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East Islip students and community members were among the participants in the EJ Autism Foundation’s first annual AutisMile race, held on Oct. 17. The event proceeds will fund the foundation’s work in supporting Long Island programs that help children with autism.

“The AutisMile provided an opportunity to showcase Main Street East Islip on behalf of a great cause,” EJ Autism Foundation founder Bea Huste-Petersen said. “A road mile is a bit of a rare event, but extremely competitive and exciting. It was a great opportunity to have fun running or on the sidelines. We had competitors from as far as New York City and Washington, DC competing for bragging rights and prize money. The event was a great success and we will return next year.”

The high school’s boys junior varsity volleyball team headed to Smithtown High School West on Oct. 23 to compete in a 16-team tournament. The East Islip athletes started off slow, with some struggles in the pool play, but were able to overcome adversity and win the silver playoff bracket.

“Setter Jake Vessalico and libero Teague Nolan made huge contributions to the team during the playoff rounds, as well as outside hitter Carter Jones, who rose to the challenge when the team needed him most,” said coach Bill Lackner, “Everyone stepped up when we needed them to. In each set of the playoffs, the boys showed an uncommon desire to win. I’m very proud that they were rewarded for their efforts and hard work.”

The East Islip School District English as a New Language Department held its third annual ENL Commanding recognition on Oct. 20. A total of 18 students who earned a Commanding score on the New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test were honored with an online ceremony at the ENL parent orientation meeting. Administrators met with over 20 community members to provide insight on the ENL program and answer any questions. The winning students, who attend East Islip High School, East Islip Middle School, and Connetquot and John F. Kennedy Elementary Schools, were provided certificates during their classes.

During the 2020-2021 school year, East Islip’s ENL students participated in different models of instructions and then transitioned to in-person learning. ENL teachers were challenged to meet the needs of individual multilingual learners throughout the district. Starting in April, these multilingual students began the NYSESLAT speaking assessment and completed the reading, writing and listening sections in May. The teachers prepared for countless hours and provided intense instruction to support the students during this assessment.

“I am so proud of our teachers who go above and beyond to support our individual students’ needs,” said Robert J. Wottawa II, the district’s director of art, ENL, music and world language. “The results are clear that despite all the challenges, our students had great success last year due to our teachers’ positive impacts.”

Fifteen members of East Islip High School’s mock trial team traveled to Harvard University, accompanied by coach Patsy Lester and parent chaperone Pat Blair, for the Angela R. Mathew Harvard Mock Trial Seminar Program, held on Oct. 16-17.

The participants were Emily Blair, Victoria Crowell, Nicole Espinosa, Bella Fantauzzi, Julia Fink, Stephanie Finley, Jacob Franchi, G. Gerondel, Tristan Hearth, Hunter Lasiak, Tyler Oquendo, Kate O'Hara, Luciana Ponciolo, Hanna Ross and Adan Villaneuva.

Team members were excited to compete in person again after a year of online tournaments due to the pandemic. Students attended lectures on trial presentation skills and worked in breakout sessions with the members of the Harvard mock trial team. On Sunday evening, East Islip’s students faced other high school teams in competition as both prosecution and defense in the case of State v. Sutcliffe. East Islip prevailed in both trials and received excellent feedback from the judges. In addition, two seniors, captain Blair and captain and president Gerondel, were recognized for outstanding performance in their rounds.

The East Islip Board of Education were honored at the Oct. 21 business meeting for School Board Recognition Week.

“There’s a special group of people who do this on a volunteer basis, and every three years they have to put themselves out in the public and ask for support,” Superintendent John Dolan said. “It’s an extremely difficult job to sit on a board of education, because you have to make some very difficult decisions and you certainly cannot say yes to everybody. The board’s job is to shape policy and guide the district, and they work tirelessly.”

While the Islip Arts Council was not able to hold their typical Teeny Awards ceremony this past June, they have been making an effort to highlight each high school's theater program via weekly videos on their website. East Islip High School’s premiere was on Oct. 19, featuring footage from the school’s musical production of “Anastasia,” directed by Bethany Affelt.

The presentation can be viewed .

For Fire Safety Month, the East Islip and Great River fire department visited Timber Point on Oct. 14 to provide the students with a hands-on look at the fire trucks. 

“We are so lucky to have wonderful volunteers willing to give up their time each year to share important safety information with our students,” said Principal Danielle Naccarato.

East Islip enjoyed an all-day celebration of school and community pride on Oct. 8, featuring its first high school pep rally and homecoming events since the fall of 2019.

