Volume 2, Issue 1
November 2016
The Principal’s Message
Presidential campaigns have become two year marathons, in
contrast with the first presidential election which was a sprint to
the White House. Electors voted in January and George Washington took office in April of 1789. While I think it’s true that we can
all agree that this process was much too long, it certainly has
provided topics and issues for discussion especially for our history
and government classes at Beacon High School. I have observed
classes particularly where our older students engaged in spirited
debates concerning the beliefs espoused by the candidates during
the primaries and continuing with the Clinton and Trump
debates. Now we are post November 8th and the discussions
continue.
I wish to emphasize that it is not my intent to express opinions
about the candidates’ positions on these very important issues but
to comment about the reactions of and impact on our students. It
certainly is an understatement to say that there will be uncertainty for so many questions specifically as it relates to education.
Ironically the latter topic was hardly discussed during the debates.
I am most proud with our students who engaged in meaningful
discussions during the pre-election, the election on November 8th
and the post election debates in contrast with the unrest and
walkouts on high school and college campuses across the nation
and adults demonstrating not always in a nonviolent manner.
While it’s true that many students were disappointed and
incredulous, they remained subdued as teachers talked about the
peaceful transfer of power.
At this juncture there is uncertainty, it takes courage to move
from a familiar place to the unknown without reference points.
“There is nothing more certain and unchanging than uncertainty
and change” John Fitzgerald Kennedy.
Dr. Joannes Sieverding
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
English Dept………………..2/3
Social Studies Dept………….3
Science Department………...4
Math Department .............. 4
Athletics ............................. 5
PBISNews ........................... 5
Beacon Players ................... 6
Band Department .............. 6
Music Department…………..6
Other News.…………………….7
PTSO News......................... 8
Guidance Corner ................ 8
SPECIAL POINTS OF
INTEREST
*GREASE COMES TO BHS
*SCHETTER SIGNS WITH
PACE
*GLOBAL PROJECTS
UNDERWAY
*MORGAN ACCEPTED TO
U.S ARMY ALL-AMERICAN
MARCHING BAND
*FINANCIAL AID NIGHT
WAS A GREAT SUCCESS
HERE AT BHS
NEWS FROM THE DEPARTMENTS:
Starting Strong– English 9
Honors
What do these stories have in
common: a pregnant, jealous wife
murders her husband, children of
werewolves learn to act human in a
school modeled after Native
American missionary schools, and
the earliest Classic epics about a
culture at war and a warrior’s
homecoming? Whether we read
delightful short stories by Roald
Dahl, an allegorical satire, or Greek
plays and The Odyssey by Homer,
our ninth grade students recognize
the universal themes about life and
human nature that connect all
people regardless of culture,
location, or time period.
ENGLISH –
STAFF WRITER—
JANET GASPAR
A fabulous first quarter from the seniors
in ELA!
The seniors have written their essays for college
and they have learned about the oldest surviving
epic poem written in the English language.
Beowulf: bloody, brave and boastful – ripping
off Grendel’s arm with his bare hands, slicing off
the head of Grendel’s mom with a giant’s magic
sword, and finally, meeting his match in the fire
-breathing, poison-fanged dragon. But check out
our Wiki pages for a new twist on an old frame
tale, The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer’s pilgrims
have been given backstories based on the 14 th
century and our students’ imaginations. Eight
pilgrims have been described based on “The
Prologue” (pictures included), their tales have
been summarized, and for the first time, you will
hear how they came to be on the road to
Canterbury. Enjoy!
Mr. Haughie's English 10 class is starting a group project that is based on a Science Fiction
short story called "Of Missing Persons", by Jack Finney. The story that was read in class
depicts a fictional Utopian planet called Verna and makes the claim that people from earth
have the opportunity to go there if they wish to, but only if they are deemed worthy and if
they have absolutely no doubt about leaving Earth. The story also claims that famous people
who have mysteriously disappeared and are never found are actually on this planet (hence
the title).
