Alison Easton. (photo by Lauren Thomas)

May 19’s vote count is in, and now it’s official. New Paltz Board of Education members accepted voters’ 939-426 approval of the $54.6 million 2015-2016 budget at its meeting on May 20. Voters also passed a $480,000 proposition to buy six new buses for the district.

For one school board member-elect, her service will begin early. Alison Easton — election night’s highest vote-getter — will serve as Tim Rogers’ replacement from May 31 until the Board of Election’s reorganizational meeting in July.

Easton received 930 votes, Michael O’Donnell received 906 and Brian Cournoyer — the sitting school board president — received 880. The three candidates ran uncontested.

But independent of this election, Tim Rogers became New Paltz’s next village mayor. He starts on June 1 and will step down from the school board on May 31.

Eventually, the board will either appoint a replacement or call an election to find Rogers’ replacement. But in the interim, Easton will fill in.

According to Cournoyer, the board is leaning toward an appointment rather than an election.

“We’ve reached out to a few people so far,” the board president said. The district will likely announce its decision in early July, he added.

New Paltz High School grads pose for a photo before ceremonies begin last Friday evening.

New Paltz High School grads stop to pose for a photo before the ceremony last Friday evening.

A New Paltz High School grad waves to a family member at last Friday evening's ceremony.

New Paltz High School graduates at the ceremony last Friday evening.

New Paltz High School graduates perform in the choir at commencement ceremonies last Friday evening.

Photos by Lauren Thomas

As parents, friends and grandparents wait politely listening to speeches, the mood at New Paltz’s high school football field is muted, joyful and reflective. Outdoors, emerald leaves flutter beneath a gorgeous azure sky; the air has a clean smell — like the moment before a big rain.

In a big circle, laughing and carrying on, a large family totes a plethora of Mylar balloons — enough almost to lift a small child airborne. Each balloon is a variation on a theme: one reads “Congrats, Grad!” another “Happy Graduation!”

Out of sight from the action, a boy wearing a blue necktie flips himself upside down, clinging to the bleachers’ crossbeams. As the tie lilts downward, pulled by the force of gravity to his chin, blood rushes to the boy’s head. His mother looks on disapprovingly — ready to move in with a warning.

A few yards away from her, a bi-fold brochure flutters down from the seats above, hitting the grass with a light plop. The brochure is the program announcing New Paltz Central High School’s 83rd Annual graduation on June 26.

At the 50-yard line, center stage, James McColgan — the Class of 2015’s valedictorian — sounds relaxed delivering his prepared remarks, despite the fact that he’s talking about being nervous. McColgan remembers his first day as a freshman. Rattled by nerves, he didn’t know exactly how he’d find his locker between classes.

The setup, or at least the implication, of his speech’s opening scene is that change and nerve-racking days lie ahead as the seniors transition into college, careers or the military. It’s not unlike what they’ve faced before.

He urges his classmates to be creative. “It’s important that we take risks, but reasonable risks,” McColgan says. “Enjoy the journey and live life to the fullest.”

For Allan Podell, a high school teacher retiring after 19 years with the district, the day is special. Students requested that both he and his colleague, journalism teacher Joel Neden, deliver speeches at the graduation.

Long white hair frames a smile that bursts onto Podell’s suntanned face as he gets to the podium. Even in his last year, he tells the crowd, he wasn’t ready to give up on students.

“There is someone among you. This student had to complete work in three courses to be wearing his cap and gown. I hunted him down in the cafeteria on his last day of classes. He was sitting on the back table with about ten friends,” he recalls. “I had a big sign with me that I’d made especially for that moment. On the sign it said in bold letters, ‘Don’t be a chump! Get your work done!’

“That student came in the next day of his own volition — without me having to go to his home to get him, which I would have if it was necessary. And he did his work — all of it.”

Podell praises his fellow educators, pointing out similar instances where teachers had selflessly sacrificed time to help students accomplish a goal. He encourages seniors undecided on a career to consider teaching.

Podell, a special education teacher, says that his biggest lesson came from his students. He learned grit and tenacity — what it means to keep trying in the face of seeming failure. “What they have taught me is this: failure is not so much falling down. It is not getting back up and trying again,” he says.

Neden approaches the stand next. He notes that his job as the journalism teacher surrounds him with a great combination — inquisitive minds and current events.

“Most of you were born in 1996 or 1997,” Neden tells the seniors. “You were four or five years old on September 11, 2001. This means that you’ve spent almost your entire lives living with war, under a threat of terror and inundated with images of suffering from lands near and far.”

He says he knows that this impacts his students. “Take for example some of the events from this school year: the video that surfaced of Ray Rice beating his girlfriend in an elevator; thousands of people stricken ill with Ebola in West Africa; and, more recently, the terror in Charleston, SC.”

From a journalistic standpoint, that gives rise to the question of how this impacts students. Neden says he sees empathy.

“Class of 2015, we needed you this year. We needed your compassion, your drive for excellence, your charm. Our community suffered when we lost Kyle Brewer, but it was the leadership of this class that brought us together.”

Seniors went out of their way to offer solace to sophomores brokenhearted about their classmate’s unexpected death. They gave back, he says.

In the end, “2015 was a year of compassion for our senior class. And ladies and gentlemen, that is your legacy here,” he says.

And like that, Superintendent Maria Rice gets on stage, pronouncing (with the power invested in her by New York State) that this year’s 194 seniors have graduated. Caps fly into the air, and families get up to hug and congratulate their graduates.

The New Paltz School Board (left to right): Michael O’Donnell, vice president Aimee Hemminger, superintendent Maria Rice, Alison Easton, Julie Tresco, Dominic Profaci, president Brian Cournoyer and Steven Greenfield. (photos by Lauren Thomas)

On July 8, the New Paltz Board of Education took care of a little housekeeping during their reorganizational meeting. They established subcommittees, selected their official banks and newspapers, plus they swore in new members.

The school board’s newest members, Michael O’Donnell and Alison Easton, and incumbent Brian Cournoyer all took oaths of office last week. The three will have terms lasting until 2018.

Dominick Profaci — an incumbent school board member, who declined to run for re-election in May — was appointed to serve one more year on the board. He’ll be a replacement for Tim Rogers, who was recently elected village mayor.

By practice, school board presidents and vice presidents in New Paltz serve for two years. But the board votes on its leadership each summer.

New Lenape Elementary School principal Audrey Roettgers.

Cournoyer served as school board president prior to running for re-election this spring. He’ll keep that leadership role another year. Board members voted unanimously to reappoint him.

New Paltz’s school board vice president seat was up for grabs this year, with two contenders. Steve Greenfield nominated Dominick Profaci. Aimee Hemminger also received a nomination.

Profaci declined his nomination, noting that he felt the leadership position shouldn’t go to a temporary board member. As an appointee, he will only serve until May 17, 2016.

Board members voted unanimously for Hemminger as vice president.

Audrey Roettgers is another new face in the district. Board members voted July 8 to hire her as Lenape Elementary School’s new principal.

Roettgers, originally from Rockland County, spent the last two years as principal of Berne-Knox-Westerlo Elementary School in Albany County. Previously in her career, she worked for Rockland BOCES and the Arlington School District.

Roettgers replaces Jaqueline Sinatra, who retired as principal last month.

Highland boys’ soccer (L-R): Alfred Worrad, Christian Cruz, Ryan Sorbello, Colin Ivitch, Attilio Crimi-Varoli.

Highland girls’ soccer (L-R): Brooke Harris, Teresa Mazzella, Michaela Raffaele, Dani McGrath.

New Paltz boys’ soccer (L-R): Will Cymbal, Otto Richards, Will Kay.

New Paltz girls’ soccer (L-R): Ala Hekking, Allie Jacone, Kate Demskie.

Photos by Rich Corozine

Last season was a kind of break-even season for the New Paltz and Highland boys and girls soccer teams. The Highland boys won their first Section 9 title in 17 years; the New Paltz boys — just two seasons removed from their first-ever Section 9 title — had one of their worst seasons and failed to qualify for Sections; the Highland girls did have their worst season in over 20 years and failed for the first time to make Sections; and the New Paltz girls kept improving and got bumped from Sections in a shootout in the quarter-final round.

Highland boys

With great patience and a firm knowledge of her players, Class B Coach-of-the-Year Terri Cilento punctuated her first year as varsity coach by winning the Highland boys’ first Section title in 17 years — and first in Class B (all the others were as a Class C team). It wasn’t easy. The Huskies finished just above .500 at season’s end, but then got hot in the playoffs and won the title with a 5-0 win over Onteora. Highland’s season ended with a 2-0 loss to uber-speedy Rye Neck in a State opening round game under the lights in Middletown, finishing the season at 11-7.

