October 2024 - Volume 2
Finally, supported by the recent bond referendum, the District began facility work designed to ensure the safety and success of our students. The work began during the summer, and an opportunity to monitor on-going progress can be found on this dedicated facilities improvement webpage.
Please enjoy these resources to better understand our extraordinary school district.
Sincerely,
Superintendent of Schools
Officer Robbie Budde - 2024 NYS SRO of the Year
Congratulations to LMK School Resource Officer Robbie Budde, who was named the 2024 John F Cataldi Jr. New York State School Resource Officer of the Year. The award recognizes SRO officers for “extraordinary commitment and dedication to the youth of their school community as well as New York State.” Officer Budde has served as the School Resource Officer at LMK Middle School since 2019. He also teaches the DARE course to 6th-grade students and partners with the administration in all school safety initiatives.
Nine HHS Seniors Named National Merit Scholars, Two Are Semifinalists
HHS Debate Team Starts Season with 3 Wins; 3 All American Awards; Holds all Top 10 Rankings in NY
Three senior debaters received the National Speech & Debate Association’s Academic All American award, recognizing “academic rigor, competitive speech and debate success, and personal excellence.” Congratulations to seniors Jack Borman, Reese Potash, and Brooke Schiano-Gonzalez for earning this distinguished award, which places them among the top 2% of debaters in the nation.
So far this season, the team has accumulated three tournament wins and 9 qualifying bids to the Tournament of Champions (TOC). Jack Borman won the National Speech and Debate Season Opener, placing 1st out of 250 entries nation-wide; Flynn Williams won the Lexington JV Round Robin; and Atharv Gandhi won the NYCFL Fall tournament. Additionally, Reese Potash reached semifinals (the top 4) of the Valley national championship in Iowa and the Bronx national championship in New York. Brooke, Reese, Jack Borman, Jack Gessner, and Flynn have all earned bids to compete at the TOC. Team members have won multiple speaker awards, including top speaker honors for Brooke at Valley and Reese at Greenhill’s national championship in Dallas.
Jack Gessner is currently ranked #3 nationally in Lincoln-Douglas debate by the National Speech & Debate Association; Jack Borman is ranked #4; Reese is ranked #8; and Andrew Gaffin is ranked #15. In New York, all of the top 10 Lincoln-Douglas debaters are from Harrison: Jack Gessner - #1, Jack Borman - #2, Reese - #3, Andrew - #4, Brooke - #5, Adeena Naeem - #6, Samantha Ramirez - #7, Jouseline Alvarez - #8, Flynn Williams - #9, Beverly Kang - #10.
Tenure Ceremony Celebrates Expertise, Dedication of Faculty & Administrators
Family, friends, and colleagues gathered at the District’s annual tenure celebration in the Performing Arts Center at Harrison High School. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Louis Wool welcomed the attendees and honorees and shared that the celebration of tenure is one of his favorite events because it recognizes educators' hard work and dedication to our students.
HEF Fundraiser Celebrates 30 Years
District Begins Facility Work Approved in Bond Referendum
Last November, Harrison residents approved a bond to improve safety and infrastructure and increase instructional space in all six schools to meet unprecedented enrollment growth. Work began this summer and will continue until all projects are completed. The district’s Facilities Update webpage will regularly post updates to inform the community about the projects' progress. Visit the Facilities Update webpage.
Information and Announcements
CrisisGo App for Parents: As part of an ongoing effort to enhance communication with parents and improve school safety, parents are encouraged to download the CrisisGo app, which will provide you with timely and reliable information in the event of a school emergency, such as an evacuation or an unscheduled early dismissal. Please click here to download the free CrisisGo app and subscribe to one or more schools to receive school safety alert messages.
Bus Transportation: To reduce traffic congestion during drop-off and dismissal, parents/guardians of eligible students are encouraged to use the bus transportation provided by the District. To learn more about bus transportation for eligible students, click here.