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Roy C. Ketcham High School

99 Myers Corners Road / Wappingers Falls, NY 12590 / PH: 845.298.5100

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  3. Student Spotlight 2023-2024

Student Spotlight 2023-2024

A blue and red banner with the words 'STUDENT SPOTLIGHT' and the Roy C. Ketcham High School logo.

RCK STUDENT SPOTLIGHT FEATURES GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS BY OUR KETCHAM STUDENTS!

Connor Hitt, a track and field athlete, celebrates his achievements at the NYS Track & Field Championships 2024. He earned 3rd place in the 800 meter race, setting a school record, and 2nd place in the 1600 meter race.

Connor Hitt had two historic performances at the New York State Track and Field Championships in Syracuse over the weekend. On Friday, Connor finished 3rd overall in the 800-meter run with a new school record. Then Connor came back on Saturday for the 1600m run where he finished 2nd overall in New York State. In both races, Connor had the fastest final lap of any competitor! Congratulations on achieving the best overall showing by an RCK athlete at the State Meet! Best of luck as you continue your running career at Geneseo!

A young man in a red tank top and blue shorts smiles for the camera at an outdoor athletic event.

A group of young men race on a red track during a track and field event.

Owen Paino, a baseball player from Roy C. Ketcham High School, is named Gatorade Player of the Year.

CONGRATULATIONS OWEN PAINO
NYS GATORADE PLAYER OF THE YEAR!
The Gatorade State Player of the Year award was established in 1985 to recognize the nation’s most outstanding high school student-athletes for their athletic excellence, academic achievement and exemplary character.

A group of people, including young musicians, stand together in a room, holding a xylophone and mallets.

Ketcham students worked with elementary students to create musical instruments for use by patients at Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital. The elementary students also created multimedia experiences for the patients - a digital storytelling project that taught students about empathy as well as technology.

A group of young men in red shirts celebrate a victory on a tennis court.

CONGRATULATIONS KETCHAM BOYS TENNIS!
The RCK Boys Tennis Team became league champions for the first time since 2007!
Earning All-League honors this season are: Nathan Huen, Zachary Spadaro, Tommy Leung, Donald Cheng and Jake Waxman.

Arjun Murali earned All League and All Section honors. 

Three young athletes stand together, smiling proudly as they hold a plaque that reads 'Northern Counties Outdoor Track & Field Girls Team 3rd Place 2024'.

Congratulations to the boys and girls Track and Field teams for their success at the Northern County Championships on Saturday. 
 
The girls placed third overall, led by first place finishes in the 200 meter dash (Sabrina Schmitt) and discus throw (Angie Odeniyi). Angie also collected a second place finish in the shot put while Sabrina took third in the 100 meter dash. Other third place finishers include Isabel Saquicela in the high jump and Jianna Brown in the pole vault. Savana Stevenson finished a close second and fourth to Sabrina in the 200 and 100 meter dashes, respectively. Other athletes scoring for the girls include Genevieve Schaefer, Arianna Sloniker, Elizabeth Delrosso and Londin Watkins. 
 
For the boys, they were led by Shane Rostron in the field where he captured gold in the javelin throw and third in the discus throw. On the track, Connor Hitt led the 4x800 meter relay team (Matt Kowalczyk, Adam Gazal, Isaac Menjivar) to a second place finish. He backed that up with silver in the 400 meter dash as well. Isaac finished in a close third in the 1600 meter run with a personal best time shortly before running the relay. Austin Deler finished second in the long jump. Aaron George also scored for the team by finishing in 5th in the 110m high hurdles. And George Soyka scored in the steeplechase. 
 
There were lots of personal best performances across the board for both teams. Congratulations!!

Five athletes stand on a podium, holding medals and trophies at the Glenn D. Loucks Games.

Congratulations to Connor Hitt for an amazing race at the Loucks Games at White Plains High School. Connor finished third in an elite field of racers from across the northeast. His time of 1:54.31 is a new school record and number 2 in New York State. His time also qualified him for the State Meet in June.