“It’s going to be very hard to repeat, we lost a lot of solid players,” says Cilento, referring to the loss to graduation of Class B Offensive-Player-of-the-Year, midfielder Joe Dolan, and Defensive-Player-of-the-Year, goalkeeper Sebastian Vargas. Also lost were veteran starters Ian Bogdanowicz and Ben Ratick, both of whom scored in the rout of Onteora. “Plus Class B is very tough, and our Division (of the MHAL) is all A schools, so just getting to Sections will be difficult,” adds Cilento. One of the real pluses for Cilento is that she has coached all these players (she was the JV and modified coach through the years) since they were five years old. “Before they even had teeth,” laughs Cilento. But whatever the drop off in talent might be, “there’s no change in attitude,” says Cilento. “Our chemistry and togetherness has carried over from last season.”

The core group of returning players are senior midfielder Christian Cruz, senior midfielder/forward Alfred Worrad, senior defender Ryan Sorbello, senior midfielder/forward Colin Ivitch, senior midfielder Attilio Crimi-Varoli, twin juniors Matt and Andrew Valentino — a defender and midfielder/forward respectively — and senior forward Max Cutugno. Senior Paul Rhodes will be stepping into the goalkeeper job. Cilento is also looking for big contributions from juniors Kyle Crimi (midfield) and David Wood (midfield/defense).

The Highland boys open the defense of their Section 9 title with Division 2 foe Marlboro on Wednesday, September 2 at 5 p.m. at Highland High School. The Huskies are at Division 2 foe New Paltz on Thursday, September 3 at 4 p.m.

New Paltz boys

Last year was a disappointment for coach Stu Robinson and the New Paltz boys. Two years removed from their (some say) shocking Section 9 Class A title drive (with a monumental 2-0 victory over highly-favored and perennial champion Goshen in the title game), the Huguenots just haven’t been able to put together another magical season. Finishing at 5-11 New Paltz missed Sections for the first time in a decade.

“We were a young team last year and never really jelled,” says Robinson, “plus there weren’t enough bodies to have a JV team, so that set us back a bit…That’s different this year: we have a JV team and we’re returning a solid group that I’m sure will come together this year.”

Losing midfielder Ryan Pinto, defender Ryan Macaluso and forward Carlos Cuellar to graduation (and with solid junior defender Ben Cuppett not returning to the team) will hurt, but New Paltz does return top playmaker senior Will Cymbal; junior defender/midfielder Otto Richards; and senior goalkeeper Will Kay Rounding out the core returners will be sophomore midfielder/forward Oscar Kay, junior defender Vince Baresi and junior forward Isaac Thomas. Robinson has high hopes for a couple newcomers in freshmen midfielder/forwards: Elijah Tamarchenko and Jonathon Claudio. “We have a couple other young kids that may make the varsity, so we’ll see how that shakes out.”

“We’ll be improved, no doubt about that, but we need to produce to have something to show for our efforts,” adds Robinson.

The New Paltz boys open with Highland at home on Thursday, September 3 at 4 p.m.

Highland girls

Well, he’s back…once again. In a storied career as Highland girls’ soccer coach, Pete Watkins is returning to the sideline after two years away. And all Watkins brings with him is 248 wins in 22 years and 10 Section 9 titles, the last a Class B championship five years ago when he returned to the sidelines the first time.

“I love doing this and I’m happy to be back,” says Watkins, who took the job back when second-year coach Alissa Morano (who was a top scorer for Watkins some ten years ago) decided to not return. “I didn’t want to bump anyone, but I told Frank (Alfonso, the Highland athletic director) that if no one else applied for it, that I’d like to try it again…and here I am,” laughs Watkins. Lucky Highland.

And Watkins finds that almost all of last season’s 4-12 team is returning, a year older and hopefully better. But he’s not worried. “I just have to get them to believe in my system and then in themselves,” says Watkins, whose philosophy has always been to score first and then shut them out the rest of the way. “I’m trying to make them see that when a team scores on us that they should feel insulted out there. It’ll take time, I’m still experimenting with the positions because I’ve always thought it’s better to have players that can move around, play different positions, be more versatile, just makes us a better all-around team.”

Leading the way back to a winning season and Section 9 play will be a strong core of senior midfielder/forward Dani McGrath, senior midfielder/forward Michaela Raffaele, freshman forward/midfielder/defender Teresa Mazzella, eighth-grader Brooke Harris (midfielder/forward) and senior defender/midfielder Kate Benicase. Those players plus returnees senior Allie Rozzi (defender/goalkeeper), senior Julia Purdy (defender), senior Celina Macaleer (defender), senior Tori Capabianco (goalkeeper/defender) and senior Alexis Rivera (defender/goalkeeper). High potential varsity newcomers are sophomore forward Emily Peterson, sophomore forward, midfielder/defender Sharee Mills, junior Amanda Darmochwal (midfielder/defender), junior Caitlyn Macaleer (midfielder) and junior Mirabel Ortiz (midfielder).

“I tell the girls three things,” says Watkins, “one, to be better at the end of the season than at the beginning; two, beat the teams you should beat; and three, have fun out there. I know it’ll be tough, what with the Division (2 of the MHAL) we’re in. But we’ll be competitive, that I can say for sure.”

The Highland girls open the season at home against Marlboro on Wednesday, September 2 at 7 p.m.

New Paltz girls

Could this be the year? Last year seemed like a warm-up for this one for the very talented New Paltz girls, as the girls went 10-4 before losing 2-1 to Saugerties in a Section 9 quarterfinal shootout. Losing only goalkeeper Mikayla Cochrane to graduation, it all seems to be there waiting for the Huguenots. But coach Joanne Metzger is still trying to be cautious.

“We’re a very skilled team, and like last year I feel we have the chemistry to do some good things this season, but we do have to jell together out there. They’re a great bunch, talented, unselfish, like I said, a good team and we’ll see how far we can go.”

That’s coach shorthand for “we’re loaded.” But since New Paltz is an A school, the road to a Section 9 title will have to go through Cornwall, Goshen and/or Red Hook, the perennial contenders for the Class A title. There are some similarities to the great New Paltz teams of 15 years ago, the teams that won three straight Section 9 titles under Keith Walker, who now coaches the Marlboro girls (another Class A contender). “Like that group they have to know how to win,” says Metzger, who was the travel coach for that team and all the others in-between until now. “I’m hoping to find out this year.”

The lineup of returning players is formidable, with seniors Allie Jacone (midfield), Ala Hekking (outside mid) and Kate Demskie (defensive mid) leading the way, and joined by juniors Fiona Weinstein (midfield), Bridget Barry (defense), Emily Denno (outside mid/defense), Alexis Garcia (defense), returning transfer student Carsissa DiValentino (forward), Lia Kucera (forward), Klaire Branche (defense), Lauren Martinez (midfield), Rebecca Mele (defense) and Jennie Mele (forward). Returning sophomores are Erin Metzger (forward) and Veronica Hill (outside mid). And goalkeeper? That’s up in the air between junior’s Lauren Torres and Jamie Macaluso, both up from JV’s.

So, this could be the year for the New Paltz girls. They’re good enough to do it…but we’ll just have to wait and see. The New Paltz girls open the season at Red Hook on Friday, September 4 at 4 p.m.

Pictured is Billy Townshend of Clintondale. (photo illustration by Lauren Thomas)

When dropping off their kids at the front parking lot next week, New Paltz Middle School parents can expect one-way traffic. Entry into the front lot will only occur from South Manheim Boulevard, and the lone exit will be a right-only turn onto Main Street, according to superintendent Maria Rice. “Why are we doing it? Well, parents were concerned about children’s safety. Parents wanted to see if there was something we could do to increase the traffic flow,” Rice said.

For some parents, a right-only turn onto Main Street could cause some extra driving time, which the superintendent acknowledged. “This is going to inconvenience some people.”

Children who walk to school tend to skip the sidewalks, taking a shortcut through the grass next to the old district office. This used to mean that they crossed the parking lot in front of drivers circling around to return to Manheim.

This move should keep kids safe as they traverse the parking lot to get to the front door, the superintendent said.

The Manheim-Main intersection is one of New Paltz’s busiest crossings. Traffic comes from and to SUNY New Paltz, the nearby Convenient Deli shopping plaza and the middle school.

With its highly visible, central location, New Paltz Middle School and its traffic safety are a perennial parent concern.

This traffic modification is a “temporary solution,” Rice said. However, it is possible that — as part of the middle school renovations — a similar drop-off route will be adopted as permanent.

District officials are currently working with the state Department of Transportation to create a full-fledged traffic study. That document will almost certainly lead to modifications of student drop-offs.

Small capital project repairs to start in September

Astute New Paltzians probably noticed drillers exploring New Paltz Middle School last week. The reason for that work, according to Superintendent Rice, is to find the building’s foundations.

Back in July, school board members learned of the middle school’s missing blueprints. While the situation has improved since then, some structural plans are still missing.

“We keep finding different pieces of the blueprints — we have been finding some, but none of them are showing the foundation,” the superintendent said.

Crews are using a process called “field verification” to find out where the original foundation sits.

“They have to drill holes next to certain key areas and go down a certain number of feet … just to see what the foundation is like,” Rice said. “They’ll be drilling holes all around the middle school.”

Next up in terms of capital project work are the folding walls at Lenape Elementary School and the high school.

According to the district’s architect, replacement work on the folding walls will occur from September to October. Kids won’t see that work, since it will happen after school hours.

