The New Rochelle High School Planetarium will present four sessions of the "Season of Light" planetarium show free for the community. In addition to the recorded program, high school Astronomy teacher Mr. Bruce Zeller will point out the highlights of the December sky, which include a Blue Moon on New Year's Eve, the Winter Solstice on December 21, the Geminid meteor showers on December 13 and 14, and the return of the bright stars of Winter. Doors open 15 minutes before the show. Once the show begins, there is no admittance. "Season of Light" will be shown Saturday, December 19 at 4:00 PM, and Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, December 21, 22, and 23, at 7:00 PM. The New Rochelle High School Planetarium entrance is located at the corner of Flandreau and Argyll Roads at the corner of McKenna Field. For more information call Bruce Zeller at the high school planetarium, 576-4589.
2009DECPlanetariumShow.pdf

The Classic fairy tale-ballet, "The Nutcracker" comes to life this season in a production by the Ajkun Ballet Theatre and student dancers in the PAVE (Performing and Visual Arts Education) program. Performances will be Friday, December 4 at 7:30 PM, and Saturday, December 5 at 2:00 PM, in the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Auditorium at New Rochelle High School. The ballet remains a fixture in the repertoire much as it was at its premier in December 1892. The story is retold each December about a young German girl who dreams of a Nutcracker Prince and a fierce battle against a Mouse King with seven heads. The traditional dances are heard including some of Tchaikovsky's most enchanted music: "The Russian Dance," "Waltz of the Flowers," and "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies." Begin the holiday season by attending a spirited performance from the Ajkun Ballet and the children of New Rochelle Public Schools. Tickets are $10, general admission. Tickets can be purchased at www.SmartTix.com, or call 212-868-4444 (mention New Rochelle Nutcracker).
2009 Dec Ajlun Nutcracker Ballet Print Flyer.pdf

The Museum of Arts & Culture (MAC) is recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month with an exhibit of documentary photographs by Mary Teresa Giancoli. "The Zocalo at Atlixco, Puebla" show at the MAC at New Rochelle High Schools runs from Sept. 22 through Oct. 30. Explains the artist "With this work, I pay tribute to the Mexicans and Hispanics who have left their hometowns to come to New Rochelle and throughout the United States to work and carve out a new life, and in doing so alter the cultural landscape in this country,” says Giancoli. Her work captures life in the zocalo, or square, at Atlixco, in the state of Puebla, her husband’s hometown. An artist reception at the MAC is set for Saturday, October 17 from 1 to 5 PM, during ArtsFest. The Museum of Arts and Culture at NRHS is open to the public weekdays from 9AM to 3PM, and Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7 to 9PM. For more details, visit www.dbmac.org.
2009_Oct_ZocalaPoster.pdf

The City School District of New Rochelle received the Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting from both the Association of School Business Officials and the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada, for its comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR) ending June 30, 2008. Superintendent of Schools Richard Organisciak presented certificate awards to District Treasurer Carol Amorello at the meeting of the Board of Education held September 8, 2009. The award is the highest recognition for school district financial operations offered by ASBO, and is conferred to school systems that have met or exceeded the standards of the program.

The City School District of New Rochelle is participating in a survey conducted by the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) related to BMI (body mass index), which estimates whether a person is in a healthy weight range. BMI, a calculation based on height and weight, is part of a routine physical examination used by health care practitioners. New York State is requesting BMI statistics of students in kindergarten and grades 2, 4, 7, and 10 to help health officials develop programs to promote the health of children and teens.

New Rochelle High School is selected to be a test center for the ACT, which will be administered June 13. The ACT is a curriculum-based, college admissions test similar to the SAT, and is part of the college admissions application. The ACT is comprised of multiple choice questions that cover four skill areas: English, mathematics, reading, and science. The ACT Plus Writing is another ACT assessment option that includes a 30-minute essay test measuring students’ writing skills. Students should take the Writing Test based on the requirements of the colleges they are applying to. The deadline for the ACT registration is May 8. For more information about the ACT or to register for the test, visit www.act.org.

