Welcome to another amazing
issue of the Bulldog Bulletin!
This issue celebrates some
amazing accomplishments of
current and former students.
The issue also highlights some
parent engagement events we
have been creating this year as
well. As always, I want to thank
our amazing students, sta, and
community for making all of
this possible.
–Matt Landahl
Message from the
Superintendent
Six BCSD students from different grades were honored
at the 10
th
annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Essay Contest
for their essays that highlighted famous quotes from the
late civil rights leader.
Sargent ES
After his sister
and fellow
winner Suvi
was going to
enter an essay,
second grader
Conan O’Shea
was encouraged to submit one of
his own by his mother. His essay
centered on the phrase “Weapon
of Love” that King used frequently.
What Conan most appreciated about
King was that everything he said
came from his heart and he hopes
his legacy lives on.
“I hope it can last for long,” he said.
“It’s really important.”
Students Impress with
MLK Essays
Glenham ES
Essays
from
three fth
graders,
including
Sam Mack,
were
some of the many chosen by contest
organizers. Mack felt honored to
win for his essay focusing on King’s
quote of “Only love can overcome
hatred, bitterness and fear,” which he
described as inspiring and explained
why it was important to honor King.
“I think it’s very important because
he was a great inspiring person who
lived a great life,” Mack said. “Every-
one who lives a great life should be
honored.”
Evan Pantojas’ essay focused on the
same quote as Mack’s where he had
to think about what it meant and
how it relates to the issues of today.
He was happy to have his essay
chosen, but hopes more students
get involved next year so they learn
about King’s legacy.
“It’s really important that the younger
generations know about it,” Pantojas
said. “I hope it will move on through-
out the generations.”
Kevin Boyle’s essay focused on the
changes King brought and noted
that had it not been for his efforts,
schools would still be segregated
by race. His advice to students who
want to enter an essay in the future
is to not get discouraged.
“If anyone says that your essay
is bad, you don’t listen to them
because they’re jealous,”
Boyle said.
Rombout MS
Seventh grader Suvi O’Shea was eager to submit
an essay because she wanted to challenge herself
to complete a piece during winter break. Her essay
focused on how love, is different from being nice,
and how some see it is a weakness.
“A lot of people pretend to be unhappy because it’s
cooler,” Suvi said. “It’s not uncool to love people.”
Suvi appreciated the fact that King stood up for what he believed in.
“He was actually being brave,” she said of King. “No one’s really the kind
of person to be brave, you just have to be brave.”
Beacon HS
Freshman Syeira Kozlik originally wanted to submit an essay because of all the positive
efforts King made to achieve racial equality and wanted to highlight how King’s efforts
continues to effect Americans today. “He made some really powerful messages to the
world,” Kozlik said. “It made me proud of my country.”
While Kozlik sometimes found the task challenging, she described it as a rewarding
experience. She then presented her essay to an audience at the Springeld Baptist
Church on MLK Day. “It was challenging, but really fun,” Kozlik said. “I felt very proud.”
3 more community screenings
Back by popular demand,
Page 2
February 2024
Thanks for reading our If you have a submission idea, email: desiree.gagnon@dcboces.org
Sargent Fourth Graders Complete
ienceience LabLab
It’s electric – but
it’s not the Electric
Slide, it was kinetic
energy.
Sargent’s fourth
graders recently
completed the rst
part of Unit 2 from
the Science 21 curriculum which
focused on energy and how it is
transferred and conserved. While
teachers Nicole Winchell and Gessica
Stufano have always taught about
kinetic and potential energies, Science
21 enhances the lesson by having
students ask questions and explore the
answers to their questions through
varied experiments and activities.
“The new
implementation
of Science 21
has helped students
to really understand
potential vs.
kinetic energy
through hands-on
experiments,” Winchell said.
“Science 21 gives all the materials
– we just have to set it up.”
