A Blind Brook High School Student Publication
Issue #4 May 2022
BBHS New Schedule: Does it benefit the students?
By Sydney Anmuth ween classes. Yet, three minutes proved difficult once students went back to a typical school day following the hybrid schedule in 2020-2021. BBHS transitioned to a five minute passing time in November 2021 to eliminate the stress on the students while transitioning between classes and prevent the likelihood of tardies. With one marking period left in the school year, the students have proven more than comfortable with the five minutes and therefore, one of the revisions for the 2022-2023 school year consists of a four-minute passing time for students to navigate through the hallways. The spare time will be added to lunch, allowing more time for academic assistance. Furthermore, the way in which the classes rotate will shift dramatically. Rather than rotating eight periods throughout the day for the eight day letter day schedule, the newly proposed plan includes an AM rotation (periods one through four) and a PM rotation (periods five
through eight). As per Dr. Chirles, the new schedule will better accommodate teachers who have classes in both the middle and high schools. Dr. Chirles emphasized that the benefits of the new schedule plan are many. These include enabling parttime staff to adjust to assigned positions on short notice, as well as allowing for students to participate in programs run by the Board of Cooperative Educational Services without having to miss class in the current eight-day schedule rotation. A significant bonus is that half-credit courses will meet more consistently within the eight day schedule, allowing for the material to remain fresh in the students’ minds. Technical Education Programs that will be offered as a part of the proposed schedule include sound production, emergency medical services, animal service, automotive technology, culinary arts, cosmetology, and TV/Video Production. Principal Dr. Chirles expressed, “being able to partner with BOCES allows us to partner with career or
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Viewpoints
News
The latest in Blind Brook News.
Opinions on when school should start and a note from our Editor-in-Chief!
Dr. Chirles has recently proposed a new block schedule plan for BBHS for the 2022-2023 school year. Dr. Chirles emphasized that, while the overall changes to the schedule are subtle and may appear to be minor, they are actually meticulously designed to improve the learning experience for the students, eliminate stress at the student and faculty levels, and create a smoother rotation within BBHS all around. Administrators conferred with faculty members to review surveys completed by students and teachers regarding the current bell schedule. The feedback that the administration received created the impetus to revise the latest BBHS bell schedule. Consequently, Dr. Chirles has modified the existing plan to shorten the passing time in between classes by one minute, while also adjusting the manner in which the classes rotate on the eight day schedule. Initially, Blind Brook students had a three-minute passing time bet-
Inside Focus...
educational programs, that students may want to pursue or may be passionate about.” Students who immerse themselves in BOCES programs will be equipped with the proper tools for career opportunities they would like to hone in on before graduating high school. Integrating students into the BOCES program will offer new opportunities and strengthen the Blind Brook curriculum. Blind Brook High School’s Student Congress Representatives surveyed their peers about the proposed new schedule and the most common concerns were: how lab periods will rotate, getting extra help for an exam if the testing period is always in the morning, and the possibility of consistently having more challenging classes in the morning when students are tired. As per Congress, these concerns have not been adequately addressed, and the students hope that they are prior to the start of the next school year. The newly proposed Bell Schedule and Letter Day plans can be accessed on the Blind Brook FOCUS website.
