteProvidence College Purdue UniversityQuinnipiac University Regent UniversityRochester Institute of Technology Roger Williams University Rutgers University Sacred Heart University Saint Anselm CollegeSaint Joseph’s University Saint Michael’s College Salisbury University Salve Regina University Savannah College of Art and

DesignSiena College Skidmore College Springfield CollegeSt. John’s UniversitySt. Lawrence University St. Thomas Aquinas College State University of New York: Albany Binghamton Buffalo Polytechnic Institute Stony Brook SUNY College: Alfred State Brockport Buffalo State Canton Cortland Delhi Environmental Science &

Forestry Geneseo Maritime New Paltz Old Westbury Oneonta Oswego Plattsburgh Potsdam Purchase SUNY Community College: Broome Nassau Westchester Stonehill College Suffolk UniversitySyracuse University Temple University Towson University Tufts UniversityTulane University Union College University of Alabama University of Arizona

Class of 2019 — College Acceptances and Destinations

University of California: Berkeley Davis Irvine Los Angeles San Diego Santa BarbaraUniversity of Central FloridaUniversity of Colorado, Boulder University of Connecticut University of Delaware University of FloridaUniversity of Hartford University of MaineUniversity of Maryland, College Park University of Massachusetts:

Amherst Boston DartmouthUniversity of Miami University of MichiganUniversity of New Hampshire,

Durham University of New HavenUniversity of North Carolina: Chapel Hill CharlotteUniversity of Notre DameUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pittsburgh University of Rhode Island University of RichmondUniversity of Rochester University of Scranton University of South Carolina University of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Tampa University of Vermont University of Wisconsin Ursinus CollegeVassar College Villanova University Virginia TechViterbo UniversityWagner CollegeWentworth Institute of TechnologyWesleyan University West Virginia University Western Connecticut State

University Western New England University Wilkes UniversityWorcester Polytechnic Institute York College of Pennsylvania

Bold type indicates the schools the Class of 2019 will attend in the fall, as of June 21, 2019. This list of colleges and universities includes 36 that are rated most/highly competitive; 56, very competitive; and 112, competitive (based on Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges).

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Presented at the PHS Senior Awards Night on May 29, 2019.

American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese: Excellence Award Devin Juros Honor Award Adrian Rippstein Service Award Maureen Ederer Melanie Ipyam Amanda Santos Sofia Tomé

Athletes of the Year Award: Jack Howe Paige Long

Benjamin Sze Mathematics Award — for two students, one male and one female, who have excelled in mathematics: Mark Indriolo Catherine Kauber

Benjamin Sze Science Award — for two students, one male and one female, who have excelled in science: Daniel Igielski Catherine Kauber

Boy Scouts Award — for outstand-ing achievement, volunteerism, and leadership in scouting: Robert Marco Thomas Watts

Community Scholarships — The Community Scholarship Fund award-ed 8 scholarships totaling $18,000 this academic year, including this special award that is managed by the committee: Rotary Award for Community

Service: Annabelle Bresnahan Sam Lord

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

Class of 2019 — Awards and Scholarships

classroom: Alexandra Broege Jaclyn Sicignano

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

Ed Dans Celebrate Science Award — in honor of PHS science teacher Ed Dans: Devin Juros

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

Glass Onion Art Award — for a se-nior who plans to pursue art in college: Andrei Captan

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

Isaac Newton Math Award: Devin Juros

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

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

Marie Oettinger World Languages Award — Adrian Rippstein

National Merit Scholarship: Finalist Andrew Skrzypczak Letters of Commendation Patick Doherty Devin Juros

National World Language Exams: Silver Medalist – French Andrew Skrzypczak

Valedictorian Mark Indriolo and Salutatorian Daniel Igiel-ski excel both academically, as one would expect, and in their chosen areas of interest. They are members of five different honor societies, are AP Scholars with Distinction, and served as peer tutors. Mark, who holds a second degree Black Belt in martial arts, is a concert pianist who studied at Juilliard for a number of years and played at Carnegie Hall. An avid tennis player, Mark served as Captain of the Varsity Tennis team for two years and earned All-Section and All-Conference honors. Daniel is a top competitor in mountain bike tournaments and is a bike touring enthusiast who has ridden extensively across the United States. He has been an important member of the Speech and Debate team for all four years and was inducted into the National Speech and Debate Honor Society at the end of his freshman year. This fall, both will attend college in the Northeast — Mark at Boston College and Daniel at Dartmouth.

