Christopher Tuthill's construction students are assisting the Otisville Elementary Drama Club with the design and building of backgrounds and props for its forthcoming performances of "Seussical JR." It's another great example of inter-school cooperation and assistance!
They used graham crackers, vanilla icing, and fruit roll-ups to model different plate boundaries, recording their observations on whiteboards. What a delicious way to explore (and later eat) how Earth’s plates interact!
Graham crackers, icing and roll ups are used to demonstrate plate tectonics because they make the idea easy to see and understand. Graham crackers represent Earth’s tectonic plates and icing represents the soft layer underneath the plates (the mantle). Students can push, pull, or slide the crackers to show how plates move and this helps them to see and feel how mountains, earthquakes, and volcanoes form.
Plate tectonics is the slow movement of large pieces of Earth’s crust that can cause earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountains. It also shows how the Earth changes over time, helps to understand natural disasters so safer environments can be created and connects to other science topics like rocks and landforms.
BRAVO to the talented cast and crew of "Immortal til Death," the murder/mystery dinner fundraiser presented by the High School Drama Club last evening, Jan. 13.
The show was written by School Senior Hana Ebbert and focused on the 200th anniversary banquet of the Stotolian Society, an organization built from Aristotle’s dream for the elite to rule the world.
Ada Eldritch, the eternally young founder, welcomed guests with assurances that this night will go completely according to plan, with no unexpected surprises. But everything suddenly descended into chaos after an incredibly dramatic murder, and unfortunately guests were forced to watch a ridiculous cast of egomaniacs scrambling to play the blame game, all for the sake of power.
Guests interacted with other society members to come up with their own conclusions on what was really going on. Everyone had their own dark secrets, and guests needed to figure out who’s secrets were the darkest!
THANK YOU to all who supported this Drama Club fundraising performance! See more photos on the district's Facebook page!
The trip was much more than simply seeing the sequel to the first movie. It gave students the opportunity to experience a major studio release in a theatrical setting while connecting course concepts across multiple disciplines.
“This trip was an opportunity for off-campus enrichment,” said Mr. Bond. “Students attending these trips are interested in art, film, writing, or in the case of the ‘Zootopia 2’ trip, philosophy or psychology as well. Letting students watch a film in whole on the big screen gives them the opportunity to build valuable social connections while also analyzing and appreciating the multi-layered narrative of the film.”
The sequel expanded on the original film’s imaginative world through strong character development, sharp humor, and vibrant animation. Yes, it’s an entertaining movie for all ages, but “Zootopia 2” also offered meaningful social commentary that encouraged deeper analysis.
The film explored themes of identity, bias and social responsibility, giving students plenty to reflect on from philosophical, psychological and cultural perspectives. From dynamic storytelling and well-crafted character arcs to underlying psychological motivations and ethical questions, the movie sparked thoughtful, cheerful, and engaging conversations afterward.
Student Melanie Tierney noted the movie served as a strong example of how film can be both enjoyable and intellectually engaging.
“The screening was incredibly well received by all who attended and proved to be a valuable shared experience that blended entertainment, student choice and academic discussion into one memorable field trip," she said.
Mr. Bond added: “After watching the film, each class had a project where the students reflected on the film and its relationship to the course curriculum. In addition to discussing their enjoyment of the experience as a whole, each class project elicited creative conversations and debates that accentuated the value of the trip.”
The “MakeMusic Cloud” catalog is an online library of music content available within the MakeMusic Cloud platform — a web-based music learning and practice system used by music teachers, students, performers, and hobbyists. It allows students to play along with band music, method books, and have music available to support solos. Another great part of this software is that students can record into the program and it gives instantaneous feedback on how to improve.
At the Middle School, the “MakeMusic Cloud” catalog includes many of its Concert pieces, Method Books, NYSSMA solos, and other solos/chamber pieces of interest. Students have access to music digitally, so if they forgot their sheet music at school, they can still get to it on their devices at home.
“It’s also a great motivator for home practice and leveling up within the program,” said Music Teacher Laura Hulle. “There’s also a music composing and sight reading section that both the teachers and students have access to, allowing everyone to write original music and be able to listen back to what it sounds like. Sight reading helps our students prepare for auditions. Being able to see a piece of music and perform it correctly the first time is a great skill to have. This is really helping our band students be creative and improve upon their abilities as musicians.”
THANK YOU to the Otisville PTO for again sponsoring wonderful enrichment assemblies today, Jan. 13, for all K-5 students on a fan favorite topic: DINOSAURS!
