June 2025 vol. 9


Dear Harrison Community,
 

Welcome to this special Arts edition of HCSD HIghlights.  As the school year comes to a close, we once again had the joy of welcoming families, friends, and members of the community into our schools to experience the creative work of our students. From vibrant exhibitions to compelling performances, each piece reflected not only artistic talent but also the courage to create, explore, and take risks—hallmarks of a rich arts education.

These experiences are shaped by the thoughtful guidance and passion of our arts faculty, whose expertise helps students grow as creators and as people. We are proud to highlight just a few recent accomplishments:

  • The HHS spring musical, Disney’s Mary Poppins, won two Metro Awards: Outstanding Performance of a Production Number and Outstanding Achievement in Choreography
     
  • Junior Matthew Carrea’s original painting was selected for the Bruce Museum’s annual iCreate Exhibition.
     
  • The HHS Strings Ensemble earned its third consecutive Gold Rating at the NYSSMA Major Ensemble Festival.
     
  • Seven Harrison High School students won a combined 16 Scholastic Art Awards, including 2 Gold and 5 Silver.

We are also grateful to our community, which continues to value and support the arts in our schools. Your presence and encouragement make it clear that the arts matter—and that every young person deserves the chance to find meaning, purpose, and expression through them. Enjoy this special arts edition of HCSD Highlights.

Sincerely,

Louis N. Wool, Ed.D. 
Superintendent of Schools

HHS Production of Disney’s Mary Poppins Wins Two Metro Awards 

The Harrison High School spring musical, Disney's Mary Poppins won two Metro Awards: Outstanding Performance of a Production Number and Outstanding Achievement (Step in Time)  in Choreography (Ms. Toteda). Once again, with seven nominations, the Harrison musical was one of the most highly nominated shows of the more than 70 districts participating in the Metro Awards.  In addition to the two wins, the nominations included Outstanding Performance in a Leading Female-Identified Role: Tessa Marsico (Mary Poppins); Outstanding Performance in a Featured Female-Identified Role: Alicia Zihenni (Miss Andrew); Outstanding Performance by a Chorus: Mary Poppins Ensemble; Outstanding Performance by a Student Critic: Ella Zamek; Outstanding Achievement by a Student Stage Manager: Callum Robertson. The Metro Awards spotlight spring musical productions staged at high schools throughout Westchester, Rockland, Putnam and Bergen counties.  A team of judges evaluates a variety of elements for each production, including performances, production aspects, and technical elements. The Metro Awards organization has celebrated high school musicals for the past 25 years.  


Painting by HHS Junior Matthew Carrea Selected for Bruce Museum Exhibition; Recognized with Prestigious Award

Rolling Meadows   24 x 36 in., Oil on Canvas   

An original painting by Junior Matthew Carrea is featured in The Bruce Museum's annual iCreate Exhibition.  This highly selective juried exhibition showcases exceptional high school artists from across the tri-state region. Matthew’s oil painting, Rolling Meadows, selected for the showcase from more than 400 entries, won 3rd place - a remarkable accomplishment. Matthew is currently a student in the HL Visual Arts IB program and a promising up-and-coming artist.  The iCreate exhibition opened on June 8th and will be on display through September 7th at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, CT.

Rolling Meadows draws its inspiration from a trip exploring my family heritage through three unique regions of Italy. Among them, Abruzzo left a lasting impression, a place where rugged mountains are softened with gentle meadows and charming towns nestled harmoniously into the landscape. While enjoying traditional dishes with relatives and exchanging stories about our upbringing, I stepped away from the table to take in the grandeur of the surrounding landscape. Walking out into the back garden of the farm-to-table restaurant, the sounds of laughter and conversation faded into the mountain air. As I wandered further into the meadow, I felt a connection to my roots, recognizing that I was standing on the same ground that my grandparents and generations before them had walked. This painting is intended to capture the inspiring, rich texture of my family’s homeland, and as an exploration beyond the known, to experience family, roots, and culture.