Students have the task of creating a fictional travel brochure to Verna. They must include
specific details from the story such as: housing/accommodations , ticket prices , sights/
activities , and means of space travel
These projects have been done spectacularly in the past and some students have used
technology to really add a unique touch as well.
***These projects will be on display at the High School in Room B124 or can be seen on Google Docs*** 2
More English News
Ms. Lieberstein and Ms. Hamilton took the
ENL students on a trip to Howland Library on
November 2nd, 2016. As they walked from the
High School to Main Street, one student in
each group had a clipboard with a scavenger
hunt sheet. The goal was for the students to
become more familiar with their community
and we used the walk as a way to teach
them. Once we arrived at Howland, we were
given a tour of the Library. Students were able
to see all the resources that our public library
offers them. They also had the opportunity to
learn about the history of the library, as well
as future plans to expand. Most importantly
students had a chance to connect with each
other and their community.
SOCIAL STUDIES

Signelil Andersen came to the Participation in Government classes & discussed her experiences with Syrian refugees (and their children) in Norway.

State Trooper Francine Torhan came in with the bloodhound to the Criminal Justice (CJ) classes.

Monroe College Professor Bill Cannon also visited the CJ classes. Mr. Cannon is a 27 year veteran in the
NYC Police Force including 9 years heading up the Manhattan North Homicide Squad. He also played a
role on Discovery Channel's "The Perfect Murder."

Ben Allee, Assistant US Attorney (Prosecutor) for the Federal Building in White Plains visited with the
CJ class. He discussed the federal criminal process as well as current issues and past federal cases that
he had experience working on.
Students in Mr. Burns' Global I Honors class created projects for Quarter 1 based on Stone
Age Tools, Raised Relief Maps, blueprints of River Valley Accomplishments or a display of
Social Scientists. In addition to creating these elaborate displays, students were asked to
complete a writing assignment about their topic, and cite sources they used to create their
project.
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SCIENCE-MOLE DAYOctober 21st
We celebrated mole day at Beacon High
School along with other high schools AROUND
THE WORLD! The mole is a unit of measurement in chemistry and the name lends itself to
puns involving the brown furry creature. We
had fun and got creative and most of all learned
about something new.
More from the SCIENCE DEPTMrs. Rider's Marine Biology class went to Long Dock Park on October 6th. Kate Brill of Scenic Hudson organized an ecology packed day. Students surveyed Hudson River fish populations, identified macroinvertebrates, measured the changing tides, and tested turbidity, dissolved oxygen, pH and the temperature of the estuary. The weather was perfect and these
Juniors and Seniors represented BHS in a positive way with their enthusiastic involvement
in the field trip.
MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT*Teachers in the Math Department are using the Remind App on smartphones as a
way to improve communications with both parents and students.
*They have also been setting up Google classrooms which allow students access to
on-line assignments and to submit work electronically.
*The BHS Math Team kicked off the new season with a solid performance in their
first meet. The Bulldogs finished a close third behind Valley Central and
Newburgh. Top individual performers were Emily Bautista, Kalina Brinas, and
Ema Jacketti.
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ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT*The Fall Athletic program was a great success. Our Girls and Boys Soccer programs won the League titles with identical 11-5 records. Girls Coach Hugo Alzate was chosen Coach of the Year and Senior Gabby Lucas, Player of the Year
for our league. Congrats to the following students who made Girls Varsity Soccer All League: Reanna Cader, Chloe
Antalek, Gabby Lucas, Victoria Banks, Eliza Ericson, Katelyn Rosa and Meagan Meeuwisse. All section Honorable
Mention goes to Reanna Cader and All Section to Gabby Lucas. Boys Soccer All League: Mason Burch, Vincent Compaganonel, Kyle Davis, Devin Lambe, Kellen Sela and Matt Wyant. All Section Honorable Mention goes to Mason
Burch, Kyle Davis and Matt Wyant and All Section to Devin Lambe.
*Volleyball’s Kajal Kohll was selected to All League and Lauren Schetter All League and All Conference
*Girls Swim athletes Lauren Hernandez and Amber Butler made All League.