The week leading up to homecoming was spent showing off EI Pride as students and staff dressed up each day of Spirit Week, earning points to win the coveted Class Cup, a year-long competition between the classes.

On homecoming morning, the pep rally was held outside this year at Sal Ciampi Field at Boomer Esiason Stadium. The school’s varsity and JV teams were introduced and senior athletes and band members recognized. Students enjoyed “Minute to Win It” games run by the class councils and student government, including sack races and a tug of war.

In light of uncertainty regarding mandates, a traditional parade through the community was not planned. However, student government organized a mini-parade at the end of the afternoon. The march through the school campus was led by the pep band, followed by varsity, JV, middle school, and East Islip Competition cheerleaders; several high school clubs; the PTSA; class councils, and Pee Wee football players. The parade ended on the field behind the stadium, where the community had the chance to sample five different food trucks before and during the big game.
Just before dusk fell, the undefeated varsity football team took the field, bearing American flags as well as the names of the 13 U.S. military personnel killed in Afghanistan on Aug. 26 on their helmets.

Once the game against Half Hollow Hills West began, East Islip took charge, racking up the touchdowns en route to a commanding 42-7 victory. Quarterback Derek Burrell completed six of eight passes for 101 yards and a touchdown while running for 65 yards and two touchdowns, while Leo Lopez ran for 51 yards and two touchdowns. Other notable efforts included an interception for Aiden Lenox and a sack by Cooper Parkinson.

During halftime, the school’s royals were announced: freshmen Julianna D’Addario and Vincent Abbatiello, sophomores Charlie Heffernan and Mary Ranzie, juniors Riley Kramer and Muhammed Abdullah, and seniors Bill Ahmad and Jenna Scandale.

“The week was a huge success,” student government advisers Kate Boucher and Bridget Lopiccolo said. “Everyone enjoyed the events and pep rally. We have many great ideas planned and are looking forward to a spring pep rally to celebrate the senior athletes who participate in winter and spring sports.”

The district recently named Krista Legge as director of special education. She previously served as the Rocky Point School District’s assistant director of pupil personnel services. Legge’s more than 15 years of special education experience included working as a special education teacher, behavior specialist and regional special education trainer for Suffolk County. She is also an author, publishing the children’s book “The Comfy Spot” earlier this year. 

A Mount Sinai resident, Legge earned her undergraduate degree in early childhood education from SUNY Plattsburgh, a master’s degree in inclusive special education from Hofstra University, an advanced degree in applied behavior analysis from LIU Post and an advanced certification in educational leadership from Stony Brook University.

“Each child is unique and requires an environment where they have access to a multitude of opportunities to inspire and foster their strengths and passions,” Legge said.

In recognition of Fire Prevention Month, members of the Islip Terrace Fire Department visited Connetquot for a presentation on fire safety. Afterwards, the students had a chance to explore the fire trucks outside and learn about the firefighters’ gear and equipment.

Led by library media specialist Melanie Ash, the East Islip Middle School Book Club hosted a visit with author John Aldridge on Oct. 6. Aldridge's 2017 book, “A Speck in the Sea,” details the night he fell off his lobster boat in Montauk and survived over 12 hours in the water before being rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Book Club members asked questions specific to the book and Aldridge’s experience in the water. At the end, the students had a chance to take photos with Aldridge and get their books signed.

Timber Point participated in the Sandy Hook Promise’s Start with Hello Week in September, organized by psychologist Amy Eagen, social worker Joan D’Angelo and counselor Bryan Ferro. The Start With Hello project asks students, teachers and staff who interact with children to take steps in class, the lunchroom, recess and the bus to be inclusive and connected. Each day of the week at Timber Point had its own theme to promote connectivity, including Start With Hello Day, Wear Kind Words Day, Superhero Day, Waving Hello Hand Day and EI Pride Day.

“Superhero Day was a big success and the students enjoyed wearing shirts with their favorite superheroes on them,” said Principal Danielle Naccarato. “A huge thank you to our amazing mental health team at Timber Point for organizing this wonderful week.

The high school started off October on a festive foot with an exciting Spirit Week. For the themed day of Oct. 5 theme, “Dress for Your Favorite Holiday,” several students combined Halloween and Christmas for an especially creative couture.

Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ brought back its in-person fall book fair during the last week of September, bringing love of literacy and a multitude of book titles for students to purchase.

“It was wonderful to see all of the children so excited to have the opportunity to read summaries of the texts and select those that interested them,” Principal Deborah Smith said. “We are grateful to our Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ PTA who organized the event and provided the students with a great opportunity to support their love of reading.”