Carmel High School

Latest CHS Headlines

• Carmel High School Teacher Heads to Court

  Carmel High School Social Studies Teacher Susan Tornatore will travel to Washington, D.C. in June to attend the prestigious Supreme Court Summer Institute.  

  Tornatore teaches senior Economics and Law, a required course at Carmel High School.  

  “The institute will enrich my understanding of how the SCOTUS operates, selects cases and makes decisions,” Tornatore said. “I am eager to learn how I can integrate recent Supreme Court decisions into our law curriculum in a way that is meaningful for our students. The activity I am looking forward to the most is being present for a live reading of a decision by the justices at the Supreme Court on June 13th.” 

  The Institute offers teachers the opportunity to study recent Supreme Court cases in detail and learn innovative teaching methods for conveying this information to students. Well-known Supreme Court lawyers, reporters, scholars, and educators will be among the speakers and instructors for the Institute. A recent evaluation of the Supreme Court Summer Institute found that, after the program, teachers who attended felt much more confident discussing controversial issues and Supreme Court cases in their classrooms, discussed Supreme Court cases and used interactive teaching strategies more frequently, and gained critical knowledge about the U.S. Supreme Court. 

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  Carmel High School News

• Recognizing Musical Talent

  At its May 7 meeting, the Carmel Board of Education recognized music students throughout the district who were selected for the All County and Honors ensembles. The Carmel Central School District Music Department has so much to be proud of each year. 

  “This year, we had over 50 students perform in Area All State,” said Music Department Chair Meghan Cabral. “We also had students perform with New York State School Music Association's All State festival and the New York State Band Directors' Association honor bands. Our George Fischer Middle School students stood out at the Putnam County Music Educators' Association all county festivals, too. This year we had over 70 students accepted! Each year we also have students earn Excellent and Outstanding ratings at the NYSSMA solo festival.”   
   
  Carmel Schools have been recognized as one of the best communities for music education by the National Association of Music Merchants’ (NaMM) for seven years running.   

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• The 40th Annual CHS Student Art Show

  Ren Collina can easily rattle off the names of all the art classes that Carmel High School offers: Studio Art, Mixed Media, Drawing & Painting, Ceramics, Photography, Graphics, AP Portfolio and AP Art History. 

  She should know, she has taken most of them.  

  “I took seven art classes in high school,” said Ren, a senior who is headed to Ithaca College in the fall to study theater production and design. “I was basically in the art rooms all day. It is such a welcoming place. It was a great community to be part of.”  

  Ren was just one of 500 students whose work was displayed at the 40th Annual Carmel High School Student Art Show at Casey Hall in April.   

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  Carmel High School News

• Mental Health and Wellness at Carmel High School

  The hallway outside the gymnasium was filled with Carmel High School students who came to the school’s annual Mental Health and Wellness Fair to see what services local organizations offer.  

  “It’s a good way to get exposure to all the options that are out there in our community,” said Anabella Marte, a junior, who quickly finished work in her English class so that she could tour the fair.  

  Students picked up brochures, pinwheels and mints that the groups offered while they stopped to talk to representatives from agencies including the Putnam Community Action Program, the Putnam County Youth Bureau and the LOFT LGBTQ+ Community Center. 

  Perhaps the biggest draw, however, was Mia, the therapy dog who came with representatives of Exceptional Sidekick, a nonprofit that provides service dogs to disabled teens and young adults.  

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  Carmel High School News

• Science Research Students Reach for the Stars

  The high-achieving Science Research students at Carmel High School have a lot to be proud of. 

  “We had one student place first and another student place third at the Eastern Junior Science and Humanities Symposium,” said Dr. Nicole J. Griffin, the Science Research Coordinator. “Being chosen to present your work is an honor and all of the chosen students did a wonderful job presenting their research.” 

  Two CHS students have received prestigious internships, Dr. Griffin said. 

  Then on Saturday, March 16, ten CHS juniors and seniors competed at the Westchester Science and Engineering Fair.

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  Carmel High School News

• Woodshop Students Build Coyotes to Scare Geese Away

  Justin Dalli remembers the first thing he ever built.  

  “When I was about 10, I bolted wheels to a pallet and just drove it down a hill,” Justin, a Carmel High School sophomore, said. “I managed to not get hurt.” 

  Justin is one of a group of creative woodshop students who built coyote silhouettes to help scare geese off Carmel Central School District fields.   

  “I call them ‘the crew,’” said Technology Teacher Don Saldico. “These are the kids who come into the woodshop in their free time because they like to make things and fix things. They are a tremendous help to us.”  

  The crew made the coyotes using the Computer Numerical Control machine, or CNC, in the woodshop classroom, said Don Saldico, a technology teacher. 

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  Carmel High School News

• Broadway Quality Musical at Carmel High School

  The classic stage show "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” may bring back memories to a lot of people. But few will have as detailed memories of the popular musical as Peter Bellantoni, the Music Director for the play at Carmel High School.  

  “I played trumpet in the pit orchestra for “How to Succeed” when I was in high school,” said Bellantoni, the high school’s orchestra teacher. “I still remembered a lot of the vocal cues for the songs to start when we started rehearsing.”  

  The Carmel High School Music Production Workshop will present the show on Friday, March 15 at 7p.m. and Saturday, March 16 at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. at George Fischer Middle School. 

  Tickets can be purchased at https://chsperform.booktix.com for $18 in advance or $20 at the door.  

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  Carmel High School News

• See Student Art Throughout the Community

  Art created by Carmel Central School District students will be on display at multiple locations around the community during Youth Art Month in March. The Annual Youth Art Month Student Exhibit is sponsored by the Carmel/Kent Chamber of Commerce. 

  “We have about 120 students represented this year,” said Christine Wisniewski, the district’s Art Department chair. “They have created work in ceramics, graphics, drawing, painting and mixed media.”  

  The student work is on display at Kent Town Hall, Patterson Town Hall, Carmel Town Hall, Putnam Hospital, Meadowlands of Carmel, Kent Public Library, Patterson Library and more. The Chamber of Commerce will judge the show and announce awards in April.  

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  District News

• Blood Drive is an Annual Tradition at Carmel High School

  Every drop helps. Carmel High School’s blood drive on Thursday, February 29, was a big success.  

  For decades now, students and staff from Carmel’s Alternative High School have staffed an annual blood drive at Carmel High School’s Casey Hall.  New York Blood Center officials and nurses came to the high school and collected 47 pints of blood from students, staff and community members. Those donations will help save the lives of patients in area hospitals.  

  “I’ve been running this blood drive for 20 years,” said Chris Bellesheim, Carmel’s Alternative High School founder and teacher. “This gives students community service credit, and it saves lives. There is no substitute for human blood.” 

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  Carmel High School News

• See Video of Carmel Schools' New Reading Program, CKLA

  The Carmel Central School District implemented a new reading program districtwide in the 2023-2024 school year. Watch this video to hear what students and teachers have to say about the Core Knowledge Language Arts, or CKLA, reading program. 

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  District News