*Congrats to all our Fall Athletes on a job well done. All your hard work and efforts paid off.
*JV & Varsity winter sports started Monday November 14th
Our very own Cindy Pomarico ran the NYC Marathon on Sunday, November 6,
2016 . The race was 26.2 miles and Cindy had an incredible time of 4.51. We are
all very proud of her accomplishment!
Congrats to Lauren Schetter!!
Lauren signed her letter of intent to attend Division 2
Pace University on a full basketball scholarship.
Congratulations to Lauren who is also captain of
both the volleyball and basketball teams, president
of Student Council and a member of the National
Honor Society. She is a wonderful example of how
hard work and dedication pays off. We are all very
proud of her accomplishments and wish her well on
her new journey and on her upcoming season here
at BHS!
PBIS— STAFF WRITER—Joanna Driscoll
October marked the first PBIS student recognition ceremony
for the 2016-2017 school year. Each month students (and
staff) are acknowledged for exemplifying a trait represented
by the BHS PRIDE acronym: Positivity; Respect; Integrity;
Determination; Engagement. In October students were noted
and celebrated for being models of positivity. The recognition ceremony is an informal gathering where the selected
students are honored for exhibiting behaviors that contribute to making the culture at BHS something we can all be
proud of. The gathering was well attended; the students left
with the knowledge that their positive behaviors are
appreciated school wide, and it was a meaningful experience
for all who participated.
Here’s to Beacon PRIDE students!
In addition: thanks to the PTSO for
their contribution of prizes toward
the monthly raffle, and for their
support of PBIS.
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THE BEACON PLAYERS—STAFF WRITER—P.J. DEVINE
This spring, the Beacon Players drama organization began work on their
newest endeavor, The Shakespeare Project. In July, students attended a
performance of Macbeth at the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festivals
Boscobel and had the opportunity to have a "talk-back" with the actors at the
end. Students worked through the summer and into October to bring their own
version of The Tragedy of Macbeth to life in the black box style of performance.
Part of the 11th grade curriculum, English students all began their year reading
and exploring Macbeth in conjunction with the Drama Club's endeavor.
Students were then invited to a special performance in the evening to see their
peers bring the curriculum to life. Audiences were seated on stage and the
curtain was closed to create a more intimate space. Students learned the art of
theatre in the round and mastered the intricate language and themes of one of
the Bard's most powerful works. Playing to sold out crowds, students showed a
passion for and deep understanding of Shakespeare.
The Beacon Players are also hard at work on their fall production of Grease, presented through special arrangement with
Samuel French. Students are working on the costumes, set
design and more to re-create Beacon in the 1950's. Grease will
be presented on November 18, 19, and 20 and tickets are available on the website, www.beaconplayers.com, and at the door.
MUSIC—STAFF WRITER -- Susan Wright
Former music production students David Gonzalez and
Stefon Seward composed and recorded music for the Beacon Player's fall production of MacBeth. Current music production student Oji Haynes is working with our very own
Figs on original music for the next PBIS video. Want to
learn how to create your own music with a computer? Take
a music production class at BHS.
BAND—STAFF WRITER — Peter Head
*The Band marched in the Spirit of Beacon
Day Parade on Sep 25th & a few of our students were there to play when the Fire Ball
run arrived in Beacon.
*Jethro Banks was selected to be a Percussionist in the NYSSMA Zone 10 Area AllState Orchestra. Jethro earned the spot with
an audition this past Spring that qualified
him among the best high school musicians
throughout Dutchess, Putnam and Columbia
counties.
Congratulations to BHS chorus members Harleigh
Ebeling, Jaylen Hills and Dana Miller on being selected to represent BHS at the Area All-State NYSSMA festival in November. Many thanks to the BHS
chorus members who participated in the performance of MacBeth by singing two songs live. They
sounded amazing and added a lot to the show.