However, Superintendent Rice wanted neighbors of Lenape and New Paltz Central High School to know that trucks will be coming and going during “second-shift hours” to fix those walls.

During a special election in March, voters approved $52.9 million capital project to fix up the district’s four school buildings.

That capital project work is broken up into phases. Here’s a look at the tentative construction timeline for the buildings:

• Lenape and Duzine elementary schools: Most work will start and finish in summer 2016.
• High school: Work will occur in two phases; first in summer 2016, second in summer 2017.
• Middle school: Work will begin in summer 2016, but will continue until September 2018, with completion in time for the school year’s start.

During renovations, “we will endeavor to ensure that the educational programs will not be impacted,” Rice added.

Chloe Driscoll and Meaghan McElroy. (photo by Lauren Thomas)

The staff of The Maroon — the school newspaper at New Paltz Central High School — will lend the talents of two of their staff members to New Paltz Times over the course of the 2015-2016 school year. Editor-in-chief Meaghan McElroy and senior editor Chloe Driscoll, both entering their senior year at the high school, will alternate weekly writing profiles of their fellow students for the pages of this newspaper.

“These two are really something special,” says their journalism teacher, Joel Neden, who serves as advisor to The Maroon. “Meaghan and Chloe are both writers; they understand the form and the art of writing. Both have a real knack for observation and nuance, and their writing shows a real grasp of storytelling.”

McElroy and Driscoll have been involved with the school newspaper since they began attending New Paltz High School, and both participated in an honors program focusing on journalism at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2014.

The Maroon is put together by students in the Journalism I and Journalism II classes at the high school along with students that sign up for the co-curricular newspaper club. McElroy and Driscoll “collaborate really well” on their work for the paper “and they push each other,” says Neden. “Journalistically, they both have a drive.”

The benefits for the students in contributing to New Paltz Times include not only seeing their names in print, but getting a taste of writing for a professional newspaper, Neden says. “It’ll do a lot for their confidence and their ability to see themselves as writers.”

In speaking with McElroy and Driscoll, both say they enjoy reading in their spare time, which isn’t a surprise. (Was there ever a good writer who wasn’t also an avid reader?) The two have known each other for most of their lives. “We used to ride the bus together in elementary school,” says McElroy. “I never had a class with Chloe, but we became friends that way and stayed in touch throughout high school.” When the position of student profile writer for New Paltz Times this year came up — usually not a shared situation — and both girls were qualified for it, the two fell back on that longstanding association in deciding to divide up the work. “Because we’re friendly, we decided we could both do it,” says McElroy.

Chloe Driscoll has lived in New Paltz since the second grade, after her family moved here from Colorado. Meaghan McElroy was born on Staten Island and lived in Brooklyn until age three or so when her family moved to Gardiner and later to the Village of New Paltz.

Going to the same schools all your life with the same group of kids can make the thought of going off to college on your own “a little scary,” says McElroy, “but exciting, too.” Her plans include going into journalism, although she’s not sure just yet where she will attend college. “We’ve been doing the college tours this summer; I think we did nine this last month,” she says. “It was a little stressful. We looked at a couple of schools in Boston and D.C. and a couple of schools around New York. I don’t know where it’s going to take me, but we’ll see what happens with the college application process.” Being “independent and away” sounds appealing to her, but staying within a six-hour radius of home would be nice, too, she notes, with the ability to come home easily to share in family events.

Driscoll plans to attend college after graduation, too. She sees her future in branding design, combining graphic design with packaging and creating a vision for a company. “Eventually I’d love to be an art director or a brand manager for some sort of company, but I’d probably start out with graphic design and then do branding as a master’s.” She’s not sure yet where she’d like to go to school, but it will “definitely be in an urban area, possibly New York City.”

Her reasons for wanting to contribute to New Paltz Times have to do with her interest in writing profiles. “I love working for the school newspaper,” Driscoll says, “and I’ve always been interested in profiles; it’s probably one of my favorite journalistic things to do. This seemed like the perfect opportunity for me.”

Driscoll enjoys going to the gym and doing “anything art-related” in her free time, joking that she has “way too many” art supplies to use up before she has to condense her stuff to move into a dorm room next year. And, there’s always writing. “I love writing poetry,” says Driscoll. “That’s definitely my favorite kind of writing besides journalism.”

For McElroy, contributing to New Paltz Times is the ideal “jumping off point” to a career in journalism. She says that the interesting thing about interviewing her classmates is in being able to ask them questions that she normally wouldn’t ask. “I’ve gone to school with a lot of these people for nearly 13 years now. I like the idea of talking to people that I’ve known this entire time but may have not known well enough.”

Outside of school, McElroy is into theater in her free time, stage-managing for the Rondout Repertory Theatre Company of Kingston. She also likes track, doing the discus throw.

As for her future in journalism, “I like to write profiles, but really, I like to write anything,” McElroy says. “News pieces are fun, but they’re kind of hard on the high school level, because when you try to keep it local and grounded in something that we’re involved in, the options are very limited. But they’re interesting to write; I’d like to do more of that as time goes on. And features are fun… I like being involved with all of it and I really like the editing process.”

Spoken like a true writer.

Members of the New Paltz High School cast of “Arsenic and Old Lace” (L-R): Jeremy Brownstein as Jonathan, Adam Joyner as Mortimer, Ian McAllister as Teddy, Meaghan McElroy as Abby and Becky Dugatkin as Martha. The play will be performed at New Paltz High School on November 12-14. (photo by Lauren Thomas)

Think your relatives are embarrassing? Aunt Martha and Aunt Abby consider it their charitable duty to poison lonely old men with spiked elderberry wine — and they’re among the saner members, comparatively speaking, of the outwardly respectable, stuffily WASPy Brewster clan. There’s also a nephew named Teddy who thinks he’s Teddy Roosevelt and is digging the Panama Canal in the family’s Brooklyn basement. Another nephew, Jonathan — portrayed by Boris Karloff in the original Broadway version — is a homicidal maniac who has employed an alcoholic plastic surgeon to disguise his identity, with the result that he now bears a remarkable resemblance to Karloff as Frankenstein’s monster.

Bring a pair of sympathetic young lovers — Mortimer and Elaine — into the mix and you’ve got Arsenic and Old Lace, Joseph Kesselring’s macabre 1939 stage comedy inspired by a real-life serial killer who ran a nursing home in Connecticut in the 19-teens. It will be performed by the Drama Club at New Paltz High School from Thursday to Saturday, November 12 through 14.

Most people know the show from Frank Capra’s classic 1944 movie version starring Cary Grant. “I saw it when I was a kid. I was always joking with my sister, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if we did Arsenic and Old Lace?’” recalls NPHS senior and Drama Club veteran Meaghan McElroy. “I’m playing Abby Brewster. She’s the sweetest old lady who happens to murder people because it’s the right thing to do — with the help of her sister.” McElroy relates how director Nancy Owen “wanted us to bustle around…so I went home and Googled ‘old lady walk.’”

Becky Dugatkin, a sophomore, plays Martha, “the other Brewster sister who likes to kill men,” and is also finding it challenging to learn to move convincingly like an elderly woman. “I’ve never played an old lady — I’m 15. So it’s expanding my acting ability.” But she’s enjoying getting her teeth into the role of the dotty old murderess: “She’s just so oblivious to everything that’s going on.”

Jeremy Brownstein, another senior who has appeared in many NPHS Drama Club productions, had a small role in a community theater production of the same play five years ago and urged Owen to put it on. “I’m really excited and happy that it’s my senior-year play,” he says. “It feels good making people laugh. What makes the show funny is the bizarreness of the situation.” Brownstein gets to chew up some scenery as the villain, Jonathan Brewster, whom he describes as “your everyday average murderous lunatic” and “funny/scary. He’s not only incredibly arrogant, but also incredibly evil.”

In the Cary Grant role of Mortimer, Adam Joyner, also a senior, gets the dual challenge of “trying to keep a straight face” as one of “the only sane characters” in the play, and also having to do most of the running around in this dark-but-zany door-slammer farce. “I’m getting a definite workout,” he says. Elaine, the sweet young ingénue who is Mortimer’s love interest, imperiled by his crazy relatives, is played by junior Mikal Kalus. But she also gets some vigorous action scenes: “There’s a scene where I’m being strangled, and that’s real fun for me,” she says happily. “I like the role.”

“It’s an intelligent, hardworking cast,” says Owen approvingly, “and a lot of fun. I have always loved this show, and it has always been in the back of my mind to do it.” What has held her back until now, says the Drama Club advisor, has been the fact that there are usually a lot more girls than boys involved in student theater productions, so “I’m always looking for female-heavy shows.” But this year, boys active in the club outnumber girls, so Owen was able to select a play with more male roles. “It’s kind of fun when you have a play floating around that you didn’t think that you could do!”

Curtain time for Arsenic and Old Lace at the New Paltz High School auditorium will be at 7:30 p.m. on November 12, 13 and 14. Tickets cost $7 for all on Thursday evening, $10 general admission and $8 for students and seniors on Saturday and Sunday. Don’t miss it — it’ll make your dysfunctional family Thanksgiving seem like a piece of pumpkin pie!

