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

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.

Members of the Port Chester High School Debate team earned third place in the African American Men of Westchester 2024 Business Skills Olympics on April 25. During the competition, they presented their research on how generative artificial intelligence can augment human creativity.

The students – seniors Damian Dominguez, Jaina Gonzalez, Yazirah Handal, Ava Osorio and Damaris Ramirez – will be honored during a dinner hosted by AAMW and Morgan Stanley later in the school year, where they will each receive a bronze medal and a $100 gift card. Justin Thomas, an English teacher and the team’s adviser, said he was immensely proud of the students, their hard work and their voices.

“What struck me the most was how well they worked together, how knowledgeable they were and how prepared they were,” Thomas said. “We were the only school there that had a full posterboard of research information, which speaks to the dedication and drive of these students. They also spoke in such an informed way with the type of confidence you expect to see from seasoned veteran public speakers. Their preparation, drive, teamwork and confidence are what earned them this award, and rightfully so. They impressed everyone in that auditorium, and they truly made me and all of Port Chester so proud.”

The Business Skills Olympics is an annual high school competition in which high school student teams from throughout the county analyze graduate-level business school cases and present their solutions to selected problems.

Date Added: 4/30/2024

Port Chester High School’s fall production of “12 Angry Jurors” and three students have been honored in the inaugural Eastern Student Artist Guild (ESAG) Awards, which celebrates the craft of acting at the high school level.

Seniors Nicholas Bedoya and Sebastian Gimenez received honorable mentions for Best Actors in a Drama category and junior Toni Ash earned Best Student Director. In addition, under the direction of theater director Christina Baurle, Port Chester High School earned awards for Best Drama and Best Ensemble in a Drama.

“It is nice to have an award ceremony focused on plays instead of only musicals because so many of our students are talented actors and deserve a chance to be celebrated,” Baurle said. “This year’s fall production came with its own set of challenges for the actors, including having an audience on multiple sides of the stage only a foot away from them. Our students had to focus on projecting their voices and creating authentic characters with their speech and movements.”

Baurle described Ash as instrumental in the success of the production, having served as the student director in all six shows that Baurle has directed at Port Chester High School. For the “12 Angry Jurors” play, Ash spent countless hours on character work with her peers to ensure they had a dramatic, realistic performance.

“Toni is such a strong leader and role model for our cast and crew,” Baurle said. “She excelled at working with our actors on their character motivations and monologues and always provided her feedback and thoughts on the blocking and design of the show.”

In the show, Bedoya had a challenging role of being the angriest of the jurors.

“He brought a ferocity and strength to his role as Juror #3, knowing when to powerfully present his monologues and when to begin to waver and give in,” Baurle said. “He took direction well and strove to bring his best performance.”

Gimenez had some of the longest monologues and lines of dialogue in the show as Juror #8.

“He brought a sincerity and passion to his performance and worked diligently to improve his performance throughout the rehearsal process,” Baurle said.

The actors and production will be recognized for their achievements during a ceremony on May 4 at Manhattanville College. They will receive awards that include scholarships, master classes, waved tuition fees, trophies and certificates.

Date Added: 4/24/2024

Members of Port Chester Middle School and Port Chester High School’s orchestras enjoyed an enriching learning experience during a workshop with string expert Dr. Denise Lutter on April 4.

The middle school musicians gained valuable insight into string pedagogy, performance posture, concert repertoire and instrumental techniques; and the high school students worked on dynamics, shaping the musical lines and creating a better tone from their instruments.

“During the third year of this amazing orchestra program, these students have shown incredible growth and commitment,” middle school orchestra teacher Mary Wojcik said. “The workshop was a joyful learning experience for our Port Chester Middle School orchestra students and teachers.”

As a retired orchestra director, Dr. Lutter brings a wealth of experience and a deep interest in culturally responsive teaching methods to her workshop. She serves as the leadership coach for the Greater Capital Region Teacher Center where she designs and leads professional development courses for arts educators. She has also contributed to shaping music education in New York State, having served on several committees and participated in developing the current New York State Music Standards.

“Dr. Lutter listened to our students perform their concert music and provided them with feedback on how to elevate their performance,” high school orchestra teacher Melissa Neyer said.

Throughout the school year, the students diligently prepared for their winter and All-District orchestra concerts. In addition, several students were selected to participate in the New York State School Music Association solo strings concert on April 12. The high school and middle school orchestra students, who have also been preparing for their spring concerts, will demonstrate their talents on April 18 and May 22, respectively.

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Date Added: 4/11/2024