Features..........................................1 Recent Rye Brook update about the Viewpoints.....................................2 Health and Science........................5 new mayor! Arts & Entertainment......................5 Politics........................................6 News...............................................6 Sports..............................................7
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Features
Blind Brook’s Tech Future Starts with Charles Von Hollen
By Sofia Padilla
Charles Von Hollen, Blind Brook’s Director of Technology, recently won a renowned technology award. Von Hollen won the award for Outstanding Innovative Leader at the LHRIC’s TELL award ceremony. LHRIC is the Lower Hudson Valley Information Center which works with school districts across Westchester County to achieve their technological goals. Von Hollen once worked solely in the Blind Brook High School, but was soon able to expand his job, as he says, to working on, “anything with a battery.” He now oversees all of Blind Brook’s technology and works to enhance the classroom experience through technology advancements and opportunities for students. The award recognizes his leadership in
By Ben Mesafi
incorporating technology as a teacher. It shines a light on how he has been able to embrace technology. Von Hollen was actually nominated three times by his peers who have helped promote technology for Blind Brook alongside him. The Outstanding Innovative Leader award also represents how the Blind Brook school community has utilized technology to improve learning. Von Hollen says that his Blind Brook colleagues played a large role in his winning this award, “There are great teachers here who have taken a lot of risks and incorporated more technology into what they’re doing.” The Blind Brook team worked with Von Hollen, which allowed him to win this award. Achieving this accolade has
definitely changed the morale for the Blind Brook technology staff. Von Hollen expressed that he is extremely thankful for the award considering that with all of the passionate leaders of technology in other districts in
Westchester he was selected. When asked what the award means to him, Von Hollen responded, “It continues to provide motivation.” He now strives to do bigger and better things for Blind Brook’s technology.
Photo Courtesy of Blind Brook High School
FAC’s
To conclude their “Food Truck Project,” before moving on to a different elective for the second semester, the 8th graders taking Family and Consumer Sciences with Mrs. Bhanti were asked to create their own food truck. The truck was meant to be a student’s dream food business. In the trucks, students were asked to provide many different items that would resemble a traditional food business, like a menu, prices, nutritional information, and their inspiration for starting a business. “It taught students real life skills and to be business savvy,” Mrs. Bhanti said, “It helped to teach the students how to be an entrepreneur, and how that experience would make them feel.” And this goal was achieved: interviewed 8th graders agreed with Mrs. Bhanti, and believed the project was a great, realis-
tic concept regarding how the entrepreneurial process will go, and the different things students had to consider to be a successful entrepreneur. The project consisted of two presentation modes: a slide presentation, and a storyboard. Now displayed in the BBMS/HS library, these storyboards consisted of drawings, menus, reviews, and business cards that were made by the students. Mrs. Bhanti also had students throughout the presentation think about certain things that led them to act like real entrepreneurs. After the slides were presented, some students were asked to justify their prices, and explain how their business can be successful. Each group got the opportunity to present their slides, with their inspiration for creating the business, which was meant as a way to “market” and promote their
Photo Courtesy of Ben Mesafi
business idea. Most groups also created a commercial, which was a video, about a minute long, that included group members discussing their products. Many of them also had eighth-grade teachers promote the product. The motivations for the projects were exactly how Mrs. Bhanti envisioned them to be: fun, creative, and personal. Some groups decided to bring their inspiration to their family roots, as a way to share their cultural food with the rest of the class, while some groups wanted to provide a place to cheer people up, and make sure that everyone was enjoying their time at the restaurant. Students were able to
pick one item off of their menu to “sample” for the class. Unfortunately due to time constraints, the students were not able to cook their food, but instead Mrs. Bhanti brought in one menu item of the student’s choice for the entire class to try. The “Food Truck Project” was a great success for students, who were given the opportunity to show off their creativity with their food business ideas, and learn very important modern-day skills as they move onto high school. They learned how to formulate their ideas into a business, and understood the factors that most affected how they could market their products, and how to appeal to customers. 2
Viewpoints
By Josh Rosenblut I want to congratulate Dr. Colin Byrne on his appointment as the new Superintendent of the Blind Brook School District. There have been 3 different superintendents during my four years at BBHS, one in particular has stuck out to me as a huge supporter of the student body, Dr. Byrne. At every Board of Education meeting he takes the time to announce and recognize any students, K-12, who have had an individual or
From Our Editor: group achievement. More per sonally, this year, after each issue of FOCUS was published, Dr. Byrne has helped us reach the greater Blind Brook School District by making sure the issue is circulated throughout the district. I respect and appreciate that Dr. Byrne takes his time out of his busy day to demonstrate his support of the school paper. I have interacted with Dr. Byrne throughout my time as a Blind Brook student, and in all of his vari-
Photo Courtesy of File Photo/Journal News
ous roles, he has always beenfriendly and personable, and seems genuinely interested in what the students are doing. I am confident that in his new role Dr. Byrne will continue to support extracurricular activities such as FOCUS, as I think he believes, as do I, that fostering and promoting extracurricular opportunities is one important way in which Blind Brook maintains its standing as a top public school in New York state. I am glad to see that after being with the district for over a decade Dr. Byrne’s abilities and commitment to the students of Blind Brook have been recognized by the Board of Education with this well-deserved promotion, and I wish him much success in this new role . With regard to the Board of Education, there is a contested election for two board seats scheduled for May 17. Prior to
election day, FOCUS will be publishing a special edition featuring interviews with each of the candidates. This will be a great opportunity to learn about the vision of these candidates, their backgrounds, and their awareness of issues relevant to Blind Brook High School students. Make sure to follow FOCUS on social media to be notified as soon as this special issue is published.
