SUMMER 2007 - Taconic Hills Central School District

TH Model U.N. StudentsEarn Invitation to SouthAfrican Conference, SeekCommunity SupportIn late March, a Taconic Hills student delegation partici -pated in a regional Model U.N. conference at CornellUniversity. Also attending the conference, in which studentsdebate global issues, was a team of students fromSouth Africa under the auspices of a foundation calledEducation Africa. The Education Africa representative,Mrs. Shehnaz Rangwala, was impressed by the TH studentsand spoke to Model U.N. advisor Barry Emberlin.Based on what she saw and heard, Mrs. Rangwala invitedthe Taconic Hills team to an international conference inCape Town in the fall. Mr. Emberlin was ecstatic.“We didn’t win top prizes at Cornell,” he said. “But I’venever had a group of students conduct themselves betterthan this one did. This group really deserved recognition,and they got it in a big way with this invitation.” TaconicHills is one of four schools in the U.S. invited to the CapeTown conference.Having gotten the go-ahead from the TH school boardand Superintendent David Paciencia, Mr. Emberlin willtake five TH students in October. The conference, similarto the Model U.N. program at Cornell, will include delegatesfrom England, Ethiopia, Kenya and South Africa,among others nations. Mr. Emberlin is now activelycourting donors to help fund the trip. The cost of sendingthe students—Mr. Emberlin had to make some toughchoices from an outstanding team—is $3,650 each. Themoney must be raised from local donations.“I’m optimistic that people in our area will help supportthis mission,” Mr. Emberlin said. “It’s a fantastic opportunity,the kind of thing that can change a life. It’s a creditto our students and our community that we received thisinvitation.” Above, Mr. Emberlin and his Model U.N.team posed for a photo at the school. ▲STUDENTSREMINDINGSTUDENTS…In early May,the TH chapterof SADD,Students AgainstDestructiveDecisions, stageda demonstrationcalled “The GrimReaper.” The studentsdramatizedthe frequency—one every 33 minutes—with which people are killed by drunk drivers. SeniorDylan Keenan volunteered to play the role of the Grim Reaper and SADDmembers and other students took the role of accident victims. As the Reapermoved around the school, students he tapped with his scythe became “dead.”These students had their faces painted white with a black tear, and could notspeak to “living” students or participate in activities. A red carnation wasplaced on their school desks. Mrs. Amie Moore, a health teacher and advisorto SADD, said that the students chose the date to coincide with prom weekendand to serve as a reminder to their fellow students. Mrs. Moore singledout Darrin French, Kelsie Krien and Alyssa Kraft as SADD members whoshowed leadership and initiative this past year. ▲….TO HAVE A GOOD,SAFE TIME AT THE PROMThe 2007 Junior Prom was a safeand successful event. Sandra Smithand Jordan McComb were queenand king.3