June 2008 District Newsletter

The
News
from
Fine Arts Academy striking a harmonious chord with students
The new Monticello High School
Fine Arts Academy (FAA) is off
to a solid start as its inaugural
year takes flight. Students who
once could only dream of having
a career in the arts are now
realizing that they truly do have a
chance to pursue what they love.
Realizing new options while exploring potential
Though not all the students in Laurie Kilgore’s Studio in Art class will continue their studies
as part of the FAA, the general consensus was that by taking the class, students have learned
more about their creative talents and truly enjoyed the experience. Here students proudly
display their Elements of Design two-dimensional mixed media texture project about animals.
They are learning that there are
many more jobs in the arts than they
ever realized. They are also being
shown that if their interests do not
lie in the performance or visual art
areas, there are alternative careers in
business, promotion or production that
will still allow them to be involved in
the arts and earn a decent wage.
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PAGE
Letter from the Superintendent about
the accomplishments and continuing
efforts to improve our schools
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Inaugural Wellness Fair and Earth Day
celebration partners with the Monti
Games to educate about health
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Upgrading safety in our schools
PTO shows teachers appreciation
Always a smile at Rutherford
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BOE members lobby in Washington D.C.
Chase student helps the community
Senior citizen party more than just fun
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ClubRec program for elementary kids
Boys & Girls Club expands offerings
RJK student honored as leader
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WHAT’S INSIDE
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The new Project Dream Tank program
is having great success as it opens its
doors to at-risk youths
Teaching the teachers
Eye on Professional Development
Chase Elementary School teachers were visited by wellness guru Diosdado Santiago
(pictured left) from the HTM Fitness Studio in Monticello. Santiago engaged the teachers
in an early morning discussion as to how student behavior can be directly affected
by what they are eating. He also demonstrated a 30 second breathing and stretching
technique for teachers to perform with their classes. This is aimed at stimulating students
through proper oxygen intake to be more alert and receptive to class activity. Fifth-grade
teacher Marilyn Loundsbury (pictured center) really enjoyed the exercise and praised it
as an innovative method to make her feel more invigorated early in the morning.
JUNE 2008 1
C E N T R A L
S C H O O L
D I S T R I C T
Letter from the Superintendent: Thank you
Dear Community Members,
It has been a great school year. The Monticello
Central School District is on the move and
improving on all fronts. We are very pleased and
proud of the progress our children are making
and the dedication of our teachers, staff and
administrators. We could not have made the strides
we have thus far, without the active involvement of
our parents and our community. We want to thank
all those who supported our budget and those who
have supported the growth of our programs.
education needed in order to obtain a job and support
a family is equivalent to a two-year college degree. This
does not mean that all of our children must go to college.
Training in the automotive, construction and green
technology industries and many other traditional blue
collar careers are an equivalent to a college education.
It is a grave mistake if we fail to recognize that to be
successful in the world today, our children must have the
skills required for college level coursework, whether they
plan to attend college or not.
We will be starting a new school year officially on
July 1, 2008, and it is important to understand our
goals and why we are continuing to make changes.
Our children must compete in a world that is very
different from the world in which we grew up. We
are preparing our students for employment that
requires much higher levels of education than
ever before. In a recent statement from the U.S.
Labor Department, it was noted that the level of
To that end, we began a restructuring process
throughout the school district that will prepare our
children for the global marketplace. Some of the
changes we have made are paying dividends already.
Our elementary schools have made significant strides
in English Language Arts (ELA) and math and it is our
expectations that the Rutherford Elementary School will
be removed from the state list for poor ELA grades. We
are also anticipating that our high school will be removed
from the state list for math. That leaves only our middle
school, which is on a state list for ELA. We are hopeful
that this year they will make Adequate Yearly Progress
(AYP) and if they continue to improve, by next year they
will be off the state list, as well.
Superintendent honored as Peace Maker
At the silver anniversary celebration of the Dispute Resolution
Center, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Patrick Michel was
honored as the Sullivan County Peace Maker of the Year. He
was chosen based on his contributions to the community both
through his role as superintendent and his general community
involvement which included helping implement a peer mediation
program at the RJK Middle School. Monticello High School
Principal Arleene Siegel, Assistant Superintendent for Business
and Support Services Gladys Baxter, Dr. Michel and his wife,
Salvina, enjoyed brunch at the Hotel Thayer awards reception.
