Tuxedo Talk

Dear Tuxedo Community,

The end of the school year is upon us. In just a few short weeks, we will be gathered on the front steps of George F. Baker High School for the Class of 2023 graduation. It is the same spot our seniors stood a few weeks ago for their "Decision Day" photo. Based on the pennants they are holding and college gear they are wearing, I doubt graduation will be the last we hear from them. This extremely talented group of young men and women is destined for great things, and I can't wait to see what they will accomplish in the future. I look forward to the evening of Thursday, June 22 when we will celebrate them and their achievements. That afternoon, we will also come together for the graduation of our eighth graders; another event that will fill us with excitement as we welcome the Class of 2027 to George F. Baker High School.

In addition to our graduations, we have plenty of other wonderful events on the calendar in the weeks ahead. Picnics and moving up ceremonies at George Grant Mason Elementary, field day and class parties will keep us busy and invigorated heading into the summer break.

Finally, a thank you to the voters of Tuxedo for approving our 2023-24 school budget and capital reserve proposition. Because of your support, we are able to begin work on several important projects this summer, including upgrades to the school entrances, as well as the refurbishment of the George F. Baker High School clock tower, the iconic symbol of our District. We will keep you updated on our progress during special summer editions of Tuxedo Talk. Until then, enjoy these last few weeks of the school year and have a safe and restful summer.

Jeff White

Thank you to the local businesses and organizations who took part in last month's Community and Mental Health Fair held at George F. Baker High School. The PACE period event gave the District’s High School and Middle School students a chance to learn about volunteer opportunities in the area, as well as organizations providing mental health services. Read more about the event organized by teachers Tom Reilly, Jennifer Jones and school counselor Christine Oliva.

Jose! The cafeteria of George Grant Mason Elementary sounds more like a raucous soccer stadium when school custodian Jose Morales enters the room. Morales, who has been with the District for the past ten years, has become something of a celebrity to students this school year. Why? For no other reason than the quality of his character. Read the article on our website to learn about how Mr. Jose and his lunch friends.

While they may cause a panic at a picnic, bees play an essential role in our environment. As one of the planet's most popular pollinators, the insects assist in the reproduction of flowers and crops by collecting and moving pollen between plants. Our George Grant Mason Elementary second graders learned about pollination last month by building their own hand pollinators. See our Instagram post to learn more about the STEM meets science project.

The students at George Grant Mason Elementary are ready to take on the world, thanks to the May character trait read aloud. Persistence is the value our young learners will be focusing on to round out the school year. Fourth grade teacher Ms. Rota read students “All the Way to the Top: How One Girl's Fight for Americans with Disabilities Changed Everything" by Annette Bay Pimentel to demonstrate the true meaning of persistence. Check out our Facebook post.

Bart, Eddie, Rooney, Jim and the rest of the pets at the Middletown NY Humane Society got a fresh shipment of food, treats and toys last month, courtesy of our George F. Baker High School Students. Members of the NHS/NJHS, Interact Club and Student Council led a district wide collection drive to benefit the no-kill, privately run, supporter funded animal shelter. Check out our Facebook post.

The George F. Baker High School Interact Club made a special appearance at April's Suffern Rotary Club luncheon. The event, held at the Salvation Army Officer Training Center, provided an opportunity for our interactors to showcase the forty plus events and activities they held during the 2022-23 school year. Members of the group took turns detailing the club's dedication to service. Read more.

A kaleidoscope of butterflies returned to the wild last month, thanks to our George Grant Mason Elementary first graders. The event was the culmination of their butterfly research project. For several weeks, Ms. Matthies' class followed the life cycle of the insects and documented each growth stage as it occurred. Check out our Facebook post to learn more about their project and see photos of the release.

Ask Jack Reilly what extracurricular activities he is involved in, and you will get a very brief response from the George F. Baker High School freshman. “Almost all of the clubs at this school.” Reilly is not being flip or exaggerating; one year into high school and his dance card is already full. Click Here to read more about a student focused on service and community. Jack Reilly is our June student spotlight.

Outside of the classroom, district veterans and George F. Baker High School teachers Marco Margotta (STEM, Tech and Engineering) and Michelle Hines (English) have been busy in their roles as Athletic Director and Assistant Athletic Director. This season, Margotta and Hines joined forces with the Suffern Central School District and Burke Academy to give student athletes additional playing opportunities, while providing Tuxedo the players needed to field two modified teams. Read more.

