The West Islip and Smithtown High School West junior varsity and varsity girls volleyball teams recently raised money for the Dig Pink and DezyStrong foundations at their Oct. 8 match at West Islip High School. Dig Pink raises money to fight breast cancer, and the DezyStrong Foundation supports strong mental health for those fighting cancer. West Islip girls volleyball raised and donated $500 for each cause. Pictured are the West Islip (blue Dig Pink shirts) and Smithtown West (orange DezyStrong shirts) girls varsity teams and their coaches.

The beautiful fall weather set the stage as the West Islip community came together to celebrate homecoming on Oct. 23. Led by West Islip High School’s Marching Lions band, the blue and gold-clad community kicked off the day with a parade down Higbie Lane.

From the youngest Lions cheerleaders and football players to the color guard, kick line and varsity cheer squad, the West Islip community marched together for the walk to Wayne Shierant Field at Alumni Stadium. This year’s floats were tied to a Disney theme with the freshman class showing off “Finding Nemo,” the sophomores with the “Tangled” theme, the junior class featuring “Monsters Inc.” and the seniors designed around “Toy Story.” Homecoming royalty were Nick Scarmozzino and Sophia Leccese, named Mr. and Ms. West Islip, followed by runners up Mason Barany and Lea Parascandola.

Once at the football field, the varsity Lions took on Division II rival Bellport. While the Lions weren’t able to secure the homecoming win, some of the highlights included a sack of the Clippers quarterback in the first quarter, a 10-yard run and a 31-yard pass in the second quarter, and a fumble recovery for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Beach Street Middle School is holding a story walk around the school’s track, coordinated by Ms. Cosgrove, library media specialist. Teachers sign up to bring their classes to the track and Ms. Cosgrove provides supplemental handouts to accompany the story walk.

Combining fun with exercise, West Islip School District held its fifth annual Color Run on Oct. 17. More than 400 community members celebrated health, wellness and community spirit by walking or running a 1-mile course around the West Islip High School grounds. At designated markers, color runners were doused in different colored powders. Paul J. Bellew Elementary School won a gift card for school supplies from the Health and Wellness Alliance for having the greatest number of student participants. The district thanks the Health and Wellness Alliance for its efforts in coordinating the event.