Congratulations
to the Class of 2010
Twenty-five high school seniors graduated on Wednesday, February 3,
from Middletown High School in a ceremony held in the
school's theater. Congratulations to all graduates and
their families. To view a list of 2010 graduates and
photos,
click here.
Free income tax services available
Thanks to
the combined efforts of the United Way of Orange County, the
Hudson Valley CASH Coalition, 2-1-1, and Middletown High
School, free tax services will be available for qualifying
Orange County residents this February and March. Interested
residents should call 2-1-1 to schedule an appointment.
Please note, a Community Day will be held on February 27,
where no appointment will be necessary.
Middies boys’ basketball team undefeated
The Middletown varsity boys’ basketball team is on its way
to its first undefeated regular season in school history.
Off to a 13-0 start, the team has no shortage of talent this
season. From go-to players Nick Smith and Rob Hueston to
defensive stoppers Mike Smith and Phil Medero, the Middies
are showing a big turnaround from last year—they won just
three games in 2008-09.
Click here to read more.
Leadership Institute teaches students about legislative
process
Five Middletown High School students were recently honored
for their participation in the Angelo Del Toro Puerto
Rican/Hispanic Youth Leadership Institute—a statewide
program to educate students on New York State's legislative
process. They include: Jennifer Rodriguez, Marelim Tlacoapa,
Stephania Hernandez, Kevin Jimenez, and Juan Soriano.
Click here to
read more.
High schoolers compete in Poetry Recitation Contest
The words of Edgar Allan Poe, Langston Hughes, Robert Frost,
and Maya Angelou, among others, were heard Wednesday night
as more than 25 Middletown High School students participated
in the third annual Poetry Out Loud Contest. Twelfth-grader
Sadie Isseks was named the winner, followed by second-and
third-place finishers Laura Griffin and Leannette McPhatter,
also seniors at the school.
Click here
to read more.
High schoolers make the grade
Middletown High School recently recognized students for
making the High Honor Roll and Honor Roll for the first
quarter.
Click here to
view students that made the grade!
Don't be caught out in the cold! Tune in for closings and
delays
With winter weather underway, it's important to know where
to tune in for school closings and delays. Parents are
encouraged to log on to the district Web site and tune in to
Channel 20, and local radio and television stations
listed here.
Students selected to perform at Carnegie Hall
Middletown High School juniors Jack Rifkin and John D'
Alessandro will participate in the 2010 American High School
Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall. The duo will
head to New York City from June 23-27 to perform on the CBS
Early Show and at Carnegie Hall as part of the Honors
Chorus. Click here to
read more.
Drug sweep conducted at school
Middletown High School was the site of a drug sweep on
Tuesday, December 8. The sweep, which was conducted randomly
in an ongoing effort to keep Middletown school buildings
drug-free, turned up a small amount of marijuana. The
discovery was the first at the school—in searches past, no
drugs were found.
According to Ken Haverlan, director of security, health, and
safety, 11 K-9 police units from Middletown and the
surrounding areas searched all lockers and public areas of
the high school while it remained on lock-down/lock-out
mode. K-9 units hit on two lockers, however only one locker
contained drugs.
According to school officials, appropriate disciplinary
measures will be taken. In addition, the City of Middletown
Police Department is currently investigating the matter.
The District has conducted random drug searches since 2005
at the high school.
District launches SchoolMessenger
Keeping students, parents, and the community informed isn't
just important—it’s a priority in Middletown. As a result,
the district has launched
SchoolMessenger—a notification system that delivers
voice, e-mail, and SMS messages to users on matters such as
attendance, events, and district emergencies. To read more
about the service and learn how to create a SchoolMessenger
account,
click here.
What's new with the flu?
With health officials expecting the seasonal flu and H1N1
virus to impact schools and communities, the Centers for
Disease Control (CDC) has issued recommendations and
precautions parents can take to help their child from
contacting the seasonal flu and H1N1 virus.
Click here
to read more.
Students and staff serve up Thanksgiving meal for those in
need
For Thanksgiving, more than 100 Middletown students, staff,
and volunteers served up turkey and all the trimmings to
those in need during the district's second annual
Thanksgiving Day Brunch held at Middletown High School.
Click here to read more.
Chess team takes second place at competition
Middletown High School's chess team placed second overall at
Kingston's annual chess tournament held during the weekend
of November 21. The team, which competed against 25 other
high schools from across the state, also had members place
second, third, and fourth at the competition.
Congratulations to: Angelo Ariza, Melissa Barajas, Laura
Cabrera, Paulina Cabrera, Richard Cibu, Javier Diaz, Joel
Diaz, Oswaldo Espinosa, Daniel Garcia, Yuridia Hernandez,
Gustavo Ibarra, Abisai Jimenez, Wilfredo Jimenez, Andrea
Leon Maria, Raul Martinez, Silvestre Martinez, Rodolfo
Nieto, David Ramos, Jorge Mario Restrepo, Laura Rodriguez,
Samuel Rodriguez, Arturo Vazquez, Carlos Vazquez, and Walter
Zhunio. To read more about Middletown's chess team
click here.
Helping kids navigate the college application process
College
Planner and
Scholarship Guide online!
Selecting a college to attend after high school is one of
the most important decisions many teenagers will ever make.
To help make the journey from high school to college a bit
easier, the guidance department and the College and Career
Center offer various programs and publications to help
students choose which school is right for them.
Click here to read more.