The final Tuxedo Tornadoes' Athletes of the Week for May were the Sandak brothers! George F. Baker High School freshman Will is a pitcher on the junior varsity baseball team and older brother Jake, a junior at GFB, is the team's first baseman. Coach Matt Van Houten says Jake has been "very versatile this season" and Will has pitched well and come up big at the plate

It's an ‘Athlete of the Week’ battery. Junior varsity baseball players and junior classmates Jimi Reedy (catcher) and Anthony Arone (pitcher) were nominated by Coach Matt Van Houten for their early May performance against Tri-Valley. Coach Van Houten highlighted Arone's relief pitching and "consistent power at the plate.” As for his teammate, Reedy; he provided a “spark to the offense.”

Modified softball player Lilianna Sosa was nominated for Athlete of the Week by Coach Emily Dowling. During The Tornadoes' game against Chester last month, the first baseman drove in four runs on two hits and scored twice. Coach Dowling notes the seventh grader's "hard work and dedication to the team has really paid off!"

Brooke, a seventh grader on the modified softball team, was nominated by Coach Dowling for her “hard work and commitment.” Dowling singled out Bower’s performance against the Spartans in late April, when she hit a single into left field and played “great” defense. Ogden is an eighth grader on the modified baseball team. Coach McKenna says Ogden is a team leader with a positive attitude who comes up big when the team needs him.

George F. Baker High School Tech and Engineering teacher Marco Margotta was honored by the Mid-Hudson School Study Council last month, receiving an award for ‘Teaching Excellence.’ Margotta, who has been with the District for the past 26 years, was among several educators recognized during the ceremony held at North Rockland’s Fieldstone Middle School. Read more.

Congratulations to Mariah Klimowich and Marco Margotta for each receiving a STEM Classroom Grant from the Orange & Rockland Education Advisory Council. The STEM Classroom Grants Support classroom projects on science, technology, engineering and mathematics for educators (pre-k - 12th grade) or community youth groups in O&R's service territory. Each year the program awards up to 50 grants. Read more on our website.

May 1 was National College Decision Day and our George F. Baker High School Seniors were beaming with pride! Falling on the first Monday of May each year, Decision Day, also known as College Signing Day, is the standard deadline for seniors to enroll in the college of the choice. Read more.

Congratulations to the George F. Baker High School juniors receiving scholarship awards. Click here to read more about the college awards granted to Veronica Chavez Granillo, Dominik Cichon, Reginald Juanace, Jake Sandak and Marley Vaught.

Thank you to Senator James Skoufis for welcoming the area’s valedictorians and salutatorians to the New York State Senate chambers. George F. Baker salutatorian Parker Givens made the trip to Albany last month for a tour and luncheon. In a Facebook post, Skoufis said, "there was a *lot* of brainpower to show, and my team and I had a great time escorting these high-achieving students, their families, and faculty around the Capitol."

Congratulations to George F. Baker High School seniors Juliana Scanlon and Dayanara Vasquez for graduating the Town of Ramapo Police Department Youth Academy! Juliana and Dayanara attended the graduation ceremony at the Town of Ramapo's Clover Stadium last month. Check out scenes from graduation in this Facebook video from the Ramapo PD.

The Tuxedo Union Free School District 2023-2024 school budget passed with 74% of the vote on May 16. The 2023-24 budget totals $14,620,629 and reflects a tax levy increase of 1.26% Proposition 2, Capital Reserve Spending, passed with 69% of the vote. William Clarke was elected to the Board of Education. His three-year term begins July 1, 2023 and concludes June 30, 2026. The results were certified during the May meeting.

Congratulations to the Tuxedo teachers approved for tenure during the May Board of Education meeting. Valerie Mui (bottom right) is the District’s Library and Media Specialist (K-12), Jenna Park (top right) teaches English (7-12) at George F. Baker High School and Laura Sobel (top left) teaches Math (7-12) at GFB. We also want to congratulate Mariah Klimowich who was approved for tenure in December. Mariah Klimowich (bottom left) is the elementary STEM teacher at George Grant Mason Elementary.

For the full agenda and documents pertaining to all previous Board of Education meetings, please visit the Tuxedo Union Free School District Board of Education section of BoardDocs. The next meeting will be held Wednesday, June 21 at 7 PM in the George Grant Mason Elementary Multipurpose Room.

May 9 was Teacher Appreciation Day, falling on the second day of Teacher Appreciation Week (May 8 - 12). Watch the video below to find out why the students of George Grant Mason Elementary love their teachers so much. And we can't forget National School Nurse Day, which was recognized on May 10. Nurse Marie Castricone has been caring for the students of the Tuxedo Union Free School District since 2015.