Roscoe School Scene 2016

SCHOOLA S p e c i a l S u p p l e m e n t t o t h e S u l l i v a n C o u n t y D e m o c r a t

A look atactivities in the

Roscoe Central School

SECTION R • MARCH, 2016

CALLICOON, NY

SCENE

School Scene: A Look at Activities in Roscoe Central School

Published byCatskill-Delaware Publications, Inc.

Publishers of the

(845) 887-5200 Callicoon, NY 12723

March 1, 2016 • Vol. CXXV, No. 74

Publisher: Fred W. Stabbert III Senior Editor: Dan Hust Editor: Carol Montana Sports Editor: Ken Cohen Editorial Assistants: Willow Baum, Kaitlin Carney, Kathy Daley, Alex Rau, Richard Ross, Jeanne Sager, Autumn Schanil Advertising Director: Liz Tucker Advertising Coordinator: Sandy Schrader Advertising Representatives: Cecilia Lamy, Barbara Matos Special Sections Coordinator: Susan Panella Business Manager: Susan Owens Business Department: Patricia Biedinger, Joanna Blanchard Telemarketing Coordinator: Michelle Reynolds Classified Manager: Janet Will Production Associates: Nyssa Calkin, Petra Duffy, Elizabeth Finnegan, Ruth Huggler, Rosalie Mycka, Tracy Swendsen Distribution: Billy Smith, Richard Stagl

District uses technology to break traditional learning moldsSTORY AND PHOTOS

BY KATHY DALEY

Technology coordinator andteacher Gilat Aharon has servedthe Roscoe Central School

(RCS) for seven years. Here, sheanswers questions about the richnessof technology in one of SullivanCounty's smallest school districts,and how students respond to newways of learning.

How widely is technology used atRoscoe Central School?

All students have Google accounts,giving everyone the opportunity tohave access to Google Docs, Slides,Sheets, etc. Students are able to typeup a project at school and still accessit while they are anywhere that hasInternet.

This year, all 10th grade studentswere given their own personalChromebooks (a kind of laptop) forthe school year. Our goal in the nextthree years is to have every studentfrom grade 8 to 12 with aChromebook.

In our middle school wing, a cart ofChromebooks is shared between thefifth and sixth graders. Fifth and sixthgraders have personal Kindles thatcan be signed out and taken homedaily for those who do not have tech-nology at home to complete schoolwork. Additionally, our elementaryand high school wing has its own cartof iPads shared between classrooms.

Our distance learning technologygives students an opportunity to takecourses they never could before. Weoffer two classes, one we host withour science teacher Taso Pantilieris,who teaches forensics to our own stu-

dents and to those in three otherschools: Laurens Central, MorrisCentral and Unadilla Valley, all inNew York State. The other distancelearning class available to our stu-dents is an Italian course that comes

from Laurens.Even our second graders are

involved in distance learning. In aproject at Thanksgiving time, DonnaGreenthal's students “meet” studentsfrom another school as they try to

solve the mystery of a turkey in dis-guise that each school has made forthe other.

I have collaborated with both Mr.Pantilieris and science teacher MikeHill on the use of Zaption, which is

Gilat Aharon steers the Roscoe Central School through the exciting waters of new technologies for staff and students.

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video-based learning with interactivecontent and tools that helps engagelearners, deepen understanding andtrack progress.

We have begun computer-basedtesting, this year piloting in one of ourclasses. Steve Livsey, our instruction-al multi-media technician, and guid-ance counselor Kelly Hendricksonwork together with me and attendmany conferences on New York Statetechnology changes.

How do students react to the use oftechnology?

Eighth grade students recentlystarted their 10-week course with me.I helped them set up their first schoolGoogle account and had them collab-orate in groups to complete a lengthyassignment that required them to usedocs sheets and slides in the sameproject. They were amazed that alltheir partners were able to view thesame document at once and to watchin real time as they added informa-tion to the same project.

They loved how easy it was to sharedocuments and work easily on thesame thing. They loved that fact thateach student had his or her ownresponsibility in the group and wereable separately but still together tocomplete a project.

