(February 22, 2013) The Class of 2013 would like to extend a HUGE thank you to all students and staff who participated in this year’s 3rd Annual John Mendreski Student/Teacher Badminton Tournament.  I will admit, based on the last 2 years of competition, the performance from all teams was exceptional!  The double elimination format allowed teams to play for a longer period of time.  Mr. Burke and Michael Scheffler were crowned the 2013 champions.  They had to beat Mr. Z and Shakeel Khan twice before securing the title.  Mrs. Beyer and Anthony Mannina won for best costume.  Special thanks to Mrs. Braune, Ms. Dounelis, Mr. Gevinski, Mr. Davey, and Mrs. DeCabia for their help in preparing the courts and running the scoring table.  The volleyball tournament acts a fund-raiser for the John Mendreski Scholarship fund. Looking forward to next year! (Jill)

___________CONGRATULATIONS!___________

Target Grant sends Music Students to Broadway

(February 27, 2013) On February 26th, a Target Field Trip Grant made it possible for 27 RHS music students and four chaperones to travel to NYC to see the Broadway production of "The Phantom of the Opera". 

"The Phantom of the Opera is now in its 25th year on Broadway, and, after seeing the magic on the stage, the students could understand why," shared RHS chorus teacher Dena Tishim.  "We arrived in the city with enough time to get a bite to eat and have a short visit to the NYC Public Library," she continued, "where some students received library cards that will enable them to access the extensive NYC Library's online database."

The day the group attended, it happened to be a “Kids Night On Broadway" evening, so the actor playing the Phantom spoke to the audience after the performance about using this experience as an inspiration to "follow their own dreams". The students were definitely inspired.

“The Broadway production of 'The Phantom of the Opera' was very inspiring and beautiful,” said Hanna Da’Mes.

“This trip is one of my favorite memories so far this year!” exclaimed Rachel Stanislawek.

___________THANK YOU TARGET!___________

The RHS Spanish Club

(January 12, 2013) Approximately 30 current members of the HS Spanish Club and their advisors, Diana Acosta and Kelly Ann Parlato, spent Saturday, January 12, in NYC at the Hispanic Society of America. The club members were given a guided tour of artwork by El Greco, Velazquez, Goya and Joaquin Sorolla, which they had studied in class. 

According to Ms. Acosta, “The students loved seeing firsthand artwork that they have learned about in class and our docent gave us tremendous compliments regarding the amount of knowledge our students had, their enthusiasm and interest in the works, and remarked on how polite and well behaved they were.” 

After they left the museum, the students had an authentic Spanish lunch at "Sol y Sombra" (82nd and Amsterdam Avenue), where they were served an assortment of Spanish Tapas and a wonderful Seafood Paella. 

In order to finance the trip, the Spanish Club hosted a number of fund-raisers (their quesadilla sales were very popular).  The money they raised was also used to adopt a young child as part of the Angel Tree Project at the high school.