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Seniors Joshua Koretz and James Smalley were named National Merit Finalists in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program. Both accomplished scholars were honored by the district and Board of Education at recent business meetings.

The middle school Math League’s eighth grade team of Rachel Furey, David Serino, and Marisa Triolo were recently recognized at the Suffolk County Math Teachers’ Association Math Awards dinner for achieving the highest score in their division. Throughout the year, students compete in math competitions against other schools in the area.

“We are very proud of their hard work and dedication to math and Math League all year long,” said teacher Alyssa Tripi. “They are an outstanding group of students, and we look forward to seeing their future accolades.

High school students Rebecca Bast, Jenna Bosco, Danielle Catanzarite, Brandon Jinete, Michael Kilbourne, Rachel Kuhlman, Leah Neville, Judy Orellana, Alyssa Orlando and Kerri Smith were recently selected for the 16th annual 12x12 High School Art Exhibition, sponsored by LIU Post. The show debuted on May 3 at Post’s Student Art League Gallery, culminating in a reception on May 15. For this competition, student-artists were required to create works that are 12 inches wide by 12 inches high.

“I love art and I am continuing on next year in Advanced Placement Studio Art, so it was an honor to be chosen for this show,” said Kilbourne.

“It’s such a wonderful opportunity that LIU Post offers in exhibiting Long Island high school artists,” said teacher Heather Toomey. “I am so proud of these wonderful photography and electronic illustration students.”

After winning “Best in Show” at the 2019 Long Island Media Arts Show at Five Towns College, East Islip High School student Stephanie Milito’s short film “Breathe” was selected for the 13th annual First Exposure Film Festival, held on May 19 at the Cinema Art Centre in Huntington. Milito’s film, which deals with acute anxiety disorder, was shown in the theater at the event, and she was presented with a certificate of recognition by Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone.

The high school’s varsity girls golf team, coached by Judith Fischer, competed in the Suffolk County competition on May 20-21 at Middle Island Country Club, finishing seventh overall. Two golfers, captain Sofia Ferrezza and Sophia Stryjewski, made the initial cut to return to compete on the second day as individuals for an All-State spot. In a field of 103 golfers, Stryjewski finished 13th, six strokes off the All-State mark; Ferrezza finished in 19th, 12 strokes off the cut.

Baseball
East Islip @ Half Hollow Hills West on May 23 at 4 p.m.

Softball
Islip @ East Islip on May 24 at 4 p.m.

Boys Lacrosse
East Islip vs. Harborfields on May 29 at 4 p.m. @ Farmingdale College
Admission is $10 at site, $8 . Students who show ID get in for $5.

Tim Coakley, a fifth grader at Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½, was recognized at the district’s May 9 Board of Education business meeting for his achievement in winning the Knights of Columbus New York State Council’s 2019 basketball free throw contest. Coakley, who was named 11-year-old boys division state champion at the West Point event, was congratulated at the board meeting by Superintendent John Dolan and Board of Education President Christopher Zachry.

Supported by a crowd of cheering, poster-waving students, Chris Pendergast came to the middle school on May 8 as part of his 22nd annual Ride for Life event. Pendergast, a former elementary school teacher and ALS patient, has spent the last two decades dedicating his life to raise money to help find a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Pendergast previously helped the school’s National Junior Honor Society and Leaders Club kick off their respective fundraising efforts with a March 13 assembly for eighth graders. Members of these clubs then sold baseballs as a competition between grades for a night of no homework, and social studies teacher Melissa Henderson presented Pendergast and his foundation with a $1,000 check at the Ride for Life.

A group of 20 students in the high school’s National Art Honor Society recently participated in the Memory Project, an initiative which invites art teachers and their students to create portraits for youth around the world who have faced substantial challenges, such as neglect, abuse, loss of parents and extreme poverty.

