City School District of New Rochelle
News & updates
December 4, 2020
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Computer Sci Classes Grow In Numbers
And Diversity
Sure, most high school students are adept at video games, websites and apps when playing and using them. At New Rochelle High School, more and more students are learning what makes them work.

Enrollment in computer science classes has ballooned at the school, driven by the many good jobs in technology, and an introductory course started two years ago. Over five years, enrollment in Advanced Placement computer science courses has almost doubled to 106 from 54. It includes students who may not have taken any AP courses but now find themselves thriving in one.

“All of a sudden, they have access to this whole new world,” said Math Department Chairperson Xiomara Gonzalez. “And this is where the jobs are.”

The introductory class helped Sydney Middlesworth discover that computer science is not as daunting as it can seem. She took the course as an elective because “computers are everywhere,” and she wanted to understand them better.

“It seems like it’s difficult, but it’s really not; a lot of it is common sense,” she said. Now a junior in AP Computer Science Principles, she enjoys learning the translation from human thought to the way computers “think.”

The boom in interest has also drawn a diversity of students that more closely resembles the city’s population. Five years ago, white students made up more than half of enrollment in the two AP computer courses combined while no other group comprised more than 16.5%. That is no longer the case. Currently the ethnic makeup is 38% white, 33% Hispanic, 20% Black and 8% Asian.

The enrollment helps to drive a greater ethnic mix among advanced courses across the math department, which does its part to address the City School District of New Rochelle’s long standing issue of access and opportunity gaps. It is also steadily helping to close a gender split in this historically male-dominated field. Five years ago, female students made up 30% of AP computer science classes. Now their share is nearly 40%.

Senior Ruth Muriel hopes that still more women continue to take the classes. She had never considered computer science until Gonzalez encouraged her to in a letter after Muriel showed AP potential on the PSAT. Now not only is she in her second class on the topic – Computer Science A –
(Please see "Computer Science" below.)
Board of Education
Selects Firm to Search
For Next Superintendent
The New Rochelle Board of Education has selected the search firm Ray And Associates to help seek the next permanent Superintendent of Schools.

“Ray And Associates has a strong record of identifying exceptional candidates,” School Board President Rachel Relkin said of the consultants, who have provided search assistance for school-district executives since 1975. “The firm will provide guidance in identifying a superb educational leader who is the best fit for the City School District of New Rochelle and its community.”

The new superintendent will replace Dr. Laura Feijóo, whose resignation was announced Oct. 6, 2020. Dr. Alex Marrero, who was the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, is serving as Interim Superintendent through the end of the 2020-2021 school year.

Board members voted Tuesday to hire the firm pending finalization of a contract. The Board plans to conduct a thorough search for the District’s top educator, who would be in place by July 1, 2021.

“We are one hundred percent committed to a process that includes and engages the community,” President Relkin said.

With the firm's assistance, the Board will develop a search process that will include various strategies to engage the community, including the use of a community advisory committee.
If It's Chilly Out,
It Must be Time For
#HotCocoa2020 Survey
With the winter chill in the air, it must be time for #HotCocoa2020.

The annual survey from William B. Ward Elementary School third-graders seeks your views on this cozy-weather beverage. Do you prefer it really hot, just warm or cooled down? With or without marshmallows?

Some people like steam rising off their hot cocoa; at Ward, they like hot cocoa in their STEAM. That is, Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics education. Led by Instructional Technology Facilitator Jeannine Shields and teacher Elizabeth Ponce, students analyze the survey results in various ways. The more responses they receive the better, especially answers from far away.

The first revelation from this year’s survey: Love for the beverage is not universal.

“What I learned from the project is that not everyone likes hot chocolate,” wrote student Ivana Romero.

It is very popular, though. Of 28 early respondents, 22 said they like hot cocoa and only one did not. Another five said they like it “sometimes.” Most people do prefer marshmallows, with a strong preference for mini marshmallows over full-sized options.

The classes want the responses to keep coming.

“We have just begun and already we have reached Michigan, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Missouri, Virginia and areas throughout New York State,” Shields said. “Students begin to see patterns with the more data we collect. Those comparisons help them think critically. If someone puts something unique in their hot cocoa as a topping, where do they live? If someone likes their hot cocoa frozen, what is the climate where they are?”

One fundamental lesson may be discovering how unique people are. Student Diego Zapeda said he learned “that many different people like many different things.”


Another way to join the fun: Post a photo of your own mug of hot cocoa on social media with the hashtag #HotCocoa2020.
Free Meals Available
For All 18 and Under
On School Days
Free meals being distributed daily by the City School District of New Rochelle are now available to all community members aged 18 and under, regardless of whether they are enrolled in the District’s public schools.

Any child or teenager up to 18 years old is eligible to receive one breakfast/lunch combination pack each school day at any site. The packs are distributed each school day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 10 schools and at WestCOP, 95 Lincoln Ave. while the District is on all-remote or hybrid learning for the COVID-19 crisis.

More information about locations is available on the District’s website, www.nred.org.

Meals are also available in the schools for students on site while the District is in a hybrid model.

Facemasks covering the mouth and nose must be worn while picking up meals. Please observe social distancing at all sites.
Sarah Athir and Jobin Binu Daniel
Tracking Climate Change Through River Mud,
Making a Stronger Brick
The students in New Rochelle High School’s Science Research Program explore a dazzling range of topics under the mentorship of professional scientists from some of the top institutions of learning and exploration. Each week in this column, we’ll learn about two students’ activities. In January, researchers in grades 4 through 8, many of them mentored by the high school students, will present their research in the second annual Research Fair.