Why is technology so important inclassrooms?

Used correctly, technology helpsprepare students for future careers,which will inevitably include the useof wireless technology. Integratingtechnology is also a great way to sup-port diversity in learning styles.

Technology gives students thechance to interact with their class-mates more by encouraging collabo-ration. It helps students stay engaged.

Students have access to digital text-books that are constantly updatedand often more vivid, helpful, creative

lessons – and are a lot cheaper thanthose old heavy books.

Today’s students love technology sothey are sure to be interested in learn-ing if they can use the tools they love.When mobile technology is readilyavailable in the classroom, studentsare able to access the most up-to-dateinformation quicker and easier thanever before. The traditional passivelearning mold is broken. Teacherbecomes the encourager, adviser, andcoach. Students become moreresponsible.

Alisha Trautschold said Roscoe's “goingGoogle” has allowed students more optionsat their fingertips, easier access to the inter-net and new ways to explore and learn.


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Knowledge + healthy lifestyle = academic success, say teachers

Roscoe physical education teachers Melissa Ebeling and Jeff Molusky try to keepkids active both in school and out. PLEASE SEE PHYS ED, PAGE 7R

STORY AND PHOTOS BY KATHY DALEY

As anyone knows who has walkedfast, run hard or danced wildly,physical activity feels good.

“It promotes endorphins that makekids feel happy, that makes for happyadults,” said Roscoe Physical Educationteacher Melissa Ebeling.

She and fellow phys ed teacher JeffMolusky spend their own energy pro-moting wellness and healthy habits atRoscoe Central School – for physicaland academic reasons.

“Research shows that physical activitydoes lead to higher test scores,” saidMolusky.

And to better health.“Eighty percent of deaths today are

due to non-communicable diseases likecardiovascular disease, diabetes andcancer,” said Ebeling. “Three quarters ofthe time, they are preventable withactivity, a proper diet and a healthylifestyle.”

As can be depression, which is a hugehealth concern in the U.S., she added.

Then there are the statistics aboutoverweight children – that 43 millionkids worldwide are overweight beforethey are five years old.

“We are eating processed food andnot moving much,” reflected Ebeling. “Alot of the food we eat comes out of abox. Parents work two or three jobs, andit’s easier to go for the fast food.”

A two-week unit in physical educationmight focus on walking and jogging, oron snowshoeing, which has Moluskyescorting students out onto the footballfield with snowshoes purchased lastyear through a federal grant.

As site coordinator for Roscoe’s after-school program, Molusky brought in atrained yoga instructor from the Boysand Girls Club of Orange County.Colleague Ebeling taught her own yogaunit, complete with guided meditation.

“The kids love it,” she said. They say‘when can we do yoga again?’”

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Best Wishes to the Roscoe School Staff & Students.Especially, Pamela Carpenter and Robert & Emma Buck

Nancy BuckSullivan County Treasurer 36

454

Keeping it moving: language teacher shares her bags of tricksSTORY AND PHOTO BY KATHY DALEY

When she was growing up inRoscoe, Cindy Hendrixloved the idea of learning

Spanish, an exotic toehold to thewider world.

“To me it was a way that you couldsee the world, be able to travel tobeautiful places,” said Cindy, whosemarried name is now Hyzer.

Hyzer went on to become proficientin Spanish, eventually traveling toMexico, Puerto Rico, DominicanRepublic and to study abroad inVenezuela.

Nine years ago, she arrived back inRoscoe to teach and serves as lan-guage teacher for the pre-kinder-garten through 12th grade.

In her classroom, noted PrincipalJanice Philips, Hyzer works to keepher students involved and interestedthrough strategies and projects thatdeepen student understanding.

“Students are bombarded withattention-grabbing things that arecompletely interactive,” Hyzerexplained. “It makes sense that theyneed more in the classroom to stimu-late their minds, keep them focusedand keep them enjoying learning.”

Hyzer employs the flipped class-room mode of teaching, whereby stu-dents “learn” the lesson at home andthen come in to class to discuss it.Moving lectures outside the class-room allows the teacher to spendmore time one-on-one with students,and to encourage a more collabora-tive learning environment.

