By Blaine Malefatto, Syntax

June 5, 2024: Bronxville High School juniors Marcus Jun, Mason Lo and Gamunu Withana have created a nonprofit organization, Novelty Innovations, to catalyze and enhance students’ interests and abilities in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics)

They’ve built STEAM kits that focus on permaculture, which is an approach to a self-regenerative ecosystem, to give back to more than 5,000 students in the New York City area.

“Our first kit, the ‘Hydro Harvests’ kit, is focused on permaculture, where students utilize as much soil and microgreen seeds as they see adequate to maximize the number of harvests,” Jun said. “Then, the kit will give a specific amount of water they should use twice that day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Students utilize our analytical portion, which is aligned with the newest science standards.”

Jun, who is the founder and executive director of Novelty Innovations, said he and his classmates were determined to use upcycled materials and niche tools to foster a hands-on experience. Their STEAM kits include an analytical sheet to allow users to build data collection skills, introduce them to the scientific method and allow them to reflect on their learning experience; a digital video that will take the user through how the kit should be created; tips on how to successfully ensure the first harvest; and knowledge about permaculture as a topic, as well as various microgreen seeds, soil and spray bottles.

“By presenting a conceptually difficult subject into its kit form, we allow the users to grasp these subjects with a tangible experience,” he said. “We wish to foster the knowledge of the younger generations through hands-on learning, dialing in on topics that are not touched in school curriculums that can be emulated through kits.”

With the support of their high school principal, Ann Meyer, math and entrepreneurship teacher Brian Halling and the generosity of the Bronxville School Foundation, the three students can impact the lives of thousands of children and engage them in STEAM activities. In addition, they’re partnering with NIA Community Services Network, a not-for-profit community service organization, to provide them with kits. The organization will host more than 16 summer camps with a total of 4,685 middle and elementary school students.

“Depending on how much money we can raise, we could serve as the basis of the NIA’s STEAM program is its entirety for potentially 4,685 students,” Jun said. “As I had participated in NIA when I lived in Brooklyn for my middle school, I.S. #239 Mark Twain, giving back to the program I once participated in is a full-circle experience.”

For more information on their project, visit their website at https://noveltyinnovations.myshopify.com/  and their GoFundMe page.

Photo courtesy of the Bronxville School Foundation.

Bronxville High School freshmen and sophomores earned awards for their outstanding history research projects at the 2024 New York State History Day Contest, held at SUNY Oneonta on April 14. Out of 10 senior division projects, Bronxville claimed four of those spots and earned the opportunity to advance to the national competition.

“New York State History Day was an amazing experience again this year,” said teacher Dana Landesman, who oversees the program. “All of our Bronxville students represented the school so well. We couldn’t help but beam with pride. This is the largest group of student projects moving forward to the national competition than ever before.”

In addition to Landesman, members of the history department, including Chris Doyle, Eva Gambino, Steve Klurfeld and Martin Patmos, have worked tirelessly to support and motivate the students to produce outstanding work.

Multiple Foundation grants have funded visiting coaches who specialize in film, performing arts, web, and media design, enabling students to engage the world through deeply thoughtful and creative projects.

Having conducted extensive historical research on a topic of their choice, the students’ authentic work focused on this year’s theme of “Turning Points in History.” At the state competition, they were interviewed by professors and scholars and articulated what they’ve discovered through their historical research, which is displayed in either paper, website, documentary, performance or exhibit.

Congratulations to the following students who earned the top spots at the competition:

Group Exhibit

• First place: Caroline Hardart, Louise Jacobs and Virgina Shah – “Automats and American Identity: Horn and Hardart’s Impact on Culture and Social Interactions.”

Individual Exhibit

• Second place: Emerson Dennis – “Illuminated Manuscripts: Preserving and Transforming Literature through Illustrations.”

Individual Documentary

• Second place: Emma Yeon – “Twinflowers: The lives of Linnaeus and Solander as Taxonomic Turning Point.”

