Ithaca High School Drama Club Presents Disney's "The Little Mermaid"
March 31 - April 2
Kulp Auditorium
The Ithaca High School Drama Club is proud to present Disney's The Little Mermaid ! Showtimes are 7 p.m. on Friday, March 31, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 1, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 2.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS IN ADVANCE
$5 for children 10 and under
$10 for students
$12 for adults
ICSD staff receive one complimentary ticket
All proceeds go to the IHS Drama Club.
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South Hill Fourth-Graders Start Newspaper Club
In December, Clara Wilson, a fourth-grader at South Hill Elementary, left a note for her teacher, Consuelo Yanez, asking if they could start a student newspaper.
“I knew Clara enjoyed writing because whenever she got a chance after completing her work, she would work on a personal story,” Ms. Yanez said. “Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised to find her note on my desk before break inquiring about creating a newspaper.”
Ms. Yanez asked around to the other fourth-grade classes and found there was a lot of interest among the students. And so the South Hill Student Newspaper Club began! Since January, the club has grown from seven to 12 fourth-graders. The students meet every Friday during their recess and lunchtime to research and write for the newspaper, ...
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DeWitt Students Explore Intersectionality in Spanish Class Through Afro-Latinidad Mini-Lessons
In Theodora Baranowski’s DeWitt Middle School Spanish class, students are learning more than a new language; throughout the month of February, Ms. Baranowski’s “el foco” for each day included a lesson in intersectionality , or the simultaneous experience of social categories such as race, gender, socioeconomic status, and sexual orientation. Each lesson featured a personal history of an Afro-Latino public figure - from artists and performers to scientists and physicians. The central questions of the unit included: What is the difference between race and ethnicity? What is the meaning of Afro-Latinidad?
Students explored the lives of Jean Michel Basquiat, Kid Kudi, Felipe Luciano, and many more. When the focus of the lesson was ...
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Ithaca High School Orchestra Performs with Cornell Chamber Orchestra
On Sunday, March 19, the Cornell Chamber Orchestra and Ithaca High School (IHS) Orchestra performed together in an exploration of the intersection of art and music. The backdrop for this concert featured multimedia artwork inspired by the music and created by the IHS Art Department.
ABOUT THE ART
Reflection by Jesse Wright
Sunday’s concert was an amazing opportunity to celebrate collaboration and community through art and music in Cornell’s prestigious Bailey Hall. The IHS Art Department was grateful to receive the invitation from Kirsten Marshall to contribute visuals. Selections came from all of the IHS art courses featuring digital photography, paintings, drawings, sculptures, digital art, collages, and ceramics. Also featured was a timelapse video of a ...
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Ithaca High’s Community Closet Provides More Than Essentials: Structures of Support for the IHS Community
As a student at Ithaca High School (IHS), Rachel McDonald knew that some of her friends and peers lacked access to everyday essentials, such as winter gear and toiletries. When she joined IHS as a Library Media Specialist, Rachel realized the need was still there. Staff would send out an email blast for clothing or sneakers in a particular size for a particular student. Moving from reactive to proactive, she established the IHS Community Closet in 2019.
Located just off the library, the Community Closet is set up as a store where clothing, shoes, toiletries, and more are free for students. The Closet is a permanent space at IHS where students can shop for whatever they need, all free and confidential . Kasey Wszolek-Crandall and Nicholas Carbonaro have since joined Rachel, and together, ...
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Chorale Participates in 43rd Annual Ithaca College Choral Composition Festival
On Saturday, February 11th, the Ithaca High School (IHS) Chorale participated in the 43rd Annual Ithaca College Choral Composition Festival. The festival is nationally recognized for its efforts in championing new choral works, honoring up-and-comping composers, and celebrating the joy and connection of choral communities. IHS has been participating in the festival since its inception.
This year, four high school choirs from New York State participated, each having prepared a piece selected for competition. After a day of concerts, workshops, and rehearsals with Ithaca College choral ensembles, conductors, and composers, the competing pieces were shared during an evening concert for friends and family. The IHS Chorale premiered a new piece by composer Nathaniel ...
