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The district honored a pair of winners – Keira Husfeldt from Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ and Ava Panepinto from RCK – for this year’s Red Ribbon poster contest during the Dec. 14 Board of Education meeting.

The two students were presented with certificates and prizes by East Islip High School SADD Club members Aiden Furey and Alexa Smith, teacher and SADD adviser Bridget Lopiccolo, Islip Board of Education President Jessica Carney, and Superintendent John Dolan.

“The fifth-graders had amazing quotes on their Red Ribbons, which sent messages of making good decisions,” said Lopiccolo. “This program is so worthwhile and really helps the high school students that participate in it to be role models, and gives the fifth-graders great information about how to not make destructive decisions.”

Date Added: 12/27/2017

Welcoming generous participants to Captain Bill’s in Bay Shore, East Islip’s EJ Autism Foundation continued the organization’s ongoing community work with its eighth annual Black Tie Hoodie Event. Local autism advocate Kim Sanders was the 2017 honoree at the Dec. 7 fundraiser to support EJ Autism’s work to help children with special needs in the East Islip School District.

To view a video slideshow of the Black Tie Hoodie Event, please visit the .

date added: 12/20/2017

More than 40 students from the high school’s Career Academies recently participated in another Driven to Give fundraiser, partnering with teachers and Bright Bay Lincoln dealership of Bay Shore to provide parents, friends and community members with a chance to test-drive a brand-new Lincoln automobile in East Islip’s Early Childhood Center parking lot. For every person 18 years of age or older with a valid driver’s license who stopped to take a test drive, Bright Bay Lincoln donated $20 to the Career Academy program.

“The students once again did an excellent job working together and making sure that every car had a driver, and throughout the four hours, people from all over stopped by to test a vehicle,” said Israel Malinowitzer, the school’s director of careers and student services and head of the academies. “This partnership with Bright Bay Lincoln has been going on for the last three years, and the Career Academy students are very thankful for all the support they have received over the years. We are also very thankful to the parents, teachers and administrators who took time from their busy schedule to stop by on the weekend to test-drive a Lincoln.”

Date Added: 12/20/2017

Bringing magnificent musicianship to a happy holiday celebration, the East Islip High School Chamber Orchestra performed for the second consecutive year at the annual Orphan Tree Lighting at the Islip Art Museum’s Brookwood Hall. Led by orchestra director Giovanna Ruggiero, the ensemble performed favorites such as “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “Silent Night” and “Let It Snow.”

“Our musicians were excited to return to Brookwood Hall for our second tree lighting performance,” said Ruggiero. “Brookwood Hall’s Grand Ballroom is a wonderful venue that has held many great performances over the years, and we are happy to be a part of that.”

Date Added: 12/20/2017

As part of learning about the tools and capabilities of Adobe Illustrator, students in Heather Toomey's electronic illustration classes at East Islip High School recently created a mandala for a class project.

The students worked on both black-and-white and color versions of the mandala, which Toomey then compiled into a class coloring book. The students voted and chose Katrina Shea’s work as the cover for the coloring book.

“The mandala was so much fun,” said student Connor Lennon. “We created half a triangle, reflected it and then rotated all the pieces to create a final circular design.”

“The coloring book was a very creative idea and fun to be a part of," said classmate Camila Corral.

“I was really excited about this collaborative class project,” said Toomey. “Creating art and being able to share it with others is one reason why I love teaching art so much. Each student was able to create a beautiful work of art as an individual, and then as a group, we created something that others can use and enjoy. I would invite everyone to color in a page, photograph it and post it to social media with the hashtag #eiFineArts.”

Attachments: Mandala Coloring Book

Date Added: 12/18/2017

The high school’s Mock Trial team put on a terrific performance at the Empire World Mock Trial Championships held in New York City from Nov. 16-20. A total of 36 top teams hailing from across the U.S. as well as six foreign nations competed for the World Champion title.

Sixteen students from East Islip faced teams from Alabama, Nevada and Illinois as well as the Chinese national team, finishing the weekend with a record of 4-4 and an overall ranking of 17th among all participating teams. Judges ranked Thomas Allen, Jacob Arens, Steven Gieseler, Josh Koretz, Vince Papillo, Kaitlyn Rice and Katrina Shea as top performers in their individual rounds. Junior Meghan Walsh earned seventh place out of almost 200 witnesses and was honored with an Outstanding Witness Award, East Islip’s third award in the three years that the team has competed at this event. In 2015, Madison Lane was honored as Outstanding Witness, and in 2016, East Islip was the recipient of the Spirit of Empire Award for outstanding sportsmanship.

East Islip’s team will compete next in the NY State Mock Trial Tournament in January.

Date Added: 12/18/2017

East Islip Athletic Booster Club pridewear pick-up will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 19 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the gym entrance lobby. Purchasers bring their receipts. Any items not picked up at that time can be picked up at the high school’s athletic awards night on Thursday, Dec. 21.

 

Date Added: 12/15/2017

Attachments: Click to view

 

Date Added: 12/15/2017

East Islip alumnus and Sporting Kansas City pro soccer goalie Tim Melia was recently named the 2017 Allstate MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. Melia played for East Islip’s soccer team from 2000-2003.

“I have been coaching the boys varsity soccer team since 2001, when Tim was a sophomore,” said coach Raymond Lang. “We both started together and we won a state championship together. I will never forget how fortunate I was to have such a talented player on the roster. I always believed that he was special and so proud of what he has accomplished.”

Date Added: 12/15/2017

Acclaimed actress Syndee Winters, known for her performances as the three Schuyler sisters in the Broadway cast of “Hamilton,” recently paid an inspirational visit to middle school chorus students. The seventh- and eighth-graders were rehearsing a “Hamilton” medley for their winter concert, and Winters came to give them a taste of what the music sounds like when sung by a professional theater musician.

Winters, who has also appeared as Nala in the touring company of “The Lion King,” performed two songs from Hamilton, "Burn" and "Satisfied,” and spoke at length about how she achieved her level of success despite her modest beginnings. She talked to the young musicians about having a “Vision Board” upon which to put pictures of goals they would like to achieve in their future, and told them to look at it every day and be reminded of what they need to do to accomplish their dreams. She also stayed afterwards to sign autographs and take selfies with the middle schoolers.

“It was an incredible, musical, motivational, inspirational experience for our students,” said chorus director Patricia Bryan.

Janissa Lloyd, a seventh-grader at the middle school, was recently recognized by New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Suffolk County Legislator Tom Cilmi, Suffolk County Presiding Officer DuWayne Gregory and the Town of Islip Board Council for her contributions as an advocate for the National Down Syndrome Society.

Lloyd and more than 200 advocates walked on Capitol Hill and into the offices of her senators and congressmen, asking them to join the Down Syndrome Task Force, requesting that outdated laws be changed and asking for support of the Able to Work Act. 

“Janissa’s dedication to enhancing the quality of life for all people with Down Syndrome is commendable,” said Principal Mark Bernard. “We are all very proud of her.”

Date Added: 12/13/2017

Students at Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ recently took part in a "Tower Challenge,” part of the district’s new STEAM program offered to all students in grades K-5. The objective was to create the tallest free-standing tower using 10 large red cups, 10 paper cups and 20 small clear cups.

Technology teacher William Lackner, serving as East Islip’s STEAM leader this year, has been working with classroom teachers as they bring their students to the new makerspace rooms located in each of the four elementary schools.

Date Added: 12/12/2017