Here’s how they fared:
•Senior Owen Skinner had personal best times in the 200 IM (placed 19th) and the 100 breaststroke (placed 13th)
•Senior Caleb Decker had personal best times in the 200 free (placed 18th) and 500 free (placed 15th)
•Junior Eddie Edwards had personal best times in the 100 free (placed 16th) and 100 back (placed 8th)
•Freshman Jacob Yourman had personal best times in the 200 free (placed 14th) and 500 free (placed 16th)
•Eighth-grader Marcus Earl had personal best times in the 200 IM (placed 18th) and 100 breaststroke (placed 19th)
•Junior Vincent Galligan (100 breaststroke), sophomore William Monahan (200 and 500 free) and seventh-grader Alex Marincenko (200 free and 100 back) also participated in their first Section Championships in individual and relay events
Congratulations to the senior members of the Varsity Boys Swimming and Diving team, who were honored for their many contributions to the team's success at their recent Senior Night! Good luck and best wishes to:
Cole Lamendola
Patrick Frawley
RJ Sosler
Ryan Jones
Malachi Grant
Owen Skinner
Caleb Decker
Cree Kain-Dickinson
Known for his vibrant, joyful, and playfully childlike 3D artworks, Mr. Rizzi filled his bustling New York City scenes with smiling, winking, anthropomorphic buildings. He even invented his own signature 3D construction style, layering cut-out pieces from his prints to build lively, multi-dimensional works that practically pop off the page.
Congratulations to Senior Jenna Bartels and Freshman Melody Begnoche, who won People’s Choice Awards at the recent Orange County Arts Council’s recent “Arts build Confidence” Showcase at the Galleria at Crystal Run. Jenna won second-place and Melody won third-place! Visitors to the show were invited to participate in a free “People’s Choice” voting to select a favorite work.
Their work was among other Minisink Valley student-artists and Orange County student-artists (representing 12 Orange County high schools) on display. Jenna and seniors Lexie Giakoumis, Catalina Maidens, Kayleigh Bakke and Syemma Mathis are students in Jenna McElroy’s “AP Art” class; junior Gianna Squitieri is an “Advanced Photography” student; sophomore Gemma Skinner is a “Mixed Media” student; and Melody is “Studio Art” student.
“Arts Build Confidence is a powerful reminder of how deeply creativity supports student growth,” said Brandi McLendon, OCNY Arts director of programming and operations.
Did you know that SPAM (yes, the canned kind --- “spiced ham/shoulder pork and ham”--- not what's in your inbox) was one of the only meat products not rationed in Britain during World War II?
The result? Britain had… a lot of SPAM. Enough that people got spectacularly sick of it.
Cue the legendary British comedy troupe behind Monty Python’s Flying Circus, who created the iconic SPAM sketch—where the word is sung, shouted and repeated until it’s gloriously unbearable. From that sketch, the term “spam” was born.
FAST FORWARD: “Spamalot” blends SPAM and Camelot in a brilliantly silly parody of the Arthurian legend. Knights, coconuts, show tunes and nonstop absurdity collide — exactly the kind of humor Monty Python does best.
What does all this mean? As rehearsals continue, it’s time to get tickets for the High School Drama Club’s production of Monty Python’s “Spamalot!”
CLICK HERE for tickets—before they’re gone (or before someone sings again). https://www.onthestage.tickets/show/minisink-valley-high-school/6960f25597c3d71059503e66/tickets#/productions-view
Remember, the Otisville Elementary Drama Club's performances of "Seussical JR" are coming up fast: Tuesday, March 3 and Wednesday, March 4 at 7 p.m. in the Otisville cafetorium.
FREE ADMISSION for all!
Students in Jackie Mazariegos’ eighth-grade Spanish 1 class often practice speaking with each other in Spanish. During this recent session, students were given the roles of waiter and customer. Students followed prompts for each role and had to complete in order. Then, they switched roles. The speaking activity allowed the students to practice with their vocabulary from the food unit. Bien hecho, todos!
Speaking is one of the pillars of the Spanish 1 Final Year End Exam along with listening, reading and writing. But there’s more important reasons, too: Practicing Spanish with peers is crucial because it transforms language from an abstract academic subject into a practical communication tool, fostering faster fluency and confidence. It’s also creates an immersive, low-stakes environment where students can also reduce their fear of mistakes while strengthening cognitive skills, cultural awareness and social interaction.
After reviewing the graphic organizer they worked on with their partners, students independently wrote a summary using appropriate transition words and phrases. This work helps students become thoughtful readers, effective writers and independent learners, not just in ELA but across all subjects! That’s because it builds several foundational literacy skills that fifth graders need for long-term academic success, including: Strengthening comprehension, developing analytical thinking, improving writing clarity and organization and more. Summarizing content is a critical skill used in science, social studies, and assessments!
