Four Briarcliff High School student athletes signed letters of intent Tuesday to play sports at Division I colleges and universities next year.

The students will participate in fencing, diving, lacrosse and diving teams at Duke University, University of Wisconsin, Colgate University and SUNY Buffalo. To celebrate this distinction, the four seniors gathered wit their families and coaches for a National Letter of Intent Ceremony.

Briarcliff High School English teacher Samantha Fishman has started the year off with a challenge: the seniors in her Honors English class are reading Hamlet – arguably one of Shakespeare’s longest and most difficult plays. It might seem counterintuitive to teach something so complex so early in the year but in fact, it makes perfect sense; as the students have been facing their college application deadline, Ms. Fishman is allowing them to work on their college applications in the afternoons or at night and do the reading in the classroom.

Now, more than ever, it’s important to keep focused on maintaining a healthy lifestyle and emotional well-being and avoiding substance abuse. Fatihah Islam, a sophomore at Briarcliff High School, has spent her summer, along with students from 29 local high schools, brainstorming ideas for combating substance abuse. This week she, along with 75 other students, was recognized at the Leaders in the Limelight Event, which was held at the Tarrytown Westchester Marriott Hotel.

On Tuesday, ninth and tenth graders in Michele Bendlin’s Regents Geometry class were doing a review in preparation for the next day’s test. They did not know, however, that the review was created by a fellow teacher in another part of the country.

It started as an experiment: a collaborative effort among parents, Briarcliff School District Superintendent Dr. James Kaishian, Athletics Director Chris Drosopolous and the Board of Education. It resulted in an additional sport in the district: squash. Now, after over three years, three Briarcliff squash athletes have received the U.S. Scholar Athlete Award.

Briarcliff High School Senior Jack Sendek is one busy kid; between his academics (he is a National Merit Scholarship semi-finalist), being co-president of the high school and all of his other numerous extra-curricular activities, Jack has also placed 19th out of over 400 boys at least year’s Section 1 Championship. Hard to believe that only a few years ago Jack thought about quitting cross country.