Newsletter Fall 2012 - San Miguel Academy of Newburgh

EVEN HERE
San Miguel Academy
of Newburgh
A Garden Can Grow
There is an initiative in Newburgh to improve the much
dilapidated district east of Route 9W. These census tracts are
among the worst in the United States. Plagued by violent
crime, drug trade and gang warfare, these areas are the ones to
be avoided. Yet most of our students’ families reside in the
heart of this deprivation. San Miguel Academy is located in
the most violent area of the entire city. Behind our school is
Chambers Street. In the past 18 months there have been four
violent murders on Chambers Street, literally just feet away
from the rear door to the school.
This year, stakeholders in the community, business people
and non-profits alike, came together to form what is known as
the Greater Newburgh Partnership. Immediately changes
were made. Streets lights blown out by bullets were repaired,
some vacant lots were cleaned, and trees were planted; small
changes for some, but for others, a sign of great hope.
Surveyors indicate that there are some 800 abandoned
homes and vacant lots in this area of the city. The GNP aims to
do something about it! In March 2010, Jerome Scarlett,
known on the street as “Rude Boy”, was shot and killed on a
vacant lot one block from SMAN. This past summer San
Miguel was asked to clean and green the lot where Rude Boy
died. For six weeks in the summer our new graduates
committed to learn about gardening, soil health and
sustainability.
Vegetables from our community garden
will be picked and eaten by local residents.
Anything remaining will be brought to
St. Patrick's Soup Kitchen.
Axel Santos, Grade 5,
picks a radish
Fr. Mark with (from left to right) Bayron Morales, St. Benedict's Prep;
Christian Gomez, Our Lady of Lourdes H.S.; Fredy Marin, Wallkill H.S.; Oscar
Cruz, St. Benedict's Prep; and Kevin Mendoza, OLLHS, at Glynwood Farm.
GREATER NEWBURGH PARTNERSHIP
www.greaternewburghpartnership.org
AUTUMN 2012
STOP and SMELL
FOUNDERS’ COUNCIL
Sr. Agnes Boyle, O.P.
Robert Brennan
Fr. Mark Connell
Thomas Cunningham
Patrick Donnelly
Barbara Eager
Joan Corso Ferroni
Michael Giobbe
Donato R. Giuseppi, III
Br. Lawrence Goyette, F.S.C.
Dennis Grant
Paul Guillaro
Keith Holton
Patricia Burns Inglis
Michael Judge
Gregory Kiernan
Kevin Kitson
Patricia Kitson
Brendan McCarthy
Megan McCarthy
Kevin Meenan
Kevin Mirabile
Maureen Mirabile
Robert Murphy
Colin O’Gara
Michael Sileck
Joseph R. Sperduto
Joanne Welty
Mary Whalen
Catherine Joyce Wooters
the Marshes and Rivers and Trees
Every Tuesday this academic
year, after homeroom and
assembly, our 63 boys will board
buses that take them to our
science outdoor classroom sites.
On arrival the students break
into small groups and embark
upon a full day of observation,
analysis, and actually touching
much of what is under study!
River ecology, marsh biosystems,
forestry,
ornithology
and
geology are but a few of the
topics in the science syllabus.
San Miguel Academy was
awarded a Together Green Grant 8th graders looking for specimens at Constitution Marsh
for science learning by the
National Audubon Society. The
Empirical research, and our
Duchesne Fund for Ministry also
own observation of San Miguel
offered to fund our school for
students over the years, suggest
science learning at Sprout Creek
that our boys will not only grasp
Farm in Poughkeepsie. This news
more deeply, but also retain
bolstered the vision of the faculty
concepts and curriculum content
who had been working on a
when the learning is experiential
placed-based curriculum for
and project-based. The typical
science for several months. Using
boy from Newburgh suffers from
the Common Core State
a dearth of life experience. We
Curriculum Standards, by which
believe that on-site science
8th graders with
all schools in the United States
learning will not only improve a
should measure their outcomes, Constitution Marsh San Miguel student’s retention
director, Eric Lind
our faculty sought partnerships in
and expand his vocabulary, but
the local area to create hands-on
enhance
his
overall
life
science learning experiences.
experiences.
