YOUTH ON THE GO
Five New Paltz High School seniors — Maya Greenfield, Samuel Liebman, Lily Sackett, Danielle Takacs and Claire Taylor — were named commended students in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program.
They were honored for their strong academic promise, as demonstrated by their performance on the qualifying test used for program entry. They were among the more than 1.6 million students who entered the 2019 competition by taking the 2017 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. They placed among the top 50,000 scorers.
Although they will not continue in the 2019 competition for National Merit Scholarship Awards, they will be receiving a letter of commendation from the school and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, which conducts the program. This year, approximately 34,000 testtakers throughout the nation were designated as commended students.
The students are all New Paltz residents. Greenfield is the daughter of Steve Greenfield and Teri Gil. Liebman is the son of Mark Liebman and Marcy Bernstein. Sackett is the daughter of Jennifer and Anthony Sackett. Takacs is the daughter of Dawn Wolstencroft and Steve Takacs. Taylor is the daughter of Jason Taylor and Stella Deen.
••• Stephanie Molina Rodriguez and Megan Paradis were named Hunter Tannersville Middle/High School’s Students of the Month for September.
Rodriguez is an eighthgrader and represents the Maroon Group (grades seven through nine). She participated in the spring school musical, is in band and chorus, and enjoys playing sports. She was named to the superintendent’s and principal’s honor roll last year and also had the highest math average in seventh grade. She participates in soccer (defender) and in softball (right fielder) and was a member of the 4-5-6 soccer team.
In her spare time, Rodriguez attends the CROP Program during the school year and summer months and also attends Tannersville Day Camp. She adores working with younger children. She loves all the teachers at Hunter-Tannersville, as they always keep school interesting. She would like to volunteer in animal shelters. One of her goals is to help an animal in need. She plans to attend college and become a lawyer.
Rodriguez is the daughter of Victor Molina and Yuri Rodriguez of Tannersville.
Paradis is an 11th-grader and represents the Gold Group (grades 10 through 12). She is co-vice president of the Student Council, and is a member of the Drama Club, Hunter-Tannersville Central Glee, and SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions). She is a member of the Tri-M Music Honor Society and the Ethel Slutzky National Art Honor Society. She also maintained honor roll status all last year.
Paradis is an active member in her church, and is a children’s Bible study leader and vacation Bible school leader. She describes herself as an optimistic student who loves learning new things. She wants to go to school for nursing and even-
tually work in a hospital.
Paradis is the daughter of Carolyn Pelletier of Tannersville.
The criteria HunterTannersville staff considers in nominating students are academic perseverance, involvement in school/community activities, participation in sports/hobbies, respectfulness, determined to succeed in an endeavor, dedicated to do their best and dependability. Each student of the month enjoys a lunch or dinner for two at The Last Chance Antiques and Cheese Café, a one-day lift ticket at Hunter Mountain provided by Peak Resorts, two passes to the Mountain Cinema from the Catskill Mountain Foundation, an engraved pen from the Student Parent Teacher Organization, a family bumper sticker from the Board of Education and a complimentary special breakfast from Principal Tom Cervola.
••• Alexia Sanchez, a student in the Hyde Park Central School District, was selected to be a member of the 2018 All-National Honor Mixed Choir.
She will participate in a performance by the National Association for Music Education’s All-National Honor Ensembles. Sanchez and the other students will perform at Disney World in Orlando, Fla., from Sunday through Wednesday, Nov. 25 through 28. Sanchez will be accompanied by her teacher Amy Martin.
Three Franklin D. Roosevelt High School students — Kira Brainard, Leila Raines and Amelia McNamara were selected for the New York State School Music Association AllState band. It is the first time three students from the school were chosen for the band in the same year.
Brainard plays the French horn, Raines plays the flute and McNamara plays the trumpet. The band will perform in the city of Rochester from Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 29 through Dec. 2.
The district, which was named a 2018 Best Communities for Music Education by the NAMM Foundation, will be hosting New York State School Music Association Area Allstate at FDR on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 16 and 17, as well as the Dutchess County Music Educators Association Elementary All-County on Friday and Saturday, March 1 and 2, 2019.
Additionally, the District Orchestra, a select group of fifth-grade string students who practice before school, has been selected to play in Albany in March for Music in Our Schools Month.
••• Ulster BOCES SkillsUSA recently helped to unload supplies at St. James Happy to Help Food Pantry, located at the St. James United Methodist Church in Kingston.
Ulster BOCES SkillsUSA members often donate their personal time during the weekends sorting and organizing food and personal care donations as a way to assist the organization. Community service is an important part of SkillsUSA participation.
Ulster BOCES Cisco student Cody Bellotti, in a press release, said he likes participating in community service projects because it makes him feel good. “When you are helping someone in need, you might be inspiring someone else to do the same thing,” said Bellotti, a Wallkill High School student.
SkillsUSA includes uniting students who are participating in trade, technical and health occupation programs; developing leadership skills; fostering a deep respect for the dignity of work; assisting students in establishing realistic career goals; creating enthusiasm for learning; promoting high standards in trade, ethics, workmanship, and scholarship; and understanding the interdependence and cooperation of labor and management.