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In a happy holiday tradition, middle school musicians from the band, chorus club and Tri-M Music Honor Society visited the district’s elementary schools and the South Shore Preschool for Early Childhood Education at the Early Childhood Center, imbuing the day with impressive holiday spirit. The holiday ensemble performed with verve, tackling classics like “Deck the Halls,” “Joy to the World,” “Jingle Bell Rock” and a Hanukkah medley.

“This is always one of our favorite days of the year,” said band teacher Concetta Stevens.

Showing a commitment to the wider community, the high school’s varsity softball team continued its tradition of shopping for Long Island children in need, again teaming up with Christmas Magic, a local nonprofit organization. The caring students shopped for and wrapped each present, purchased via donations from Christmas Magic. The gifts will be delivered to a shelter in Mastic Beach by softball coach Jason McGowan.

“We had a great time shopping for these kids, knowing that they will wake up with a bunch of presents,” said senior Allison Dellorto. “It feels good to help those less fortunate than us.”

“It was a great night to bond with the team,” said fellow softball player Jenny Murphy. “I look forward to this every Christmas.”

The winners of East Islip’s annual SADD Red Ribbon anti-drug slogan contest were Deanna Bogarowksi from Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ and Krista Deusch from RCK. At the district’s December Board of Education meeting, the two students were honored by Superintendent John Dolan, Board of Education President Christopher Zachry, Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Principal Deborah Smith and RCK Principal Janet Jones, and members of the high school's SADD Club spoke to the community about the club's work to combat drug and alcohol abuse.

Back in October, the high school’s SADD Club visited the district’s fifth-grade classes to share important anti-drug messages as part of the Red Ribbon program. The SADD members also ran the slogan contest, and presented skits to help younger students learn how to respond to bullying and drugs. In return, the fifth-graders wrote letters to all of the graduating seniors, reminding them to make good decisions during prom and graduation as well as wishing them well in their life journey after high school.   

“This program is so important because these 11-year-old students are at an age statistically that drug and alcohol abuse starts,” said Bridget Lopiccolo, the SADD Club’s adviser. “We need to get to them early and teach them that life is about choices and making the right ones.”

Senior Justin Lamando signed a national letter of intent on Dec. 14 to play soccer for SUNY Potsdam. He was congratulated by his proud coaches, family and Redmen Athletic Director Stephen Restivo.

The three-year varsity left back and team captain won the Cary Award for Leadership; he also was named All-Division as a member of the school’s tennis team. On the academic side, he was named to the high honor roll and is a member of East Islip’s National Honor Society and Foreign Language Honor Society. He plans to major in business administration and management.

This video feature takes an in-depth look at the high school's art classes and talented student-artists. Look for future videos on the middle school and elementary art programs later in the school year.

EJ Autism Foundation founder Bea Huste-Petersen welcomed sweatshirt-clad members of the community to the local organization’s ninth annual Black Tie Hoodie Event, held Dec. 6 at Captain Bill’s in Bay Shore. The fundraiser serves to support EJ Autism’s dedicated and crucial work to help East Islip children with special needs.

“The 2018 Hoodie was a great success with another sold-out crowd,” said Huste-Petersen.

The East Islip High School Mock Trial team competed in the Empire Mock Trial World Tournament in November, an event that brought 40 teams and almost 500 students from the entire nation and six countries to New York to compete in the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse.

This year’s fact pattern concerned a defendant charged with hate crime: an assault based on the victim’s perceived race. East Islip’s students faced off against schools from Oregon, Texas, Connecticut, Utah and California, with the prosecution team going 3-1 for the weekend. Jacob Arens, Sofia Frigiola, Justin Martinez and Tyler O’Neil were ranked for best performances in their rounds, and sophomore Kaitlyn Rice was recognized as one of the top 15 lawyers at the tournament, bringing home an Outstanding Attorney trophy. 

This is the fourth year that East Islip has competed in the Empire Mock Trial World Tournament, and the fourth consecutive award for the program, having won Outstanding Witness Awards in 2015 and 2017, and the Spirit of Empire Award in 2016. The team is coached by social studies teacher Patsy Lester, with assistance from attorney Brian Mitchell, Touro Law School professor Tracy Norton and the students of the Touro Trial Advocacy and Practice Society. 

