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It was a beautiful day to celebrate East Islip High School’s graduating Class of 2021 – a fitting end for a year that brought with it many rainy days, both metaphorically and literally. However, on June 24, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky as the soon-to-be high school alumni made their way from the comforting halls of their high school and took their first steps towards the future.

After the processional march, senior Marie Tohill, accompanied by the East Islip High School band, sang “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which was met with loud cheers and applause from her family, friends and fellow classmates. Her performance was followed by the vocal ensemble’s rendition of the school’s alma mater. Members Kelli Karlin, Hailey LaMacchia, Hannah Lemp and Kaitlyn Rice sang beautiful words of inspiration and encouragement to the Class of 2021, setting the tone for the remainder of the ceremony.

Valedictorian Shannon Wodicka and salutatorian Taylor Casali both shared personal fond memories of their time at East Islip High School, but also made sure to commend the hard work, dedication and perseverance shown by the entire graduating class.

“We have all succeeded and learned in a time, which I thought seemed like the beginning of a zombie apocalypse,” Casali said. “Together we have made amazing memories that will stick with us for a lifetime. I’m excited for what's to come. There are great things in the future for all of us.”

“I think we can all agree that no matter what was going on in our lives before, COVID threw all of us a curveball,” Wodicka said. “There was no shortage of challenges or hardships this past year and a half. These hardships became our reality and we took inspiration from them in order to make the future better.”

Leading up to the presentation of diplomas, Superintendent John Dolan took to the podium to address the Class of 2021 one last time. He spoke of the strength and resilience shown by each of the graduates and congratulated them on their accomplishments.

“As the 2021 school year started, their flexibility was challenged,” Principal Mark Bernard said in his address to the new graduates. “They patiently persevered, they endured and they are stronger because of it. For these reasons, you, the Class of 2021, are ready for the next journey on which you are about to embark.”

Three members of high school’s varsity boys track and field team recently earned All-County honors: Jason Conzo (third place in pole vault), Javier Ornella (third place in shot put) and Josh Terhune (county runner-up in the 800-meter run).

In preparation for their step up to third grade in September, second graders from Connetquot visited RCK on June 8, wearing RCK spiritwear provided by Connetquot’s PTA. RCK Principal Janet Jones, social worker Brittany Hayes and third-grade student council representatives gave the younger students a tour of the entire building, including meetings with the school nurse and numerous teachers.

“These future RCK scholars asked great questions and showed sincere excitement for the upcoming school year,” said Jones. “We are looking forward to having them as part of our RCK family.”

The high school’s girls varsity track and field team won their first league championship since 2016, defeating Westhampton Beach on June 4 by a score of 80-60. Building on this victory, the Lady Redmen continued to make history by hosting the division championships for the first time on June 9, and winning the first division championship in school history. East Islip scored a whopping 113 points, far ahead of the 72 points tallied by the second-place team.

East Islip’s squad was led by division champion Joy Petersen in the 2000-meter steeple chase and Hannah Smalley in the 800-meter. The 4x400-meter relay team of Grace Micali, Jenna Scandale, Olivia Simonetti and Smalley won the division championship and set a new school record time of 4:09.35. The 4x800-meter team of Hailey DeHaas, Petersen, Danielle Simonetti and Sam Tucci also won the division championship with a time of 10:00.84. The 4x100-meter relay team of Kayla Kniff, Melissa Mirabelli, Gianna Motto and Ayanna O’Neal took 4th place in a season best time of 52.84 seconds. 

Individual scorers included Deirdre Carney (second place in the pentathlon), Kniff (fourth in the 100-meter high hurdles), Motto (fourth in the 100-meter dash), Petersen (second in 1,500-meter), Scandale (fourth in the 400-meter and fifth in the 200-meter), Danielle Simonetti (second in both the 800-meter and 2,000-meter steeplechase), Olivia Simonetti (second in high jump and third in 800-meter), Smalley (third in 1,500-meter), Tucci (fifth in the 3,000-meter), Sophia Worst (fifth in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles).