High schoolers selected to All-County Chorus & Band
Nineteen Middletown High School students have been selected
to take part in the 2010 Orange County Music Educators'
Association's High School All-County Chorus and Band. They
include:
Jessica Markman-Soprano
Leslie Tucker-Soprano
Jordan Wilkinson-Soprano
Chloe DeRocker-Alto
Angelica Marrero-Alto
Macia Pickett-Alto
Matthew Baez-Tenor
Martin Briones-Tenor
Davon Clarke-Tenor
John D'Alessandro-Tenor
Kambreyll McCoy-Tenor
Jack Rifkin-Tenor
Jeremy Torres-Tenor
Carlos Anchundia Bass
Trevor Coleman-Bass
Jared Keller-Bass
Mario Morales-Bass
Kevin Randolph-Bass
David Spencer-Euphonium (Band)
Academies hold annual Internship Provider's Dinner
Academy of Finance (AOF) and Academy of Information
Technology (AOIT) students are gaining valuable real-world
work experience thanks to the Academies’ Internship Program,
which grants students paid internships in the fields of
finance and information technology.
As a thank you to those businesses that provided student
internships this past summer, the Academies held an
Internship Provider’s Dinner on Thursday, October 29, where
the following internship providers were recognized: Affinity
Advantage, Allstate Insurance, Boys and Girls Club, Crystal
Run Village, First Rate Exterminators, McDonalds, the
Middletown Board of Education, Middletown Cares, Orange
Regional Medical Center, Our Kids Day Camp, Provident Bank,
Shop Rite, SUNY Orange, Target, Town of Wallkill and Westar
Plumbing.
Since 1997, more than 300 AOF and AOIT students have been
placed in paid internships— earning more than $650,000.
Students
Band Against Drugs
In an effort to promote Ribbon Week, held October 23-31, and
encourage students to participate in drug-and-alcohol-free
activities, Middletown High School held its second annual
Band Against Drugs Concert. The concert, held Friday,
October 23, featured live musical performances from
Middletown students and staff members, ranging from rock to
classical to pop music.
Students participating in the event included: Stephanie
Grant, Krystal Coleman, Justin Luchesse, Umberto Napoletano,
Eric Roberts, Justin Luchesse, Jack Rifken, Tim Fitzgerald,
Michael Zeffiro, Chelsey Samoila, John D’Alessandro, and
Jeremy Torress.
Professionals inspire high schoolers
On Friday, October 9, Middletown High School celebrated
Hispanic Heritage Month by inviting Hispanic professionals
from the community to speak to students about their careers.
From Board of Education member and banker Mr. Edwin Estrada
to Mr. Baerga, a retired pharmacist, to Ms. Nancy Curasi, a
real estate agent, to Sergeant Kevin Reyes and Officer Steve
Mercado, to Dr. Juan Lopes, a retired superintendent and the
Regional Director for UCLA Management, students were all
ears as professionals spoke about the importance of
education and their selected career paths.
Parade kicks off fall sports season
Student-athletes, club members, administrators and Board of
Education members, along with the Middletown community,
gathered for an evening of celebration on Friday, September
25, to kick-off the fall 2009 sports season.
Click here to read more and view photos.
Students
Dress for Success
On Wednesday, September 23, high-schoolers enrolled in the
Academy of Finance (AOF) and the Academy of Information
Technology (AOIF) at Middletown High School attended Dress
for Success, a workshop teaching students the
importance of making a good first impression when
interviewing.
Students got first-hand advice from Macy’s representative
Mike Navin and Roy Thompson, owner of Foeller Men’s Shop in
Middletown, on what it takes to not only look the part when
applying for jobs, but how to land a dream
position.
As part of the seminar, students learned about interviewing
techniques, cover letter and resume writing, and got some
fashion tips. Students also got to view select pieces from
the Roy Fitzgerald Clothing Collection and learned how to
mix and match outfits to have an office-ready look.
High schooler speaks at UN Summit on Climate Change

Middletown High School exchange student Syed Aown Shahzad, a
native of Lahore, Pakistan, was one of 13 youth delegates
selected by UNICEF to participate in the
Summit on Climate Change
held on September 22 in New York City.
The Summit, which brought political attention to the need
for accelerated action on climate change, was attended by
100 world leaders and marked the first UN visit for the
Presidents of the United States and China as well as the
newly elected Prime Minister of Japan.
Shahzad, along with international exchange students from
Honduras, China, Bangladesh, Paraguay, Nigeria, among
others, participated in the opening and closing sessions of
the High Level Summit on Climate Change. Youth delegates
greeted world leaders outside of the Secretariat, and
presented them with a collection of personal narratives
describing work they have done to address climate change,
and the urgent need to act on the issue. Students also
narrated a film, which they produced collaboratively with
UNICEF, on climate change solutions.
Schools remember 9/11
Middletown City Schools commemorated the eighth anniversary
of 9/11 on Friday with
district-wide moments of silence, in memory of those lost in
the attacks, and a variety of activities centered around
Patriot Day.
Click here to read more.
New house principal joins high school
The
high school
is pleased to welcome James Thomas as the new house III
principal. Mr. Thomas previously
served
as house principal of Schenectady's School of Global
Commerce and served as assistant principal
of
Philip Livingston Magnet School and School 19 in Albany, NY.
Prior to that, Mr. Thomas taught as an elementary school
teacher.
Move-Up Day readies freshman for high school
More than 250 students took part in the second annual Middie
Move-Up Day held August 26 at Middletown High School. The
day, which was geared toward making the transition into high
school a bit smoother for incoming freshman, provided
students with the opportunity to meet their peers,
principals and guidance counselors, go on building tours,
locate lockers, and review schedules.
Click here to read more.