001Thank you so much. I am now going to hand the meeting over to Doctor Mauricio for the superintendents report. Thank you, President Villano. Thank you. Both trustees, members of our community. Uh, it's great to see you all here today. Uh, we have an exciting Peekskill pride. And then we have a great ribbon cutting. Um, coming up soon. And so with that, I'm going to ask the Board of Education members if you can make your way, uh, to our front row seats over here. We'll pull down the, uh, screen and we have a short presentation for you. And also here to recognize, uh, some very important individuals as well. Good evening everyone. Good evening everyone. Thank you again for being here. Yes. Good evening everyone. That was okay. Good evening everyone. Good evening. Good to see
002you all and having some exciting information to share with you as part of our superintendents update and our Peekskill Pride. Uh, first and foremost, uh, want to share that our schools have celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month. And while we recognize this month, we know that Latino, Latinx, uh, heritage is very important to us, our country. Um, and here in Peekskill, we celebrate our children for who they are, no matter what background they come from, linguistic, cultural and other. And, uh, thank you to our schools who have put together wonderful programing for all of our students welcoming them. Let's give our Uriah Hill team, shown here celebrating Hispanic heritage. And you see some very important people that were recognized as part of that. And that occurred at, uh, many of our schools. Uh, speaking of which, we
003had some members in our community here, uh, that, uh, would like to recognize our very own mayor. Uh, Mayor Vivian Mackenzie Mackenzie. Let's give her a round of applause. We have, uh, Deputy Mayor Riley, please stand up. We have members of our council. If you can stand former Mayor Andre Rainey here as well. Stand on up. We have members of our Rotary Club. Please stand, uh, President Chris, Calgary's former president and graduate, Tony Washington and others. We have members of our PTO and Peekskill Education Foundation. If you can stand on up, let's give them a round of applause. And we have Mary Green and her husband, who are strong advocates of our school district and rotary and advocates of athletic program as well. And we have members of our soccer team as well. Can I
004have a soccer team? Please stand up. Let us give. They've had an amazing season. And I'm going to ask him. Oh, yes. Sorry, my glasses are not. It's great. I think Mrs. McDonnell is here as she is. Mrs. McDonnell is here from the Executive bureau. Executive director of the Youth Bureau. Thank you. And if I missed anyone else, please come up. My glasses are more for reading than seeing for, um. And we also have some coaches here. I'm going to ask one coach to stay seated. But the other coaches, you know who you are. He can stand on up. Let us recognize our amazing athletic coaches. Thank you for all you do. And moving along. I'll just share some of the schools. But Hillcrest had a wonderful well attended as you can see there. Multicultural
005night again, part of our Hispanic heritage and recognizing multiple, uh, multiple cultures in our school community. Let's give Krystal Hernandez her team and the school and families a big round of applause. Our high school, uh, also had a wonderful, uh, presentation, as they always do with music and performances and dances. Uh, but also recognizing the history, the rich history of our Latino culture as well. And so let's give our high school team a big round of applause. And speaking of which, we have Doctor Farris here. Let's give her a round of applause. Administrator, uh, any other administrators, please stand up. Let us have them, uh, be recognized as well. Austin Goldberg, doctor Ferris. All right. Everybody shy tonight. And we have Jan Korbel, our president of the PTO. Thank you for being here as always.