Students tested the relationship between
elastic potential energy and kinetic
energy by taking rulers and attaching
them to strings with binder clips, called
“Ruler Rockets.” A rubber band is then
stretched around the ruler’s base and
students are given dierent measure-
ments to stretch the rubber band to.
Groups of students then charted,
discussed and compared the distance
traveled by the rulers on string
depending on how much stretch is
in a rubber band.
“The further
the rubber band
is stretched, the
further the
‘ruler rocket’
will ‘y,’”
Winchell
explained.
“Students learned that elastic potential
energy is converted into kinetic energy.”
Winchell found that students loved
the experiment, especially when they
witnessed how far their ruler rockets
could “y.”
“This was just one of many hands-on
experiments we do and we can tell
they really enjoy engaging in dierent
engineering
practices,”
Winchell said.
“They look forward
to these lessons and
ask when the next
one is.”
Gus Greenberg
said it was fun to learn about how things
move and seeing how much kinetic
energy there was when the rubber band
was stretched, while Hazel Harvey
enjoyed seeing how much the ruler
moved based on how she held it.
Of Note:
We wanted to clarify information
that was stated in last month’s article
“Student made lms are smash hits”
about the short lm “Lines of
Demarcation: An Oral History of
Beacon’s Black Communities.”
Andrea Barrow-Williams, a volunteer
with the Rise Up Project, stated that the
lm could not have been completed
without the help of Foundation for
Beacon Schools Director Anna Sullivan,
lmmaker Eve Morgenstern, BHS alum
Alicia “Lee” Williams who interviewed
participants and edited scripts and
retired BHS lm teacher Mike Gersh,
who edited it and contributed content.
Gersh and Morgenstern also taught
students about lm techniques and
how to feature different narratives.
Additionally, BHS foreign language
teacher Ron Hammond served as
faculty advisor for the lm, while Rise
Up members Sandy Moneymaker and
Patricia Lassiter attended most sessions
with students where they provided
additional historical information and
shared personal experiences.
Community partners such as the
Beacon Historical Society and Howland
Public Library provided pictures, articles
and other information for students,
while Leonard Sparks, senior editor
for “The Highland Current” and
I Am Beacon Board Member Brooke
Simmons taught students how to
interview effectively.
Davia Kelleher, a Rombout seventh grader, had an excelente reason to celebrate
this January. She was named a runner up in Optimum’s 2023 Hispanic Heritage
Essay Contest of which 1,500 entries were received in New York alone.
Rombout Student
Named Runner-Up in Essay Contest
During a ceremony on January
10, 2024, Kelleher was presented
a certicate and tablet from
Jay Keel, Optimum’s Market
Business Manager for the
Northeast Region.
Kelleher’s essay was about
growing up half Argentinian and
how it differs from other Hispanic
cultures in terms of traditions and how they speak Spanish.
Additionally, she shared about feeling right at home during a
family trip to Argentina two years ago.
“It was very different for me to see a lot of people who spoke
the same way as I did in Spanish,” Kelleher explained.
Keel thanked Kelleher for her efforts and offered some advice.
“The one challenge I can give to you is to inspire everyone in
the school before you leave to do the same thing next year,”
Keel said. “Be an example for those [students] and also
continue to grow on your own.”
Kelleher entered the contest to
share her story in the hopes that
people from varied Hispanic back-
grounds could relate to it.
“It’s really important for them to
feel like they have other people
that are like them and they can
connect,” Kelleher said. “Even if
I didn’t win, I just wanted to see if
I could do it.”
Rombout Spanish teacher Erica Hughes described Kelleher as
an excellent student who is wise behind her years and hopes
that her win encourages other students to embrace their heri-
tage too.
“She shares her perspective from having learned Spanish
through her family and her heritage,” Hughes said. “It makes
her comments and participation in class that much more rich.”
“Truly, a must see!”
The 2023 inductees to the Eric J. Romanino
Athletics Hall of Fame were celebrated
during a ceremony at St. Rocco Society
Banquet Hall on January 5.
