The Wallkill Wire

Fernanda Manzanares, Staff Writer HOBY, or Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership, is a program that was developed for high school sophomores where they can learn and develop leadership skills to become leaders in their community. Only three sophomores are selected out of the entire Wallkill school district to attend HOBY's annual seminar. The students who have been selected to represent Wallkill Senior High School this spring are Andrew Pelella, Alexis Faia, and Natalia Garcia. The leadership seminars will take place between May and June. Wallkill Senior High School is one of the only schools that selects three students, thanks to the sponsorship of our local Womens' Club and several clubs here at the high school; most other school districts only get to select one representative. The process for being selected includes writing an essay and getting interviewed by previous WSHS HOBY representatives. All the sophomores who are selected...

Alison Gerow, Staff Writer Mr. Brian Vegliando was approved at the December school board meeting to return as the head coach of our Wallkill Varsity Football Team after a losing season this past fall (0-5 league record). He replaced Mr. Shane Regan, who led the team through two consecutive losing seasons. Vegliando decided to return after almost 4 seasons of not being head coach, mainly for family reasons; "I took 3-4 seasons off so I [could] spend more time with my family. They were ready for me to go back to coaching, and if they are ready, I am ready." He and his wife have two sons, ages 11 and 8. Vegliando said that he is "excited to take the reins of the program again." He plans to use his experience to fix existing weaknesses and "modify the program to focus on what needs to be improved". Vegliando was the assistant coach this past season, so he knows firsthand that this past season was a "tough season as in they...

Dymond Walter, Staff Writer "Mr. Taylor"-Mrs. Murphy As many of you may know, we have hired a new Science teacher here in the high school.  Mr. Jordan Taylor, who will also be our JV lacrosse coach, joined the Wallkill staff in September. Mr. Taylor, who teaches Earth Science, is a local of the Hudson Valley; he grew up in Kingston and  graduated from Kingston High School.  From there, he attended SUNY New Paltz for his undergraduate and graduate degrees. One reason why Science is a good fit for Mr. Taylor is that he loves the outdoors and traveling. His favorite place he has gone is the Grand Escalescalante National Monument, which is located in Utah and is absolutely stunning. (He recommends you look it up!). Also, four years ago, he drove cross county with his brother, which he hopes to do again. "Science is everywhere. Understanding scientific principles is important. I have always been interested in Science, always asked questi...

Cassie Rydell, Staff Writer This is the last week to see the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, which will be lit until January 7th at 9pm.  The tree has been illuminated since November 29th, featuring 50,000 multicolored LED lights. The tree-lighting ceremony lasted from 7-9pm, with performances by Brett Eldredge, Jennifer Nettles, Leslie Odom Jr., Pentatonix, Gwen Stefani, and the Tenors. The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is located in New York City, displayed at the plaza between West 48th and 51st and Fifth and Sixth Avenues. The tree this year is a 75-foot-tall Norway Spruce from State College, Pennsylvania. It is about 80 years old and weighs more than 12 tons and has a diameter of 50 feet. Visiting hours to see the tree are from 5:30am to 11:30pm. The tree is an iconic symbol of the Christmas holiday, attracting thousands of tourists every year. The very first Rockefeller tree was a 20-foot tree put up by a group of construction workers. In 1931, ...

Tabitha Posada, Staff Writer The Drama Club held auditions for The Wizard of Oz in December. Auditions were originally scheduled for Thursday, December 14th and Friday, December 15th from 6pm to 10pm in the HS Auditorium, but due to a snow cancellation, the 14th's auditions were moved to Wednesday, 12/20.  Over 40 students auditioned for the show, and it was an impressive group. The cast will feature Eli VanTassel as Dorothy, Brendan Butler as the Scarecrow, DJ Piperato as the Tin Man, and Liam Butler as the Cowardly Lion.  Sam Mueller will appear as Glinda, and Milana Pla will assume the role of the Wicked Witch of the West. The Wizard of Oz is based on the classic movie that came out in 1934. The  storyline  is familiar to most, and is loved by both the old and young. Any student who is interested in participating in stage crew, lighting, makeup and costuming, etc. should contact a drama officer or Mrs. ...