As a result, Constitution Marsh in
Garrison, Hudson Highlands Nature
CONSTITUTION MARSH in Garrison
Museum in Cornwall, and Sprout Creek
http://www.constitutionmarsh.org/
Farm, all collaborated on a joint venture
among their educational specialists and
HUDSON HIGHLANDS NATURE MUSEUM
SMAN faculty, to create a full year of
http://www.hhnaturemuseum.org/
scientific exploration and experimentation
SPROUT CREEK FARM
that would not only meet NYS standards, but
http://www.sproutcreekfarm.org/
exceed them.
PEAKS
PROGRAM
For the third year in a row, Jamie Inglis and Rich Reisert
guided members of the graduating class on a mountain
expedition in the Adirondacks. This year Stephen Reisert
joined his dad and uncle on the trip. The Class of 2012
summited four of the high peaks during the weekend.
SUMMER
SCHOLARS
PROGRAM
SCHOLARSHIP PLACEMENTS
For six weeks each summer our students continue with
their learning through our Summer Scholars Program. This
summer’s theme was “Exploring the Hudson Valley.”
Students reported to school at 9 a.m. to hone math skills and
work on English language arts. When the boys were done
with core subjects they moved on to exploring the region in
which they live.
Newburgh is especially rich in history and so our faculty
designed a place-based syllabus that would familiarize
students with local historical sites. The boys learned that
their hometown had been a major international commerce
hub in the 19th century. During this era shipping captains
and the owners of wharves and warehouses prospered and
built impressive homes like Captain David Crawford's
house on Montgomery Street, now the headquarters of the
local Historical Society. The boys also visited sites of the
Revolutionary War such as Washington’s Headquarters, the
New Windsor Cantonment, and the Purple Heart Hall of
Honor. The boys also enjoyed several hiking trips in the
beautiful local environs, including Mount Beacon, the
Shawangunk Ridge, and the Minnewaska and Bear
Mountain State Parks. Our students refreshed with
Wednesday swims in their benefactors’ pools. Many thanks
to the Guillaro, Ferroni, Kiernan, Egan, and Giobbe families
for welcoming the boys to their backyards!
The Summer Program is essential to San Miguel’s
academic intervention strategy. The boys are able to enjoy
challenging and rewarding experiences in and out of the
classroom and avoid the proverbial “summer slide”.
SAVE
The Class of 2012 on top of Iroquois Mountain
SUMMER
This summer the boys learned a lot about the important
role the Port of Newburgh played during the
industrialization of America.
Autumn 2012
ATE
D
E
TH
Join us for our 8th Annual
Benefit Dinner at
Westchester Country Club,
Thursday, October 25th,
Honoring
Patricia and Kevin Kitson
www.http://www.newburghsanmiguel.org/
Tito Jimenez, with his mother, upon their first visit to Suffield Academy.
Tito received a glowing report for his achievements during the
highly challenging summer session.
This year a number of our boys enjoyed the summer
outside of Newburgh. Luis Jimenez attended the summer
program at Suffield Academy, while classmates Anthony
Fiscal and Christopher Lane participated in Access Cheshire
at Cheshire Academy. Dilan Herrera returned to Camp
Treetops at North Country School in Lake Placid, nearby,
Dajour Fisher enjoyed another summer at Camp Dudley.
Three of our boys benefited from scholarships to the
Wilderness Program at Sprout Creek Farm thanks to the
Religious Sisters of the Sacred Heart. The entire 7th and 8th
grades spent five days at The Canterbury School as part of
our Boarding School Week Program. We extend our deepest
gratitude to all those who made it possible for our students
to get summer relief outside of Newburgh. Special thanks to
“Coach” Larry Wooters, Catherine Wooters, and Andrew
Scharf who provided leadership and government workshops
to the boys at Canterbury.
CHESHIRE ACADEMY
http://www.cheshireacademy.org/summer
CAMP TREETOPS
http://www.nct.org/page.cfm?p=478
WILDERNESS PROGRAM
http://www.sproutcreekfarm.org/default.asp
THE CANTERBURY SCHOOL
http://www.cbury.org/
www.http://www.newburghsanmiguel.org/
Dajour Fisher with a buddy
at Camp Dudley
Najib Portillo, Class of 2014, doing his
morning chores at Sprout Creek Farm
Autumn 2012