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 the January/February, March, April and May issues.
Editors-in-chief: Annabelle Notarthomas, Kayla Selander
Editor: Roque Vianna
Writers: Madison Abrahamson, Nadeen Ahmed, Piper Bruno, Zooey Dedring, Kiera D’Ippolito, Marisah George, Everly Jordan, Ela Lyons, Mikaela Sanchez, Liliana Rybak, Eliza Verdichizzi
Photographer: Aron Li
Blades of Brilliance
By Annabelle Notarthomas
Beacon High School alumnus Ryan Chin achieved a remarkable victory in March, winning the silver medal in figure skating at the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Italy.
His journey from Beacon to the Olympics exemplifies perseverance and determination, with the support of a dedicated coach, Deirdre Bonanno, who, coincidentally, works in the Beacon City School District office.
Photos provided by Special Olympics
Chin has been skating for 12 years. His journey toward Olympic-level competing started at McCann Ice Arena of Poughkeepsie, where Ryan participated in a Sunday therapeutic class. He was introduced to Bonanno, a coach at the facility who has an immense background in figure skating, starting at age 4. In training for the games, Ryan worked with several coaches, adapting to different styles while picking up a little of everyone’s strengths and techniques.
Chin steadily bonded with Bonanno, who accompanied him to Turin, Italy, where he competed. Needless to say, Bonanno is proud to be coaching the Olympic champion. “Ryan met Olympian Nancy Kerrigan, coming home to tell us that he was taking lessons with Olympian Paul Wylie in Lake Placid, but I guess the most memorable moment was when we got the call” that Chin had been selected for the Winter Games, she said.
Not only can Chin check off the dream of being an Olympic athlete, but he can proudly say he has indulged in true Italian cuisine, as his lesser-known interest is cooking.
Three Decades at Beacon
Mrs. Fontenot
By Annabelle Notarthomas
After 34 years in the Beacon school district, special education teacher Mrs. Gina Fontenot plans to retire this summer.
Fontenot began her career in education at the ARC early-intervention preschool program for one year before joining BCSD. She believed “Beacon was the place I was supposed to be.” Fontenot taught at South Avenue Elementary, JV Forrestal Elementary and Rombout Middle School before moving to Beacon High School in 2003.
In retirement Fontenot plans to relocate to Louisiana to be closer to her in-laws. Fontenot leaves behind a legacy of dedication and support for her students, forever brightening the BCSD community.
Ms. Malin
By Zooey Dedring
Ms. Laurie Malin, a longtime science teacher at Rombout Middle School, will retire after 35 years of teaching.
Her career has spanned a juvenile detention center, middle-school classrooms and — her personal favorite — preschools, where she introduced young children to exotic animals. Now, she says it’s finally time to kick back and relax.
When asked about her retirement plans, Ms. Malin shared dreams of traveling to the Galápagos Islands or setting off on a cruise to Antarctica. Eventually, she hopes to settle on a goat and crop farm.
Ms. Malin recalled a time working as a researcher in a lab, before quickly realizing it wasn’t for her. “I couldn’t stand being inside all day long,” she said. It was her mother who encouraged her to pursue teaching, despite her initial hesitations. That nudge changed everything. “I ended up absolutely adoring the profession,” she said.
As she prepared to say goodbye, Ms. Malin shared, “I will miss being a part of a large group doing something fun.” She has been a beacon of understanding, guided by the philosophy: “Kids will make mistakes — that’s how they grow.”
Lose to Gain
By Madison Abrahamson
In the early 1960s, my great-grandmother, Angelica, immigrated to New York from the Dominican Republic as an au pair, hoping to better herself by pursuing an education. She recalled being looked down upon by white people for not knowing English and having a darker skin tone. She shared that she had to enter stores, such as Woolworth’s, through the back rather than the front, where white patrons entered.
Despite these obstacles, Angelica worked hard to advance within the country. She cared for children during the day and attended nursing school at night. Using money she inherited from her father and earned from her job, she purchased a multi-family home in the Bronx and was able to bring her husband and four children to the U.S.
Twenty years later, my mother’s family immigrated to Michigan from Trinidad. Despite the progress made since the 1960s, many immigrants and Black individuals still faced discrimination. My grandfather, Earl, a skilled sailor and welder, sought better opportunities for his family, but on construction sites, he endured hateful comments and slurs. Many American workers overlooked him, despite his superior qualifications.
These family stories highlight a common struggle most immigrants face in this country: prejudice. Many immigrants experience discrimination due to negative stereotypes perpetuated by American media. To combat these biases, many immigrants work twice as hard as native-born Americans to prove themselves. Though racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination remain obstacles, many immigrants prevail, rising above the odds because they came to this country with a purpose.
Did You Know?
Ms. Holder competed in e-sports in college. At their first national competition, her team made it to fifth place out of 150 teams.
Beacon Battles Bus Shortage
By Nadeen Ahmed
It’s no secret that the Beacon City School District struggles with busing issues. This is especially evident to teachers who try to plan field trips but find it difficult to secure a bus and to sports coaches and student-athletes who sometimes must reschedule, cancel games or share a bus with another team.
Beacon is not alone in this struggle; it is a problem faced by schools nationwide. This is a complex issue to solve, but the reasoning behind it is straightforward: There simply aren’t enough people with commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) interested in driving school buses. Because of this national shortage, districts across the country are in need, and potential drivers have many options. This makes recruiting new bus drivers highly competitive.
According to Mr. Dwyer, the district is exploring ways to attract drivers by reviewing pay and other incentives. All we can do is hope that the district’s efforts succeed, making busing less of a problem for our schools.
Friday Night Lights
By Eliza Verdichizzi
The main doors of the school, you can already hear people singing along to karaoke. Friday Night Lights is an event held once a month on a Friday, as the name suggests.
Ms. Finton came up with the idea of creating a safe space for students to gather, and Mr. Dwyer allocated funds for the event to provide items such as lemonade, fruit punch, pizza, ice cream, gingerbread houses and festive hats. I attended the event in December and didn’t see a single person who wasn’t having a good time.
The event began with karaoke. Most people seemed to feel included. Then the pizza arrived. Next was the gingerbread house-building contest. Afterward, there were two flavors of ice cream from Stewart’s: chocolate and vanilla. My friend and I danced as others continued with karaoke until the event concluded.
Bridging the Gap
By Piper Bruno
Beacon High School has a talented band program. Band students march in parades, perform at football and basketball games and help unite the school community.
Additionally, BHS offers a pit orchestra open to students who can play an instrument. The orchestra accompanies the Beacon Players in their productions. Since 2022, the orchestra has performed in Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera and, recently, Man of La Mancha.
However, some wonder: If we have a pit orchestra, why don’t we have a full orchestra? There seems to be limited interest in a beginner orchestra class at the high school level, likely because students haven’t had opportunities to learn string instruments in earlier grades. Few are willing to pick up a string instrument and start learning in high school.
If elementary schools offered orchestra programs, it could pave the way for BHS to introduce orchestra classes.
