2 - Clarkstown Central School District

SPECIAL BUDGET ISSUE
Spring 2008
A Legacy of Excellence
Clarkstown Central School District
Aligning Strategic Goals with Top Priorities:
Continuing to Improve Education While Controlling Costs
The 2008-2009 budget was developed in alignment with the strategic goals that were established by over 1,000 members of our school and finalized at the June 28, 2007 Board
of Education Meeting. The four priorities, two for students and two for the school system, address a twenty-first century focus for the Clarkstown School system’s students and staff.
In addition to budgeting for these goals, every line item of the district budget was reviewed to assure the final budget delivers the lowest possible tax rate for our residents.
CONTROLLING COSTS
A school district’s tax rate is determined
by many factors. While most of these are
beyond the control of the school district,
(i.e. the amount of state aid, the assessed
value of the property in the community,
and especially the base apportionment rate,
which is not determined until August),
the school district can and must control
its expenditures and manage its revenues
effectively to limit the tax increase.
It is a significant challenge to develop
a budget that is both fiscally conservative
and ample enough to meet the needs of
the students in the district. However,
several steps have been taken to assure a
high quality education is achieved with
the lowest possible increase:
• For the second consecutive year,
nearly every line item in the central
office budget has been held at or
below the level it was in 2005-2006.
• The
Clarkstown
Education
Foundation has released four
$1,000 scholarships for students
and ten $500 scholarships for
teachers. The development and
implementation of the Foundation is
significant in enabling improvements
to be made to the school system
without placing an additional tax
burden on homeowners.
• A retirement incentive plan has
resulted in the retirement of 18
teachers aged 56-71. While all of
these teachers are being replaced,
the existing versus the entering
salaries represents a savings of
approximately $50,000 per teacher
or nearly $1,000,000.
• Sixteen energy conservation measures
have netted substantial savings for
the district. We have received a
rebate in the amount of $196,000
and continue to save more than
$500,000 per year – more than
$2,000,000 to date.
In January 2008, The Journal News
named the Clarkstown Central School
District as one of the top eight school
systems in the Lower Hudson Region for
both high achievement and low cost. This
recognition is the result of a history of
fiscal mindedness combined with a high
priority for student academic opportunity.
The district takes great pride in its ability
to provide a measurable high-quality
education at a low cost per student. In
fact, CCSD is able to retain its status as a
high-performing district while continuing
to maintain a lower expenditure per
pupil than any other school district
in the county.
CONTINUING TO IMPROVE EDUCATION
The 2008-2009 school district budget
represents a commitment to the strategic
planning priorities established for our
school district last school year. Two of our
district's strategic goals reflect priorities
for our students and two reflect priorities
for our staff. To that end, this budget has
been organized to show the alignment of
the strategic goals with the resources
needed to accomplish them and include:
• Primary Years Programme (PYP):
The Primary Years Programme
(PYP), the elementary component of
the International Baccalaureate
Programme, at Link has been budgeted
and includes a full-time teacher to
begin the integration of Spanish as a
second language at Link Elementary
beginning in September 2008, a
requirement for the PYP designation.
• Smart Board Technology: The
district will be continuing with its
commitment to update and integrate
technology in our classrooms.
• New Full-Time Teachers: 8.9
FTEs will be added to our secondary
teaching staff.
• Special Education Allocations:
Approximately $1.2 million additional
dollars have been included in the
BOCES budget for students with special
needs. This, in large part, was driven
by students entering our school system
with existing BOCES placements and/or
students within the system requiring
adegreeofsupportcurrentlynotavailable
within our school district. Resources
have been allocated to study the needs
of autistic students. A Task Force on
autism will be established in 2008-2009.
• Professional Development: Student
success depends a great deal on the
success and ability of an effectively
trained staff. This budget retains our
ongoing commitment to employee
growth and learning.
• Today’s Students Tomorrow’s
Teachers (TSTT): A New York State
based program, TSTT allows minority
high school students with the goal of
becoming teachers to be mentored
through four years of high school and
four years of college. Students who
maintain a ‘B’ grade average in high
school can select from a number of
NYS colleges and universities and
receive a 50% tuition reduction for
the four years of college. With a ‘B’
average in college, the students are
guaranteed of receiving a teaching
position after college. Clarkstown is
beginning this program with five
students from North and five from
South in the fall 2008.