006I had the great pleasure of attending the Black Diamonds Academic Success Program gala, uh, last Thursday at the Bear Mountain. Uh, and it was a wonderful opportunity. And, uh, many of us are often including elected officials. Uh, I'm not short on words, but we did not have to say much because our students told these amazing stories about what the Peekskill City School District and in particular, what the Black Diamonds Academic Success program meant to who they are today. Many of them are managers there at colleges. Hbcu's 100% graduation rate and 100%, uh, college acceptance rate. Let us give Martin McDonnell his board. Mr. styles, uh, and everyone who is part of that, and most importantly, our amazing scholars. Thank you for all that you do. And their graduation rate far exceeds the national average for
007black, uh, males. And that is huge. Uh, and deserves another round of applause because that is, uh, a great accomplishment and greater than what we see nationally. Also want to take the opportunity to recognize the wonderful enrichment as part of our Peekskill promise. Our hiking club visited Blue Mountain, and we're on a four plus mile hike and a beautiful fall day. Thank you again to our team. Let's give our hiking club, Chaperons and all of our students a big round of applause and getting out there in this wonderful resource we have on this mountain we live on. Also want to take the opportunity to thank Doctor Farris, Doctor Daniels and the team who went to the Day of Girl conference at Manhattanville. It's the International Day of Girl conference. They had a special guest, Senator
008Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, who spoke to our students, amongst others, and our students were represented from Peekskill and other school communities as well. And I think I see a board, uh, student member there. Uh, Ella morelle. Uh, Ella, why don't you stand up? Because I don't know if everybody knows you. I think everybody knows you. But Ella morrell is our student trustee on the board of education, along with Talia Martin. And you'll hear from her tonight. Uh, Hillcrest students, uh, visited the botanical gardens. They had a wonderful, again, a wonderful fall day. Uh, great for our students to get out into the community here in Peekskill and beyond. Let's give our Hillcrest teachers a big round applause and say thank you and our families and chaperons. I PCL PCL. Special education PTO. We'll have their
009meeting tomorrow night, Wednesday, October 22nd, and that will be at the Family Resource Center. Uh, please. Uh, there is an email in my Friday letter, uh, flier where you can link to it and let them know that you're coming so that they know who was there and be available, uh, to support our families with their children as well. Again, that is tomorrow night at the, uh, Family Resource Center. Uh, we want to thank, um, our staff and our team who support this, in particular, our volunteers, who are parents who lead this chapter. Let's give them a big round of applause. Speaking of volunteers, the wonderful parents and teacher organization, our PTO, as I mentioned, members who are here tonight. Um, two things. One is that they are doing a candy, uh, collection that is part
010of the trunk or treat tradition here in Peekskill, which is alive and well and a great opportunity for our kids to have a trick or treating experience in a safe environment. And we thank our PTO for doing that. Each and every school has a box. Uh, you can drop off the candy. Uh, with Jen. I know she was here. There she is. Uh, what's the date of pick? Uh. We get them up already? So. Okay. Uh. You know. Okay. And what Jen said is there's still time to donate candy at each of the schools and the administration building. Please do so. So our kids have a wonderful experience. Parents, bring your kids with their costumes so you get your money's worth. Um, and let them wear it here. And also on Halloween, which is on
011a Friday. And we all look forward to that. Um, so hopefully great weather on that Friday and then on Saturday. Very excited to kick off from our Saturday Academy team this Saturday at the middle school part of this event. Uh, we will have our trunk or treat event and multiple opportunities for our families to be engaged or free 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and really looking forward to having our families come out with a free breakfast. We have DJs that will be their music. And, uh, we also have a special. No flashing lights. Quiet. Um, uh, trunk or treat. Uh, at 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. And that's perfect for children who need that environment. Their stimulus, uh, light and stimulus free. So thank you again. Let's give our PTO a big round of applause
012and say thank you. So we want to take this opportunity. Melvin is in the audience here, and some of you may know he was a he is our captain of the varsity soccer team. He's a senior. He has come back to Peekskill High School. And we are so excited to have you back. Melvin. Uh, thank you for being here. And thank your family. Thank you, Mr. Goldberg and coaches, for being a great support for Melvin. Uh, he is back on track and we are looking forward to his senior year here at the school. Another big round of applause for our captain and I. His. And so with that, um, we're going to, uh, I'm going to have Mr. Goldberg come up and he put together Mr. Goldberg a wonderful video. And we are going to