students who receive a full 8 hours of sleep are more attentive, have a better memory, and their physical and mental health are both significantly improved. With the full and rigorous schedules kids have, most of the time starting homework and studying gets put off until later in the day. This causes students to stay up late finishing their school work, and not being able to get the necessary amount of sleep they need to properly learn in classes and interact with others. A later start time would mean better focus in class and less stress for students with many responsibilities. From my personal experience of struggling to get up every morning for school, I can tell you how much better it feels to have time to relax and wake up in the morning. I always feel like I perform better in
school and feel more energized on days where there is a later start time or if I got a lot of sleep the night before. Picture this: you stay up studying all night for a math test you have the next day, but only get six hours of sleep. You know everything you need to know for the test, but now you are tired and have a harder time focusing on the details. What is the point of studying so much if the early school start time will affect your performance anyway? As you can see, it is very important that students are able to study and get the most amount of sleep they need to be motivated to perform their best in school. I believe that a later start time would benefit students in a positive way and will have a large effect on both students’ health as well as the way students learn and view the school experience.
Should School Start at a Later Time?
By Abby Meron & Emily Tian
Abby Meron
A common issue talked about among high school students, their parents, faculty, and school district administra-
Photo Courtesy of Nick Laterza
tors is what time school should start. It is evident that there are many benefits to school starting later. Studies depict that
Josh Rosenblut Editor-in-Chief
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Viewpoints
Should School Start at a Later Time? Emily Tian
With most US high schools starting at 8 am, students tend to have a hard time waking up in the morning. This has led many students to advocate for later start times, however, they fail to recognize the negative impacts that it could bring to the school system and a student’s entire environment. Although a later start time seems more appealing to many students, it actually creates a variety of burdensome conflicts. One big concern about changing start times would be the difficulty it would create for a parent’s work schedule. With school starting early in the morning, it gives parents a chance to drive their kids to school or see them off on the bus. This is even more important with younger children, as they need adult supervision in order to prepare for school. While this change in time may be easy for some families to adjust to, other parents who have stricter schedules would not have the luxury of delaying the start of their workday. ult, many students would still have to wake up earli-
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er in order to be dropped off by their parents. Another concern about these later start times would be their effect on a student’s sports and extracurricular schedules. Students who participate in after-school activities would have to push these times to later in the day, making it even more difficult to complete their school assignments. Particularly since extracurriculars play such an important role in students’ lives today, it is crucial that a student learns to participate and interact in these activities. Many students in our school even stated that they “normally don’t get home until 9 or 10” making it really hard to complete all their schoolwork afterward. Now you can imagine what this would be like if the school day was pushed back another hour! Students would barely have enough time to do any of their school work let alone have any free time. Not only does this create a habit of staying up late, but ultimately would lead to more stress for students who already struggle with managing their time.
