Administrators, teachers and staff members returned to Copiague School District on Sept. 1 for Superintendent’s Conference Day on Sept. 1. Beginning in the Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School auditorium, staff gathered together to kick off the start of the 2022-2023 school year.

Copiague School District’s Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kathleen Bannon welcomed longtime employees and newcomers to the district. “As we start the new school year, I want to thank you for all the wonderful things you do for our students every day. I hope each and every one of you has a great school year, and always remember that if it’s good for kids, it’s good.”

Copiague School District Board of Education First Vice President Anthony S. Pepe addressed the staff members as well. “On behalf of the board, our administration, our entire school district, I would like to thank you for everything you have done to make Copiague the gold standard. You all expect great things from your students and we, in turn, expect great things from you. We are grateful for the positive motivation you all bring to the classroom every year. Let’s continue to bring the energy, passion and determination to our schools and make them stronger than ever.”

Assistant Superintendent for Student Services James McCabe spoke about the COVID protocols for the upcoming school year. Director of Strategic Planning and Safety Michael Ferretti addressed some of the safety plans in place and emergency procedures. Dr. Bannon gave the audience a brief overview of some of the projects that were completed during the summer and upcoming and proposed plans for districtwide improvements. Thanks to funds from the American Rescue plan, the district will receive approximately $18 million over three years. The goal is to reduce class size by adding classroom space in many of the buildings. Both the middle school and high school library will be renovated as well as the athletic fields.

To close out the program prior to staff returning to their respective buildings, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Todd Andrews introduced the service award winners. Congratulations to the following staff members, who combined have served Copiague Schools for more than 660 years.
35 years: Linda La Susa
30 years: Stephanie Colagiacomo
25 years: Michael Alba, Lori Beloff, Nancy Colello, Jolie Dichter, William Finamore, Mary Beth Loeber, Jeanie Mullins and Brian Washington
20 years: Jeanette Altruda, Peter Casale, Alfred Catania, Nancy Chieco, Dana Felicetti, Renee Ferrera, Warren Goodwin, Karen Ann Hawkins, Laura Johnson, Angela Kelly, Anastasia Kourtis, Scott Kuhn, Krystof Lipinski, aDrena Mahoney, Armando Marcenaro, Christina Nicoletti, Paula Pappalardo, Janine Proulx, Jhovany Rodriguez, Clementina Sagliocca and Lydia Warner.

Date Added: 9/2/2022