New Paltz United Teachers attended last week’s New Paltz School Board meeting in a show of unity to ask the BOE and superintendent Maria Rice for a “fair and reasonable” contract.

It was standing room only at the recent regular meeting of the New Paltz Central School District Board of Education on Wednesday, November 4. The room was filled with several dozen district teachers wearing identical red t-shirts with the word “RESPECT” printed in large white lettering on the back. Those present who couldn’t find room to stand spilled over into the hallway outside.

The members of the New Paltz United Teachers (NPUT) were there in a show of unity to ask the BOE and superintendent Maria Rice for a “fair and reasonable” contract.

Four teachers from the group, one from each building in the district, came forward during the public comment session.

Arielle Chiger, second grade teacher at Duzine Elementary School and president of NPUT, told the board that the teachers there were dressed identically in order to reinforce how “unified and unwavering” they are in their quest for a fair contract. “In spite of being well into our second year without a contract,” she said, “we continue to provide extraordinary instruction and support to our students in a way that shows how much we believe in the power of dedication to our school community and in our professional responsibility to our students.”

Chiger itemized a list of events that Duzine teachers participate in beyond their normal contract day, which include the Duzine Music and Art Show, ELL Family Night, summer home visits to introduce themselves to new students, Scarecrow Festival planning, maintaining the school garden, the Earth Day Festival, the districtwide Diversity Committee and the “Spotlight on Program” presentations regularly given at the beginning of BOE meetings.

That refrain was picked up in succession by Lenape teacher Liz Burdick, middle school teacher Nicole Sullivan and high school teacher Lisa St. John. Each spoke of the extracurricular activities that all teachers participate in at their schools above and beyond the hours their contracts call for, doing everything from organizing school supply and blood drives to chaperoning field trips and dances, organizing book clubs and guest speakers, writing college application recommendation letters and cheering on students at their games, concerts and plays.

“And we’re doing all this without a contract,” each said in turn.

The teachers noted that while they appreciate the words of praise they’ve received from the BOE and administrators, they’d rather see action. Getting a “fair and reasonable” contract from the board and administrators would demonstrate a commitment to the teachers equal to their own commitment to the students, they said.

St. John acknowledged the work the board and administrators have done in maintaining high standards while fighting high stakes testing. “I’m sure you see the many ways we have been working jointly with you to uphold the district’s mission and educational master plan in the interests of the children and families of this district. Is it not a step backward for this highly evolved and forward-looking board and administration to refuse to agree to a fair contract with the teachers during a time when, more than ever, we need to pull together to combat the assault on public education?”

Rodrigo Castro (on far left), the advisor for the Interact Club at New Paltz High School, hosted a “Walk In Her Shoes” event last Tuesday at the high school with the proceeds to benefit the American Cancer Society. Male teachers walked around the bus loop in women’s shoes. Pictured in addition to Castro is Albert Cook, Joe Dolan, Eli Espinosa,Chad Foti, Joe Foti, Jim Gill, Marc Knittel, Joel Neden, Matt Paley and Tom Shanley. (photo by Lauren Thomas)

There is an old saying that you can never really understand a person until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes. And that’s the premise behind the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® campaign that asks men to literally walk one mile in women’s high-heeled shoes in order to garner empathy for what females experience and get the community talking.

Spanish teacher Rodrigo Castro, advisor for the Interact Club at New Paltz High, led the teens in hosting a “Walk In Her Shoes” event at the school on Tuesday, November 3. Choosing the high visibility Election Day on purpose, ten male teachers walked a mile or so around the bus loop wearing women’s shoes in order to spark conversation about why they were doing so. Many of the “Walk” events that have been held in other places have centered on raising awareness of sexualized violence against women, but the service club in New Paltz enlisted the male teachers to walk in support of early diagnosis of female cancers.

Spanish teacher Eli Espinosa said he was there because he has several women in his family who have been affected by cancer. His grandmother passed away from cervical cancer and he says that he and his wife had “a bit of a cancer scare” a couple of years ago. “And when you have someone that you love in that situation, it’s a very helpless feeling. You don’t know what to do.”

Participating in events like this, he said, “is really not about us. This is all about awareness. I just want to get involved and do my part.” Walking in women’s shoes puts the men at a “slight discomfort,” Espinosa added, “but I’m a father now; I have a little girl. And I coach girls’ lacrosse. So there’s a lot of girls and women in my life that potentially are just one physical away from a bad diagnosis. If it takes putting these shoes on to bring awareness to women’s health, I don’t mind being silly. We’ll do it.”

The guys received a great deal of advice from the female teachers at the school (and from their wives, of course) about what kind of shoes to buy for the event. Castro and English teacher Joe Dolan went shoe-shopping at The Salvation Army. “You should have seen the looks we got trying the shoes on!” said Castro.

Some of the men played it safer than others, wearing low-heeled ankle boots or wider stacked heels, but a few really went for it. Castro’s black-and-white striped platform cork wedges were chosen due to advice he got about the wedge being more supportive, he insisted; not the fashion statement they made. Perhaps the bravest, though, was physics teacher Joe Foti, who brought his knowledge of matter and its motion through space and time to his ability to balance on glittery gold stilettos, even (impressively) breaking into a run with them on during the walk.

In addition to raising awareness, the event raised $240 to benefit cancer research. Funds collected over the course of several weeks by the Interact Club were donated to the American Cancer Society. The students created collection cans labeled with the names of the participating teachers for the student body to donate in according to which teacher they most wanted to see walking in women’s heels. The teacher who received the most support was world languages teacher Marc Knittel, whose can contained $61 by the time the event happened.

Interact Club Vice-President Patrick Varuzza said he thought it was fun to see senior class advisor Joe Dolan do the walk — since as treasurer for the senior class they work together — and also his AP calculus teacher Matthew Paley. “It definitely gets people excited to see their teachers that they see every day do something like this,” Varuzza said. “And I think it’s very kind of them to sacrifice themselves for the day.”

Isabella Mauceri, president of the club and like Varuzza, a senior at New Paltz High, said she was biased toward supporting Joel Neden — advisor to the school newspaper of which she’s a part — as well as Joe Dolan. “They’re probably my favorite teachers out of this bunch, but I love them all. Mr. Castro… Mr. [Albert] Cook… everyone loves Mr. Cook, even if you haven’t had a class with him. He has a very good reputation.”

The Interact Club in New Paltz has at least 20 members, she said; a pretty large service club by the standards of most schools. “And we’re really active; I’m proud of that.”

“We usually do two events a month; one inside the school and one out in the community,” added Varuzza. “It’s a good way to help out. I joined because I saw it as a way to give back and get involved with events.”

The other teachers who participated in “Walk” were earth science teacher Chad Foti and math teacher Thomas Shanley. Social studies teacher Jim Gill participated in the fundraising but was not able to attend the walk.

Many of these teachers were involved last year at this time in the “Movember” cause, raising money for men’s cancer awareness by growing their facial hair, sparking comment and starting the conversation. (The “M” is for mustache, the “ovember” for the month the event is held. October is associated with breast cancer awareness for women, so the idea is to give November to the guys.) The Interact Club — which is a junior version of Rotary Club — raised awareness and funds in the same way last year as with this current event for women’s health, to encourage men to have physical checkups, something men notoriously shy away from. Castro says the group will probably participate in that event again later this month. Another version of the movement is called “No-Shave November,” which the New Paltz Police Department participated in last year and has organized again for this year.

Deborah Haab (photo by Lauren Thomas)

From the outside looking in, it seems like 2015 was a transitional year for both the New Paltz and the Highland school districts. After all the drama of putting capital projects up for a vote in 2014 and succeeding in both cases  — Highland in October of that year and New Paltz voters approving their plans in a second vote taken in March of 2015 — construction has yet to begin in any meaningful way, with design plans for both projects still awaiting final approval from the overburdened state Education Department.

Phase one of major construction is anticipated to begin in both districts in 2016, but in the meantime, each carries on with business as usual. Schools superintendents Deborah Haab in Highland and Maria Rice in New Paltz continue to be faced with the challenges wrought by implementation of the Common Core standards and the mandated tests that nearly half of the students in Highland and close to three-quarters of the students in New Paltz opted out of. But with the changing of the guard in Albany — new Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia having replaced John King in July of 2015 — change is certain; it’s just not certain yet exactly what form those changes will take.

Also in transition is the role that state test scores will play in future teacher evaluations; the state Board of Regents just voted in mid-December in favor of a four-year moratorium on using the test results as a component in a teacher’s Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR), a reversal of Governor Cuomo’s previously taken stand on the issue and the legislature’s vote earlier this year to increase the weight of test scores in evaluations.

Superintendents Rice and Haab both recently spoke with New Paltz Times to discuss what the year 2015 brought to their respective districts and where they believe the challenges for 2016 lie.

Deborah Haab
Deborah Haab has been Highland Central School District schools superintendent since March of 2009. The Board of Education recently approved a three-year extension of her contract through June of 2019.

