Minisink Valley High School

HOW COOL IS THIS? Several Varsity Flag Football team members recently attended the New York Giants’ “Heart of a Giants” Football and Flag Football Clinic. Former Giants linebacker and team captain Jonathan Casillas worked with the attending student athletes! Along with physical training, it was also an education clinic that taught participants about important sports topics, including keeping athletes safe, mindfulness, emergency action preparedness, warming-up, and more. These workshops were presented by Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) and USE Football officials and others HSS is the official hospital and doctors for the New York Giants organization. This past fall, Senior and Varsity Flag football quarterback Vanessa Tepper was selected as USA Football’s 2024 "Heart of Giant," with the New York Giants organization announcing her selection at a special, surprise ceremony.

IMPROV FUN! The High School and Middle School drama clubs recently gathered for a special joint “Yes and…” Improv workshop, led by teachers Teresia Parker, Brendan O’Brien and alumnus Haley Parker who are members of Richmond, Virginia’s ComedySportz performance team! They learned new skills, made new friends and had a lot of fun. “Through a series of activities and improvisational games students bolstered their dramatic art skills and learned life lessons,” said Mrs. Parker. “They learned how to think on their feet, actively listen, trust their teammates, and experience the positive outcomes of saying ‘yes and...’ while building on someone else's ideas. They learned the importance of staying present and recognized that ‘mistakes’ can be gifts. In the theater world, improvisation, or "improv," is a form of live theatre in which the plot, characters, and dialogue of a game, scene, or story are made up in the moment. The method has been used for different purposes in theatrical history.

The Varsity Unified Basketball team's recent game, featuring a 1980s theme, was "totally tubular!" Thank you to everyone who came out to cheer on the team and made the game so memorable!

CAN YOU HELP? Mark your calendar, ONE WEEK FROM TODAY! Giving back has never been cooler! Join us at Rita's on Dolson Avenue on Thursday, May 22 from 5 to 8 p.m. for a refreshing ice or custard and a portion of your money spent will go to the Tyrell J. Audian Memorial Scholarship at the High School! TJ was a 2019 graduate and dedicated his life to our nation by enlisting in the Marines right out of high school. Tragically, TJ suddenly passed away during a training exercise with his unit. A track scholarship in his honor has been created in collaboration with High School yearbook. Please consider supporting of this worthy cause!

The Varsity Softball Team’s seniors were honored at their recent Senior Night for their many contributions to the team’s success! Congratulations and best wishes to: Heather Ghussin, second base Caitlyn Higby, right field Ryin Perico, first base Natalie Rogers, catcher Ava Smith, catcher/DP

The Varsity Track & Field Team’s seniors were honored at their recent Senior Night for their many contributions to the team’s success! Congratulations and best wishes to: Samuel Anderson - sprints & relays Ryan Capo - distance Brian Capper - distance Tyler Cloidt - jumps, throws & multi-events Vaughn Hill - sprints & relays Vincent Howard - sprints Julia Kronimus - sprints & jumps Dominic Marasco - sprints & jumps Justin Mauras - jumps Gavin Morse - throws Emily Murphy - distance Kaleigh Murphy - sprints & relays Xavier Rosales - throws & sprints Logan Schupner - pole vault, hurdles & jumps Madeline Sierra - sprints & relays Olivia Sierra - sprints & relays Helena Sopin - throws Benjamin Spevak - sprints & relays Zoey Terpak - sprints, relays & jumps Sarah Winner - sprints, hurdles & jumps

