George Fischer Middle School

A student art project celebrating Putnam County's rich history is drawing attention both inside and outside George Fischer Middle School. 

Under the guidance of Studio Art Teacher Krista Berardi, students created a large-scale mural depicting some of Carmel's most significant historical landmarks and moments. The idea originated with Social Studies Teacher Keith Reilly, who encouraged students throughout the school to submit suggestions for local sites and events to feature in the artwork. 

“We are lucky to live in a place where so much history is preserved,” said Berardi, a Carmel High School graduate who took Studio Art when she was a George Fischer Middle School student.  

Among the landmarks included are the Historic Putnam County Courthouse and Mount Carmel Baptist Church, whose roots trace back to 1772. The mural also features a creative historical scene showing teachers and students crossing Lake Gleneida in a boat, inspired by the famous painting Washington Crossing the Delaware. 

For eighth-grader Claire, who recently moved to Carmel from Connecticut, the project provided an opportunity to learn about her new community while contributing to a work that would be seen by many people. 

“I never knew this place was kind of famous,” Claire said. “It’s so historical.” 

She was also excited by the response the mural received after its public debut. 

“I never worked on something that has been shown to such a large audience before,” Claire said. “The reaction is amazing.” 

The mural was displayed during the Battle of the Redcoats, a Revolutionary War reenactment held at Veterans Memorial Park in Carmel during the first weekend of June. Visitors had the opportunity to view the students’ work while learning about the area's history. 

Soon, the mural will find its permanent home in the lobby of George Fischer Middle School, where it will continue to showcase the community’s history and the creativity of its students for years to come.

By starting a running club during lunchtime recess, fifth grader Savannah, 11, has become both a coach and organizer for students at George Fischer Middle School. 

Savannah, who belongs to a community running club outside of school, said the idea came to her on a warm afternoon. 

“It was nice outside on a random Tuesday, and I thought I’d start a track team,” Savannah said. 

About 20 fifth graders joined the club, which students named the Rams’ Racers. 

Now, during lunchtime recess on nice days, the team competes in races ranging from 200 to 800 meters on a track painted on the school lunch yard. Savannah organizes the races, leads the warm-ups and records the runner’s statistics in a notebook.  

She selects runners for each race based on their strengths.  

“I pick some students for speed and some for endurance,” Savannah said.  

Team members say the club is open to everyone. It is as much about friendship and kindness as it is about getting strong and running fast.  

“Yesterday a new kid wanted to join,” said Olivia, one of the runners. “We don’t exclude anyone. Everyone is welcome.” 

When a group of cheerleaders started practicing next to the racetrack, the Rams’ Racers invited them to start cheering for the club.  

“We’re all friends now,” said Lilliana, a cheerleader.  

School leaders praised the students for creating an activity on their own. 

“It’s great when kids self-organize and do their own thing,” said Joe Keenan, assistant principal for fifth grade at George Fischer Middle School. “Setting up this race team really shows a tremendous amount of leadership.” 

The Carmel Teachers' Association partnered with district administration to host a full day of professional learning during the recent Superintendent’s Conference Day at George Fischer Middle School. The event featured more than 60 courses designed to support staff growth and student success.

“Days like today matter,” Superintendent of Schools Michael Plotkin said. “It’s one of those rare moments where you get to pause, reflect and reconnect -- with ideas, with colleagues and maybe even with the reason you chose this work in the first place. Today isn’t about adding more to your plate; it’s about giving you something back.”

The conference day underscored the district’s ongoing commitment to professional growth, collaboration and community, all of which enhance learning experiences for students across Carmel schools.

“CTA/Superintendent’s Conference Day reflects a strong partnership between district administration and the CTA, with over 60 thoughtfully planned courses designed to meet the needs of our staff,” said Dr. Jeff C. Gorman, assistant superintendent for instruction. “It’s a clear example of our shared commitment to continuous growth and improving outcomes for the students we serve.”

Educators spent the day engaged in a wide range of sessions, from college preparation and application strategies to interactive workshops on emerging instructional practices. One featured session, “America is 250!” led by history teacher Rob Buccheri, explored the American Revolution and its impact on Putnam County.

Another popular offering, “Innovation in the Classroom with AI,” introduced participants to tools that can enhance student engagement through interactive content. The session also focused on differentiating instruction and creating standards-aligned materials using AI-powered platforms.

The day’s programming was coordinated by middle school science teachers Joanna Sweeney and Sara Schmidt, who helped organize a schedule aimed at meeting the varied needs of district staff.

