RCS Students Create Quite the Buzz

November 17 – Rippowam Cisqua School held Admissions Open Houses on Thursday, October 25 for our Lower Campus and Saturday, November 17 for all grade levels.
We attracted tremendous interest from families from Westchester, Putnam, and Fairfield counties for all grades; two families from San Francisco also joined us. With so many families coming from near and far, we needed a showstopper and thought who better to showcase the true value of RCS than our students? They rose to the challenge.
 
The program opened with our leadership trifecta – Colm MacMahon, Matt Hall, and Erin Callaghan – who together shared how our innovation-driven program is uniquely suited to develop active problem solvers who are unafraid to assert their independence and lead in their own creative ways. Moreover, they spoke about the social-emotional challenges that face students in the middle school years and how the PreK-9 experience at RCS is designed to proactively support the emotional health and development of each student to ensure individual success. As you scanned the room, parents nodded in agreement, took notes, and whispered in warm acknowledgment. However, nods turned into broad smiles when the students took to the proverbial stage for the student/teacher Q&A panel.
 
The Thursday night panel consisted of Early Childhood Coordinator/JPK teacher Lisa Adorno, Grade 3 teacher Dane Sannicandro, Grade 5 students Henry Ginnel and Jessica Neary, and Grade 9 students Hale Brown and Gayle Miranda. Director of Admissions Liz Hallock led the panel with some frequently asked questions to warm them up. After covering curriculum with Mr. Sannicandro and Mrs. Adorno, she opened the floor to the audience. Prospective parents started off easy at first but as the kids demonstrated their vocal veracity, parents put them to the test. The students weren’t phased, often volunteering to answer questions and diving into the details to provide a clear picture of the RCS experience. And their exchanges were fun to watch. They supported and bounced off one another, and showcased RCS values-in-action. Parents loved them!  
 
Henry, Hale, and Gayle performed double duty as part of our Saturday panel but were joined by some new faces – Grade 6 student Jonah Kass, Grade 5 student Cora Kennedy, Upper Campus Curriculum Coordinator/Grade 8 and 9 teacher Jordan Schnell, and Lower Campus Curriculum Coordinator Emily Hyland. This powerhouse group was able to field questions that painted a vivid picture of how the School approaches all subjects from JPK to Grade 9 while providing each student’s point of view. Once again, the students did not disappoint, and once again the format of the panel demonstrated the strong student/teacher, student/administrator, and student/student ties across grades. The crowd was even bigger this time and the applause even louder.
 
Students also joined the campus tours and shared their memories of projects, teachers, and the social aspects of their RCS experience. After touring the Upper Campus, prospective families interested in the Lower Campus hopped on the RCS school bus with the students for a flashback in time. Parents relived what it was like to take the bus “to school and Upper Campus students got the chance to revisit the place where many of them started their incredible educational journey.

For prospective parents, the Admissions Open Houses provided a 360 view of the promise, the experience, and the outcome. However, we are most proud of our students. They were nothing less than impressive. Watching them in action, enthusiastically serving as our champions, provides strong validation that what we work so hard to achieve each day is being realized through our students. When asked what they liked most about school, each one of them in their own way said that RCS is like family. Our sentiments exactly.
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Rippowam Cisqua School
439 Cantitoe Street 
Bedford, NY 10506
phone: (914) 244-1250
Rippowam Cisqua School is a PreK-Grade 9 independent day school in Westchester County, New York. RCS offers challenging academics built on innovation, fine and performing arts, competitive athletics, wellness, leadership, service learning, and a wide selection of extracurricular activities.
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