2007-2008 APPROVED OPERATING EXPENDITURES PER PUPIL FOR ROCKLAND COUNTY SCHOOLS
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SAMPLE BALLOT
VOTING DATE: May 20
VOTING HOURS: 7 am to 10 pm
_________________________________________________________________________________________
❑ YES
❑ NO
PROPOSITION NO. 1 - 2008-2009 BUDGET
RESOLVED, that the Board of Education of the Clarkstown Central School District, Rockland County, New York, be authorized to
expend an amount not to exceed $161,041,302 during the 2008-2009 school year, and to levy the tax necessary therefore.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
❑ YES
❑ NO
PROPOSITION NO. 2 - BOND PROPOSITION (TECHNOLOGY IMPROVEMENTS)
RESOLVED, (a) that the Board of Education of the Clarkstown Central School District, in the County of Rockland, New York (the
"District"), is hereby authorized to construct technology improvements, and to expend therefore an amount not to exceed
$725,000; (b) that a tax is hereby voted therefore in the amount of not to exceed $725,000 to finance such cost, such tax to be
Notice:
The complete proposed 2008– 2009
Clarkstown Central School District
Budget is available at all of the
following locations:
1: All school sites
2: The New City and West Nyack
Libraries
3: On the Internet go to
http://www.ccsd.edu then
click on the budget icon
levied and collected in installments in such years and in such amounts as shall be determined by said Board of Education; and (c)
that in anticipation of said tax, bonds of the District are hereby authorized to be issued in the principal amount of not to exceed
$725,000 and a tax is hereby voted to pay the interest on said bonds as the same shall become due and payable.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
❑ YES
❑ NO
PROPOSITION NO. 3 - BOND PROPOSITION (BUSES/VEHICLES)
RESOLVED, (a) that the Board of Education of the Clarkstown Central School District, in the County of Rockland, New York (the
"District"), is hereby authorized to acquire various school buses and vehicles for use by the District, and to expend therefore an
amount not to exceed $858,922; (b) that a tax is hereby voted therefore in the amount of not to exceed $858,922 to finance such
If you have any specific
questions concerning the
proposed budget, please feel
free to call Superintendent
Margaret Keller-Cogan (639-6418)
or Director of Business Services
Alita Zuber (639-6428) or
Director of Fiscal Management
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Stella Peterson (639-6472)
CG
cost, such tax to be levied and collected in installments in such years and in such amounts as shall be determined by said Board
of Education; and (c) that in anticipation of said tax, bonds of the District are hereby authorized to be issued in the principal
amount of not to exceed $858,922 and a tax is hereby voted to pay the interest on said bonds as the same shall become due and
payable.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Board of Education Member
Two (2) three-year terms from July 1, 2008
VOTE FOR ANY TWO
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SPRING 2008
The Clarkstown Graphic is published
for residents and friends of the
Clarkstown Central School District.
Clarkstown Central School District
62 Old Middletown Road
New City, NY 10956
(845) 639-6300
Fax (845) 639-6488
Margaret Keller-Cogan, Ed.D.
Superintendent
The Clarkstown Graphic
Editor: Elite Markowitz
Marko Promotions
[email protected]
Designer: David Margolis
Damar Communications
www.damarcom.com
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Election District #
1
2
3
4
❑ Joseph Malgieri
❑ Thomas Ninan
❑ Doug Katz
❑ Kevin Grogan
❑ Mark Davis
❑ John Davidson
Poll Locations
Senior High School North, 151 Congers Road, New City
Congers School, 9 Lake Road West, Congers
Link School, 51 Red Hill Road, New City
West Nyack School, 661 West Nyack Road, West Nyack
VOTING ELIGIBILITY
You are eligible to vote if you are:
• 18 years of age or older
• A citizen of the United States
• A resident of the district for 30 days or more
• Registered through the school district or Rockland County Board of Elections
If in doubt about your voting district, call the District Clerk at 639-6455. Absentee ballots are
available through the District Clerk’s office.