Paper

• Second Place: Sebastian Jew – “From Conflict to Cooperation: The 1969 Sino-Soviet Border Conflict and Sino-American Rapprochement.”

Group Documentary

• Third Place: Thomas Freeman, Nicholas Gonda, Simon Leka, John Shah, Fletcher Van Tienhoven – “Breaking Enigma: The Untold Story of Poland’s Codebreakers.”

The first- and second-place finalists have advanced to the 2024 National Contest, which will be held at the University of Maryland, College Park, from June 9-13. The third-place winners will serve as alternates.

Bronxville High School students – who have been exploring different topics in Stephen Kovari’s Bronx River Research class over the last several weeks – presented their project proposals before an audience of classmates, teachers, administrators and local experts on March 19.

“The goal is to ensure accountability of project validity and planning, and to help students refine and think through their ideas,” Kovari said. “Similarly to how researchers nearly always have to submit a proposal before receiving grant funding on a project, our students presented a proposal before being allowed to proceed with their project.”

After completing lab modules on stream flow, water chemistry, trees, macroinvertebrates, and soils, the students had the background knowledge on a wide variety of topics, and an understanding of what a good research question looks like. As a result, they developed and refined their research questions before moving on to methodology. The students’ projects focus on major themes such as fish, wildlife, vegetation, soils and water chemistry.

During his presentation, Dev Tarwala discussed how his project would focus on nitrogen’s effects on the Bronx River. During their presentation, Charlie Donohue, Erik Gjonpalaj, Charlotte Golimbu, Liam Neild, Jari Seibold and Toby Wardell discussed their projects, which aim to study the diversity, distribution, and health of the Bronx River’s fish population by collecting data on fish and comparing it to water chemistry metrics, stream flow and other physical characteristics of the river. For their projects on water chemistry, Sam Mandanas and Era Gjocaj will study fluctuations in nitrate levels in the Bronx River by site and weather conditions using LaMotte Nitrate test kits. They also aim to assess linkages between nitrate levels and other water chemistry metrics, such as pH. 

Davis Patterson and Natalie Thiessen-Rodriguez’s projects focus on the composition, nutrients and health of the Bronx River riparian area soils, their impact on vegetation, and their association with issues like erosion or invasive species. Gabbi Bicci, Mina Farhoush and Roan Merluccio’s projects will focus on how wildlife use highly fragmented, urbanized landscapes by using camera traps to study spatial and temporal activity of mammals. Another focus of the project is on bird biodiversity during the spring migration season. Sophia Richard, Taylor Sundquist and Elyse Sims’ projects will focus on invasive species, such as Japanese knotweed or honeysuckle, and their distribution and association with characteristics of the physical environment. Another focus is on tree coring and providing a past record of growth and environmental conditions at the Bronx River for a wide range of species and locations.

Bronx River research began as a Foundation grant spearheaded by two high school students and a teacher back in 2015, and it has grown into a schoolwide program of study. 

As elementary school students gathered inside their school’s own planetarium and looked up at a simulation of the solar eclipse, the atmosphere was charged with excitement. Under the expertise of middle school science teacher Frank Viggiani and elementary school science teachers Susan Monaco and Stephanie Kennedy, kindergarten through fifth grade students had an enriching learning experience on April 3 and 4. The lessons were designed to prepare them for the eagerly anticipated schoolwide solar eclipse viewing on April 8.

“The lesson was to demonstrate to the students the time of the eclipse, especially the maximum eclipse for Bronxville which will be around 91% at 3:25 p.m.,” Viggiani said. “We were able to see the entire eclipse while we zoomed in on the sun.”

During the experience, the students delved into the realms of Jupiter and explored the various constellations. Additionally, they engaged in meaningful discussions surrounding the need for solar eclipse glasses to safeguard their vision during the eclipse. Prior to the April 8 event, the elementary school students made UV bracelets to wear during the solar eclipse.