Connor Hitt came back on day 2 of the Loucks Games to to finish in second place, one place higher on the podium than the night before, and a new school record (4:14.08). He also earned a trip to the State Meet with his effort by achieving the Super Standard. Great job Connor!

Congratulations to Shiven Dabhi on winning second place at the Dutchess County Regional Science Fair! Shiven received an invitation to present his research in aerospace engineering at the International Science and Engineering Fair in Los Angeles.

A group of young people pose for a photo on a staircase, wearing suits and conference badges.

CONGRATULATIONS FBLA!

Members of the RCK FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) competed in April at the NYS FBLA State Leadership Conference in Rochester. The team had great results with 8 members qualifying for Nationals in Orlando.
Computer Game and Simulation 1st place
Nathaniel Hom
Andrew Mendoza
Emily Zhang 
 
Mobile application development 2nd place 
Aiden Caba
Srabon Hoq
Derek Marr
 
Introduction to FBLA 4th place
Ainsley Bosman
 
Future business educator 4th place
Sophie Zhang
 
UX Design 4th place
Srabon Hoq
 
Organizational leadership 5th place
Sophie Zhang
 
Electronic career portfolio 5th Place
Sophie Zhang
 
 
Congratulations to all! 

A group of students stand proudly holding awards in front of a banner that reads 'FBLA'.

A list of winners from the Wappingers CSD STEAM/Science Fair 2024, featuring individual and group project categories.

Mid-Hudson Wrestling Tournament

Five wrestlers stand on a podium, holding medals and trophies after a competition.

Raheem Adebola wrestled tough. Winning 4 out of 5 matches at the Mid-Hudson Wrestling Tournament in December. First match of day 2 was against the number 1 ranked 285 pound wrestler in the section. Marlon Wheatley from Ossining.  Raheem and Marlon went into overtime where Raheem would win by 1 point and move on. 
Tough opponents throughout, Raheem found himself in position to wrestle for 3rd or 4th place.  This is where he met Marlon again to wrestle for 3rd place.  Raheem gave EVERYTHING he had and took Marlon down in OVERTIME to win by 2 points. 

Congratulations to RCK Varsity Girls Basketball who competed in the KSA  2023 Holiday Basketball Tournament in Orlando, Florida. They reached the finals but came up short against Dupont High School from Kentucky. The team had a great showing in the 3-day tourney!

A group of young people pose for a photo in front of a decorated tree, some wearing shirts that say 'Miami'.

Congratulations to Connor Hitt and Abby Kowalczyk for finishing 3rd in their mile races at the Marine Corps Holiday Classic at the Armory. Isaac Menjivar, Matt Kowalczyk, Michael Velders and Ryan Kowalczyk all had personal best times for the mile distance. Great job!

Congratulations to the members of RCK's Debate Society who competed at the DCC BOCES Debate Tournament.  The team of seniors Jonathan Lichwick, Joshua Cumberbatch and sophomore Arjun Murali went undefeated and finished 3rd overall.  Overall, the Society posted a 7-2 record for the tournament and Jonathan Lichwick, Arjun Murali and Joshua Cumberbatch were awarded 3rd, 6th and 10th speakers overall out of over 40 competitors.   
 
Congratulations to Eliseo Fernandez, Arianna Zerafa, Autumn Sneed, Reinaldo Castro and Joseph Quezada who also competed. 

Congratulations to Isaac Menjivar for finishing second in the 1600-meter run at the Freshman/Sophomore meet at Rockland Community College. Isaac also anchored the 4x800 meter relay to a second-place finish, including Matt Kowalczyk, Adam Gazal and George Soyka. Cameron Clyde placed third in the 55-meter high hurdles. Great job athletes!

Marcos Cordova was featured in the Superintendent Spotlight, performing at a recent Board of Education meeting. Marcos will represent Wappingers Central School District at the NYSSMA All-State Conference. More than 7,000 students auditioned for 600 spots at the conference and Marcos was chosen among the best performers in the state.