The East Islip students – Alexis Barber, Sophie Bingham, Steven Brown, Lauren Florenz, Mikayla Henderson, Alyssa Huss, Brandon Jinete, Kelli Karlin, Sarah Kern, Michael Kilbourne, Madeleine Lanberg, Kaylee Matos, Jenna Moceri, Katryna Mullen, Leah Neville, Hillary Ng, Katie Spina, Joelle Tomossone, Samantha Winegard and Logan Witte – were given photographs of children from Peru and then created portraits of those children using media of their choice, including pencil, watercolor, charcoal, colored pencils or digitally rendered portraits. 

“The Memory Project is such an amazing organization and really is a perfect fit for our National Art Honor Society to showcase their talents and help youth around the world who face a number of challenges,” said teacher Heather Toomey, who served as the project’s co-adviser along with Daniel Figiozzi. “I am proud of all the artists that participated in creating beautiful portraits of these 20 young children from Peru.”

“It was a true honor being able to give this wonderful gift to these children,” said Bingham. “I think it is wonderful that we get to put a smile on these children's faces.”

“It was an experience I will always remember,” said student Mullen. “I hope the child I drew enjoys it as much as I enjoyed drawing her. I am happy she gets to keep it. It was a nice experience to participate in something that gives back to people.”

“As president of the NAHS, I am very involved in all the service projects being done,” said Florenz. “I think the Memory Project was such an amazing activity and an honor for all the students to participate in. Being able to create art for kids in other countries is a really great concept because although there may be a language barrier, it’s cool how the art can bring us all together, and I think everyone in the Society was really appreciative of the opportunity.”

In support of the high school’s career technology programs, Bright Bay Lincoln hosted a Lincoln “Driven to Give” fundraiser on May 11 at the Early Childhood Center parking lot. Student drivers, staff and community members were invited to test drive a brand-new Lincoln automobile, with $20 donated by the auto maker to the high school's CTE programs for every test drive.

The high school’s varsity girls golf team, coached by Judith Fischer and captained by junior Sofia Ferrezza, finished the season with a terrific 8-2 record, earning them second place in League III and the fifth best record in the county. The team is busy preparing for the county competition, to be held on May 20-21 at Middle Island Country Club.

A trip of a lifetime became a reality recently for 29 high school students, who were given the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica accompanied by the school’s world language teachers.

The tour kicked off in the nation’s capital city of San José, where students visited the charming Sarchí village, an old artisan town in the Alajuela Province known for its oxcarts with handpainted wheels. The tour continued with a visit to Arenal Volcano National Park, where the high schoolers were able to hike on rainforest trails and observe wildlife and plant species. The hike also provided access to a closer view of the active volcano itself. The next day, the students went on a kayak excursion on Arenal Lake, followed by another hike to experience hanging bridges, where they saw wild boar, snakes, birds and monkeys. The day ended with a dip in a natural hot spring heated by the volcano.

The students next visited a local elementary school in the town of Monteverde, where they donated items that they brought from home – such as Frisbees, soccer balls, footballs, notebooks, markers, pens and pencils – and observed an actual English lesson. After learning about reforestation, the traveling students planted their own trees to support the land and provide homes for native animals. They also went hiking and ziplining in the cloud forest of Monteverde, and took a horseback ride in the mountains surrounding the forest.

The last segment of the trip was spent along the Pacific coastline, including surfing lessons and a visit to Manuel Antonio National Park, where the students spent the afternoon swimming, relaxing and encountering sloths and friendly spider monkeys. The final night of their Costa Rican adventure was spent back in San José, concluding with a farewell dinner that featured a dance celebration and folklore show. 

“Our students agree that this was a trip of a lifetime, one that they will never forget,” said Spanish teacher Betty Muller. “They were able to appreciate the love that Costa Ricans have for their country. One cannot understand how beautiful this country is and why its people are so happy unless you visit it.”