013start with that video at this time, and then I'm going to turn the, uh, yes, I'm going to turn the mic over to Mr. Goldberg. Let's give our ad a big round of applause. I'm not a good coach. Takes his love for the game and instills it in you. He molds you into the player he sees inside of you, and watches your talent and dedication grow into a skill that both can be proud of. His payoff is the smile on their face. After you've reached your goal. His tears and cry because he was so bad. Nobody had the same feeling inside to make him proud. Never getting less than best. You both deserve the. To me. Kids have been taught that the goal of high school sports is to achieve athletic scholarship. Here's the truth
014about the goal of high school sports is to learn how to be a better person, better teammate, better communicator, and to enjoy playing the game. Coach Arcilla instilled this for many years. A good total impact on what we do in one year. Most people will have a lifetime. Thank you coach. Absolutely. We appreciate all you've done and continue to make together. Good evening. Members of the Board of Education, Doctor Mauricio, teacher staff, students, administrators and, uh, our varsity football team. And I as a family. It's true honor to stand here tonight to recognize someone who has meant so much to our athletic program, our students and our community. Coach John Isolo. Coach Isaiah was actually the very first staff member I met. When I arrived at Peekskill back in the summer of 2019. We met
015down in what we like to call the dungeon, also known as the Sports Storage area. In the admin building. He introduced himself as JP, which to this day I have actually never called him. Uh, just call myself our coach. Um, that first meeting set the tone for what I quickly came to understand about him. Coach, ESL was a man of integrity, honesty, and heart. He's the kind of person who tells you exactly what he thinks. Always respectful, always truthful, and always with the best interest of his students and our community in mind. What struck, uh, what struck me most from the very beginning was how deeply he cares about the people around him, whether it's the school community, his colleagues, or especially his soccer players. Coach has always gone above and beyond, not just to
016coach them on the field, but to guide them through life. Over the years, coach ESL has been more than just a soccer coach. He's been a mentor, a teacher, a counselor, and at times, even a father figure to so many of our students when they face tough times, whether academic struggles, personal challenges or moments of tragedy, coach has been right there beside them. And when they've had victories on the field or in life, he's been the first one to cheer them on. Tonight we celebrate an incredible milestone 100 career PCL varsity soccer wins. That number represents so much more than just games one. It's a testament to years of hard work, sacrifice, unwavering commitment to his players and this program. Behind each of those wins or countless hours long practices in the heat, the cold,
017offseason workouts, early morning late nights, film sessions, bus rides, their indoor tournament, summer league, community events that coach helped organize so his players could continue to grow, stay connected and compete. But maybe even more meaningful than the wins themselves or the lives he's shaped. We've seen so many of his players go on, as you saw in to play at the college level, some even at the professional level. And perhaps most inspiring of all are those like him who come back and give back coaching and mentoring the next generation following the example that coach set for them. Coach, your impact has gone far beyond the soccer field. You've built culture, pride, respect and excellence, one that reflects the very best of Peekskill. I also want to take a moment to recognize and thank your family, your
018wife, your children, who you who have shared you with us for all these years. The time, the energy, the weekends, the nights spent at games and practices. We know it's a family commitment. And from the way you speak about them, it's clear how proud you are and how much you love and support that they've given. We thank them for allowing you to make such a profound impact on our students and community. So on behalf of our entire PCL, city school district, our students, our athletic department staff, our families, we say thank you for your leadership, your mentorship, and unwavering commitment to Peekskill Athletics. Congratulations and reaching this incredible milestone of 100 wins. And we look forward to having you back in a couple of years to celebrate 200. So we do have a gift for
019coaches. Pillow to be worn tomorrow. All right. At this time, uh, we're going to have our soccer team. You're going to make your way up the stage, and you're going to be right behind coaches. Hello, board members, if you can make your way on the left and right of coach and AD, I would also like to have, um, Mr. Jamal Lewis who who was his principal and Doctor Who. Di. Uh, please join us. Doctor Ferris. Uh, from our secondary team. Please come up. We're going to take a team photo here. Work. Oh. I. Finger and. Thumb will be. And. There. He. Good. See. Another big round of applause for coaches. Hello. Everything, uh, athletic Director Goldberg said. Uh, is exactly true when I drive by on weekends. Uh, Saturdays. And I would see coaches out
020there with the players and I'd say, who's on our field? And it'd be our coach with our players, uh, playing and getting ready for their season as well. And evening hours and everything you have said is, uh, exactly who he is. And we thank you. And when we think about what we have accomplished a hundred times in our lifetime, that is an accomplishment that is hard to get. They are far few individuals who can say they have what you have accomplished. Another big round of applause. Thank you, coach, for being Peekskill Prime. I would also like to, uh. By the way, I love those jackets. Uh, they look great. They they exemplify Peekskill pride. And the people let people know who you are when you walk into the room and onto the field. Uh, hopefully