Harrison High School Strings Ensemble Wins Gold

The HHS Strings Ensemble earned its third consecutive Gold Rating at the New York School Music Association (NYSSMA) Major Ensemble Festival. The ensemble performed a Level V difficulty program, one of the most challenging in the NYSSMA repertoire rating system.  The Strings ensemble is an extracurricular, volunteer experience for students in grades 9-12   that meets once a week. Receiving a gold rating is an incredible testament to the culture of commitment and excellence within the group, cultivated and modeled through the exceptional leadership of Mr. Bastone. Congratulations to all on this amazing achievement!


HHS Students Perform at Area All-State Festival; Mary Grace Crozier Earns All-State Honors

Twenty-six Harrison High School students performed with the 2024 NYSSMA Area All-State Festival. They were selected based on their performance and scores at NYSSMA Solo Festivals last spring, and are among the best young musicians in Westchester County.  The honor ensembles, composed of 10th - 12th grade students from across Westchester, rehearsed over several weeks in preparation for the concert in November. In addition, Mary Grace Crozier will perform as a Soprano in the All-State Treble Chorus in December; Ella Zamek, Chorus, and Rina Iwasaki, Band, were named All State alternates. What does it take to achieve the All-State honor? “Practice, practice, practice” topped the list of student replies. Our accomplished musicians believe perseverance and joy are essential to their success, and encourage others to “Never give up and try with all your heart...attend extra help and be willing to receive feedback….try your best and most of all have fun.” 


Cara McGovern Wins Dance Award for Artistic Merit, Leadership, and Academics

Senior Cara McGovern received the New York State Dance Education Association's 2025 Artistic Merit, Leadership, and Academic Achievement Award. The award is presented to only one student in New York State who exemplifies the organization's Artistic, Leadership, and Academic Standards. To be considered for this highly prestigious award, students from across New York state submit two short essays, a three-minute video of original solo choreography, a recommendation, and resume.


HHS Student Actors Win Five Awards at Competition

HHS actors and tech crew members walked away with multiple awards at the Hudson Valley One Act Competition. Dylan Bouteneff won Best Student Director for Prisoner Pandemonium. Neeve Kenny won Best Student Playwright, the Audience Favorite award, and Most Dramatic Moment award for Estranged. HHS Theater Club President, Luke Castellano, received the student leadership award. Students performed their original One-Act plays, Prisoner Pandemonium and Estranged, which were written last year in the Theater 1 & 2 classes, and staged in one act festival.  The event, sponsored by the Educational Theater Association.  Prisoner Pandamonium: Written and Directed Dylan Bouteneff; Plonks-Neeve Kenny; Dink-Kai Hickey; Frank-Luke Castellano; Mr. Crasht-Shane Larkin

Estranged: Written and Directed Neeve Kenny; John Cambell-.Luke Castellano; Lucia Cambell-Theresa DeRosa; Dog Walker-NIck Salazar; Jogger-Kai Hickey; Police Officer-Dylan Bouteneff  - Tech Crew: Elias MacMillan, Kailah Hunter, Harrison Fliegenspan, Nick Salazar

Harrison Named Best for Music Education for 3rd Consecutive Year

For the third consecutive year, Harrison has been honored with the NAMM Foundation's Best Communities for Music Education designation,  awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in their efforts to provide access to an exceptional music education to all students. Only 935 districts across the country, including only 12 in Westchester County, earn this designation.


HHS Students Earn 2 Gold & 5 Silver Scholastic Art Awards

Seven Harrison High School students won a combined 16 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Now in its 102nd year, the Scholastic Awards celebrate excellence in art and writing created by American high school students. Each submission is rigorously evaluated by a panel of experts in the visual and literary arts, considering originality, skill, and the artist's unique voice.  
 
Gold Key Award Winners:
  • Priya Kaji, Caving In, (Photography) 
  • Melanie Lombana, Innocence and Hope (Printmaking)
Silver Key Award Winners:
  • Michelle Aldana, The moon man (Digital Art)
  • Matthew Carrea, Serenity, (Painting) 
  • Priya Kaji, Reflection (Photography)
  • Liliana Tesoriero, Convenience Store, (Digital Art)
  • Giulia Thone, Turning back time, (Printmaking)
Honorable Mention Award Winners:
  • Michelle Aldana, creations to life (Digital Art)
  • Michelle Aldana, Lunar (Digital Art)
  • Michelle Aldana, MOVE IT (Digital Art)
  • Michelle Aldana, The moon and back hole (Digital Art)
  • Michelle Aldana, The playful young god (Digital Art)
  • Michelle Aldana, the shapes to make a charmer (Digital Art)
  • Antonio Reyes Hernandez, Spotlight (Photography)
  • Giulia Thone, Happy Death Day! (Drawing & Illustration)
  • Giulia Thone, Forgotten, (Digital Art)