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PROPOSITION 2
TECHNOLOGY
Twelve years ago, the community
approved a substantial technology bond
that enabled the district to install a
strong infrastructure throughout the
district. In order to keep pace with the
growing presence of online communication
and digital content, there is a greater
need than ever before to ensure our
hardware can accommodate the
abundant technological resources. Two
PROPOSITION 3
TRANSPORTATION
Having found the amortization of
capital projects helpful in addressing
its own economic stresses, the State
then turned to school buses and vans.
The State stopped reimbursing school
systems the next year after the purchase
of transportation vehicles, as had
been traditional. Instead, they began
to reimburse a school system for
transportation equipment purchases
over a five-year period.
The school district is able to
respond to this latest plan by again
spreading out its expenditures so they
correlate with the receipt of State aid. Over
the life span of the bus, the district receives
Amount
$725,000
$7 per year (no aid received)
thousand and eight through two thousand
and nine will be the fifth year of the
five-year plan to upgrade our computer
equipment. Purchases planned for
2008-2009 are aligned with the district’s
Amount
$858,922.00
strategic goals and include: SMART
Boards, replacement desktop and laptop
computers, laser printers, and digital
presentation stations.
PROPOSITION 3 QUICK FACTS
Average Yearly Cost per Taxpayer
$ 6 per year
2008-2009 WRAP UP
a total of about 30% return in State aid.
With this funding support, the
school system will be able to keep its
vow to annually order a sufficient
number of new buses and vans to maintain a modern and safe transportation
fleet. Proposition 3 includes the
purchase of six new 66 –passenger
buses, two wheelchair equipped vans,
one full size wheelchair bus for the
Transportation Department, which will
enable us to transport special needs
students over long routes thereby creating
energy efficiencies. It also includes the
purchase of two passenger cars and one
van for the Facilities Department.
This budget works to assure the historic balance
between continued excellence for students and
fiscal mindedness for our residents and will enable
the district to:
PROPOSITION 2 QUICK FACTS
Average Yearly Cost per Taxpayer
Proposition 1
(BUDGET)
6.3% budget to budget
increase
Proposition 2
$7.00 PER YEAR
for average homeowner
Proposition 3
$6.00 PER YEAR
for average homeowner
How Does Clarkstown Stack Up?
Compared with other county schools, Clarkstown has:
•
A per pupil expenditure of $14,196, which is lower than any district in Rockland
Compared with other regional districts, Clarkstown has:
• Add 8.9 FTEs to our secondary teaching staff
•
• Bring the International Baccalaureate
Program's Primary Year Program to Link
Elementary as a means of piloting the
program for our elementary schools
•
A building administrator to student ratio which is among the lowest in the
Lower Hudson Region
A central office administrator to student ratio which is among
the lowest in the Lower Hudson Region
Clarkstown also has:
•
One of the highest concentrations of
teachers to students
• Form a Task Force on Autism to plan according
to student needs
• Continue to enhance professional development
for all employee groups
• Continue to offer our current special education
continuum, appropriate substantial additional
funds for BOCES special education placements,
and continue to assess the ability of our
special education services to meet changing
student needs
• Update technology to enhance student
learning
• Continue with our transportation fleet
replacement plan
• Begin to lay the foundation for improved
school district facilities
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Clarkstown Central School District’s Energy
Conservation Measures Reap Rewards
Over the course of the past four
years, the Clarkstown Central School
District has been able to already save
more than $2,000,000 as a result of 15
energy conservation measures implemented throughout the district; savings
that at today’s prices amount to yearly
savings of $328,000 in electrical costs
and $229,000 in natural gas and oil
usage. And on March 19, at the Board of
Education Meeting, an Ameresco representative awarded the district with a
rebate from the New York State Energy
Research and Development Authority
(NYSERDA) in the amount of an additional $196,000.