A total of 128 students who attend New Rochelle High School recently received Advanced Placement Scholar awards. Two students received the top honor and were named National AP Award Scholars.
39 students were named AP Scholars with Distinction.
29 students are AP Scholars with Honor, and 58 New Rochelle High School students were named as AP Scholars.

Two New Rochelle High School athletes signed National Letters of Intent on National Signing Day on February 4. They were among high school athletes across the nation who officially accept scholarships and will play sports on the college level next year.

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago awarded a New Rochelle High School an Honors Scholarship which over the course of four years is valued at $44,000.

Paolo Corvino, an artist who has painted several Presidential portraits now housed in several Presidential Libraries, demonstrated his craft and made a painting with fourth and fifth grade students in Dr. Sandy Edmonds’ lunchtime Poster Club at the Daniel Webster Elementary School on the Friday before Inauguration Day. During the art class Paolo Corvino completed a painting, and guided students as they each added color strokes in acrylic to a group canvas, which he donated to the school. Mr. Corvino recently painted a portrait of President Barack Obama, which has been accepted by the White House, and will be shipped in February. In addition, Mr. Corvino (right), shown here with Webster School Principal Joseph Williams (left), donated a framed printed poster of the Presidential portrait to each public school in New Rochelle.

The Mamaroneck Artists' Guild hosted the annual "Young Artists on the Rise" exhibit from January 7 to 16, 2009 featuring the artworks of 107 students from New Rochelle and Mamaroneck High Schools. New Rochelle High School students received 11 out of 19 awards, as follows: Best in Show ceramic sculpture; Ceramics - First; Ceramic Sculpture - First; Photography & Graphics - First, Second, and Third; Mixed Media - First and Second; Painting - Third; Sculpture - First and Second. Participating New Rochelle High School Art teachers include Alexi Brock, Kerry Sharkey, Joanna Schomber, Scott Seaboldt, Michael Fry, Moira McCaul, AnnMarie Funigiello and Grace Fraioli.

Jonathan Atlas, a fifth-grade teacher at Trinity Elementary School, was selected to receive a $800 Target Field Trip grant from Target & Scholarship America to enrich science and technology learning among his and Michael Selvaggi's fifth grade students. These two classes will engage in hands-on activities to investigate how energy is transformed through the use of machines. They will also use the process of refining and extending scientific knowledge by comparing and contrasting different types of technological advancements. The grant will also provide for the group to participate in an April 29 exhibit at the Long Island Children's Museum called "Structure & Function."

Henry Barnard School was the third highest collector of plastic bags in all of Westchester County, turning in 11,875 of them last year. Principal Patricia Lambert is encouraging students, teachers and administrative staff to "make wise choices with regard to the health of our planet." Everyone at the school is encouraged to reduce waste and reuse or recycle what's left over, buy fresh, bulk foods and grains instead of packaged products, and say no to paper and plastic by taking environmentally-friendly canvas bags to the supermarket. Students were motivated to collect the bags after seeing the Veggie Van at their school. The retrofitted vehicle is owned by the county and runs on vegetable oil. It gets its fuel from the 10,000 gallons of vegetable oil generated at county-owned concessions such as Playland and the restaurant at Glen Island Park.

NRHS Principal Don Conetta announced earlier in January that 47 students who attend New Rochelle High School received early decision/ early action acceptances from 30 of the most competitive colleges and universities in the nation.

The New Rochelle High School Planetarium will present five sessions of the "Season of Light" planetarium show free for the community. In addition to the recorded program, high school Astronomy teacher Mr. Bruce Zeller will point out the bright and crisp winter stars and will explain by thin month’s full moon looks especially large and bright. He will simulate the Sun’s most Southern point called the Winter Solstice. Doors open 15 minutes before the show. Once the show begins, there is no admittance. "Season of Light" will be shown Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Monday December 16 to 22 at 7:30 PM, and Saturday, December 20 at 5 PM. The New Rochelle High School Planetarium entrance is located at the corner of Flandreau and Argyll Roads at the corner of McKenna Field. For more information call Bruce Zeller at the high school planetarium, 576-4589.