Kindergarten students at Deauville Gardens East Elementary School are settling into their new daily academic routines, learning numbers, shapes, letters and all about the seasons.

In Cynthia Ruiz’s class, students are learning their letters and brainstorming different words that begin with the letters, while Ashley Marazzo’s class is focusing on new shapes. Students in Caren Steiger and Kevin Beach’s class are using different adjectives to describe pumpkins. They are also drawing their own pumpkins and labeling them with descriptive words. 

On Nov. 4, the Madrigal Choir from Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School, under choral director Gina Occhiogrosso, performed at the Veterans Day Remembrance held at the U.S. Postal facility in Melville. The group sang several patriotic selections. 

Fifth-graders at Susan E. Wiley Elementary School held an assembly to honor and recognize local veterans on Nov. 7 in the cafeteria.

Parading in and waving their American flags, the students welcomed three Navy veterans – Leonard Oglesby, Kevin Nolan and Yohanny Hidalgo – to the school, who spoke about their experiences serving in the military and shared their personal stories. The fifth-graders created an acrostic poem, “Honor a Hero,” and student-musicians performed a patriotic tribute to heroes. 

Principal Cynthia Florio and Assistant Principal Janine Proulx presented the three veterans with certificates and participated in a question-and-answer sessions with the honorees. 

In Ms. Embleton’s art class at Deauville Gardens East Elementary School, fourth-grade students made Native American wampum belts.

Great Neck Road Elementary School recognized the hard work, dedication and sacrifice of veterans during a Veterans Day breakfast hosted in the school’s gymnasium on Nov. 2.

Joined by district administrators and board of education members, the invited guests were treated to a breakfast served by student-volunteers as well as performances. Each place setting featured a note of thanks written by a Great Neck Road student as well as colorfully decorated placemat. A photo booth with props was set up for the friends and families to enjoy a memory from the day.

After enjoying their meal, the veterans listened to three fifth-grade students recite their essay submissions from the Town of Babylon Veterans Day essay contest. The school also created an ABC poem video about veterans featuring students in all grades.  

The Great Neck Road chorus serenaded the attendees with “America the Beautiful” followed by a performance by the Great Neck Road dance team. To close out the morning, the kindergartners paraded into the room waving their flags to “Yankee Doodle Dandy” led by 10th-grader and Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School marching band member Morgan Weeks playing the piccolo. 

The Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School student council and the Zumba Club partnered together to host a Pinktober Zumbathon to raise money for breast cancer research on Oct. 23.

The two clubs had six certified Zumba instructors – including Spanish teacher and club adviser Gabrielle Romanelli – who danced the evening away with many students and community members. Baskets were donated and raffled off and pink cotton candy was served.
 
“It was great to raise awareness for an amazing cause,” said student council advisers Cheryl Feldman and Neil Schweitzer. “It was a feel good evening knowing we are bringing awareness and ensuring that all people suffering with this disease receive the care they need.” 

Their joint efforts raised $1,000 for the Susan G. Komen organization to help save lives by finding research breakthroughs for breast cancer. 

Nicole Davidson, music teacher at Susan E. Wiley Elementary School, was selected to present her research at the New York State School Music Association’s All-State Conference on Dec. 1 in Rochester, New York.

She will present her action research project at the research poster session. The project was completed as a part of her graduate coursework at the Crane School of Music. Her research topic was the examination of the most effective methods to teach beginning instrumental music students how to read musical notation. Through surveying, interviewing and conducting research on best practice of other elementary instrumental music teachers, she developed an action plan to use in her own classroom. 

In addition to the poster presentation at the conference, her abstract will be published in “School Music News,” the New York State magazine for music educators.

First-graders in Cristina Ayala’s class at Great Neck Road Elementary School are learning all about families and how each one is unique and special. To work on their writing skills, the students are creating an “All About My Family” booklet. They are drawing photos of their home and families, writing facts about where they live and why their families are special and important.