In 2001, understanding the increasing need to control energy costs and
conserve our natural resources, the
Clarkstown Central School District
began looking into its energy use. In
2002, the district entered into a contract
with Ameresco, a company with experience in the design and installation of
energy conservation measures, to guide
the district in assessing, developing, and
implementing a wide array of energy
conservation measures. Following a
detailed analysis, 15 energy conservation measures were determined and
implemented:
•
•
•
•
•
Lighting upgrades: District-wide
Lighting Sensors: District-wide
Energy Management: District-wide
Solar panels: South High School
Steam Trap Replacements:
North High School
• Motor Replacement: District-wide
• Cogeneration: Felix Festa
• Waste Oil Heat: Maintenance Shed
• Boiler Replacements:
Lakewood, Woodglen and Felix Festa
• HVAC Replacement:
Congers Elementary
• Exterior Door Replacement:
North High School
• Vending Machine Controls:
Secondary Schools
• Roof Replacement – Insulation:
Birchwood, Bardonia and Congers
• Kitchen Ventilation: South High School
• Gym Heating Modifications:
Little Tor and Laurel Plains
“These measures have significantly
reduced energy consumption and operating
costs,” indicated Frank Stefanelli, director
of facilities and operations. “The savings
generated from the 15 implemented
measures and building aid has more
than paid for the improvements and will
continue to provide both energy and
operating savings,” he added
Clarkstown North
Upperclassmen Help Ease
Transition for Freshmen
The transition from middle school
to high school can be one wrought with
anxiety. Students often have a variety of
concerns, yet do not always have someone who has been through the transition
to advise them. To help ease this transition, Clarkstown North has begun a new
KO (Kick-Off) Mentoring program that
pairs incoming freshmen with upperclassmen volunteer mentors.
The program, which involves the
entire freshmen class (approximately
400 students), began at the end of the
summer. After attending training
sessions, mentors met their freshmen at
the school and walked each student
through his or her schedule to alleviate
worries before the first day of school.
Additionally, the mentors made themselves available to answer any questions.
“This program was initiated after an
exhaustive search for appropriate and
helpful
orientation
programs,”
explained program initiator and assistant principal, Ms. Jane Hicks. “To be
able to develop and implement a program like this has taken the support and
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participation of approximately 100 student
mentors and twelve dedicated faculty
volunteers,” added math teacher and
program advisor and administrative
intern, Aimee McGowan.
The faculty volunteers meet regularly
with Ms. Hicks and Ms. McGowan to
discuss ideas for the KO meetings, which
are held once every month during an
extended homeroom. For the meetings,
the student mentors, selected by application and teacher recommendations, are
broken up into two groups: mentors and
council members. The council members
are lead mentors for the homeroom
groups. Used to help build confidence
and security, the students participate in
activities ranging from ice-breakers and
progress to in-depth discussions about
morals and values.
Student survey and faculty feedback
to the program has been extremely positive.
According to Ms. Hicks, “it has been an
excellent way to get the freshmen
acquainted with the school. Additionally,
the mentors are available to them as
resources throughout the year.”
Together, these projects have had
a profound effect on energy savings,
emissions reductions and reductions in
total greenhouse gases. In fact, the Total
Greenhouse Gas Reduction is 2,641
metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.
To illustrate just how significant this is,
our total greenhouse gas reduction is
equal to any one of the following measures:
NOT driving 572 passenger cars each
year, NOT driving 472 passenger cars
and light trucks year, NOT burning
300,741 gallons of gasoline each year,
NOT burning 6,141 barrels of oil each
year, NOT using 339 households' electricity each year, GROWING 67,705
seedlings each year, ADDING 2,200
acres of pine or fir forests each year.
“It is so important that we do all
we can to both control costs for our
taxpayers as well as work to protect
and preserve our environment,”
explained Superintendent Dr. Margaret
Keller-Cogan. “The results have been
significant. And there is no doubt that
the rebate we received, while unexpected,
is a beneficial revenue for the district,”
she added.
CCSD FLOURISHES WITH
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
On a National Level
• Advanced Placement Tests:
Clarkstown students took 964
Advanced Placement tests in May of
2007. Of that number, 85% scored a
level of 3 or higher, qualifying them
for college credits.
• National History Day: Clarkstown
continues to be one of the leading
school systems in the nation that
stresses primary research. Over
500,000 pupils take part in the program across the country. Clarkstown
has already qualified 47 students for
the state championship this year.
On a County Level
• National Merit Scholarship
Competition: With only 25% of the
county’s students, Clarkstown still
produced 6 out of 18, or 33% of the
county’s semi-finalists.
