High school senior Lauren Leonardi was recently named an All-National musician by the National Association for Music Education. She was one of only 550 students nationwide to be selected for NAfME’s 2018 All-National Honor Ensembles. Leonardi will perform in November as part of the All-National Mixed Choir in the ballroom at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

Third-graders in Jodie Abelson’s class at Manetuck found success with their first STEM challenge of the year. With resources limited to paper, scissors and 12 inches of masking tape, they were asked to build the longest paper chain that would not rip.   

A classroom at Bayview was recently transformed into a stimulating setting for the “Trevor Cool Realm,” an immersive story that challenged students to explore a series of clues that provided them with crucial information about characters, plot and themes. The room was decorated to reflect the world of the title character, a 12-year-old code-breaking detective.

The Submerge Storytelling writing program engaged the students, allowing them to take an active role in learning, developing and practicing vital critical thinking skills, including the ability to observe, infer and sequence events.

“This was a great way to start the school year and get the students excited and motivated about reading and writing,” said Principal John Mullins.

High school research student Tristan Tran has been accepted into the prestigious New York Academy of Sciences’ Junior Academy.

After completing a rigorous application last year, Tran was one of 586 students from 57 countries selected for this honor from more than 6,500 applications.  As a member of the Academy, Tran will have the opportunity to collaborate with 2,000 students from 85 countries on virtual challenges hosted on the Academy’s Launchpad platform, designed to help the students develop 21st-century skills as they prepare for the jobs of the future.

One of the nation’s oldest and most respected scientific organizations, the New York Academy of Sciences advances scientific research, education and policy to find innovative solutions for society’s challenges and prepare the next generation of innovators.

The high school’s Sept. 29 homecoming began with a sunny, spectacular parade through town, energized by the entertaining marching band, color guard and cheerleaders and punctuated by a quartet of creative banners from each grade level. Waving to the crowd from the two pairs’ respective vehicles were this year’s Mr. and Miss West Islip, homecoming king Brian Parrett and homecoming queen Erin Bevan, and runners up Jake Maresca and Melissa Khoury.

Once at the stadium, the excitement hit a new level for the packed house of fans clad in Lions blue and gold. Striding onto the field with energy and pride, West Islip’s varsity football squad seemed more than ready to take on Northport’s Tigers, with both teams entering the game undefeated. In this battle of the big cats, the Lions proved dominant, cruising to a 28-0 shutout victory and status as Suffolk III’s only undefeated team. After throwing an early touchdown pass to Patrick Cunningham, West Islip quarterback Mike LaDonna ran for three touchdowns, including a final fantastic 87-yard effort. The defense, led by linebacker Kyle Haff’s six tackles, had a particularly strong day, earning four sacks, three interceptions and three fumble recoveries.

Focusing on strategy and teamwork, fourth-graders in Dina Stramara’s class at Oquenock worked together to complete a challenge in the school’s science lab. These STEM activities provided the students with an opportunity to reevaluate and re-engineer their work when needed, to be successful.

The voting is in and Leo wins! Leo, the West Islip Literacy Lion, would like to give a special thanks to all his friends who took time out to vote and share their favorite reading habits. 

Leo loves to get comfy when he reads  just like the many of you whom like to read in your beds! Leo also agrees that all types of fiction are great to read.  On October 24th, we will be celebrating "We Love Books Day" in our elementary schools. Stay posted for more details.

Reanna Fulton was named the new director of technology for the district.

She had served as assistant principal at the district’s Beach Street Middle School for the past two years. She previously was employed as a CSE administrator in the Rocky Point School District, as a special education teacher at both Beach Street and West Islip High School, and as an in-school-suspension teacher at the high school. Fulton also served as an information systems technician in the U.S. Navy and Naval Reserves and has held several school coaching positions such as soccer coach at Our Lady of Wisdom in Port Jefferson and cheerleading coach at West Islip High School and Stony Brook University.

The Setauket resident obtained her bachelor’s degree in history at Thomas Edison State College; a master’s degree in adolescent education at Dowling College; a master’s degree in history at the University of Nebraska; and an advanced graduate certificate in educational leadership from Stony Brook University.

“My goal is to continue to move West Islip forward using technology,” said Fulton.

Lorrie Director was named the new director of counseling for the district.

Before coming to West Islip, she worked for the New York City Department of Education as a school counselor and lead college adviser, frequently presenting on best practices in the field of college admissions counseling in New York City and at the state and national levels. She previously worked at Hofstra University.

Director, a Valley Stream resident, obtained her master’s degree in counseling from Hofstra University and her advanced certificates in school building and school district leadership from the College of Saint Rose.  

“Thank you to everyone for welcoming me to West Islip,” said Director. “I’m excited to be a part of the community and look forward to establishing relationships with the students, parents and faculty. I also look forward to collaborating on new initiatives that promote high achievement and excellence for all students.”

West Islip’s “Literacy Lion” visited students at Manetuck during lunch and in classrooms on Sept. 13 to discuss the importance of reading.

Members of the high school's West Islip Students with HEARTT group again visited the Caribbean island nation of Grenada this summer, marking the group’s second service trip.

While in Grenada, the students formed a camp called Cross the Waters – Sharing Heart, where they worked alongside local elementary school students teaching dance, crafts and leadership. The West Islip students also brought school supplies to Grenada’s government school, volunteered at a local animal shelter and experienced a different way of life.

“It was amazing seeing our students be the teachers and learning the role of teacher and facilitator, but it was even better seeing their faces as the worked with the kids from Grenada,” said West Islip Students with HEARTT founder Virginia Scudder. “It was a learning experience for all, including the two teachers, school nurse, and Principal Anthony Bridgeman, who attended as chaperones. It was such a success that our students are now planning to fundraise again to continue their camp for next summer.”

The district welcomed back students on Sept. 4, ushering in a new year of educational activities at the high school, middle schools and elementary schools.

“Beach Street had a great opening and we are excited for the new school year ahead,” said Principal Andrew O’Farrell.

“Our staff was thrilled to welcome back our students,” said Bellew Principal Rhonda Pratt. “We are ready for new learning, new initiatives and a continued focus on developing student leadership and citizenship.”

Research by Class of 2018 graduate Luke Harris was recently featured in an article in the “Science News for Students” magazine and website.

He had worked on his project, “Extracting DNA from Killer Whale Mucus as a Non-invasive Alternative to the Use of Biopsy Darts,” since ninth grade. During his senior year, Harris was chosen as a semifinalist and won first place at the Long Island Science and Engineering Fair in the Animal Science category, earning him a spot competing in the Intel Science and Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh.

Harris will attend the University of Delaware this fall.