Summer 2020 Vol. 68 No. 4

Published by the Board of Education, Pleasantville Union Free School District, Pleasantville NY

Dear Community Members,Fall 2020 is right around the corner and, given the COVID-19 pandemic, I want to assure you that we are committed to a thoughtful, careful, and collaborative approach to school reopening. Four committees, comprised of over 150 administrators, instructional staff, members of the medical community, counselors, and parents have been meeting regularly, engaging in meaningful conversation, conducting research, analyzing successful models, identifying needs, brainstorming solutions, exchanging ideas, and formulating plans — all rooted in what is best for students. Critical to their mission is the need to address the ways in which the pandemic and the loss of in-person instruction this spring have impacted children as learners and individuals. Educating the whole child and creating a holistic approach to meeting the varied needs of each learner will remain at the forefront of our work.

On July 13, Governor Cuomo provided the state’s criteria for the reopening of schools: the region (we are in the Hudson Valley Region) must be in Phase 4 of the state’s economic reopening (it is) and its daily infection rate must remain at 5% or lower over a 14-day average. The state will announce its initial decision on each region during the first week of August. If a region’s rate of infection worsens prior to the first day of classes, that region’s schools will not be allowed to reopen.

By July 31, we must submit reopening plans that follow New York State Department of Health and Education Department guidelines that include social distancing; the use of face coverings; daily temperature checks of students, staff, and visitors; and an enhanced orientation or transition period before academic content begins. We have been developing plans based on the following

instructional models: 1) Full return of all students to school buildings

with social distancing when feasible and masks worn by students and staff.

2) Hybrid model(s) of in-person and remote/eLearning that utilizes a density reduction approach.

3) Remote/eLearning model during rolling out-breaks of COVID-19. This model will include daily schedules and live interaction.

Although we would love to have a full return of students, adherence to the health and safety guidelines may prohibit that for the start of the school year. At this time, we expect to begin school using the Hybrid approach, but are still working out the details. Specific plans will be shared by each principal and we will post our reopening plans on the District website.

Our summer work also includes the safety, security, and infrastructure capital project approved by voters in May 2019: security vestibules at Bedford Road School and the Middle School; HVAC upgrades at Bedford Road School; resurfaced tennis courts; repairs to the track’s D zones; and installation of “shelter in place” hardware and/or doors at the Middle School. Please note that the small turf field is reserved during the school day for our summer Extended School Year Program for students with disabilities and is available for individual or family use only AFTER school hours.

As we work towards an anticipated opening of schools on September 8, it is important to remember that, while we have identified our goals, the details of our plans are still being determined; it’s a fluid process. September may be different than October. Bottom line: Our primary focus is the health, safety, and wellness of our students and staff. Sincerely,Mary Fox-Alter, Superintendent of Schools

Adelphi UniversityAmerican University Assumption CollegeBard CollegeBarnard College Belmont UniversityBerklee College of MusicBoston College Boston University Brandeis University Bryant University Bucknell University Cairn UniversityCaldwell UniversityCanisius CollegeCarnegie Mellon UniversityCase Western Reserve Catholic University of America Christopher Newport UniversityCity University of New York: Baruch College City College Hunter College John Jay College of Criminal

Justice Lehman College Clarkson UniversityClemson UniversityCoastal Carolina University Colgate UniversityCollege of Mount Saint VincentCollege of the Holy CrossColorado CollegeCooper UnionCornell UniversityDean CollegeDenison UniversityDePaul UniversityDrexel University Eastern Connecticut State

UniversityEdinboro University of

PennsylvaniaElon University Emory UniversityEndicott CollegeFairfield University Fairleigh Dickinson UniversityFlorida Atlantic UniversityFlorida State University Fordham University Franklin & Marshall College Frost School of MusicGeorge Mason University George Washington University Georgia Institute of Technology Gettysburg College Hamilton College Hartwick College Hobart William Smith CollegesHofstra University Indiana University at BloomingtonIona College Ithaca College

James Madison University Kean UniversityKeene State College Kenyon CollegeKing’s CollegeLafayette College Le Moyne CollegeLehigh UniversityLesley UniversityLouisiana State UniversityLoyola University MarylandLynn University Maine College of ArtManhattan College Manhattanville College Marist College Maryland Institute College of ArtMarymount Manhattan CollegeMassachusetts College of Art and

