Dear Cairo-Durham Families and Community,
After the heartbreaking and tragic loss of Patricia "Tricia" Whitbeck, the District has decided to have an early dismissal, District-wide, on Tuesday, April 29. Tricia's celebration of life will be Tuesday, April 29, 2025, at Richard’s Funeral Home, 29 Bross Street, Cairo, New York from 11 AM to 1 PM, with interment to follow at the Acra Cemetery.
The middle and high schools will dismiss at 10:45 AM, and the elementary school and AM Pre-K will dismiss at 11:45 AM. There will not be any PM Pre-K or PM BOCES.
Our deepest condolences to Darrell Whitbeck and his family.
Sincerely,
The Cairo-Durham Central School District
Lunch Menus for May are here!
School will be closed on Friday, May 23, 2025, through Monday, May 26, 2025. The District is able to lengthen the Memorial Day weekend by giving back an unused snow day. We hope the extended weekend, with Memorial Day on Monday, May 26, 2025, will find students and staff refreshed for the final stretch of the 2024-25 school year when they return on Tuesday, May 27, 2025.
It’s a BBQ Bash, Y’all!
The Cairo-Durham Class of 2025 is cookin’ up something good — and we need YOU to help make our senior year unforgettable!
When? May 20 | 4–6 PM
Where? Right here at CD!
Who’s cookin’? The legendary Halvo Homestead!
Menu:
Half Chicken – $16 (classic & tasty)
Pulled Pork – $18 (juicy & unbeatable)
All proceeds go toward a Senior Trip, Graduation Celebration Breakfast, and Senior Sunset, etc.— aka the stuff memories are made of!
Grab your tickets now (as pre-sale tickets are encouraged & dinner sales that night limited) — your taste buds (and the Class of 2025) will thank you!
Email jsearing@cairodurham.org or see your favorite senior today!
Congratulations to Digital Photography students Emily Moon and Evangeline Finnegan for winning awards recently at the 2025 Capital Region Media Arts Festival Awards Ceremony! Emily took second place, and Evangeline Finnegan was awarded Honorable Mention.
The exhibit will remain open through May 2nd at the Nisk Art Gallery at Niskayuna High School, located at 1626 Balltown Rd. Niskayuna, NY.
Michael Pernice singled in Jake Young with what proved to be the game-winning run with two outs in the top of the ninth inning as Cairo-Durham edged Hudson, 2-1, in Monday's Patroon Conference baseball game.
Logan Walz and Joey Kahle singled for the Mustangs. Young had an RBI.
Freshman Trent Keller had two singles and an RBI for Hudson. Gannon Logue, Antonio Troy, Eli Conte, Amarion Perry and Tyler Sheldon all singled.
Young pitched seven innings for Cairo-Durham, striking out 13, walking two and allowing one run and five hits. Walz threw the last two frames, striking out two, walking one and allowing one hit.
Reminder: Spring Break is this week! We'll see you back in school on Monday, April 21.
Reminder: Cairo-Durham schools will be closed next week, April 14-18, due to Spring Break. We look forward to seeing you back in school on Monday, April 21.
Congratulations to the following Cairo-Durham High School Media Arts students: Isabelle Neves, Evangeline Finnegan, Ava Zeun, Storm Newkirk, Ryan Coon, Emily Moon, Margo Cochrane, Logan Walz, and Ally Barnett for having their digital artwork selected for the 2025 Capital Region Media Arts Festival at Niskayuna High School.
Their artwork was selected by a panel of Capital Region art educators and then adjudicated by art professionals. It is quite an honor to once again have this many students' artwork selected for participation in this competitive annual exhibit.
The exhibit will officially open today, April 10, with an evening reception from 6-7 PM at the Nisk Art Gallery at Niskayuna High School, located at 1626 Balltown Rd. Niskayuna, NY. The exhibit will be closing on Friday, May 2nd.
Thank you for supporting CDHS Media Arts!
Out of a large pool of students across the state, only 80 are selected for the all-expenses-paid, three-week residential science exploration program at NYU. Two of those 80 students are from our very own Cairo-Durham!
Aishwarya Thakur and Issabella Zelinsky have both been accepted to the Simons-NYU Science Explorations Program at New York University!
Read more here: https://www.cairodurham.org/article/2140953
Congratulations to CDHS students Ash Allen, Rose Fucito and Nick Wieber for having their artworks selected for exhibit at the 36th Annual HS Juried Art Exhibit. Their artwork will be on display at the Questar III Central Office at 10 Empire State Boulevard in Castleton through April 21, 2025.
Each year, Questar III hosts this exhibit to showcase the finest student artwork from Greene, Columbia, and Rensselaer counties. Congratulations to the three CDHS students for having their work chosen. Participating in this show is truly an honor.
This week is National Assistant Principals Week! Thank you to our talented and dedicated assistant principals: Austin Crittenden, Rachel Harvey, and Kerry Overbaugh!
Cairo-Durham Middle and High School World Language students recently celebrated National World Language Week. Students created posters celebrating this year's theme, "Languages Take You Places."
Winners included-
Mrs. Karker's classes: First Place: William Hernandez Merino, Second Place: Vivienne Myers, Third Place: Zuri Hewson
Mrs. Misasi's classes: First Place: Destiny Mauriello, Second Place: Amanda Ramos-Rivera,
Third Place: Phoenix McCabe and Alfred Santos De Paz
Ms. Ray's classes: First place: Olivia Soto, Second place: Alexandra Richers and Ziva Homeyer, Third place: Julie Speenburg and Isabel Haigh
There was also a word-of-the-day in a different language each day on the morning announcements, exposing all students to diverse language and vocabulary from various languages such as German, Russian, Italian, Polish and Chinese.
