Current News

Rye Neck High School members of the Spanish Club have raised $865 for the Pulsera Project, a nonprofit organization that educates, employs and empowers Central American artists through the sale of colorful handwoven bracelets, or “pulseras” in Spanish. 

Twenty-five students took the initiative to sell bracelets and purses, which were handcrafted by artists from Nicaragua and Guatemala. Led by students Adesuwa Carlton, Kimberly Carlton, Nicole Pereira, Joshua Rubin and Elona Sebbane, who shared the art and stories of the Pulsera Project with their peers, club members sold 143 bracelets and 15 purses. 

"When I first found out about the Pulsera Project, I thought it was an amazing idea,” said Rubin, a sophomore and club president who contacted the organization to receive the materials and instructions. “I immediately knew that I needed to bring this incredible fundraiser to our school. I thought this would be a perfect initiative for the Spanish Club. At the end of this project, everyone who worked on it, including myself, realized the importance of helping others.” 

Each colorful bracelet and purse – which was a one-of-a-kind, wearable work of art – contained a tag with a picture and signature of the artisan who made it. Angie Garcia, a Spanish teacher and club adviser, said the money the students raised will help fund construction of schools, housing and welfare programs in Nicaragua and Guatemala. 

“The unique and colorful patterns, and the connection to the people who made them, motivated the Spanish Club members to want to raise funds,” Garcia said. “The students’ involvement in this project connected to their Spanish studies by providing information about the population, typical dishes, scenery, work and education customs in Nicaragua and Guatemala. The students better understood the economic challenges that young people their age face in these two countries.”

Given the success of this year’s fundraiser, students said they plan on hosting another fundraiser and provide school community members with the opportunity to further enjoy the handcrafted art while also supporting the artists and their families. 

“We are grateful for having the opportunity to help people in Nicaragua and Guatemala,” said Sebbane, a sophomore and events coordinator for the Spanish Club. “The Pulsera Project gave Rye Neck students a chance to become familiar with beautiful works made by hand by many talented children and adults from other communities.” 

Juniors – who have been studying Spanish fables by Félix María de Samaniego and deciphering the morals of each fable – recently used their knowledge and mastery of the foreign language to write their own original fables. 

“The fables that the students created were incredible,” teacher Nadia Whiting said. “They were all very excited to create their fables, and I was astonished to see how creative they were.”

The students collaborated in groups and had the option of displaying their final fables in one of three ways – by writing and illustrating a book, creating a slideshow storyboard or producing a video. Some of the fables’ morals were about self-worth and friendship, as well as helping one another while still taking care of yourself.   

“I was proud to see how mature my students were,” Whiting said. “It was a fun project for me to read as well. I learned a lot about how the students think, and that helps me understand them better as a teacher.” 

Whiting said the fables were created at an entry level, as they will be shared with middle school students as a way of encouraging them to study Spanish in the higher levels. 

Rye Neck High School freshmen – who had been studying the musculoskeletal system in their biology classes – welcomed orthopedic surgeon Dr. Nicholas DeBellis as a special guest at their school on Jan. 3. 

During his visit, Dr. DeBellis discussed his experiences and shared insight into the steps leading to a health or medical career, and provided the students with hands-on training on the basic duties of an orthopedist. In addition, he provided an outline of what part of the body orthopedic surgeons treat and the different types of operations they perform. He also taught the students how to properly name and diagnose a fracture from an X-ray. 

“Our students enjoyed a day with no shortage of shock value,” said science teacher Matt DeBellis, who organized his brother’s visit. “Many students were surprised by the bluntness and simplicity of modern operations in orthopedics.” 

Following Dr. DeBellis’ presentation, the students collaborated in groups at different stations around the room to study 10 real-life case scenarios. The stations were equipped with X-ray photographs from multiple angles, a hyper-realistic plaster model bone with the same fracture and a lifesize clear plastic bone with the appropriate metal plates, screws and rods fixed to the bone that would be used to correct the fracture for each case study. 

“Our students were challenged to diagnose the patient’s bone break by naming the fracture by location, name of bone, fracture pattern and degree of displacement using all of the available case information,” DeBellis said. “A few classes were able to learn how to properly make plaster wrist splints on their peers.” 

The experience allowed students to make a connection between the content they’re learning and the potential careers they could pursue. 

Students and teachers from Rye Neck Middle School and Rye Neck High School worked together to create winter scene masterpieces during the middle school’s Paint Night event on Nov. 30, which served as a fundraiser for the junior class.

Using a white canvas, acrylic paint and brushes, sixth- through eighth-grade students followed step-by-step instructions from art teacher Dara Goodman to paint the winter scene, which included a moon and white conifer trees.

“The students successfully created a glowing, radiating moon in their sky using beautiful cool colors,” Goodman said. “They worked in layers, creating blended colors, winter trees and snow to complete their seasonal paintings. Each student created their own unique piece of artwork that they were proud of. It was so exciting to see how each person’s own interpretation and style was portrayed throughout the different details, colors and styles within each individual painting.”

Meanwhile, Rye Neck High School junior class officers and their adviser, Linette Milo, helped the students with their supplies and the overall organization of the event. Volunteers included freshmen Khaleema Bogan and Jake Diamond, and juniors Sonia Finkenberg, Grace Kujawski, Robert Miller, Lucas Pasquina, Juliana Silva, Maxwell Thurer and Lucas Vienne. 

“The students had a lot of fun while working and were very attentive to details and the techniques being presented to them,” said art teacher Trisha Appel, who, along with fellow teachers Jennifer Dallow and Karen Fontecchio, answered students’ questions about different art techniques. “You could see how proud they were of their paintings while they were working and at the end when they finished.” 

At the end of the night, event organizers raffled off prizes, which included a small canvas and paints for students to continue to paint at home. 

“The students were smiling, laughing and helping each other,” Appel said. “It was nice to see such a large group of students having fun, being creative and finding inspiration from each other’s work.” 

The art department’s Paint Night raised money for the high school junior class. The fundraiser is held twice a year to benefit students as they raise money for their respective classes.