What are the main issues facing your district next year?
Certainly the capital project; making sure that we have an on-time, under-budget result with high-quality work. It’s the first large project we’ve done in quite some time, and we’re not addressing all the capital needs of the district in this project, so we’re looking for a successful completion so that when we go back to the community at a later date to let them know then, that it’s time to do more of that work that was on our list, that we’ll be able to say this all went well and the community got what they expected.

Like other districts, we’re very concerned about the tax levy limit; it has the potential for being nearly flat this year. We don’t yet know exactly what it will be, but it probably won’t even be one percent. We’ll be okay if our Gap Elimination Adjustment is taken care of. I know everybody is tired of hearing me say this, but we still have $711,619 that’s being withheld in our state aid; that’s a big number for us. The possibility of having the low levy limit and still not getting all of our state aid back would really set us back in terms of the progress we’ve made over the last few years keeping and restoring some programs. So that’s very concerning. We’ll probably proceed similarly to what we did last year; we’ll have a plan A and a plan B. Plan A is with whatever levy limit that we have and getting state aid, and we’ll have to have a Plan B for the worst case scenario.

And, again, like every other district in New York State, now that the Regents have taken some temporary steps with the APPR, we don’t know what that means yet. There are a lot of things that are unknown, but it seems to be more so in this particular school year looking ahead than in some past years. We’ll wait for clarification on what that all means in terms of our teacher evaluation system, and in the meantime, we are proceeding with the plan that we currently have in place.

What are your top priorities for 2016?
Students are the priority; we’ll continue to keep that as our guiding statement as we look at anything that we’re making decisions on. Because large or small, all of the decisions we make end up having some impact on what we’re able to provide for our students.

The budget process is going to be a priority; depending on what challenges we’re faced with, that’s the financial expression of our educational program. The two go hand-in-hand. The capital project is a priority, making sure that we keep that, as best we can, on time and on budget.

And we have a behavior intervention specialist that we’ve added to our staff this year, so providing that support for our students continues to be a priority as well, making sure that we can help them be successful. In addition to being there to support the kids, she’s also doing some research looking back at students who are struggling today to see, what did it look like for them earlier in their school career? That will help us try to identify where the interventions might have been more effective; not that we didn’t have any interventions in effect then, but now we have a defined staff member to look at that.

I think just continuing to support our staff, our students and our families is a priority, to provide our students with the skills that they’re going to need to be successful. And that seems to keep evolving and changing; it’s kind of a cliché, at this point in time, but our students are getting ready for jobs that don’t exist yet. We have to help them become resourceful and critical thinkers and problem-solvers and not just be able to reiterate dates and facts and figures. They need to have the ability to look at a problem or a challenge and draw upon what they know about problem-solving.

Looking back at 2015, what do you see as your district’s major accomplishments?
We’re very excited about the direction we’re going in instructionally; the blended learning that we’re seeing really taking root in the district. What many of our teachers are doing is posting the lesson before class so the students can watch it first at home. Earlier this month, one of our middle school math teachers, Thomas Truscello, was a speaker at our Rotary Club meeting. He did a presentation to the group [about new instructional methods] and it was so well received. There were comments like, ‘I wish my classes had been structured like that when I was taking math,’ and ‘I would have learned better if I had had the opportunity to see the material ahead of time.’ They were all very impressed to see some of the things that we’re doing in our district.

We’re also working in each building on how we can incorporate coding into our instructional program. We’re trying to make some adjustments and changes to keep up with what we’re hearing our students need to have, and we did have some feedback from recent graduates that programming would have been helpful to them now in their college coursework. Given that feedback, we’re looking at how we can pull that into our curriculum more. And I’m working with the [Highland] Educational Foundation on their annual fundraiser, the SnowBall coming up in February, and this year the funds will go toward purchasing robotics kits for each of the buildings so that our students can get some of that experience.

What are you most proud of?
I’m very proud of the work that our staff did and continues to do in learning how to use the devices that our students are so familiar with, and seizing the opportunities to turn those into instructional tools. I’m proud of the willingness and eagerness and the courage that our teachers are showing in trying new things, and trying to meet the students where they are in terms of what they use every day to communicate. And I don’t mean just our newer teachers; we have some more experienced, veteran teachers who are willing to step out of their comfort zone and to learn new things because our children need them to be able to do that. And I’m very proud of them for that.

Is there anything you would have done differently this past year?
With the way the world works today, in some instances, we could be using the communication tools and resources at our disposal sooner, and/or differently. Moving forward we are making a concerted effort to keep that in mind when dealing with a situation. We’re always looking to improve the communication, and in some cases, could we have done it better? Yes. But sometimes people know things before we do; kids are texting their parents, for example, sometimes even before we know about something.

What are you personally looking forward to?
The board is supporting my continuing in the district as superintendent, and that’s very personally and professionally rewarding for me.

I’d like to spend more time in the classrooms with the students and the staff; that’s always a challenge, especially when you get into budget season, but it does certainly help keep that connection strong, to remind us that we’re here for the students and to do our best to prepare them for the future.

I’d like to continue to support the work of our teachers and all of our staff, and support the parents. We’ve done some parent information nights and I’d like to see us do some more of those, so that we can help them help their kids.

I have four grandchildren that I love spending time with; my two oldest granddaughters are both in kindergarten, and they’re a good gauge for me. They’re my compass sometimes. When I’m with them, I can see what they know and what they know how to do, and that’s when I come back and think, how are we going to make sure that we’re providing all of these children with the skills that they’re going to need by the time they leave high school? There is so much ahead for our children and we want to get it right. We want to get it right, and how do we do that?

The SUNY New Paltz campus. (photo by Dion Ogust)

At a rally in New York City on January 4, governor Andrew Cuomo announced the first step of his 2016 agenda to make New York the first state in the nation to enact a $15 minimum wage for all workers: directing the State University of New York to raise the minimum wage for its employees. The SUNY Board of Trustees is expected to approve this increase in its minimum wage at its January board meeting.

Upon approval of the increase, more than 28,000 SUNY employees — including hourly paid staff, student workers and work/study participants alike — will see their wages increase to $9.75 an hour beginning in February of this year, and ultimately reach $15 an hour on December 31, 2018 in New York City and July 1, 2021 statewide. The increase is projected to cost approximately $28 million once fully implemented, and will be covered by SUNY.

Statistics released by the governor’s office and the SUNY system estimate that in the Hudson Valley region, 281,104 individuals in all industries are currently earning less than $15 an hour. According to the press release, the New York State Department of Labor projects that an increase to a $15 minimum wage will mean a boost of over $15.7 billion for the state economy.

Of those 28,000+ people employed for less than $15 per hour by the SUNY system, 2,188 work in the Hudson Valley. At SUNY New Paltz, 524 workers currently make less than $9.75 an hour.  “All are students,” said Melissa Kaczmarek, media relations manager at the college’s Office of Communication & Marketing.

“At this time, the College is looking into the impact of this on our campus and our budget,” Kaczmarek told the New Paltz Times on January 8. “The impact on the campus for this fiscal year is about $77,000. The annualized figure for this increase is $154,000.”

The New Paltz Middle School.

Bill Wisbauer of the construction management firm Tetra Tech and Louis Rodriguez of The Palombo Group gave a presentation to the New Paltz Central School District Board of Education at its regular meeting on Wednesday, February 3 regarding traffic congestion issues at the middle school. The design plans are anticipated to solve the current problems within the parking lot and traffic congestion leading into and out of it, but schools Superintendent Maria Rice cautioned that the community should be made aware that the parking lot improvements would, by necessity, be among the last of the construction projects undertaken in the district and will not be completed until December of 2018.

In the meantime, some temporary improvements will help with the congestion challenges present in the existing traffic pattern. As of last Friday, February 5, the middle school’s half-circle bus loop accessed from South Manheim has been opened and can be used as an additional student drop-off or pickup area. Vehicles should enter from the south side of the loop, let students out along the existing sidewalk and exit from the north side. Traffic is allowed in a single lane, one-way direction and vehicles can turn either left or right onto South Manheim. This measure is anticipated to help relieve the traffic back-up on Route 32 South. The current entrance and drop-off/pickup area and Main Street exit (right turn only) remain in use.

As for the longterm traffic plan, it’s been designed to increase parking lot efficiency without losing a lot of the existing parking spaces. The current 94 spaces will be whittled down to 91, but the overall plan greatly improves traffic flow in and out of the school and increases the area for student drop-off and pickup.

The longterm plan allows for vehicles to enter the lot from both South Manheim and Main Street. The latter will be reconfigured to allow vehicles to make a right turn into the parking lot and will remain a right-turn-only exit. The access point from South Manheim will allow drivers to make either a left or right turn both entering the lot and exiting.

The current entrance from South Manheim will be closed and turned into an emergency access route with a key-access gate. The half-circle driveway located south of the current entrance will be reconfigured to merge into the existing drop-off/pickup line. The driveway will be widened to allow for two-way traffic, which will more than double available space for vehicles dropping off and picking up students. In addition, two more drop-off/pickup areas will be added for vehicles coming from Main Street. In total, three separate zones for dropping off or picking up students will be created, greatly increasing the efficiency of the process.