"I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree" - -Yeats Jenn Thibodeau and Catina Brooks' Grade 10 English classes recently took a field trip to explore Innisfree Gardens in Millbrook! Innisfree is considered a world-class garden on 185 acres designed over decades of close collaboration with the land and nestled within a private bowl that wraps around Tyrrel Lake. But before their trip, students read and discussed W.B. Yeats' poem "The Lake Isle of Innisfree." The poem explores the idea of finding peace and comfort in nature. Students thought and wrote about how and where they find peace and comfort, and if they felt that a connection with nature is important to the human psyche. On a day when the weather couldn't have been any nicer, students were encouraged to explore and be “fully present.” They also were asked to take pictures of anything they found beautiful or interesting. Their teachers said this brief retreat from the modern world was a perfect way to welcome the gorgeous weather! When returning to class the next day, students reflected on their visit and used specific literary devices to write a personal piece. What a creative way to apply the reading of poetry to nature by having the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors! •"The Lake Isle of Innisfree" is a 12-line poem comprising three quatrains, written by William Butler Yeats in 1888 and first published in the National Observer in 1890. The poem is an attempt to create a form of poetry that was Irish in origin rather than one that adhered to the standards set by English poets and critics. This poem is featured in Irish passports. •Innisfree Gardens takes its name from Yeats’ poem and features streams, waterfalls, terraces, retaining walls, rocks and plants based on principles of Chinese and Japanese landscape design. Most of the plants are native, and rocks come from the local forest. Tyrrel Lake is a large, deep glacial lake from which water is pumped into a hillside reservoir, and thence to the garden's water features.

Congratulations to Senior Golfer Chris Rickard for advancing to the Section IX Championship! Chris shot an incredible round of 73 at West Point on Monday, falling short of the title by one stroke to the #2 ranked player in New York State. Chris also received the 2025 Chuck Reynolds Sportsmanship Award which is voted on by the OCIAA Coaches. Coach Reynolds was a dedicated teacher and passionate coach at Minisink Valley who lost his battle with cancer in 2015. The Section IX Championships begin Tuesday, May 20 at Wiltwyck Golf Club in Kingston!

Rose Marie Cricchios’ High School “Speaking for Success” class recently completed a class project called “The Competitive Container Corporation.” In this activity, the class was divided into groups to form small corporations that would develop a new container product. Each corporation’s task was to design and build “the world’s best container” made of paper. They had one class period to construct their best container using only designated materials. Each container was judged on its capacity, aesthetics, sturdiness and sales pitch. Preparing their “sales pitch” allowed the groups to further practice and refine communicating in groups and working under time pressure while capitalizing on discovered individual talents. It was a great lesson which has real world applications!

Is there connection between cookies, cake, frosting, cupcakes, candy and baking decorations and cell production? There absolutely is…. just ask Kimberly Jordan’s Freshman Biology students! Mrs. Jordan's Freshman Biology students recently had some hands-on creative fun in a unique cell biology lab! They built body cells and sex cells using their favorite foods, making learning about cell production --- specifically mitosis and meiosis --- a tasty and sweet experience! Best of all, everything was edible! (Everything was devoured, by the way). Take a look --- each piece is unique, creative and colorful! Mitosis and meiosis are two types of cell division, but they serve different purposes and have distinct outcomes. Mitosis is a process that results in two identical daughter cells, each with the same number of chromosomes as the parent cell, and is crucial for growth and repair in the body. Meiosis, on the other hand, produces four unique gametes (sperm and egg cells) with half the number of chromosomes as the parent cell, a process essential for sexual reproduction and genetic diversity.

SEEING ‘EARTH SCIENCE’ IN PERSON! Anthony Muccari’s, Vincent Napolitano’s and Toni McGinn’s High School’s Earth Science classes took learning to the next level with their recent amazing, outdoor classroom experience to Sam’s Point at Lake Minnewaska State Park! Park staff led the group to breathtaking views and gave hands-on lessons about the unique geology of the Shawangunk Ridge. Sam's Point is a 5,000-acre preserve within Minnewaska State Park Preserve, located in the southern Shawangunk Mountains in Ulster County It's known for its unique high-altitude pitch pine barrens, which are home to a variety of rare and common flora and fauna. Sam's Point also features scenic vistas, waterfalls, ice caves, and the "sky lake" Lake Maratanza. PLUS: Thanks to the “Connect Kids to Parks” grant from New York State, the entire trip was completely free for students! Sam’s Point is home to one of the few remaining dwarf pitch pine barrens in the world, growing on ancient quartz conglomerate rock that’s over 400 million years old!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW! One of the biggest district-wide events will take place Tuesday, May 20: The annual annual District Art Show/K-12 Exhibition! Over 400 student artists representing the High School, Middle School, Otisville Elementary the Intermediate School and the Elementary School will have work on display from 5 to 8 p.m. at the High School cafeteria and auditorium. It's always a gorgeous and vibrantly colorful exhibition, featured all kinds of art mediums! This exhibition is equally wonderful because of the smiles on the proud families and students! Please join us!