021you also like our board members, uh, sweaters that we have, which are new and they are part of our Peekskill Pride as well. And I want to take this opportunity, not that we just thank them one, um, week, uh, year, uh, but we really thank them all year because they are volunteers. They give of themselves, they give their their time, they sacrifice their families, they sacrifice personal time as well to be here serving on the board. And we thank you for all that you do. Let us give a big round of applause to our Board of Education. And so with that, um, we are going to go into, uh, our next short video and that is on behalf of our Board of education to you, the school community. Nothing happens if the Board of Education
022does not vote on it and support it. Provide financial resources. Um, visionary, bold, visionary leadership. And that's what's been happening, uh, before and now and will continue to happen in the future. And we hope that you enjoyed this capital update. Good day. Coast to coast community. I'm Doctor Briscoe, the very proud superintendent of Sydney school District. I'm here with that amazing staff and folks at elementary. We're kicking off our capital project video. We want to say a very special thank you to all the voters who voted for our capital, our school budget. We also want to say a very special thank you to all my Chrissy and Cynthia Hawthorne, all the city staff keeping our schools clean, renovated, and we're excited to share this wonderful video with you about capital on behalf of education. Thank
023you and enjoy. Thank you, Board of Education, for your bold vision. Thank you to the boards in the past, represented by Mrs. McDonald. You saw Judith Johnson, former superintendent who build the middle school. Uh, and that was a huge feat and a huge accomplishment. So we thank the past and we build upon that. Thank you again to our Board of education, uh, PTO, who supported, uh, parents, our voters, everyone who came together. Robin Zimmerman, Cynthia Hawthorne, uh, Carmine Crissy, all of the individuals that helped make this happen. And it's just the beginning. We continue to build, uh, and provide our students with the very best. And we will continue to do that with the support of our wonderful board of Education. Another round of applause for them. Thank you. And with that, uh, many of
024you have come to come to the, uh, ribbon cutting for our brand new music studio. We want to thank our Peekskill, um, education, um, rotary Peekskill Education Foundation, the Peekskill Rotary, under the leadership of Tony Washington, then president. Let's give him a big round of applause for supporting that. Um, Mr. and Mrs. Fraga. And I think I saw Megan Child. Yes. Sheldon Brown, guard also as well, who came together to bring this wonderful opportunity, Richard Swan. Got to give him a big round of applause and say thank you to him. He's a graduate and wanted to help make this happen. Um, over $15,000 invested in what you're going to see now. And so we're going to cut the ribbon. So those of you who are here to join us, we are going to have everybody
025who's going to take us out that doorway, and we're going to enter through the door that says, do not enter. That's because it's Halloween spirit. And they made it spooky. Uh, but we're going to make our way and see a very short live recording. Cut the ribbon, and then we'll come back. Um, so those of you who are able to join us, please continue to do so. You're going to follow, uh, Doctor Bedi, uh, straight out here to the left. Thank you. Everyone, give yourselves a round applause. Thank you again. Four. Thank you again. Uh, for, um, attending the ribbon cutting for our music studio. And we thank everyone that was part of that, uh, wonderful, uh, event tonight. And we recognize that wonderful students who are part of it and looking forward to see
026what is going to come from this as they, uh, make their own music and, uh, produce it as well in this new age of technology. So thank you again to our Peekskill, uh, Education Foundation and our rotary as well. And with that, I will turn it over to our student ex-officio board member, Ellen Morrell, who has a report, um, for the board and the community as well. Let's give her a round of applause. And it should be on its run. No. You're good. Okay. Perfect. Thank you so much. Thank you for having me. Thank you, board members. A really good update that we have is regarding our devices. Our devices have consecutively the use of them has consecutively decreased since the beginning of school. Our highest number of violations was within the first week of
027school at 101. And now we're at 15 students. So I'd like a round of applause for that and recall. Some events that we've had so far is our back to school movie night, where we've had 50 kids attend for field trips. We have taken a field trip to Jacob Burns, the Paramount, the Botanical Gardens, the Metropolitan Museum. And I would just like to say, from my personal experience on college trips and other trips, that these have been so valuable to my education, and I really value the opportunity that we've had at the school to go on these trips, and I hope we can continue. Thank you as well. With our extracurriculars, our girls are at 14 to 1. They've only lost one game, no huge accomplishment. And our varsity football team is heading to sectionals.