DesignMcGill UniversityMercy College Messiah College Michigan State UniversityMiddlebury CollegeMississippi State UniversityMitchell College Molloy CollegeMonmouth University Mount Holyoke CollegeMount Saint Mary CollegeMount Saint Mary’s University,

MarylandMuhlenberg College New Jersey Institute of TechnologyNew York UniversityNorth Carolina State University at

Raleigh Northeastern University Oberlin CollegeOtis College of Art and DesignPace University: New York City Westchester CampusPaul Smith’s College of Arts and

Science Pennsylvania State UniversityPlymouth State UniversityPratt InstituteProvidence College Quinnipiac University Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteRingling College of Art and

DesignRochester Institute of Technology Roger Williams University Sacred Heart University Saint Leo University Salisbury University Santa Clara University Savannah College of Art and

Design

School of Visual ArtsSeton Hall UniversitySiena College Skidmore College Smith CollegeSouthern Connecticut State

UniversitySouthern Methodist UniversitySpringfield CollegeSt. John’s CollegeSt. John’s UniversitySt. Joseph’s College, Brooklyn St. Thomas Aquinas College State University of New York: Albany Binghamton Buffalo Polytechnic Institute Stony Brook SUNY College: Buffalo State Cortland Delhi Environmental Science &

Forestry Geneseo Maritime Morrisville New Paltz Old Westbury Oneonta Oswego Plattsburgh Purchase SUNY Community College: Westchester Stevens Institute of TechnologyStonehill College Susquehanna UniversitySyracuse University Temple UniversityTexas A&M UniversityTexas State UniversityThe College of Saint RoseThe College of Wooster The Ohio State University The University of Tennessee,

KnoxvilleThe University of Texas at AustinTulane University Union College University of Alabama

Class of 2020 — College Acceptances and Destinations

University of California: Irvine Santa CruzUniversity of Central FloridaUniversity of Colorado at

Boulder University of Connecticut University of Delaware University of FloridaUniversity of HartfordUniversity of Houston University of KentuckyUniversity of MaineUniversity of Maryland, College Park University of Massachusetts:

Amherst LowellUniversity of Miami University of Nevada, Las VegasUniversity of New Hampshire at

Durham University of New HavenUniversity of North Carolina at

GreensboroUniversity of Northern ColoradoUniversity of OklahomaUniversity of Pittsburgh University of Rhode Island University of Rochester University of Scranton University of South Carolina University of Southern CaliforniaUniversity of Tampa University of Vermont University of Wisconsin Ursinus CollegeUtica CollegeVassar College Villanova University Virginia Commonwealth UniversityVirginia TechWake Forest UniversityWellesley CollegeWesleyan University West Virginia University Western Connecticut State

University Western New England University William and MaryWilliams CollegeWorcester State University

Bold type indicates the schools the Class of 2020 will attend in the fall, as of June 26, 2020. This list of colleges and universities includes 61 that are rated most/highly competitive; 80, very competitive; and 131, competitive (based on Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges).

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2020 Class SurveyNumber of Seniors ..........................................145Attending Post-Secondary Schools ...............92%Military ..............................................................2%Other (Gap Year, Unknown) .............................6%National Merit Scholarship: Letters of Commendation .................................5 Hispanic Recognition Program ......................... 1

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Presented at the PHS Virtual Senior Awards Night on June 4, 2020.

American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese: Honor Award Lucas Lee Maya Sauthoff Service Award Scott Castillo Cole Catalano Christian DeJesus

Athlete of the Year Award: Leonard Balducci Lauren Drillock Aidan Lynch

Barbara and Dennis Vaccaro Award — for a senior who has demonstrated commitment to the community through volunteer work and service: Scott Castillo

Bedford Road School PTA Award — for valuable service to the students and teachers at BRS: Caleb Landau

Boy Scouts Award — for outstand-ing achievement, volunteerism, and leadership in scouting: Edward Huerster Owen McCarvill Devin O’Neill

