The Historical Society of Newburgh Bay and the Highlands is pleased to solicit applications for their second annual $1,000.00 college scholarship to be given to an outstanding scholar interested in history or historical preservation, archeology, anthropology, or information services. The applicant should show an interest in the history of the area and should demonstrate this interest through participation in activities that relate to the history of the area. They would like the scholarship to encourage young people to be active participants in learning about and preserving our historical heritage.
The application deadline is May 15, 2011. Further information may be obtained by calling Warren Cahill at 845-562-5639. Click here for the application.
In a district with roughly 13,000 students and 2,000 employees, Newburgh Enlarged City School District’s Director of Security John Young, a former City of Newburgh Police Department Lieutenant with 20 years of experience, knows the value of maintaining the safety of students and staff in an ever changing world. Following tragedies such as the attacks on Columbine High School and Virginia Tech, school security has become a top priority for districts across the United States.
Throughout the year, Young acts as a liaison to outside agencies including the Town of New Windsor, Town of Newburgh and City of Newburgh Police Departments, to initiate drills and training which keep student and staff safety at the forefront for all security guards as well as building staff. “Security is everyone’s responsibility,” explained Young.
During a recent school day, Young collaborated with the Town of New Windsor Police Department’s Sergeant Robert Doss to run intruder drills at several NECSD schools. Intruder drills involve a plainclothes officer that is sent into the building as a decoy. The ‘intruder” travels around the building before being stopped by a member of the school staff. The drills keep staff vigilant for individuals who do not belong in the building. “The security guards, in addition to our teachers and other staff members, are familiar with who should be in the building and which individuals do not belong. These drills keep our employees engaged to make sure that only authorized personnel and visitors are in the buildings at all times,” Young said of the drill.
Sergeant Doss explained that in a time of a budget cuts in school districts and municipalities, partnerships and collaborative efforts are a win-win for everyone involved. “We need everyone’s cooperation. School employees should have security on their mind,” Sergeant Doss explained. “The measures that they take can have a huge impact.”
In addition to implementing drills, training and procedures in NECSD buildings, Young also works on behalf of the District to collaborate with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and local police agencies to bring police canines specializing in narcotics and bomb sniffing into the schools, which benefits both the dogs and their handlers, as well as the District. “These partnerships give us the opportunity to bring in the police canines from outside agencies, and have them become familiar with the layout of the buildings and school property should an emergency situation arise. This not only benefits the canines and their handlers for training purposes, but the school building as a whole. When we go into lockdown for these drills, it gives the students and staff an idea of how a scenario might play out,” explained Young.
For many districts, preventing and planning for emergency scenarios is often a topic that is not addressed until the time is too late. “Our partnerships with outside agencies are important in a time of budget cutbacks. The drills and resources provide us with invaluable training at no additional cost to the District. By keeping security in the forefront and raising the awareness of all employees across the District, we can work together with these outside agencies to create safer schools and communities,” explained Young.
Recently, Fostertown ETC Magnet School alumni, now students at Newburgh Free Academy, returned to give a special performance for current students and discussed the importance of creating a solid foundation through education. In addition to meeting New York State curriculum requirements, Fostertown students focus on fine and performing arts through theater and music. The former students, now in the NFA AARTS Academy, spoke to students about the role that Fostertown played in the early educational years and performed a variety of songs, dances numbers and spoken-word poems. From English to music, the students explained that the values and core ideas that they were taught at Fostertown have helped them reach their goals in high school.
Lexi Lawson is currently on a world tour with the Broadway show “In the Heights”
In addition to Newburgh Free Academy students, Fostertown and NFA alumnus Lexi Lawson made a special guest appearance for the young audience. Lawson is currently on a world tour with the Broadway show “In the Heights” as the principle female ‘Vanessa’. She recently completed the “Broadway Tour” of RENT! playing the lead role of ‘Mimi’. In addition to her theatrical credits, Lawson was also on American Idol Season 8 and has garnered numerous television, film and advertising credits since graduating from NFA.
“This performance provided a way to for the NFA students to show the positive impact that fusing the arts with academics has had on their education from elementary to high school. Hopefully they have inspired some of the younger students while sending a “thank you” message to their former teachers,” explained NFA Dance Teacher Mandy Clifford.
Recently, Newburgh Free Academy students in drama teacher Terry Sandler’s Acting Class and William Walker’s Creative Writing class were treated to a professional workshop from Emmy Award winner Jill Turner. The collaboration was initiated by Sandler and Gary VanVoorhis, NFA teacher and President of the Hear the Music Foundation. The goal of the foundation is to bring professional mentors into the schools and teach students priceless real world experience.
According to VanVoorhis, Turner won the Emmy award in 2009 for Outstanding Writing in Animation. Turner is currently a freelance writer whose resume includes many of the top children’s TV shows now running on major network television. Her credits include: Jungle Junction (Playhouse Disney), Hosted Interstitials (Sprout), Elmo’s Movie Merry-Thon (Sprout), Jelly Jamm (Vodka Capital), WordWorld (PBS Kids) and Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! (Nick Jr.).
Turner had the students engaged as she showed them the process of how a writer creates ideas on a storyboard and moves to a final televised show. According to VanVoorhis, students saw first hand the positives and negatives of a freelance writer in today’s market.
“It was just amazing to see the connection Ms. Turner made with the future writers who all were so excited to meet her, as they recognized the television shows Turner has worked for. Anytime you have the opportunity to show students that what they are learning in the classroom has real world meaning is just terrific,” explained VanVoorhis.
Recently, the Newburgh Free Academy cheerleading team participated in the Contest of Champions, a national competition, at the ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida. Newburgh earned first place in their division, surpassing teams from around the country.
“The team worked so hard and practiced numerous hours throughout the season. It takes a lot of effort and dedication to pull off a perfect routine. We hit a few bumps in the road, experienced some disappointments, but in the end, our efforts paid off. I couldn’t be any more proud of my team,” explained Coach Rosana Diaz.
Leslie Hungria, a freshman in the AARTS Academy at Newburgh Free Academy, is advancing to the State Finals for Poetry Out Loud, a nationwide poetry recitation competition run by the National Endowment for the Arts.
On Thursday, February 3, 2011, she joined fellow classmates Farah Aziz and Ethan Freedman at the regional competition in Albany, where she earned a place in the State Finals for her recitation of Sonnets from the Portuguese 43 by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Do Not Go Gentle Into that Good Night by Dylan Thomas.
According to Hungria, the NFA portion of the competition began in the Black Box Theater where she was one of only two ninth grade students competing along with a handful of Newburgh Free Academy juniors and seniors. Poetry Out Loud encourages the nation’s youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and performance. This exciting program helps the over 325,000 participating students nationwide master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literacy heritage.
Hungria’s teacher, English Language Arts Teacher Christine McCartney, explains the significance of this prestigious honor, “The faculty at Newburgh Free Academy could not be more excited for Leslie. For a freshman to advance in this competition against students who are juniors and seniors is a noteworthy accomplishment. She practiced tirelessly before the competition with her mother, which proves how advantageous positive parental involvement can be to a student’s success.”
Hungria will compete in Albany on Sat., March 5 in the State Finals.
