Awards & Achievements 2023-24 - Harrison Central School District (2024)

2023-24 School Year in Review: Awards & Achievements

• Harrison High School is consistently ranked among America’s Most Challenging High Schools by The Washington Post, recognized by Newsweek as one of America’s Top High Schools and ranked in the top 2% of schools in the nation by U.S. News and World Report.
• 97% of HHS students in the class of 2023 enrolled in one or more AP or IB courses; 94% enrolled in two or more AP or IB courses; and 82% enrolled in six or more AP or IB courses.
• Harrison High School registered 244 IB candidates in 2023. Only 109 schools (3.61%) out of the 3,020 IB DP schools worldwide have more than 200 candidates per year.
• Harrison High School earned recognition as a School of Distinction by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association, with 90% of varsity teams earning scholar-athlete status.
• For the second consecutive year, Harrison Central School District received the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education, recognizing our outstanding achievement in providing music access and education to all students.
• Since 2008, the District has maintained a Standard and Poor’s Global Rating of AAA,affirming our sound financial and organizational management.
• The District received the prestigious Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting, the highest form of recognition in government accounting and financial reporting by both the Government Finance Officers Association and the New York State Association of School Business Officials for more than 12 years.
• More than 1400 students participated in the District’s Summer Programs, offering instructional and enrichment courses at no cost to students. Registration for Summer 2024 begins in May.
• The District conducted 42 professional development courses with more than 600 enrollments from HCSD faculty.

Celebrating Student Success

Academic Honors

• Five Harrison High School Seniors were recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Program. Semi-Finalists: Emma Jonisch, Alissa Remeza; Commended Students: Benjamin Gold, Samuel Potkin, Korbii Reiff, Jacob Robinson, Alec Udell, Alexandra Wong.

Science Research Awards

• Lucia Lammers and Ryo Ide qualified as finalists in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair and Isabel Cross qualified to compete at the Genius Olympiad.
• Lucia Lammers and Stella Perini were named Regeneron Scholars, placing at the top of the Regeneron Science Talent Search this year, selected among 2,162 students from 720 high schools across the country.
• Harrison High School junior, Yaseen Osman was accepted to the prestigious Regeneron Summer Internship Program and will work with a Regeneron scientist this summer.
• Alec Udell placed in the top 2 of the New York State Junior Science Humanities Symposium and qualified for the National Competition, the first time for a Harrison student.
• Seven students who competed at the Westchester Science and Engineering Fair qualified for the Upstate Symposium: Lucia Lammers, Stella Perini, Alec Udell, Galle Blaustein, Emma Jonisch, Filippa Rasmussen, Stella O’Connell.
• LMK students Sparsh Gupta, Hafsat Idris, Edward Caruso, and Thomas Yan won awards at the New York State Science Olympiad competition.

Academic Team Competitions and Achievements

• HHS Debate Team has 11 tournament wins. Four debaters, Jack Borman, Jack Gessner, Reese Potash, Brooke Schiano-Gonzalez qualified to compete at the Tournament of Champions with a total of 23 bids; Reese Potash, Jack Gessner, Jack Borman placed in the top 25. Three debaters, Jack Borman, Reese Potash, Jack Gessnerqualified for the national tournament. Jack Gessner is ranked #4 and Jack Borman #5 nationally, and Harrison debaters hold five of the top six spots in New York - #1 Jack Gessner, #2 Jack Borman, #3 Reese Potash, #5 Brooke Schiano-Gonzalez, #6 Andrew Gaffin.
• Sixteen HHS DECA Business Club students placed in the top 10 at the state competition and five advanced to Nationals: Olivia Naporano, Nolan Simmons, Addison Valente, Eva Popescu, Jonathan Lewis.
• Sophom*ore Mariann Ramos Abreu was selected to represent HHS at the Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership conference.
• Harrison Model Congress competed in the Princeton and Yale Model Congress conferences. Evie Rabin and Alec Udell won Best Delegate at the Princeton conference, and Noa Gropper won Best Legislation at the Yale conference.