Photo Courtesy of Anuj Shrestha/NBC News
Our school would also be affected in many ways, including our bus transportation system. Many schools including Blind Brook would have to hire more bus drivers and purchase more school buses. This is because many schools use the same buses to pick up their elementary, middle, and high school students. However, with start times changing, it would disorganize the school bus system, thus requiring more buses and drivers. This would result in school districts spending more money on transportation, taking away money that could be used for more important school activities. This spending can make a significant difference in the
long run. Without the money that a school needs, activities such as clubs, sports, and field trips wouldn’t be able to run. Loss of funding would seriously affect many students’ lives, as they will start missing important educational experiences. As this topic continues to be debated, it is important to consider the interests of not just the students, but of their environment as well. It is important to recognize the long-term effects of changing our start times and how difficult it would be to successfully implement this major change. Moving the start of school back is not worth the disastrous effects it could have on students, and their parents’ lives.
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Health & Science Wellness Week
By Hailey Mallah Throughout the week of March 21, Blind Brook High School hosted their fifth annual Wellness Week. Prior to 2017, Blind Brook had a Wellness Day, however this was expanded into Wellness Week by Student Assistance Counselor, Monique Tricarico. Throughout the week, students and teachers participated in informative and exciting activities that helped everyone cope with stress, and improve their overall wellness. Ms. Tricarico works with the BBHS SADD club to organize and execute the week of activities. Members of SADD have the opportunity to come up with activities, and run the tables, managing them throughout the week. This allows Blind Brook students to interact with their peers, rather than adults, when learning about wellness. This year was the first time that a full week of activ
ities has been carried out in both the middle school and high school. Unfortunately due to COVID, last year students only had activities during the days their cohort met in person. The SADD Club, along with the rest of the high school, was extremely excited that this week could be carried out normally this year. The timing of this event could not have been more perfect, because Blind Brook needed something to split up the monotony of March. The week’s events encompassed a wide variety of activities, including ways to cope with stress, and things that simply bring joy to people’s days. Monday started out with an activity called “Kick Your Stress to the Herb”! Students and faculty were able to plant different types of calming herbs, such as lavender and chamomile. We were also visited by
an adorable therapy dog which put a smile on everyone’s face! Tuesday continued with a “Complement Door”, where encouraging and kind messages were written on “post its”, and placed in doorways to spread positivity. Wednesday was welcomed with another visit from the therapy dogs, along with essential oils, tea, and clay to destress. Thursday, a sweet treat was the item of the day! Students enjoyed tasty ice pops throughout the lunch block. The week was closed off on Friday with one
last visit from the therapy dogs, and a fun beading activity. The overall goal of the week was to, as Ms. Tricarico stated, “not only give students something fun to do in school, but also to give ideas of things students can do outside of school to reduce stress.” There are many ways we can destress, and spread positivity, and BBHS Wellness Week taught students a few. This wonderful event gets students involved in actively bettering themselves, and the community around them.
Photo Courtesy of Hailey Mallah
Arts & Entertainment
By Anna Baker-Butler March was a memorable month for the Blind Brook High School musical theater program as the Blind Brook players retook the stage in the musical Footloose. After two school years without a live musical theater experience, members of the Blind Brook theater community were ecstatic to be back on stage together with live audiences. Corey Schiz, a junior who was cast as Willard, summed up a sentiment shared by many in the cast by explaining, “It was exhilarating and I was so happy to be back, especially after Les Mis in 2020. It felt good to finally sing and dance on stage.” Corey’s favorite part of being involved in the
Reopening Theater
musical was tech week, with its marathon rehearsal schedule, because “that is when you start to form relationships with new people, and the cast starts to become a family.” Performing in a Blind Brook musical is a commitment that extends over several months, during which time a group of disparate performers bond, push their boundaries, and hone their talents. An extra challenge was added to rehearsals for Footloose this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Masks needed to be worn at all times during rehearsals but, fortunately, mask mandates were lifted just in time for opening night. This year, Footloose rehears-
als started in January and the final performances were on March 10, 11, and 12th. When asked about the transition back to in-person rehearsals and being back on stage, Alyssa Artabane, who played the female lead Ariel, explains, “There were times when it was a struggle to get back on stage because it has been so long, but once I was in that spotlight everything fell into place. The people on
stage with me really helped me build my confidence and I felt like I found myself again.” On the last night of the show, after the final curtain fell, there was an emotional farewell to the seniors. Cast and crew members shared their gratitude to Ms. Colangelo, director of the Blind Brook theater program, for all of her dedication, and they tearfully said goodbye to their years on the Blind Brook stage.