Copiague Middle School inducted 29 eighth-grade students into the National Junior Honor Society during a ceremony on Oct. 23. Advised by Copiague Middle School teachers Paul Harvey and Francesca Walker, the new inductees pledged their commitment to character, leadership, scholarship and community service in front of family and friends.

Eighth-graders with a culminative grade point average of 92 or higher are eligible for induction. Students must also demonstrate a strong commitment to community service. 

The district congratulates the newest members of Copiague’s National Junior Honor Society: Waseem Ahmad; Matthew Arias Perea; Sanahyah Byrd; Henry Canela Hernandez; Emmylie Coreas; Jaden Gomez; Griselda Guardado; Isaiah Harris; Elifnaz Kaya; Jack Langan; Jason Majano Mercado; Alyssa Mancuso; Mohammed May; Marcel Mazurek; Anthony Meneses; Jennifer Molina Salazar; Sean Moore; Sebastian Ortiz; Edison Peguero Rosario; Tamia Roberts; Quinn Rozmus; Martin Rybka; Venessa Seguino; Mina Senturk; Madison Sims; Alice Sztabinski; Bradley Williams; Anthony Woods; and William Yanes. 

Third-grade students in Jeanie Mullins’ class at Great Neck Road Elementary School and third-graders in Nicole Antz’s class at Deauville Gardens West Elementary School had the opportunity to teleconference with third-graders from different schools recently. 

The Great Neck Road students connected with a class in Mexico Elementary School in upstate New York while the Deauville Gardens West class teleconferenced with a class in Rochester, New York. 

The students participated in a monster match by providing directions to each other’s class on how to build a monster. Each class built their own monster and the monster based on the directions of the other class. The students then showed off their creations and talked about their similarities and differences. 

The music program at Copiague Middle School is off to a successful start for the new school year. Two new staff members – Kevin Miller (instrumental and general music) and Diana Cotrone (general music) – have joined the Copiague Middle School’s music department.

This year, the instrumental and vocal programs have nominated 35 students to the Division I and II All County Festivals in March. Music teacher Courtney Folan takes on a new full-time role as director of choirs and the middle school musical.

Through the work connected to the district’s bond project, the general music and chorus rooms have been renovated and a lesson room for instrumental lessons has been established. Recent curriculum work for general music has incorporated a ukulele unit into the class.

Kindergartners at Deauville Gardens West Elementary School kicked off October with plenty of learning activities. After reading the book “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom,” students in Danielle Jacobs’ class each created their own tree with the letter of their name.

In Briana Mullady’s class, the students are learning about different shapes – such as hexagons and circles – and how to identify them. Students in Marissa Krause’s kindergarten class recently read “The Kissing Hand” and colored their own raccoons for display in the classroom. The class is also learning all about apples, using different adjectives to describe the crunchy treat. 

As part of Great Neck Road Elementary School’s educational spirit week celebration, the school participated in a teambuilding exercise. Dressed in their favorite sports team gear, the students took to the field outside the school with hula hoops in hand. The class joined hands in a large circle and worked together to try to get the hula hoop moved all around the circle. The students learned about teamwork and communication while also having fun.

Deauville Gardens West students design their own pumpkin catapults. Check out the video:

Letting their taste buds do the work, kindergarten students in Marissa Krause’s class at Deauville Gardens West Elementary School recently held an apple tasting.

After learning about all the different parts of the apple, the students had a lesson on the various types of apples as well. They taste-tested four varieties of apples and brainstormed words to describe them. Afterward, the students colored their own apple to reflect their favorite choice. As a class, they graphed the favorite colors and tallied up the results.

After spending time in the school’s pumpkin patch on Oct. 19, kindergartners in Jeannine Chaikin’s class at Susan E. Wiley Elementary School learned about the different steps in carving pumpkins. During a lesson in sequencing, the students used a flow map to chart out the different steps in carving a pumpkin. The students each had a chance to feel the inside of the pumpkin and remove and count seeds.

