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Key athletic facilities will be upgraded at Somers High School starting this spring. New tennis courts will be built in the lower field, the baseball and softball fields will get turf surfaces, among other improvements. Listen to three high school athletes talk about what these projects mean to them.
The sport of wrestling is having a resurgence in popularity, and the Somers High School team is no exception. Six of the team's best wrestlers were selected to compete in the Eastern States Classic, a tournament featuring some of the best wrestlers in the country, during the weekend of January 13, 2023. We spoke with senior Luca D'Orazio and junior Justin Daniyan about the team, which is combined with North Salem High School, and their upcoming trip to the Classic at SUNY Sullivan in Loch Sheldrake.
White Plains CitizeNet Reporter Publisher/ Editor John Bailey looks at the holiday shopping season's early returns around White Plains and Westchester, key appropriations in the proposed County budget, Mario Cuomo Bridge EZ Pass controversy, more MTA budget shortages, Somers High School teaching controversy, latest COVID numbers, potential legal marijuana dispensary contradiction, Donald Trump's dinner with a pair of anti-Semites, Elon Musk and Twitter's Hunter Biden 2020 election season stories alleged coverup revelations and more on Westchester Talk Radio, "The Cup of Joe Political Show" with host John Marino, produced by Sharc Creative
My guest for this special Father's Day Episode is John Cuk, from New York, USA. John is a conductor, musician, music educator and accompanist, and a dad of 2 girls.John started playing the piano at age 5, played the trumpet in a band, sang in choirs, grew up going to the theatre, opera and going to concerts, even though his parents weren't musical he was exposed to the arts. In school he sang in the choir and played in the band. He dreamt of going on to study to be a music teacher, as well as holding on to the desire to be a performer in his own right.He went on to study degrees from Manhattanville College and The Manhattan School of Music as well as post graduate work from Westminster Choir College and gained his Masters in Piano Performance.John juggled being a professional musician with being a full time teacher for many years, enjoying the grounding that being in the class room brought him.John's career in academia spanned 40 years. He has taught at Scarsdale High School, Somers High School, Middle Schools in Chappaqua, New Rochelle, Rye and at The Anglo-American School in New York. He retired from his position as the Director of Choirs at Manhattanville College in Purchase, NY in 2018 after 16 collective years there.John has a varied background as a musician and educator. As a conductor, he's conducted choral and orchestral ensembles in Europe, South America and the United States. He has performed at such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Marmorsaal, Schloss Mirabell (Salzburg, Austria), Teatrului Național de Operă și Balet ‘Oleg Danovski' (Constanța, Romania), Kennedy Library (Boston), Música Sin Edad (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Temppeliauki, (Helsinki, Finland) and The International Youth Orchestra Festival (Lucca, Italy).Active in musical theatre and opera, John has held positions with Music in the Alps International Festival in Austria, Opera Estate in Rome Italy, Utopia Opera and Dell' Arte Opera in New York, New York, Buck Hill/Skytop Festival in Pennsylvania, Westchester Conservatory's Summer Vocal Music Academy in White Plains, New York, as well as Musical Director for countless musical theatre productions both at the high school and college level.Guest conducting includes Ridgefield Symphony (CT), Chorus and Orchestra of Teatrului Național de Operă și Balet ‘Oleg Danovski' Constanța, Romania, Orchestra Sinfonica di Bacau, Romania in Italy, Moldova Radio Symphony in Chisinau Moldova, National Chorale's Annual Messiah-Sing-In at Avery Fisher Hall as well as choral festivals for Western Connecticut, Suffolk, Duchess and Westchester Counties in New York.He is active as a coach, accompanist, pianist and guest conductor. John performs frequently with singers and chamber musicians and is currently a staff pianist for The Bronx Opera.It is always interesting on these occasions to get the male parent perspective on things. I think it is something that many of us are interested in, it certainly comes up as a topic in many of my chats with mums. I'm very grateful for John for allowing me to delve deep and ask the big questions.We also chat a lot about a shared passion of choral music, choral singing and music overall.Connect with JohnConnect with the podcastMusic throughout this episode is taken from the public domain and therefore not subject to copyright.
In today's Superintendent's Update, Dr. Blanch sits down with four Science Research seniors and advisor Bill Maelia to discuss the busy, successful year at Somers High School for the Science Research students and the program. Tune in to hear who brought home an international award for research done as a part of this class.
Down, set, hike! Somers High School has a new varsity sport this spring. In this week's Superintendent's Update, Dr. Ray Blanch sits down with four of the girls on the inaugural varsity flag football team. We talk about why they play, the future of the sport, and the famous supporters who came to their jamboree.
