Eight times each year, the members of Kelly Hamburger and Jacob Arbor’s newspaper club at Beacon High School publish Breaking Beacon, the first student-run publication at the school in more than 30 years. Here, we share excerpts from March and April issues.
Editors-in-chief: Kayla Selander, Annabelle Notarthomas Editor: Roque Vianna Writers: Madison Abrahamson, Nadeen Ahmed, Alianna Alijaj, Rubio Castagna-Torres, Kiera D’Ippolito, Marisah George, Everly Jordan, Evan Lombardo, Ela Lyons, Liliana Rybak, Rachel Thorne, Mikaela Sanchez, Kayla Selander, Jonathan Trentacosta Photographer: Kekoa Baysa
New Funding Means Free Meals for Beacon Students
By Annabelle Notarthomas
Beginning Jan. 1, all Beacon City School District students were eligible for one free breakfast and lunch meal daily.
In October 2023, the Community Eligibility Provisions (CEP) requirement of Identified Student Percentage (ISP) lowered from 40 percent to 25 percent. This decrease deemed BSCD eligible to serve free meals to all enrolled students.
This new policy will be viable for the next four years. Meals containing three or more items, including a fruit or vegetable, will be fully funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The quality of school meals has also seen improvement, introducing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, scratch-based items, higher quality meats and poultry and a more expansive selection of fruits and vegetables.
Breakfast meals have also been upgraded to grab-and-go style to accommodate busy high school students. The success of this program is measured by the number of meals served; more student participation could get BCSD more funding from USDA in the future. More information can be found on usda.gov.
Terrific Teachers: Frankie Haughie
By Rubio Castagna-Torres
Mr. Frank Haughie teaches 10th and 12th grade English and Sports Literature. What sets him apart as a teacher is his brilliant, inclusive and energetic teaching style, a style he learned during his early days of teaching at the Disney Institute at Walt Disney World.
“No matter the time of day, Mr. Haughie brings the energy that makes students want to engage,” said one student. His energy comes from a desire to build relationships with students. He finds it very rewarding seeing students in the future after he has taught them and seeing their growth.
Mr. Haughie approaches teaching with a mindset that not only will his students learn from him, but he will learn from his students. Aniyah Pearson shared: “He knows how to vibe with the class. Not only is he funny, he is kind. He is that one type of teacher that everyone can bond with.”
Opinion: New York Says No!
By Nadeen Ahmed
Beacon High School is home to a myriad of students who are eager to fill up their schedules and take as many classes as they can. A way our school can support these students is by maximizing the amount of classes they can take at a time.
This can be given through the option of taking a physical education class every day for one semester, rather than every other day for the whole year, which is currently the only option. This allows for students to take an elective class for the semester where they don’t have a PE class.
According to Mr. Giametta, the athletics department director, New York State law does not allow this. He explained: “The problem is the New York State regulations. In order to be an athlete, you have to be a bona fide athlete, which means you have to be enrolled in phys-ed classes.”
He further clarified by saying: “If you signed up [for gym] for just the first semester, that’s going to end in the middle of the winter season, and by New York State law, you wouldn’t be able to participate in sports once that semester is over.”
In other words, if a student were able to take a gym class every day for one semester then they would not be able to participate in a winter sport at all, and depending on which semester, they would not be able to take part in a fall or spring sport either.
This New York State regulation is likely to be seen as unfair and dim-witted by many student-athletes. What is the purpose of forcing students who are already getting the exercise they need from their sport to take a class for more exercise? It makes sense to have the non-athletes take a PE class, but not the students who already spend hours after school doing pretty intensive physical activity.
Senior Evan Lombardo agrees that students should have this option. Lombardo explains that having a gym class and a study hall opposite each other disrupts his rhythm of getting his work done during study hall. He said, “It’s kind of difficult to get in that consistent rhythm of work, because last year I had study hall every day, and I’d get homework done. But when it’s opposite gym, it’s kind of hard. Some days I have to do it at home, some days I get to do it in class, and it’s just not consistent.”
Giving students the option to have gym daily for a semester can only do good for the school and its students. This is a change that students like Lombardo want. It is our duty as students, teachers and administrators to speak up about our concerns and let them be heard by those who can do something.
Writer of the Month
By Kiera D’Ippolito
Stori Owen is a 10th-grade student at Beacon High School. Stori is not only an excellent writer who focuses mostly on poems, she is an amazing artist and was selected last year as Artist of the Month for the May edition.
Q: What do you enjoy most about writing?
A: I like getting out my ideas in a clear way with interesting diction.
Q: What inspired you to start writing?
A: I was more motivated by character writing and the potential to explore a complex, interesting and unconventional story about someone I created myself.
Q: What do you enjoy writing about?
A: I like to write about fringe issues or things that touch on the human condition.
Q: What inspires you to keep writing?
A: To challenge myself in writing is my inspiration.
Q: Are there any authors who have influenced your writing style?
A: Definitely Robert Kurvitz.
Did You Know?
By Nadeen Ahmed
■ Ms. Clemens went to space camp in the summer before eighth grade.
■ Mr. Sansone toured the country on his bicycle, twice. He’s also in a rock band.
■ Sophomore Mika Sanchez can eat a whole pizza in five minutes.
■ Ms. Driscoll was born in England.
■ Mr. Rickard has eaten 70 guinea pigs and has been to 45 of the 50 states.
■ Mrs. Nesha can play the steel drums, has lived in three countries and is severely allergic to cats — and yet has two.
■ Mr. Johnson: “My original college degree was in Communications & Media, and since becoming an English teacher at BHS, I have over the years been technical director of the drama club (theater), advised the yearbook (photography) and written two film electives (video) — so I am still getting to use my knowledge and interests!”
Spectacular Staff: Ms. Orlando
By Annabelle Notarthomas
Ms. Orlando has worked as guidance counselor in BHS for 22 years and is currently counseling students with last names that start with A to Fie.
Orlando comes from a background of various social working careers, previously working as a mental health counselor at a psychiatric hospital. There she found a passion for working with teenagers and young adults and from then on, Orlando has worked in high school settings.
In a recent interview she disclosed her belief that the most integral piece of school counseling is that every student knows that she cares. This philosophy has greatly improved the school experiences of so many, such as Charlotte Bowen, who expressed: “She has helped me so much with figuring out my classes, and making sure I feel comfortable at school.”
Orlando strives to set students up for success in their post-graduation lives, as well. “Ms. Orlando has been a huge help in my college application process,” said one senior. Thanks to her hard work and dedication, Orlando improves the community of BHS every day; she is surely a spectacular staff member.
