As special treat for students, brothers Jared and Aaron Weiss performed a guitar jam session on the last day of school. It was a great mini-concert and was enjoyed by all.

Jared, an RJK Middle School student and Aaron an incoming 5th grader, not only enjoy the academic rigors of school, but practice on "fine-tuning" their music abilities as well.

Next year we look forward to another great show as well as having other students perform.

AP Chemistry students share their love of science with Duggan 5th graders

On June 12, "it was an incredible feeling," for Nielsen as she watched her students transform into mentors making the fifth-graders cheer with wonderment. But not only was the younger group awash with fascination, they also learned that experiments don’t always go as planned, and when some of the experiments didn't work, it opened the door for the unexpected.

The afternoon ended with some outdoor demonstrations that shot into the air and produced loud bangs and left the Duggan 5th graders with an awe and excitement about chemistry and science.

Next year Nielsen would like to expand the presentation to include all of the district elementary schools.

There is a single light of science, and to brighten it anywhere is to brighten it everywhere.
 - Issac Asamov -

Duggan students use song and dance as part of learning
On May 30, students in Cathy McFadden’s kindergarten class presented a performance of song and sign to parents, friends and students from April Bidwell’s kindergarten class.  

The names of the songs were Every Letter Makes a Sound, Love Grows, and I Like Ants.  The students ended the performance with a line dance hip-hop cha-cha, which delighted the audience.

Club Rec giving students a diverse after-school experience
Club Rec has been in existence at the Duggan Elementary School since September 2004. This after-school program, provided by Footings Inc., is available to K-5 students. Every afternoon, students are escorted from their classrooms into the gym for a brief “free play” session, and then to the cafeteria for a healthy snack. Homework assistance is provided daily by a certified teacher. Students participate in a variety of activities including computer skills, outdoor education, community connections, cultural experiences, arts and craft creations, sports and games and holiday experiences. Students learn about different cultures and celebrate a variety of holidays including the Chinese New Year and Cinco de Mayo, as well as sampling different ethnic food. 

This year, Club Rec held a special activity called Birthday Cards for Shane, which had students create cards for an eight year-old boy with cancer to help fulfill his wish of breaking the record for the most birthday cards ever received. Also as part of the diverse learning program, students were visited by the Kauneonga Lake Fire Department to discuss fire safety and fire department careers.   

During the month of June, students will be writing letters to the troops in Iraq, participating in a variety of outdoor activities and planning an end-of-the-year barbecue for the children, staff, and their families.   

Club Rec’s summer program will be held at the Rutherford Elementary School from July 16 - August 10. Club Rec's site coordinator is Joanne Butenhoff, its certified teacher is Bridgid  Fredericks, and its assistant is Angelica Snyder.

On May 4, Duggan Elementary School’s fifth-grade students graduated from DARE and each was awarded a certificate and a t-shirt.
DARE essay contest winners: Ashley McEneaney, Taylor Bell, Anthony Lombardi, Jason Fallick, Jennifer browne, James Terpstra, Jonathan Harned, and Jordan Maraj read parts of their essays to the audience - recounting what they had learned from the program.

In the program, students learned how to resist drugs, tobacco and alcohol, how to stand-up against negative peer pressure, and how to resist and avoid violent situations. Deputies Sheerer and Sergeant Louis Alverez, Sheriff Mike Schiff, Chief Artie Hawker and Duggan Elementary School Principal Patti Sonnenschein were there to show their support as students and parents participated in the graduation.

The Duggan PTO capped off the graduation with a buffet of bagels, fresh fruit and juice to add to the celebration of the students' successful completion of their DARE experience. The DARE program is sponsored by the Sullivan County Sheriff's Department.

This DARE Poster was created by Duggan School, fifth-grade student James Terpstra from Nancy Parson's class.

Duggan Elementary School kindergarteners Emma Silverstein and David Schneider, from April Bidwell’s class, read the Joy Cowley play, The Giggle Box.

The students were so inspired, they created their very own “giggle box” using cartons and art material along with their fantastic imaginations!

The two students practiced the play and then performed it for Cathy McFadden’s kindergarten class.

Jumpers reach goal and have fun

Steffie Burger (pictured), a third grade student in John Slaver’s class, helped Coach Grant by raising $605. Students jumped rope to save lives and were awarded prizes for the longest jumper and best trick - making the event a great success for another consecutive year!

Duggan Elementary School's PTO-sponsored Scholastic Book Fair BOGO (buy one get one free) was a big hit with students, parents and teachers alike. The BOGO concept was used as a way to get books into every classroom and thus into the hands of all students. PTO treasurer Cathleen Doherty and volunteer PTO member Tracy O’Neill collected money for books.

Fifth-grader Cristian Garzon (pictured), a student in Elizabeth Nicoletti and Sue Mahan’s class, was very excited about his new purchase. The fair was held for one week with a successful goal of having every student go home with a book.

Duggan parents JoAnn Peabody, Donna Miller, Andrea Oldfield, Jacques Alarie, Beth Weiss and Barbara Rooney served as volunteers. Cathleen Doherty and Cathy McFadden co-chaired the event. “We couldn’t have had such a successful book fair without the help of PTO president Elaine Loewe,” said McFadden.

Each year the PTO sponsors two book fairs, the fall book fair is a fundraiser for the PTO and the spring fair promotes summer reading.

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Maryrose Morey’s first-graders at Cornelius Duggan School celebrated their creative writing with an Authors’ Tea.

Family members attended and listened with delight as Michael Carpinone and other first graders read their first computer-published books. Carolyn Price, a student teacher from Oneonta, helped students with their computer and writing skills.

In mid-March, students at Duggan Elementary School were treated to a dance lesson by professional dancer Debbie Birch. By the end of the lesson, all students in grades K-5 were performing the Irish Reel Celtic Dance in honor of Saint Patrick’s Day.

Ms. Birch studied dance with Colin Dunne, the lead dancer from the infamous Riverdance. She began touring professionally at the age of 17 when she starred in the musical West Side Story. Her other credits include Annie, South Pacific, A Chorus Line and Anything Goes.

The students were thrilled to have such a talented performer come to school to teach them the dance!

With the help of faculty members, Nancy Parsons, Elizabeth Nicoletti and Susan Mahan, each table was adorned beautifully with a cornucopia and fabric pumpkins.  One group of students learned how to properly set a table with tablecloths, while others designed and colored Thanksgiving murals.

Students checked the coats of the more than 170 attendees that included school administrators, Board of Education members, teachers, parents and other family members.

A delicious dessert of fruit and pumpkin pies were donated by some of the students' families.  A special thanks to school Principal Mrs. Sonnenschein for all her hard work to make this a successful event.

Duggan School students and staff celebrated Halloween in a big way

Students had a fun time and truly enjoyed the day!

The Monticello Police Department, with support from local businesses, presented a safety assembly called "Officer Phil". The new concept, that illustrates the necessity of obeying rules set by parents and society, provides students with positive solutions to problems encountered within today's society. The program included magic tricks, humor, and an animated program with a mouse puppet named Mack. 

Mack discussed 'stranger danger', bus safety, how to cross streets safely, and how to answer a phone when an adult is not present. A game show activity allowed two students to face off each other in answering questions about being a bully or a buddy.

District officials are extremely thankful for the businesses that supported this program, as well as the Monticello Police Department's dedication to protect and communicate the importance of being responsible citizens and members of the community.