Byram Hills High School Principal, Christopher Walsh, proudly announced Olivia Canter as the Class of 2021 valedictorian and Mia Dittrich as the Class of 2021 salutatorian.

“I am so excited for Olivia and Mia on earning this recognition.  They have both been so committed to their academics throughout their time with us,” said Mr. Walsh. “These distinctions mean even more considering everything they had to navigate over the last year and a half.  What stands out to me about each of them is their work ethic, dedication to learning, and respect from their classmates, faculty, and staff.”

Olivia Canter is an outstanding young woman whose accomplishments are exceptional. She has engaged in a demanding curriculum and is a three-season varsity athlete. She has attended 14 debate tournaments, an editor for the school newspaper, and an event coordinator for Youth Against Cancer.  Olivia will deliver her valedictorian speech at the BHHS Graduation Tribute on Monday, June 21st, at SUNY Purchase.  Part of her message to her classmates speaks to the notion of slowing down and living in the moment.  “It’s ok to be the last one out of the house,” she said. Olivia will be attending Duke University in the fall. 

Academically, Mia Dittrich’s performance has been nothing short of remarkable.  Mia came to Byram Hills from overseas and immediately became part of the Byram Hills community. She has taken ten AP classes, two world languages and was an outstanding student in the Science Research Program.  In addition, Mia was the senior editor for the Oracle, Co-President of the Science Ambassadors Club, and a chemistry teaching assistant. Mia will be attending Stanford University in the fall and will also have the opportunity to address her classmates at the BHHS Graduation Tribute on Monday, June 21st, at SUNY Purchase.

Mr. Walsh concluded, “On behalf of the faculty and staff of Byram Hills High School, we wish Olivia and Mia continued success in the next steps of their academic careers.”

Congratulations to the Byram Hills Academic Team for winning the National Academic Championship.  The Bobcats beat the Tartan High School team out of Oakdale, Minnesota, in the finals, which took place on June 13, 2021.  The championship came down to the final question and was one of the closest margins for victory in the competition’s history.   
 
The Byram Hills Academic Team’s record this year was 49-2.  The team won its first national championship in 2006.  The students who make up the Byram Hills team have diverse strengths and worked together during these challenging times to win the national championship.  “The pandemic led to a change in the rules where collaboration in a virtual setting replaced buzzers and the importance of speed in answering questions,” said Mr. Martin Gilbert, Academic Team Coach and Byram Hills Social Studies Teacher.  “I’m incredibly proud and grateful to my colleagues who have inspired the interests and passions of these fantastic young people.”
 
The National Academic Tournament is a quiz bowl/Jeopardy-style competition sponsored by Questions Unlimited that brings together the top high school teams in the United States to collaborate and answer questions.  These questions cover various topics such as geography, math, history, literature, music, science, and art.


Top left: Leon Orlov-Sullivan, John Ndocaj, Sebastian Vasquez, Ali Hafez
 Bottom left: Martin Gilbert (coach), Katherine Lin, Luke Coviello
 

The Byram Hills School District’s 2021-2022 Budget was approved by the community voters on Tuesday, May 18, 2021.

The results were:  344 YES / 70 NO.

The Byram Hills Board of Education had two open seats to fill - each for a three-year term.  Mr. Scott Levy, current Byram Hills Board of Education Trustee, was re-elected and Mr. Petrie Verma, the District’s current PTSA President, was elected to serve as a new trustee on the Board.

“Our efforts remained focused on the impact of the budget on students and our taxpayers, with a budget-to-budget increase of .75% and a 1% tax levy, resulting in a budget that is 1.57% below the permissible tax levy limit,” said Dr. Jen Lamia, Byram Hills Superintendent. Over the past five years, the District has stayed below the permissible tax cap by over 3.9M. The budget supports programs and opportunities in our schools that have brought Byram Hills much success.   Thank you to our community for your continued support.

 

Byram Hills High School will be hosting the 32nd Annual Dr. Robert Pavlica Authentic Science Research Symposium on June 2, 2021.  The Authentic Science Research Program is a three-year course that encourages students to pursue excellence in areas of original research.  Each year, the high school hosts a science symposium allowing students to present their research to the community. This year’s symposium will be held virtually due to the pandemic.

The event will be livestreamed and feature remarks from Authentic Science Research Program Director, Ms. Stephanie Greenwald, Byram Hills High School Principal, Mr. Christopher Walsh, and senior speaker Chloe Weissman.  The program will also include a graduation ceremony for Science Research seniors and program-wide awards. The livestream portion will conclude with a description of the symposium’s website “Virtual Presentation Hall.”  Within this hall, you will find Virtual Rooms with recorded presentations of senior, junior, and sophomore research projects. 

Byram Hills will celebrate the future generation of scientists and promote scientific literacy.  Please join the 101 dedicated Byram Hills student researchers at this spectacular event.

The event will take place on June 2, 2021, at 7:00 PM.

Please click on the link below: 
Byram Hills Authentic Science Research Symposium Website


 

Congratulations to Byram Hills senior Kathryn Petlyuk for being a recipient of the 2021 National Merit Scholarship.

Each year the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) recognizes and honors a select few academically talented students from across the United States. Students chosen for this award are high achieving, motivated, and contribute to their school and community Kathryn is an exemplary student and a brilliant young individual,'' said Byram Hills High School Counselor, Mr. Gary McCarthy.  He stated, “After three decades in school counseling, I have rarely had the privilege to work with a student as insightful, intellectually gifted, and as deeply devoted to family, friends, peers, and her community as Kathryn.  I know she will accomplish great things in the future.”

In addition to her stellar academic success, Kathryn is a competitive varsity athlete.  She is a member of the Student-Athlete Leadership Program and tutors younger peers in mathematics and Russian.  Kathryn has been accepted to several prestigious colleges and is interested in pursuing her studies in the field of engineering.

Byram Hills High School is proud to recognize Kathryn’s outstanding accomplishments and contributions to her school and community.   Scholarship recipients receive $2,500 toward their freshman year college tuition.