It’s apple picking season and kindergarten students at Great Neck Road Elementary School are getting in the spirit.

Students in Natalia Brite’s class learned about Johnny Appleseed and then taste tested different colored apples. After choosing their favorite color, they graphed the results to see which color came out on top. The class also read “Ten Apples Up” and colored and numbered 10 apples in a row.

As a special treat, the class made their own applesauce. They learned about ingredients, following directions and took turns stirring the apples in the crockpot throughout the day. By the end of the day, the students had a chance to taste Ms. Brite’s “secret” applesauce and receive a “good apple” certificate.

On Oct. 19, members of the Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School senior class visited Molloy College for the National Hispanic College Fair. Colleges from around the country were represented at the fair.

Volunteer firefighters and EMS workers from Copiague Fire Department visited with students at Great Neck Road Elementary School as part of National Fire Prevention Month in October.

During two assemblies for the school, the volunteers spoke about fire safety, how to prevent fires and what to do in case of an emergency. The students were taught about smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors and why they are so important. The students learned the role of the firefighter, the tools they use and what they look like all dressed up in their gear.

Third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students at Susan E. Wiley Elementary School recently studied line, shape and form to create individual feathers during their art classes. The feathers were then assembled to make wings.

In celebration of October as National Principals Month, every Monday in October we are spotlighting one of our building principals. Our final spotlight features, Great Neck Road Elementary School Principal, Mrs. Karla Cangelosi. Click here to learn more about Mrs. Cangelosi.

Copiague School District recognized the hard work and dedication of the members of its board of education prior to the Oct. 22 meeting. The New York State School Board Association designates the week of Oct. 22-26 as School Board Recognition Week.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kathleen Bannon thanked the board for their tireless work to benefit the students of Copiague. Members of the Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School’s Madrigal Choir performed two songs for the board. 

The Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School Honor Society designed a mural gifted to the members of the board to hang in the conference room. The PTA Council provided refreshments for the evening and both the Copiague Teaching Assistants and PTA Council made donations to the Britteny Walsh Memorial Scholarship in the board’s name. 

The Copiague Supervisors and Copiague Association of Principals donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and the Copiague Teachers Association gave to two local food pantries for their Thanksgiving outreach on behalf of the board. 

Board of Education Vice President Doris Fischer received the Board Lifetime Achievement Award from the New York State School Board Association for her participation in leadership development opportunities.

In celebration of October as National Principals Month, every Monday in October we are spotlighting one of our building principals. Our second to final spotlight features Copiague Middle School Principal, Mr. Andrew Lagnado. Click here to learn more about Mr. Lagnado.

Fourth-graders in Kate Castellano and Megan Moore’s fourth-grade class at Deauville Gardens West Elementary School are using their Chromebooks for a research project on New York State. As part of their social studies assignment, the students are creating an online brochure to highlight key elements of the state, such as landforms, water forms, the state bird, capital and flag. After creating the brochure in Google Documents, the students will print and share them with classmates. 

Third-graders in Colleen Garafola and Jennifer Smith’s class at Deauville Gardens West Elementary School are using technology to make learning both fun and interactive. Using software called Plickers, the students are each assigned their own QR code. After completing a lesson, the students will then take an online quiz as a class, holding up their unique code with the answer. The teacher can scan the QR code using a smartphone to see if it’s correct and get real-time reporting on student progress.

Copiague School District recognized its alumni who have made a difference in their community and had a positive impact during the Hall of Achievement induction ceremony following homecoming festivities on Oct. 13 at Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School.

The four new inductees – which bring the total number to 100 – are: Dawn Michelle Hardy, Class of 1992; Scott Kuhn, Class of 1990; Dagmar Groy Marino, Class of 1970; and Viscel Welch Moore, Class of 1988.