028Yes. Wonderful. Some updates regarding education. Our Elton brand and night school have begun. Elton Brand is from 3 to 4:30 p.m., and our night school is a credit recovery program, so this is two nights a week. Just wonderful. And lastly, another upcoming event is our District Unity Day Hangout and Red Ribbon Week. So thank you. Thank you for your report. Uh, we appreciate the time you took to put this together. Uh. Thank you. I think Doctor Ferris is still here. We want to thank her as well, uh, for working together and providing a wonderful report from our student body. And, uh, we look forward to hearing more from you and to Leah in the future as, uh, board members. So thank you. Thank you. Yes, Council. And they are alive. Oh, these are just sad.
029Yeah. Okay. Oh. Thank you. Um, thank you for your report. And, um, I did want you to know that, uh, you know, don't always feel like you have to report to us. We're really glad to hear what you have going on. But, you know, as part of the democratic process, one of the main things is that, you know, you're hopefully hearing from the student body. And if there's anything that you would like to see us have a board discussion around, like we're really happy to have those public discussions, and especially when there's a student involved because, uh, you know, you're representing obviously all your, uh, classmates as well. But you kind of see on a day to day basis what's going on. So, um, one thing I'm just curious about is how how you think
030people are feeling. And I know it varies from person to person, but about the phones in general, like, I, I imagine it's hard, you know, because it's something we're all used to having a little bit, maybe too close of relationship with. But, um, you know, sometimes it can be something you might lean on at times when you feel awkward or, you know, for some people it's actually become a little bit of a, you know, an emotional, like, blankie. So I'm just wondering what what you're hearing. Perfect. Is it. Yes. Okay. I would definitely say that it's been a bit difficult. We can see through the numbers and the beginning of the school year, it was difficult for the students to detach from the phones. But even at lunch, seeing and observing the students, everyone has
031become so much more sociable. Last year, kids would just go on their phones and play video games, and now students interact and they talk. We have higher participation in classes. Kids are encouraged to talk, and they're encouraged to use critical thinking instead of using their phones to find quick answers. So I would say that it has definitely been difficult and a challenge for many students, but I think that it was needed and as time goes on, it's going to get easier. I mean, it shows in the numbers. Students are responding well to this. So yes. Thank you. Thank you for the question. So for the record, we didn't prepare for that. Um, yes. Yeah, I think that the parents did. Yeah. But no, that's exactly what we wanted to hear. Right. And that was everything
032that we heard that other districts, what was happening in other districts when they made this, um, adjustment? Um, as far as, um, with the phones and so forth. So to hear it, you know, now that is happening here, uh, it's just great to hear because this is everything that we wanted and we wanted the socialization to go, um, and where we're, we're seeing it on the ground. So I'm, I'm I'm so glad to hear that. So thank you. And can I just say, I don't want to be too chatty. I always try not to waste people's time at these board meetings, but, um, I've been thinking a lot about community lately. Um, just with the rise of I, a lot of divisions that happen to us online or things that aren't in person. And, um,
033we do try in my house to have, uh, as many gatherings as we can with family or having friends over just to play dominoes and, and the day and be less formal. And, um, I was talking to my, uh, older family members who were saying, like before, you know, TV was really good, or people had internet, like, they used to get together every week, and they had community centers and Elks clubs and things. So, um, it's it's a kind of a muscle. We all should exercise as much as possible. Like, I was really glad that my teenage kids were around, seeing me and my friends, just laughing and playing dominoes and just doing something together in a room. And it's something that can't be taken away from you, and it is a skill you need
034to have. Like when I see people who are very dependent on their phones, or if you were raised and you never know anything else, or if maybe your house isn't a very, uh, social house, or I think most of us are very community oriented here. So a lot of us do things out in the community, but it's something that we need to, like, demonstrate and a muscle that we need to work at a little bit. So I'm glad you guys are getting that. Thank you. Yes. I'm also very glad to hear what you shared, and I have heard that from other students as well. I had the opportunity to do my school visit of the high school with Doctor Ferris, and we walked in the hallways and I will tell you, it is a, uh,
035total transformation. Um, from what we saw, uh, that day. And that was just a few weeks into a school year, um, students were walking and talking where last year it was earbuds. And, you know, they were kind of more socially, uh, isolated. And to see the board games. Thank you, Doctor Farris. Um, and to your team, uh, Doctor Bedi, they are board games that were purchased by the school for students to play during, um, during the cafeteria time their sports equipment out. And I now hear it from my office and your kids playing sports and playing with each other, and, uh, where I saw this before. And so I'm so glad to hear that I was skeptical. Um, in the beginning, I knew it was the right thing to do, but I was, uh, I