Valedictorian Mark Indriolo and Salutatorian Daniel Igielski

Class of 2018 — Awards and Scholarships Honorable Mention – French Anabelle Bresnahan Silver Medalist — Italian Madison Murray Silver Medalist — Spanish Melanie Ipyam Devin Juros Evelyn Lee Honorable Mention – Spanish Olivia Ashton Emma Murphy

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

NYSSMA All State Award: Charlotte Berg Daniel Schuster Andrew Skrzypczak

NYSTEA Excellence in Theatre Award: Jordan Goodman Charlotte Harter

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: Sarah Whynott

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: Shannon Kauber

P.I.A. Service Award — for outstand-ing completion of student ambassador commitments: Kathryn Andersen Iman Behbehani Anisha Chandy

Ava Chiavetta Victoria Craig Grace Hammond Jonathan Hayes Shannon Kauber Evelyn Lee Emma Murphy Sara Wike

Pleasantville Friends of STEM Leadership Award — for consistent involvement in and support of STEM-related learning opportunities: Julia Goodman (Leader) Chloe Peters (Ambassador)

Principal & Assistant Principal Leadership Award — recognizes students who go above and beyond in serving the school community to make it a better place: Briana Braia Garrett Carney Anisha Chandy

Nicole Demetropoulos Rebecca Graham Ryan Kwiat Justin Perlman Daniel Wallen Sarah Whynott

Tina Gambino Memorial Award — for a caring, loving teammate: Kaylei Raefski

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

VIP Award — for outstanding com-munity service to the VIP Recreation Program for special needs children: Iman Behbehani Anisha Chandy Sarah Whynott

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2019 Class SurveyNumber of Seniors ....................................................................... 135Attending Post-Secondary Schools ............................................ 94%World of Work ............................................................................... 2%Military ........................................................................................... 1%Other ............................................................................................ 2%National Merit Scholarship Finalists ................................................. 1National Merit Scholarship Letters of Commendation ...................... 2

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 2019.

Front: Catherine Kauber, Amanda Santos, Sarah Whynott, Daniel Igielski, Devin Juros, Andrew Skrzypczak, Patrick Doherty. Back: Melanie Ipyam, Evelyn Lee, Anisha Chandy, Mark Indriolo, Julia Goodman, Charlotte Berg, Daniel Schuster.

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Class of 2018 — Awards and ScholarshipsPresented at Commencement on June 21, 2019.

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: Andrew Skrzypczak

BOCES Sound Production Pro-gram Student of the Year: Anthony DiGilio

Break the Hold Scholarship: Katherine Moore

Community Scholarship Fund Truslow Hyde Scholarship: Ava Chiavetta

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: Lyndsey Minerva

Friends of Visual Arts (F.O.V.A.) Scholarship — for seniors who have excelled in the visual arts and sig-nificantly enhanced the cultural life of PHS by virtue of their character, service, and leadership: Andrei Captan Madison Murray Chloe Peters

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: Shannon Kauber

Pleasantville Alumni Association Scholarship — for outstanding ser-vice to both Pleasantville High School and the Pleasantville community: Shane McBride Adrian Rippstein

Pleasantville Police Benevolent Association Award — for a cheer-ful, positive attitude and outstanding public spirit: Jacob Graj Samuel Lord

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

Rosebury Scholarship Awards — to encourage students who continued to improve scholastically to pursue higher education: Briana Braia Alexandra Broege

Jordan Goodman Maria Zuna Ortiz Nicholas Pugliese

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

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: Ava Chiavetta Brendan O’Neill