Sarah Athir, senior.
Mentor: Ph.D. candidate Daniel Babin, Columbia U. Lamont Doherty Research Observatory.
Minerals in the mud from the Zambezi River basin tell Sarah Athir that back before the recording of human history began, southeast Africa saw precipitation in patterns similar to the ones that are leading to severe flooding and drought now.

She determined the precipitation by peering at the dried-out mud samples through a microscope and tweezing out minerals such as muscovite that wash off rocks into the mud during erosion. The deepest sample came from 16 meters down, dating back 11,500 years.

Muscovite grains then went through radiometric dating.

“After this, the muscovite grains were sent through a mass spectrometer which calculated the ages of each of the grains,” she said.

The results show a shift underway in the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), a low-pressure rain belt near the equator. They also indicate that a similar shift occurred eleven and a half millennia ago.

The ITCZ’s southward movement presages severe flooding south of the Zambezi, and severe drought to the north. The finding jibes with changes underway such as the expansion of dessert in the Sahel region at the south edge of the Sahara.

“With this information, communities in the south can begin to prepare for the devastating effects that storms and floods induced by the ITCZ can have on their infrastructure, food security, health and economy,” she said. “Communities relatively north can begin to prepare for the effects of droughts.”

Long interested in climate change, Athir chose the Zambezi River project because Africa is particularly susceptible to its impacts. In the end, she learned more than she’d expected. Of the project’s success, she said; “It’s promising, it’s exciting and it’s inspiring because I feel like I could do more with this and continue to improve my results.”

Jobin Binu Daniel, Junior
Mentor: Cyril Cabral, Jr., IBM
The study of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) and their practical applications in the construction industry may not be part of a traditional high school science curriculum, but it has been the focus for New Rochelle High School junior Jobin Binu Daniel over the past few months. Jobin has worked alongside his mentor, Cyril Cabral Jr., a research staff member at IBM, to identify ways in which CNFs can enhance the mechanical properties, such as the strength and durability of concrete bricks.

When Jobin began his research, he was focused on the broad study of mechanical engineering. Over time, however, he became more and more interested in the elasticity of various materials and eventually chose to focus his time and energy on CNFs and how they can be used to improve the use of concrete bricks for construction purposes.

“Bricks are used for the construction of massive projects like bridges and houses, but are often viewed as brittle,” said Jobin. “Concrete bricks don’t garner as much attention, but they have practical applications, working as noise barriers in airports and other high-traffic areas as well as for decorative purposes.”

Jobin found that CNFs significantly increased the mechanical properties of concrete bricks, thus can be used for real-world applications.

He intends on pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering upon graduation next year.
Columbus Students
Create School Mural
A quote by Helen Keller adorns the wall of Columbus Elementary School with artwork created by about 150 students in kindergarten through grade 5. “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much,” the banner reads, with 400 hundred colorful hands created by the students intertwined.
 
“The halls felt empty and quiet when we returned in October and I wanted to add a bit of normalcy and color to our school,” said art teacher Leah Bernabei. “I decided on a topic that touched on the current situation we're in, while being mindful of putting a positive spin on it. The mural features a good message and serves as a reminder for our students and staff.”
 
The mural seeks "to tell people in the world that all of us can do many small things to make big changes in the world,” said Johan Condori, a fourth-grader.
 
“If we work together, we can make a big change,” said Leslie Agustin, also a fourth-grader. “For example, if we all wear a mask, we might stop the COVID-19 from spreading and have normal lives.”
 
Fifth grader Ashley Corazao said, “Be uniquely you, stand out, shine, be colorful, because everyone is unique in their own way even though you might not realize it.”
 
“I decorated half of the hand normally and the other half, not,” said fifth grader Sinai Valencia Pulido. “I did it because there are so many people in the world that are a little bit different than us and others. So I made that as my design.”

Bernabei is known for her murals. Each spring, she leads the fifth grade class in creating a new permanent one.
 
“In all the works, Leah's belief in children's creativity and expression is pronounced,” said Principal Michael Galland. “Each mural communicates hundreds of voices threaded together gracefully."
Computer Science (continued)
but she plans to study it in college and build a career perhaps in software development.

“I’m really glad I took it because I really enjoy it,” she said. “It came to me very easily, which is something I never really had before.”
 
Veteran math and computer science teacher Dr. Nazar Rabadi started the introductory class as one
half-year course in 2018-2019 in an attempt to increase student awareness of the field. It caught on so quickly that the following year four sections were offered, two in the fall and two in the spring. It is now taught by teacher Steve Finston who uses the educational application CodeCombat to build students’ coding skills through video games using the high-level programming language Python.

Students in Finston’s AP computer science courses learn to code and program in other languages as well including scratch and java through software and applications that demystify software wizardry and convert it into a step-by-step process. Additionally, the classes are fully project-based. Students create password generating programs, program a Nintendo-like controller and transform digital images by programmatically manipulating pixels.

“They learn all the basics, but in a super fun way,” said Finston.

Supported by a grant from Amazon, the AP classes use the partnering Edhesive curriculum.

Middlesworth had this message for students who think the subject is too difficult:

“I would say don’t be intimidated and don’t focus on stigmas around computer science because they’re definitely not true,” she said. In the world around us, “everything is virtual, so it’s vital to understand. Whether you’re male or female, you’re experiencing the same technology.”
City School District of New Rochelle | http://www.nred.org/