Claremont School’s Future Leaders will meet with Ossining Mayor William Hanauer, Village Planner Valerie Monastra, and Recreation Department Supervisor Henry Atterbury to share suggestions regarding how to make Ossining better for them. The Mayor, Village Planner, and Recreation Supervisor will meet with Future Leaders on Thursday, May 15 and Monday, May 19 at 4:00 p.m. in the Claremont School Library.

“The young men of Future Leaders are learning to become active participants in their community,” said Assistant Principal of Claremont School, Francine Jacobson. “They are looking forward to sharing their thoughts, ideas, and suggestions with Ossining leaders.”

Springhurst Elementary School principal Doug Berry’s date with Daisy is tomorrow. Berry will kiss the female pot-bellied pig in two morning assemblies at the Dobbs Ferry school because his students met a challenge to read 20,000 books by May 1. They read nearly 28,000. (That’s Berry in the pig costume).

Read the story about the school’s “Pig Out on Reading” challenge here and check back tomorrow for pictures of the magical moment.

St. Thomas Aquinas College in Sparkill held its 51st Commencement exercises on Friday. Sorry for the delay in getting this list posted. Here’s the full list of all the LoHud graduates (and here’s a link to the photo gallery for this ceremony):

New from Monroe College… 

Smart, Savvy, Strategic, those are the words to describe how Monroe College is syncing up their strategic planning with a new athletic logo to represent their exceptional sports program. The new athletic branding for the Monroe Mustangs was created by Monroe College and their communications partner Harquin Creative Group.

The Monroe Mustangs logo with school colors blue and yellow, emblazoned with the orange spikes around the mascot’s head creates a distinctive look. The Monroe Mustang shows a determined look, symbolizing the energy and aggressiveness fans come to know from the Monroe games.

College athletic teams help to strengthen the Monroe community and promote collegiality. Students, faculty, family, and friends turn out at games led by President Stephen Jerome and appreciate the student/athletes’ commitment to excellence and success. The athletic program that started with one team in 1989; now has 12 athletic teams, all members of the NJCAA: men’s and women’s basketball, soccer, volleyball, softball, baseball and men’s and women’s cross country, and indoor and outdoor track and field.

The students are Alec Spangler, Purchase, N.Y.; Patricia Gaeta, Niagara Falls, N.Y.; Kevin Knoerzer of Newburgh, N.Y.; Jennifer Bakalar, Keen, N.H.; and Luke Chase, Valate, N.Y.

The sixth annual exhibition is a juried show featuring more than 60 works of art selected from more than 200 pieces and provides a wider audience for the talents of SUNY’s most gifted student artists.

The works for the fall 2007 and spring 2008 shows were chosen by individual art departments across SUNY’s 64 campuses. The traditional areas of drawing, ceramics, painting, printmaking, photography and sculpture are enhanced by the addition of digital imaging and mixed media installations.

Three student artists in the exhibition will receive “Best in Show” awards of $1,000. “Honorable Mention” awards of $500 will be given to three additional students.

An artist’s reception will be held on June 10.

(Alec Spangler’s “Coup de Coop,” oil and acrylic on canvas, 48” X 60”, is featured in the “Best of SUNY Student Art Exhibition.” )

The Irvington school district will be hosting its 2nd Technology Expo on Tuesday, May 13, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Irvington Middle School.  There will be presentations by teachers and students from each of the schools showing how technology is integrated in the classrooms.

Presentations will include digital portfolio projects, students demonstrating the use of online resources integrating with various units of study across curricula, students participate in polls in an interactive navigator system and numerous Smart Board demonstrations.

The public is welcome to attend this event.

The Higher Education Committee of the New York State Board of Regents will hold a meeting in Yonkers from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. today to discuss how to improve recruitment and preparation of teachers for urban education.

The meeting will be webcast live in its entirety at www.nysed.gov.

A symposium held at North Rockland school’s Fieldstone Secondary School last week drew about 75 people to discuss the link between mentally, emotionally and physically healthy kids and test scores.

About half the audience were educators, half from the health care professions. Keynote speaker was Mark Doody, superintendent for Hudson Falls schools.

Hudson Falls is a high-needs rural district of about 2,400 students. In the past decade or so, most of the factories that employed people and graduating high school kids have closed. Some 45 percent of the students enrolled today are eligible for free and reduced-price lunch, an indication of poverty.

