Karchawer recognized by Harvard-Radcliffe Club

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SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER NOMINATED BY FORMER STUDENT
Karchawer recognized by Harvard-Radcliffe Club
Robert Karchawer, social studies teacher at the Goshen High School, was recently recognized
by the Harvard-Radcliffe Club of the Hudson Valley for the exceptional impact he made on a
former student, who is now a senior at Harvard University.
The Harvard-Radcliffe Club selected Karchawer to attend a week-long professional development session at the Harvard Graduate School
of Education. He was nominated by Class of
2005 graduate Kevin Suehnholz, who is a senior
at Harvard majoring in economics.
Karchawer is the first recipient of such an
award, and was chosen from teachers in the
98 school districts in Orange, Ulster, Sullivan,
Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Southern
Columbia counties, based on nominations from
local Harvard students who felt that a certain
teacher had made a difference in their education.
While attending Goshen High School,
Suehnholz was captain of the
boys’ soccer, basketball, and
baseball teams and participated
in a number of extra-curricular activities, including Student Senate, National Honor
Society, National Foreign
Language Honor Society,
Academic Team and band. He
was also an Honor Grad, or
one of the top six graduates in
his class.
His success in academics led to his acceptance to
Harvard in the fall of 2006;
however, Suehnholz did not
forget about the teacher who
he believes helped him get
there.
Robert Karchawer, center, was recently recognized by the Harvard-Radcliffe
Club of the Hudson Valley. He is pictured with, from left, Jane Unhjem, assistant
superintendent for curriculum and instruction; Robert Litz, Goshen High School
principal; Dr. Helmy H. El-Sherif, executive board member of the HarvardRadcliffe Club of the Hudson Valley; and Daniel T. Connor, superintendent of
schools.
In his nomination,
Suehnholz stated that Mr.
Karchawer’s way of thinkContinued on page 4
www.goshenschoolsny.org
What’s inside
PAGE 2
District facing
financial challenges
for 2010-11
Follow Goshen
Schools on Twitter
PAGE 3
Goshen art students
recognized with
Scholastic Art Awards
PAGE 4
Get important budget
information via SNN,
Twitter
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District facing financial challenges for 2010-11 school year
The news of recent months has
promised cuts to state education funding
and schools around the state have been
anticipating some difficult decisions in the
wake of a tough budget year.
GOVERNOR’S PROPOSAL MAY RESULT
IN A LOSS OF $1.43 MILLION IN AID
In January, the Governor proposed
cutting $1.1 billion in education spending statewide in order to help compensate
the projected $7.4 billion state deficit, as a
part of his budget proposal for New York
State.
If passed by the Legislature, that would
translate into a loss in state aid of $1.43
million, or 12.6 percent of the district’s
total state aid package for the current year.
USING RESERVE FUNDS TO COVER
COSTS – IS THIS RESPONSIBLE?
Gov. David Paterson has repeatedly
suggested that school districts use their
undesignated reserves, also know as fund
balances, to cover his proposed reductions
in state aid to public schools. Much like
the average homeowner, many school districts set aside “rainy day” fund balances in
case of emergencies or unexpected costs;
for example, to repair a boiler that stops
working or to help make up the difference
if fuel prices skyrocket unexpectedly.
District officials agree that using a
portion of Goshen’s fund balance is one
way to help supplement shortfalls in state
revenue, but strongly favor a conservative
approach to dipping into these funds.
“When you spend your undesignated
reserve fund to help alleviate revenue
shortfalls, you begin the next school year
with a hole that becomes increasingly difficult to fill,” said Superintendent Daniel
Connor. “Using the funds might help balance the budget this year, but what happens next year and the years to come? We
cannot predict future financial challenges,
and raiding these funds may place our
district in a dangerous financial position.”