The Lady Redmen concluded their season on June 17 at the Section XI individual championships. Olivia Simonetti high jumped 5 feet 1 inch to place fifth overall. Scandale ran a personal record time of 60.33 to take sixth overall. Smalley continued her record-breaking season by taking third overall in the 800-meter with a time of 2:16.2, capping off a remarkable season in which Smalley established herself as the best 800-meter runner in school history, shattering the previous school record by over four seconds. The highlight of the Suffolk County meet was the performance of the 4x800 meter relay team of Petersen, Danielle Simonetti, Olivia Simonetti and Smalley, who won their race by a commanding 20 seconds, earning the title of county champions. Their time of 9:25.99 was the fastest in school history, and it was the first time in East Islip history that a relay team won the county championship. This 4x800 meter relay team finished their season ranked No. 1 on Long Island and No. 3 in New York State.

“This season was outstanding, and without question, the best the school has ever seen,” said coach John Reynolds. “Every day, the girls came out with a purpose and the results proved that. The bigger the meet, the better the result. They yearned for the best competition and when given the opportunity, showed they were the best kids to run in Suffolk County. I could not be prouder to have coached these wonderful young ladies. Their effort and determination showed me that they will not only be successful on the track but in whatever they put their focus to in life.”

Watch the June 21 ceremony .

The high school’s varsity baseball team won the Long Island championship on June 20, defeating Bethpage High School 14-2 in the exciting Conference IV contest at Mitchel Field. It was East Islip’s first time being named Long Island champions since 1991.

In a fun family twist, this year’s championship team featured two brothers – senior John Rizzo Jr. (13 strikeouts in a complete game) and sophomore Nick Rizzo (2-for-4 with a triple and five RBIs) – whose father John Rizzo Sr. was a member of the 1991 champion Redmen.

“We were fortunate to have a great group of talented kids that did everything the coaches asked of them,” said coach Sal Ciampi. “In the end, all the hard work paid off. I have never felt any team was more deserving of winning a championship.”

In a terrific series of outdoor ceremonies in the school’s outside sports pavilion, the high school inducted numerous deserving students into the Tri-M Music Honor Society (15 students on June 1), National Art Honor Society (52 students on June 2), World Language Honor Society (83 students on June 7), National Honor Society (66 students on June 8) and Math Honor Society (17 students on June 9). With families in attendance, the inductees were recognized and celebrated.  

The high school’s Tri-M Music Honor Society piloted a new mentoring program during hybrid learning this year, providing a chance for the members to connect with younger musicians. Guided by Tri-M advisers Christopher Neske and Giovanna Ruggiero, high school music students were paired with elementary instrumentalists as their “practice buddies,” meeting for a weekly video chat to work on fundamentals of playing their instrument. The high schoolers listened, demonstrated on their own instruments and provided feedback on everything from posture and instrument setup to intonation and rhythm. Elementary orchestra and band teachers Jaime DeMaria, Ron Fox, Lynda Maniscalco and Angela Stewart provided the high school students with the materials they needed and ensured that the program was a complete success.

“I loved to be able to have to opportunity to play with younger students,” said Tri-M President and senior cellist Maggie King. “I really saw a growth between the start of this program and where the kids are at now. I think this program established a positive relationship between elementary students and high school students that went both ways., and I hope that it encourages the fourth and fifth graders to continue with music through high school.”

King noted how this program, if it had existed then, would have impacted her as an elementary student.

“I would have felt so much more comfortable approaching the older kids for help,” she said. “I think allowing the kids to enjoy music at such a young age will help them develop a lifelong love for it.”

“We were so happy with the results and plan to make this an annual partnership,” Ruggiero said.

“I am so glad that we were able to provide this opportunity for our elementary students,” said Robert Wottawa II, the district’s director of art, ENL, music and world languages. “I know that our high school students learned just as much as our elementary students.”

The high school’s boys varsity track team recently finished in fifth place in their division championship.