In addition to professional development, the event featured several CTA-led initiatives. The CTA Scholarship Committee hosted a raffle of themed gift baskets created by each school building, with all proceeds supporting scholarships for Carmel High School seniors.

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Photos by Denise Santalis

Students at George Fischer Middle School swept the top honors in the Putnam County History Museum’s annual history contest, showcasing their creativity and knowledge of Putnam County’s role in the Revolutionary War. 

The competition drew entries from seventh graders across Putnam County. Winners were announced March 22 during a reception at the Putnam County History Museum. 

Adelia won first place and impressed judges with her project, “Spies of the Revolution,” which featured handmade ciphers, turmeric ink and encoded letters demonstrating spy techniques of the era. 

“I learned that they used invisible ink during the revolution so that if their letters got stolen, their enemies would not be able to read them,” said Adelia, who is 12. “Then I researched and found out how to make invisible ink.”  

Logan earned second place for “Benedict Arnold: Legendary Turncoat,” a digital video presented as a first-person journal entry from Arnold’s perspective. 

Logan said he loves history, but he thinks his teachers are the reason Carmel students took all the top prizes in the contest. 

“I think Carmel put the most effort into the contest,” he said. “At the awards ceremony, the announcer was talking about how involved the Carmel teachers were in getting students interested in this.”  

Abigail placed third with a poster display that explored the question, “How did Enoch Crosby compare to other spies of the time?” 

“Enoch Crosby was only a spy for nine months, but he accomplished a lot,” Abigail said. “He shut down a lot of loyalist companies.” 

The winners received cash prizes ranging from $100 to $500. 

Lisa Steiner, social studies teacher and department chair at George Fischer Middle School, praised the students’ efforts and said she was proud of their accomplishments. 

Earlier this year, Steiner organized the school’s first internal history contest for seventh graders to mark the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary. That contest was decided last month by judges made up of members of the Junior Honor Society and middle school staff. Some of the students who presented projects in George Fischer Middle School’s history contest went on to compete in the Putnam County History Museum’s contest. 

The spring George Fischer Middle School Scholastic Book Fair was fully stocked when the doors of the school library opened to young shoppers on Monday.

The school’s fall book fair was so popular that the GFMS PTA organizers had to ask Scholastic to provide more books for the spring event.

“We wanted to make sure we had books for 5th graders and not just older middle schoolers,” said GFMS PTA President Cynthia Sa. “They still like the ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ books, and the ‘Dog Man’ books by Dav Pilkey are really popular.”

The book fair is a chance for students to shop on their own.

“Can somebody spare $60?” Brody, a 5th grader, joked as he held up a ‘Fazebear Frights’ graphic novel collection set. “Come on, I’ll pay you back later.”

He settled on buying just one book in the series instead of the whole collection.

A couple of students gathered around the cookbook table.

“I like baking,” one girl said. “I bake everything. I like to make things with sourdough.”

Another, who said she loved animals, picked up a book about a heroic dog.

The book fair, which is staffed by volunteers from the GFMS PTA, is open through Friday, March 20.

Two CHS students and one outstanding GFMS musician had the privilege of performing with the prestigious New York State Band Directors' Association (NYSBDA) Honor Bands this month, in Syracuse, NY. This prestigious performance is a significant accomplishment, as only the most talented young musicians from across the state are selected to participate.

The GFMS Spring Book Fair will be open to our students on March16th-March 20th. Please use this link view more information and to set up your child's e-wallet for easy and convenient purchasing. 

We are also in need of volunteers to help run our fair. Sign up here, we have plenty of time slots available to choose from. Thank you always for your support!

The spirit of the American Revolution came alive at George Fischer Middle School this winter, as students explored the rich Revolutionary-era history of Carmel and the surrounding Putnam County community in the school’s first-ever history contest.  

The excitement culminated on Thursday when the winners of the inaugural competition were announced. 

The contest began back in December with a visit to the middle school library from Kara Matteson, Educational Director of the Putnam History Museum. Matteson spoke with seventh graders about the Hudson Valley’s vital role in the American Revolution, sparking ideas and inspiration for student projects. 

To enter the contest, students were required to complete a detailed research paper, cite reliable sources in a reference page, and create a hands-on or creative project connected to their topic. 

“We are really doing this to recognize the 250th anniversary of our country,” said Social Studies Teacher and Department Chair Lisa Steiner. “It is the first time the school has held a history contest.” 

Social Studies teachers for seventh grade helped the students develop their ideas. School Librarian Lindsay Gerard taught students how to navigate online databases and make use of local resources, including the Putnam Historical Society. 

