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!
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 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.
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.”
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.”
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
PLUS: Thirteen wrestlers placed in the Top 6 in their weight class! AMAZING! Well-done to all!
Champions
--- Keira Filip, 114-pound weight class
--- Jaida Macaluso, 165-pound weight class
Second Place
--- Sara Pauls, 126-pound weight class
--- Treven Costello, 152-pound weight class
--- Caitlin McIlroy, 165-pound weight class
5th Place
--- Aubrey Weed, 138-pound weight class
6th Place
--- Calista Vargas, 100-pound weight class
--- Makenna Matone, 107-pound weight class
--- Amelia Patzelt,120-pound weight class
--- Paris Deslandes, 126-pound weight class
--- Avery Wingen, 132-pound weight class
--- Olivia Miller, 138-pound weight class
--- Brooke Besson, 152-pound weight class
WELL-DONE! The varsity girls and boys indoor track & field teams were busy over the recent break, competing in three invitational competitions:
At the recent Jim Mitchell Invitational, held at the Armory Track & Field Center, Minisink Valley collected one program record and event win, a trio of runner-up finishes, and a number of top-10 finishes:
•In the field events, junior Ella Michelitch won the individual title in the girls high jump, clearing a new program best bar of 5'10". Michelitch and teammate Delila Kronimus also earned second-place finishes in the girls long jump and pole vault, respectively.
•In the 4xMile relay, the boys quartet of Santiago Martinez, Luciano Palacios, Carter Rossi and Landon Straw produced a runner-up showing in 19:15.70.
At the recent Ocean Breeze Holiday Festival, Minisink Valley collected two event wins and five podium finishes:
•Delila Kronimus was victorious in the girls pole vault, continuing her strong start to the young season with a win at 11'6".
•The quartet of Robert LaBarbera, Angel Mendez, Stetson Terpak and Maximillian Wickrath closed out the meet as champions in the 4x400 meter relay with a time of 3:29.18, with the 'B' lineup of Jeremiah Alexis, Logan Cohen, Chase Lattimer and Michael Moran taking fifth place.
•The boys distance medley relay team of Daniel Oenga, Luciano Palacios, Carter Rossi and Elijah Zittel earned a fourth place finish in 11:30.77; and the girls 4x400 meter relay squad of Lyla LaBarbera, Salma Samdaoui, Danica Martinez and Jerlivia Frederick nabbed the final podium position in 4:20.33.
And at the recent Ocean Breeze Freedom Games:
•Delila Kronimus earned her second consecutive win at 11'6" in the girls pole vault event.
•In the boys 4x400 meter relay, the quartet of Robert LaBarbera, Stetson Terpak, Maximillian Wickrath and Angel Mendez were runners-up in a season best 3:26.27.
•In the girls 4x200 meter relay team of Kessler Hirsch, Ferrah Hill, Chloe Beck and Ella Michelitch produced a strong showing in the preliminaries in 1:46.29 and finished fourth in the finals in 1:47.31.
See more photos on the district's Facebook page!
Minisink Valley returns to the track at The Armory tomorrow, Jan. 7, looking to advance the 4x400 and 4x800 meter relay teams to the prestigious Millrose Games.
CONGRATULATIONS AND WELL-DONE! The work of 15 High School student artists from Jenna McElroy’s Drawing & Painting and AP Art classes was part of SUNY Orange’s recent and annual “An Artist’s Response to Human Rights” exhibition.
Seniors Jenna Bartels, Audrey DeFazio-Schultz, Melanie Jans, and Madisyn Nunez-Troy; juniors Sadie Lambro, Zoey Wagner, and Josephine Witherow; and sophomores Vitalia Carlucci, Sabrina Listwon, Gianna Miller-Bianchi, Addison Sacco, Ava Schoenleber, Zoe Schultz, Elsa Suen, and Mia Whiting had work on display at SUNY Orange’s Orange Hall Gallery from Dec. 3 through 15.