The closing ceremonies to the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics were yesterday, and many district faculty have incorporated the Olympic games into classroom activities. This included Ross Potter and Jonathan Sakadelis and their IS physical education students, who learned about different Winter Olympic events!
Their recent classes focused on four bobsledding, speed skating, curling and ice hockey stations. Students rotated through them to take part in their version of these events, and learned more about each from information cards that explained the different equipment and rules for that particular event. Take a look!
The closing ceremonies to the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics were yesterday, and many district faculty have incorporated the Olympic games into classroom activities. This included Noelle Ferguson and Jaclyn Lockett and their sixth-grade social studies students, who are currently studying Ancient Greece.
Combining hands-on geography with physical competition is a fantastic way to bring the world of Ancient Greece to life! Their recent project bridged the gap between the rugged terrain that shaped Greek city-states and the athletic culture that defined Ancient Greek spirit. Students created a 3D map to demonstrate the geography of Ancient Greece and completed in their own Classroom Olympics. Each group was given a city-state to research and create a flag representing their city states.
As part of the celebration, the team -- including Elizabeth and Emily --- performed for all who attended the evening!
This includes Angela Dombal’s ES kindergarteners, who made wonderful Valentine cards featuring hand-heart designs and personalized messages. This art activity doubled as a meaningful ELA and penmanship lesson, too, as students were encouraged to write whatever loving thoughts they wished to share.
Many of these little writers also proudly showed off their knowledge of a new punctuation symbol they learned this week: The exclamation mark! By using it at the end of their sentences, students learned how punctuation helps writing show excitement, joy, and strong feelings — perfect for Valentine’s Day. This lesson helped connect spoken expression to written words, builds reading comprehension and encourages expressive writing as they continue to grow as confident writers.
THANK YOU to the amazing Otisville PTO for organizing and hosting this time-honored tradition that continues to spark a love of reading in our school community!
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To enhance classroom engagement, students recently participated in a hands-on volcano experiment using an apple, baking soda, food coloring, and vinegar. Students enjoyed observing the “volcano” erupt and making connections between the experiment and real volcanic eruptions. This engaging activity provided a meaningful way to bring learning to life!
•The apple, baking soda, food coloring and vinegar volcano experiment is a fun way to show how a chemical reaction works. First, an apple is hollowed out to make a small “volcano” crater. Baking soda is placed inside the apple, and a few drops of food coloring are added to make the reaction easier to see. The apple acts as a natural container, helping students visualize how a volcano holds magma before it erupts.
•When vinegar is poured into the apple, it reacts with the baking soda. Baking soda is a base and vinegar is an acid, and when they mix, they produce carbon dioxide gas. This gas builds up and escapes as bubbly foam, pushing the colored liquid out of the apple like lava flowing from a volcano. The experiment demonstrates acid–base reactions and gas formation in a simple, safe, and exciting way.
Mat maids
Camila Calle
Alyssa Hendershot
Jazlin Sessoms Luna
Sofia Udasco
Wrestlers
Alexandro Cepeda, Jr.
Ramon Colon
Timothy Duke
Cody Dul
Tyler Dul
Antonio Felix
Zachary Filip
Leonardo Gangi
Shaheed Mitchell
Alex Nigro
Jayden Pressley
Nathanial Racz
Gabriel Simpson
Otisville's PBIS-STAR program focuses on creating and sustaining a positive school environment which embraces educationally sound methods that foster student character, safety, academic excellence and individual citizenship.
Seven swimmers qualified for the Feb. 19 to 21 Section IX Championships, based on their cut times:
•Senior Caleb Decker got 2 cuts in the 200 freestyle and 50 freestyle
•Senior Owen Skinner got a cut in the 200 IM
•Junior Eddie Edwards got cut times in the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke in a previous meet.
•Sophomore William Monahan got his first 2 cuts in the 200 and 500 yard freestyle
•Freshman Jacob Yourman got a cut in the 200 freestyle
•Eighth-grader Marcus Earl got a Section cut time in the 100 breaststroke
•Seventh-grader Alex Marincenko got a cut in the 200 freestyle
Otisville Coach Jenna Coleman’s team will be presenting a response to Problem 5: “Taller Tales of John Jivery.” We’re not sharing “all” they’re doing to prepare, but it’s going to be a great performance!
The team will create and present a humorous performance about an original tall tale.
The tale will include a team-created hero or heroine that performs an incredible feat, a unique explanation of how something began or came to be and a surprise for the audience.
Each event will be accompanied by a visual weather effect that represents an emotion.
The original characters and unusual situations this team is creating will show their tremendous “out of the box” thinking!