“Tonight’s inductees carry on the tradition of giving back whenever and wherever they are,” said Copiague Board of Education Vice President Doris Fischer. “It is due to their efforts and the combined efforts of the administration, staff and everyone associated with the Copiague School District that Copiague is a great place to live and learn.”

“In honoring successful past graduates of Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School, the Hall of Achievement’s primary purpose is to introduce these alumni as positive and motivating role models to our entire school community and to keep those role models connected to our school and students,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kathleen Bannon. “By the nature of their accomplishments and service, inductees in the Hall of Achievement inspire our students to reach high goals.”

Ms. Hardy is an award-winning publicist and publishing consultant who graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology. She formed Dream Relations PR and Literacy Consulting agency, where she aids authors in promoting their books. She serves as the executive director of public relations for the Love Fellowship Tabernacle and completed the NYC Marathon as part of Team of Kids.

Mr. Kuhn holds a bachelor’s degree from Bucknell University and began working at a small insurance agency in Manhattan. In 2001, he left his investment job and decided to pursue a career in teaching, enrolling in graduate classes at Dowling College. A year later, he was hired as a math teacher at Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School, where he remains today. 

Ms. Marino came to Copiague School at the age of 10 from Vienna, Austria, unable to speak English. After quickly learning the language, she graduated high school in three years and went on to attend beauty school. Shortly after, she opened her first hair salon in the community. She is an active member and has served on the Board of Directors for the Copiague Chamber of Commerce. After losing her son tragically in 2012, Ms. Marino co-founded the Copiague Community Cares organization to support and assist those who have lost loved ones or are struggling with substance abuse.

Ms. Moore earned a bachelor’s degree in business management and economic from SUNY Empire. For the past 30 years, she has worked for ADP. She has been recognized as a Woman of Distinction, is a trustee at Bethel AME Church, serves as director of Bethel’s Young People’s Division, volunteers for the Youth Night program and conducts workshops on the importance of voting and civic engagement. She is a member of several PTAs, booster club, director of community relations for the Family & Community Media Group, serves on the executive committee for the central Long Island branch of the NAACP and is a member of the Copiague Chamber of Commerce. 

Kindergartners in Cynthia Ruiz’s class at Deauville Gardens East Elementary School created their own sail boats after learning about Christopher Columbus on Oct. 9. The students used different shapes and patterns to create their sails.

As part of the 2015 community-approved bond, Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School was renovated and modernized. To see a the completed work, enjoy this edition of Copiague TV.

In celebration of October as National Principals Month, every Monday in October we are spotlighting one of our building principals. Up next, Susan E. Wiley Elementary School Principal, Ms. Cynthia Florio. Click here to learn more about Ms. Florio.

Fourth-graders in Jodi Embleton’s art class at Deauville Gardens East Elementary School are learning about one point perspective. Students used oil pastels to create pumpkin patch projects.

Dressed in their cozy pajamas, students in kindergarten through second grade at Susan E. Wiley Elementary School celebrated their love of books with a family literacy night on Oct. 3.

The students began the evening with a reader’s theater presentation of “The Three Little Pigs,” both the traditional version and fractured fairytale, for their parents. Following the performance, students worked with their families for a STEM-based design challenge. They were tasked with building the most creative or unique structure using no more than six marshmallows and no more than 13 toothpicks. 

Using teamwork, the families each had 10 minutes to complete the structure. Judges awarded raffle tickets and prizes to teams based on their creativity. At the end of the evening, students received a book bag to take home with fairy tale readers for their grade level. The families also visited the PTA book fair in the cafeteria. 

Walter. G. O’Connell Copiague High School students Oktay Yildiz (10th grade), Cecilia Libertella (11th grade), Jessica Chochorek (10th grade), Samantha Sattler and Kyree Scott (12th grade) auditioned for the Suffolk County Music Educators Association High School Showcase “A Cappella Ensemble” at Centereach High School. “It was an amazing experience for the students and we’re excited to see if we make it,” said choral director Gina Occhiogrosso, who accompanied the students on the audition. 

