Port Chester High School’s spring musical production of “Legally Blonde” has been nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Stage Crew by the 2024 Metropolitan High School Theater Awards. Theater director Christina Baurle said the musical was challenging but crew members ensured the production ran smoothly.

“Legally Blonde” required hundreds of props and costume pieces to be used throughout the show, as well as nearly 30 scene shifts to be done by moving set pieces on and off the stage. In addition, the stage crew worked with minimal wing space, as well as nearly 50 people backstage between crew and cast members, to ensure all scene transitions were efficiently quick and smooth.

“The show required our actors to change into costumes rapidly and our crew members supported and organized it well,” Baurle said. “They did a fantastic job problem-solving and improving our show rehearsal after rehearsal.”

The Metro Awards shine a spotlight on exceptional musical theater productions, talented actors and actresses and devoted creative teams who take to the stage every spring in high schools in Bergen, Putnam, Rockland and Westchester counties, according to the awards website. Port Chester is one of 63 participating schools whose performances were evaluated by judges who attended performances and nominated schools in 36 different categories.

Baurle said she was grateful to her dedicated group of students and stage crew, as well as her assistant director Toni Ash and stage managers Kayla Castillo, Amelia Jimenez and Sophia Tellez who led the crew for performances.

“Crew, although extremely important to the success of a production, are often overlooked because they are behind the scenes and not in the spotlight,” Baurle said. “It is great that our crew gets a chance to shine with this Metro nomination and to celebrate their hard work.”

The Metro awards ceremony will be held on June 10 at Purchase College.

Date Added: 5/16/2024

All Port Chester-Rye Union Free School District fourth graders had a meaningful experience learning new ways to observe the world around them during a recent field trip to the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts in Katonah, New York. Thanks to a generous grant from the Friends of Caramoor Center for Music, the students were treated to an enriching arts program, which focused on seeing, hearing, and feeling and allied with New York State Arts Standards.  

Led by Caramoor teaching artists and music teachers, the students explored a variety of locations at Caramoor Center, including an open field, a pergola, a forest and outdoor music installations. At each area, the students learned to focus on what they saw, heard, and felt. In addition, they learned how to construct movement sentences that were invented by the dance pedagogue extraordinaire Rudolf von Laban. The fourth graders enjoyed learning to communicate their observations nonverbally by positioning their bodies in shapes based on their observations and creating movement sentences to communicate what they saw, heard, and felt. 

“It was a joy to see my students observe the world in new and unique ways,” Thomas Edison Elementary School music teacher Abigail Young said. “They were quick to point out the sound of birds chirping and masterfully matched their bodies to the sounds. Their eyes filled with glee as they found a chipmunk in the forest.”

As the students departed the estate, they received a small journal to continue recording what they see, hear and feel.

The Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts is an estate founded by Lucie and Walter Rosen, who began hosting concerts on the estate after their son was killed in World War II. The concerts have grown to encompass music of all varieties, including classical, jazz, pop and folk. Musical installations on site include “in C,” a large structure with 24 tuned tubular bells; “Nafasi Yako Ni Ya Kijani (Your Place is Green),” a rocking chair where listeners can enjoy sounds from Caramoor and Tanzania; and “Stone Song,” a stone sculpture that emits a drone sound affected by the humidity, temperature and the weight of listeners who sit on it.

Click here to view the photo slideshow.

Date Added: 5/16/2024

Port Chester High School students showed off their skills during the annual unified basketball game, held in the gymnasium on May 2. The team of 16 athletes were cheered on by classmates, administrators, parents and Board members as they scored points on the basketball court.

“The Port Chester Ramily has been very supportive of the unified basketball league,” said Port Chester High School Assistant Principal Juan Sanchez, who is one of the team’s assistant coaches. “Attendance at our home games has been phenomenal and the crowd keeps our team playing at a high energy level.”

Date Added: 5/13/2024

This is the first year that Port Chester High School has participated in a unified basketball league, which is led by coach David Sheridan and assistant coaches Dejeana Peoples, Juan Sanchez and Derek Vincent. Unified athletics is a Special Olympics initiative dedicated to promoting social inclusion by joining people with and without intellectual disabilities as teammates.

“The Port Chester Rams unified basketball team reminds us that sports can bring us together and unite us all,” Sanchez said. “It breaks down barriers, challenges stereotypes and cultivates a sense of belonging for everyone involved. It also promotes cooperation, teamwork and mutual respect, enriching the experiences and perspectives of all participants.”

The team will play at home on May 21 and May 30 against Irvington High School and Rye High School, respectively, and away on May 15 and May 20 against Mamaroneck High School and Rye High School, respectively.