Scholastic Art Awards Gallery

HHS Junior Benji Ferris Earns Milton A. Williams Scholarship 

Benji Ferris earned the Helen and Milton A. Williams Scholarship, awarded to qualifying students entering grades 10, 11, or 12 who pursue a summer music learning opportunity. Benji is one of two students to earn the award, which is presented by the Westchester County School Music Association (WCSMA), and will be attending the Ithaca Music Camp this summer.


HHS Students Featured in School of Visual Arts Exhibition

Three Harrison High School students, Bora Kose, Cassidy Manzo, & Anna Youngstrom, have been featured in the School of Visual Arts exhibition of selected works from its global contest "We the Public."  The exhibition "showcases a wide range of perspectives that explore the civil and the civic. High school students were asked to submit work considering the questions: What are our hopes, needs, and responsibilities, both individually and collectively? How do we participate in community, caring for each other and our shared resources? And how can we affect change on local, state, national, and global levels?"


IB Art Student Exhibit - A Culmination of Creativity & Connection 

Seniors in International Baccalaureate Art presented their work at the annual exhibition at Harrison High School. Student portfolios are developed over two years of study as they explore and work in a variety of media and methods, study art history and the techniques of acclaimed artists past and present as they develop their own artistic voice. IB Art classes promote, encourage and facilitate the creation of a body of work that is guided by the student interests and informed by exposure to individuals and cultures, both present and past. IB Art students apply an inquiry-based learning approach to create, connect and communicate artistic ideas and perspectives. The results are amazing….take a minute to view some of their work.

IB Art Gallery

The Multiple Faces of Water (Digitized Watercolor Oil Paint)

8th Grade Art Students Create a Collective Reflection of Their LMK Experience

 

A unique mural created by 104 8th grade elective art students portrays a reflection of their "hidden stories" about personal growth from 6th through 8th grade at LMK Middle School.  In addition to creating the piece, students wrote personal artist statements, recognizing how their LMK experience impacted them. The mural is a powerful depiction of the ability for students to reflect on their personal growth and share their learning experiences.  The piece is displayed adjacent to the LGIR at the middle school.  Learn more about the Hidden Stories mural process


Annual Art Exhibition Features Creativity of LMK Students

Students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades proudly displayed their artwork at the Annual LMK Art Exhibition.



Disney's Mary Poppins

The HHS Footlight Players presented Disney's Mary Poppins to sold out audiences. The show received 7 Metro nominations and won two Metro awards. 

 

Radium Girls

The HHS Playhouse staged Radium Girls, a play that explores the society's reaction as science is commercialized in the 1920s.


Bye Bye Birdie

The LMK Theater Club performed the classic musical Bye Bye Birdie.

 

Elementary School Musicals

Elementary students delighted family and friends with performances of Peter Pan, High School Musical, Willie Wonka, and Aladdin


Spring and Winter Concerts

Harrison High School Chorus, Orchestra, Band and Dance performers.

 

Students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades showcased their musical talents in winter and spring concerts.

 

Students at Harrison Avenue, Parsons, Preston and Purchase Elementary Schools worked hard and refined their musical talents throughout the school year.


Strings Extravaganza

The annual Strings Extravaganza featured every 5th through 12th grade strings students (all 350 of them!) on one stage for a concert featuring songs from classic movies. 

 

Percussion Showcase

The dynamic display of rhythm and creativity at the annual Percussion Showcase never disappoints!

 

Jazz Night

Jazz Night is an incredible musical experience that features the talents and showcases the passions of student musicians.

 

Marching Band

The Harrison High School Marching Band was inspiring all year long, performing at football games, parades, and community events.  

 

Coffee House

HHS Coffee House provided an evening of music for members of the community to experience the remarkable and diverse talents of our students an informal and relaxed setting.