Fourth-graders in Jennifer Kelly’s class at Deauville Gardens East Elementary School are practicing their fluency by reading aloud “The Greedy Triangle” to students in Patrice Newman’s third-grade class.

Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School’s girls junior varsity and varsity volleyball teams, along with the Varsity Club, teamed up to raise money for breast cancer awareness during their annual Dig Pink game for the Side-Out Foundation on Oct. 3. The teams held a bake sale and Varsity Club members sold their pink pumpkins and together they raised $550.

Ten student-musicians from Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School have been chosen to participate in the Suffolk County Music Educators’ Association’s Division IV All-County performing ensembles. The concert will take place on Nov. 17 at Half Hollow Hills East High School.

The district congratulates the following student-musicians: Ladrea Buffaloe (mixed chorus); Aaron Eng (mixed chorus and orchestra); Jaime Kister (band); Christopher Lam (mixed chorus); Jonah Ramdas (mixed chorus); Allison Reyes (treble chorus); Kyree Scott (mixed chorus); Darley Senat (treble chorus); Taylor Sharpe-Adams (mixed chorus); and Andrew Szabo (mixed chorus). 

On Oct. 1, the Varsity Club at Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School painted pumpkins pink for its annual breast cancer awareness fundraiser. The pumpkins were donated by Hick’s Nursery in Westbury. This is the third year the Varsity Club has joined together with the girls volleyball teams to raise money for breast cancer awareness.

The community, students, staff, administration and board of education joined together to celebrate the Copiague School District’s homecoming on Oct. 13.

Kicking off with a pep rally at Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School the day before, the weekend activities began with a homecoming parade starting at Great Neck Road Elementary School. Members of sports teams, school clubs, youth organizations and the homecoming court gathered for the march to the high school. Senior class king and queen Owen Rosenberg and Kembalee Rolle waved to the crowd down the parade route. The homecoming floats – themed board games – showed off the students’ creativity and featured members of the freshman, sophomore, junior and senior classes.

Prior to the start of the football game against Newfield High School, Sen. John Brooks and Leg. DuWayne Gregory offered their best wishes for the Copiague Eagles. Despite their best efforts, the Eagles were unable to come out on top against the Newfield Wolverines.

The halftime show featured performances from the award-winning Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School marching band, varsity cheerleaders and step team. The evening concluded with the Hall of Achievement induction ceremony, honoring four Copiague alumni who have made a difference. 

In celebration of October as National Principals Month, every Monday in October we are spotlighting one of our building principals. Up next, Deauville Gardens West Elementary School Principal, Ms. Kristina Biamonte. Click here to learn more about Ms. Biamonte.

Two students from Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School were recently recognized for their academic performance. Abigail Romero was named a National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholar and Julia Brzozka was recognized as a Commended Student. 

To be eligible as a National Hispanic Scholar, Abigail was one of approximately 5,000 of the highest-scoring students from a nationwide total of 250,000 high school juniors who took the PSAT exam and designated themselves as Hispanic. 

Julia was named a Commended Student in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program. Commended Students are recognized for their exceptional performance on the 2017 PSAT exam. Approximately 1.5 million high school students take the PSAT each year. Of those, 50,000 are Commended Students and 16,000 are chosen as National Merit Scholar Semifinalists.

The Copiague Middle School Builders Club, led by adviser Maria Ostrofsky, recently held a fundraiser to benefit North Shore Animal League in Port Washington. To benefit the many animals placed at North Shore due to Hurricane Florence, the club collected blankets, beds, food and toys and dropped them at the shelter in the beginning of October.

Students at Susan E. Wiley Elementary School learned all about accountability and responsibility during a character education assembly in late September. 