 

The For the Kids Foundation held its 22nd annual Gala, themed “Sunset on the Bay,” on April 6 at Land's End in Sayville. For this year’s event, replete with the traditional raffles and fine dining, the honorees were Timber Point teacher Teresa Frisina and high school teacher Bridget Lopiccolo, both recognized as Educator Advocates of the Year, and Suffolk County Legislator Tom Cilmi, recognized as Community Advocate of the Year.

The Gala serves as FTK’s primary fundraising event. Since its formation, the organization has donated well over $1 million for educational programs and resources to benefit East Islip’s students.

Four diligent Italian level 2 and 3 students from East Islip High School – Anthony Rossano, Emma Sasso, Anna Stauber and Gerson Tamayo – competed against more than 300 other students from across Nassau and Suffolk in the 34th annual American Association of Teachers of Italian Long Island Poetry Contest, held on April 12 at SUNY Old Westbury on April 12. It was East Islip’s first time competing in this event. The students were asked to memorize an Italian poem of 12-30 lines and recite it in front of a panel of judges.

The boys tennis team will host Mattituck on May 14.

Please see the attached for upcoming playoff brackets for boys and girls lacrosse.

Click to purchase tickets.                                           

Photography classes at the high school recently participated in a lighting workshop with local photographer John Lennon. The students explored the properties of hard and soft light and how color and lighting can change mood in portraiture as well as still life photographs.

“John has volunteered his time and expertise on numerous occasions to the photography students of East Islip,” said art teacher Heather Toomey. “They always enjoy and learn so much from his knowledge.”   

“It was a wonderful experience to learn how to put lighting on someone’s face so they look good,” said Sabine Gebhard.

“Mr. Lennon was a great teacher and I learned so much about a subject that I wanted to explore,” said Jenna Donnelly.

“It’s always an exciting day when John Lennon visits our classes,” said art teacher Joy Taylor. “Getting to work alongside a professional photographer and use his high-end equipment is a great experience for the students. His advice about hard and soft lighting and the effects it has on portraits was really inspiring.”

Working in small groups of five or six, high school students enrolled in robotics courses recently conducted a multi-day in-house tournament utilizing robots which the students designed and built themselves from scratch.

After several months in robotics class, students within the course designed and created competition robots to play this year’s VEX EDR game Turning Point. The high schoolers were tasked with creating designs that were robust enough to withstand the competition and also capable of maximizing points within the game.

During the tournament, each team had the opportunity to play with and against all of the other robots in their class, culminating in the crowning of four class champions: Period 1, Robot No. 1 (designed by Hannah Bohlsen, Sophia Cicale, Chelsea Dodenhoff, and Sebastian Gebhard); Period 3, Robot No. 7 (designed by Joe Canas, William Carpluk, Aiden Lopera, Mitchell Meyers and Jason Stein); Period 5, Robot No. 10 (designed by Gabe Abruzo, Mike Baldino, Brendan Hughes and Nathan Willdigg); and Period 8, Robot No. 16 (designed by Sophia Bates, Anthony Carroll, Allison Farino, Arthur Martin and Steve Stassi).

The four class champion robots were then entered into a one-day mini tournament competing with and against each other. Each class had the chance to drive and compete with the class champion robots, providing a true test of the engineering prowess of the designs. In the end, Period 3, Robot No. 7 was crowned as tournament champion.

In addition to the class champion and tournament champion awards, alternate awards were given out in an effort to celebrate students for their group work as well as their individual efforts in helping out their teams.

Top Engineer awards were given to Kristen Bayreuther, Jacob DiPrima-Bien, Joe Fragala, Cody Knott and Brian Quinn in recognition of superior engineering skills and helping lead their robotics team.

Recognized as Team Award winners for the most professional design approach were Joe Bucci, Emre Destek, William Lopez-Riano, Neel Patel and Jordan Quillan for Period 5, Robot No. 11.

In recognition of designing and creating the most technologically advanced robot, Bayreuther, Anthony DiSanto, Brandon Gans, Tyler Herzog and Nick Illare won the Judges Award for Period 3, Robot No. 6.