“We couldn’t be as successful as we are without the help of the school community, Touro Law School and of course, our Mock Trial parents who have generously supported us every step of the way,” Lester said.

The high school’s division champion field hockey squad earned numerous deserved accolades at the Suffolk County Field Hockey Coaches Association’s annual awards dinner. The Dec. 4 ceremony was held at Villa Lombardi’s in Holbrook.

Seniors Lindsay Guzzetta and Kendall Mittleman earned All-County status; seniors MaryKate Carroll and Sarah DiPrima and juniors Allison Chiarelli and Alyssa Levy earned All-County Honorable Mention; Carroll and Guzzetta both won All-Tournament recognition; and Melissa Sconone took home the Unsung Hero award.

“This is a great team, better every day on and off the field,” said coach Christopher Veit.

High school senior and star bowler Julianna Spina signed a national letter of intent on Dec. 13, committing to Arkansas State University. Girls varsity bowling coach Harold Cooley and Athletic Director Stephen Restivo were in attendance to congratulate Spina, along with her family.

While bowling for the Red Wolves, Spina plans to major in biology and chemistry. A member of East Islip’s National Honor Society and Foreign Language Honor Society, she will graduate in the top 10 percent of her class. As an athlete, she earned All-State, All-County and All-League status, was a key member of the state champion team, and was the 2017-2018 Suffolk County Match Play winner at 29-1. She bowled a 754 series with the Lady Redmen, the highest in the county at the time.

“Julianna is one of the hardest working and most dedicated student-athletes you will find,” said Cooley. “She puts 100 percent of herself into everything she does, both in and out of school, thus putting her at the top of the list in both categories. I'm proud to be her coach and wish her all the best in her future endeavors.”

Fourteen fabulous string students from East Islip will participate in this year’s Long Island String Festival Association concert series. Each student was chosen through a rigorous process that included New York State School Music Association scores, teacher recommendations and the LISFA selection committee.

East Islip High School students Sophia Bates (violin), Trevor Garnett (cello), Peter Gerace (bass), Victoria Keenan (violin), Joshua Koretz (viola), Mia Lembo (bass), Caroline Meehan (violin), Michelle Mirabelli (viola), Chiara Mosca (viola), Kathryn O’Neill (bass) and Samantha Seibert (viola) will rehearse for LISFA on Jan. 11-13, culminating in a performance at St. John the Baptist High School in West Islip.

Ruth C. Kinney Elementary School fifth-grader Zeynep Oztas and East Islip Middle School students Melissa Mirabelli and Keira Tantillo will rehearse for LISFA on Jan. 25-27, culminating in a performance at Hauppauge High School.

Dear Parents and Guardians:

As you know, the safety and security of our school buildings, students and staff is, and always has been, our number one priority. With that being said, the Board of Education and district administrators have spent the last several months discussing the many options to safeguard our most treasured assets – your children. Through many discussions at Board meetings, the conversation to arm our security guards has been at the forefront.

At last evening’s Board meeting, the trustees voted in favor of the placement of armed security personnel within our buildings when the students return from the holiday break. This decision was made after months of thoughtful deliberation, research and multiple conversations with law enforcement, security professionals, our insurance carrier and district lawyers.

The district will be equipping many of our existing security guards, all of whom are qualified retired police officers. Our current security staff is already aware of our buildings, students and staff as well as our security procedures. There is no need for the district to hire any new personnel. Our security personnel will undergo any necessary training if applicable and adhere to the guidelines set within the Board policy.

As always, the topic of safety and security is discussed among our staff often and we continually enhance and update our security protocols and infrastructure based on these discussions. We also constantly seek advice from and meet regularly with law enforcement authorities to ensure our personnel are well-informed and our Crisis Management Plan is updated regularly. 

Additionally, in accordance with the passage of the bond referendum in May 2018, the district will further its security enhancements at the entrances of our schools. The vestibule and door projects at each school aims to secure the perimeter and create safer entrance vestibules, including “mantraps.” Exterior doors will be replaced with new hardware, vestibules and lobbies will be reconfigured, and new security devices will be added. Designs for this project have been completed and await final comments and permit from the New York State Education Department. We anticipate the permits to be approved before the end of the year, with bids released in January.

