The splendor and elegance of the Sleepy Hollow Country Club overlooking the Hudson River was a fitting place for the Briarcliff High School 2024 Art Salon, which took place this week. Several dozen students presented art in its many forms in a dazzling visual display.

Pop artist Wayne Thiebaud’s art has a child-like quality in its brightly colored paintings of desserts and their thick outlines, which makes them perfect for elementary-school-aged children.

That is one of the reasons art teacher Paul Villanueva selected his art for his second graders’ lesson at Todd Elementary School recently.

Every STEAM class at Todd Elementary School begins with a read-aloud on the rug.

STEAM teacher Mindy Conciatori, who is filling in for Amira Lahlouh this year while she is on maternity leave, considers herself a literature-based teacher and keeps a stack of books in the classroom for each lesson.

Recently, first graders in Alyson Tully and Kim Andrews’ class had a lesson based on the story “The Three Little Pigs.”

There is a short poem that is posted on the walls of Todd Elementary School.

The poem, which lists the traits required to be a Briarcliff Bear, is as follows:

“We BELIEVE in ourselves, give EFFORT every day, have POSITIVE ATTITUDES, RESPECT all and STAND UP for what is right.”

“Respect” is the trait on focus during the month of March, so to help students explore it further, the Todd ENCORE team invited members of the United Martial Arts Center (UMAC) of Briarcliff to hold a presentation during the monthly ENCORE grade-wide assembly.

The Briarcliff High School Science Research students are reaping the results of their hard work and efforts. 

At two recent competitions, students garnered multiple awards for their science research projects. 

Middle school is all about balance. Having a healthy balance, especially when it comes to media usage – is one way to ensure you are making the most of your time as a teen.

Sixth graders in Guidance Counselor Sara Piersons’ Advisory class explored the subject of creating balance with their media usage and other activities, such as spending time with family and friends, and making time for schoolwork and hobbies.

At a recent media literacy lesson, students began by taking inventory of objects, listing items they currently have in their backpacks, such as binders, books, pencils and sunscreen.