Additionally, Clarkstown has:
• 98% of graduates continuing on to
college
• 91.25% of graduates receiving
Regents-endorsed diplomas
• Lowest drop-out rate in the County
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Where the money
comes from
State Aid
Charges and
Miscellaneous
Interest and
Refunds
Bond Proceeds
Fund Balance
School Property
Tax Levy
Total Revenue
School
Property Tax
Levy
State Aid
$
28,500,000
$
3,570,000
Charges and
Miscellaneous
$
$
$
660,000
0
1,100,000
Interest and
Refunds
$
127,211,302
Fund Balance
$ 161,041,302
Bond Proceeds
Where the
money goes
Library Media
Operation and
Maintenance
Transportation
Special Items
Central Services
Employee Benefits
Debt Service
Regular School
Special Schools
Pupil Services
$
3,516,085
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
13,331,404
7,144,481
1,965,818
2,897,583
28,492,268
5,890,943
63,482,632
25,025,659
9,294,429
Total Expenses
$ 161,041,302
Pupil Services
Library Media
Operation and
Maintenance
Transportation
Special Schools
Special Items
Central Services
Regular School
Employee
Benefits
Special Items include Insurance, BOCES
Rental and Administration, CANDLE, and
other Miscellaneous Items.
Debt Service
Clarkstown Central School District Budget Components
All school districts must show subtotals
of the budget in three components, each
defined by the state: Program, Capital, and
Administrative.
Budget Adopted
2007-2008
Budget Proposed
2008-2009
Contingency Budget
2008-2009
Program
$ 116,471,280
$ 123,198,027
$ 121,898,022
Capital
$ 19,732,927
$
21,775,851
$ 21,349,740
Administrative
$ 15,288,183
$
16,067,424
$ 15,801,866
TOTAL
$ 151,492,390
$ 161,041,302
$ 159,049,628
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Clarkstown Central School District Awards
and Accomplishments 2007-2008
Year after year, CCSD students and faculty continue to strive for and achieve tremendous levels of success in all of their
endeavors. We applaud the efforts and achievements of all of those who insist on no less than their personal best!
EXCELLENCE ACROSS THE BOARD
CCSD students have progressed to the
state level of the New York State PTA
competition in the Reflections Program:
North High School: Andrew Sherlock –
Photography, David Cifuni – Photography,
Ilana Teplitsky - Visual Arts; Link: Meaghan
Treanor – Literature; Laurel Plains: Cara
Kupferman – Literature; Little Tor: Gina
Carbone - Dance and Photography; West
Nyack: Kevin Klassen - Photography.
Members of the South High School
faculty were recognized recently for
various accomplishments. Six teachers
won Impact II grants from the
Westchester-Rockland BOCES consortium of schools. These monetary awards
will benefit the further development and
adoption of learning activities. The
following were the award winners: Ms.
Meagan Bechard, Ms. Mary Creagh,
Ms. Stephanie Ludwig, Mr. Michael
Ludwig, Mr. Bruce Nickels, Ms.
Paula Kavanagh, Dr. Mary Ann
Gavioli, Ms. Suzanne Pritts – Math;
Mr. Douglas Pritts - Business
Education; Mr. Ted Mascola and Ms.
Vicki Windman - Special Education.
The South High School Academic
League team won 1st Place in Rockland
County in the 32nd Annual Academic
League Tournament held at Suffern High
School. Seniors Andre Kuney, Joe
Nangle, Ari Filip, Jessica Seminelli,
Aliyana Gewirtzman and juniors
Michele Pratusevich and Emil
Gulyev led the way to the 1st Place finish.
Thirteen South students were selected
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as inaugural members of the Clarkstown
South Marketing and Business Honor
Society through the coordination of their
advisor, Dan Greaven: Alex Denner,
Nicholas Ferrara, Peter Hanos,
Kayla Inunj, Melanie Kartzmer,
Anthony Licandro, Alyssa Martir,
Erin McCorry, Adam Parkes, Jake
Tenenbaum, Lauren Tobias, Elyse
Van Pelt, and Margaret Walker.
North 12th grader, John-Paul
Ilarraza, a dedicated Aspirante member
for four years, was selected to participate in the 2008 Angelo Del Toro Puerto
Rican & Hispanic Youth Leadership
Institute at Fordham University.
Strawtown Elementary School was
named a 2007 National No Child Left
Behind Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.