Somers High School senior Emily Dodd has been chosen as a finalist in the prestigious Regeneron Science Talent Search competition, the country's oldest science and math competition for high school seniors. Emily's research focuses on identifying future treatments to combat learning and memory impairments in Parkinson's Disease patients. She is one of only 300 scholars chosen for their exceptional research skills, commitment to academics, innovative thinking, and promise as scientists.
On today's Tusker Talk podcast with Dr. Ray Blanch, the Somers Superintendent talks about the posts threatening violence in schools that are popping up nationwide on Tik Tok, and the Westchester Police Department's assurance that there is no credible threat to Somers Schools. Dr. Blanch also shares an update on the Test To Stay program and encourages everyone to enjoy the Somers High School winter concert tonight, Thursday, December 16 in the auditorium, or watch it virtually on Local Live https://events.locallive.tv/events/69643.
In this week's Superintendent's Update, Dr. Ray Blanch and communications coordinator Amanda Bergen take the show on the road, meeting up with cast and crew members of "Noises Off", the Somers High School fall play. Director and chorus teacher Chris Russo, along with students Caitlyn Stellwagen, Colleen Soriano and Eva DiRende, share how they have been preparing for the show and what it takes to coordinate 30+ members of the cast and crew. "Noises Off" opens tomorrow night at 7pm in the high school auditorium. Buy tickets at the door or online https://search.seatyourself.biz/webstore/accounts/somershsdrama/buy-tix
Somers High School is planning for the class of 2021's graduation! What will it look like? The answer to that as well as some updated guidelines from the NY State Department of Health in this week's Superintendent's Update with Dr. Ray Blanch.
Somers High School seniors Peyton DiSiena and Kaitlyn DeRosa are the first two students in Westchester County to be named National Student Council Distinguished Leaders. This prestigious award is the culmination of a years-long process, community involvement, and a great deal of dedication. Not only do the two young women share the award - they'll be attending the same university next year.
This week on Inside the Headset we are featuring Somers High School Head Coach and 2016 Power of Influence award recipient Tony DeMatteo's session from the AFCA Convention. Coach DeMatteo shares his beliefs about the benefits of football, discusses the significance of developing a mentorship program, and highlights the importance of leaving a lasting impact on all players. Tony DeMatteo is currently the head coach at Somers (N.Y.) High School. Having been there 20 years, DeMatteo has a wide array of experiences, including leading the team to its first-ever state championship. DeMatteo began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Bridgeport University, in 1964, after lettering for three years at the University of Rhode Island. After a year at Bridgeport, where DeMatteo earned his master’s degree, he went on to become an assistant coach at Roosevelt (N.Y.) High School. With five years as an assistant at Roosevelt, DeMatteo became the head coach of the football team in 1969, where he would serve as the leader for 31 years and cement his legacy as an outstanding coach. While at Roosevelt, DeMatteo’s teams never suffered a losing season, went undefeated seven times, and were the first in the state to ever win 12 games in a season. Even after all of the on-field success, DeMatteo would tell you that the achievement he is most proud of was instituting a mentoring program and impacting the lives of players and students alike throughout his many years of service. The program was so successful that DeMatteo successfully implemented it at Somers High School upon taking over there as the head coach and dean of students in 2000. [0:35] Start of interview [1:57] Promoting the good of playing football [5:07] Experiencing a rise in participation [6:12] Developing players to be successful later in life [8:12] Why should a kid play football? [13:51] Preparation and sacrifice [14:40] Impacting ALL players [25:56] Leadership and mentorship [34:18] Engaging mothers in football [44:18] Leaving a legacy with the dash between
Somers High School offers the prestigious International Baccalaureate Program Diploma. An internationally respected program, IB diploma candidates are inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who are motivated to succeed. The goal of this program of study is to develop students who will build a better world through intercultural understanding and respect. Want to learn more? Watch this video of current SHS juniors and seniors in the IB Diploma program.
High Schoool Principal Mark Bayer called into Mike & Kacey in the Morning today - with heartfelt wishes from his community to the Somers Class of 2020. Go Tuskers!
Humanities class and embedded honors at Somers High School
Somers High School junior elected president of NY state LEOs Club.
Hot Topic at Somers High School - how are students and teachers adjusting the new rotating/drop schedule and community lunch?
Somers High School Graduation Ceremony 2019
Dr. Omekongo Dibinga tells Somers High School students to be an Upstander, not a Bystander.
High school athletes talk about committing to play a sport at division one universities
Students at Somers High School talk about the International Baccalaureate Program.
Science Research Senior, Raghav Nathan, talks about his time in the Science Research program at Somers High School, his research on the role played by referential integration and referential ambiguity in RNP using ERP and eye tracking analysis, and his plans for after graduation.
Somers High School principal explains new rotating drop schedule