Students were challenged to create a work of art that illustrates, educates, or raises awareness about one of the articles from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations in 1948 that lists the basic rights and freedoms every person should have, such as the right to life, freedom of speech, education, and fair treatment. It applies to everyone, everywhere, and is meant to guide countries in treating people with dignity and equality.
The document’s basic rights and freedoms include:
• Right to life, liberty, and security
• Freedom from slavery and torture
• Right to equality before the law
• Right to a fair trial
• Freedom of thought, conscience, and religion
• Freedom of opinion and expression
• Freedom of peaceful assembly and association
• Right to privacy
• Right to nationality
• Right to marry and have a family
• Right to education
• Right to work and fair wages
• Right to rest and leisure
• Right to an adequate standard of living (food, housing, healthcare)
• Right to participate in cultural and public life
Team results:
Minisink vs. Shaker 39–25
Minisink vs. Granville/Whitehall 47–17
Minisink vs. General Brown 41–21
Minisink vs. Utica Proctor 66–5
Minisink vs. Coxsackie 54–5
Minisink vs Glens Falls 49–16
Individual highlights:
MOW: Keira Filip, 6–0
Sara Pauls, 6–0
Avery Wingen, 5–0
Jaida Macaluso, 5–0
Kenzie Welch, 5–0
Amelia Patzelt, 4–0
Olivia Miller,4–0
Cait McIlroy, 4–0
Treven Costello, 4-0
The three alumni returned to the high school during their semester break to speak to interested students in a question and answer format about their college experiences. Students submitted questions in advance and later were part of an open discussion with the panelists. The three college students answered questions regarding initial homesickness; how easy or difficult it was to make new friends and take advantage of all that their schools offered; how they “found” their roommates; and if they were transfer students, how was their transfer experience, among other important topics.
Ms. Hauck attended SUNY Orange, transferred and now attends SUNY New Paltz; Ms. Rodriguez attends SUNY Ulster; and Ms. Guido attends the University of Connecticut.
“All the panelists all have very different college backgrounds so they all provided unique insights,” said counselor Bryana Sewell. “We're hoping this will be a yearly event.”
Players and coaches from the Minisink Valley and Valley Central varsity girls wrestling team gathered last evening, Dec. 18, for a group photo following Minisink Valley’s 52-10 dual meet win!
These Minisink Valley wrestlers won their weight class (in parentheses)
• Zoe Ford (94 lbs.)
• Caleesta Vargas (100 lbs.)
• Makenna Matone (107 lbs.)
• Keira Filip (114 lbs.)
• Peyton Matone (120 lbs.)
• Paris Deslandes (126 lbs.)
• Sara Pauls (132 lbs.)
• Avery Wingen (138 lbs.)
• Kenzie Welch (145 lbs.)
• Jaida Macaluso (165 lbs.)
• Treven Costello (185 lbs.)
Minisink Valley also won four exhibition matches before the varsity meet:
• Madyson Thorpe (126 lbs.)
• Kensi Nigro (132 lbs.)
• Lorencia Gangi (138 lbs.)
• Aubrey Weed (138 lbs.)
“Our girls varsity wrestling team wrestled the first dual meet ever in our home gym,” said Head Coach Dan Gallo. “It was a lot of fun and really cool atmosphere. Congratulations to the current roster, led by captains Jaida Macaluso, Keira Filip, Avery Wingen and Sara Pauls. Let’s keep the ball rolling and continue pushing ourselves to be successful and disciplined each and every day.”
Over the season, Valley Central, Minisink Valley, Monroe-Woodbury, Port Jervis and Middletown will compete at various venues within Section IX's area.
"Dual meet" competition for full teams in girls wrestling is representative of the tremendous growth of the teams in Section IX and across New York State over the last two to three years.
While girls have wrestled for many years (often on boys teams or in club tournaments), the sport became officially recognized by the NYSPHSAA in the 2022–23 school year and held its first official state championship in 2025.