Seventeen members of the Class of 2019 reported that they will continue their athletic endeavors at the college level. Sitting: Shane McBride (SUNY Oneonta, Lacrosse), Danny Melillo (Skidmore, Baseball), Catherine Kauber (CalTech, Soccer), Olivia Ashton (Georgetown, Tennis), Kaylei Raefski (SUNY Binghamton, Cross Country & Track), Jack Roye (Hamilton, Lacrosse), Marc Kyriakidis (Wilkes, Soccer). Standing: Nolan Egan (Hartwick, Football), Justin Perlman (WCC, Baseball), Adrian Rippstein (SUNY Binghamton, Track), Jan Becerra (Curry, Soccer), Michael Matica (Manhattanville, Baseball), Brendan O’Neill (Skidmore, Baseball), Pat Doherty (Wesleyan, Lacrosse), Daniel Minerva (Springfield, Football), Jack Howe (Georgetown, Lacrosse). Not Pictured: Victor Perlleshi (Johnson & Wales, Wrestling)

School News

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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 ju-niors; seniors receive $2,125 for math and $1,625 for science. The scholarships were established by Mrs. Lydia Sze in honor of her late husband, a member of the PHS Class of 1944. After her passing, the scholarships were funded by her estate through this school year.

Seniors Catherine Kauber (m,s), Daniel Igielski (s); not pictured: Mark Indriolo (m)

Front: Freshmen Francesco Noce (m,s), Riley Vavolizza (m,s); middle: Sophomores Benjamin Hahn (m,s), Abhaya Ravikumar (m,s); back: Juniors Ryan Dirgins (m,s), Maya Sauthoff (m,s)

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED • Science Olympiad • Math Olympiad • STEM Career Fair

INTERESTED? Fill out the form at PantherPartners.org

Senior Internship ProgramVirtually every mem-ber of the PHS Class of 2019 participated in the Senior Internship Program, compared to 9% at its inception in May 2012. The seniors worked in 66 differ-ent locations. Many thanks to all those who provided invaluable work experiences to our students.

This annual pro-gram typically runs from mid-May (after the completion of AP Exams) until the week before graduation.

Jonathan Albaum, James Anderson, and Ryan Kwiat built a working windmill for their internship, supervised by PHS science teacher Brian Rivenburg.

Science Research CompetitionSophomores in the High School’s Science Research program par-ticipated in the annual Westlake Science Fair, the only one of its kind in New York State for first-year science research students to present their intended research design in a for-mal setting. (This fair has outgrown the Westlake campus and is also held at Somers High School. The schools assigned to each fair make the number of competitors even.)

At Westlake, students from sixteen schools presented 260 projects in fifteen categories. Four of our six participants won first place in their categories: Brienna Ahmetaj, Medicine and Health II; Eliza Murphy, Be-havioral Science IV; Lauren Peacock, Medicine and Health V; and Abhaya Ravikumar, Bioinformatics.

Brienna Ahmetaj, Arielle Wilson, Katrina Kelly, Eliza Murphy, Abhaya Ravikumar, Lauren Peacock

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School News

Student Paper Honored

Pleasantville Post editors, front: Alexandra Viceroy, Meaghan Ennis, Kaylei Raefski; back: Ryan Raefski, Michael Matica, Jordan Goodman, Jacob Taboh, Raymond Raefski

The High School student newspaper, the Pleasantville Post, received second place honors in the American Scholastic Press Association’s 2018-2019 annual Newspaper Review and Contest. The newspaper was evaluated against those of similar-sized schools throughout the country.

HS Musical Award Nominees

The High School production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum received Metro nominations in ten categories: Actor in a Leading Role: Sam Selesnick (Prologus/Pseudolus); Actress in a Supporting Role: Victoria Craig (Domina); Out-standing Comic Performance (Male): Ryan Burton (Marcus Lycus; Outstanding Dance Performance (Female): Sarah Schuster (Panacea); Outstanding Duet: Lyndsey Minerva (Philia) & Kyle Largey (Hero); Outstanding Musical Direction: Jon Ver-cesi; Outstanding Costume Design: Amy Franks; Outstanding Scenic Design: James Britt and Bill Brown; Outstanding Graphic Design: Caitlin Rub-samen and Jenna Elluzzi; Technical Merit (Teacher Recommended): Ciara Hickey (Stage Manager), Shannon Kauber (Co-Student Director), and Chloe Peters (Co-Student Director).

In addition to their Metro nominations, Victoria Craig and Sam Selesnick were chosen to compete in the Roger Rees Awards for Excellence in Stu-dent Performance. A total of fifty students — 25 actors and 25 actresses — from forty high schools in the Greater New York region attended a day of coaching and master classes led by Broadway pro-fessionals and competed for Best Actor and Best Actress honors.