036was afraid of what was coming. And I knew that there could be challenges from families and students. And, uh, where we are. That takes leadership. And thank you, uh, Doctor Farris, Doctor Bedi, for making that happen to your entire team. And thank you to the student body for accepting this. You made your voices known. Uh, but you're you've accepted this and have followed through. And to Brandon's point and to Alan's point, uh, we're all going to be better for it. I'm just waiting for the law for adults to put it away from the morning. Uh, I would definitely support that. And, uh, but thank you again for your report. Wonderful report. So, um, I just want to reflect what everyone has said. I agree with them entirely, and I would love to continue the conversation
037about whether a report is what you want to do or whether you want to bring up topics yourself organically to the board. But we want you to feel as much a member of the board as everyone else at the table. So that's why we keep saying we want you to be part of the conversation or however we say it to you. It's really for both of you to feel like as equal a part of what we're talking about. Because this, that education is yours. We've all done our education, and while we love education, we love what's happening with our children. We're really excited about our community. We want our students to feel their voice is the most important voice at the table, and you have the opportunity to do that for us. So I'm really
038proud for you, and I'm really excited to have that voice at the table. Um, Jillian, can we also just say, like in between meetings, if one of us has something we want to have discussed at a meeting, we can, uh, contact the board president and let her know we would like to get it on the agenda. So that's also something you are perfectly free to do through email. Or if you want, you know, our texts or whatever is easiest. Absolutely. And if you see something on the agenda you have questions about or you'd like more information on, or if you want a presentation, just let me know, because that's what we're here for. Um, so I do I just wanted to thank you for your for your presentation, but also to continue that conversation on
039what this relationship looks like. Um, and thank you for being here. Um, you did bring up Unity Day. I do want to remind everybody that this week people are wearing orange orange tomorrow, orange tomorrow, and pink on Thursday. On Friday, sorry. And pink on Friday. Yes. Um, is that, um, yes, it is a report. Um, I wanted to just remind everybody about the PTO trunk and treat. Thank the PTO for doing that. I think that's an amazing event. Uh, I'm really excited to see it indoors. I know when I was a student here, it was run by the high school students instead of the PTO, and it was done in this building. It was done classroom to classroom, which was really exciting. So I think it'll be interesting to see all the different iterations and
040figure out what works best. And I know that that's our biggest, uh, turnout for Saturday Academy. And watching all the littles in their costumes is absolutely amazing, so I'm really excited for that. I'm really thankful for the PTO, for putting that together and for hosting it, and the organization has to be very difficult if anyone wants to go out and get candy. I know there are lots of deals online to find out how to get it at a real good discount, and if you need help with that, let me know. Um, uh, it was board, uh, recognition week, so I do want to thank everyone on the board. It is hard and to do this work. It's heavy and it is unpaid. It is completely volunteer. We do have to be elected. It is not
041the easiest task in the world. So. So, um, it is nice to be recognized and to recognize each other. So I'm very excited that that's a thing. And, um, thank you for recognizing everyone up here. Um, and I want to congratulate Coach Salo for his 100 wins. He was my coach when I was a student here. So that's that's really exciting for me personally. But I'm really proud of him. And staying, um, longevity is really important to me. I think he's been so impactful in so many students lives, and I love watching that for our staff members. Um, with the team, we also want to welcome back Melvin. That family needs anything from anyone. Please let us know. I know the whole community wraps around you and we're really excited to see you back. Um,
042and then leave just started. So, uh, we're really excited to have an after school program, and we're approving more, uh, community partners. So if you are part of, uh, organization that may want to be part of that, um, area is an amazing resource to talk to. Um, that's an amazing program. And if you are engaged in it, uh, thank you. And we want to keep it going and keep it as great as possible. So thank you for that. And then if there are no any other comments on the superintendent's report. Hello? Um, yeah. Um, actually, I actually love the, uh, report on the cattle projects. Yeah. Um, sometimes you forget how much has been done, um, throughout. And sometimes it's something small, but it makes a huge difference on their parents of of the space.