The “Count on Me” presentation featured a short video with lessons on various character traits including honesty and respect. Student volunteers acted out scenes about what responsibility and being fair. Students learned about good examples of people who they can count on and what it means to be responsible. The program was sponsored by the school’s Parent-Teacher Association. 

In late September, a representative from Montserrat College of Art in Massachusetts visited with students in Damin Gomes’ drawing and painting II class at Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School. Portfolio development and programming was discussed. “It was really beneficial for our students to hear about college expectations, see the application process and view the expected levels of work,” Mr. Gomes said.

Kindergarten students in Maritza Benavides’ class at Susan E. Wiley Elementary School celebrated International Peace Day on Sept. 21 by reading “We Are a Rainbow.” The class discussed what peace means to them, giving examples such as kindness, sharing and taking turns. 

During the summer recess, Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School underwent quite a transformation. Both interior and exterior construction has given the building a facelift, in addition to many new amenities including a ceramics room, renovated auditorium and electronics computer lab.

However, one of the most colorful renovations is a new flooring design in the main hallway of the building. Thanks to the work of Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School art teachers Christie Layden and Lorraine Ciccotto, the hall’s terrazzo inlay features a unique design for passersby to enjoy whether they are coming or going.

Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School Principal Joseph Agosta asked the art teachers to create a design for the floor that had a Long Island theme. The two teachers brainstormed and did sketches simultaneously and then combined them to come up with the finished design. 

The new design is representative of Montauk to Manhattan and features the Montauk lighthouse on one side and the New York City skyline and bridge on the other. The different colors of the terrazzo design were mixed and individually poured to create the one-of-a-kind custom look. 

Deauville Gardens West Elementary School celebrated International Day of Peace on Sept. 21 with a variety of different learning activities. Dressed in white, students decorated the outside of the school with white pinwheels of peace. They also gathered outside and stood together to form the word “peace.” Students participated in different writing activities, signed peace day pledges of kindness and discussed what peace means to them.

In recognition of International Day of Peace on Sept. 21, fifth-grade students at Susan E. Wiley Elementary School wrote messages of peace, friendship and inspiration for the whole school to enjoy. After speaking about kindness and how to be kind to one another, the fifth-graders created a colorful peace mural out of chalk on the sidewalk of the school.

For successfully completing the requirements of Advanced Placement courses and excelling on the exams, a total of 64 students from Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School – current and Class of 2018 graduates – have received AP Scholar Awards. 

Two students – Nayeli Pena and Alexandra Saczawa – were recognized as National AP Scholars. This honor is granted to students who receive an average score of at least 4 on all Advanced Placement exams taken and scores of 4 of higher on eight or more exams. 

Thirteen students were named AP Scholars with Distinction, an honor granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.5 or higher on all Advanced Placement exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on five or more exams. The following students received AP Scholar with Distinction recognition: Aleksandra Bugajczyk; Kelly Cheung; Osazuwa Eghafona; Aaron Eng; Ivan Gonzales; Jennifer Lopez-Fernandez; Nayeli Pena; Abigail Romero; Owen Rosenberg; Freddy Ruiz; Alexandra Saczawa; Samantha Sanchez; and Davina Smith. 

Thirteen students were named AP Scholars with Honor which are granted to students who receive a score of at least 3.25 on all Advanced Placement exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on four or more exams. The following students were named AP Scholars with Honor: Julia Brzozka; Jocelyn Fernandez; Melanie Garcia; Dan Gradica; Jordy Hernandez; Nokib Matubber; Belen Morote; Marvin Pineda-Lobo; Wiktoria Portka; Samantha Sloane; Kailee Stangelo; Adrian Tavarez; and Justin Taveras. 