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JUNE 2008
We feel strongly that meeting state benchmarks is
not good enough. We needed to put adequate time into
making our schools safe and removing them from the
state lists. Now that we have achieved most of these
goals, our job is to further this change process. We will
be looking to expand the International Baccalaureate
program at the elementary level. We will continue our
expansion of the Enriched and Accelerated program
at the middle school and we will begin looping in
September. At the high school, we are redesigning
options for students during their senior year through our
Smaller Learning Communities program. All these efforts
combined will result in further academic achievement
for our children.
As always, please contact me if you would like to
discuss your concerns or talk about education in general.
Sincerely,
Dr. Patrick Michel
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Fine arts exposure = creative problem solving skills
High school sophomore Joe Davis
sings, dances, and plays piano, but
his real interest is entertainment law.
According to Joe, who seems to have
a strong entrepreneurial spirit, he is
looking forward to being one of the
movers and shakers behind the scenes,
of course, making the big bucks!
Gaining knowledge to make dreams real
But for many of the FAA students,
their grandest dreams will bring them
to the stages of Broadway and Carnegie
Hall or to the galleries of Soho and
Greenwich Village.
Even though the high school
has always had a strong visual
arts program, the creation
of the academy structure
is giving teachers a chance
to fine tune the curriculum
to make their classes more
current and relevant. The new
program is setting its sights
on preparing students with
enough skills to get a job right
out of high school and giving
the students who want to
continue on to art school more
comprehensive portfolios.
More classes, more choices
Kelly Pfeister and Amanda Mckeighan are both
enrolled in the new Fine Arts Academy. Kelly
enjoys music and photography while Amanda
loves to sing and play keyboards. Both girls would
love a career in professional theatre and they hope
to one day perform on the Broadway stage.
Monticello’s music
department is already touted
for its excellence as one of
the top 100 in the nation.
Nevertheless, Director of
Music Dr. Kevin Dirth still
sees room for expansion
and change. Part of his
short term plan to prepare
students for the demanding
music classes given in the
FAA, is to implement an
accelerated program at the
middle school level.
With the creation of the Fine
Art Academy, came new classes
in theatre and dance, making
Monticello one of the few districts,
regionally, offering such courses.
Monticello High School music teacher Ann
Trombley, right, has been working to help
formalize the Fine Arts Academy with the new
dance teacher, Kelly Keesler. Keesler, who also
teaches physics, began offering dance classes this
past year with ballet, modern and Hip Hop on
the beginner level. She plans to add intermediate
and advanced classes in the near future.
A variety of local professionals work with FAA
students to help them learn how to create, design
and promote a full scale theatrical production.
This year, some of the students’ mentors included,
from left, Bill James from WSUL and WVOS
radio stations; Norman Duttweiler from the
Forestburgh Playhouse and Meghan Stalter and
Katie Lemery from the Bethel Woods Arts Center.
One chance that students get to be involved in a huge professional-style performance
is the annual Nutcracker Festival that allows Monticello High School to partner with
Tri-Valley and Liberty High Schools. During this event, which is organized by Tri-Valley’s
Director of Music Lori Orestano-James, FAA students collaborate in an “interdisciplinary,
arts-based learning project.” This year, after their many long hours of practice, students
got a real life lesson, when unfortunately, the public performance of the show was
canceled due to inclement winter weather.
For Denny Diaz and Julia Valencia it’s all about the
visual arts. The girls are looking forward to next
year, when they’ll get to draw and paint more in
class – the two things they love most about art!
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C E N T R A L
S C H O O L
D I S T R I C T
Wellness Fair celebrates Earth and Health
This year, in conjunction with the annual Monti Games,
the Monticello School District hosted a Wellness Fair and
Earth Day celebration in the high school cafeteria.
This inaugural event was
co-sponsored by the district’s
Wellness Committee, the
Robert J. Kaiser Middle School
Panther Pride team and the
RJK Environmental Club. The
club’s advisor, 8th grade science
teacher Lauri McBride, hosted
a table with her students
to provide attendees with a
variety of information about
living greener, recycling and
eating locally. Students gave a
demonstration on how to make
beads out of recycled paper and
distributed free locally grown
apples that they personally
peeled and cored.
RJK Middle School teachers
volunteered their time to sell
“recycled” items that were too
good to throw away. The district’s
Food Service Director Kathy
Kelley and head cook Debbie
Muller were available to answer
questions about the school’s
menus. They also provided
attendees with free healthy
snacks. A table manned by the
RJK Builder’s Club advisor and
technology teacher William Oefelein
worked side by side with 6th grader
Jesse Conklin, to sell tomato and
spider plants. All the money raised
was donated to a local family in need.