“As teachers we wanted to take full advantage of the learning opportunity that the solar eclipse has presented,” Monaco said. “Visiting the planetarium and experiencing a simulation of the solar eclipse as it will appear in Bronxville not only helped the students gain a better understanding of how the sun, earth and moon interact with each other, but also led to piqued curiosity and interest about outer space.”

Bronxville’s planetarium, known as the Digitarium Zeta, was funded through the generous support of the Bronxville School Foundation in 2011. The high-resolution digital, inflatable planetarium can be programmed to show star and planet motion for various dates, times and locations for teaching astronomy at the elementary, middle and high school levels.

By Blaine Malefatto, Syntax

March 13, 2024: The talented members of the Bronxville High School band have been preparing to debut a remarkable piece of music, which was crafted by a professional composer specifically for them.

The students will premiere “The Roaring Twenties” on April 17 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium. The experience was made possible thanks to a generous grant from the Bronxville School Foundation.

Entitled “The Roaring Twenties,” the medley of popular jazz tunes from the 1920s pays homage to the school’s rich history, founded in 1922. Crafted by composer Carl Strommen, the unique composition presented a challenge to adapt jazz styling to an ensemble of 40 students.

“Writing a jazz chart for a big band is easy, but to make that transfer to a concert band, is extremely difficult,” band director Uma Karkala said. “Everything is different – tone, balance, phrasing, intonation. It’s a lot of fun but a lot of listening and hard work goes into it making it sound correct. But being able to do this makes it unique and stand out.”

Strommen’s approach to the composition ensures that it showcased the talents of the students and provides an opportunity for concert bands worldwide to experience it by purchasing and playing the piece. Junior Lia Nacey, who has been playing the flute since fourth grade, expressed her pride in being a part of the collaboration. She said it’s an honor to have a composer tailor a piece specifically for her and her classmates who have made a solid commitment to the band program.

“What makes Mr. Strommen’s arrangement so special is that he arranged these songs specifically based on the Bronxville band program’s strong points,” Nacey said. “Our band has a solid flute section and a large brass section this year, so Mr. Strommen wrote the medley to highlight these instruments. It’s like our very own musical signature.”

She described her favorite part of the piece to be “My Melancholy Baby,” which is the ballad in the middle of the medley that stands out as the singular slow, gentle piece, counterbalancing the rest of the piece.

“A lot of the songs in ‘Roaring Twenties’ have a very energetic punch to them, which is something our band can pull off exceptionally well,” Nacey said. “‘My Melancholy Baby’ really shows off our versatility. We can be excited and expressive, but we can also show more reservation and quiet.”

Photo courtesy of the Bronxville School Foundation.

By Rob Crystal, Board Member Bronxville School Foundation  

The Bronxville School Foundation will accept nominations through February 2, 2024 to fill open positions on its Board of Directors for the upcoming year.  Candidates are village residents who would work with current board members to raise funds and support grants that will enhance educational programs in the Bronxville School district. Parents of current students and graduates, alumni, and community members without children are encouraged to express interest. The directors reflect a broad and diverse cross-section of  the community.  

The Foundation was established as a nonprofit in 1991 by the Trustees of the  Bronxville School Board of Education, citizens in the community, and  supporters of the school who understood that raising private funds from school families and village residents to supplement the district’s budget was important to maintaining excellence at the Bronxville School. The Foundation’s Board of Directors consists of thirty people, including one member of the Board of  Education, the Superintendent of Schools, and the Vice President of the PTA.  

The primary role of the Foundation’s Nominating Committee is to identify  motivated, hard-working leaders for possible nomination to the Bronxville  School Foundation. The Committee considers recommendations from within the board itself as well as from individuals who express interest through the Foundation office. To express your interest, propose candidates or learn more about the Foundation, please contact Executive Director Helena McSherry at 914-395-0515 or via email at hmcsherry@bronxvilleschool.org. Written correspondence should be forwarded to Helena’s attention at The Bronxville School Foundation, 177 Pondfield Road, Bronxville, New York, 10708 and  include specific information about involvement in the community and the  school. Other details regarding background or relevant experience should also be included.  

