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Mahopac Schools Refuse Removal Of Trustee Who Works for ICE
The Mahopac School Board rose to its feet in announcing that it unanimously supported a member who works for ICE, and who some community members said should be removed. By Holly Crocco The Mahopac School Board was unanimous in stating last week that it would not be seeking to remove a board member due to his day job. “The board of education stands united behind Trustee Chris Harrigan and will not be entertaining his removal,” said President Michael Mongon at the board’s Jan.
4 days ago2 min read
Garrison School Adopts New District-Wide Safety Plan
By Rob Sample The Garrison Union Free School Board voted unanimously Jan. 7 to approve an amended district-wide safety plan. The amended plan adds a special patrol officer for the district, through a contract with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, as well as a cardiac-response plan crafted in response to new state legislation. The newly adopted safety plan can be viewed at www.gufs.org . A special patrol officer is a retired police officer who is responsible for school secu
Jan 193 min read


Carmel Fourth-Graders Revisit the Middle Ages
Matthew Paterson students show off their projects. Provided photos. Learning about the Middle Ages is part of the fourth grade curriculum at Carmel Central School District. To bring that curriculum to life, students at Matthew Paterson Elementary School recently showed one another what they learned about the medieval period. The students had to pick a topic – castles and knights, lord of the manor or serf, medieval village, etc. – and decide how to present it to the class. Th
Jan 51 min read


Mahopac Becomes First District in NY to Require Personal Financial Literacy
From left are Mahopac High School Principal Patrick Keevins, Mahopac School Board Trustee Tanner McCracken, Acting Superintendent Frank Miele, and Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction Matthew Lawrence. A proposal by Mahopac School Board Trustee Tanner McCracken to make personal financial literacy a graduation requirement for all students was approved unanimously at the board’s Nov. 18 meeting – making Mahopac the first school district in New York State to hav
Nov 25, 20252 min read
School Board Member Keeps Seat Despite ‘Anti-Islamic’ Post
By Holly Crocco Not for the first time in recent years, residents of the Carmel Central School District were drawn to a school board meeting to address inflammatory comments made by a board member that seemingly attacked minority members of the community. Following the Nov. 4 election of Zohran Mamdani as the first Muslim mayor of New York City, Trustee Michael Torpey posted a video on Facebook in which he stated: “So New York City, congratulations and thank you for doing you
Nov 25, 20255 min read


Schools Debate Boundary Line Bisecting New Housing Dev
The pink line represents the boundary line between the Brewster and Carmel schools, which bisects individual housing units being developed as part of the Gateway Summit (blue) and Fairways (orange) in Carmel. By Holly Crocco A housing development under construction in the Town of Carmel that straddles the boundary line between the Brewster and Carmel school districts – not only dissecting streets, but in some cases, homes – has the districts negotiating over the potential stu
Nov 3, 20253 min read


Brewster School Featured on ‘Good Morning America’
C.V. Star students in Danielle Michielini’s art class created an exhibit to recognize International Dot Day, which was featured on “Good...
Sep 15, 20252 min read


Welcome Back, Students!
Students across New York State went back to school last week, with a promising 2025-26 school year ahead of them. At Mahopac Central...
Sep 9, 20251 min read
Brewster Schools Remain Diligent About Residency
By Holly Crocco The Brewster Central School District is continuing its efforts to make sure every student enrolled is one that lives...
Aug 17, 20253 min read
Mahopac Schools Super. Retires
By Holly Crocco Mahopac Central School District residents expressed disappointment in the school board and administration’s apparent...
Aug 11, 20253 min read


Brewster Celebrates Pre-K Graduates
High school seniors weren’t the only ones to wear a graduation cap last month. Here, universal pre-kindergarten students in Brewster...
Jul 9, 20251 min read


Congrats, Class of 2025!
More than 1,000 Putnam County seniors turned their tassels last month to mark the completion of their high school careers. Here, Carmel...
Jun 30, 20251 min read
Mahopac Schools Budget Approved During Revote
By Holly Crocco During a June 17 revote, residents of the Mahopac Central School District approved the 2025-26 budget by a tally of 1,498...
Jun 30, 20252 min read
County OKs Early Learning Center
By Holly Crocco The Putnam County Legislature has unanimously approved an initiative to develop an early learning center and enter into a...
Jun 16, 20254 min read


Kent Elementary’s ‘Gentle Giant’ Remembered
The rededication of the Clifton Watson Memorial Grove at Kent Elementary School on May 29 was a celebration of an educator who led the...
Jun 9, 20251 min read
Mahopac Schools Budget Revote is June 17
The Mahopac Central School District will hold a budget revote June 17 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., in the high school gymnasium. The district...
Jun 9, 20252 min read
Mahopac School Budget Fails; All Others Pass in Putnam
By Holly Crocco The Mahopac Central School District was the only one in Putnam County to have its proposed 2025-26 budget voted down by...
May 27, 20253 min read
Carmel Schools Superintendent Resigns
After serving less than one year with the Carmel Central School District, Dr. Erin Meehan-Fairben announced last week that she will be...
Apr 27, 20251 min read
Carmel Schools Seek 0.74% Tax Increase
By Rob Sample The Carmel School Board unanimously approved a $147 million budget for the 2025-26 school year – a 3.9 percent or $141...
Apr 22, 20253 min read
Brewster Schools Propose 1.28% Tax Levy Increase
By Holly Crocco The Brewster Central School District is proposing a 2025-26 budget of $123.8 million, which represents a $4.3 million or...
Apr 18, 20252 min read
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