Staff Spotlight: Dr. Ron Clamser Jr.

Dobbs Ferry School District has been lucky to have so many capable faculty and staff members grace our halls and classrooms over the decades. One such staff member is Dr. Ron Clamser. Clamser has been a part of the Dobbs Ferry School team for seven years, serving as our Assistant Superintendent for Finance, Facilities and Operations. In that role, he has worked to ensure the efficient and effective daily operation of our schools.

“The Business Office is at the heart of running our schools day in and day out,” said Clamser. “We work behind the scenes to keep our students learning, eating, and traveling to and from school. I’ve valued the relationships I’ve formed with staff and faculty members as well as parent groups. I’ll carry those with me for the rest of my life.”

Clamser has been a critical part of supporting our staff and faculty in their roles and, in doing so, helped create a safe and effective environment for our students to learn and grow in. He will depart the district early next year after doing everything in his power to ease the transition and put DFSD in the best position possible to support our students.

Thank you for your years of service Dr. Clamser, Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES will be lucky to have you.

Mathias Cardozo-Romani is a Dobbs Ferry High School student who joined just 2,626 other students from across the country of 25,000 applicants in being awarded a full four-year scholarship by the QuestBridge National College Match program. The process involved a grueling series of accelerated application processes and academic requirements, all of which he completed with no guarantee of being selected. This opportunity will enable Cardozo-Romani to attend the University of Pennsylvania next fall semester.

While the faculty and staff members at Dobbs Ferry High School are beyond excited about Cardozo-Romani’s achievement, this is only the most recent in his long line of accolades. Cardozo-Romani has been recognized by the College Board as part of the National First-Generation Recognition Program and National Hispanic Recognition Program, is an IB Diploma Candidate, an HSF Scholar, and part of the DFHS Science Research Program.

“My mother and uncle inspired me to want to help myself and others,” Cardozo-Romani said. “I saw serious wealth disparity and a poor economy in Peru, where I was born. I’ve been back there many times with my mother since to rescue animals and to participate in charity. I want to go back to Peru after I study finance to help the country grow economically and reduce poverty.”

Cardozo-Romani represents a quality of character and dedication that our students and community can be proud of and strive to replicate. We look forward to seeing all that he accomplishes as he concludes his senior year and moves on to the next chapter of his life.

Student-Athletes Find Opportunities on Merged Teams

This past sports season, Dobbs Ferry’s girls swimmers joined up with student-athletes from Ardsley Union Free School District to form a merged team. Together, the merged team swimmers showed impressive performances at meets throughout the season, concluding with a 3-6 dual meet record but surged at the end of the season to finish 5th overall in the League 2 Championships.

Highlights this season include a new 200 Medley Relay school record and a bronze medal in 200 Free Relay at the Conference Championship. Mackenzie Cabello, Isla Harris, and Alba Iacobazzi were all recognized as All-League swimmers.

Merged sports teams represent an important component of our athletic offerings at Dobbs Ferry School District. Our merged teams offer students interested in less populated sports the chance to work with teammates and compete against other student-athletes across the region. It also offers them a unique opportunity to meet and engage with other motivated student-athletes from other participating schools.

“The merged team format allows our student-athletes to compete in Varsity level sports with students from other schools,” said Athletic Director Andrew Klaich. “These merged teams enable Dobbs Ferry Schools to provide more and varied athletic opportunities for our students.”

The merged team format allows our students to participate in girls’ swimming in the fall sports season, as well as ski, boys' swimming, and hockey in the winter sports season.

Denis Brazil Presents District Wide Facilities Update

Director of Facilities Denis Brazil presented the District Wide Facilities Update at this month’s board meeting, illustrating the plans of the Facilities Department to accomplish the district’s goals. The improvements planned as a part of Phase 2 of the Capital Project are aimed at improving the security and functionality of all of our facilities to create a healthy and safe learning environment for all of our students.

Some notable upcoming improvements by the facilities department include:

• Upgrades and repairs to several MS and HS classrooms to ensure ADA compliance and to create new learning opportunities for students
• Exterior work on the building to secure and maintain the image of the building
• Improvements to navigability, air quality, and comfort at Springhurst Elementary
• Engaging further with EPC contractors to enhance energy usage and efficiency at our facilities

For more information on the future of our district’s facilities and grounds check out the full presentation.

First Module of Bookworms Completed

Earlier this month Springhurst Elementary celebrated the completion of the first module of the new Bookworms literacy curriculum. Students got together with teachers and administrators for photo shoots and activities to highlight the progress made by our students participating in the program.

With the first module completed, our students are just beginning to see the benefits of this program, which will have a lasting positive impact on literacy for all of our current elementary students.

Dobbs Ferry School District

505 Broadway

Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522

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