Current News

Nine sophomores, juniors and seniors who are members of the Rye Neck High School Model United Nations Club recently assumed the roles of UN ambassadors to debate a variety of current issues. They participated in the BrewMUNC Model UN Conference, held at Brewster High School on Nov. 10, and the BardMUNC Model UN Conference, held at Bard College on Nov. 17.  

The student-delegates researched and prepared position papers for their assigned country or political person prior to attending the event. While at the conference, they discussed the compelling issues in their committee through the lens of their country, drafted resolutions and successfully collaborated with others to develop mutual understanding and strategies to resolve complex problems. 

“All of these activities required good debating and speaking skills,” said Thomas Graziano, a teacher and the club’s adviser. “Our students worked hard to make agreements and resolutions with representatives from countries who may be polar opposites. In participating in these conferences, our students demonstrated a desire and ability to work with others in a polarized world.”

For their outstanding performances in their respective committees at the BrewMUNC Model UN Conference, seniors Jose Latorre and Sandy Zhang received special commendations, while Maggie Victory received the Best Position Paper award, and Risa Liebmann and Guillermo Pons earned Outstanding Delegate awards. 

At the BardMUNC Model UN Conference, senior Dasha Boswell and sophomore Noah Thurer won Outstanding Delegate in their joint Social, Cultural and Humanitarian Committee (SOCHUM) General Assembly committee. Senior Risa Liebmann won Outstanding Delegate in the Nixon-Vietnam Committee, sophomore Ruby Liebmann won Outstanding Delegate in the Congress of Vienna Historical Committee and junior Anna Boswell won Outstanding Delegate in the Venezuela Crisis Committee.

Graziano said members of the Rye Neck High School Model United Nations Club possess exceptional writing and speaking skills and share an interest in politics and history. 

“The students who win the awards have a much better view of how current events and history interconnect,” he said. “Together, the desires to learn and be openminded are the most important aspects one can have for high achievement in a Model UN conference.” 

Over the course of several weeks, Rye Neck High School seniors worked to create public service announcements and raise awareness about a variety of issues. As part of an interdisciplinary project in Melinda Merkel’s and Karen Parisi’s classes, the students researched their chosen topics and learned how to become active participants in their community. 

“They thought about an issue that they cared about and wanted to see change in our school, community or world,” Merkel said. “Their topics could include a human rights issue, environmental concern, teen issue, medical advancement or any social issue that they felt passionate about.” 

Students chose to focus on a variety of topics, including organ donation, texting and driving, anti-Juul, gaming disorders, hunger, opioid crisis, DACA, cybersecurity and more. Having completed extensive research on their chosen topic, each student drafted an essay that explored the causes, effects and solutions to the issue. Then, they created a full-color poster and a 30-second video commercial for their advertising campaigns. 

“The variety of interests and the depth of investigation made each day of watching films an adventure,” Parisi said. 

Merkel said that despite the challenging assignment, the students mastered their topics and demonstrated their skills as filmmakers. 

“It was a good way to learn and establish our independence as thinkers, and it got a message out,” senior Magdalena Zarate-Rangel said. 

Watch Nina Sullivan's PSA on the effects of balloons on sea life, here. 

Rye Neck High School freshmen – who have been studying about the different world religions in their Global History classes – recently worked together to design their own board games as a way to expand their knowledge. 

The innovative project, which spanned a couple of weeks in Robert Brevetti’s, Andrea Katz’s and Marcella Scalise’s classes, allowed the students to be creative, think critically and collaborate with their classmates. The process began with the ninth-graders completing several activities to compare and contrast the ideas behind the major world religions that influenced the world. Then, drawing inspiration from their favorite board games, they created new rules and incorporated elements of one of the major world religions into their projects, decorated their game boards and created tokens or game pieces.

“They worked hard to use the main ideas and beliefs of their religion to make a fun and interesting board game,” Scalise said.

One group collaborated on reinventing Candyland by incorporating facts about the different Christian beliefs. Other student-created games included Buddhism Candyland, Buddhism Trouble, Christianity Monopoly, Christianity Trouble, Hinduism Candyland, Hinduism Chutes and Ladders, Hinduism Game of Life, Hinduism Sorry, Judaism Chutes and Ladders and Life of a Christian.

Freshman Danielle Lindo said creating a board game with her friends allowed her to learn new facts about the different religions. Cora Radulovic, a freshman, said she enjoyed the creative aspect of the project, which allowed her and her classmates to express their ideas and apply their knowledge in a fun way. 

“I’m hoping our students now have a better understanding of the religion they did their projects on and how important these world religions are still today,” Scalise said. “The board games project was an interactive way for them to review the major ideas and beliefs of the world religions.” 

Scalise said the students will play their board games in class as a way to prepare for their midterm and final exams.

Rye Neck High School students Audrey Elise Young and Sandy Zhang have each earned a scholarship from the Organization of Chinese Americans’ Westchester and Hudson Valley chapter. 

Young received the Jean Wood Chang Award, which is given to a student who has displayed strong academic and extracurricular achievements. Zhang received the Avon Xiaochun Luo Award, which recognizes a student who has demonstrated significant achievements in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). 

The mission of OCA-WHV, which was established in 1980 by Frances Chu, is to promote and protect the social, political and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans in the local community.

For more information on the awards, visit www.oca-whv.org/ya. 

Charlotte Murphy, a senior at Rye Neck High School, has earned special recognition for her accomplishments in the Italian language. During an awards ceremony at the Westchester County Board of Legislators headquarters in White Plains on Oct. 1, she received a merit certificate and scholarship for her excellence in and appreciation of the Italian language.  

