Fallsburg Junior/Senior High School Honor Roll
Principal Michael Williams greeted the Fallsburg Junior High School and Senior High School in two separate assemblies on the morning of December 14, 2016. The whole school was acknowledging the students in grades 7 through 12 who earned Superintendent’s Honor Roll and Honor Roll Awards for the first quarter of the 2016- 2017 academic year.
Prior to Superintendent Dr. Ivan Katz distributing Superintendent Honor Roll certificates and class guidance counselors handing out Honor Roll awards, Mr. Williams emphasized that he was proud of the 250 students who maintained a grade point average of 93 or above to earn Superintendent’s Honor Roll and those who received Honor Roll status with a grade point average of 85 to 92. The 250 number represents about half the school population.
Looking out directly at the faces in the audience, he went on to say that he knows the students sitting before him. He asked a question directed at each one of them, “Why is not every one of you on the Honor Roll?” He then said, “I challenge you to be on the Honor Roll. I challenge you on the Honor Roll to get on Superintendent’s Honor Roll. Don’t settle for just getting by. Everything in life will be determined by effort. It is never too late to start once you understand the importance of effort.”
After the second assembly Principal Williams asked the seniors to remain in the auditorium. His words to the seniors were as inspiring and encouraging as any coach could deliver to his team before a big game. “You have the most number of students on the Honor Roll of any class. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. It’s the best quarter I have ever seen. You set the tone for this building. Other kids notice you. Your teachers notice these things. Be aggressive, be confident and go get it!” Mr. Williams’ passion for students to excel echoed throughout the auditorium and generated a spark of fire on a frigid day in the Town of Fallsburg.
A Fallsburg Parent and the Volunteer in the Classroom Program
As a parent of two children at Benjamin Cosor Elementary School (BCES), Mrs. Fiorella Muscia has taken an active role in her children’s education by volunteering in the classroom. She knows about the challenges of teaching young children and being in front of a classroom from teaching Sunday school at Monticello’s St. Peter’s Church. Before she volunteered for her first class at BCES, Mrs. Muscia was fearful and hesitant. “As soon as I saw that the children were so attentive and listening, I realized that I had something valuable for them,” she realized.
The Fallsburg mother of two saw the interested children when she read the first Christmas story in Ms. Levy’s class in 2015. She followed the reading with a craft’s project that engaged the kids. “I have learned so much from being in the classroom,” exclaimed Mrs. Muscia. “I feel satisfaction as I watch their faces. Kids enjoy being read to. They enjoy the crafts projects and I can see it gives them a sense of pride putting things together and bringing them home to parents.” She had this experience again in Ms. Maria Rein’s 4th grade classroom on December 16 this year.
Mrs. Muscia has taken volunteerism a step further by creating a troop of Brownies at BCES, with her daughter Bella as one of the members. She wants to encourage parents to get involved in the school. She welcomes the new “Volunteer in the Classroom Program” at Fallsburg Central School District. Her advice to parents is simple: “You have something to offer. We live in such a diversified area with many different cultures. A parent can bring in something about their culture—tell a story, describe typical foods and show how they are prepared. What you have to share means so much to a child.”
Mrs. Muscia encourages parents and community members to attend the next meeting of Volunteers in the Classroom on Monday, January 9, 2017 at 10 AM in the Fallsburg Jr/Sr High School Board Room and to join in the program.
“Children are like sponges, they absorb everything,” she says.
If you feel the same way she does, come to the January 9 meeting. To learn more about the upcoming meeting, visit the FCSD web site www.fallsburgcsd. net and find out about this exciting new program.
Fallsburg CSD and SUNY-Sullivan Co-Host VEX Robotics Competition
Fallsburg Jr/Sr High School and SUNY Sullivan co-hosted “Catskill New Bot Battle” at the Paul Gerry Fieldhouse in December, with six school districts from all over New York State taking part.
In addition to four teams from the Fallsburg Robotics Club, two teams from Elmira High School, four teams from Minisink Valley Central School, one team from Ulster County BOCES, four teams from the Harvey School, and one team from Our Lady of Lourdes High School in Poughkeepsie competed for prizes and trophies.
The principal co-hosts of the day-long event were Dr. Cynthia Marcello from SUNY -Sullivan and science teacher Mr. Don Thomas from Fallsburg CSD.
Fallsburg’s Aidan Ferris and Landen Berry of team 99561C wowed the judges and took home the Judges Award. Fallsburg’s Oliver Normington and Kai Odell Schreier on team 99561D won the prestigious Skills Challenge and are automatically qualified to compete at the New York State Championship competition.