Photo Courtesy of Madison Muoio
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Politics
History in the Making
By Zoey Possick The White House was in a frenzy this past March in preparation for a new member of the U.S. Supreme Court. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, nominated by President Biden, is set to replace Justice Stephen G. Breyer. And on April 7th, history was made as Jackson was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to become the first black woman justice on the Supreme Court. She will also uphold the three-member liberal minority in a court that is controlled by six conservative justices. When Judge Jackson’s Senate confirmation hearings began on March 2, Democrats praised Jackson’s career and nomination. Upon introducing herself, Jackson emphasized her judicial temperament, stating, “I decide cases from a neutral posture. I evaluate the facts, and I interpret and apply the law to the facts of the case before me, without fear or favor, consistent with my judicial oath.” Throughout the week, Jackson maintained herself and answered questions from both Democrats and Republicans,
despite the backlash she faced from many Republican Senators. While Jackson’s hearings caused upset among Republicans, Senators were able to agree on the momentous nature of her nomination. Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin of Illinois stated, “Not a single justice has been a Black woman. You, Judge Jackson, can be the first. It’s not easy being the first. Often you have to be the best. In some ways, the bravest. Many are not prepared to face that kind of heat, that kind of scrutiny, that ordeal and the glare of the national spotlight.” Before her nomination, Jackson worked as a federal public defender, helping detainees held at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. She has been confirmed three times by the Senate for two judgeships, as well as a spot on the U.S. Sentencing Commission. She served eight years on the Federal District Court in Washington as a trial judge before President Biden appointed her in June of 2021 to the U.S. Court of Appeals
Photo Courtesy of AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
for the District of Columbia Circuit. Her work prior to her nomination caused additional upheaval among Republicans, including Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who argued, “Part of the Democratic effort to abolish the police is nominating justices that consistently side with violent criminals, release violent criminals, refuse to enforce the law and that results in jeopardizing innocent citizens.” Based on our current intensely polarized political environment, it was evident that Jackson would not get the same bipartisan support as other Supreme Court firsts before her. The Senate voted on Jackson’s confirmation on April 7th. The final vote was 53-47 with all Democratic caucus mem-
News
bers, and three Republican Senators (Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah) voting in favor of Jackson’s confirmation. Now confirmed, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson will face an array of pressing issues, including the role race should play in drawing voting disctricts, the fate of affirmative action as it relates to higher education, and whether public businesses may discriminate against gay couples on religious grounds. Democrats believe she is an ideal choice for the Supreme Court, agreeing that she has the capacity to work with other justices to develop more consensus rulings. It won’t be long before the American public will see if these hopes bear out.
Who is Rye Brook’s New Mayor?