The plan also improves handicapped parking and building access. Sidewalks and parking lot striping directing pedestrians to crosswalks will speed up the process of moving students on and off campus. By adding sidewalks along the parking lot and closing the existing South Manheim access point, pedestrian traffic patterns will change, eliminating the mid-block crossing location.

The design plan reflects input from a wide range of sources, including the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), New Paltz Police Chief Joseph Snyder, school administration, traffic engineers from GTS Consulting, the district’s Facilities Committee and construction professionals from The Palumbo Group and Tetra Tech. The community group Safe Routes to School was consulted and the findings from a professional traffic study conducted in October utilized.

Lenape Elementary School. (photo by Lauren Thomas)

At the regular New Paltz Central School District Board of Education meeting on Wednesday, February 3, trustees passed a resolution by a vote of 7-0 to allow the Duzine/Lenape PTA to begin selling “tribute bricks” to raise funds to build a performance amphitheatre at Lenape Elementary School. The estimated cost of the project at this point is $125,000. It will be funded entirely through donations and fundraising efforts. Project completion depends upon when funding is achieved.

The board authorized the sales of tribute bricks to honor or memorialize individuals only; no businesses or corporations may be named on a brick in accordance with Board of Education Policy 5260.

The 500-seat amphitheatre will be built into the slope of an existing hillside at Lenape Elementary School. Landscaper Mark Masseo — who is working with the PTA on the project — says the site is ideal, with drainage already present.

Students currently have to share indoor rehearsal and performance space with physical education classes, lunch period and band practice. The amphitheatre will serve as an outdoor classroom, a performance space for students, a setting for the annual fifth grade Moving-Up ceremony and a public venue for use by local nonprofits.

In addition to the sales of tribute bricks, there are a number of other fundraising activities in progress, including a “GoFundMe” campaign with a $25,000 goal at www.gofundme.com/lenapeamphitheatre. Volunteer grant writers and researchers are also being sought; contact PTA president Jenn Voorhis at JHVoorhis@gmail.com.

More information and updates are available at the Facebook page established by the Duzine/Lenape PTA for the project: “New Paltz Amphitheatre at Lenape. A PTA supported project.”

Aidan O’Neill sits proudly after signing his Letter of Intent to attend Ohio University next fall. O’Neill is flanked by parents Amy Daidone and Liam O’Neill. Showing support are varsity football teammates (from left to right) Jimmy Verney, Kumar Singh and Antonio Fazio. Far right: close friend Ahsan Khan.

New Paltz High School (NPHS) football kicker Aidan O’Neill signed his National Letter of Intent to continue his academic and football career at Ohio University, a Division I college in Athens, Ohio. O’Neill, a senior at NPHS, put pen to paper on Wednesday, February 3 and made it official as his family and one of his coaches proudly looked on.

O’Neill is the son of Amy Daidone and Liam O’Neill of New Paltz and younger sibling of Fiona O’Neill.

NPHS varsity football coach Thomas Tegeler said he is extremely proud of O’Neill. “I think he’s worked very hard on his craft. I’ve seen him practice when everyone else has gone home. He hired a personal coach. I believe he is definitely dedicated to his art.” In regards to the future, Tegeler says, “What a lot of people don’t know is that a Division I program will require a lot of body conditioning time and if O’Neill weight trains properly, I believe his future could be endless.” O’Neill has played varsity football for New Paltz for the last three years.

O’Neill reciprocated the kind words by saying, “I’m thankful for Coach Tegeler because he’s the one who introduced me to a sport I never considered playing.” O’Neill was playing soccer for NPHS when he was scouted by Tegeler to come tryout for the football team. O’Neill said he’s glad he made the switch.

On a scale of one to ten, O’Neill says he ranks playing football as a nine and playing soccer as a six or a seven. “Tegeler taught me that through hard work, anything is possible, that football is a team sport and to always remember to keep your eye on the prize.”

O’Neill added what he will miss the most about Tegeler are his inspirational speeches he so eloquently gives before every game. “I’ll miss those speeches,” O’Neill said, “He gives the best speeches ever.”

Although O’Neill will miss coach Tegeler, he is looking forward to his collegiate experience with Ohio University’s head football coach Frank Solich. Having met Solich, O’Neill said he believes Solich is an old-school coach, who preaches a respectful way of playing football. He noticed that Solich has a great relationship with his players and his games are about both winning and having fun.

Thinking about the whole college experience, O’Neill says, “It’s an awesome opportunity to further my education and continue to play a sport that I’ve grown to love. I can’t wait.”

O’Neill plans to study business at Ohio University.

In addition to his sports pursuits, O’Neill has also volunteered at Mohonk Preserve and the New Paltz Chamber of Commerce.

The New Paltz Middle School musical presentation of The Little Mermaid, Jr. is scheduled for February 26-28. Pictured are members of the cast in rehearsal. (photo by Lauren Thomas)

The New Paltz Middle School Drama Club is staging The Little Mermaid, Jr. this year, an adaptation for young performers of the 1989 Disney movie and 2007 Broadway musical, The Little Mermaid. There will be two evening performances, on Friday and Saturday, February 26 and 27 at 7 p.m. and two afternoon matinees on Saturday and Sunday, February 27 and 28 at 2 p.m.

The storyline and catchy soundtrack will be familiar to most audience members. Young mermaid Ariel (based on the heroine of a Hans Christian Andersen tale) is longing to leave her ocean home under the sea to check out the world above. “Flippin’ your fins you don’t get too far,” she sings. Ariel is ready to know what the world outside of her undersea realm is like, but to do so, she has to defy her father, King Triton, and she makes a terrible deal with the evil sea witch Ursula.

When The Little Mermaid was introduced to the public 27 years ago, young girls everywhere (and a few older ones) took to the spirited heroine who offered a new kind of role model in Disney movies, going after what she wants instead of waiting passively to be released from some unbearable situation. Possessing a self-awareness Cinderella and Snow White never had, she knows she already has it pretty good — “Wouldn’t you think I’m the girl, the girl who has everything?” — but she also realizes that it’s just stuff she has, and it’s experience Ariel craves. Headstrong and fearless, she makes plenty of mistakes, and there’s still that fairytale standard of marriage to a prince involved, but in the end, the message is that fortune favors the brave but friends and family are the foundation.

Eighth grader Olivia Benedict portrays the independent mermaid for the New Paltz Middle School (NPMS) production. When asked if she’s anything like Ariel, Benedict laughs, admitting that her father says it’s “the perfect role” for her. Benedict has been acting in shows since she was in a production of Peter Pan at age six, with performances more recently in last year’s NPMS production of The Wizard of Oz and 90 Miles Off Broadway’s Rumpelstiltskin and The Diary of Anne Frank. She plans to continue with theater when she moves up to New Paltz High School this fall.

Seventh grader Queen Irving plays Ariel’s protector, the crab Sebastian. Irving, who played a munchkin in last year’s Oz, says it’s fun to have a bigger role this year and fun just to be participating in the production altogether. Eighth grader Ava Sarubbi portrays Flounder, Ariel’s best friend and sidekick. Sarubbi has been acting in plays since the fourth grade, she says, including shows put on by 90 Miles Off Broadway. She plans to continue in theater at New Paltz High, too.

The rest of the cast includes Michael Messina as Prince Eric, Lilah Fishzang as the seagull Scuttle, Cormac Stutzman as King Triton, Lily Mercogliano as the fearsome Ursula, Josh Clinton and Alex Hill as Flotsam and Jetsam, Ursula’s lackey eels and Andrew Geher as Prince Eric’s guardian, Grimsby.

The show features nearly 100 students in its ensemble, including the supporting talents of Anna Adams, Jordan Balin, Sadie Beach, Hannah Bear, Rebecca Bendell, Kristie Benel, Clara Bogart, Connor Bruley, Briana Carlini, Oliver Casey, Emma Clements, Malik Clement, Malcolm Condon, Jamishay Cormann, Ruthie Crosby-Lizarde, Nyah Cunniff, Olivia DePuy, Jude Desmery, Solo Diedhiou, Stephanie Dobosh, Connor and Rory Domitrovits, Jessica Dugatkin, Lexica Eisenhardt, Alex Engle, Ashya Farris, Talia Feinshold, Ethan Feshold, Angelina Forte, Alana Gerber, Alina Gorney, Chloe Gold, Josh Graubard, Gage Guilikson, Kelly Hansen, Jason Harding, Keaton and Merin Hemminger, Olivia Herman, Rebecca Ingrasia, Will Lawrence-Paine, Tessa LaPolt, Alexi Levitz, Noah Levitz, Tess Lobell, Megan Loughran, Kendell Lucchesi, Sophia Luczak, Jasper MacDonald, Kevin Martinez, Kyle Mast, Kylie Mattsen, Jackie and Maggie Melanson, Kevin Metzger, Max Miller, Arianna Moore, Zaky Musso, Sean Nielson, Delia Nocito, Cate Osterweil, Amina Oukili, Jay and Reeti Patel, Callie Paul-LaRonca, Sarah Perl, Jayden Pollard, Quinn Ratynski, Mason Roepe, Nate Rushia, Christina Rust, Calla and Rosie Savelson, Frances Schembri, Harper Serringer, Brandon Sirof, Ella Skye-Franks, Amelia St. John, Nicole Steinback, Riley Stutzman, Sarah Tanner, Ashley Thacker, Paula Trifilo, Francesca Varriano, Keegan Veeder, Christine Vigliotti, Siri Walsh, Kaitlyn Weinerman, Rhys Weires, Emilyn and Kira Wheeler, Paris White, Paige Wilson, Emily and Sami Wong-Pan, Gretchen Wulfmeyer, Hannah Wynters and Lily Zaboraowski.

