Suffern Central School District's Teaching and Learning Department encompasses all aspects of curriculum, instruction and assessment. We provide every student with a cognitively demanding and data-driven academic curriculum and offer programs that will prepare them for post-secondary education, future careers and lifelong success. We emphasize authentic learning opportunities that develop critical thinking skills and we provide a culturally responsive pedagogy that challenges all of our students and addresses the needs of our entire population. 

Our team at the high school:
Ken Wojehowski: Project-Based Learning
Stephanie Powell: ENL Coach

School Psychologists & Social workers at the high school: 

Taina Ortiz-Velez

Joshua Pilgrim

Bonnie Felber-Regina

Jason Silver

Jane Taylor

District Clinical Website 

Our Guidance School Counselors: 

Ms. Sarah Kern, Director of Wellness, skern@sufferncentral.org - ext.41322
Ms. Meredith Reddy, Chairperson, mreddy@sufferncentral.org - ext.41321
Mrs. Ann Marie Casarella, acasarella@sufferncentral.org - ext.41324
Mrs. Marissa Guijarro, mguijarro@sufferncentral.org - ext. 41323
Mrs. Janet Leale, jleale@sufferncentral.org - ext.41320
Mr. Robert Schelling, rschelling@sufferncentral.org - ext. 41316
Ms. Shelley Stephenson, sstephenson@sufferncentral.org - ext. 41372

Secretaries:

 Mrs. Ashley Saber, asaber@sufferncentral.org - ext.41308

Mrs. Jesslyn Zenke, jzenke@sufferncentral.org - ext. 41309

School Counseling Website

The peer leadership program is designed to create an environment where peers can maximize their abilities to create change and, by taking action, can have a measurable impact on school climate and peer relationships. This course provides students with a unique opportunity to partake in a program that focuses on developing a variety of mentoring and listening skills. The class will provide students with opportunities to develop and practice leadership and social action skills in order to become catalysts for change.

Students will be trained as peer counselors who then work with incoming ninth-grade students in a variety of workshop situations with the focus of addressing and discussing social and emotional learning. The Yale EI curriculum will be influential in course materials.

Students are selected for this course after application, review, and an interview by the course instructor and school administrators.  It is a full-year course that will meet every other day.  Applications are available in the Guidance Office.

The Sunshine Club collects money from the teachers and sends various packages to staff depending on the events in their lives. This could be for a new baby or for condolences if needed.

The Homework Club meets in the library Mondays through Thursdays from 2:15 pm until 4:15 pm.  Academic assistance is available for STEM, humanities, and bilingual courses. 

Students do not have to sign up ahead of time.  Anytime they need extra help or a quiet place to work, they are welcome.  They will scan a QR code for attendance/contact tracing purposes and once they have signed in, we will direct them to the appropriate teachers.  Students do not have to stay the full two hours, but if they travel by school bus, they cannot roam the building until 4:15.

Each month a different department hosts a staff breakfast in the faculty lounge. This is a great way to bring the staff together and connect with those we don’t get to see on a regular basis.

PRIDE award winners are nominated by teachers, coaches, and staff and awarded to students whose hard work, determination and/or ability to overcome hurdles deserve recognition - even if the end result is not an A. 

The SRT meets monthly to identify students that are struggling and come up with strategies to help them succeed. 

https://www.theeap.com/educators-eap

Employee Brochure (PDF)

Educators’ EAP is designed specifically for educators.  It is designed to address the unique challenges faced by educators.  Areas of support include: counseling benefits, work/life benefits, self-help resource benefits, peak performance coaching, lifestyle savings benefits, personal development & training benefits, and wellness benefits.  All costs are covered by SCSD.  EAP services are available to you and your household members as well as dependent children living away from home, up to age 26.

The Safe Spaces Club meets every morning before school begins. It provides students an opportunity to sit quietly in a classroom monitored by a teacher to ensure it is a safe environment for them to relax and wait for the day to start. 

This club will create an environment where Suffern High School students will be able to identify, understand and discuss various mental health topics while creating a community that will allow them to feel supported and understood.