Carmel High School

Latest CHS Headlines

• A Great Start for Carmel's New Universal Pre-Kindergarten

  One group of four-year-olds served their teacher a make-believe breakfast while another played with building blocks and a third practiced cutting out pictures.

  It was a busy day in Carmel Central School District’s first Universal Pre-Kindergarten program, which started on Monday, January 6. 

  “We want to teach them everything they need to know before kindergarten, but we do it in a fun way,” said Theresa McCaffrey, Executive Director of Little Leaf preschool in Carmel.   

  Little Leaf is one of three preschool programs chosen to provide services to the 75 students who enrolled in Carmel’s first semester of universal pre-kindergarten. Creative Kids and Kids Cottage preschools are also hosting the program.

  School Superintendent Erin Meehan-Fairben made starting Universal Pre-Kindergarten one of her first goals for the district. The program, which is funded through state and federal grants, is provided at no cost to district families.

  “The benefits of early childhood education are clear, and include improved school readiness, better academic performance and a reduced achievement gap,” said Dr. Fairben, who took over as Carmel’s School Superintendent in July and got to work right away to ensure that all of Carmel’s students would have access to good preschool education. “It is an investment that lasts a lifetime.”

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• CHS Musicians Play for Elementary Schools

  Musicians from Carmel High School returned to their roots on Friday and performed for students in the elementary schools they once attended.  

  Band Teacher Meghan Cabral introduced the musicians and gave the youngsters a hint of the kinds of instruments they can learn to play as they move up in the grades. Orchestra Teacher Peter Ballantoni wore a fitting Santa hat as he led the string instruments in playing holiday favorites.   

  The Kent Elementary students, wearing their coziest winter pajamas, gathered in the cafeteria for the show. They sang, swayed and clapped along to the music.  

  “We opened for the Rockettes on Tuesday at Radio City Hall in New York City,” Chorus Teacher Bryan Lynch told the Kent Elementary students. “You are now going to get to hear the songs we sang for the Rockettes.” 

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  Carmel High School News

• Fair Street Construction Project Update

  If you’ve driven to Carmel High School recently, you’ve likely noticed the construction on Fair Street.  

  The $30 million road improvement project, which will significantly improve safety, traffic flow and infrastructure in the area, will widen Fair Street from Simpson Road to Route 52. It will also add sidewalks and streetlights from Hill and Dale Road to Route 52, fix drainage and create an additional lane for easier turning into and out of the high school parking lot. Construction started in September after years of delays and is expected to be completed by the summer of 2026. 

  Carmel High School Principal Brian Piazza said that the construction would make the road safer in the end.  

  “The construction will create challenges traffic-wise, but at its completion, the sidewalks and an additional turning lane will greatly benefit our school and community, especially in terms of student safety,” Piazza said.  

  Michael Klenotiz, Carmel Central School District’s Supervisor of Transportation, said that good communication will go a long way toward keeping school bus traffic on schedule.  

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• The Fall Play is a Secret

  Carmel High School Drama Club has set a trap for the audience. They are not announcing the name of the play they are presenting until the performers take the stage in front of the audience.  

  There will be three performances of the mystery play and all will be presented at Casey Hall in Carmel High School. Performances will take place on Friday, November 15, at 7 p.m., Saturday, November 16, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, November 17, at 6 p.m.   

  They are not announcing the name of the play because they want the audience to come in blind and be surprised, said Zyla Bumbery, a senior who has a lead role and also co-directed the play. Tea Sedlarcik is the other co-director. 

  Zyla joined Drama Club as a sophomore.  

  “I’m excited because we’ve never done anything like this before,” Zyla said. “I first read the script in the summer, and I loved it. It is scary and it is audience interactive.”    

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  Carmel High School News

• Thankful for Senior Citizens

  The Senior Thanksgiving Luncheon sponsored by The Carmel Teachers’ Association was a big success with the guests praising the traditional turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetables and, of course, pumpkin pie.  