Josh Terhune led the way by winning the 800-meter race with a time of 2:00.03, one of the fastest times in the county, and placing fourth in the high jump. EI’s 4 x 100 relay team of Joe Margo, Vinny Mariani, Peterson Lowman and Kevin Smith also took first place.

Second-place finishers included Jason Conzo in pole vault, Smith in the 100-meter race and Javier Ornella in shot put. The 4 x 400 relay team of Conzo, Nick Groneman, James Kelly and Josh Terhune finished in third place, running an impressive race, while Ryan Auffant place fourth in the discus throw. 

“It was a great team effort watching the boys battle through such tough conditions,” said coach Ralph Tubello. “Congratulations to all the champions and place winners.”

Several “flocks” of flamingos were recently spotted around East Islip as a fun way to recognize the high school’s seniors and fundraise for East Islip High School’s Peer Support Leadership Club. The club’s team kicked off the fundraiser by “flocking” valedictorian Shannon Wodicka and salutatorian Taylor Casali. Flocked seniors are then invited to participate in the fun game by “flocking it forward” with a suggested donation of $15, and can tell the ornithologists of East Islip where to relocate the flock during the migration. The flock will move off the lawn for free to a random senior if they do not wish to participate. Seniors can also purchase “anti-flocking insurance” for an additional $5 (a suggested donation of $20 total) to keep the flock from migrating back. Parents, friends and family may also request to participate with the same suggested donation to have the flock migrate their way. 

For more information on the club or the fundraiser, please contact Genesis Dawson at gdawson@eischools.org.

A total of 72 superlative seniors and their proud families gathered at the outdoor pavilion on June 9 to celebrate the high school’s senior local scholarship awards. The ceremony featured a welcome by Jason Stanton and a congratulatory speech from Principal Mark Bernard.

Reminder – The Universal Pre-K on-site portion of the registration will be held at the Early Childhood Center located at 1 Craig B. Gariepy Ave., Islip Terrace. This registration is reserved only for those selected in the lottery. Please complete your online portion of the registration before coming in person.

The dates/times for registration are as follows:

Monday, June 21, 2021-Last Name A-J – 9:30am-11:30am and 12:30pm-3:00pm
Tuesday, June 22, 2021 – Last Name K-Z – 8:30am-11:00am and 12:00pm-3:00pm
Monday, June 28, 2021 – 2:00pm-6:00pm – If you cannot come on your designated day, you are welcome to come on this day or, if need be, you can come on the other available day. You do not have to call ahead if you cannot come on your designated day. You are, however, required to come in on one of the days to ensure your child’s placement in the UPK program.

If you have any questions, please contact Alexis Ricci, Registrar, at 631-224-2043.

Thank you.

Fourth graders at Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ and RCK recently participated in the schools’ first annual virtual science and engineering design fairs. In a fierce competition, students worked diligently, using the scientific method, to test a hypothesis of their choosing. Data was collected, journals were kept and conclusions were made. Students submitted Google slides, PowerPoint presentations, videos and pictures of traditional trifold boards showcasing their well-planned and prepared science experiments and engineering projects. The fourth graders demonstrated their understanding of the scientific method and also created models.

The high school’s Science Honor Society students acted as judges as Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½, under the direction of high school science teacher Genesis Dawson. Connor Schaper earned first place with his project “Which Facemask Protects the Best?” Additional winners at Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ were first runner-up Quinlan Maher for “Are Your Hands Really Clean?” and second runner-up Vincent Fox for “Making Batteries with Fruit.”  

At RCK, the winner was Jacob Tatun for his project “Hamster Run.” Bryan Freisem finished second for “Hot Puck vs. Cold Puck,” Allyson Habel third for “Does Your Cat Have a Paw Preference?” and Landon Burchard third for “Mentos Explosion.”

“Both creativity and talent were evident in all of the entries from our young scientists and engineers,” said Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Principal Deborah Smith.

Schaper and Tatun represented East Islip at Brookhaven National Laboratory’s Virtual Science/Engineering Design Fair in June.