LOSS OF ARRA LEAVES DISTRICTS IN A
TOUGH POSITION FOR YEARS TO COME
Next year, in 2011-12, the federal
stimulus aid given to schools under the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
(ARRA) will expire, unless renewed by the
federal government or replaced with state
aid. New York used these federal funds to
avert more than $1.1 billion in aid cuts to
its public schools. These federal funds restored $1.4 million in state aid to Goshen
Schools for the 2009-10 school year.
the district’s educational programs while
keeping in mind the tax impact on the
community. However, officials recognize
that the fiscal issues it is facing for next
year – and the years to come – render this
task difficult.
“No matter how daunting the economic forecast, we must ensure our students’
success,” said Connor. “We need to be
creative in the allocation of resources.”
The district is in the process of developing the budget for 2010-11. Residents
will vote on the proposed budget from 6
a.m.-9 p.m. on Tuesday, May 18 in the
Board of Education Room in the Main
Street Building, 227 Main Street, Goshen.
“Even with the federal stimulus funds,
the district still saw a loss in aid from the
To learn more about the 2010-11
prior school year, and hard decisions were
budget development process, visit the
made to help ease the local tax burden,”
Goshen Central School District website at
said Connor, who noted that the district
www.goshenschoolsny.org.
made reductions in faculty and staff
positions, instructional
technology, technical
services, interscholastic
athletics and extra-curThe Goshen Central School District is on Twitter!
ricular activities, and
also eliminated the high
Twitter is a free service that allows people and organizations
school summer school
to post brief messages, known as “tweets,” of not more than
program. “The loss of
140 characters to their “followers.”
these stabilization funds
Goshen’s Twitter account provides another outlet for parents
next year will leave
and community members to receive updated information
districts in a difficult
about the district.
position, especially if the
As a follower, you’ll be able to hear about the latest news,
state is unable to replace
happenings and important information.
that funding.”
New to Twitter? Create an account at www.twitter.com. Once
WORKING TO
you’re logged in, you can find Goshen’s Twitter account at
MAINTAIN PROGRAM
www.twitter.com/GoshenCSD. Be sure to click the “Follow”
INTEGRITY IN
button to receive tweets from the district.
UNCERTAIN TIMES
You can also receive tweets on your cell phone. When you
Year after year, the
log into Twitter or sign up for an account, click on the setdistrict strives to create
tings link at the top of page. Then click on the link that says
a budget that main“Mobile” and follow the directions.
tains the integrity of
Follow Goshen Schools on Twitter
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C r e at i n
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Goshen art students recognized with Scholastic Art Awards
Goshen art students proved their talents by taking home
20 of the top awards in the 2010 Hudson Valley Scholastic Art
Awards competition. Winners were chosen from more than
1,200 entries from schools in Dutchess, Orange, Sullivan and
Ulster.
Winners were recognized at an Awards Ceremony at SUNY
New Paltz, and their winning entries were exhibited in the Fine
Arts Building.
Artwork was judged in 15 categories, including drawing,
photography, ceramics, mixed media, video, and film. Judges from the local education and arts communities evaluated
the works for technical skill, originality, and personal vision.
Goshen students were recognized with Gold Key
Awards, which demonstrate the highest levels of achievement in technique, originality, and personal voice, and are
forwarded to National Scholastic Adjudication; and Silver
Key Awards, which demonstrate achievement worthy of
recognition on the regional level.
Goshen High School Silver Key Award Winner:
•
Sarah Goebler, a senior, for her drawings Mindscape and
Not Your Ash Tray, and design Reeling in the Classics
C. J. Hooker Middle School Gold Key Award Winners:
•
Jack Dunkelman for his painting, Sunset Ridge
•
Patryk Fusiarz for his painting, Path to Nowhere
•
Julia Jaffee for her photograph, Ride
•
Jane Jonas for her painting, Heartbreak
•
Ryan Metzger for his painting, Oregon Coast, and his
sculpture, Origamal
•
Peter Persoon for his painting, The Big City
•
Christy Shih for her photograph, Dark Lights
Christy Shih won three awards in the Hudson Valley Scholastic Art Awards
competition, including a Silver Key Award for her photograph, Iced Tree.
