The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Byram Hills

Get Ready, Get Set, Graduate! Byram Hills Graduation Prep by the Numbers

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In one sense, it’s been a lifetime coming. The young students at Byram Hills High School in Armonk have been preparing for their high school graduation not just for four years but far longer than that, growing and changing and expanding intellectually. Now, though, parents, loved ones, faculty, staff and other officials will gather to recognize their hard work as they leave behind what the Byram Hills school system had to offer and embark on their adult lives. Inside Armonk spoke to officials to get a better sense of what goes into preparing for the big day.

19 of June is when the seniors at Byram Hills High School will graduate, indoors at SUNY Purchase, a location Byram Hills Principal Chris Walsh said is “beautiful even in the worst weather.”

205 newly-minted high school graduates will take on the world. Declining enrollment is causing the population at many local high schools including Byram Hills to get slightly smaller.

1372 is the number of seats available in the hall at SUNY Purchase. The graduates, of course, will be seated on the stage. Custodians will work hard the day before and the day of the graduation in order to transport and set up risers, banners, diploma covers, and much more, according to Deepak Marwah, fine arts director at the school. Marwah helps manage logistics for the graduation. “There are a lot of moving parts,” he said.

5 is a big number for this long-awaited event; 5 speakers will address the crowd at the Byram Hills High School graduation: a valedictorian, a salutatorian, Walsh, Superintendent Jen Lamia and the president of the board of education,Robin Glat. The valedictorian and salutatorian will be determined late May, when final grades are released. “That gives them time to work on their addresses,” Walsh said. The ceremony is at 5 p.m.–and each family automatically gets 5 tickets to the event.

1 or 2 extra tickets may be had, though, depending on availability and how many requests for extra tickets come in, Walsh said. Many families have grandparents and other loved ones in town to celebrate.

97 percent and more of Byram Hills students will continue on to college – Walsh expects this year’s numbers to be close to 98 percent, but an exact number wasn’t available at press time.

4 years of fundraising by these seniors, who’ve helped with prom and graduation expenses and more, and now it’s time to present a class gift with the money they have remaining. “Last year it was a sign for our new Coffee Cafe,” Walsh said. “The year before, the class donated informational monitors for the hallway.” What’s coming from the Class of 2018? It’ll be a surprise, announced during the ceremony.

0 Regents diplomas will be awarded by Byram Hills. “We do what’s called a local diploma,” Walsh explained. “We feel like what we do is more advanced and more rigorous than a Regents diploma, but all of our students take all the Regents classes and go beyond that.”

23 AP classes are available at the alma mater of this year’s graduates, and other high-level learning opportunities such as a science research program, and in addition, a class called Perspectives in Literature, which is a two-period class that’s considered honors level.

11 months in advance, district residents are alerted of the next spring’s graduation dates when the district calendar is finalized and mailed.

45 sports teams of various levels and seasons are available at Byram Hills High School.

90 minutes or a bit more is the projected length of the graduation ceremony, with a lot packed in: besides the speeches and awarding of diplomas, there will be several pieces of music performed by the band and chorus, and the class gift presentation.

“We really take it seriously and we really think it’s important to present an event that represents all the hard work the students have put in over four years,” Walsh said.

Byram Students Shine in Music & Art

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The Byram Hills school district has many good reasons to tout the accomplishments of its music and art students.


BHHS senior John Skiera was recently invited to play the cello as a member of the All-National Symphony Orchestra.

“It is an honor to be selected for this group and I understand it is somewhat rare. I am looking forward to playing in the orchestra and with other students from around the country. It will be quite an experience,” he said recently.

This year’s students (L-R) are Shea Gordon (Mixed Chorus), Dominique Karanfilian (Treble Chorus), and Brent Perlman (Symphonic Band).

The All-National Honor Ensembles performers represent collaboration and creativity in its highest musical form. The All-National Honor Ensembles consist of a concert band, symphony orchestra, mixed choir and jazz ensem-ble. Students were chosen through an audition process.

Three BHHS students have also been selected to participate in New York State School Music Association All-State Ensembles. They will perform in concerts to be held at the Eastman Theatre in Rochester, New York and work with renowned conductors and educators during the annual Winter Conference of the NYSSMA to be held from December 1-4. Students were selected based on their All-State solo performances which were adjudicated by music professionals from throughout New York State.