New Paltz Middle School Spanish teacher Mary Holmes, with a background in theater and experience of more than 20 years producing and directing school theatrical productions, says she chose to present The Little Mermaid, Jr. because it has a lot of parts and a lot of big numbers. It’s also better when the kids are already familiar with the material, she adds, and they have an idea of who the characters are.

All of the students who auditioned for the play are eligible for the ensemble, as long as they commit to the rehearsal schedule. With almost one-third of the school’s students involved in the production in one way or another, the annual play draws more participation across the boundaries of sixth through eighth grade than does any other school activity, says Holmes. “And it’s really nice seeing them work together, seeing the eighth graders interacting with sixth graders. Between the cast and all the stage crew, it’s a real community-building opportunity.”

The cast is so large they were broken up into groups to rehearse their parts in different locations throughout the school under guidance from sixth grade teacher Laura VanEtten, special ed teacher Rebecca Masters and parent Melissa LaPolt.

Tickets to the performances cost $5 and are available prior to each performance at the school auditorium, 196 Main Street.

New Paltz High School will present its spring musical “Fiddler on the Roof” on March 17-19. Pictured left to right are Jeremy Brownstein as Tevye, Meaghan McElroy as Golde, Adam Joyner as Motel and Maddie Finnegan as Tzeitel. (photo by Lauren Thomas)

The way licensing rights to stage plays work, a community theater — even a school — is not usually permitted to put on a production of a show while it’s running on the Great White Way, if it’s located within a certain geographical radius. But the Drama Club at New Paltz High School (NPHS) got lucky last year: The opening of the revival of Fiddler on the Roof now up at Manhattan’s Broadway Theatre was postponed, and last April club advisor Nancy Owen was able to secure the rights for her students to mount the show this spring — concurrently with the Broadway production, as it turned out.

It’s real coup for Owen, who has a special affection for Fiddler. “It’s the first play that I did here completely on my own, 16 musicals ago,” she says. “I got to play Hodel when Frank Kraat directed it for 90 Miles Off Broadway, a long time ago.” She has been waiting for the right combination of high school actors to pull it off before reviving the beloved musical, and this year, she says, “I just had the right talent pool for it.”

It was Owen’s last chance to tap the talents of some Drama Club veterans who will be graduating NPHS in June, including Jeremy Brownstein (Tevye), Meaghan McElroy (Golde), Adam Joyner (Motel), Maddie Finnegan (Tzeitel) and Olivia Profaci (Hodel). The New Paltz Times was able to interview these core cast members, along with sophomore Gil Sweeney (Perchik) and freshman Abby Gravatt (Shprintze), at a rehearsal as the production gears up for its run from March 17 to 19.

Several of the students chose the word “iconic” to describe Fiddler on the Roof, authored by Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick and Joseph Stein, which first opened on Broadway in 1964 and has been revived innumerable times since. Many of its klezmer-flavored songs — notably “If I Were a Rich Man” and “Matchmaker, Matchmaker” — have joined the ranks of classic showtunes; and who hasn’t attended a wedding reception where the bride and groom danced with their parents to the strains of “Sunrise, Sunset”?

But the show’s extreme familiarity and popularity make it a double-edged sword for the Drama Club. While Fiddler may well sell out the NPHS auditorium, it also presents the young thespians with a challenge in making the material seem fresh for their audiences. “It’s intimidating doing this show because it’s done so often,” says Sweeney. “You have to make an impression on people with the same lines, the same music and the same jokes.” “Fiddler on the Roof has all these strong personalities, but everyone brings their own interpretation to it,” says McElroy. “It’s interesting to see a story you know put on in a new way.”

The son of Jewish parents who resonated strongly with the play, which is based on stories by Sholom Aleichem set in a shtetl in Russia in 1905, Brownstein jokes that he’s “Fiddlered out.” But he quickly adds, “I love the story and I love the show. I’ve seen so many productions… I grew up watching that movie. I’ve been trying to do the Tevye dance since I was five.” ‘I’m the opposite of Jewish,” McElroy chimes in. “As an Irish Catholic, with the show going up on St. Patrick’s Day, I’m not sure what I’m doing!”

But Brownstein praises McElroy’s ability to capture Golde’s “fierce” character, calling the entire ensemble “a large group of very talented young people.”     “It’s such an immense task to manage 60 people at once. Every year, two weeks before, I’m convinced it’s not going to happen. But Nancy always pulls it together,” he continues. “I’ve never been so proud of a show that I’m in.”

Another word that comes up often when members discuss the NPHS Drama Club is “family.” Many a student has found it a supportive place to discover new skills and new friends, and each graduating class’s last spring musical is always a bittersweet moment. While not planning to major in Theatre Arts in college, McElroy says, “I’m looking at schools with a strong extracurricular drama program. I need my fix.”

Of this graduating class of student actors, only Joyner has his sights set on a theater-related career, with plans to pursue a degree in Creative Arts Therapy at Sage College. “This club made me think I want to do something like this the rest of my life: using acting to help people the same way acting has helped me,” he says. “In between shows I don’t know what to do with myself…Worst comes to worst, I would’ve quit my job to do this.”

Come enjoy the fruits of these talented young people’s commitment at the NPHS auditorium next week. The curtain goes up at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, March 17, 18 and 19, with tickets priced at $12 general admission and $10 for seniors and students. All tickets go for $8 at a special Saturday matinée performance beginning at 2 p.m., so you don’t have to be a rich man to catch the show! To reserve your seat, call (845) 256-4111.

New Paltz School Board candidates Matthew Williams and Sophia Skiles. (photo by Lauren Thomas)

With New Paltz Central School District Board of Education trustees Dominick Profaci and Julie Tresco choosing not to run again to retain their seats on the board when their terms expire June 30, New Paltz voters on May 17 will be asked to approve two new candidates on the ballot: Sophia Skiles and Matthew Williams. Also up for a vote will be the proposed 2016-17 budget of $57 million and a separate $480,000 bus proposition.

The trustee positions carry three-year terms to begin July 1. New Paltz Times recently asked the two candidates what they feel the biggest challenges facing the school district are and what their priorities will be as new trustees.

Sophia Skiles

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Skiles earned a bachelor’s degree in performance studies from Northwestern University and an M.F.A. in acting from Columbia University. She worked as a professional actor in New York City, where she had strong ties to the Asian-American theater community, and has appeared on stages throughout the Midwest and in Vienna and Amsterdam. Skiles currently teaches as adjunct faculty in the Theater and Performance Department at SUNY Purchase. She lives in Gardiner with her husband and their two elementary school-aged children. “As a theater artist and educator, the nature of my work is collaborative,” she says. “I can speak from direct and recent experience with local students in high school, community and four-year college environments, and I truly enjoy listening, asking questions, earning trust and building consensus.”

Why did you decide to run for a seat on the New Paltz School Board?

As a parent of two children currently enrolled at Duzine Elementary, I am learning how deeply this BOE is committed to the value of public education. I believe strongly in this spirit of service and community involvement and I wanted to contribute.

Have you ever served on a board like this before?

While I have not been elected to public office, I recently held board positions at the Huguenot Street Cooperative Nursery School (HSCNS) in New Paltz, as parent representative, co-president and president. In these roles, I helped to find collaborative pathways to meet the needs of individual member families and their children, balanced with those of the school community.

What skills and experience do you bring to the district?

My board work at HSCNS really allowed my family and me to create what I hope are lasting relationships within the New Paltz community. Additionally, I bring a professional background as an educator in theater. I have spent 20-plus years in diverse classroom communities — public and private, urban and upstate, low-income and well-funded, elementary to college — specifically: an intensive pre-college program at Northwestern University, residencies with elementary school-aged children partnering with ELA teachers throughout all five New York City boroughs, as well as appointments at Mount Holyoke College as a visiting artist and currently as adjunct faculty at SUNY Purchase. I have also taught locally as an acting instructor for Ulster BOCES New Visions Performing and Visual Arts (PAVA) and as an adjunct at SUNY Ulster’s theater program.

If elected, what will be your top two priorities?

I would first commit myself to a thoughtful learning curve. I understand a number of important undertakings are in process — chief among them supporting the continuing BOE work to see the Capital Project through and help articulate and assess an authentic working understanding of “success.”

