Schools

The merger of two elementary schools in the Irvington School District may have been put on the back burner for next year, but a consolidation plan in the Tarrytown School District remains front and center.

A detailed committee report on the pros and cons of closing either Tappan Hill or John Paulding elementary schools, a decision that would have a ripple effect on Morse and Washington Irving schools, was presented to the Tarrytown Board of Education in February.

The report stated closing either school and eliminating some positions would save approximately $350,000 the first year and $450,000 annually thereafter.  more »

For the first time in 11 years, a new principal will be roaming the hallways of John Paulding School next fall.

Current Principal Marilyn Mercado-Belvin is retiring next October to spend more time with her family, a decision she admitted wasn’t easy after being an educator for 33 years.

“It was a very difficult decision because I love what I do,” she said. “When I look at my personal side and my professional side, it might be time to move on. It’s time to give back to my family.”  more »

If Irvington Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kathleen Matusiak is going to base her recommendation to the Board of Education this week on the proposed merger of the Dows Lane and Main Street elementary schools on an informal showing of hands from hundreds of residents who attended an informational meeting in the high school auditorium, there should be no doubt which way she is leaning.

After all, less than a handful of those polled January 21 indicated they supported the merger, which district officials estimated could save more than $2.9 million over the next five years.  more »

With state funds being slashed and federal stimulus money withering away, the Public Schools of the Tarrytowns face a budget crunch.

“If we were to factor in the present level of costs and factor in the state cuts, it puts a tax increase in the area of 12%, and that is a non-starter,” School Superintendent Howard Smith said. “We recognize that the limits of the property tax levy is set and the people’s capacity to support it is already saturated.”
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One stroll through a corridor in any of the 11 campus buildings of EF International Language School’s Tarrytown campus reveals all sorts of accents and languages.

“We have students come from all over: France, Spanish–South America and Spain –Japanese, and South Korea. We have students here from over 50 countries; students from all walks of life,” said Rachel Damiani, school director of EF International Language School’s Tarrytown campus for the past two-and-a-half years.  more »

The federal Department of Education has chosen Sleepy Hollow High School as a model school in preventing students from dropping out.

Of the department’s six recommended practices, Sleepy Hollow is featured on three: Adult Advocates, Academic Supports and Social/Behavior Programs. The adult education program, the Humanities Team and the school’s approach to discipline are also highlighted in the study entitled Doing What Works.

Sleepy Hollow is the only school in New York State and one of only three schools nationally to be highlighted in the study.

Meanwhile, Sleepy Hollow High School is among the first schools in Westchester to partner with MSG Varsity, a Cablevision 24/7 network dedicated to high school sports and activities.  more »

Irvington

At its October 6 meeting, the Irvington Board of Education voted to extend Assistant Superintendent for Business Affairs Jim Reese’s employment in the district until June 30, 2011.

Reese, who was planning to retire at the end of the current school year, currently earns a base salary of $219.569, plus a merit award of $6,878 and a longevity payment of $5,475. Under the one-year contract approved by a 4-1 vote (Trustee Robyne Camp voted no), Reese will receive a salary of $226,447, plus the longevity increment of $5,475.

When he retires, Reese will receive a resignation benefit of $57,980. His retirement package also includes free lifetime medical insurance.

Sleepy Hollow  more »

Starting sixth grade will take on new excitement this year when 175 incoming sixth-graders, like Annie Camlic of Sleepy Hollow, join seventh- and eighth-graders under the same roof at Sleepy Hollow Middle School.

“It’s a new school. You can explore more passageways and things you haven’t seen yet,” Camlic said. “I’m excited because I’m going to be with my sister,” she said, referring to Sarah Camlic, a junior at Sleepy Hollow High School.

After two years of construction and much anticipation, Sleepy Hollow Middle School now encompasses grades 6 through 8, which education experts say are more developmentally related than grades 4, 5, and 6, formerly located at the Washington Irving School.  more »

As students settle into the 2009-10 school year, parents can be rest assured the reigns of the Irvington Middle School have been placed in capable hands—the turnstile of administrators has ceased with the appointment of David Sottile and Joyce Chapnick, principal and vice principal respectively.

“There have been a lot of changes, some prior to me coming, for a variety of reasons,” Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Matusiak conceded. “These positions were interim and not meant to be permanent.”
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As the students take the stage and assume their positions in the band or orchestra, and parents squint to find their favorite musician, the scene in the new Donald Kusel Auditorium at Sleepy Hollow High School looks much like that at any other high school – if the other high school is virtually all white. The much-celebrated diversity of our community and our schools does not extend to the instrumental musical groups that represent them.

One group of committed volunteers is determined to change that.  more »

Community pressure apparently was a factor in the Irvington Board of Education’s decision last month not to maintain a five-year contract with Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kathleen Matusiak.

Outgoing board President Tanya Hunt explained at the June 16 meeting while the board unanimously felt Matusiak was performing well for the district, many residents were “not comfortable” with her five-year contract being renewed each year.

In March, a petition with more than 300 signatures was presented to the Board of Education, expressing concern with the five-year rollover provision contained in Matusiak’s contract.  more »

During spring break in April, three separate groups of students from Sleepy Hollow and Irvington schools participated in school-sponsored trips to Spain, Egypt and London. An enlightened and inspired group of teenagers (and one fourth grader) who returned.

“Spain is nothing like America. Every single building, every block, has meaning because of the history and architecture,” said Weston Murphy, a junior at Sleepy Hollow High School who traveled to Spain, along with 10 other boys and 13 girls.

“I loved it,” gushed Sleepy Hollow junior Lauren Zallo. “I want to move to Madrid or at least do a semester abroad.”  more »

Voters in the Tarrytown and Irvington school districts apparently were satisfied with the budgets presented to them a few weeks ago as both spending plans passed easily.

However, in Irvington, residents expressed their displeasure by defeating a bus proposition that would have forced about 150 students in the district to lose transportation. In addition, Board of Education President Tanya Hunt was denied a second three-year term, finishing behind newly elected trustees Robyne Camp and John Dawson.

“This is great news for Irvington!” resident Vembar Ranganathan declared at the Main Street School after the results were announced. “This was a real message that we need fiscal restraint.”

Irvington  more »

One qualified for Junior Nationals to become an All-American in swimming, while maintaining a 4.5 GPA and winning gold medals with her Empire State swimming team. The other is fresh off a trip to Reno, Nevada’s International Science and Engineering Fair. He won the trip for his research in neurobiology, which showed the glial cells of the brain play more of a role in memory than what was previously believed.

Though only 17, Christina Costa, valedictorian, and Ian Mathews of Irvington High School have already had practice at being accomplished academically and are preparing themselves for the next level.  more »

Finding the right niche could be one of the most difficult – and important – parts of high school. While parents agonize over the path to college, kids, no matter how bright or accomplished, agonize over fitting in. Or not.
In addition to sharing friendship and a passion for the environment, Emily Arduino and Greg and Matt Valdespino weathered the well-known pain of not belonging, before discovering the deep satisfaction of walking to their own, very special beat.

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Ten years ago, a master plan was created at The Hackley School in Tarrytown that envisioned all academic facilities be clustered on the south side of the 285-acre campus and all athletic facilities would be located on the north end.
According to Headmaster Walter Johnson, that plan has “held up remarkably” over the years with a new middle school, science building and a lower building constructed.

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