Dinosaur Rocks visited the school, bringing authentic dinosaur artifacts which mesmerized students. Students journeyed through time to learn about life-sized dinosaurs and learned about dinosaur secrets of the past!
Dinosaur Rocks, a nationally acclaimed travel exhibit of authentic dinosaur fossils, offers school assemblies that are interactive, educational programs designed to bring science—especially paleontology and earth science— to life for students in a fun, memorable way. They’re often used in elementary and early middle-school settings as part of science weeks, curriculum enrichment, or special school events.
Congratulations to Junior Sara Pauls, who won her 126-pound weight class! Sara pinned top seeded Sara McLaughlin of Choate Rosemary Hall in Massachusetts, ranked 13th nationally, at the 1:09 mark of the match. Sara was an Eastern States finalist in 2023 and 2024.
Senior Jaida Macaluso finished in fourth-place in the 152 weight class.
Sara entered the competition as the fourth-seed, and Jaida as second-seed in their respective weight classes.
PLUS: Special congratulations to Senior Keira Filip who recorded her 100th career win at the Eastern States Tournament on Sunday!
The girls tournament for girls is an annual and premier high school wrestling event that features top female athletes from across the eastern U.S. It provides a highly competitive platform where wrestlers compete across multiple weight classes. The tournament highlights the growth and strength of girls wrestling while showcasing exceptional skill, determination and sportsmanship. It's widely recognized as an important and prestigious event in the high school wrestling season for girls.
WE ALSO HAVE AN EASTERN STATES CHAMPION! Please also join us in congratulating Junior Wyatt Boice, who was the Number 1 seed in his 175-pound weight class and won the 175-pound weight class! He beat Number 7 seed Connor Wilson of Our Lady of Lourdes 19-6 in the finals. Wyatt earned two tech fall wins in the opening rounds and beat Quentin Getzin of Ithaca 15-5 in the semifinals.
“Wyatt didn't give up an offensive point the whole tournament and won each match by bonus points,” said Head Coach Kevin Gallagher. “Zach Filip took second place at 215 pounds and wrestled great all day, dominating some highly ranked kids along the way. Jayden Pressley also wrestled great placing fourth and beating three state ranked kids along the way. Overall, we wrestled tough and taking first place as a team out of 184 teams is a great job.”
The Eastern States Wrestling Tournament is a renowned high school wrestling event for boys that brings together top competitors from across the eastern U.S. Held annually, it showcases elite talent and intense competition among some of the nation’s best wrestlers. Athletes compete in multiple weight classes, testing their skill, strength and mental toughness. The tournament is widely respected for its high level of competition and tradition, making it a major highlight of the high school wrestling season.
Congratulations to Senior Kate O’Neill, who was recently named to the 2025 All-State Girls Soccer Class AA Fourth Team by the New York State Sportswriters and Coaches Organization for Girls Sports (NYSSCOGS),
“With 15 goals and three assists, she was a constant offensive threat and someone the team could always rely on in big moments,” said Head Coach Rachael Moran. “A two-year captain and six-year member of the program, Kate led with heart, focus, and an unwavering commitment to her teammates. This recognition celebrates not only her talent, but the leadership and dedication she brought to the field every day.”
Floor hockey, adapted from ice hockey, is played on a flat surface like a gym floor, using sticks to hit a ball or puck into a goal, emphasizing skill, teamwork and safety by minimizing body contact and keeping sticks low. It's a great way for students to further develop coordination and fitness.
Even more fun for some is scooter hockey, where players sit on wheeled scooter boards and use short hockey sticks to hit a foam ball or plastic puck into the opposing team's goal. The main rule is for students to stay seated on their scooters, using their legs and core for propulsion and control while trying to score, similar to floor hockey but with a unique rolling element.
Her students also recently examined the patterns that exist are multiples. For example, if students looked at the multiples of 2, 3, and 6 on one chart, they can notice the pattern that every multiple of 6 is also a multiple of 2 and 3. They’ve been associating multiples with skip counting and practicing their skip counting skills.
Students learned factors are the two numbers that multiply together to get a product. They’ve practiced identifying all of the factors of a product and determining whether a number is prime or composite.
A prime number only has two factors (1 and itself), while a composite number has more than 2 factors.
Middle school students often build catapults in technology class because it’s a hands-on way to teach several important skills and concepts at once! They’re learning engineering basics and physics concepts as well as important problem solving, creativity and critical thinking skills. Students also have hands-on engagement building something. There’s even a history component to their work as well, because students have learned how simple machines were used and what their functions were before modern technology.