What do you see as the greatest challenge the district faces at this time?

Maintaining communication and keeping parents and district residents informed. It seems like there is so much that the board is doing on behalf of the community, and regular, succinct updates with requisite context and rationale are essential to maintain and build trust and support.

Matthew Williams

A native of Ilion, New York (in the Herkimer/Utica area), Matthew Williams, 32, has three young children with his wife, Lindsey Wesserling, a New Paltz native. “When my wife and I were ready to start a family,” he says, “we purposely chose to live in the New Paltz school district because of the schools.” There were other factors, too, he adds, but the school district was priority number one. They lived in New Paltz for five years before moving recently into his wife’s childhood home in Highland — within the New Paltz district — where Williams works out of his home office as a software engineer.

Why did you decide to run for a seat on the New Paltz School Board?

I think everyone should take a turn in some capacity, and this seemed to be as good a time as any to take mine. I have three children, and two will be entering the district’s school system at the end of my term, if elected. It’s in my best interest to make sure the board continues to trend in positive directions not only for the future of my children, but for the existing students, faculty and staff. My wife was fortunate enough to grow up in New Paltz and is a graduate of the New Paltz School District, so I’m aware of what a special place it is, and I would very much like to do what’s within my power to keep it that way while working with the current board.

Have you ever served on a board like this before?

I have not. This will be my introduction to public service in New Paltz. I have always had the intention of getting involved one way or another, and with my children soon entering the district, volunteering on the School Board made the most sense.

What skills and experience do you bring to the district?

I’m a very level-headed, forward-thinking and data-driven individual. A lot of strengths and skills from my professional career will translate well: strong listening and communication skills, data-driven decision-making abilities and a willingness to work with a group of peers who may not always be on the same page.

If elected, what will be your top two priorities?

First would be tackling state-imposed testing and funding pressure and the effect that’s having on us locally; protecting the programming that we do have from those external pressures. Second, the Capital Project, overseeing its success and ensuring it’s on time and on budget.

What do you see as the greatest challenge the district faces at this time?

Standardized testing and teacher evaluations. Unnecessary and poorly constructed mandated testing cannot get in the way or take away the opportunities we provide our students and stifle the creativity of our teachers.

The New Paltz Mock Trial Team took first place in the county and third in the regional competition. Pictured are New Paltz High School social studies teacher and coach Albert Cook, Jeremy Brownstein, Oliver Ferland, Alexander Gerber, Anisa Gilmour, Juliet Littwin, Nicky Marshall, Grace Morrissey, Evan Purcell, Sarah Rubin, Janelle Schneider and Darren Tsai. Not pictured: Joshua Berry, Issac Cherigot, Katelynn Demskie, Elijah Duncan-Gilmour and Elijah McKee. (photo by Lauren Thomas)

The prosecution says exigent circumstances in the drug bust justified a warrantless search. The presence of nearby children in possible danger and a forecast of rain that could dissolve drug evidence tossed outdoors created a situation that necessitated quick action by the police. The defense team, however, says, ‘What emergency?’ The kids were in no real danger and the forecast of rain was for hours later; the police had plenty of time, they counter, to come up with a warrant.

Both sides of this hypothetical courtroom case were argued on different occasions by New Paltz High School’s Mock Trial Team during the months of competition that led up to their recent countywide victory in this year’s Mock Trial Tournament for high school students. Teams throughout the state all work on the same specific case assigned at the beginning of the school year by the New York State Bar Association, which sponsors the series of competitions. After receiving a thick binder containing material facts and evidence in the case, the teams spend months determining appropriate arguments for both prosecution and defense, rehearsing witnesses, citing case law and writing opening and closing statements.

Local competition begins in February, culminating in the countywide tournament held this year on April 6 at the Ulster County Courthouse in Kingston with Judge Donald Williams presiding, himself a former Ulster County district attorney. The New Paltz team edged out the team from Kingston High School to come out on top, winning a spot in the regional competition last Saturday, April 30, where they placed third.

“I’m still very proud of them,” says their advisor, social studies teacher Albert Cook. Under his leadership, the New Paltz Mock Trial Team has won the Ulster County championship an impressive seven times: in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2015 and now, 2016. Once a pre-law/history major who considered going into law, Cook says it was a minor in education that revealed where his true passion lay. Still, he says, advising the club “scratches the itch.” New Paltz attorney Jon Simonson of Blatchly & Simonson serves as legal consultant to the team.

The Mock Trial Team is 16 students strong, represented by all grades at New Paltz High School, but “junior heavy” this year, says Cook. The students meet as often as three times a week during the school year to prepare and even more than that if warranted, according to team member Evan Purcell, a senior. “You have these deadlines and you just have to get it done,” he says.

Purcell plans to go into computer engineering as a career — not the law — but has found that participating in Mock Trial has numerous benefits. “You don’t just learn about the law; you learn about public speaking, teamwork and being dedicated to something that takes a lot of commitment,” he says. “I think these are things that help you no matter what you do. You get a lot of experience at memorization and lose the fear of speaking in front of a courtroom of people, and you really learn how to think on your feet. When you go into a courtroom, you have a guideline, but nothing is rigid because you don’t know how a judge will rule on a certain idea. You have to be prepared.”

Darren Tsai, a senior, is captain of the Mock Trial Team. He plans to major in computer science. “Joining this group appealed to me because it was a chance to be challenged intellectually,” he says. “I think we learn a lot of skills that carry over into other things. The ability to think on your feet and really adapt to change is definitely something that’s important, whether it’s in a courtroom or a boardroom.” When asked if there was anything he learned through Mock Trial that surprised him, Tsai says he thinks it gave him a much deeper understanding of the complexities involved in the legal process. “I think the law is much more nuanced than I thought it was before.”

The group continues to work on their case (from both sides) all the way up to competition time. “It’s really challenging, but even though we’ve worked on it all year, we try to go back and stare at it a little bit more, and try to figure out if there’s a way we can do it better,” says Tsai.

Cook says that some of his former Mock Trial students went on to graduate from heavyweight law schools that include Stanford, Georgetown and NYU, while others who found they enjoyed the dramatic part of courtroom cases went into acting. “The club teaches them thinking skills,” he adds. “It’s also unusual to have the opportunity to be involved so directly with professionals. And I think they enjoy being part of a successful team.”

At their recent regular meeting on Wednesday, May 4, the New Paltz Central School District Board of Education passed a resolution by a vote of 7-0 to not administer the grade seven ELA field tests and to direct schools Superintendent Maria Rice to return the field testing materials to the New York State Education Department indicating the tests were not administered.

The decision is part of a process begun back in January of 2015, when the BOE passed a resolution clarifying their opposition to mandatory field testing of students in New York State.”There is no research to support the assertion that standardized testing will result in gains in student achievement and we object to standards that have not been field-tested or fully vetted. We must reject field tests that support high stakes assessments based on these experimental standards… New Paltz Central School District believes that classroom time and student efforts should be used for instruction, not for the benefit of for-profit testing companies or to aid in the creation of tests that have not been proven to increase student achievement. Field tests are not required by federal law and we object to any state testing mandates that exceed federal requirements, especially when schools across New York State are struggling to meet the unfunded and overly burdensome mandates of Race to the Top.”

The 2015 resolution also explained the board’s position that because neither students nor educators receive performance results from field tests, the tests yield no educational benefit… “and that in fact, this type of assessment is in violation of Pearson’s contract with NYSED which requires that assessments adhere to the American Psychological Association’s testing standards which include the test takers right to receive a timely and understandable explanation of test results.”

New Paltz Central School District voters supported the proposed $57 million budget for the 2016-17 school year with 1,148 casting a ballot in favor and 327 opposed in Tuesday’s election. Voters also approved passage of a $480,000 bus proposition to purchase four large buses and one car for the district. The bus proposition passed with 1,055 votes for it and 419 against.

Two candidates were also approved to fill trustee seats on the Board of Education. Both newcomers to the BOE, Sophia Skiles and Matthew Williams garnered virtually equal tallies, with Skiles earning 1,138 votes and Williams 1,132. Both seats carry three-year terms that begin July 1. As the higher vote-getter, Skiles will also fulfill the remaining term of former trustee Tim Rogers, which endsJune 30. Rogers vacated the seat last May in order to concentrate on his duties as newly elected village mayor, with trustee Dominick Profaci remaining on the board to pick up the slack, filling in for Rogers past his own term end until a new trustee could be elected.

The school budget reflects a 3.4 percent increase over the 2015-16 budget with a zero percent tax levy increase. Taxpayers will contribute the same amount of financial support as in the current year’s budget: $39,635,000.

The budget passed with a 77.8 percent approval rate, which satisfied the required 60 percent voter approval required due to the negative tax levy limit of -1.07 percent this year. Resulting from the consumer price index (CPI) being so low, the negative tax levy limit brought with it the requirement for a super-majority vote to pass. If the budget had not passed with a super-majority, it would have defaulted to a zero percent tax levy anyway, but in that event the district would not have been eligible to purchase any equipment for the schools. The other option for the district would have been to put the budget up for another vote.