When the state introduced its standardized testing in 2003, Doody—who had just been made superintendent from high school principal—was looking for a way to help raise test scores that wouldn’t cost a lot of money his community didn’t have. Using common sense and the help of his local health department, he decided to concentrate on a districtwide health and wellness program.

Over the past five years, the district has seen test scores among poor students become closer to scores of more affluent students and attendance rates slightly increase. The experiment, in his mind and that of his community, has been a wild success.

He didn’t just concentrate on students. He got teachers and other staff involved and parents.

For a look at how this could affect some local districts, check out this link.

This just in…

Education Next’s Paul E. Peterson and Frederick M. Hess have released their new report card on state proficiency standards, updated with the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data and state assessment results.  They present definitive answers about which states are at the head of the class and which at the back; which ones are on the fast track to improve and which ones are sliding to the bottom.

Tracking changes on state proficiency standards from 2003-2007, Peterson and Hess find the news is mixed: At the 8th grade level, standards are falling in reading and math, both among states that had standards in 2003 and states that have only adopted them more recently.  In 8th-grade reading, for example, standards overall are down by 0.2 standard deviations.

Slippage at the 4th-grade level, however, is less.  Math standards fell by only 0.06 standard deviations, the smallest decline Peterson and Hess observed. Most of the slippage at the 4th-grade level is due to the lower standards adopted by states that were initially slow in complying with the NCLB accountability system; those that have had standards since 2003 have not altered them significantly.

They were chosen for a host of reasons: “He has the most positive attitude of any student I’ve ever met (Mahopac’s Richard Sparozic, Environmental Science); “She’s an amazing peer leader who gives 110% (Ossining’s Lauren Miele, Fashion Design); “She’s passionate, bright, and vibrant” (Putnam Valley’s Ashley Taylor, Culinary).

These were the comments by teachers at Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES Tech Center about their students during a recent “Student of Distinction” recognition. Nine students in all received certificates and accolades from their teachers…and breakfast with family and friends. All teachers noted the difficulty of choosing just one of their students for recognition, because many of their students exhibit the qualities of a student of distinction – leadership abilities, academic excellence, and positive attitude.

From left: Ludin Ramos (Bedford), Spanish Business and Computer Technology; Sade Essue (Ossining), Certified Nurse’s Aide; Lauren Miele (Ossining), Fashion Design; Katryna Kristoferson (Lakeland), Law Enforcement; Matthew Newkirt (Bedford), HVAC; Ashley Taylor (Putnam Valley), Culinary Arts; Richard Sparozic (Environmental Science), Mahopac; Egma Macao (Peekskill), Spanish Cosmetology; Phillip Oberlander (North Salem), Small Engine/Motorcycle Technology.

The Eastview School community in White Plains, New York has made it to the semi-final round of Quantum Shift TV’s “Be the Change! Share the Story!”  video contest along with 24  other schools across Canada and United States.

Students have an opportunity to win up to $50,000 in cash and prizes for their school and have made a difference on an environmental or social cause in their global community. The winning schools will be announced on June 1, 2008.

The contest required each participating school to submit 2 videos that describe how their school is making a positive contribution to local, national or global issues. Students at Eastview submitted “Global Ambassadors” and “Fashion for a Cause” videos documenting service-learning projects that promote local and global citizenship.  The progress of this and other projects participating in the contest can be viewed on the web at www.QuantumShift.tv/schools. The school’s videos can be seen on their team page at http://www.quantumshift.tv/schools/team.php?id=134.You can improve the school’s chance of winning by visiting the contest site and registering as a supporter of their Global Ambassadors team.

“Participating in this video contest has brought our entire school and community together. Quantumshift provides a rich array of videos created by passionate youth and it has been so interesting to see what others around the world are doing to inspire positive change. We really have felt like we are a part of something important,” said Jody Kennedy, a teacher at Eastview. “I am thrilled to see sites such as Quantumshift that promote and celebrate youth social action by publishing their work.”

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is supporting the Renaissance Theatre Academy, an educational, professional youth theatre training program produced by the White Plains Performing Arts Center, with a sponsorship of $40,000.