MATH & SCIENCE
North’s Science Olympiad team
competed in 16 events against teams
from Rockland County and lower
Westchester. North’s team placed 8th
overall out of the 30 teams that competed
and won medals in four events. Justin
Thekkekara and Andrew Israel won
2nd place for Circuit Lab and also 3rd
place for Physics Lab. Marie Valente
and Sminu Bose won 2nd place for
Disease Detective. Matt Reisman and
Steven Vayalumkal earned 5th place
for their knowledge of Herpetology.
Lomb Award, which recognizes excellence
in rigorous science courses taken up to
and including junior year; Shelun Tsai
received the Rensselaer Medal, an
award which is given to promising
juniors who have distinguished
themselves in math and science; Sminu
Bose received the George Washington
University Medal which is awarded to
juniors who are outstanding in math
and science; and Gina Bull received
the Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Science
Education Award, an award which is
presented along with $500 to a graduating
senior with the highest numerical
average in science over four years.
The Felix Fest Middle School team
dominated the 14th annual Rockland
County Mathcounts contest. FFMS teams
won the top two places and their
students claimed the top four awards:
First Place Team – Christine Chou,
Max Gendler, Shad Hepner, Ethan
Santore; Second Place Team – Chris
Haam, Andrew Kim, Yeon Lee, John
Tholany; Individual Winners: First
Place: Shad Hepner; Second Place:
Christine Chou; Third Place: Andrew
Kim; Fourth Place: Max Gendler. The
members of the 1st and 2nd place
county teams represented Rockland
County at the State competition in Troy,
NY. In addition to the first and second
place county teams Haoran Shi and John
Stabile participated as alternates.
SOCIAL STUDIES
Four North students were the
recipients of awards for excellence in
science and/or mathematics: Daniel
Markowitz received the Bausch and
47 Clarkstown students have advanced
to the New York State National History Day
Championship in Cooperstown as a
result of their performances at the
regional New York State History Day festival:
• Junior Level – FFMS: First place in
Junior Individual Documentary,
Danielle Gregory; Second place in
Junior Individual Documentary,
Rebecca Porath; First place in Junior
Group Documentary, Alex Sadler,
Michael Quirk, Pranil Vora; First
Place in Junior Individual Exhibit,
George Mundanchira; Third place in
Junior Individual Exhibit, Tal
Axelrod; Second Place in Junior
Group Exhibit, Rebecca Loring,
Victoria Lopez, First place in Junior
Performance,
Max
Individual
Gendler; Second place in Junior
Individual Performance, Lauren
Altman; First place in Junior Group
Performance, Josh Berg, Rachel
Weber; Second Place in Junior Group
Performance,
Riddhi
Patel,
Jacqueline Yi, Merin Panthapattei;
Third Place in Junior Group
Performance, Lindsay Evans, Caitlin
Wolpen, Ashley Shin, Marnie
Pimentel; First place in Junior
Research paper, Dhruv Ragunathen;
First place in Junior Website, Robert
Duggan; Second place in Junior
Website, Katelyn Reicher.
• Senior Level: First place in Senior
Individual
Exhibit,
Valerie
Champeauv (NHS); Third place in
Senior Individual Exhibit, Tara
Sheikh (SHS); First place in Senior
Group Exhibit, Bincy Ouseph (SHS),
Nicole Safran (SHS), and Helene
Beauchemin (SHS); Second Place in
Senior Group Exhibit, Ali Cutler
(SHS), Sondra Lipshutz (SHS), and
Anu Lingala (SHS); Third Place in
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Senior Group Exhibit, Ross
Weissman (NHS), Justin Mathew
(SHS); First place in Senior Individual
Documentary, Ari Rudess (SHS);
Second place in Senior Individual
Documentary, Paul Philip Sieradzki
(NHS); Second place in Senior Group
Performance; Veronica Harris
(SHS), Jake Tenenbaum (SHS),
Laurel Ames (SHS), Katrina Casino
(SHS), and Shireen Shakouri
(SHS);Third place in Senior Group
Performance, Rachel Refkin (NHS)
and Allegra Kuney (SHS); First place
in Senior Individual Performance,
Olga Zubashko (SHS); Second place
in Senior Individual Performance,
Ko-eun Choi (SHS); Third place in
Senior Individual Performance, Jason
Kaplan (SHS); First place in Senior
Research Paper, Oliver Friedfeld
(SHS); First place in Senior Individual
Website, Mallory Merryman (SHS).