What do fireworks, cake and a winter tablecloth mean? There’s only one correct answer: The 2025 edition of Vale, the high school yearbook, is complete and off for printing! Kool and the Gang’s “Celebration” blasted from Room 126 as the final pages were submitted. Editor-in-chief Aislyn Struble completed the final submission and then read her theme opening to “Out Loud!” to her yearbook staff peers! Did you know that staff operates as a high school art elective class and is taught by Kat Hoolan and copy advised by Laura Lalor? But, why the winter tablecloth, you may ask. That’s because the staff only has one for deadline celebrations, and it’s become part of the staff traditions no matter the season. Yearbooks will arrive in early June!

To embrace the flourishing spring season, students in Jonathan Bond’s “Mindful Self Design” class and Chris Ruckdeschel’s “SUPA Psychology” class recently took a field trip to the Pocono Environmental Education Center (PEEC) in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. The trip provided a perfect blend of outdoor adventure and personal growth, with a focus on team-building and individual challenges. Students were quickly immersed in a series of team-building exercises designed to foster confidence, trust, and communication. They participated in numerous small rope courses in which their classmates were their “spotters.” There were also several problem-solving activities that required students to act in a thoughtful manner, provide support, and implement teamwork. Students “snow-shoed” with wooden planks, carefully weaved themselves through a web, and even acted as beavers in a dam to get over a wall. These exercises not only broke the ice, but laid a foundation for further connection and team building among students! What a great and creative field trip idea!

We’re always grateful when our community education colleagues visit the High School to meet with students. THANK YOU to Javon Joslyn of SUNY Orange, who met with interested juniors and seniors yesterday, May 1, about SUNY Orange’s Plus Programs. These programs provide training for a variety of rewarding careers, including culinary arts, CDL training, certified clinical medical assistants, home health aides, security guards and more! Ms. Joslyn’s presented focused on the Work Force Development and FoodTec programs. To learn more, visit: https://sunyorange.edu/plus/

Theresa Uhelsky’s High School Adapted Physical Education classes recently wrapped up a fun and skill-building bowling unit in the gym --- then took those skills to the next level with a real-life trip to Pinstreet Bowling Alley in Warwick! Students learned how to select the right bowling ball, set up scoring, and use effective techniques to improve their game. With support from our amazing chaperones --- Christine Ertola, Christina Faline, and Tim Bult, students had the chance to put their skills into action and enjoy some friendly competition. THANK YOU to Pinstreet for welcoming our students and generously providing each of them with passes for two free games. What a wonderful way to connect classroom learning with real-world fun!

Kudos to High School students Zoe Schultz, Morgan Varian, Zuri Poinsette, Erin Huggins-Williams (and her mom Cindy), Gia Gangi, Baylie Touw and Cheyann Kumar for their volunteer assistance at last Saturday’s “Hike for Hope,” at Bear Mountain State Park, an event organized by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. They ran the arts and crafts tables and healing activities to over 500 participants. We always love it when our students give back and help others! THANK YOU and WELL-DONE!

Please join us in wishing the Varsity Boys Golf Team much success as it heads to the Division 2 championship match today, April 30! The team is on a current FOUR match win streak and is excited to compete! "The guys are having a lot of fun and improving on their game every day,” said Coach Dave Benedetto. “We have a great group of players working very well together." He’s also proud to share these player highlights: •Chris Rickard is off to another great season averaging 3 over par He has qualified for States the past two seasons and he is looking to make another run at a state title in June. •Ben Danielson, John Falzon, and Matt Murtaugh are all on track to qualify for the OCIAA championship tournament held on May 12.