Some of the selected art students are shown above

Finally, adjudicators from the Armonk Outdoor Art Show, a juried show of artists, selected 22 BHHS students to display their artwork at the popular annual event, which was held Sept. 23 & 24 in

All of the students selected by the AOASH are listed here: Abby Kaiser, Angelique Sarro, Kyra Aronne, Gillian Banaszek, Ben Matza, Cameron Bremner, Carley Hershaft, Chloe Perline, Sofia Corpina, Farran Horowitz, Taylor Kirkwood, Jason Knoop, Lily Moss, Michaela Milano, Olivia Johnson, Jason Roden, Rachel Ruscigno, Sarah Huang, Dina Sokol, Danielle Stein, Sydney Chilewich, Danielle Fliegel.

Triumph for Byram Hills Varsity Hockey

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Byram Hills’ 5th Annual Pink the Rink fundraiser against breast cancer was a great night for BH Varsity Hockey, as the team won for the 4th consecutive year against their Route 22 rivals Fox Lane 11-1. The bigger victory was that the team achieved their goal and raised over $10,500 toward breast cancer research. The Bobcats sported pink hockey sweaters and socks, and Fox Lane got into the spirit with bright pink skate laces.

“We are so proud of our boys and girls,” said Charity Lunder, whose daughter is the goalie, the only girl on the team. “With four sets of siblings on the team, it’s a school record. My son Robert (a senior) and my daughter Grace (a junior) are wrapping up three years of playing on the same team, a dream come true for parents!”

The game took place before an enthusiastic crowd at Brewster Ice Arena, with Bobcats Ethan Behar and Robert Lunder scoring hat tricks. The Bobcats record is 7-4, and they expect to notch more wins in the weeks ahead. The team extends thanks to all in the Byram Hills Community, as well as Fox Lane, who contributed to the success of this campaign.

Eight Byram Hills High School Seniors Named National Merit Finalists

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All eight of Byram Hills High School’s National Merit semifinalists have advanced to the next round of the 62nd annual academic competition and are now finalists, the school has announced.

The finalists are William Amorosana, Isabelle Chong, Thomas Daillak, Indra Dan, Timothy Eng, Noah Jacobs, Sabrina You and Juliana Zepf. They comprise roughly 4 percent of the school’s senior class of 207 students.

National Merit finalists (L-R): William Amorosana, Noah Jacobs, Timothy Eng, Indra Dan, Sabrina You, Thomas Daillak, Juliana Zepf, and Isabelle Chong

“We are extremely proud of these exceptional students for their hard work and for their achievements,” said Byram Hills High School Principal Christopher Walsh. “Being named a National Merit finalist is a great accomplishment, and the fact that eight of our seniors have reached that level is testament to the incredible student body here at Byram Hills High School.”

The seniors were named semifinalists in September by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. That achievement was based on their PSAT scores. They are now among the 15,000 students nationwide to be named finalists, for which they were required to show consistently high academic achievement throughout all four years of high school and in any college coursework.

The designation allows them to compete for about 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth $33 million that will be offered in the spring.

“Our National Merit finalists are pursuing a wide range of interests in the sciences and humanities, and we know that they are going to excel in whatever they choose to do in the future,” said Mr. Walsh.

 

Seven Byram Hills Senior Athletes Sign with Colleges on National Signing Day!

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(L-R): Emma Fruhling, Matt Groll, Ally Steffen, Jack Beer, Steven Max, Sylvie Binder, David Noel

Applauded by friends, family and the school community, seven Byram Hills High School students signed up to play on sports teams at colleges including Georgetown and Columbia universities in the National Signing Day celebration.

The annual day in early February marks a celebratory inking of letters of intent to accept athletic scholarships and other offers to play on teams at colleges across the country. The Byram Hills students agreed to join sports programs in soccer, basketball, fencing, crew and golf.

“Today we recognize seven amazing athletes representing five different sports,” high school Coach Matt Allen told the 200 supporters filling a section of the bleachers for the ceremony in the school’s upper gymnasium. “They are each well-rounded, intelligent and hard-working young men and women who will undoubtedly represent Byram Hills to the greatest of their abilities.”

 

The scholar athletes and the schools they will attend are:

Jack Beer, soccer – Georgetown University, Hoyas

Sylvie Binder, fencing – Columbia University

Emma Fruhling, soccer – Ithaca College, Bombers

Matt Groll, basketball – Franklin & Marshall College, Diplomats

Steven Max, crew – University of California, Berkeley

David Noel, soccer – Eastern Connecticut State University, Warriors

Ally Steffen, golf – University of Richmond, Spiders

One by one, the athletes were called to a dais decked in Byram Hills Bobcats colors of red and blue, where they signed their symbolic letters. Rob Castanga, the district Athletic Director, thanked the friends and family members for attending, and for supporting the athletes.

“It does take a family,” he said. “There are a lot of people involved in helping these dreams come true.”