In addition to the above, our district has also increased our efforts to support the social-emotional well-being of all students. Our mental health staff will be working with our students more closely with the goal of helping them feel connected and invested while at school. In addition to our established programs, the Sandy Hook Promise, Challenge Day, the Amityville Cultural Exchange Project and our See Something Say Something Hotline (631- 312-0620), are initiatives we began this year in an effort to ensure all kids are connected to school. Furthermore, during the budget process this spring, we will be reviewing our staffing needs in the area of mental health staff for the next school year and adding a peer mentor program.

I would like to take a moment and thank the Board of Education, district administrators and all residents who have shared their input with us during these last several months. As partners in education, it is critical to have the cooperation of our community.
I wish you a wonderful holiday season.

Sincerely,

John V. Dolan
Superintendent of Schools

High school students Sofia Frigiola, Jonathan Guadagno, Benjamin Hutter and Deirdre Kennedy were recently inducted in the Keep Islip Clean Junior Commissioner program. They were recognized during a ceremony at Islip Town Hall West. The KIC junior commissioner program choose high school students from the township to help in recycling and town beautification initiatives.

Each December, the high school’s Interact Club participates in the Islip Arts Council’s Festival of Trees event at Brookwood Hall, in which holiday trees are purchased by community groups and local businesses to benefit the Council. During the Dec. 6 event, alongside more than 50 other local community groups, Interact students decorated their tree, purchased by the Rotary Club, with a community service theme.   

“This is a wonderful event that gives students the opportunity to participate in a fun and meaningful service project that has become a great tradition in the East Islip community,” said Interact Club adviser Lisa Rapiejko.

High school seniors Christopher Palmer and Melissa Sconone were named recipients of the 2017-2018 Suffolk Zone awards. Both students were honored at the annual Suffolk Zone Awards dinner, held at Villa Lombardi’s on Nov. 28.

The awards are presented to the top male and female physical education students in each Suffolk County high school’s graduating class, by the Suffolk Zone Chapter of the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. The criteria for selection include outstanding character and leadership qualities, strong contributions to the overall positive tone of physical education and health classes as well as their school, and an A average or above 90 in physical education classes and an overall grade point average of 3.0.

“Melissa and Christopher make a terrific effort to be cooperative, honest, poised, self-confident, attentive, industrious and enthusiastic regarding all class activities, and they are always working to support the instructional efforts of their classes,” said Stephen Restivo, East Islip’s director of health, physical education and athletics.

This year’s Catch-A-Career Breakfast at the Irish Coffee Pub was another great success for East Islip High School’s career exploration program, with more than 90 students spending the morning discussing careers and future plans with over 60 professionals from numerous fields.

During this annual networking event, developed by the East Islip School-Business Partnership and teachers Bridget Lopiccolo and Paul McHugh, each student had the opportunity to meet with two professionals during the morning. The high schoolers heard firsthand what it takes to enter a specific career field and what college courses would be optimal, and learned about the skills that they will need when applying for a job and what resources are available to them as they begin their journey from high school to college to a full-time job.

“We want to thank all the professional men and women who attended this event and provided our students with some very important information that will help them to prepare for the next step in their journey to success,” said Israel Malinowitzer, East Islip’s director of careers and student services.

Students in Lauren Ferlin’s and Lisa Carpenito’s Honors Research classes at the high school recently participated in the “A Day in the Life of a River” program, traveling to Bayard Cutting Arboretum to study the health of the Connetquot River ecosystem.

During the program, which is coordinated by Brookhaven National Laboratory, the Central Pine Barrens Commission, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Suffolk County Water Authority, students gathered data by collecting and identifying biological samples, performing chemical analyses of water samples, and collecting physical data and performing analyses of the river bottom. When uploaded to the program database, the data will provide a snapshot of a typical day in the life of the Connetquot River. 

Coach Henry Nunez’s East Islip Redmen football team, all 10-year-old students at Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ and RCK, recently took up a food collection for the Adopt-A-Family Program through Long Island Cares food pantry to help those in need during the holiday season. The team collected enough food to feed 40 families this year, packing it and delivering it personally to Long Island Cares.

“The boys learned that there is no one factor that determines one’s struggles, and that any face can be the face of hunger,” said team mom Kerri Ierardi. “This selfless task has given these players a greater understanding and appreciation for the blessings in their own lives, as well as the feeling of great pride in the power of giving back to and representing their community.”