Music Festivals

High School choral groups Camerata and Razor’s Edge (pictured above) received gold ratings at the Worldstrides Boston Heritage Festival held March 28-31 and were invited to perform at Carnegie Hall.

The High School Chorus and Orchestra each earned First Place and a Superior Rating at the Music in the Parks competition held at Six Flags New England on May 31. The chorus also won Best Overall Choir.

BRS Art Show — 2nd Grade Self-Portraits a la Modigliani

Girls Track — Back-to-Back League Champions

The team won the title in the Winter 2018-19 season, then again this spring. Front: Victoria Rapley, Abhaya Ravikumar, Adriana Catalano, Molly Perrine, Kaylei Raefski, Hayley Piccolino, Brienna Ahmetaj, Kirsten Owens, Emily Merritts, Maeve McCourtney, Ava Horigan, Katya Nardone. Back: Coach Tim Dirgins, Jessica Capriglione, Tess O’Driscoll, Christina Skrypczak, Katie Moore, Ella O’Malley, Amber Nanaj, Maeve Roney, Isabella Pepdjonovic, Isabelle Kapoor, Francesca Gill, Alexandra Rippstein, Annie Macphee, Coach Anthony Godino. Not pictured: Francesa Annechino, Shannon Muldoon, Emma Murphy, Ryan Sullivan, Riley Vavolizza, Coach Kaitlyn Zezze. (Photo: PHS Yearbook)

School News

Spring Varsity AwardsBaseball. All Section: Brendan O’Neill. All Section Honorable Mention: Michael Matica. All League: Colin Finnegan, Michael Matica, Danny Melillo, Brendan O’Neill. All Conference: Brendan O’Neill. Diamond Nine Scholar Athlete: Brendan O’Neill.

Golf. All League: Ryan Kwiat, Andrew Minerva.

Boys’ Lacrosse. NYS Scholar/Athlete Team* All American: Jack Howe. All Section: Jake Coleman, Jack Howe. All Section Honorable Mention: Patrick Doherty, Ray Raefski. All League: Garrett Carney, Jake Coleman, Patrick Doherty, Jack Howe, Ray Raefski, Jack Roye, Brian Wilson. All League Honorable Mention: Jack Collins, Jack Halloran, Matt May.

Girls’ Lacrosse. NYS Scholar/Athlete Team* All Section: Lauren Drillock. All Section Honorable Mention: Grace Capko, Paige Long, Jenna McAl-lister. All League: Reilly Byrne, Grace Capko, Lauren Drillock, Paige Long, Jenna McAllister. All

League Honorable Mention: Katherine Guttridge, Julia O’Reilly.

Softball. NYS Scholar/Athlete Team* All Sec-tion: Mary Grace O’Neill. All Section Honorable Mention: Jackie Sicignano. All League: Alexandra Broege, Kaycie Budd, Mary Grace O’Neill, Ashley Rosen, Jackie Sicignano.

Boys’ Tennis. NYS Scholar/Athlete Team* All Section: Mark Indriolo. All League: Mark Indriolo, Dan Wallen. All League Honorable Mention: Keon Ansari, Sam Selesnick. All Conference: Mark In-driolo.

Boys’ Track. NYS Scholar/Athlete Team* All League: Christian DeJesus (400m, 4x100m), Aidan Lynch (800m), Adrian Ng (4x100m), Jack Raffalli (4x100m, Long Jump), Adrian Rippstein (110m Hurdles, 200m, 4x100m). All League Honorable Mention: Mike Collins (Javelin), Christian DeJe-sus (100m), Aidan Lynch (1600m, 3200m), Adrian Rippstein (400m Hurdles). All County, 2nd Team: Adrian Rippstein (110m Hurdles).

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School News

Girls’ Track. NYS Scholar/Athlete Team* All Section: Adriana Catalano (1500m, 3000m). All League: Adriana Catalano (1500m, 3000m, 4x800m), Isabelle Kapoor (100m Hurdles, 200m, Triple Jump), Molly Perrine (4x800m), Kaylei Raefski (4x800m), Maeve Roney (Long Jump), Riley Vavolizza (4x800m). All League Honor-able Mention: Brienna Ahmetaj (High Jump), Ava Horigan (Long Jump), Ella O’Malley (100m, 200m). All County, 2nd Team: Adriana Catalano (3000m).

