On September 10, 2019, the Highland Central School District Board of Education convened for the first meeting of the 2019/20 school year. Members of the Board welcomed the new Student Representative Isabella Fiorese. A senior at Highland High School,. Fiorese will serve as a voice for the students of Highland, providing information and insights to the board members.

Fiorese was sworn in to her post by the District Clerk Lisa Cerniglia.

First week of classes and upcoming events
Highland Central School students had a fantastic first week of classes, according to Superintendent Thomas Bongiovi. While all departments work hard to ensure that Highland’s students are successful. Superintendent Bongiovi publicly thanked both the buildings and grounds and transportation departments for ensuring the safety of all students during the first days of classes.

The Backpack Program, a collaboration between the Highland Central School District and the Highland Methodist Church, will hold their first meeting of the school year on Thursday September 12. The Backpack Program provides backpacks filled with food to students who need extra supplies over the weekends and on school breaks. Currently, the Backpack Program relies on donations in order to provide approximately 42 students throughout the district with backpacks.

Highland’s Assistant Superintendent Sarah Dudley-Lemek will hold a substitute teacher training session at the end of September. This mandatory 2 ½ hour training will introduce new substitute teachers and staff to the school district, and to help them develop strategies to ensure success in the classroom.

The Highland Rotary is sponsoring a Bike Safety Quest event on October 6, 2019 at Tony Williams Park from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event will highlight bicycle safety by offering free bike safety checks, bicycling information, and free bicycle helmets for the first 100 kids to register. Students in the elementary and middle schools will be given flyers with more information in the upcoming weeks.

Mid-Hudson Study Council Awards of Excellence
Three members of the Highland Central School District have been nominated for the Mid-Hudson School Study Council Awards of Excellence. Wade Sargent, part of the security team at Highland High School, Steve Laubach, an active part of the district’s community service projects, and Principal Joel Freer of Highland Elementary were nominated for this year’s prestigious award. The Mid-Hudson School Study Council’s mission is to bring about improvement in education to school districts located in the Mid-Hudson Valley. The awards ceremony will be held at Anthony’s Pier Nine in New Windsor on October 17. Tickets are $60 per person. Anyone interested in attending should contact the Highland Central School District Clerk prior to October 4..

The next meeting of the Highland Central School District Board of Education will be held on September 17, at 7 p.m. at Highland High School.