Carmel High School

Latest CHS Headlines

• Counseling Dept. Helps Soothe College Anxiety

  Applying to college is difficult enough, Grace Fischer, a senior at Carmel High School, said. She did not need the added pressure of sending standardized test scores as part of her application.   

  “All of the schools I applied to are test-optional,” said Grace, who applied to seven colleges and hopes to study marine biology. “That lessens the stress and helps you focus on your capabilities. An exam does not reflect who I am.”  

  The Counseling Department at Carmel High School knows all about college anxiety, Heather Jaffe, Counseling Department Chair, said. The department’s Counselors are skilled at helping students navigate the college application process.   

  “Usually, the students are overwhelmed,” Ms. Jaffe said. “We help them to de-stress, compartmentalize and take it one step at a time.”  

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• Mock Presidential Debates Draw a Crowd

  With the Democrats dressed in blue and the Republicans wearing red, the students in the AP Government classes’ mock Presidential Debates got every detail of the two political parties correct – including the heated arguments over policy positions.  

  “Immigration is a defining aspect of the American character,” Aubrey Dall, the mock Democratic candidate for president, said. “Immigration is not a problem to be solved. Throughout our history we have welcomed immigrants.” 

  Ava Florez, the mock Republican candidate, begged to differ.  

  “We have a housing shortage, and the influx of immigrants complicates that even more,” Ava argued. “Our immigration system is flawed.” 

  David Zupan and Kerry Hackert’s AP Government classes each held a debate this month in front of a packed audience at Carmel High School’s Casey Hall.  

  Not shying away from difficult subjects, the candidates debated everything from the tax system and abortion to climate change and transgender rights. Aubrey and Ava were the candidates in Ms. Hackert’s class. Eric Juhanak and Evan Mole squared off on the debate stage for Mr. Zupan’s class. Each presented well thought out arguments that were developed by teams of students. The entire debate was student run. The topics and questions were created by the moderators in each class.  
   

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• Schools Host Senior Citizens for Thanksgiving Luncheon

  Senior citizens throughout the Carmel Central School District community were treated to an early Thanksgiving Luncheon on Wednesday, Nov. 8, at schools across the district.

  “Our community really wraps their arms around our seniors,” said Alice Holzmann, the family and consumer science teacher at George Fischer Middle School. “In each of our schools the students serve the seniors, make crafts for them, sing and entertain them and just spend time talking with the seniors. It is a real treat for our seniors and for our students.”

  The Carmel Teachers Association sponsored the luncheon. Holzmann, who has organized the Thanksgiving Luncheon for 39 years, said the Putnam County Office of the Aging helped coordinate the event, and that the hard work of the schools’ cafeteria staff made the feast a huge success.

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• Getting to "One Carmel"

  More than 30 parents, students, teachers and administrators came to the Unity in Our Community event at Carmel High School on Wednesday, Oct. 25, to discuss ways to end divisions within the schools and bring Carmel Central School District residents together as “One Carmel.”  

  “Clearly, we are in a place where we are ripe for change,” Interim Superintendent of Schools Joseph McGrath said. “Just coming together like this makes our community stronger. Now, it is up to us to convert ideas into a strategic action plan.”  

  Led by Matt Latimer, the lead conciliation specialist for the U.S. Department of Justice, Community Relations Service, the event featured discussions about Carmel’s progress over the past few months.  

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• Carmel High School's All-State Musicians

  It is highly competitive to get invited to play in the NYSSMA All-State Music Festival, but for Carmel High School senior Ben Shea, the hardest part may be just physically getting to Rochester to perform.  

  Ben plays the contrabass clarinet, the tallest clarinet, at more than eight feet long.  

  “I’m definitely excited to get to go to Rochester and play with other good players,” said Ben, who will perform in the Symphonic Band. “I am the only contrabass clarinet player going. It is funny, I have never actually met anyone else who plays my instrument. When I first saw it in the music department, I begged to play it, and they let me.” 

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• New Assistant Superintendent of Pupil Personnel Services

  Elizabeth A. Kennedy, Ed.D., who took over as Carmel Central School District’s new Assistant Superintendent of Pupil Personnel Services in October, has hit the ground running.  

  Though she has only been in the district a few weeks, Dr. Kennedy has already attended SEPTO, or Special Ed PTO, meetings and started building relationships in the community.  

  “I am very excited to be joining this excellent school district community,” Dr. Kennedy said. “I know that the Carmel schools are dedicated to providing the best opportunities for children with special needs. I am also happy to have the chance to directly support our English as a New Language and Nursing Departments through this leadership role.”   

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• CHS Names Valedictorian and Salutatorian for the Class of 2024

  Carmel High School named Luke Walters as valedictorian and Jennie Belle Aliaga as salutatorian for the Class of 2024.  

  “Congratulations to both of you,” Principal Brian Piazza said. “You make Carmel extremely proud.”  

  The students were informed of their achievement on Wednesday October 11 in the Guidance Office. With Mr. Piazza, Guidance Department Chair Heather Jaffe and several assistant principals and counselors in attendance, Luke and Jennie Belle each called their fathers to tell them the good news. Their dads were extremely excited.  

  Luke, 17, who plans to study neuroscience in college, said it was AP Physics that ignited the interest in him.  

  Jennie Belle, 17, hopes to study medicine in college and is considering applying to colleges that have accelerated pre-med programs.  

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• Staff, Students and Community Work Together for Safety

  There are AED devices that can save a life placed strategically throughout the Carmel Schools so that if someone is suffering a heart attack in any of the buildings, there will be help close by.  

  But last year, after the cardiac incident with Damar Hamlin on the Buffalo Bills, Lisa Palmieri, a physical education teacher at Matthew Paterson Elementary noticed that the athletic field at the George Fischer Middle School was so far from the building that it might be difficult to get quick access to an AED, or automated external defibrillator, should there be a need.  

  “As a CPR/AED instructor I truly understand that every second counts so, I reached out to see how we could get an AED on the GFMS fields since the nearest ones were inside of the buildings,” Palmieri said.  

  She brought her concern to the district’s Safety Committee and John Fink, the Assistant Superintendent of Business who is chair of the committee, got to work to solve the problem.  

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• Translating Carmel's Many Languages

  From Polish to Albanian, Chinese to Spanish, the Carmel Schools are a melting pot of languages. Dozens of languages are spoken in the homes of students in the Carmel Central School District every day. 

  “It used to be hard for school districts to communicate with parents and caregivers who speak so many different languages,” said Interim School Superintendent Joe McGrath. “Thanks to technology, however, it’s now as easy as a push of a button.”   

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• Carmel High School Welcomes the Class of 2027

  Adam Boehein, a Carmel High School senior, stood in front of bleachers packed with freshman on August 29, waving signs he made to welcome the school’s new class of ninth graders.

  “This is a fun day,” said Adam, who signed up to be a mentor at freshman orientation. “Having someone show you the way makes you feel that you belong. It can be scary for the underclassmen to come to a new building. I remember when I was a freshman it was all pretty confusing.

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