Rye Neck High School students – who have been learning about oxidation reduction reactions in Kelly Cappa’s Chemistry of Art class – recently worked in groups to etch images on copper metal to bring their studies to life. 

As part of the science experiment, the students used a black and white picture that was printed on a press-n-peel paper and transferred the image onto a square sheet of copper. Then, they hooked up the copper to electrodes, placed it into a sodium chloride solution and turned on the electricity to begin the etching process. 

“Etching is an example of an oxidation reduction reaction,” Cappa said. “The copper being etched is oxidized by a saltwater solution. Oxidation is often seen through rusting, but it is found in so many more places. This project gave my students a hands-on experience with one of the processes used.”

Two students from Rye Neck Middle School and three students from Rye Neck High School were recently honored for their accomplishments in and dedication to the Italian language and culture. 

Seventh grader Abigail Weidemann, eighth grader Tyler Sergio, sophomore Emelin Echeverria, junior Matteo Renda and senior Giulianna Miceli were recognized during an awards ceremony on Oct. 21. Accompanied by their Italian teachers, Davide Bianco and Rosina Martinelli, they were among students from throughout the county to receive the recognition. 

“The world language department at Rye Neck is extremely proud of all of the hard work and dedication that these students put into the Italian language and culture,” Martinelli said. “We are very fortunate that we are able to celebrate these students and their accomplishments.” 

In addition, Miceli was among 20 students who received a scholarship during the awards ceremony. She was chosen to receive the scholarship for her outstanding achievement and excellence in the Italian language and culture. 

The awards were given by the Westchester Coalition of Italian American Organizations to outstanding students who study the Italian language in Westchester County.

Featuring a group of talented cast and crew members, Rye Neck High School will present “Time and the Conways” as its fall drama production on Oct. 24 and 25 at the Rye Neck High School Performing Arts Center. 

“Our cast and crew members are tireless and devoted,” theater director Scott Harris said. “They create the entire production and give up countless hours to make it all happen. There are many freshmen and sophomores working on this year’s show; it’s been a real pleasure to see all these new students step up and take the place of last year’s departing seniors. They all worked together with our returning upperclassmen and created a beautiful, moving piece of theater.”
 
“Time and the Conways,” a British drama by playwright J.B. Priestley, was first staged on Broadway in 1938 and then not again until a celebrated Broadway revival two years ago by the Roundabout Theatre Company. It is a time-traveling story of the prosperous Conway family, full of optimism and excitement after WWI ends in 1919 England. 

“But almost 20 years later in 1938, everything has gone wrong,” said Harris, who described the show as a gripping and emotional drama. “Kay, one of the sisters, starts to feel that time has worked against the family, and wishes she could go back and change things. In the last act of the play, she wakes up in 1919 with the strange sense that she can make a difference.” 

Performances are on Thursday, Oct. 24 and Friday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. at 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, general admission.

Rye Neck High School senior Giulianna Miceli 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. 7, she was recognized for her excellence in and appreciation of the Italian language.  

Miceli, a student in Rosina Martinelli’s Advanced Placement Italian language class, was among 17 students to receive the award. 

“The world language department of Rye Neck is extremely proud of this outstanding accomplishment and recognition of Giulianna Miceli as October is Italian Heritage Month,” Martinelli said.

Members of Rye Neck High School’s Mind Your Mind Club are sending simple, yet powerful messages to their peers thanks to Post-it notes they left throughout the building. Ranging from “You Are Enough” to “Kindness Changes Everything,” “Love Yourself” and “Be Brave,” the messages were designed to spread positivity. 

“We know that school days can sometimes be stressful due to academic or social reasons,” said Nicole Crispinelli, school psychologist and adviser of the club. “Our hope is that a small and thoughtful positive message may serve as a reminder to someone to take a deep breath, remember that feelings are temporary, and that they are supported at school by friends and staff. We all could benefit from viewing these positive messages in the hallway as we are walking around the building.” 

With assistance from Crispinelli and Principal Tina Wilson, members of the Mind Your Mind Club placed the Post-it notes in the shape of a heart on a wall outside the dining hall, as well as in the girls bathrooms around the building. 

Lilly Morningstar, a junior and president of the Mind Your Mind Club, said that while the messages are simple and short, they resonate with her peers and can make a big difference in spreading positivity. 

Throughout the school year, Mind Your Mind Club members raise funds for different mental health organizations and practice different mindfulness techniques, including breathing exercises and yoga, to help them relax and calm down. In addition, in honor of World Mental Health Day, they have been raising awareness about mental health and advocating against social stigma. 

Dozens of Rye Neck High School students were recognized for their achievements when they were inducted into the National Honor Society on Sept. 23 and World Language Honor Society on Oct. 2. 

