Elementary students are spending their summer months enriching their minds by participating in summer programs at Susan E. Wiley Elementary School during July and the beginning of August. The program’s activities focused on STEM, project-based learning, which allowed students the opportunity to engage in hands-on activities ranging from computer classes to science lessons and art and music, both inside and outside the classroom. Students participated in activities such as making their own bubbles, predicting whether items will sink or float in a science experiment or creating a water bottle flipping journal to test probability.
Copiague School District recognized its finest artists and student achievements during a special ceremony held prior to the June 19 board of education meeting. District administrators, faculty and board members gathered with invited students and their guests in the Copiague Middle School auditorium to celebrate their successes. Chosen by the Board of Education, the Student Recognition Awards highlight students for their outstanding achievements in their academic, fine arts or community service. They are presented twice a year to a small number of students for their special accomplishments. “Publicly recognizing excellence is our way of celebrating some of the great successes of the Copiague schools’ programs and, at the same time, enabling us to showcase outstanding role models to our school community,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kathleen Bannon. Twenty students were honored during the ceremony, as board members read a brief description from teachers and principals on why the students were chosen for the award. The 2017 Superintendent’s Art Gallery inductees and Fine Arts Festival crowd favorites were on display for the audience to enjoy. Now in its 21st year, the Superintendent’s Art Gallery began when the Copiague art teachers selected several pieces of student artwork to display. Over the years, the collection has grown to provide a showcase of student artwork in corridors and offices in each of the schools. Each of the framed pieces is identified by a brass plate noting the student-artist’s name, grade level and year the piece was completed. Crowd favorite art pieces – four in total this year from the elementary, middle school and high school – are also chosen by the community during the annual Fine Arts Festival.