C. J. Hooker Middle School Silver Key Award Winners:
•
Patryk Fusiarz for his painting, Tombstone
•
Ashley Gellman for her painting, Walkway
•
Jessica Gordon for her paintings, Windy Day and Future
Architect
•
Julia Jaffee for her photographs, Snowy Day and Monster
•
Victoria Petit for her painting, Lily
•
Hope Schaumburg for her drawing, Stressed
•
Sophia Schuster for her drawing, Woman’s Head
•
Christy Shih for her photographs, Iced Tree and Frozen
Bubbles
Patryk Fusiarz’s painting Path to Nowhere took a Gold Key Award. Another
of his paintings won a Silver Key Award.
Board of
Education
President
Steven Esposito
Vice-President
James Kimiecik
Martha Bogart
Judy Green
Robert Kish
Loretta Richner
Michael Stroka
Superintendent
of Schools
Daniel T. Connor
Assistant
Superintendent for
Curriculum and
Instruction
Jane Unhjem
GOSHEN Central School District
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Newburgh, NY
Permit #252
227 Main Street
Goshen, NY 10924
(845) 615-6720
Assistant
Superintendent
for Business
Robert Miller, Jr.
Christina Intranuovo, Editor
Produced in cooperation with the Capital Region BOCES
Communications Service.
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Webster’s Dictionary
h 2010
Marc
Page 4
Teacher going to Harvard
Continued from page 1
ing “helped me understand, engage with, and above all
appreciate my next five years of schooling. I don’t think
I could have made it to or been prepared for Harvard
without it.”
Karchawer will receive free tuition for his choice of
one week-long course in the Harvard Graduate School of
Education, as well as housing accommodations, courtesy
of the Harvard-Radcliffe Club. The “prize” totals approximately $3,500.
“I’m very excited to be given such a wonderful opportunity, and am looking forward to spending part of the
summer in Boston, especially at Harvard,” said Karchawer.
“More importantly, being recognized by a former student is
wonderful. I don’t think that we, as educators, always recognize the impact we have on our students.”
Karchawer has chosen to participate in the course
“Future of Learning,” which offers educators the opportunity to learn how new technology will support learning.
“I chose this course because I need to become more
familiar with new technologies in order to prepare our
students for the world they will encounter,” said
Karchawer.
The Harvard Radcliffe Club is organized for educational and charitable purposes and to promote the welfare
of Harvard University, and also interview applicants
to Harvard University from Orange, Ulster, Sullivan,
Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Southern Columbia
counties.
www.goshenschoolsny.org
Get important budget information via SNN, Twitter
Goshen’s budget development process for the 2010-11 school year is underway
-- keep informed on important budget issues by signing up to receive messages
from School News Notifier (SNN) and Goshen’s Twitter account.
Sign up for SNN!
SNN, or School News Notifier, is an opt-in e-mail and text message alert system
where parents and community members can sign up –- via the Goshen Central
School District website –- to receive e-mail and/or text message alerts from the
district. Users can choose from several alerts and can unsubscribe at any time.
It’s easy to sign up. Visit the district website at www.goshenschoolsny.org and
click on the Goshen SNN icon on the home page. Create your profile and choose
which alerts you would like to receive. Be sure to sign up for the District News
alert, which will e-mail you important news and updates about the school budget.
If you already have an account but didn’t sign up to receive District News, you
can still do so! All you have to do is simply sign into your account using your
username and password, click to receive District News, and then click on Update
Profile.
Become one of our “followers” on Twitter!
In January, the Goshen Central School District created its own Twitter account to
help spread the word about important district news and events. Twitter is a free
service that allows people and organizations to post brief messages, known as
tweets, of not more than 140 characters to their “followers.” (Read the Twitter
article on page 2).
The district will “tweet” important news and updates about the 2010-11 budget
and direct its “followers” as to where they can learn more. You can create your
own account at www.twitter.com. Once you’re logged in, you can find Goshen’s
Twitter account at www.twitter.com/GoshenCSD. Be sure to click the “Follow” button to receive tweets from the district.
Check out the district website!
The latest budget news is always available on the Budget News page of the
district website, www.goshenschoolsny.org. Look for the budget icon to learn
more about absentee ballots, voter eligibility and more.