Break the Hold Scholarship — for students who performed valuable community service to “Break the Hold” on mental illness: Amber Alirahi Lauren Drillock Jade Farina

Community Scholarships — The Community Scholarship Fund award-ed 19 scholarships totalling $27,250 this academic year, including these special awards that are managed by the committee: Liberal Arts Award: Devin O’Neill

Class of 2020 — Awards and Scholarships

Patricia Grunenwald Memorial Award:

Ryan Dirgins Rotary Award for Community

Service: Amber Alirahi Meghan McLane

Debbie Perino Scholarship — for a female athlete who exemplifies talent and dedication on the field and in the classroom: Norah Foley

Ed Dans Celebrate Science Award — in honor of PHS science teacher Ed Dans: Aidan Lynch

Girl Scouts Award — for outstand-ing achievement, volunteerism, and leadership in scouting: Jade Farina Sophie Ruhl

Heart of Pleasantville Award — given by Pleasantville STRONG to a senior who demonstrates compassion, kindness, leadership, determination, perseverance, and integrity: Amber Alirahi

Helen Heed English Award — for skill and creativity in English: James Blasdell

Holy Innocents Award — for excep-tional service and volunteer efforts to the parish community: Grace Cusack Christian DeJesus Lauren Drillock Katherine Guttridge Edward Huerster Kyle Largey Kieran Moran Claire O’Hara

Valedictorian Maya Sauthoff and Salutatorian Ryan Dirgins are members of five honor societies each (both: National Honor Society, Science, English; Maya: Art, Spanish; Ryan: Tri-M Music, Italian), received recognition as AP Scholars, and were three-time recipients of Benjamin Sze Scholarships for excellence in math and/or science. Maya was a member of our NYS Champion Girls Varsity Soccer team and enjoys surfing and snowboarding. She is a member of the Pleasantville Volunteer Ambulance Corps and interned at Bellevue Hospital for applied programming and data analysis. Ryan was captain of our Boys Varsity Cross Country team and an active member of the Performing Arts Club whose most recent role was King Triton in “The Little Mermaid.” He was a finalist in the Future Filmmakers Film Festival and devoted three summers to the Appalachian Service Project. Both will continue their education in the Northeast this fall — Maya at Cornell University in upstate New York and Ryan at Wesleyan University in Connecticut.

Valedictorian Maya Sauthoffand Salutatorian Ryan Dirgins

Class of 2020 — Awards and ScholarshipsHudson Valley Blood Center Award — for an ECHO member whose hard work and service resulted in success-ful community blood drives: Amber Alirahi

Isaac Newton Math Award: Maya Sauthoff

John E. Morgan Band Award — for musicianship, character, leadership, service, and scholarship: Ryan Dirgins Lucas Lee

Leonard Shon Scholarship —given by the Pleasantville Volunteer Fire Department to honor Mr. Shon’s life and service: Leonard Balducci Luke Scopino

Lions Club Award — for the re-cipient’s winning essay on his/her involvement in community service: Jason Sarner

Marie Oettinger World Languages Award — Alexandra Rippstein

NAfME National Honors Chorus: Kyle Largey

National Merit Scholarship: Hispanic Recognition Program Christian DeJesus Letters of Commendation Scott Castillo Edward Huerster Phoebe Luciano Maya Sauthoff Owen Stone

Nita N. Lowey Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition — for outstanding and invaluable service to the community: Katherine Guttridge

NYSSMA All State Award: Scott Castillo Ethan Lin Anahita Subramanya

Alternates Award: Ryan Dirgins Owen Stone

NYSTEA Excellence in Theatre Award: Scott Castillo Collin Longo

P.E.O. STAR Scholarship — for ex-cellence in leadership, extracurricular activities, community service, academ-ics, and potential for future success: Molly Perrine

PHS Social Studies Award — for a senior who exhibits the qualities of inquiry, appreciation of diversity, involvement in the local community, and awareness of the global community: Norah Foley

P.I.A. Service Award — for outstand-ing completion of student ambassador commitments: Ryan Burton Calum Macphee

Pleasantville Friends of STEM Leadership Award — for consis-tent involvement in and support of STEM-related extended learning opportunities: Katerina Gusarova Lucas Lee Anahita Subramanya

Pleasantville Volunteer Ambulance Corps Award — recognizes students who perform valuable service to the Corps and the community: Evelyn Sabety Anahita Subramanya

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President’s Award for Academic Achievement —presented by the President of the Pleasantville Board of Education to the students who placed in the top 10% of the Class of 2020.