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JUNE 2008
school district nurses was filled
with dozens of pamphlets and
brochures about childhood obesity,
smoking cessation, sun safety,
cholesterol and stress reduction.
Getting the community involved
Other vendors included the
Prasad Children’s Dental Health
Program, which dispatches a
mobile dental clinic to all Sullivan
County Schools to provide dental
health education and services;
Sullivan County BOCES nursing
program; Center for Independent
Living; Sullivan County Public
Health Services; Hospice of
Sullivan and Orange Counties; the
YMCA; and the Health Training
Methods (HTM) Fitness Studio of
Monticello.
Students from RJK’s Builder’s
Club sold tomato and spider
plants, while Monticello High
School Key Club students provided
face painting. Both groups were
raising money to donate to a local
family whose house had recently
been damaged in a fire.
RJK Principal Deborah Wood and district Wellness
Committee co-chair Assistant Superintendent
Gladys Baxter watched as RJK Environmental Club
members Helen Sywalski, and Laurie Schoonmaker
demonstrated how to peel and core an apple.
From left, RJK Panther Pride team co-chair John Langseder,
SCBOCES teacher Gloria Cahalan, RJK 6th grader Jessica
Muntz, and RJK Middle School art teachers Tricia Cahalan
and Elizabeth Bassett volunteered their time at the event.
Monticello High School Key Club advisor Jackie Herrmann, center, helped students raise money for a
local family by providing face painting for attendees. Student volunteers included, from left, Jessica
Concors, Shannon Thomas, Mitchell Waichman, Jennyfer Franca and Huiwon Lee (not pictured).
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Monticello Schools: Upgrading Safety
Welcome to Rutherford
With shootings and other violent episodes escalating in schools around
the country, Monticello School District officials are scrutinizing every aspect
of their school safety policy in an effort to create a bigger and better plan.
In compliance with new state and federal school safety mandates and to
meet the higher expectations of parents, Monticello is making strides in
tackling many tough safety issues. The District Safety Team, comprised of
district and school officials, law enforcement personnel, parent volunteers,
teachers, students, community members and the Sullivan County BOCES
Health & Safety Coordinator, meets four times a year to evaluate all aspects
of school life that relate to safety. Discussions include the schools’ emergency
response plans, playground safety, air and water quality issues, surveillance
cameras, ID badges, hall monitors, parking lot improvements, vandalism,
graffiti, fire drills, evacuation plans, hazmat training and emergency planning
for a health epidemic.
Safety Committee Chairwoman, Assistant Superintendent for Student
Learning Ms. Kathleen Pagano-Fuller helped NY State Education Department
inspectors do a rigorous safety audit earlier this year. In the final reports filed
with the district, there were only a few recommendations for improvement.
According to officials, the main points that still need to be addressed have to
do with the advanced technology that gives today’s youth access to different
avenues of expression and exploration, specifically, the internet. With web
sites like Facebook and MySpace, cyber bullying is becoming almost more
common than hand to hand combat. That’s part of the reason why the district
plans to expand its Code of Conduct for students to address issues that
pertain to technology. Part of the solution has been to block access from school
computers to the known web sites where problems can occur. In addition, each
school is now enforcing an awareness campaign that includes a strict policy of
supervising students at all times when they are using computers.
Rutherford Elementary School receptionist/
secretary Helen Reno, left, is the first face
visitors see when they enter the school. She
has worked for the district since 1984 and still
loves to come to work everyday! Some people
may have noticed the beautiful artwork that
now adorns the walls of the school’s entrance.
The fine wood-burning designs depicting the
school building, the Rutherford Cheer and the
district’s panther mascot are all the creations of
Rutherford teacher assistant Sharone Armstead.
District wellness initiative taking flight Showing appreciation
To help fight the rising rates of childhood
obesity, Monticello School officials are targeting
elementary school students by increasing their
daily physical activity. As part of the plan at
the Cooke Elementary School, youngsters are
given a recess period for about 20 minutes a
day, directly after their lunchtime, which gives
them the opportunity to run around and play.
As part of Monticello’s new wellness initiative,
district officials had a food service program audit
performed earlier this year in order to evaluate
the effectiveness of the service. After analysis
of the results, some of the changes for next year
include new menu options for lunch, supplying
the nutritional breakdown of meals and an
improved program to cut down on wasted food
and food waste.
As part of the week-long celebration of Teacher
Appreciation, the Chase Elementary School
PTO provided its teachers with a complimentary
bagel and cream cheese breakfast and an Italian
buffet lunch. Chase literacy coach Ann Kurthy
was thrilled by the generous gesture. “It’s not
often we [teachers] get thanked,” said Kurthy.