Fine and Performing Arts

• Ulysses Bravo was honored by the NYS Theater Education Association in the 2023 Student Playwriting Competition, and his original work was selected to be performed.
• The Eastern Student Artist Guild Awards recognized outstanding student performances in non-musical theater productions, including Harrison’s fall production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Best Actors in a Comedy: Aaralyn Gravagna, Ulysses Bravo; Best Supporting Actors in a Comedy: Gisel Lopez, Lana Waights; Best Classical Production: Midsummer Night's Dream.
• Senior Galle Blaustein received an award from the NYS PTA Reflections Arts Competition for her original dance choreography, entitled "Climate Change."
• 20 Harrison High School musicians were selected for Area All-State Ensembles. Students are chosen based on their performance in the previous spring's NYSSMA Solo Festivals and represent the best high school musicians in Westchester County.
• Two HHS students were selected from thousands of applicants for the 2023 NYSSMA All-State Performing Ensembles: Ai Yamamoto performed violin in the Symphony Orchestra, and Justin Suozzo sang with the Mixed Chorus. Noah Birnbaum was named alternate on Snare Drum for the All-State Concert Band.
• 23 Harrison High School students were selected for the 2023 NYSSMA Area All-State Festival, identifying them among the best 10th-12th grade musicians in Westchester County.
• Under the direction of Ms. Loeschter, the Harrison High School Marching Band will represent New York State at the Memorial Day Parade in Washington, DC.
• Original works by Digital Art and Design students Justin Suozzo and Michael Brandt were featured in the School of Visual Art's Photography and Video exhibitWe the Present: Today Begins the Future.
• HHS students were recognized for excellence in art and received the prestigious Scholastic Art Awards. Gold Key: Faria Ahmed; Silver Key: Faria Ahmed, Mia Camaj, Annalena
• King, Maia Lopez-Fucuy; Honorable Mention: Michelle Aldana, Michelle Aldana, Jobanjot Boparai, Ezra Burghouts, Matthew Carrea, Frances Duden, Frances Duden, Frances Duden, Mikaela Pagan.
• HHS art students’ work was featured in this year's New York State School Boards Association Art Exhibit: Michael Brandt, Alexander Zihenni, Bora Kose, Matt Carrea, Olivia Leonard, Sophia Alfano, Isabella Brandano, and Rosella Paniccia.
• The Young Artists Exhibition at the Katonah Museum of Art featured exhibits by HHS StudentsZahra Touijer, Eva Lachavanne, Lailah DeLaRosa, Stella O’Connell, Anna Falliace, Giulia Mannino, Hailey Helmer, Lana Waights, Annalena King, Ashley Misaray.

Notable Accomplishments

• Senior Alissa Remeza was named a semifinalist for the 2024 U.S. Presidential Scholars, awarded by the U.S Department of Education, among 625 students selected from a pool of over 6,000 candidates.
• Since the Harrison High School Writing Center opened last spring, more than 30 student Writing Fellows have led 345 tutoring sessions.
• The Harrison High School literary magazine, Imagine, received an Excellent rank from the National Council of Teachers of English.
• HHS students Jacob Terrana, Moustafa Elgallad, and Samuel Saes, were honored at the Harrison town board meeting in honor of National Volunteer Month for their volunteer work at the Harrison Food Pantry.

Faculty Accomplishments

• Director of Science and Technology, Dr. Joan O'Keeffe was honored at the Science Teachers Association of New York State (STANYS) Annual Conference, receiving the 2023 STANYS Champion of Teacher Development Award.
• Parsons ENL Teacher Jennifer Beck was chosen as the 2023 NYS TESOL Elementary School ESOL Teacher of the Year for her impact on children, families, and colleagues.
• HHS DECA Business Club advisor Joe Santo was awarded the New York DECA Honorary Life Award.

Harrison Athletics: Let’s Go Huskies!

• Seventeen Harrison student athletes from the Class of 2024 will compete at NCAA universities: Mia Boda – Illinois Institute of Technology; Olivia Fernandez – Bryant University; Keni Frank – Brandeis University; Sofia Miller – Binghamton University; Teddy Mangan – Georgetown University; Tommy Mangan – Boston College; Bianca Minichiello – Hofstra University; TJ Pasqualini - SUNY Purchase; Grace Peaco*ck – University of Southern California; Gianluca Santarelli – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Lily Seibell – Rivier University; Danielka Solis – Hofstra University; Braden Sottile – Arcadia University; Gabriella Triano – Carnegie Mellon University; Sean Valle - SUNY Cortlandt; Jayson Viola – SUNY Potsdam; Alexandra Wong - University of Pennsylvania.
• The Varsity Cheerleading team was the NHSCC Small D2 Game Day National Champion and won the Section 1 Class B GameDay Championship.
• Seven Harrison Varsity Teams are League Champions: Girls Tennis, Volleyball, Football, Girls Soccer, Ice Hockey, Boys Swimming, and Boys Bowling.
• HHS Varsity Basketball players, senior Stella Perini and junior Mia Strazza, eclipsed 1,000 career points during the 2023-24 season.
• Girls Soccer Coach Jon Erik Zappala was named League Coach of the Year.
• The Athletics Department and Coaching Staff developed a new intramural program for all 6th-grade students designed to develop fundamental skills, teamwork, and gameplay.