Photographed above: Board member Anabella Davis working on grants in the BSF office.

Bronxville Middle School eighth graders recently embarked on an enlightening journey through the Progressive Era, a pivotal period in American history between 1890 and 1920. Spearheaded by social studies teachers Christina Reidel and Jennifer Liberman, who designed textual analysis lessons, the students immersed themselves into historical primary resources as genuine historians.

Throughout the lessons, the students not only absorbed historical content, but honed critical skills, such as close reading and annotation. Under the guidance of their teachers, the students have become adept at dissecting source texts, isolating main ideas, expressing their thoughts through meticulous marginal notes and finding greater engagement with the topics of the past.

The Progressive Era unit has allowed students to explore how reformers sought to address political and social issues at the local, state and federal levels. It has shed light on the renewed attention to women’s rights and the suffrage movement, Populist Party’s response to industrialization, and the impactful work of reformers and muckrakers. The exploration also encompassed the responses of state and federal governments to reform efforts, including the passage of the 17th Amendment, child labor and minimum wage laws, antitrust legislation, and food and drug regulations.

“Through student-led annotations of texts, I have built a classroom culture where students are eager to question the source texts and work through their thinking as a community of learners,” Reidel said. “They are willing to take risks and be comfortable with not knowing all the answers, as I have emphasized that historians are often more interested in the questions than the answers.”

The skills of close reading and annotation have been a large focus to prepare students for the challenges that lie ahead. Professional development around vertical alignment ensures a seamless transition for students, equipping them with strong reading, writing and analytical skills expected in high school.

“Students love this work,” Reidel said. “Although it is hard thinking work, they respond with enthusiasm, excitement and curiosity. The habits of annotation and primary source analysis give students access to the deeper questions in history which they are enjoying.”

Before exploring the primary sources, the students collaborated in groups to provide historical context on significant figures or events, facilitating a richer understanding of the Progressive Era. As a culmination of their exploration, the eighth graders will use texts as evidence to craft essays that challenge them to examine how Progressive Era reformers sparked significant change through their actions and ideas.

The students’ work seamlessly aligns with the district’s Bronxville Promise dispositions. As they studied and observed agents of change from the past, they reflected on their own evolving skills as engaged citizens – becoming informed and acting to make an impact.

The lessons designed by Reidel and Liberman were facilitated by a grant from the Bronxville School Foundation for history curriculum development.   They aligned both the content instruction and skills development in 8th grade with the New York State K-8 Framework and each other. The planning focused on how to develop students’ skills in reading historical documents and writing historical arguments.  “While helping students analyze primary sources as evidence for history is a skill that I have honed, this professional development around skills and content for grades 6-12 helped reinforce that the skill is essential to prepare 8th graders for high school level work,” Reidel said. “I am always so grateful to the Foundation for helping support teaching and learning at Bronxville.”

Photo courtesy of Plamena Quintavalla.

By Plamena Quintavalla

In an engaging literary exploration, sixth graders worked on strategies for pulling themes out of literature. After reading “The Giver” by Lois Lowery as a class, the students chose books of their preference and connected with their peers in small book clubs to delve into the depths of their novels.

The students chose from several novels, including “Tuck Everlasting” by Natalie Babbitt, “Counting by 7s” by Holly Goldberg Sloan, “The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963” by Christopher Paul Curtis, “Fish in a Tree” by Lynda Mullaly Hunt, “Wolf Hollow” by Lauren Wolk and “Warriors Don’t Cry” by Melba Pattillo Beals.

Guided by their dedicated teacher, Kathryn Marron, the students gathered in groups to engage in thoughtful discussions, focusing on the emergence of themes in their chosen novels.

“The students really loved the books they picked and enjoyed the level of independence they felt running their own discussions,” Marron said.

All of the novels that the students read in this literary exploration were purchased through a Bronxville School Foundation grant.

Photo courtesy of Plamena Quintavalla.