The Clarkstown Connection
May 2024
A Message from the Superintendent
Dear Clarkstown Central School District Families and Staff,
Across the District, students were celebrated this week for their creativity, passion and achievements.
Felix Festa Middle School held its annual Art Show, a culmination of students’ best pieces from throughout the school year, and a demonstration of the transformative power of the arts. Additionally, FFMS English students impressed their audience by reciting original poems during the third annual “Stanzas & Sweets: Poetry” event in a fitting location — Caked Up Café! Well done to all of the talented, poetic voices who took to the stage!
The Clarkstown Council of PTAs hosted a celebration to honor the 2023-24 Scholarship Program recipients. 10 scholarships were awarded to CHSN students and 10 were awarded to CHSS students. On Wednesday, I presented the District’s future-ready initiatives to Student Advisory Council members from CHSN and CHSS, to generate more student voices for authentic learning experiences. I appreciate the learners’ collaboration and input.
We proudly celebrate Clarkstown South junior Vinny Michello, who won the Rockland County Boys Golf title for the second year in a row. During the course of the same week, Vinny also competed at the Section 1 golf championships with 60 of the best from across the section. At the end of the two-day tournament, he finished seventh and earned his spot on the Section 1 golf team for the first time. He and his teammates will be competing this weekend at the Mark Twain Golf Course in Elmira, New York for a possible team title as well as an individual title. Good luck to Section 1 and the Vikings' Vinny Michello.
I was honored to attend the U.S. Service Members’ Memorial Day Recognition Breakfast this morning at Clarkstown High School South. Organized by the CHSS Stars and Stripes Club, the event served as a way to honor local Veterans and pay tribute to those men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and our freedom. CCSD thanks them for their service, and may we never forget their sacrifice. The breakfast was named in memory of Councilman Mark Woods, who proudly served our country and community. Among the many local Veterans in attendance, we were joined by Mrs. Woods and their daughter at the breakfast.
Now, let’s take a look at some more memorable moments and accomplishments from May.
Sincerely,
Marc P. Baiocco, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Clarkstown Central School District
Full STEAM ahead! STEAMfest 2024 proved to be a blast as our learners discovered topics in science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics. Thank you to our educators, volunteers and community partners for equipping students with the skills to be future ready.
Soon-to-be sixth graders explored the next chapter during field trips to Felix Festa Middle School! Our future Falcons heard from principals, school psychologists and school resource officers, before they walked the building with Grade 8 ambassadors.
Clarkstown High School North held the Second Annual Career and Technical Education (CTE) Food Truck Challenge. This cross-curricular event brought together STAC College Marketing, Gourmet Cooking and Wood Shop classes, and provided students with the opportunity to explore and develop collaborative skills across disciplines.
Schools paused for Memorial Day to honor our fallen heroes and remember the sacrifices made by Veterans and service members in defending our freedom. CCSD expresses its deepest gratitude for their selfless service.
In the third installment of our future-ready video series, Director of STEM and Instructional Technology Jennifer Mazza joins Superintendent Dr. Marc Baiocco for a conversation about technology awareness. Ms. Mazza explains how the District's focus is not just to teach students how to use a particular tool, like Artificial Intelligence (AI), but to help students build the skills they need to continually navigate a world with AI. She and Dr. Baiocco also discuss CCSD's commitment to keeping teachers and human relationships at the center of this future-ready initiative.
Click here to watch on our YouTube channel, and don't forget to subscribe!