Not only are they building fundamental motor skills, activities like this support healthy physical development, develop better brain-body connections and build confidence, a sense of accomplishment and willingness to try even more fun things in physical education class! Activities like these can help to establish lifelong healthy physical activity habits, too!
IT’S TIME TO RALLY IN THE VALLEY!
The Cheerleading program invites you to attend its "Rally in the Valley Cheer Competition" at the High School on Saturday, Jan. 10. You'll be impressed with this high quality competition and talented participants!
Session 1: Rec teams – 9:30 a.m.
Session 2: JV teams – 12:12 p.m.
Session 3: Varsity teams – 2:12 p.m.
SPECIAL NOTE: The JV team performs at 1:18 p.m.; and the Varsity team performs at 4 p.m. --- so you want to be sure to be there earlier than their actual performance times to get the best viewing spot!
Admission: Adults: $10, students: $5, children under 5: Free
Event T-shirt sales, cheer apparel, and more!
Concessions available
This reading exercise focused on the moon. Students learned the moon doesn’t give off any light of its own but instead reflects the light of the sun. They also discussed how the moon looks different at different times of the month because of how much light from the sun is being reflected and how much of the moon can been seen from the Earth.
Choral reading helps students practice smooth reading, proper pace and expression and rhythm. Because everyone reads together, students hear fluent reading while doing it themselves. Besides the student interaction and social component, choral reading also strengthens speaking and listening skills, improves pronunciation and vocabulary and strengthens comprehension
Mixed media art is simply combining two or more different types of art materials in one project. For this project, Mrs. Kaufman’s little students had a variety of fun materials to work with in this colorful project with a seasonal connection. No two snowmen are alike!
Students learned yoga is an activity that we can do no matter what one’s age is. They now know it’s important to constantly work on physical flexibility because as they get older, they’ll find they may become less flexible. Throughout the unit, students learned different stretches and balances. To mark the conclusion of their yoga work, students (in groups) created a yoga sequence which they performed for the class featuring different poses they learned.
Yoga began in ancient India thousands of years ago as a spiritual practice to unite mind, body, and breath. Early teachings were written in sacred texts and later organized by the teacher Patanjali. Over time, yoga included physical postures and breathing exercises. In the modern era, it spread around the world and is often practiced for health and relaxation.
Joan Giardina’s IS third-grade art students have been using a watercolor “wet-on-wet” technique of painting to create a wash of color that had no lines separating the individual colors.
Students had to choose either warm or cool colors to create a sunrise or sunset for the background of their paintings. They know that warm colors (reds, oranges, yellows) evoke energy, sunshine, and coziness, like fire or the sun; while cool colors (blues, greens, purples) create calm, spacious feelings, resembling water or the sky.
This background is the first phase of their winterscape project which will feature birch trees and a cute forest critter!
Watercolor "wet-on-wet" is a technique where wet paint is applied to a wet or damp paper surface, causing colors to spread, bloom, and blend on their own. This results in soft, blended edges and is ideal for creating washes of color, like skies or water, and achieving a magical, flowing effect.
WE LOVE IT when our business community colleagues visit us and meet with students!
Thank you to Shoprite of Wallkill Store Manager Chelsea Stanton and Nina Fuentes, who handles human resources for the store, for visiting Victoria Ingrassia’s eighth-grade FACS class yesterday, Jan. 6.
Their store is one of 32 Shoprite stores in Orange, Sullivan and Dutchess counties in addition to Pennsylvania.
Among many topics, Ms. Stanton spoke to students about the store’s 24 hour operations; the various departments and what they do; overall food safety and how that’s safeguarded; product availability and the ordering process (Halloween candy and school supplies have already been ordered for this year); special promotions (the annual “Can-Can Sale” -- Shoprite's biggest sale of the year --- is taking place now); working with local, regional and national vendors; a grocery store’s work environment; and even its Bowl and Basket private label (Wise makes Bowl and Basket potato chips).
Ms. Fuentes spoke to students about staffing and job availability; how to apply and prepare for a job and job interview, as students will very soon be nearing the age where they can get their working papers and get a part-time job. She also offered interview tips for success.
Their presentation supported and supplemented class discussions about general food business operations and food safety, and more! It was a great opportunity for students to see firsthand how the varied FACS topics discussed in class actually do have a real-world application.
PLUS: Everyone was gifted a Shoprite reusable goodie bag featuring a variety of Bowl and Basket snacks and other treats!