Murphy, a student in Rosina Martinelli’s Advanced Placement Italian language class, was presented with the award by County Legislator Catherine Parker. 

“The world language department of Rye Neck is extremely proud of this outstanding accomplishment and recognition of Charlotte Murphy, as October is Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month,” Martinelli said.

Kindergarten through 12th-grade students across the Rye Neck Schools participated in a variety of activities and engaged in meaningful conversations about cyberbullying, online communication, internet community and respect during Digital Citizenship Week from Oct. 15-19.

Having implemented a districtwide digital literacy curriculum this year, teachers and administrators used the platform to jumpstart their lessons and empower their students as the next generation of responsible digital citizens. In partnership with Common Sense Education, an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to helping children thrive in a world of media and technology, the lessons focused on the power of positive words. 

“As a Google Reference District, we have chosen to incorporate technology into our classes and with that comes the responsibility to teach our students how to use it responsibly, as well,” Instructional Technology Coordinator Mary Lanza said. “We chose to focus on the power of positive words because the basis of our participation online, regardless of age, should revolve around respect and compassionate communication. What it takes to be a good citizen in real life are the same skills needed to be a good citizen online.” 

At Daniel Warren Elementary School, Principal Tara Goldberg introduced the idea of an internet community to all students during her morning announcement on Oct. 15. Throughout the week, librarian and media teacher Leigh Ann Kowalchick-Porphy and teacher Dara Goodman continued the conversation with students during their library and computer classes. Kindergartners and first-graders discussed what an internet community is and how we connect with people online, while second-graders discussed cyberbullying and how to be kind online. 

“Having these conversations now is sort of laying the foundation, the building blocks of what we want them to think and understand in the future,” Goldberg said. “We’re embedding the idea of being kind, thoughtful and intentional with what they’re putting out there, via texting or emails. They still want to be a good person and be kind.”

At F.E. Bellows Elementary School, all lessons connected to the schools’ theme of being a superhero as the students discussed the impact of positive words and what it means to be a good digital citizen. In addition, fourth-graders drew comic strips to illustrate how to stand up for someone who is being cyberbullied. 

At the middle school, students participated in mixed grade-level conversations with their English teachers and guidance counselors about being an upstander online. They linked their discussions to their summer reading book, “Bystander” by James Preller. Meanwhile, at the high school, freshmen and sophomores discussed the effect of their comments and relationships online, while juniors and seniors reflected on how online behavior can affect relationships and reputations. 

Lanza said the conversations during Digital Citizenship Week served as a great opportunity to encourage positive online behaviors.

“We believe this is a responsibility that falls on our entire community,” said Lanza, who added that parents received family resources to support what was being taught in the classroom, so they can continue the conversations at home. “How often do students in our high school discuss the same topic as children in Daniel Warren? We loved the idea of this being a conversation an entire family could have at home.”

For more information, visit www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship. 

The murder mystery-comedy “Clue” – adopted from a board game to a movie in 1985, and now into a play – will come to life on stage at the Rye Neck High School Performing Arts Center from Oct. 26-27. Having acquired the rights to it, Rye Neck will be the first high school in the country to perform the play. 

“The show features a wonderful cast and crew of Rye Neck students,” theater director Scott Harris said. “It’s a wonderful exercise for the students to hone both their comedic timing and their ability to convey mood and fear. We have a lot of new actors in the cast this year, so they’re getting a crash course in handling this kind of challenging, fun material.”

In “Clue,” which is based on the screenplay by Jonathan Lynn, a group of strangers has been summoned to a mysterious mansion where a certain Mr. Boddy is threatening to reveal their darkest secrets. But when Mr. Boddy ends up dead, the race is on to figure out who killed him, in which room and with what weapon. 

“This hilarious murder mystery-comedy will leave you guessing and laughing all along,” said Harris, who grew up as a huge fan of the original film and admittedly could recite much of the dialogue by heart. “When I became a theater teacher, I always thought ‘Clue’ would make a great play, but there wasn’t an adaptation of the film available. I was patient, and eventually they got around to creating it [last year]. I jumped on it the second it was announced, and I am proud to be presenting the nationwide high school premiere of this new stage adaptation of one of my favorite movies.” 

Rye Neck’s production features a beautiful mansion set and a great crew of students, who have been diligently working on the costumes, artwork, hair and makeup. Head of costumes is senior Olivia Allison, while senior Risa Liebmann is stage manager. Sophomore Ethan Chin, one of the assistant stage managers, has been instrumental in working the stage lighting and sound. 

“These shows exist because of the passion and interest of students who give up hours and hours of their free time to work on this huge project,” Harris said. “I love doing it because it gives so many students a chance to be part of a project where their own particular talents can take root and blossom.”

Performances are on Friday, Oct. 26 and Saturday, Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m. in the Rye Neck High School Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and children. They will be available at the door on a first-come, first-serve basis. 

For more information and a list of the cast, visit www.tinyurl.com/RNClue

Seven Rye Neck High School seniors were recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation as Commended Students in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program. It’s an honor given annually to outstanding students who achieve exceptional scores on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. 

Curtis Alter, Joseph Catanzariti, Doris Igrec, Ema Jovanovic, Grace O'Rourke, Margaret Vicotry and Rafael Zyngier, who received the National Letter of Commendation award, are among 34,000 students throughout the nation to be recognized for their exceptional academic achievements. They placed among the top 50,000 scorers of more than 1.6 million students nationwide who took the qualifying test in 2017. 

Congratulations to the students on being recognized for demonstrating outstanding potential for academic success.