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IHS Seniors Named Finalists in 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation has now determined which of the 16,000 semifinalists will advance to the finalist standing. All five of our Ithaca High School semifinalists have advanced:
Wali Afridi
Divya Bhojraj
Mika Gazit
Boaz Ng
William Thomas
The winners will be announced in March. Congratulations, scholars!
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Enfield Elementary Leaders Harrington and Grainger Rally in Albany to End School Hunger
When federal meal waivers expired in June of 2022, more than 726,000 New York State students lost access to free school meals. Among those impacted were ICSD students and families, which, in part, prompted the ICSD’s effort to prioritize healthy learners by providing meals for a student if they request one, regardless of whether they have the ability to pay.
A bill proposed in May would provide all students with free lunches, yet it did not pass. Still, according to Feeding America , 1 in 7 children in New York experience hunger. This month, students, school leaders, and lawmakers traveled to Albany to call on Governor Kathy Hochul to fund free school meals for all New York students in the 2024 budget.
Enfield Principal Keith Harrington and Associate Principal ...
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Black Lives Matter at School Week 2023
February 6 - 10
The Ithaca City School District will actively engage in Black Lives Matter at School: A Week of Action. A Year of Purpose. A Lifetime of Practice. during the week of February 6 - 10, 2023.
We believe that our district must be a place where students and staff truly know each other, engage in trusted relationships, and have honest conversations about race, power, and privilege.
During Black Lives Matter at School Week, our school community will have experiences that embrace differences, examine biases, and advocate for justice to help develop a more caring and thoughtful school district.
Check out our poster to see a selection of Black Lives Matter at School Week events and ...
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New Elementary Learning Maps Center Student Voice and Provide Restorative Reflection for Teachers
In the summer of 2021, a group of Ithaca City School District (ICSD) elementary teachers gathered to think critically about what shifts could be made to enhance elementary learning. In collaboration with the Equity Consulting Group , the team’s initial efforts have since evolved into a massive project to evaluate exactly what is engaging to students in regard to content and skills. The team is also working to build out a system that captures existing and emerging curriculum and practice to better support teachers in their lesson planning. Ultimately, the group is hoping this project empowers students to make sense of who they are and safely question the world around them.
The Learning Maps leaders gather to think critically about the stories
students ...
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KickOff! High School Robotics Team Starts Robot Construction
By Jennifer Zhao, 22-23 PR Officer | jiefei.zhao@icsd.k12.ny.us
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics team Code Red has kicked off a new season! On Saturday January 7th, 89 students, 16 mentors and advisors gathered at Ithaca High School, to watch the release of this year’s FIRST Robotics Competition game called “Charged Up”.
"It's scary not knowing what to expect going before the season but when it was revealed at Kickoff I was so excited!" said Annalise Thompson, one of the team’s two Build Team Managers and Vice Presidents, “I think this is my favorite game yet.”
This year’s competition involves picking up cones and cubes, and arranging them on ...
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ICSD Commendation Ceremony January 2023
On January 10, district leadership and the ICSD Board of Education recognized the extraordinary achievements of students and staff at the first Commendation Ceremony of the 2022-2023 school year! ( Check out photos of the event on Instagram )
The purpose of the quarterly Commendation Ceremonies is to celebrate the success of Team ICSD members who go above and beyond in the arts, athletics, and the community. Special recognition is also paid to individuals who embody the ICSD’s Culture of Love .
Congratulations to everyone recognized!
DeWitt Orchestra Section Leaders – working tirelessly to advance orchestra
Winners of the Tompkins County Human Rights Commission 2022 Arts Contest
Henry Bopp (6 th grade) - winner of ...
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5 IHS Seniors Named Semifinalists in 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the names of approximately 16,000 semifinalists in the 2023 annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Among the semifinalists are 5 Ithaca High School seniors:
Wali Afridi
Divya Bhojraj
Mika Gazit
Boaz Ng
William Thomas
The semifinalists now have an opportunity to continue competing for National Merit Scholarships which will be awarded in the spring. Congratulations to these awesome scholars!