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

LifesaversPHS senior Garrett Carney was recognized by the Vil-lage of Pleasantville and the High School for his actions in deterring a young woman from jumping off the Manville Avenue bridge onto the train tracks. Gar-rett was able to engage her in conversation until police

officers arrived and completed the rescue.Kaitlyn Zezze, a teaching assistant /English teacher

at PHS and a member of the Pleasantville Ambulance Corps, performed the Heimlich Maneuver on a student who exhibited signs of distress during the school’s lunchtime celebration of Upstanders Day. Her quick response saved the student’s life.

Kaitlyn Zezze,Garret Carney

High School chemistry students taught second graders how to make ice cream in a bag, just the way they learned when they were in second grade.

Fifth graders read the Superhero stories they wrote and illustrated for their kindergarten buddies.

Middle School Art Show — Wire Portraits

High School Art Show — 3D Figures

Fall 2019 Athletic SeasonFamilyID Online Sports Registration begins• July 19 — JV/Varsity• August 1 — ModifiedAccess via Portals (Parents/Guardians) on District & all school websites; under Athletics on Middle School & High School websites.

Fall 2019 Start Dates• August 19 — JV/Varsity• September 5 — Modified Cross Country & Football• September 9 — All Other Modified Sports

District News

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May 21 Voting ResultsTotal # Votes Cast ...........................................903Budget Vote (Proposition A) .....729 Yes / 169 NoBond Vote (Proposition B) .......708 Yes / 189 NoBoard Election (to fill 1 seat)

Shane McGaffey (unopposed) ......................766

Best Wishes to Our RetireesBedford Road School said goodbye to two senior staff members who retired at the end of this school year. Together, they served the BRS students and community for over fifty-five years.

Donna Loprieno has been at BRS since 1995, and the Secretary to the Principal since 1996. While she will miss working with the “talented, dedicated, and friendly staff,” she is looking forward to having the summer off for the first time in twenty-six years. She plans to “turn off my alarm clock and enjoy every

day as if it was a Saturday.” Mrs. Loprieno also plans to become a “snowbird,” travel with her husband “anytime of the year that I want to,” and spend more time with her family and friends.

Second grade teacher JulieAnne Zanis has been an educator for thirty-five years, the past thirty at BRS. She taught third grade for the first fifteen of those years, then moved to second grade. She will miss “the PEOPLE most of all — the big ones (my col-leagues) and the little ones (my

students)” and “the routine of school,” but not the paperwork. Her plans for retirement include “catching up on my reading, spending more time at the beach in Cape Cod, spending time with family & friends, and basically making my own plan for the day.” Mrs. Zanis, a graduate of Pleasantville High School, is “grateful to have worked with some amazing col-leagues, students, parents, and community members while teaching the children of my hometown!”

PHS Alumni Plaza The PHS Alumni Plaza brick-purchasing program is an ongo-ing fundraiser for the Pleasant-ville 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 hon-orees are invited to the annual brick-laying ceremony at Alumni Plaza Homecoming Weekend.Visit phsalumniplaza.org to purchase a brick for a PHS graduate or retired District employee.

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

Donna Loprieno

JulieAnne Zanis

Tenure GrantedThe Board of Education approved tenure recommen-dations at its May 7 meeting for High School teach-ers Kesiah Mathew (science) and Rikki Saperstein (social studies) and for teaching assistants Mary Dwyer, Genevieve Johnson, and Britney Krantz.

Rikki Saperstein, Kesiah Mathew, Genevieve Johnson, Mary Dwyer

District News

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Pleasantville Fund for Learning GrantsThe Pleasantvi l le Fund for Learning — in partnership with the BRS PTA, the MS PTA, and the PHS PCO — awarded eleven Excellence in Education grants totaling $50,728 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.• 3DPrintingintheDigitalAge:

two 3D printers for PHS for a new 3D printing course and for the Makerspace initiative in the Library Media Center; submitted by Jim Maron and Joanne Wallace.

•AlternativeSeating: twelve Sit-to-Stand desks for MS students in eighth grade Social Studies classes; submitted by James Carey.

•HydroponicFarming:Supplies to create a hydroponic indoor garden at PHS; submitted by Deirdre Vedovino.