By Kunjal Kothari Jason Klein, the new mayor of Rye Brook, has recently started his term on Monday, April 4th. For the past 3 years, Mr. Klein has been serving as the Deputy Mayor and has also been a member of the Board of Trustees for the past 9 years. Born and raised in Rye Brook and a graduate of the Blind Brook School District, Mr. Klein knows a lot about our community. From his past positions, he has mastered the inner workings of
local government and learned effective decision-making skills. He is still continuing to immerse himself in Rye Brook policies and laws. A big inspiration for Mr. Klein is outgoing mayor Paul Rosenberg who has been a “tremendous asset in business for the village,” as Mr. Klein stated. While speaking with Mayor Klein, he told FOCUS, “We’re in the middle of our budget sessions and budget process currently. We obviously want to try and keep taxes
as low as possible for residents while still providing the same level of service that Rye Brook residents have come to expect.” Mr. Klein comes from an environmental background and is enthusiastic to create a greener Rye Brook. The village has already implemented a composting program and changed street lights to LEDs. The new Mayor is looking forward to working on stormwater legislation, a piece extremely crucial to the village
following the effects of Hurricane Ida. The Mayor also believes it is important to work together and create beneficial relations with areas with which we share borders. He has started to set up meetings with Rye Town Supervisor Gary Zuckerman, Fred Camillo, the First Selectman of Greenwich, and Luis Marino, the Mayor of Port Chester. He is extremely thrilled to be working with, and on behalf of, the residents of Rye Brook! 6
Sports
By Ben Messafi
Varsity Spring Sports: Rocky Starts, but Anticipation Ahead
As Spring began, the varsity teams at Blind Brook kicked off their seasons, with renewed expectations, and hoping to get a good start. Both the boys and girls lacrosse teams, the baseball team, and the softball team have already played a few games. The tennis and golf teams, along with the track team have had a few meets. The Spring sports season begins at the end of March, with their regular seasons finishing up around mid-May, before the start of the playoffs. In a season with all returning varsity players and renewed expectations after a rocky season last year, through 3 games, the baseball team was 1-2. After a great pitching performance by sophomore Andrew Rogovic, the Trojans defeated Putnam Valley by a score of 5-1 on April 4, after a pair of rough defeats against Bronxville and North Salem. After a week of no games due to rain delays, the Trojans prepared for a 2 game tournament at Port Chester High School on April 16. After making the play-
Photo Courtesy of Zack Taub
offs last year, the Varsity Boys Lacrosse team got out to a hot 2-0 start, with wins over Edgemont and Ardsley. In the game against Edgemont, sophomore Michael Berman led the team with 5 goals in a 15-13 victory, and against Ardsley, junior Ethan Taerstein led the Trojans with 5 goals and 2 assists. The Trojans resumed their season after the break with an away game against Hastings on Tuesday April 19, and a home game against Dobbs Ferry on Thursday April 21. Through the teams first 4 games, the softball team started out 1-3. After a dominant, 23-4 victory against the Leffell School on March 31, the Trojans are looking to bounce back after a loss to Hastings on April 5. After the spring break, the Trojans resumed their season with an away game on April 18 against Palisade Preparatory High School, followed by a home game on Wednesday April 20 against Briarcliff. The Varsity Girls Lacrosse team lost their first three games of the
Photo Courtesy of Madison Muoio
season and look to get back on track. One of these losses came from Eastchester by a score of 13-3 and another one came from Briarcliff by a score of 14-3. After the break, the Trojans played at Sleepy Hollow on Tuesday April 19, and at Keio Academy on Wednesday April 20. The Varsity Golf Team has gotten off to a hot start, winning their first 4 competitions. With the large contributions of captain Jonny Hamburger, junior Daniel Karetsky, and junior Jack Bachmann, the squad of 7 has gotten off to a 4-0 start. The Boys Tennis team, after a delayed start to their season due to rain, continued with 3 weeks full of matches after the break. In their only match of the season against Ardsley, the team won 2 out of the 7 matches, therefore losing the majority of the matches. After the break the team played home against Bronxville on April 19, away, against Byram H-
ills on April 20, and home against Hendrick Hudson on April 22. The Varsity track team competed in its second meet on Thursday April 21 at Port Chester High School. In their first meet, the team did relatively well, performing towards the top of the leaderboard in the mile run, shot put, 400M dash, and 100M dash. While the team did not receive their official times yet, a majority of the runners finished towards the top of their races. The team will host a meet against Dobbs Ferry on Tuesday April 26, and have their league meet on Tuesday May 3rd. All of the Trojans Varsity Squads enjoyed a spring homecoming on April 29 and 30, something that has not been done recently for the spring sports, only during the winter and fall. The teams anticipated that this event will help the teams gather fan support towards the back end of their seasons. 7