Senior multi-eventer Ella Michelitch had a standout debut in all three of her individual events. She opened the evening with a program record of :8.56 in the preliminaries and raced to a runner-up finish in the final of the 55 meter hurdles. After establishing a new personal best of 34'6" in the shot put, Michelitch closed the evening with a dominant win in the high jump, clearing 5'8". Senior Delila Kronimus also finished second in the pole vault, opening her season with a clearance at 11'6".
The boys team were led by a strong showing in the sprint events, with runner-up finishes for seniors Robert LaBarbera (400 meter dash) and Maximillian Wickrath (55 meter dash). Max emphatically lowered the program record in the flat sprint twice in little more than an hour, blazing to times of :6.65 in the preliminaries and :6.52 in the finals.
And in their first 4x200 meter relay of the season, Robert and Max teamed with Angel Mendez and Tarius Theodore to break the program record and earn third-place honors in 1:32.77.
The teams will return to action with a weekend double-header at West Point (OCIAA Developmental Meet) and The Armory (Jim Mitchell Invitational), before a trip to Staten Island for the Ocean Breeze Holiday Festival.
“And what happened then? Well, in Whoville they say
That the Grinch’s small heart grew three sizes that day.”
The High School's Youth Against Cancer (YAC) and ES PTO's "Kids Night Out" fundraiser, held this past Friday was a huge success! Everyone had a wonderful time, which included an opportunity to meet The Grinch! Thank you to all who worked hard to make a memorable night for attendees and for supporting the good work of both organizations.
If so, THANK YOU for your support of the group’s mission to support community organizations caring for cancer patients and cancer patients through their fundraising efforts. YAC sold 151 wreaths, raising $1,109 which will be earmarked for their important work!
Sixteen schools from all over New York State competed in the tournament, which was hosted by the Girls Varsity Wrestling Team.
“When the dust settled, our girls walked away as team champions with 327 team points,” said Head Coach Dan Gallo. “Shenendehowa and Middletown came in second and third respectively.”
Seniors Keira Filip (120-pound weight class) and Jaida Macaluso (165-pound weight class) earned Most Outstanding Wrestling (MOW) honors. At 120 pounds was senior Keira Filip and at 165 pounds was senior Jaida Macaluso.
“Every single Minisink wrestler won a match,” added Coach Gallo. “That’s pretty cool.”
Champions
Calista Vargas, 100-pound weight class
Aubrey Weed 138-pound weight class
Treven Costello, 165-pound weight class
Olivia Carroll, 185- pound weight class
Keira Filip, 120-pound weight class
Sara Pauls, 132-pound weight class
Jaida Macaluso, 165-pound weight class
Finalists
Kolbie Furman, 107-pound weight class
Kensi Nigro, 132- pound weight class
Kenzie Welch, 145-pound weight class
3/4th
Zoe Ford, 94-pound weight class
Mady Thorpe, 126-pound weight class
Avery Wingen 138-pound weight class
Joanna Wodzinski, 152-pound weight class
Amaris Miklwood, 165-pound weight class
In Oaxaca, Mexico, a large part of the culture is the art of the Alebrije, colorful and lavishly decorated fantastical creatures. Students have been tasked with identifying three of their own "spirit animals," or "tona," to create a unique and new fantastical creature. They’re currently working on their armature (skeleton of the sculpture) and will soon be plastering and painting their work. You can already see the creativity and uniqueness in each one!
•Folk art is typically created by individuals from a specific community, often with humble or traditional materials, and reflects cultural heritage and social history.
•Alebrije sculptures originated in the 1930s in Mexico City by Pedro Linares Lopez, who fell ill with a high fever and dreamed he was in a strange land filled with fantastical, brightly colored creatures shouting the word “Alebrije!” Upon recovery, Linares began recreating the creatures in a “cartonería” (papier-mâché)- surrealist dream-state.
•His art caught the attention of artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, who commissioned him to create more.
•In the 1980s, artisans in the central valleys of Oaxaca adapted the Alebrijes by carving them from copal wood.