Top row: Valedictorian Maya Sauthoff, Salutatorian Ryan Dirgins, Elsa Ammirati, Riley Bates, James Blasdell; Middle row: Ryan Burton, Scott Castillo, Lauren Drillock, Lucas Lee, Meghan McLane; Bottom row: Adrian Ng, Alexandra Rippstein, Owen Stone, Anahita Subramanya, Carly Vavolizza (photos: PHS Yearbook)

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Class of 2020 — Awards and ScholarshipsPrincipal & Assistant Principal Leadership Award — recognizes students who go above and beyond in serving the school community to make it a better place: Thomas Accetta Amber Alirahi Elsa Ammirati Frank Assue Kaycie Budd Ryan Burton Scott Castillo Lauren Drillock Norah Foley Francesca Gill Charlotte Goralski Hana Krouse Collin Longo Avery Manna Lara Marks Andrew Minerva Nada Omar Molly Perrine Jack Raffalli Michael Rufino Jason Sarner Luke Scopino

Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica Award: Alexandra Rippstein

Tina Gambino Memorial Award — for a student athlete who exempli-fies the character and ideals of Tina Gambino and her family: Norah Foley

VIP Award — for outstanding com-munity service to the VIP Recreation Program for special needs children: Christian DeJesus Carly Vavolizza

Presented at Commencement on June 26, 2020.

Barbara C. Zimmer Memorial Scholarship — for a senior who in-tends to study music in college and has contributed time and talent to the betterment of the High School and

the community: Daniel Bucci

Community Scholarship Fund Truslow Hyde Scholarship: Christian DeJesus

Dr. Renato M. Vellutino Scholarship — for a senior who has significantly enhanced the cultural life of the High School and Village communities and plans to pursue a career in some aspect of the performing arts: Ryan Burton

Friends of Visual Arts (F.O.V.A.) Scholarship — for seniors who have excelled in the visual arts and sig-nificantly enhanced the cultural life of PHS by virtue of their character, service, and leadership: Devon DelCastillo Devin O’Neill

Joseph W. & Suzanne S. Moran Scholarship — for a senior who has maintained high academic standards and shown exemplary character in school and in the community: Michael Rufino

Pleasantville Alumni Association Scholarship — for outstanding ser-vice to both Pleasantville High School and the Pleasantville community: Daniel Bucci Christian DeJesus Devin O’Neill

Pleasantville Police Benevolent Association Award — for a cheer-ful, positive attitude and outstanding public spirit: Hana Krouse Kyle Saul

Richard F. Modica Memorial Scholarship — for contributing to all areas of the performing arts program and demonstrating good character and leadership: Kyle Largey

Rosebury Scholarship — to en-courage students who continued to improve scholastically to pursue higher education: Thomas Accetta Collin Longo Sean Murray

R u t h & Wa l t e r G o o d m a n Scholarship — for scholarship in English Language Arts and overall school citizenship: Nadar Omar

Tina Gambino REFLECTIONS Memorial Scholarship — for two seniors who earned the respect of peers and mentors, achieved to their academic potential, and participated in athletic, co-curricular, and com-munity service programs: Cole Catalano Jason Sarner Carly Vavolizza

PHS Alumni Plaza

The PHS Alumni Plaza brick-purchasing program is an ongoing fundraiser for the Pleasantville F u n d f o r L e a r n i n g . Vi s i t phsalumniplaza.org to purchase a brick for a PHS graduate or retired District employee. Brick donors and honorees are invited to the annual bricklaying ceremony that is held at Alumni Plaza on Saturday morning of Homecoming Weekend.

School and District News

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TransportationAny family moving into the District over the summer that requires transportation to a private or parochial school must submit a written request to the District Office within thirty days of occupancy. For more information, please contact the Business Office at 741-1400, x10521.