North’s Model Congress Team was
awarded best delegation at Yale Model
Congress. Other Yale Model Congress
awards and their recipients included:
Best Speaker in Committee - Gavel Award:
Daniel Garcia, Seth Rosenstein, and
Josh Sallen; Honorable Mention Award
in Committee: Bryan Babat, Martin
Bergman, Brandon Einstein, Alexis
Kantor, Emma Leavy, and Ryan
Moroni; Outstanding Delegation Award:
Clarkstown High School North: Rachel
Axelrod, Bryan Babat, Michael
Barnett, Martin Bergman, Brian
Clifford, Thomas Coyle, Brandon
Einstein, Jessy Feinberg, John
Ferro, Dan Garcia, Jacob Halle,
Olivia Kamenetsky, Alexis Kantor,
Emma Leavy, Ryan Moroni, Seth
Rosenstein, Josh Sallen, Drew
Sherlock, Ally Silver, Molly
Spellman, Amanda Wayne, Samantha
Wolff, Sam Yanowitz.
North’s Model United Nations Club
was awarded Outstanding Medium
Delegation at the Rutgers Model United
Nations. Other awards and their recipients included: Distinguished Delegate:
Valerie Champeau and Sam Ritholtz
(Special Political and Decolonization),
Brittany Coard and Mark Haber
(Food and Agriculture Organization);
Outstanding Delegate: Kerri Buschbacher
(Security Council), Danielle Colaprico
and Tom Delay (Commission on the
Status of Women); Best Delegate: Drew
Leavy
Sherlock and Emma
(International Labor Organization)
ATHLETICS
Mr. Darren Hawks, coach of
North’s Girls’ Soccer Team was named the
Varsity Girls’ Soccer Coach of the Year.
North soccer players, Dana DeJesus,
Abby Lieberman, Ilyse Schwartz, and
Samantha Stein received All-League Honors.
North swimmer, Lucy Fan, received
All-League and All-County Honors.
The following North football players
received honors: Gregory Schuster
(All-League, All-County, Rockland County
Player of the Year, and League AA West
Back of the Year), John T. Rinciari
(All-League and All-County), Eric Sterns
(All-League), and Carmine Cavaliere
(All-League).
North wrestlers, Andrew Greenberg
and Steven Ramos made 1st team AllCounty and Joe Paolini, Chris Greeley
and Shiwoo Lee made 2nd team. Steven
Ramos and Andrew Greenberg were
selected for All-Section and the state qualifier was Steven Ramos.
At the end of each sport season, the
New York State Public High School Athletic
Association (NYSPHSAA) honors those
varsity teams that excel in the classroom. A
predetermined minimum number of team
members must have an average of 90 or
better to qualify for the award. The following South teams maintained a high enough
average to receive this Scholar Team
award: Boys' Bowling (average of 91.693),
Boys’ Fencing (average of 92.791), Girls’
Fencing (average of 95.793), Girls’ Skiing
(average of 91.263), Boys’ Skiing (average
of 91.684), Boys’ Indoor Track (average of
91.859), and Girls’ Indoor Track (average
of 94.757).
South’s Mary Dutkoski was the
national champion in the One Mile Walk
Race.
South’s Antoine McGill was invited
to participate in the New York vs. New
Jersey High School All Star Football
Game at Rutgers University in June 2008.
South student, Dylan Sanzo, was
named the 125 pound Rockland County
Wrestling Champion and Journal News
Scholar Athlete of the Week.
MUSIC AND ART
Several North High School art
students received Exemplary Awards in
the 2008 NYS Youth Media Arts Show
and had their work displayed at
Westchester Community College on
Tuesday, March 18, 2008: Lucy Bull,
Nora Gorman, Jennifer Kadenkavil,
Kerry Buschbacher, Molly Jankun,
Alexandra Thiel, Ying Lucy Fan,
Devra Alper, Maxine Silverman,
Jessica Feuerstein, Ron Geffen, Lila
Rego, David Cifuni.