“When I was asked to bring robotics back to the high school, I thought back to when I was involved in East Islip’s FIRST robotics program back in the early 2000s,” said technology teacher James Connell. “The program was excellent and at one point in time, nationally ranked. I always wanted to bring it back to East Islip and jumped at the opportunity when it was presented to me. Unlike FIRST robotics, which was an afterschool program where students designed and created only one robot that was shared by more than 50 students, I wanted to provide students with a more intimate and in-depth experience. Our current setup of running robotics as a course offered within the technology education department not only provides students with the option to do robotics during the day, but it also offers them the opportunity to work in smaller group sessions where they can take more ownership in their learning.”

The East Islip School District 2019 budget vote and board election will take place on Tuesday, May 21, from 6 a.m.-9 p.m. in the Early Childhood Center at 1 Craig B. Gariepy Ave. in Islip Terrace.

The evening's Board of Education business meeting will begin at 8:45 p.m.

View the video of the May 6 Meet the Candidate Night .

Charles P. Kalinowski and Christopher Nicolia are running for the open seat currently held by Steven Behan, who is not running for reelection.

Student volunteers from the high school’s girls varsity and JV lacrosse teams ran a water station during the EJ Autism Foundation’s 13th annual four-mile Jigsaw Run/Walk for Autism in April. Proceeds from the event will support programs on Long Island that work with children diagnosed with autism.

The high school’s boys and girls varsity lacrosse teams joined forces on April 29 to organize a special “Lax Out Cancer” event, selling shirts and raising more than $1,000 to benefit the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The project was spearheaded by senior girls player Melissa Sconone.

High school students Jessica Montijo and Cammi Shaw were recently selected to have their work showcased in the 21st annual Colors of Long Island student art exhibit at Stony Brook’s Long Island Museum.

Montijo is currently enrolled in Daniel Figliozzi’s Advanced Placement Studio Art class.

“The triptych that Jess contributed to Colors of Long Island beautifully captures Long Island’s wildlife and landscape,” said Figliozzi. “She is an amazing photographer and designer and is one of the most hardworking students I've ever worked with.”

“It was a great honor to have my photo displayed with amazing artwork from students across Long Island,” said Shaw. “I love being out in nature and capturing its beauty with my camera.”

“It’s such an amazing opportunity to have these two wonderful student-artists showcased at a professional museum,” said teacher Heather Toomey. “I am so proud of Cammi and Jessica. They are wonderful artists and deserve the honor of being exhibited at the Long Island Museum.”

In celebration of Earth Day 2019, Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ students, staff and community members gathered on April 18 to walk around the school fields. Each class made colorful and creative banners to foster awareness about the importance of respecting the earth and appreciating the environment.

Six fifth grade students – Emma Blandino, Emilia Cicale, Kylie Dickson, Aidan Godbout, Hanna Nilsen and Olivia Primiano – read their original poetry, which highlighted the responsibility to reduce, recycle and reuse, and the entire school performed a song directed by music teacher James Santoro. 

“Earth Day was first celebrated on April 22, 1970 to recognize clean air, land and water,” said Principal Deborah Smith. “Every year, we take time to appreciate all that we have and the beautiful nature around us. It is also vital that we accept our obligation to conserve and protect our planet for generations to come.”

The high school’s Mock Trial team finished as semifinalists in the annual Long Island Law Day tournament held at Northport High School. It was the fifth consecutive year that East Islip has brought home an award from this event.  East Islip was represented by freshmen Emily Blair and Grace Gerondel, sophomores Jacob Arens, Justin Martinez; Vince Papillo, Kaitlyn Rice and Kim Turtell; and senior Ashley Malcolm.