The hall recognizes athletes, coaches and
others for their athletic achievements in
BCSD, but also at the local, state and national
levels. In 2014, it was renamed in honor of
Romanino, a retired BHS wrestling coach and teacher.
THE NOMINEES
Oluwatofunmi Jummie Akinwunmi, Class of
2018, placed fth in NYS at the 2017 Outdoor
Championship in the High Jump category
and qualied for state track and eld
championships eight times across three
different events.
Former Beacon Mayor
Randy Casale, made an
impact on BCSD by serving
as a JV boys’ basketball
coach from 1990 to 2012,
greeted students when
BHS opened at its
current location and made sure soccer, baseball
and softball elds were ready for play as
Highway Superintendent.
Dave Eraca, Class of 1973, set a BHS batting
average record in varsity baseball at .500 during
his senior year. He was also named the DCSL
Baseball MVP, the highest possible award an
athlete could achieve in the early 1970’s.
Rodney Paulin, Class of 1974, was the ball handling point
guard for the 1973 basketball Section 1 title winning
basketball team. As a senior, Paulin set the record for a
Bulldog single game where he poured in
41 points against Hyde Park and led the
Bulldogs to the Section 1 nals.
Joe Simmons, Class of 1974, set the
single basketball game scoring record in
sophomore year as he torched the nets for
40 points against Valley Central. In a Section 1
championship game
against Hendrick Hudson,
Simmons led the Bull-
dogs with 26 points while
chipping in 15 rebounds
and also led them to the
Section 1 championship
game.
Lineras Torres, Jr., Class
of 2018, gained national
prominence during a
sensational run that saw
him being drafted at
number 41 overall in the
rst round of the 2018
Major League Baseball
Draft by the Cleveland
Indians. Additionally, he
was a NYS Player of the
Year during his senior year.
The 2012 girls varsity softball team, led by
Head Coach Brian Antalek, successfully defeated
Brewster 8-3 in the Class A championship game,
marking BHS’ rst league and sectional
championship since 1989.
CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE!
BEACON’S BEST INDUCTED IN ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME
They wore outts
so fabulous that
they would make
Tommy Hilger
shudder.
The halls of
JV Forrestal looked
more like a runway on January
25 when a group of kinder-
gartners paraded in homemade
costumes bearing the letters
of the alphabet for the annual
Alphabet Couture event.
The students proudly showed
o their unique costumes to
showcase
the letters they
are learning
about in class,
while older
students waited
patiently in
the hallway to
cheer them on
as they passed by.
Principal Crystal Sessoms-Wiggins noted
that this is an event that she looks forward
to every year.
JV Forrestal
Alphabet Coute
is trop stylé
As part of its Family
Fun Night series, the
South Avenue PTA
organized a Math
Night on January 18
that was anything
but average.
Families were invited
to rethink and learn
about how they use
some form of math
every day by partici-
pating in fun activities
and games that helped
foster the belief that
math is all around in
sports, art, dancing,
building and of
course, money.
Students could visit
fun zones where
they explored math
through art with
shapes, patterns
and compassions
and played card
and board games
centered on the tough subject.
This, however, was only a
fraction of what
families did.
Ballet Arts Studio’s
Artistic Director Katie
Bissinger showed how
math can correlate into
dancing, South Avenue
Math Specialist Amy Dinkins
helped planned a scavenger
hunt with questions and
Library/Media
Specialist Aaron
Burke assisted
families in building
an amazing city and
bridges. Parents
even had their own
session where South Avenue
teachers explained how to do
fun math activities with their
children at home.
The South Avenue
PTA thanks everyone,
including students from
BHS and Rombout,
who volunteered their
time to make this
event possible.
multiplies students’ interest
Thanks for reading our If you have a submission idea, email: desiree.gagnon@dcboces.org
Beacon families no longer
have to worry about
shelling out extra money
for school breakfasts and
lunches, thanks to various
funding sources.