“It’s really nice to be appreciated!”
JUNE 2008
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C E N T R A L
BOE members lobby for Monticello
Board of Education
members, Liza Glick
and Richard Feller,
recently traveled
to Washington,
D.C. to represent
the Monticello
School District at
the Annual Federal
Relations Network
Conference (FRN).
The FRN helps school
board members gain
knowledge about how
federal issues impact
local schools. The conference specifically focused on
areas of legislation and funding and how board members
can effectively lobby their legislators on behalf of their
school districts.
This year, organizers spotlighted the No Child Left
Behind Act (NCLB) and federal legislation regulating
individuals with disabilities (IDEA) both of which impose
strict rules schools must follow. However, the federal
government is not supplying adequate funding to fully
support these mandates. During their trip, Liza and
Richard met with district representatives from Congress
and the Senate to make a plea for more money for
Monticello Schools.
Lobbying efforts did not stop there. Upon their return,
the duo, along with district administrators and other
BOE members, met with officials in Albany to push for
more aid from New York State.
S C H O O L
D I S T R I C T
Serving seniors is rewarding endeavor
At last month’s Senior Citizen Prom, some Monticello High
School and RJK Middle School students learned that no matter
what your age, you can still have fun.
The young volunteers were part of a concerted effort between the schools, the Sullivan County Boys & Girls Club and
Monticello’s Communities That Care to sponsor a dance for
local senior citizens that would allow for various age groups to
plan, attend and enjoy the social event.
As organizers had hoped, the Mardi Gras style evening did
indeed break down some of the barriers and misconceptions
between the generations. While the youths served dinner, they
socialized with the senior citizens and watched while they
had a splendid time listening to music and dancing the night
away. For the senior citizens, they learned indubitably that the
younger generation has some really great kids!
AOF students connect with community supporters
Young philanthropist helping others
Chase Elementary School fourth-grader Maggie
McDermott donated 10 backpack “Kid Kits” to the
Wurtsboro Fire Department to give to children who
are involved in a house fire or auto accident. Each
backpack contained donated, age-appropriate books,
stuffed toys, blankets and music players.
Chase Elementary School Principal Susan Gottlieb
helped Maggie implement her idea by allowing her
to send home a flyer explaining her project. Parents,
teachers and students supported the benevolent
youngster’s plan and donated mounds of items to fill
the backpacks.
Maggie got the idea for this project when her
mother, Linda, explained to her about the difficulties
some kids deal with during a tragic event. Wurtsboro
firefighters were happy to receive the donation and
plan to distribute the backpacks as necessary.
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JUNE 2008
From left, Academy of Finance Director Wendy Levinson with six of her
27 AOF seniors: Darren Fraser, Jessica Simpson, Sarah Pimienta, Charles
Marinaro, Victoria Dunlap and Sergio Guillermo. Also pictured are Atlantic
Records President Julie Greenwald and AOF Advisory Board Chairperson
Joyce Salimeno of the Gersten-Hillman Insurance Agency.
At the recent Monticello High School Academy of Finance (AOF)
Community Reception, the suit-clad AOF students conducted
themselves with such professional confidence it was difficult to
differentiate between them and the community businesspeople.
That brought a smile to the face of Academy Director Wendy
Levinson, who tirelessly strives to get her AOF members ready
for the real world.
This annual event is a way for students to mingle with the
businesspeople, teachers and parents who support the AOF
program and to personally thank them for their commitment.
With the crowd at Mr. Willy’s Restaurant bustling with close to
100 attendees, and with words of business wisdom shared by
Keynote Speaker Julie Greenwald, the young Academy
members seemed poised to take on the world.
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ClubRec providing diverse activities for Monti youngsters
The ClubRec after-school program has really blossomed since its introduction to elementary school
students in the Monticello District three years ago.
The federally funded, Children & Family Services
approved program is run till 6 p.m. Monday-Friday at
each of our four elementary schools. Their activities
include homework help, sports & games, arts &
literature, life games, character education and music.
One of the student favorites is the Culture Club, which
explores what it is like to be a child in other cultures
throughout the world, including sampling homemade
foods from those cultures.
Program director John Muollo and assistant director
Dawn Van Doran oversee Monticello’s ClubRec and
are always looking to add new fun and learning to
their program.
“We welcome any community organization or parent
who would like to come and give a demonstration or
presentation to the kids,” said Muollo. Presently, one
parent gives a workshop on snakes, complete with
his live boa constrictor. Other annual presentations
are given by the local police and fire departments, a
veterinarian and an animal educator.