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ICSD Computer Science Collaborative Fosters Inclusive Computing Culture for All Students
The ICSD Computer Science (CS) Collaborative is comprised of a group of educators and students districtwide who gather quarterly to focus on expanding equitable, high-quality computer science learning opportunities for students, particularly those underrepresented in computing.
On December 5 (the first day of CS Education Week ), the Collaborative met in Upper York at IHS to celebrate the work created so far this year, engage in several computer science-focused stations, and share developments from throughout the district.
Northeast Elementary Library Media Specialist, Meg Hulburt, taught students to develop a 3-D Design using a program called Tinkercad . The students developed original ID badge holders to be 3-D printed and mailed back to them.
...
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Prioritizing Healthy Learners: School Meals Update
December 8, 2022
Dear ICSD Community,
At the start of the ‘22-’23 school year, we, unfortunately, reported the USDA’s decision to no longer provide free breakfast and lunch to all of our students. We realize that this policy (enacted during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic) was not only hugely popular, but incredibly helpful to all ICSD families. We understand that the return of this additional expense has been difficult for many, and our district does not take this lightly.
We have explored many different options that center access to healthy meals because we know that a learner's access to food directly impacts their education. First and foremost, as part of the Prohibition Against Meal Shaming , our district has, and will continue to provide a meal ...
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ICSD Honors Indigenous Excellence, Advocacy, and Empowerment Through Project-Based Learning
Native American Heritage Month serves as a crucial opportunity to acknowledge both the painful history of dispossession and violence that Indigenous Americans have experienced and the resilience and vitality of Indigenous communities past and present who persist against great odds.
ICSD campuses occupy the traditional lands of the Gayogohó:no, or Cayuga Nation . The Gayogohó:no are members of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, an alliance of six sovereign nations with a historic and contemporary presence on this land. The Confederacy precedes the establishment of the ICSD, New York State, and the United States of America.
Throughout the school year, Paul Heiland and Jill Kautz, American history teachers at Ithaca High School, focus their teaching on the recognition that ...
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IHS Robotics Team Launches a New Season
Article by Jennifer Zhao, 10th grader at Ithaca High School
Code Red Robotics of Ithaca High School has kicked off a new school year!
As part of the worldwide organization, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), Code Red Robotics builds robots and participates in competitions. Typically, Code Red team members build a 125-pound robot during the course of two months every school year in accordance with that year’s theme and competition challenges.
This year, Code Red welcomed 49 new members, raising total membership to 85 student engineers.
Code Red Robotics is led by seven officers: Emerson Schryver, President; Annalise Thompson and Wali Afridi, Vice Presidents/Build Team Managers; Alex Elia, Community Outreach; Celene Sahoo, Treasurer; ...
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ICSD Pre-K Builds A Strong Foundation: Diverse, Inclusive, Play-Based Learning
Early childhood education is fundamental to the development of young learners. The ICSD’s Pre-K Program celebrates the joys and wonders of our diverse community of students.
The Program's approach to learning is grounded in an understanding that play is a child’s work; research is clear that play helps a child develop language, executive functions, mathematics, scientific thinking, and crucial social/emotional skills. The ICSD’s early childhood educators are committed to providing an inclusive school experience that recognizes and affirms the various backgrounds, abilities and interests of students, and recognizes that family partnerships only strengthen the Pre-K experience.
This summer, the ICSD’s Pre-K Summer ...
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Update on Busing
Dear ICSD Community,
We hope everyone is enjoying a happy, healthy start to the '22-'23 school year. As we near the end of September, we wanted to update our community regarding transportation.
The start of the school year always brings its fair share of challenges as we all adjust to new routines. Our bus drivers have a steep learning curve, as they work to learn new routes and new faces. As is the case most years, many of our bus drivers are not only new to the district, but new to Ithaca, and are learning to navigate new roads and landscapes.
Each year, we anticipate some lag time in pick-up and drop-off of our learners, and typically by the end of the first month of school, our buses are operating smoothly and on time. This school year ...
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