Using a new communication tool

called Remind, Hyzer is able to con-nect instantly with students and par-ents, sending quick messages to any

electronic device. “I can send them a text message

with attachments so that students

can review or investigate a particularhomework topic,” said Hyzer. “Thenthe classroom becomes a place of dis-cussion, a dissection of a topic, asopposed to the traditional note-tak-ing classroom.”

A New York Times article on whypeople immigrate to the U.S., forexample, served as a text for eighthgrade students to read at home. Thearticle by award-winning journalistand author Sonia Nazario illustratedthe daily life in many places aroundthe globe where families cannotafford to feed their children andwhere guns and violence threatendaily life.

“When my students came in, webroke down the class so that somekids became experts on the actualtraveling experience of immigrants,while others researched the U.S. poli-cies on immigration.”

One of Hyzer's former Roscoe stu-dents, whose mother came fromGuatemala, arrived to speak totoday's students about the benefits ofRoscoe's program of study for collegeand career readiness. But she alsospoke about her culture and the prob-

Spanish teacher Cindy Hyzer checks the work of student Samantha Cruz.

PLEASE SEE LANGUAGE, PAGE 7R

Hyzer employs the flippedclassroom mode of teaching,whereby students “learn” thelesson at home and then come into class to discuss it.


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In this classroom, linking the past with the nowmakes history live again

Social studies teacher Nicole Semerano works with 11th grader John Rhodes. She alsoteaches eighth grade U.S. history, eighth grade math and 11th grade College Prep Math.

STORY AND PHOTO BY KATHY DALEY

For most people of a certain age,World War I was the first of two20th century wars that involved

the United States and Germany,caused by who knows what.

Students at Roscoe Central School,however, may find themselves recall-ing later in life that what finally pro-pelled the U.S. into World War I wasthe Zimmerman Telegram – a secret

message from Germany to Mexicourging the latter to attack the UnitedStates should our nation becomeinvolved.

In the active learning taking placein the classroom of social studiesteacher Nicole Semerano, studentsuncover the “why and how” ofimportant world events, comparingand contrasting those happeningswith today's world.

“The idea is that if a student needsto know when a war took place or


Molusky offers a Fitness and Nutri-tion elective that teaches studentshow to eat right, count calories andburn fat.

Fly fishing, of course, is the area’sclaim to fame, and school custodianand angling expert Mike Lambriggerhas taught kids the proper method forcasting. There’s hope this spring foran outdoor fly fishing experience forstudents, said Molusky, adding that aunit on bicycling is also possible.

In terms of activity, “We try to incor-porate what they can do when theyare not here in school,” he said.

Then there are the impressiveRoscoe facilities: a weight room, gym-nasium, auditorium and athleticfields for baseball, soccer, softballand football along with tennis andbasketball facilities and a play-ground. An outside garden also helpsstudents learn healthy habits, saidEbeling.

Incorporating English Languagearts and math into their work – thecross-curriculum approach requiredtoday – has kids keeping fitness goalsjournals and being aware of the mathneeded in matters like interval train-ing, distance pacing and pedometers.

With today’s kids typically over-fix-ated on hand-held computer devices,

getting them moving is a top priority,both in the classroom and outside,the teachers said.

They push for not sitting too long,for a brief stint of jogging in place, forbeing sure to stay active during recesstime.

Still, the teachers are not adverse tousing technology when needed.

“We are looking into apps likeScorekeeper (which scores gameselectronically) and Fitbits,” whichhelps students measure how manysteps they’ve walked or run, saidMolusky.

Every little Bit helps.

FROM PAGE 4R

lems immigrants face, both at homeand in the U.S.

Hyzer also connected with fellowRoscoe teacher Carmel Lambe, whoteaches English Language Arts andwho was working with her studentson the bestseller “Enrique's Journey.”The book, also penned by SoniaNazario, recounts the true story of aHonduran boy searching for hismother 11 years after she left the fam-ily to find work in the U.S.

Hyzer also uses physicality to keepher students awake and engaged.