The announcement came during a ceremonial check presentation on March 25 at the theatre, which was attended by Jack W. Batman, Executive Producer of the White Plains Performing Arts Center; representatives from WPPAC, Wal-Mart and the White Plains store; children of the Theatre Academy and Joseph M. Delfino, Mayor of the City of White Plains.

Wal-Mart will also provide school items for students of the theater throughout the year.

For the second year in a row Wal-Mart is supporting the Theater Academy with a major donation. Last year’s donation of $30,000 enabled the Academy to initiate their premiere season and to produce two productions: You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown and Pippin. In 2007, Wal-Mart’s philanthropic efforts in the State of New York totaled more than $10.4 million. Nationally the Foundation gave $296 million in 2007 to benefit more than 4,000 U.S. communities.

“Wal-Mart is proud to continue our relationship with the Theatre Academy,” said Steve V. Restivo, Director of Corporate Affairs – Northeast Region. “This Academy has grown to become one of the premier theatre training programs in the region and offers cultural enrichment and educational value to children throughout White Plains and the surrounding area.”

In today’s paper, we write about local districts who are continuing their criticism of Newsweek’s annual high school rankings. Read it here.

While many school districts are critical of the ranking methodology – which looks at the ratio of students taking advanced courses – others welcome their placement on the list. Indeed, the Edgemont school district, which joined a group of districts asking to have their schools removed from the list, has withdrawn its support of the effort. Also, school officials in Nanuet declined to sign on to the effort back in March.

Many schools use such lists for bragging rights. But how valuable or useful are these types of rankings when it comes to evaluating a school?

A severe brain injury left 3-year-old Alexis Wilhelm without the ability to speak, walk or even sit up on her own.

Yet by using assistive equipment such as a special chair and talking device, the White Plains youngster is learning how to do all these things in her own special way.

But it’s not always been easy, and her mother, Angelique Wilhelm, says she’s too busy dealing with today to even think about what will happen once Alexis moves on to kindergarten.

The Westchester Institute for Human Development, however, is already working to make that transition at least a little bit easier.

Download:

Creating what are called SWAT Teams – or Schools in Westchester Assistive Technology Teams – the WIHD has partnered with local public schools to train educators and expand the use of various assistive technologies.

There are large keyboards for those with motor impairments. There are electronic Braille systems for those with vision difficulties. There are special reading programs for those with dyslexia, and the list goes on.

“It helps to open up access to learning for everyone,” said Lydia Lavin, former director of pupil personnel for Briarcliff Manor schools.

In the past two years, the group has worked with the Pleasantville, Briarcliff Manor, Mount Pleasant, Valhalla, Pocantico Hills, Irvington, Tarrytown and Elmsford school districts to develop the pilot program. Now other schools will be able to buy in.

The focus on public schools builds upon services the WIHD already offers to children, from infants to preschool, including Alexis.

Click here for the full story.

Dobbs Ferry has joined several other local districts in asking Newsweek magazine to no longer rank their schools in its list of top high schools. The districts say any system that ranks schools based on a single indicator, including the percentage who take advanced courses which Newsweek uses, is flawed.

We’re running down the story, but you can read a letter that Dobbs Ferry superintendent Debra Kaplan sent to parents here.

UPDATE: A total of 39 38 school districts in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Illinois and Massachusetts signed on to a letter sent to Newsweek editors, criticizing the ranking methodology and seeking to be removed. Here’s the list:

New York: Ardsley, Bedford, Blind Brook, Brewster, Bronxville, Byram Hills, Chappaqua, Dobbs Ferry, Edgemont, Greenburgh-North Castle, Hewlett-Woodmere, Katonah-Lewisboro, Mamaroneck, Mount Pleasant-Cottage, Nanuet, North Shore, Ossining, Rye Neck, Scarsdale, Spackenkill, Tuckahoe and Valhalla.

New Jersey: Montclair, Montgomery, Tenafly, Verona

Connecticut: Darien, Simsbury, Stonington, Wilton

Illinois: Decatur, Deerfield/Highland Park Township, Evanston, Glenbrook, Lincoln-Way, New Trier, Oak Park and River Forest HS District 200

Massachusetts: Amherst-Pelham, Masconomet, Wayland

UPDATE 2: This issue also reaches up to colleges. Read a previous post about the U.S. News and World Report College rankings here.