Thirty-six students have been named AP Scholars. AP Scholar Awards are granted to students who receive a score of 3 or higher on three or more Advanced Placement exams. The following students were named AP Scholars: Shane Abney; Alfred Barredo; Jackson Bright; Kevin Buffolino; Christopher Canenguez; Joseph Cipriani; Ashley Collado; Michelle Cox; Jahnay Cuffy; Giuseppe Dattolo; Jarrett David; Andy DeJesus; Rebecca Demonaco; Erhumwunse Eghafona; Elsy Escobar; Mariana Espinoza; Nicholas Favichia; Elisa Gaudino; Sierra Lenee Gaul; Isabella Gilbert; Spencer Hodges; Shari Jackson; Austin Loo; Naryman Lounici; Marynee Mendez; Melina Mercedes; Peter Milillo; Henry Molina; Kyria Moore; Brian Oszkinis; Allison Reyes; Iris Romero; Argeny Tavarez; Nathanya Thelusma; Telisa Washington; and Claudia Zieba.

Students in Colleen Gurtner’s leadership class at Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School recently received a 2018-2019 Silver Partner Award from Junior Achievement of New York based on their work with the program last year. 

Junior Achievement of New York partners with schools to help teach financial literacy, entrepreneurship and work readiness programs.

Four student-musicians from Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School have been selected to participate in the New York State School Music Association’s All-State Ensembles in Rochester from Nov. 29 to Dec. 2. The district congratulates the following students (from left): Kyree Scott (tenor I, mixed chorus); Allison Reyes (alto II, alternate); Andy Szabo (bass I, mixed chorus); and Darley Senat (soprano I, mixed chorus). Also pictured are Jennifer Ross-Troise, coordinator of fine arts (left) and Gina Occhiogrosso, choral director. 

Fourth-graders at Great Neck Road Elementary School used their writing skills to pen words of encouragement for U.S. Marine Corps recruits on Sept. 12. The classes first brainstormed different words of inspiration for the recruits who are participated in the “crucible” challenge on Sept. 21 and 22. The crucible is a test each recruit must pass to become a Marine. It takes place for 54 hours and includes 48 miles, carrying 45 pounds of gear with 29 team-building exercises and only six hours of sleep. The letters of courage have an extra special meaning for Great Neck Road fourth-grade teacher Patricia Caputo, as her son participated in the challenge at the end of the month. 

Fourth-graders in Elizabeth Baird’s class at Susan E. Wiley Elementary School focused on lessons in teamwork during the first week of school. The class discussed the importance of teamwork, what it means to work together and effective communication in a group. Students were put into teams and were given two minutes to brainstorm and strategize on how they could make the highest tower using 40 mini cups. They were then given three minutes to see which team could build the highest tower. Afterward, they discussed what they could have done differently and what worked or didn't work for them.

Students in Nancy Csorny’s second-grade class at Deauville Gardens East Elementary School were excited to get to work on Sept. 5. The class was tasked with answering the question, “What does a scientist do?” Experimenting with windbags and applying Bernoulli’s principle, the students came up with many dynamic answers including: ask questions, test things, observe, explore, make predictions and discover answers.

Copiague School District welcomed staff and faculty members back to school to kick off the 2018-2019 school year during Superintendent’s Conference Day on Sept. 4 at the Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School auditorium.

Joined by central office administrators and Board of Education members, the Copiague School District community joined together for a welcome back breakfast prior to the start of activities. 

Board of Education President Laura Gavey thanked everyone for their hard work and cooperation during the construction throughout the district. “Thank you for your work on behalf of our students,” she said. “The new look of Copiague Schools that we have been able to complete together will benefit all of our students. Thanks to your hard work, this vision has become a reality with safer, secure spaces for our students to learn. Thank you for continuing to make Copiague a great place to live and learn.”

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kathleen Bannon presented a slideshow and outlined all of the bond project work completed during the last two years. She also echoed the sentiments of the board of education and thanked staff and faculty for their flexibility during the construction. Dr. Bannon recognized George Petrakis, project manager for Turner Construction, with an unsung hero award for his role in the bond projects.

After a presentation of the service awards for 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years in the district, faculty returned to their respective buildings to prepare for the upcoming school year.