To get bodies in motion, Hyzer willscrawl three sentences in Spanish onthe board: one that is accurate, onethat is slightly wrong, and one that iscompletely false. Students muststand up and gather near the sen-tence they believe is correctly said.

Another time, she will use the game“Musical Chairs” to reinforce learning

of the Spanish pronouns of yo, tu, ellaand el.

With her seventh graders, a report-edly high-spirited class, “I think I'veeffectively been able to not only reachthem but sustain their curiosity withmy different modes of instructionand varying teaching techniques.”

She frequently doles out “exit tick-ets,” which are sticky notes that askstudents, for instance, to list Spanishindirect object pronouns. If enoughstudents don't get it, that's her sign toreteach the next day.

“If I notice my students tuning out,I get them up and moving,” she said.“Or sometimes it's me who needs torefocus.”

“Together,” said Hyzer, “we set goalsindividually and collectively, and wetalk about goal setting and data oftenin class,” the teacher said. “I am bigon respect and expectations.”

FROM PAGE 5A

who was president in 1962, they canGoogle it, ask Siri on their iPhone oruse whatever other technology wewill have in the future,” said Semera-no.

“Instead, the goal is to get them tounderstand what caused the War of1812 or to analyze the hard decisionsPresident Kennedy had to make duringthe Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Causeand effect, pros and cons, comparisonsto today or other time periods, andanalysis are some key skills that we aremoving to with our students.”

For the unit on World War I, stu-dents took topics from the war – theZimmerman Telegram, a cause, andthe League of Nations, an effect – andrelated them to things kids know, likethe animated sitcom “South Park”and movies by author NicholasSparks.

Amazing.In the old classroom framework,

teachers came to class prepared todole out information that the stu-dents wrote down and memorized.

In Roscoe and other school districts,the emphasis is now on "inquiry-based learning" which is driven moreby a learner's questions than by ateacher's lessons.

The Common Core has emphasizedthis shift of focus in English LanguageArts and math. Now the shift is takingplace in social studies as well.

“I have had this style of teaching inmy repertoire for years,” said Semera-no. “But the resources from the stateand the county are allowing me toincorporate it even more.”

For example, New York State pro-vides links to the websites of U.S.presidents, where students andteachers can find original journalskept by the famous men.

For a unit on immigration, Semera-no's 11th graders were able to accessnearly 20 different online storiespenned by immigrants who came tothe U.S. through Ellis Island. Theylearned that two of the most famousnewcomers who sailed to New Yorkfrom other lands were composer Irv-ing Berlin, from Russia, and moviedirector Frank Capra, from Italy, whoproduced the well-loved film “It's aWonderful Life.”

Analyzing, digging into meaningsand collaborating are all part of thepicture. “It's more freedom for stu-dents, but it's structured freedom,”said Semerano.

For a unit on the 1920s, her eighthgraders compared that decade ofsocial and political change to today,breaking into small groups in order todiscuss more deeply.

“You want the low rumble in theclassroom,” the sign that excited

learning and sharing is taking place,she said. “It shows they are working.”

For a unit on women gaining thevote according to the 19th amend-ment, her class had to reach back intothe mindset of 1910 and 1920 to askthemselves the question: why wouldwomen getting the vote be a goodthing?

They were then able to relate thediscussion to today, when twowomen – Hillary Clinton and CarlyFiorina – have sought the U.S. presi-dency.

That particular discussion, so newand timely, could not be found in acurrent textbook, Semerano noted.

“Inquiry learning gets studentsfinding information on their own andthen analyzing,” she said, noting thatthey then experience the excitementof solving a task or a problem on theirown. “It allows for a higher order ofthinking.”

PHYS ED: Promoting healthy lifestyles LANGUAGE: A toehold on a wide world

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Jeff Molusky offers a Fitness and Nutritionelective.

Credits:

All photographs and stories for this special School Scene are by Sul livan County Demo crat Photo grapher/Reporter Kathy Daley.

The Democrat would also like to thank the Roscoe Central School Districtfor all its cooperation in this project.


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Roscoe School Scene 2016