For months, members of the High School’s Film Society had been asking advisor Jonathan Bond to arrange for a field trip for the group to see a Minecraft movie, and it finally happened! Students had a blast and appreciated the trip to the theater, as evidenced by Gavin McGinnis’ review of the trip and movie: “First We Mine, Then We Craft”: Students flock to see ‘A Minecraft Movie’ with the MVHS Film Society. “As a child, I yearned for the mines.” From the moment Jack Black uttered those immortal words, the sense of joy and excitement in the Flagship Cinemas in Matamoras, PA, was palpable. For months, the MVHS Film Society had been begging their advisor, English teacher Mr. Jon Bond, to take them to see A Minecraft Movie, a film that permeated itself into the fabric of the public consciousness long before it even opened. Many people already had favorite lines from the movie prior to stepping foot in a theatre, such as “Flint and Steel”; “I…am Steve”; and, of course, the ubiquitous “Chicken Jockey!” “Although reasonably skeptical about the endeavour, Mr. Bond eventually relented, teaming up with the school’s Sci-Fi class and Gamer’s Guild to create the ultimate field trip to the cinemas, with the one caveat that no one was allowed to throw popcorn at the screen. The students happily agreed, and off they went for the adventure of a lifetime. Meeting up in the gym lobby…one could feel the enthusiasm being exuded from the students, who were happily quoting lines from the movie and were decked out in their best Minecraft regalia. Some even wore outfits that matched those of the characters in the movie, calling to mind the Barbenheimer craze of 2023. “Indeed, the reaction to this movie has been something akin to a cross between the fanatic enthusiasm for that critically acclaimed double feature from two years ago, and the participatory chaos of a Rocky Horror Picture Show screening. …the trip was no exception. From the moment the students settled into their seats with their popcorn and soft drinks, it was clear that this was not going to be a normal movie screening. Audience members laughed with each other, clapped for their favorite lines, and even quoted some of the more “memeable” moments from the movie as they occurred in real time. “As can be expected, the moment that the “chicken jockey,” a small baby zombie riding on a chicken--who has recently taken over the internet--appeared on screen, the crowd went wild, chanting Jack Black’s now famous exclamation about the character with him, clapping and whooping. However, unlike more sensational stories about the wild events occurring in theatres during this scene, the reaction was polite and civil, and died down so that everyone could hear the next line of the film. “After the showing was over, reviews for the film itself were mixed. Some found the dialogue to be corny and forced, while others cringed and groaned openly at the bizarre musical interludes crammed into the story. “However, at the end of the day, everyone could agree on the fact that there really isn’t anything else like A Minecraft Movie, and whether that is for better or worse, it certainly made for a fun and interactive film experience that is going to be hard to forget. “After the trip, Junior Hana Ebbert prepared a wonderful presentation on the history of Minecraft and the movie it inspired. Not one to pass up an opportunity, Mr. Bond will use this film as a comparison point in his discussion of the film The Fantastic Mr. Fox, directed by Wes Anderson, in his film studies class. What a day!”

What do fireworks, cake and a winter tablecloth mean? There’s only one correct answer: The 2025 edition of Vale, the high school yearbook, is complete and off for printing! Per yearbook tradition, on Thursday night before the deadline seniors and editors meet in the evening to run the index. But because of last Thursday’s networking issues at the High School, staff quickly pivoted and used one of the Middle School technology rooms for this important step in the process. This past Friday, Kool and the Gang’s “Celebration” blasted from Room 126 as the final pages were submitted. Editor-in-chief Aislyn Struble completed the final submission and then read her theme opening to “Out Loud!” to her yearbook staff peers! Did you know that staff operates as a high school art elective class and is taught by Kat Hoolan and copy advised by Laura Lalor. But, why the winter tablecloth? That’s because the staff only has one for deadline celebrations, and it’s become part of the staff traditions no matter the season. Yearbooks will arrive in early June!