Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the District Updates Student Recognition topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Superintendent highlights VR learning, MBK summit and student awards; public commenters seek more graduation tickets and raise athletics concerns
Summary
Superintendent and staff showcased classroom innovations, community partnerships and student winners; the district announced a middle-school concert date change. During public comment, a grandmother requested more graduation tickets and a resident criticized athletic staff and administration.
Superintendent Dr. Mauricio opened the board meeting with updates on instructional programs, community partnerships and student recognitions, highlighting virtual-reality classroom work, the My Brother’s Keeper summit and a Westchester Engineering and Science Fair silver medal won by two Peekskill students.
Dr. Mauricio described a school visit in which students used virtual-reality headsets in the library to complete curriculum-connected assignments, and thanked staff for supporting the work. He noted several community partnerships, including collaborative programming with Ossining and Tarrytown school districts and a Westchester Community College initiative. Dr. Mauricio also announced that the Peekskill Middle School spring concert will be moved to June 9 to avoid a calendar conflict with a diocesan religious class schedule; he said the district will notify families by electronic calendar and the district’s Friday letter.
Two Peekskill Science Research students, Megan Flores and Jamelle Acosta, were recognized onstage for winning silver medals at the Westchester Engineering and Science Fair. The superintendent and board also announced the district’s valedictorian and salutatorian as Maria Rodriguez Ortega and Jamelle Acosta; the meeting record identifies Jamelle Acosta as salutatorian. Board members congratulated the students and praised recent performances by the Peekskill High School Drama Club and the Pioneers athletic teams.
Public comment included two speakers on community concerns. Yvette Houston, a grandparent, asked the board to increase the number of tickets allotted to families for graduation ceremonies at the county center, saying there is enough room for larger family attendance and that families wanted to celebrate more relatives. Calvin Coperson, who identified himself as a Peekskill High School graduate and community member, spoke sharply about athletics staffing and coaching decisions, saying players were being improperly disciplined and alleging inconsistent treatment by coaches and athletic administrators; he said his attempts to assist athletes have led to tense confrontations.
Board members acknowledged they heard the comments and said the board would take the concerns under advisement. The superintendent and staff will follow up directly with speakers where appropriate, per the board’s public-comment procedures.
Details from the superintendent’s update - Virtual-reality learning: Dr. Mauricio and Dr. Budai visited classrooms where students used VR headsets in the library with librarian support to extend curriculum experiences. - RISE/recycling and school-store student entrepreneurship: high-school teams and RISE program participants staffed a morning school store and provided refreshments at the board meeting. - My Brother’s Keeper summit: the district hosted a Saturday summit with about 75 students, outside guests including Chancellor Dr. Lester Young and Westchester leaders; activities included a keynote address and a tie-tying ceremony teaching professional skills. - Arts and theater: Peekskill High School Drama Club will perform The Wiz in May with nightly shows at 7 p.m. and a Saturday matinee; tickets were announced as $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors.
What the board said and next steps Board members praised students, staff and community partners and asked staff to publicize the concert and graduation ticket procedures. The board said it listens to public commenters and will follow district policy on personnel and program follow-up; the meeting record shows staff thanked the speakers and noted they would take concerns into consideration.