A young man stands proudly with his double bass, ready to perform.

A young man plays a double bass in a performance space.

Congratulations to both Abby Kowalczyk and Connor Hitt for their historical finishes at the New York State Championship Cross Country Meet at Vernon Verona-Sherrill High School. Abby finished 15th overall in the girls Class A race and Connor finished 10th. Abby’s place is the highest ever by a female athlete in the Wappingers Central School District. Connor is the third boy to finish in the top ten for RCK. Great job! Great season! 

Two athletes, a young woman and a young man, stand together, both wearing medals and smiling.

RCK's Annual Halloween Haunt Concert was on October 25th. A great time was had by all! A special thank you to our student musicians and our teachers - Mr. Holod, Mr. King, Mrs. Stephens, and Mr. Trainor. Here are some highlights from the concert:

  • A group of individuals dressed in black clothing poses together for a photo, smiling at the camera.
  • A group of young musicians playing violins together in an orchestra setting, focused on their performance.
  • A group of masked individuals performing on stage, showcasing a theatrical presentation.
  • A man wearing a mask speaks into a microphone while addressing a group of attentive listeners.
  • A young man dressed in a playful shark costume, smiling and posing for the camera.
  • . A group of musicians in striped outfits playing various instruments together in a lively outdoor setting.
  • A group of young girls playing violins together in a band, showcasing their musical talent and teamwork.
  • A group of young musicians performing on stage, each playing a cello in unison.
  • A diverse group of individuals in vibrant attire playing various musical instruments together in a lively setting.
  • A boy dressed in a shark costume joyfully plays the trumpet, showcasing his musical talent and playful spirit.
  • . A woman wearing a red and white mask, showcasing a vibrant design that contrasts with her skin tone.
  • Four young people wearing masks smile and pose together for a photo, showcasing a moment of friendship and fun.

RCK's CAPE Counselor, Michele Villanova, set up a table in the cafeteria for students and faculty to stop by and write anonymous messages of hope and support for those in recovery and will be sending them out to treatment facilities.

A group of people are gathered around a table, writing on cards.

A table is covered with encouraging messages written on cards, with phrases like 'You're doing great' and 'Never give up.'

Congratulations to Abby Kowalczyk and Connor Hitt for medaling at the Ocean State Invitational in Rhode Island on September 23rd. Both athletes set personal bests over 5000 meters. Way to go!!

A young man and woman stand together, both wearing medals, after a race.

ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 THE TECH WINNERS CIRCLE CLASS AND THE BUSINESS COLLEGE VIRTUAL ENTERPRISE CLASS HAD AN EXCITING TRIP TO THE WATKINS GLEN RACETRACK. THE GROUP GOT A BEHIND-THE-SCENES TOUR OF THE RACETRACK, MET WITH CAR AND MARKETING EXPERTS, GOT TO SEE THE INSIDE OF THE CARS BEING PREPPED FOR THE RACE AND A FRONT ROW SEAT FOR THE CAR PARADE.

A FUN LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR ALL!

 

RCK's Winner's Circle Class is building a 1965 Shelby Cobra.  

Tickets will be available soon to win the finished car!

A gray classic sports car parked on a checkered floor, surrounded by people.

A young racer sits in the cockpit of a red race car, smiling and looking confident.

A group of people listen attentively to a speaker at an outdoor event.

A black hot rod car is parked on a checkered surface, with a crowd of people gathered behind it.

New York Yankees Host Ketcham Baseball - State Champs

A baseball team poses for a photo on the field at Yankee Stadium, holding a sign that reads 'NYSPHSAA 2023 CHAMPION'.

Congratulations to our students being accepted into the All-State Orchestra and to our All-State Alternates!

Three friends pose for a photo, smiling and laughing together.

The logo for the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) features a treble clef and the organization's name.

Marcos Cordova - All State Orchestra

Patrick Yen - Alternate -  All State Orchestra

Anna DelRossa - Alternate - All State Band