During the tournament, sponsored by Project PATCH and Touro Law Center, 16 teams from Nassau and Suffolk counties competed in one-on-one mini trials. For each round, students were given a one-page fact pattern and had 12 minutes to prepare to present an entire legal case, including opening and closing statements and witness examinations. East Islip competed in five rounds of trials, finally falling to Massapequa in the semis. 

“Long Island Law Day is an excellent way to exhibit student learning, because coaches may not help the students during the 12-minute reading and prep time or during the trial itself,” said coach Patsy Lester. “Team members must work together quickly and cooperatively to apply their knowledge of the law to the facts and make a convincing presentation to the judges. The outcome was particularly impressive since most of our students were underclassmen. I’m proud of the hard work the team put in. They totally trust and support one another and deserved this success.”

High school senior Timothy Meier was recently accepted to attend the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland this fall. The future Navy man, whose eventual career goal is mechanical engineering, went through a challenging application process, including obtaining recommendations from Congressman Pete King and Sen. Charles Schumer.

“My brother is in the Navy, where he went through medical school, so that got me interested,” said Meier. “I’ve been thinking about the Navy since middle school, and ever since then, it evolved into going to the Naval Academy.”

A superb 17 of the high school’s students recently won “Best in Show” awards at the annual Long Island Media Arts Show at Five Towns College, including 15 art students (Niamh Amitrao, Max Calarco, Robert Camlet, Bella Carlozzi, Hailey Cooke, Julia Desiderio, Jenna Donnelly, Sabine Gebhard, Emma Jakits, Jake Kenny, Michael Laird, Anna Langman, Jessica Montijo, Leah Neville and Kerry Smith) and three video production and broadcast television students (Andrew Johnson and Stephanie Milito).

“This was my second year in a row receiving a ‘Best in Show’ award and it was such a valuable experience,” said Donnelly.

“It was a fun time and I learned a lot from the experience,” said Cooke.

“It was an honor to receive ‘Best in Show’ award for my photography,” said Smith.

“This year’s show was another great experience for the students,” said teacher Joy Taylor. “Presenting work for evaluation by professionals in the field can be daunting, and these students have both talent and courage. Congratulations to all of them!”

“I am so proud of all of the students that received ‘Best in Show’ awards,” said teacher Heather Toomey. “We even had students win more than one for their outstanding work in photography and computer graphics. These students had some of the strongest work at the show, and this event is such a wonderful opportunity and experience for them to get critiqued by professionals.”

Videos by East Islip students entered in the contest included “Costa Rica Vacation” by Chris Alessi, “Daydream” by Nick Conzo and “Dystopia” by Jenna Donnelly. The two “Best in Show” winners, the acute anxiety disorder film “Breathe” by Milito and social media horror short “Double Check” by Johnson. Were submitted to the First Exposure Film Festival and Milito’s video will be shown at the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington in May.

“It was so rewarding being able to have all my work pay off by being awarded best in show,” said Johnson.

“Being able to showcase my work at Five Towns College was such a fun experience,” said Milito. “I’m thankful for being given the opportunity to portray such emotions over film.”

“Every year I am always very impressed by the quality of the videos our students produce for the Media Arts show,” said teacher James Connell. “A tremendous amount of hard work goes in to the planning, filming and editing of the videos, and it is done at a very high quality.”

High school juniors and seniors visited the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center on April 3 to watch Lerner and Loewe’s classic musical production of “My Fair Lady,” featuring Tony-award winners Laura Benanti and Danny Burstein. The students also enjoyed seeing such famous New York City landmarks as the Lincoln Center fountain, the Metropolitan Opera House and the Julliard School of Music.

“Most of our students were familiar with the storyline since ‘Pygmalion,’ the George Bernard Shaw play which is the source material for the musical, is taught in ninth grade,” said English teacher Linda Leach. “It was exciting to realize that a key role, Mrs. Higgins, was played by Rosemary Harris, a 92-year-old Tony-award winning actress who performed with many distinguished actors including Richard Burton, Laurence Olivier and Peter O’Toole.”