The United States Department of Agriculture reduced the
threshold for all schools to apply for a Community Eligibility
Provision to cover school meals from 40 percent down to 25.
The New York State Education Department agreed to assist with
additional funding in October, prompting BCSD to apply for it.
BCSD was not eligible under the previous threshold sitting at 33%,
based on families’ eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program and Medicaid.
Students began receiving free meals on January 3 and the
district will need to reapply for the program in four years.
“Parents can just send their children in for breakfast and lunch and
not have to worry about the fees,” Director of Food Service Karen
Pagano said. “That’s a big relief for so many of our families.”
Last month, BHS’ cafeteria saw a 20 percent increase of students
getting lunch and a 78 percent increase for breakfast. Pagano
believes this opportunity helps quell stigmas surrounding needing
free meals.
“It’s really exciting to see students who look at you and say ‘I can
just take this?’” Pagano recalled. “Whoever walks through that door
is just another student.”
Pagano encourages families and students to take advantage of the
opportunity where they can choose from a variety of foods from
fresh fruit to hot and cold sandwiches.
“Everything in this cafeteria is a reimbursable meal,” Pagano said.
“The more students we serve, the more revenue is generated from
the feds and the state and the more we can do with the program.”
The world-famous Harlem Wizards, who provide
interactive and fun community basketball events
will visit Beacon High School on February 16 for
an evening of great fun and fundraising.
Beginning at 7pm, the Wizards will play against
a team of BCSD teachers, principals and
community leaders for an electric game lled
with infectious laugher, awe-inspiring dunks
and mesmerizing teamwork. It will serve as a
fundraiser for BHS’ PTSO and National Honor
Society and Rombout’s PTO. Since 1962, the
Wizards have played over 15,000 games in the
United States that have raised over $25 million
for schools and charitable causes.
The game promises to be interactive with
audience members asked to volunteer in different
contests and acts all cumulating with a dance
celebration with the Wizards that all students
are invited to participate in. Additionally, any
student with a Wizards jersey is invited to join in
a pre-game warmup with the team.
“We are thrilled to host the Wizards again,”
Rombout PTO President Dottie DiNobile said.
“The last time the Wizards were in Beacon was
2019 and it was a huge success.”
To purchase tickets please visit:
https://pretix.eu/harlemwizards/beaconny02-
16-24-07-00pm/
It felt like a party in the Spanish
classrooms at Rombout on
January 5 when a local dance
instructor showcased bomba y
plena, percussion-driven musical
traditions from Puerto Rico to
get people dancing.
Former Rombout student
Christine Alicea, dressed in a
traditional outt, rst demon-
strated the dance before leading
some students and even a few
teachers in this tradition
dating back to the 17
th
century. She also brought along
simple instruments to keep the rhythm going.
The dancing was a form of expression for slaves brought to
Puerto Rico who found common ground when they heard a
drum beat.
“Even though some of the communities didn’t have the same
languages, they spoke with the movements of the body and
connected with the drum,” Alicea explained. “One thing that
they felt was this beat and that was the thing that brought
people in the communities together.”
Eighth graders who attended
one of Alicea’s sessions enjoyed
the dancing and some are now
interested in trying it for them-
selves including Zoran Nichols.
“I’m probably going to end up
getting a long dress just so I
can do that,” Nichols said.
“I’m usually not very good at
dancing but I just want to do it.”
Gabriel Peluso, who performed
with Alicea, enjoyed trying
something new where he got to express himself. He noted
that people should never be nervous to share how they feel.
“You shouldn’t be nervous to express your feelings,” Peluso
said. “Your feelings matter in life.”
Heidi Maeng was mesmerized by Alicea’s performance and
dress and feels grateful to see Hispanic culture up close.
“Not a lot of people get the opportunity to see this amazing
performance,” Maeng said. “I want everyone to experience
it because it’s truly magical.”
Former Rombout Student Brings the Rhythm
to work their magic at BHS
No-cost meals
available to all
students