• iPadsforAthletesandCoaches: two iPads, cases, and tripod for PHS athletic department to model correct techniques, provide feedback, and for adaptive PE; submitted by John Bauerlein and Deirdre Vedovino.

• It’sAllGreektoMe: togas for BRS second grade students and teachers to celebrate the cul-mination of the grade’s Greek mythology unit; submitted by Eileen Eustace, Eileen Prizeman, Marc Vavolizza, Leah Wisotsky, and JulieAnne Zanis.

Grant recipients, row 1: Joanne Wallace, Tracy O’Sullivan, Tara Birrittella, James Carey; row 2: Rachel Heyman, Melissa Brown, John Bauerlein, Deirdre Vedovino; row 3: Samantha Tanner, Lisa Rodriguez, Debbie Anttila, Deanna Nola, Valerie Reich, Kim Vecchiariello, Kelly Nocca; row 4: Eileen Eustace, Leah Wisotsky, JulieAnne Zanis, Eileen Prizeman, Sheila Moran, Lana Pattinson, Peggy Galotti

•LearningCenterswithiPads: thirty iPads and supplies for BRS kindergarten students; submitted by Debbie Anttila, Sheila Moran, Kelly Nocca, Deanna Nola, Valerie Reich, Lisa Rodriguez, Samantha Tanner, and Kim Vecciariello.

•Memoirs of Diversity: books for the exploration of diversity in the MS eighth grade ELA classrooms; submitted by Tracy O’Sullivan.

•MobileGarden: microscopes, magnifying glasses, a mobile cart, and other supplies for the hands-on study of plants at BRS; submitted by Peggy Galotti and Lana Pattinson.

•Narrative Writing: books to support the teaching of narrative writing in MS seventh and

eighth grade ELA classrooms; submitted by Tara Birrittella and Tracy O’Sullivan.

•Ukuleles–Let’sGetJammin’: thirty-six ukuleles, ten guitars, cases, and supplies for MS seventh and eighth grade music students; submitted by Melissa Brown and Rachel Heyman.

•Weather Station – Let DataAnalytics Tell Our Story: a weather station at the MS for use by all students in their study of weather and data science; submitted by Melissa Brown.

The Board of EducationPresidentAngela Vella (769-5729)VellaA@pleasantvilleschools.orgVice PresidentEmily Rubin Persons (747-0136)PersonsE@pleasantvilleschools.orgMembersLarry Boes (773-1882)BoesLa@pleasantvilleschools.orgLouis Conte (773-1532)ConteLou@pleasantvilleschools.orgShane McGaffey (409-3487)McGaffeyS@pleasantvilleschools.orgSuperintendent of Schools Mary Fox-AlterDistrict Websitepleasantvilleschools.orgBoard 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

Tracy O’Sullivan Is Teacher of the Year

Mrs. O’Sullivan with one of her eighth grade English classes

Eighth grade English teacher Tracy O’Sullivan was named the District’s Teacher of the Year at the June 4 meeting of the Board of Education. Middle School principal Donald Marra noted that Mrs. O’Sullivan “exemplifies the high quality of Pleasantville educators.” He described her as a “master teacher...[who] provides a creative and supportive environment for her students...not only a team player, but also a leader...[who] is always evolving to stay relevant...Tracy’s strong commitment to the social, emotional, and academic development of all of her children is what makes her special.”

Mrs. O’Sullivan received proclamations from the Board of Education and representatives of the Village of Pleasantville, Westchester County, and New York State, including Regent Judith Johnson and Governor Cuomo. Additionally, June 5 was named “Tracy O’Sullivan Day” in both the Village and the County. To all of these accolades Mrs. O’Sullivan replied, “I don’t think that I alone deserve this. I would not be able to do what I do without my colleagues.”

District CalendarThe 2019-2020 District Calendar will be mailed to households with children in grades K-12 in August. Others may request a calendar by sending their names and addresses to jschwartz@pleasantvilleschools.org or to BOE Calendar Request, 60 Romer Avenue, Pleasantville NY 10570. The calendar also will be posted on the District website.

The first day of school for stu-dents is Tuesday, September 3.

SummerBoard 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 9 Tuesday, August 6 Tuesday, August 27