Briarcliff High School Awards Celebration
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BRIARCLIFF HIGH SCHOOL AWARDS CELEBRATION Recipient Program Monday, May 18, 2020 Principal’s Message Good Evening and Welcome to the Briarcliff High School Awards Celebration This year’s Awards Celebration has been adapted to adhere to NYS health mandates and also for the collective well-being of our students and community. While there may be some awards that organizations and universities were unable to provide due to COVID-19, our celebration honors the amazing accomplishments of our students and allows our community to take part in and applaud their achievements. Our students excel in every component of high school life and bring such pride and excellence to Briarcliff High School. This year’s Awards Celebration honors not only their amazing accomplishments but is a testament to their outstanding character for which they should be commended. Our beautiful invitation was created by junior, Sophia Tang. Thank you, Sophia for your creativity and contribution to this Awards Celebration. Much gratitude to the Briarcliff Board of Education members, the BPTA, BMEF, BFA, and the Briarcliff Booster Club for their tireless work on behalf of our children and faculty. Additionally, I would like to thank the Briarcliff District Office Administrators: Superintendent, Dr. James Kaishian; Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations, Mr. Anthony Cammarata; Director of Pupil Personnel Services, Dr. Debora Serio Vaughan; Assistant Principals, Mrs. Diana Blank and Mr. Daniel Goldberg; Director of Facilities, Mr. George Hula; Security Coordinator, Mr. Bo Alford, and the BHS faculty who join me in celebrating the honors and awards that have been bestowed upon our deserving students. Our Briarcliff High School teachers have been extraordinary in their dedication to the virtual instructional delivery and support for their students. We thank them for their professionalism and commitment. A standing ovation for our Technology Department staff under the directorship of Erica Beasley, and Instructional Technology Mentor, Dr. Tracy Campanile for their expertise and training of virtual instruction. A special thank you to Ms. Valerie Asher, Mrs. Monica Forsberg, Mrs. Kim Manghise, Mrs. Nina Marcel, and Mrs. Laurie Romano for their patience and attention to detail in preparation of this online program. I would also like to express my appreciation to the generous scholarship awards and sponsors that provided support and acknowledgement of our students. As author Sarah Ban Breathnach eloquently stated, “Authentic success is being so grateful for the many blessings bestowed on you and yours that you can share your portion with others.” The Briarcliff High School Community unites in mourning those lives lost to Covid-19 and extends our sympathies to their families. We will always remember the courage and fortitude of the Emergency Responders and Health Care Workers who cared for our safety and well-being while risking their own. Sincerely, Debora French, Principal Distinguished Alumni Inductee Joyce Dillon Reinecke Briarcliff High School Class of 1987 Over the years, Briarcliff High School graduates have demonstrated exemplary achievement in every walk of life. We would like to recognize and honor Briarcliff’s tradition of excellence and the Briarcliff High School graduates who, by example and achievement, offer our present-day students inspiration and a positive vision for the future. Although I do not have the privilege to present our 2020 outstanding Distinguished Alumni in person, this does not diminish our pride in her journey and accomplishments after leaving Briarcliff High School. Joyce Dillon Reinecke, BHS Class of 1987, attended Briarcliff Public Schools for her entire K-12 education. Upon graduating from BHS, she went on to earn a B.A. in English from Occidental College and a J.D. from Fordham University Law School. After living in New York for a year, Joyce and her husband, John Reinecke, moved to Seattle for his job with Microsoft where Joyce passed the Washington State Bar and secured a position in intellectual property law at Foster, Pepper & Shefelman. In late 1998, Joyce was diagnosed with a rare cancer, leiomyosarcoma, an event which totally changed the direction of her life. After undergoing surgery and treatment, Joyce and her husband immediately took steps to protect their ability to have children, ultimately finding a gestational surrogate and in 2000 becoming parents to twin daughters, Olivia and Alexandra. With this, they moved back to New York to be near family. Soon after, Joyce attended a fund-raiser for Fertile Hope, a new nonprofit organization generously supported by the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) for the purpose of ensuring that young adult cancer patients be fully informed of the possible negative impact of cancer treatment on their reproductive system. Joyce started as a volunteer at Fertile Hope but quickly became the second employee, and eventually, the VP in charge of programs. In addition to working with cancer centers to