Students also actively participated in the celebration by creating colorful feather flags to visually represent different languages and cultures. The flags were displayed in the school, and students had fun having their pictures taken using the mural as a background.
Congratulations Jess Baeckmann and Kenzie Sherburne! Jess is bound for Marist, where she will join their track and field team. Kenzie is headed to Dean College to play basketball.
On March 27, the Middle School STAR Program visited the 911 Museum in Manhattan, NYC. Thank you to Ms. Hill, Mr. McIntyre, and Ms. Trotti for chaperoning on this trip!
The Cairo Durham High School Teachers recognize and honor a student every month (SOM) during the school year. The student is nominated and then voted on by the teachers and staff in the high school. The student is then awarded a certificate and a $10 gift card.
Congrats to the CDHS Winter Students of the Month, Emilio, Jessica, and Aiden!
Emilio Maynard, a member of Cairo Durham’s class of 2027, has been recognized as one of the Winter 2025 Students of the Month. Emilio is a hardworking and kind-hearted student who is always ready to lend a hand to those who need it. His friendly personality and great sense of humor brighten the day for both classmates and teachers—he’s known for putting a smile on people’s faces wherever he goes.
Emilio is involved in both academics and athletics, proudly representing Cairo-Durham on both the football and bowling teams. Outside of school, he enjoys spending time at the park with friends and playing video games.
One fun fact about Emilio? He loves Little Debbies—ask him his favorite, and he’ll probably have more than one answer! In keeping with his love of food, Emilio has big dreams for his future: he plans to become a chef and one day open his own restaurant, combining his passion for food with his hardworking spirit and creativity. Maybe he’ll even invent a new snack for future students to enjoy!
Mrs. Engelin tells us that “Emilio has been putting great effort into his schoolwork this year. He brings a wonderful sense of humor to the classroom and values building positive relationships with his teachers. He also demonstrates a strong sense of loyalty and care toward his friends.”
Congratulations, Emilio! Your kindness, positive vibes, and ability to make others laugh make you a memorable part of the school community!
Jessica Baeckmann, a member of this year’s graduating Class of 2025, has been recognized as one of the Winter 2025 Students of the Month. Jessica is a quiet force of determination and creativity—known for her strong work ethic, independence, and thoughtful presence in the classroom.
Jessica is actively involved in many areas of school life. She serves as Class Historian and is a member of the National Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, Interact Club, and Yearbook Club. She is also a three-season athlete, competing on the varsity tennis, indoor track, and outdoor track teams. Jessica volunteers regularly at both the high school and elementary school by taking photos at events, assisting staff, and supporting school spirit through her involvement. Outside of school, Jessica enjoys reading, making art, traveling, and volunteering.
After graduation, Jessica plans to attend college to pursue a degree in English, with dreams of working in publishing where she can read and create art for books. She also plans to continue her track career at the collegiate level.
Mr. Chamberlain says that “Jessica is a considerate student inside and outside of the classroom. She demonstrates maturity and a willingness to work hard no matter how difficult the task in a class. Jessica's impressive character traits have helped her grow here at Cairo-Durham. The willingness to stand out through hard work and motivation is one of the reasons I truly enjoyed teaching Jessica last year, in my AP U.S. class. Jessica is truly a model student in every way and I wish her all the best as she finishes up the school year!”
Congratulations, Jessica! Your dedication, creativity, and quiet leadership make a lasting impression on everyone around you!
The class of 2027’s Aiden Holbrook has been recognized as one of the Winter 2025 Students of the Month. Aiden is a dedicated and determined student who has been working hard to stay on top of his assignments and participate actively in class. He is always willing to help others and brings a positive attitude to everything he does.
Aiden’s biggest passion is football—on and off the field. He’s known for his commitment to the sport and his drive to keep improving. When he’s not playing football, he is getting ready for more great games as a member of the school’s Wellness program.
Aiden’s teachers recognize his dedication and growth, especially in how he’s worked to stay focused on his goals. His dream is to become a professional football player, but he also has a solid backup plan—he’s interested in becoming a rig welder and plans to attend Syracuse University after graduation.
According to Mrs. Scheitinger, “Aiden has totally stepped up this school year. He is focused, self disciplined, motivated and ready to get the work done to move on to the next level. Aiden wishes to move on to get his bachelor's degree and play division I football.”
Congratulations, Aiden! Your hard work, passion, and persistence are setting you up for a bright future!
More photos from Quiz Night 2025!
Quiz Night 2025 at CDHS was a tremendous success!
Students, faculty, staff, admin, and board members competed in groups to answer questions about fun trivia. The teams came up with unique team names, including Skibidi Slicers and Tubatomic!
It is great to see students smiling while learning until 8 PM. Get your team ready for next year's Quiz Night!
Thank you to our wonderful sponsors for your support!
Students in Mrs. Karker's French classes recently celebrated Mardi Gras in style by creating their own colorful parade floats! Embracing the festivity, students worked to craft vibrant floats, showcasing their creativity. This hands-on activity helped them learn about French culture and Mardi Gras traditions. Afterward, they paraded the floats through the middle school!
Two Cairo-Durham HS students had their art featured at the 26th Annual High School Regional Juried Art Exhibition!
