Superintendent Blog Post - May 31, 2019

In this blog post there is some information about the capital project work, my welcome letter for the Calico Ball, and some information about a couple of free events worth checking out this weekend.

Capital Project Begins

Bulldozers were sighted behind Beacon High School today to begin the work for our new athletic field!  Most of the work of the capital project is taking place this summer.  In addition to the new turf field behind the high school, we are also working on a renovated science, home and careers, and special education classrooms at Rombout, and repairs and upgrades at all of our schools.  We will update the community on the progress of this work through social media and blog posts throughout the summer.  You can find out more information about the capital project here:   https://www.beaconk12.org/domain/437

30th Calico Ball next week!

A few quick things about the Calico Ball.  We are celebrating the 30th year of the performance, the district is now back to funding it in our regular budget, and most importantly, a huge thanks to the Beacon Arts and Education Foundation for keeping it going for so many years.  Below is my welcome letter in the Calico Ball program.

Welcome to the 30th Calico Ball!  This treasured tradition has a remarkable history in our district.  For three decades, BCSD students have taken the stage to demonstrate how they have expanded their understanding of cultures around the world through dance, music and storytelling .  It has become a rite of passage for our third graders and a powerful learning experience. No doubt there are many parents in the audience who participated in the Ball themselves! Special thanks to the Vanaver Caravan for bringing this opportunity into our classrooms for so many years and to all of our teachers and support staff for deepening students’ experiences with in depth studies of the countries that their class is focussed on.

In 2010, theThe district was faced with the difficult decision to pull the Calico Ball from the budget but luckily, the program did not end there.  Pete Seeger, a long-time supporter of the Ball, generously donated to the Beacon Arts & Education Foundation (BAEF) in order to keep the tradition alive and BAEF took up the torch from there.  I am grateful to the Beacon Arts & Education Foundation (BAEF) for keeping the Ball alive for the last nine years. This year I am very proud to announce that this great piece of out of the box programming is back in the district budget!!

Thanks again to co-presidents Lori Merhige and Anna Bergin for your support and advocacy during the past three Calico Ball seasons and for all of the programming you have made possible through fundraising for this district! Your leadership has made a huge difference!

A Couple of Free Events Worth Checking out this Weekend!

On Saturday, June 1 from 12:00-4:00 I AM Beacon is hosting the Rock Out 4 Mental Health Event at Pete & Toshi Seeger Riverfront Park.  The event is free and a chance to connect with community members, learn more about resources available to those in need in our community, and enjoy great music.

On Saturday, June 1 at 9:00 am the Beacon Greenway Trail Committee and the City of Beacon will be hosting a walk of the Fishkill Creek Greenway and Heritage Trail.

The event will begin at 9 am at the Scenic Hudson's River Center (aka Red Barn) at Long Dock Park and cover the entirety of the planned length of the Trail in Beacon, approximately 4 miles. The walk will end at the The Lofts at Beacon (Rte 52 and Mill Street). Shuttle service will be provided to get walkers back to Long Dock Park.

The event coincides with National Trails Day, a celebration of America’s magnificent Trail system. With this walk, the organizers hope to encourage Trail use in general, and to specifically spread awareness of Beacon’s Fishkill Creek Greenway and Heritage Trail.

The walk is expected to take roughly 2 hours. All are encouraged to join for the walk of the entire length or any portion of the Trail.

Please come out for the event to see parts of Beacon you may have never seen, and experience firsthand Beacon’s Fishkill Creek Greenway and Heritage Trail.

For additional information and updates, please refer to Beacon’s Facebook event page at https://www.facebook.com/beaconny/.