Annual Board of Ed ‘Celebration of the Arts’
About two dozen O’Neill High School students were recognized — with cake! — at last week’s Board of Education meeting. The reason? They had all achieved significant milestones in the unified arts.
“This is a very exciting night,” Superintendent of Schools Michael McElduff said. “Hands down, we have one of the best arts programs in the state.”
Before giving the students their awards, McElduff and Board of Education Vice President Faith Aprilante announced that O’Neill High School’s Select Chorus has been seleced to perform the National Anthem at the 2024 New York State School Board Association’s annual conference in October.
“This is a huge deal, and I’m extremely proud,” the superintendent said.
Then, the honorees were called up to accept their award certificates:
OCMEA Elementary All County Chorus: Amelia Armstrong, Colette Armstrong, Katelyn Bilodeau, Valentina Meyer, Abigail Sawicki, Marilyn Wolf
OCMEA Elementary All County Band: Gavin Davis
OCMEA Junior High School All County Band: Brandon Chen
OCMEA Senior High School All County Choir: Tyler Dehm, Maggie Eby, Michalene Flynn
NYSSMA Zone 9 Area All State Choir: Tyler Dehm, Aspasia Fatsis, Benjamin Yankovich
OCMEA High School All County Band: Kayla Chen, Sadie Scott
NYSSMA Solo Competitions on Violin: Azanyah Elie (violin), Brandon Chen (clarinet)
An Artist’s Response to Human Rights Exhibit (SUNY Orange, Middletown Campus): Molly Greifenstein, Margaret Gust, Jovana Jackson, Ella O’Connell, Kaylin Patten, Iliana Sanchez