Tenure GrantedAt its May 26 meeting, the Board of Education approved tenure recommendations for teachers Lauren Byassee (PHS, social studies), Amanda Delle Bovi (MS, special education) Christine Pallotta (PHS, science) and Emily Weiss (MS, art) and PHS psychologist Dr. Jacqueline Mancari.

At its annual end-of-year celebration (held remotely by Zoom), the PHS Speech & Debate team inducted Angie Berg into the National Speech & Debate Honor Society. Riik Acharya, Amber Alirahi, Scott Castillo, Sarah Schuster, and Luqmaan Thein were awarded Degrees of Honor. Sarah also earned a Degree of Excellence, Luqmaan a Degree of Merit, and Coach Jean Gilroy a number of degrees including Degree of Outstanding Distinction. Both Sarah and Luqmaan qualified for the New York State Forensic League Tournament, which was cancelled due to the corona-virus pandemic.

PHS Speech & Debate News

Top row: Angie Berg, Sarah Schuster, Luqmaan Thein. Bottom row: Riik Acharya, Amber Alirahi, Scott Castillo.

District CalendarDue to the uncertainties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the District will not mail out a print calendar for the 2020-2021 school year. There will be a printable month-at-a-time version on the District website (District Info>Calendars>Current School Year) and the dynamic website calendar (click on Calendar at the top of the home page for a monthly view) will be updated as changes occur. The first day of school for students is anticipated to be Tuesday, September 8.

Fellowship Awarded Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Services Dr. Cameron Fadjo received a ‘New Normal Fellowship’ through 4.0 Schools, an education incubator for community-focused social innovations. The fellowship funds the creation of an interdisciplinary (Math, ELA,

Social Studies, and Data Science) online after-school program for high school students that provides a platform and support for students to use data in creating and sharing their stories around recent societal events. Community members interested in getting involved and sharing their expertise in data analytics, storytelling, or journalism are encouraged to email Dr. Fadjo (fadjoc@pleasantvilleschools.org).

Dr. Fadjo

New Board of Ed Program“Inside Pleasantville Schools” offers a close-up look at different aspects of the school district. Current edition: Finance & Facilities. To view: see Featured Video on the District website or visit pctv76.org

Thank You and Best Wishes to Our Retirees

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Bob Bernarducci is retiring after 39 years in education, 30 of them in Pleasantville. He was a special education teacher at PHS for 15 years, then taught physical educa-tion at PHS and BRS for the next 15. “Berno” reinstated the Varsity Wrestling program at PHS, lead-ing the teams to a number of titles and amassing over 400 career wins, only the fourth coach in Section I to do so. He plans to continue coaching both wrestling and JV girls lacrosse, but also hopes to do some traveling with wife Mary Ann.Ann Brown has spent 31 of her 36 years in education in Pleas-antville, all but one of them in third grade. Selected as Teacher of the Year in 2016, her students serenaded our senior citizens on Valentine’s Day and wrote letters of appreciation to local veterans for Veterans Day. Mrs. Brown hopes to stay involved with tutor-ing, subbing, and volunteering; spending more time with family and the grandkids; but won’t miss “keeping up with technology and traveling during school breaks.” English teacher/Department Chair Bob DelleBovi has been an educator for over 40 years, includ-ing 29 years at PHS, eight of which were in the Alternative Education Program. He coached Varsity Boys Basketball (10 years) and Varsity Golf (8 years). Mr. DelleBovi will miss “the daily interaction with the students,” but “WON’T miss LEARNING all the ‘NEW TECHNOLOGY’!” His plans include travel, reading, and coaching basketball at Hastings High School. Kathleen Donovan-Warren has taught music and theatre throughout her 32-year career, 15 of those at PHS. She directed 13 award-winning spring musicals, culminating with 2020’s “The Little Mermaid,” and will miss “working with the incredible Pleasantville