High school senior Hannah Smalley signed a national letter of intent on June 10 to join the track and cross-country team at the University of Delaware in Newark this fall. She will major in pre-veterinary medicine.

During her athletic career at East Islip, Smalley has earned All-County, All-League, All-Division, and Scholar-Athlete distinction. She is also a member of the school’s National Honor Society and Science Honor Society, and earned high honor roll recognition.

The Suffolk County School Superintendents Association continued its tradition of recognizing the highest-achieving graduates in Suffolk County on June 3. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 27th annual valedictorians celebration was presented as a virtual event, hosted by SCSSA President and Center Moriches School District Superintendent Ronald Masera.

Superintendents, administrators, valedictorians and their parents gathered in small groups, within their own school districts, to view the event and celebrate the outstanding accomplishments of this year’s valedictorians. Keynote speaker Jon Gordon, author of “The Power of Positive Leadership,” discussed the benefits of positive leadership and the true meaning of encouraging others to succeed.

At East Islip, Class of 2021 valedictorian Shannon Wodicka and her parents were congratulated by Superintendent John Dolan and Principal Mark Bernard. On behalf of the SCSSA, Dolan presented Wodicka with a commemorative program, congratulatory video, a certificate of achievement, Gordon’s book “The Energy Bus” and the traditional copy of “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” by Dr. Seuss.

Wodick and salutatorian Taylor Casali were subsequently also recognized by the East Islip Board of Education at its June 10 business meeting.

The entire second grade at Connetquot gathered on June 11 for a group photo on the playground to commemorate all their hard work and excitement for a bright future.

“It was great to see them all smiling and happy as this school year comes to a close,” said teacher Melissa Love.

“These kids faced this year’s challenges with such resilience,” said teacher Melinda Safrany. “We know they will do amazing things going forward.”

Sponsored by the For the Kids Foundation, the long anticipated Senior Day came on June 4 for the soon-to-be-graduates. Before the barbecue, seniors attended graduation practice and received their caps, gowns and yearbooks. They then ventured outside to spend the remainder of their day signing yearbooks, playing backyard games, dancing to a DJ and eating hamburgers, hot dogs and ice cream. At the end of the day, FTK held raffles for games and gift cards.

“Senior Day has become a real tradition for our school,” said Class of 2021 adviser Kate Boucher. “It was a wonderful day spent reminiscing about all their years at East Islip High School.”

At her final business meeting on June 10, Superintendent John Dolan honored outgoing Board of Education President Jessica Carney, who did not run for reelection. She was first elected as a trustee in 2015 and served as president in 2017-2018 and 2020-2021.

High school senior Kaila O’Hara signed a national letter of intent on June 3 to join the swimming and diving team at SUNY Cortland this fall. She plans to major in mathematics and adolescent education.

A freestyle sprinter, O’Hara serves as swim captain for the Connetquot-East Islip girls varsity swimming and diving team, where she was named MVP in 2019 and 2020-21. She earned All-League recognition in 2018, 2019 and 2020-21, achieved Scholar-Athlete and High Minds in Motion distinction, and was named to the 2017 All-County team. O’Hara was the top scorer for her team at the 2020-21 season Section XI county championships, placing fifth in 100-yard freestyle and seventh in 200-yard freestyle. She also is a member of East Islip’s varsity track and field team, competing as a pole vaulter and sprinter.

In academics, O’Hara earned a spot in the top 10% of her senior class and is a member of East Islip’s National Honor Society and Foreign Language Honor Society.

High school student-artist and National Art Honor Society member Sarah Piccinini recently won the Visitors Choice Award in the 25th annual “Long Island’s Best: Young Artists at the Heckscher Museum” exhibition, which ran at the Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington from April 17 to May 23. Piccinini’s mixed media piece, “Decomposing,” was inspired by Denise Adler’s “Same Battles, Same Victims,” which was on view in the Long Island Biennial 2020. More than 2,800 votes were cast for this award this year – by individuals visiting the museum in person as well as online – with over 700 cast for Piccinini’s work.