Forty-nine seniors – who have achieved cumulative weighted averages of 90% or better and demonstrated a commitment to the accompanying attributes to which the National Honor Society subscribes, such as character, service and leadership – were inducted as members of the National Honor Society during a ceremony on Sept. 23. 

Before the students took their membership pledge, they heard welcoming remarks from their adviser Kara Slattery, as well as from NHS president Grace Kujawski and vice president Anthony Sterbens, while this year’s officers, secretary Jonathan Marcuse and treasurer Maxwell Thurer, participated in a candlelighting ceremony.

“The students will provide service to our school community throughout the school year by providing in-school tutoring and mentoring for fellow Rye Neck students,” Slattery said. 

The 2019 National Honor Society inductees are seniors Atika Alradi, Ryan Boron, Anna Boswell, Emma Bucknavage, Gianna Calcagni, Justin Cantu, Adesuwa Carlton, Emilie Cohen, Tiana Colon, Sean Diamond, Kaitlyn Dorfman, Evan Dunne, Lisa Engelen, Kristina Esposito, Matias Fernandez, Sara Ferreira, Sonia Finkenberg, Adam Galluccio, Ronan Heaton, Kayla Hollmann, Kota Hyuga, Hideo Ishihara, Grace Kujawski. Heonjae Lee, Nathan Lesser, Jonathan Marcuse, Luke Masciopinto, Giulianna Miceli, Michael Miller, Elaine Musa, Colin Nashelsky, Alessandro Orjuela, Lucas Pasquina, Sarah Paumier, Matthew Quartararo, Owen Robertson, Anna Romani, Harry Rosas, Jonathan Shin, Juliana Silva, Julianna Spencer, Anthony Sterbens, Maxwell Thurer, Kyle Treacy, Lucas Vienne, Grace West, Timothy Wice, Max Zangiacomi and Yu Zushiden.

The 2019 Junior National Honor Society inductees are juniors Cara Allen, Jeremy Allen, Olivia Andreoli, Juliana Apoldo, Madeline Bayha, Jesse Ben-Meir, John Bianchini, Sarah Bigaouette, Aaron Caplan, Kimberly Carlton, Michael Cohen, Corinne Collado, Clarke Cooper, Freya Crook, Bloeme Daly, Julia DeLitta, Harrison Du, Lucy Friedman, Maura Gabriele, Sophia Gennusa, Natalie Goldberg, Kayla Gorin, Vincenzo Griffo, Alexa Guedez Ramirez, Kaci Harris, Erik Hennenfent, Jackson Hillyer, Julia Hodys, Sarah Klur, Elizabeth Lagani, Thomas Lavelle, Zachary Leontiou, Ruby Liebmann, Ava Meier, Matthew Melegrito, Mallory Michaels, Gabriel Miller, Lily Morningstar, Anna Murphy, Madeline Murray, Simon O’Rourke, Sofia Palacios Ferrer, Luke Park, Lillian Radcliffe, Matteo Renda, Andrew Ricci, Michael Rivituso, Joshua Rubin, Alexander Saltus, Maximillian Saltus, Stefanie Santoli, Elona Sebbane, Madeline Shaw, Sydney Simon, Dylan Spencer, Daniel Super, Angel Tapia, Noah Thurer, Eulalia Tisnovsky, Ariana Victor, Kathleen Victory and Naomi Young. 

Twenty-one high-performing students – who successfully met all of the requirements and competencies of the Level IV High School Link Course and were enrolled in an Advanced Placement course for the language – were inducted into the World Language Honor Society during a ceremony on Oct. 2. 

“We are all proud of their hard work and devotion over their many years of language learning,” adviser Davide Bianco said. 

The 2019 World Language Honor Society inductees are Sarah Bigaouette, Anna Boswell, Kristina Esposito, Eliott Nevejans and Alessandro Orjuela for French; Evan Dunne, Giulianna Miceli, Elaine Musa, Matthew Quartararo, Carlos Rodriguez, Anna Romani, Natalia Ruscitto and Anthony Sterbens for Italian; and Adesuwa Carlton, Kaitlyn Dorfman, Lisa Engelen, Sara Ferreira, Cynthia Lanuza, Lucas Pasquina, Harry Rosas and Juliana Silva for Spanish.

Rye Neck High School seniors Ryan Boron, Sean Diamond, Heonjae Lee and Lucas Pasquina were recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation as Commended Students in the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program. 

They are among 34,000 students nationwide to be recognized for achieving exceptional scores on the 2018 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. They placed among the top 50,000 scorers of more than 1.5 million students nationwide who took the qualifying test.

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