  Most of all, however, the senior citizens who came to Carmel High School, George Fischer Middle School and Matthew Paterson Elementary School were glad to return to schools that many of their children (and some of them) attended and to see friends from the throughout the community. 

  “We love our seniors,” said Alice Holzmann, the Family and Consumer Science teacher at George Fischer Middle School. “And they love this event.” 

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• Valedictorian and Salutatorian Named

  Chase Yom was named Valedictorian and Kayleigh Harney was named Salutatorian for the Carmel High School Class of 2025. 

  Chase was taking a quiz in his AP Government class Wednesday when he was called down to the counseling office. 

  “All of a sudden I heard my name called and I thought, oh no, what’s going on,” he said.  

  When he came to the college counseling office, Principal Brian Piazza told him the good news: Chase was selected as valedictorian for Carmel High School’s class of 2025.  

  Kayleigh Harney was equally surprised when she walked into the counseling office. 

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• CHS Students Study Their Names

  At the start of the year in Alice Burns’ English 9 class at Carmel High School, students read short stories that center around an essential question about childhood and adulthood. Students made connections to the essential question, while reviewing and identifying literary devices and their impact on the text in the stories they read.   

  In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, students read the short story “My Name” by the Mexican American author Sandra Cisneros.  “My Name” is an excerpt from the novel “The House on Mango Street,” and it focuses on a teenager who struggles to connect with her name and the negative experiences associated with it.  

  The goal of the project was for students to make connections between the experience of the protagonist of the story and themselves, and to explore significance that their names hold. 

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  Carmel High School News

• A Thank You to the Board of Education

  The week of October 14 is School Board Recognition Week, but Superintendent of Schools Dr. Erin Meehan-Fairben thanked the Board of Education for their service a few days early, during the Board of Ed meeting on Octobert 8th. 

  "I know we are a little early, but I just wanted to take the chance to thank you for all you do," Dr. Fairben said. 

  Then she showed a surprise video that was created by students in Tim Raney’s Video Production class at Carmel High School, who included children from all five school buildings.    

  CHS Senior Kasey Carboy led the project. She wrote the outline, filmed and edited the video, which was her first project as lead.

  Seniors Ivy Kolovik and Dan Fanceschi assisted Kasey with filming at the various school buildings. 

   

  District News

• Carmel High School is Full of Spirit

  Carmel High School has no shortage of spirit. 

  Spirit Week started with a “Sleeping Beauties” Pajama Day and went on to celebrate something Disney-themed every day. 

   By the time the Pep Rally started on Friday, September 27, the students were pumped.   

  Senior Class President Jake Patino and Student Body President Jorja Tompuri led the event, tossing Mickey Mouse headbands to the crowd that filled the bleachers in the school gymnasium.  

  The Varsity Cheerleaders, Dance Team and Rock club performed to enthusiastic applause.  

  “We have a little bit of a challenge for you,” Patino said. “Can you guess who the masked teacher is?”  

  Then two mysterious teachers, in Mike and Sulley costumes from the movie “Monsters,” sang a karaoke version of “Love is an Open Door,” from the movie “Frozen.”  

  But once they started singing, students quickly identified Social Studies Teacher David Zupan and Music Teacher Bryan Lynch. 

  The pep rally tradition includes the Homecoming Video made by students in Tim Raney’s Video Production III class and Carmel Film Club.  The Disney-themed video had the audience laughing out loud.   

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  Carmel High School News

• A Carmel Graduate Gives Back

  Come October, Chris DeChent will have worked in the Carmel Schools for 20 years. But that anniversary does not even include the time he worked in the district before graduating from Carmel High School in 2004.  

  DeChent, the Information Systems Technician, started helping out with district technology when he was in Carmel High School. By tenth grade he had a summer internship in the IT department and, later, an after-school job.  

  “In high school I was always the student ready to jump in and help the teacher if the computer had a problem or the projector wasn’t working,” DeChent said. “I enjoyed building computers, understanding how they worked, and figuring out how to repair them. My name became known to the IT department and they let me help out. I started here full time after graduation.” 

  DeChent credits his teachers with encouraging his interests and talents.  

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