communi ty members who volunteer to support the musical in so many ways!” She’s happy to forgo setting her alarm for 5:35 a.m. and looks forward to travel and taking “each new day one at a time.”Teacher aide Maria Rende nur-tured BRS students for 25 years.Art teacher/Department Chair Jim Maron has been at PHS for 20 of his 42 years in education and was named Teacher of the Year in 2017. He introduced the Memory Project, Olympics of the Visual Arts, and the intergenerational art project at the Clinton Center; was instrumental in forming the Friends of Visual Arts; and initiated the PHS chapter of the National Art Honor Society. He will miss the students, but looks forward to “doing my own art work and spending more time with my family.”Middle School teacher Lois Shil-lito has taught Home/Career Skills and Health for 23 years, 18 of them in Pleasantville. She initi-ated the popular Seventh Grade Career Day 15 years ago, with the help of Marissa Fraher and parent/community volunteers and provided several extracurricular programs in sewing. Ms. Shillito will miss “the excitement that was always boiling over at the Middle School,” but won’t miss cleaning

the kitchens. She “can’t wait to find out” what is next, and “is sure it includes some volunteering.” Special Education teacher Babette Zacks taught Re-source Room in Pleasantville for 18 of her 24 years in education, 7 at BRS and 11 at PHS, where she introduced Orton-Gillingham reading instruction. She will miss her students and colleagues, but not the daily commute from New Jersey. Next up: “training teachers in read-ing, traveling, spending time with friends and family and living life at a more leisurely pace.”

Bob Bernarducci

Kathleen Donovan-Warren

Ann Brown Jim Maron

Bob DelleBovi Lois Shillito

Babette Zacks

Maria Rende

Annual Budget Vote and Board Election ResultsThe 2020 Annual Budget Vote and Board Election was held per the Governor’s Executive Orders 202.26 (changed the vote from May 19 to June 9, solely by absentee ballot) and 202.39 (extended receipt of ballots to 5 p.m. on June 16). District election inspectors canvassed 2,348 absentee ballots beginning at 5 p.m. on June 16, with the official results announced at 9:20 p.m.

District voters approved the proposed budget for the 2020-2021 school year by 1,828 (Yes) to 468 (No).

Incumbent Angela Vella was successful in her bid for a third term on the Board of Education, receiving 1,379 votes. Jill Grossman was elected to her first term of office with 1,224 votes. Additionally, there were 913 votes for John Vamossy and 866 votes for Carmel Promisel.

Approximately 6,800 absentee ballots were mailed to qualified voters, based on Westchester County Board of Elections records.

Mr. Conte

The Board of EducationPresidentLarry Boes (773-1882)BoesLa@pleasantvilleschools.orgVice PresidentEmily Rubin Persons (747-0136)PersonsE@pleasantvilleschools.orgMembersJill Grossman (755-1785)GrossmanJ@pleasantvilleschools.orgShane McGaffey (409-3487)McGaffeyS@pleasantvilleschools.orgAngela Vella (769-5729)VellaA@pleasantvilleschools.orgSuperintendent of Schools Mary Fox-AlterDistrict Websitepleasantvilleschools.orgBoard Meetings and School Closings: 741-1460Editor / PhotographerJulie Schwartz

Board of EducationPleasantville Union Free School District60 Romer AvenuePleasantville, New York 10570

NONPROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDWHITE PLAINS, NYPERMIT NO. 7046

“A Pretty Great Experience”Louis Conte served on the Board of Education for three terms, from 2011–2020, including the past year as Vice President. His knowledge and familiarity with the Albany legislative scene has been invaluable in furthering the Board’s advocacy goals. After his retirement from law

enforcement, a successful new career as a Forensic Psychophysiologist influenced his decision not to seek a fourth term.

At Mr. Conte’s penultimate meeting on June 23, held in-person with adherence to CDC guidelines, he summed up his nine years as a Board member: it was “a pretty great experience.” His colleagues, who echoed his sentiments, gave him a PHS Varsity jacket personalized with his name and “Pleasantville Board of Education Emeritus.” Superintendent Mary Fox-Alter thanked him for “always putting our students’ social-emotional and academic needs first.”

Asked to reflect on his tenure, Mr. Conte wrote, “I’ve been really fortunate in my life to be part of some great journeys and the past nine years have been one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.” He thanked his wife and sons “for supporting me

on this journey”; his Board colleagues, who “have been amazing”; our “outstanding district leader … [and] teachers”; and our “strong support staff.” “I leave Board service knowing that I did my best and that my team will continue to serve Pleasantville magnificently in the future.”