For the 2008-09 school year, ClubRec officials hope
to offer an early morning program beginning at 7 a.m.
They also offer a summer program that coincides
with the district’s summer school which runs July 14
through August 8. ClubRec is a subsidiary of Footings,
Inc., a not-for-profit corporation in Monroe, NY and
is open to all school children grades preK through 5
registered in the Monticello School District.
To volunteer as a presenter, or for more
information about the program, its costs or
registration requirements, please contact
ClubRec at 794-8830, ext. 6 or 783-7505.
Boys & Girls Club offering more options
Student honored as a leader
RJK Middle
School student
Shane Jackson
(pictured with
Athletic Director
Doug Murphy)
was invited to
participate in
the 2008
National Young
Leaders State
Conference
(NYLSC). Shane
was nominated
by his physical education
teacher Karen
Atack for being
an outstanding individual who has achieved academic excellence and
displays strong leadership qualities.
The NYLSC has an intense four-day curriculum that
focuses on teaching leadership skills such as conflict
resolution, communication, decision making, goal
setting, group dynamics, self-awareness and project
management. The conference is way for the Congressional
Youth Leadership Council (CYLC) (which is the sponsoring
agency) to inspire selected individuals to recognize
and achieve their full leadership potential.
The newly appointed Sullivan County Unit Director of
the Boys & Girls Club, Nora Drummond (pictured left) has
many creative ideas for the program’s expansion. If all
goes well, she will “take the Club in a new direction and
make it more of a full service teen center.”
Some of her plans include extending the hours of
operation, adding teen dances, installing a full-blown
computer lab and adding Saturday hours. With some
construction projects coming to completion in the Club’s
St. John Street location, extra space will soon be available
for new programs. Presently, the Club runs from 2-6 p.m.
Monday-Friday and offers activities such as homework
help, health & life skills, sports, fitness & recreation,
character & leadership development, education & career
development and arts & music. Open Gym is offered on
Wednesday and Friday nights beginning at 6:30 p.m.
For more information or to register, call 794-3080.
JUNE 2008
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JUNE 2008
The News from Monticello Central School District
“Dreaming” of a better life brings new possibilities
When Project Dream Tank
began in the fall of 2007, Judge
Josephine Finn never expected
it would take on a life of its own.
The grant-funded program began as a way to help keep highrisk Sullivan County youth out
of the criminal justice system.
“So far we’ve had great success,” explained
Judge Finn. “We’ll take this as far as it can go. My
dreams for these kids have no limit.”
This unique program utilizes the
artistic interests of our youth to
teach them important life lessons
and help them get organized,
focused and on a righteous path
to staying out of trouble.
With programs in music, art,
dance, life skills and etiquette, the
young students are actually excited
about attending their Saturday
morning classes. So much so, Judge
Finn had to extend the program
from six weeks to 10 weeks. And
that’s just the beginning. With
funding from the Dream Tank’s
community partners increasing,
organizers plan to add more
activities and perhaps even field
trips to its curriculum.
From left, Monticello High School students Melissa Bickham, Dwight Boothe and
Matthew Sze all have graduated from the Project Dream Tank. Bickham, who is a
senior, really enjoyed the Dream Tank classes and plans to continue with the program
as a mentor. Boothe, who is a rap artist, said he learned a lot about the music business
from his Dream Tank teachers. For Sze, who is a graffiti artist, the Dream Tank program
got him to focus his talents in a positive direction and gave him the skills he needed
to launch his own graffiti design business. Also pictured are Dream Tank creator Judge
Josephine Finn, right, and Monticello High School Principal Arleene Siegel.
The Dream Tank meets on Saturday mornings from
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Recovery Center in Monticello and
is open to all area youths ages 13-24. For more information
or to register, contact Sonia Caycho at 791-5600 or Arleene
Siegel at 794-8840, ext. 10915 or [email protected].
Superintendent of Schools
Dr. Patrick Michel
Assistant Superintendent
for Student Learning
Ms. Kathleen Pagano-Fuller
Assistant Superintendent
for Business & Support Services
Gladys P. Baxter
Board of Education
Robert Stewart, President
Alyce Van Etten, Vice President
Jacob Billig
Tara Buckstad-Russo
Richard Feller
Liza Glick
Yvonne Housman
Eugene Nesin
Barbara O’Rourke
Taylor Fasce, Student Representative
Renata Gittler, Editor, Layout &
Photography
Produced in cooperation with the Capital
Region BOCES Communications Service.
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