043And I think we've done a great job with, um, with, um, finding those spaces and, you know, even even with the signage, uh, for a long time, I would always say you would walk through Pisco High School, and there was nothing that indicated that it was pisco. And now you look at the cafeteria and you see the red devil in there, and you look at all the other schools like you're right Hill and in the cafeteria, you see all this signage that is, um, creating that, that pisco pride. And, um, I just want to say thank you for finding those spaces and then, you know, um, improving them. I mean, look at our auditorium here. Um, look at our auditorium. And I don't know, I don't think I saw. No, I did, um, an administration
044building. Um, and that was like that forever. Um, so just to see those those improvements is great. And we keep finding like deter that we, we did an administration building. So again, something that can help our students, um, when there's a rainy day out or find a way for them to be active. So I really appreciate you kind of bringing that to our, um, to our attention, because there are there are so many things that were done that we forgot about. So thank you. Thank you for your vision. Um, I think in regards to that, we also need to bring up the fact that, like, since we have a steam center in every building, we're engaging the young minds even early on things that they could be passionate about that they wouldn't have known about
045their passions for. And I'm really excited to see the small ones doing robots and and all the other pieces, just to find that piece of education that really grabs you and grabs you and brings you to class every day. Because I know with my children, with myself coming is the hardest part. Being here is the hardest part. And then you meet the friends and you find the thing. You're interested in school, and it's really exciting to see us making the attempts to grab them as young as possible. And I love that for us. Um. What? There's no other comments. We'll move on to hearing of the citizens. Are there any citizens who wish to be heard? Well, if there's no one who wishes to be heard, we're always welcome. Okay, um. So we welcome and
046desire your input, um, and desire the input of the entire school community. For those who wish to address the board, please sign in and state your name, your city or town of residence for the record. And please keep your remarks to three minutes. Um, and discussion, uh, 2 to 3 minutes. And discussion of district personnel is prohibited. Although we do not engage in dialog, we are listening. So please leave your contact information for prompt follow up from the board, president and superintendent. It's on. Yes. Uh. Evening board. Good evening, doctor Mauricio. Um, Julian Allen. Mr. Board education members. Um, sorry I missed the, uh, the launch of the unveiling of the studio. Congratulations on that Rotarian. And I should have been there, but I had something else I was doing that was working with our
047black diamond this evening, and I had to come up and just say thank you to the board, doctor Mucci, over the board for supporting the work that we're doing with the Black Diamonds, the impact we're able to have. We could not do it if you were not, if you were not supporting us. Uh, thank you for being part of our gala. Coming to the gala, thanks to the words of encouragement, Doctor Recio looking forward to do. Doing much more work with these young men. Uh, Pisco pride, MBK black diamonds. We're making some things happen, and I'm glad to be a part of that work, so thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And we had a special guest speaker this past Sunday. He just came in and blew us away. Doctor Buddha over there. Well. Thank
048you. Mr. Allen. Um, if I may. Yeah. Um, Mr. McDonald, in my Peekskill Pride update, uh, shared a picture of the, uh, gala, uh, that you held and recognize your leadership and that of the board and recognize the, uh, students for blowing us all away with what they are accomplishing. And, uh, so, again, thank you for that great work. And, uh, uh, Ellie, you brought up a very important point. And, uh, he talked about, uh, student voice and your report. I'm reminded that it was the black diamonds that in this auditorium came up to the, um, microphone and asked for a turf field. Yeah. And it was you, the board, who said, we want that. And then we got to work on it. And because of their advocacy, we now have an amazing turf field.
049So black diamonds. Thank you. We are great supporters. And thank you for your leadership. Thank you so much. Uh, any old business? Any new business. Policy readings. There's no policy readings at this time. Accepting of minutes. Are there any questions or comments? May I please have a motion to accept the minutes for business meeting? September 30th, 2025 and Business Meeting work session October 7th, 2025. So moved. Moved by Allen. Second. Second by Frank. All in favor? All right. Any names? Any abstentions? Consent agenda. Are there any comments, questions or thoughts? May I please have a motion to approve consent agenda items ten A through 14 B? So moved. Moved by Brad. One second. Second by Allen. All in favor? Aye. Any nays? Any abstentions. Any Committee reports are common. Okay. If there are no further
050actions, can I please have a motion to return to session for a personnel conversation? So moved. Moved by Allen. Second. Second. Second by Christina. All in favor? Uh. Any. Any of any extension. Good night. Everyone. Good night. Thanks. In.