From November 29 through
December 2, three Clarkstown musicians, North’s Keryn Kleiman (Violin,
String Orchestra) and South’s Andre
Kuney (Voice, Vocal Jazz Ensemble,
Voice, Mixed Chorus), and Christian
Luce (Trumpet, Wind Ensemble)
performed at the 2007 New York State
All State Music Festival (NYSSMA) in
Rochester, NY. They performed with the
top musicians from area high schools.
Additionally, four students from South
were accepted as alternates: Cassandra
Guevara (Voice), Richard Jones
(Voice), Andre Kuney (Jazz piano),
and Matthew Negrin (Snare drum).
SCHOLARSHIPS
Six Clarkstown students have been
selected as National Merit Finalists. The
National Merit Finalists from Clarkstown
North are: Abbie L. Dinowitz and
Matthew Reisman. The National Merit
Semifinalists from Clarkstown South are:
Marissa Elkind, Andre Kuney,
Shweta Megati, and Jessica Seminelli.
South student, Megati Sheweta,
has been selected to receive a corporate
sponsored National Merit Scholarship.
LANGUAGE ARTS
Lauren Larkin, a first grader at
Bardonia, won first place in the first
grade competition and Ajay Menon, a
third grader from New City Elementary
won second place in the third grade
competition at the Annual Lower
Hudson Area Spelling Bee held at FFMS.
North’s Foreign Exchange Magazine,
under the guidance of faculty advisor, Mrs.
Maria Nicholson, won the first place
award in the American Scholastic Press
Association’s annual magazine competition.
The Ram’s Horn, North’s student
newspaper, received an International
Second Place Award-Substantial Achievement in the 2007 Quill and Scroll Awards.
Michael Brown and Lisa Knight,
juniors at South High School, were
recognized as award winners in the
Lower Hudson Valley Chapter of the New
York Civil Liberties Union First Freedom
Free Speech essay contest
7
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CCSD School Calendar 2008-2009
September
School Closed - Labor Day
1
2
Superintendent's Conference Day
3
Superintendent's Conference Day
4
School Opens
School Closed - Rosh Hashanah
30
February
Superintendent's Conference Day
6
16-20 School Closed – February Break
March
20
Superintendent's Conference Day
October
School Closed - Rosh Hashanah
1
9
School Closed – Yom Kippur
13
School Closed – Columbus Day
April
9-17
School Closed –Spring Break
May
25
School Closed - Memorial Day
June
26
Last Day of School
CCSD School Calendar
2008-2009 .................................................8
Spring 2008
CG
CCSD Awards and
Accomplishments ...................................6-7
Dr. Margaret Keller-Cogan, Superintendent of Schools
Dr. Deborah O’Connell, Associate Superintendent of Personnel,
K-12 Curriculum and Instruction
Dr. Deborah Leh, Assistant Superintendent for Student Learning, K-12
Ms. Laura Lavine, Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Services
Clarkstown North Upperclassmen
Help Ease Transition for Freshmen ............4
Vice-President: Mrs. Diane Hoeneveld
larkstown
raphic
larkstown
raphic
CCSD’s Energy Conservation
Measures Reap Rewards ...........................4
President: Dr. John Davidson
How Does Clarkstown Stack Up?...............3
Board of Education
Proposition 3 .............................................3
Clarkstown Central School District
62 Old Middletown Road, New City, NY 10956
A Legacy of Excellence
Sample Ballot .............................................2
Mrs. Lorette Adams
Mr. Lawrence Garvey
Dr. Lisa Lieberman
Mr. Dominick Riolo
Mrs. Rhea Vogel
Aligning Strategic Goals with
Top Priorities..............................................1
Proposition 2 .............................................3
✓
RESIDENTIAL
CUSTOMER
Monsey, NY 10952
PAID
IN THIS ISSUE
Permit No. 56111
Non-Profit Org.
January
1-2
School Closed - Winter Recess
5
School Opens
19
School Closed - Martin Luther King Birthday
U.S. POSTAGE
2008-2009
BUDGET VOTE
May 20th
7 am - 10 pm
December
24-31 School Closed - Winter Recess
Board of Education Members
November
4
Superintendent's Conference Day
School Closed - Veteran's Day
11
27-28 School Closed - Thanksgiving