The results were as creative as they were educational. One student produced a dramatic video portraying Benedict Arnold, bringing the controversial historical figure to life. Another student wrote a powerful journal from the perspective of an African American soldier fighting during the Revolution. Seventh grader Adelia crafted a working wheel cipher, a device used to encode and decode secret messages during the war.  

In total, 11 students submitted projects, and their work was proudly displayed in the school library throughout February for classmates and staff to enjoy. Several participants also advanced their research to the regional Jean Saunders History Contest, sponsored by the Putnam History Museum, with those results to be announced in March.   
 
Projects were carefully evaluated by members of the Junior Honor Society and middle school staff.  

The contest winners, Adelia (Spies of Revolution), Nyah (Peggy Shippen Arnold), Logan (Benedict Arnold), Chase & Donovan (Rifle Jack and role of African Americans in Revolution, were recognized for their outstanding scholarship and creativity and received special awards for their achievement. 

Eighth grade students in George Fischer Middle School learned about the meaning behind symbols like the swastika and what actions they can take if they see such imagery in their school. 

The lesson in Lisa Steiner’s eighth grade class started with a laughing emoji, a symbol that all the students knew the meaning of without anyone having to explain it to them.  

“You get to know the meaning when people start using it,” Jenny said. “When a lot of people use a symbol, then you understand it.”  

Then the class discussed a half–dozen familiar symbols, from the wi-fi signal to the peace sign to the breast cancer ribbon.  

A short video talked about how the swastika was an ancient symbol used in in many cultures to represent a good life until Hitler appropriated it and it became known as a symbol of hatred and Aryan supremacy. 

The video featured brutal historic footage of Nazi atrocities and the voices of some Holocaust survivors.  

“It was a lot,” Mia said after watching the video. “There was so much violence then.” 

Today, when someone uses the swastika symbol, it represents hatred toward an entire group of people, Ms. Steiner, the social studies teacher and department chair, told her class.  

The lesson was timely as swastikas have been found in schools throughout the region recently, including in Carmel. When they learned about the history and meaning of the symbol, and how it represents hate, the students agreed that anyone who saw a swastika drawn on a school desk or wall should report it to an adult.  

“I’m surprised that swastikas still turn up,” Alexandra said. “I thought Nazi activity and all that hate had died down but now it seems like it’s rising again.” 

When you see a blue light flashing on a school building, it means that a safety drill or procedure is in effect and you should stay away.  Please watch this video for more information.

The next Board of Education meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at the Carmel High School Library. 

** The Board will NOT enter into executive session at 6:30 p.m.

** The public portion of this meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m.

** Student recognitions will take place at 7:00 p.m.

** There will be a Public Hearing at 7:30 p.m. to consider the adoption of a tax exemption for surviving spouses of a police officer killed in the line of duty.

Community members who wish to speak during the public comment section of the Board meeting are asked to sign up in advance using our Public Comment Sign-up Form here: https://forms.office.com/r/SnQBCFWYy8

Board meetings will continue to be live streamed on this page.  Committee meetings are open to the public.

The Policy Committee meeting scheduled for June 1, 2026, HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

Upcoming Board of Education Committee Meetings:

Policy Committee: June 1, 2026, Administrative Office, 5:30 p.m. - CANCELLED
Audit, Facilities & Operations:  June 9, 2026, Carmel High School, Library, 5:30 p.m.
Special Education, Support & Wellness Committee: June 23, 2026, Carmel High School, Library Lab, 5:30 p.m.

If you like something a CCSD staff member has done, tell us at compliments@carmelschools.org. Likewise, if there is an area you think needs improvement, send an email to complaints@carmelschools.org. Both email addresses will go directly to the superintendent of schools and to the president of the Board of Education. 

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Community members who wish to speak during the public comment portion of a Board of Education meeting are asked to sign-up in advance using our Public Comment Sign-up Form or by contacting the District Clerk four (4) hours prior to the meeting at jstevens@carmelschools.org.  The sign-up form will also be available at the meeting for anyone who wishes to speak and did not sign up in advance.  

These individuals will be called upon during the scheduled public participation section on the agenda.  To facilitate follow-up, please provide your name, telephone number, email address, and mailing address, as well as the topic of your comments.  Speakers are limited to five (5) minutes each.  No district employee or student may be commented upon or identified by name or situation.

As part of our ongoing commitment to enhancing safety, communication and equity districtwide, Carmel Central School District has launched a new communication tool, Anonymous Alerts®. This tool enables students or parents to report urgent information to school officials quickly, easily and anonymously across all our school campuses. 

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Recordings of Board of Education meetings and presentations from those meetings are available to the public.   

View recordings from Board of Education meetings.