promote systemic change around the topic of infertility, Fertile Hope created the nation's first financial assistance program for fertility preservation to serve cancer patients. Joyce was instrumental in bringing the patient voice into these decisions, and convincing physicians that patients cared about their ability to not only survive their cancer, but also to thrive and be able to return to a "normal" life after cancer - including the ability to have biological children. Through this work, Fertile Hope ushered in a new era of focus on this major quality of life concern. Now, key relevant professional organizations including the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), and the American Medical Association (AMA) have implemented guidelines for fertility discussions and referrals. Notifying cancer patients of the reproductive consequences of the treatment and the options for protecting it has become an integral part of care to such an extent that today fertility-preserving programs are noted in many centers' advertisements. Eventually, the LAF absorbed Fertile-Hope, and Joyce continued as a consultant for them (now LIVESTRONG) for several years. She has also consulted for and been a part of grants for several prestigious cancer centers. In 2014, Joyce was hired as the Executive Director of another non-profit, The Alliance for Fertility Preservation, where she has continued her work in cancer-related fertility issues. The organization helps patients find clinics and specialists who have expertise in fertility preservation. They produce materials, speak at medical conferences and hospitals, and direct patients to financial resources. The cost of fertility preservation, such as sperm and egg freezing, remains quite high so many newly diagnosed patients simply cannot afford it. Because of this, much of Joyce’s focus in recent years has been getting insurance companies to cover fertility preservation for those about to undergo potentially sterilizing medical treatments. Her organization does this through private meetings with policymakers, insurance commissioners, state executive branch officials, and through legislation. She also helps individuals appeal denials of these claims. in her stomach and had infiltrated local lymph nodes. While in the hospital, a fellow (not reproductive sys In addition to her organizational survivorship/fertility preservation work, Joyce has counseled individuals newly diagnosed with cancer, including a long-time Briarcliff Manor resident. Joyce helped her through the IVF/surrogate process ultimately until she had a successful pregnancy. The woman has beaten cancer, and her children attend the Briarcliff schools. were reluctant to postpone cancer therapy to meet patients' fertility preservation needs. Joyce was instrumental in bringing the patient voice into these decisions, and convincing physicians that patients cared about their ability to not only survive their cancer, but also to thrive and be able to return to a "normal" life after cancer - including the ability to have biologic children. Through this work, Fertile Hope ushered in a new era of focus on this major quality of life concern. Now, key relevant professional organizations including the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), and the American Medical Association (AMA) have implemented guidelines for fertility discussions and referrals. Notifying cancer patients of the reproductive consequences of the treatment and the options for protecting it has become an integral part of care to such an extent, that today fertility- On Becoming a Patient Advocate In preparing to accept this honor, I have been reflecting on my time at Briarcliff High School to consider how the experiences and learning it gave me prepared me for where I am today: running a nonprofit that advocates to protect the reproductive rights of cancer patients. Let me start by saying, aspirations for this life, this work, were not on the horizon during my time at BHS! I did not imagine or wish to one day, in the midst of my young adult life, be struck by a rare form of cancer, have it threaten my fertility, and propel me down a path of becoming a patient advocate. It seems to me this result was quite accidental – I don’t know that anyone can strive, train, or really prepare in any way to become a patient advocate. It’s the kind of job that requires trial by fire—in the trenches, on-the-job training. Cancer was the fire that forged me; fighting for my chance to one day become a parent that shaped me. I was, during my time at BHS, blissfully ignorant of what was to come. I had not yet met with illness, family-building struggles, or, frankly, much adversity in any form. When I look back and consider how my years at BHS prepared me for those coming roadblocks, however, I recognize numerous ways. Briarcliff, of course, was a high achieving school, and expectations for success were always part of its DNA. For me, though, it was a comfortable, nurturing environment. Every teacher knew my name. Virtually every club, team, and activity was welcoming and open to having me (or anyone else) as a member.