“I hope viewers discover their own connection with nature and change their perception of death when they view my work,” Piccinini said. “I also created it to spread environmental awareness. Due to industrialization and capitalism, we have forgotten the importance of environmental conservation. By creating my art on a scrap of cardboard that I would have otherwise thrown away, I hope to show how we can live in a resourceful and sustainable way.”

After learning about owls and their unique way of digesting food, fourth graders in Lisa Boehler’s class at Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ dissected owl pellets. With the help from a document camera, the students were able to magnify and share their findings with each other.

The high school’s mock trial team proved successful at the recent Tournament of Champions, a national online invitational that brought together 32 of the top mock trial teams in the country, including state and national champions. The case was based on the story from the film “My Cousin Vinnie.” Each team consisted of two lawyers and two witnesses, playing four rounds alternating as prosecution and defense.

East Islip competed with two teams. Team No. 1 – seniors Jacob Arens, Justin Martinez, Vince Papillo, Kaitlyn Rice and Kimberly Turtell; and junior Grace Gerondel – faced Sandy High School from Oregon, Arrowhead Union High School from Wisconsin, Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Academy from Texas and Niles West High School from Illinois. They took sixth place overall, received an honorable mention and won two individual awards. Papillo and Rice were both named Outstanding Attorneys with scores of 30 and 28 out of 30, respectively. Only 10 students were recognized with this honor out of 117 competing in this division.  

The second East Islip team – junior Tyler Oquendo; sophomores Bella Fantauzzi, Tristan Hearth, Hunter Lasiak and Sarah Strick; and freshmen Kate O’Hara and Hanna Ross – also had an impressive first major tournament, finishing with a winning record for the weekend.  They battled Central Carolina Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½schoolers from North Carolina, Clifton High School from New Jersey, Duchesne Academy from Nebraska and Carmel High School from California.

“For many students on Team No. 2, it was their first time acting as attorneys,” said coach Patsy Lester. “They showed a command of the rules of evidence. I’m so proud of all of our students for their hard work and dedication. They met with me online several evenings a week for two months to prepare. These students made a commitment to excellence, working around their busy schedules of AP exams and other academic commitments, music and sports. It was a fantastic end to our season, and it was deeply meaningful for our seniors to be able compete together once last time and to enjoy such success.”

High school junior Johnathan Yankus has earned Prudential’s President’s Volunteer Service Award for the third consecutive year, honoring his outstanding community service. Presented annually by Prudential Financial as part of its Spirit of Community Awards, the President’s Volunteer Service Award recognizes Americans of all ages who volunteer significant amounts of time to serving their communities and country.

Fifth graders in Robert Chiarelli’s class at RCK paid patriotic tribute to Memorial Day on May 28, wearing red, white and blue as well as creating American flag art.

Please vote for Connetquot Elementary in the LI Sport Heroes Challenge! Click on  link, search Connetquot and click on the video to vote for CES! Each email address can vote every day, and when you do cast your vote, you will receive an email confirmation to confirm your vote.

Voting ends at 8 p.m. EST on Tuesday, June 8.

Winners are announced by June 10.

East Islip Ice Hockey senior captain Tyler Zembrzycki signed a junior hockey contract on May 13 to play for the Long Beach Sharks organization. The center was selected 10th overall on April 28 in the first round of the NA3HL draft.

A three-year varsity hockey player, Zembrzycki served as assistant captain in his junior year before being named captain as a senior. He finished his high school career in third place overall in scoring in the Suffolk High School Hockey League while only playing 10 games this year. Zembrzycki also plays for the Long Island Arrows 18U travel team, where he finished sixth in the league in scoring out of 319 players.

Off the ice, Zembrzycki is dedicated to giving back to the community. He helped organize the distribution of pumpkins to the district’s elementary schools, participated in raising American flags along East Islip’s Main Street and served as a student volunteer for the For the Kids Foundation.

“I am looking forward to this new adventure and hope to see some of you cheering me on in the stands at the Long Beach Arena for the 2021-2022 season,” Zembrzycki said.