The U.S. Army AllAmerican Marching Band
Selection Tour came to
BHS on September 29th to
present Ben Morgan with
his acceptance into the
group. Ben will be playing
the halftime show at the US
Army All-American Bowl
on Saturday, January 7,
2017 at the Alamodome in
San Antonio, TX
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Welcome the newest additions to our BHS faculty:
*Ms. Samuelle Simms-Assistant Principal: Ms. Simms, a graduate of NYU joins our administrative
team and will be working with students with last names beginning with A-L. Her background with special education programs and PBIS will serve us well.
*Ms. Jean Burger-University of Massachusetts, started at BHS this past Spring as a Teaching Assistant with extensive experience as a special education teacher in another district. Currently she is teaching
Algebra, Conceptual Earth Science and English.
*Ms. Tania Canteli-a graduate of ESNE, she joined our faculty this past October. Ms. Canteli is a native
Spaniard and well qualified to teach all levels of Spanish. Her expertise in fashion design is another avenue to engage our students.
*Ms. Carmen Finton-Mt. St. Mary College, Special education teacher with a science content specialty.
She is fluent in Spanish as well as having a background in PBIS.
*Mr. John Fratto-a SUNY Buffalo graduate, joins the BHS faculty and is the newest member of the social studies department. He has extensive teaching experience in another school district and has been
involved with Student Council, coaching wrestling and Olweus bullying prevention training are some of
the things he brings to BHS.
*Mr. Peter Head- Crane School of Music -SUNY Potsdam-Our new Band director comes to us as an
experienced band teacher, a NYSSMA brass adjudicator as well as extensive experience with media production and theatre technology.
*Ms. Kimberly Ritacco-graduate of Lehman College, she is our newest member of the English Department. She is an Inclusion teacher in the English 10 program and trained in the Writing Matters curriculum from Teachers College, Columbia University.
*Ms. Shonda Rowland-a graduate of The College of Saint Rose, is the newest member of our special
education department with teaching experience in another public school district. Her content specialization is social studies and well-versed with PBIS.
*Mr. Jordan Taylor-a graduate of SUNY New Paltz and is joining our science department with a specialization in Earth Science. He was and adjunct lecturer at his alma mater and coached boys lacrosse.
*We also wish to welcome our new Teaching Assistants-Ms. Catherine Thoman and Ms. Janie Anderson,
as well as Mrs. Diedre Bonanno our new attendance office secretary and our Permanent Subs– Mr. Mike
Carafano & Mr.Patrick Thurlow.
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FROM THE PTSO
Your PTSO Executive Board: *Kim Lennon *Risa Ostrow *Jen DiGregorio *Christina Landers
A huge thank you goes out to those of you that have volunteered at West Point for our fundraising. This is a
great opportunity to earn money for our students, and all events funded by the PTSO. Please check out the
PTSO page on the new website to see upcoming events, meetings and also our membership form.
The PTSO would like to extend a warm welcome to our new Assistant Principal Mrs. Simms. We look forward
to working with you!
We are taking orders for spirit wear. You can pick up an order form at the kiosk and return it to the main
office.
GUIDANCE CORNER—
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

Students are already being accepted to colleges.
Senior conferences are being wrapped up.
College representatives continue to visit BHS to meet with interested
students. Sign ups are still available in
guidance, all dates are posted on the guidance
webpage.
We continued our series for college planning
following the Financial Aid night with a very
informative panel discussion on key topics
of the college admission process. Representatives from local post secondary institutions
were available to enlighten our parents and
students about the admission process.
We are very proud of Mariah Leonard, Will Oliva and Jarek Panko who were selected and participated in a summer program offered by The National Leadership Academies. Our students
participated in workshops and lectures presented by distinguished physicians, medical scientist, intelligence and National Security. The faculty mentors and facilitators included Buzz Aldrin, Sci.D., J. Craig Venter, PH.D world unowned genomist, Boris D. Lushniak, M.D former
surgeon general among many other notables.
Beacon High School
101 Matteawan Road
Beacon, NY 12508
Phone: 84-838-6900
Fax: 845-838-0796
E-mail: [email protected]
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