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. 

Members of the student council at Deauville Gardens West Elementary School recently organized their second annual math-a-thon fundraiser to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The student council created math packets for every student in the school to participate and presented the fundraiser to each of the classrooms. Together, the school raised $1,505.27 to help children fighting cancer.

Fifth-grade students throughout the Copiague School District celebrated their academic accomplishments and reflected on their elementary school years as they move up to Copiague Middle School in September at their respective Class Day celebrations on June 15 and 16.

Administrators, faculty, parents and invited guests gathered to celebrate as the fifth-grade students marched in to “Pomp and Circumstance.” Student council officers greeted their classmates at each of the ceremonies and remembered the memories shared over the last six years.  

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kathleen Bannon offered words of encouragement for the fifth-grade classes at Susan E. Wiley and Great Neck Road elementary schools, while Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Jeanette Altruda addressed audiences at Deauville Gardens East and Deauville Gardens West elementary schools.

At each of the Class Day ceremonies, the fifth-graders were recognized with awards for academic merit, leadership, principal’s awards, Presidential Awards for Educational Excellence and Educational Improvement, and citizenships awards. The fifth-grade teachers and principals at each of the four elementary schools facilitated the presentation of diplomas. 

Students also showed off their musical talents by performing a variety of selections, including their elementary class songs for the final performance. Students and guests gathered for a celebration following each of the ceremonies. 

Copiague School District administrators and Board of Education members recognized the faculty and staff members who will be retiring at the end of the 2016-2017 school year and also acknowledged teachers who were granted tenure during the June 5 board of education meeting.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kathleen Bannon, board of education members, district administrators and department chairs offered their congratulations to the five retirees, who have close to 150 years of combined service to the district. Retiring at the end of the school year are Stacy Bach, Rose Marie Bell, Lynne Cook, Deirdre Whiston and Rosette Verriotto. 

Four teachers ¬– Karen Kazlaukas, Michael Olsen, Danielle Russo and Ioanna Spyris – who were recently granted tenure, were also celebrated prior to the board of education meeting.  

The Suffolk Zone of the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance sponsored the annual Physical Education Student Leadership Awards Ceremony at Longwood High School on May 3. Students who qualify for the award are recognized for their achievements in physical education, leadership, character and academics.

Honored at the ceremony was Copiague Middle School eighth-graders Sarah Manzanarez and Kenneth Tejada; Deauville Gardens East Elementary School fifth-graders Ava Reichelt and Zachary Rosenzweig; Deauville Gardens West Elementary School fifth-graders Stanley Buissereth and Stefana Lipari; Susan E. Wiley Elementary School fifth-grade students Brian Gonzalez and Jordana Jagnarine; and Great Neck Road Elementary School fifth-grade students Nicole Araujo and Kamar Birthwright.

Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School hosted the seventh annual Urban & Walsh Memorial Invitational on May 15. Organized by Copiague track coaches George Schroeder and John Sack, the annual event is held to honor Christopher Urban and Brittney Walsh.

Hosting 28 teams from across Long Island, the invitational featured 18 events including girls and boys shot put, boys and girls disc, long jump, high jump, triple jump, pole vault, the 2,000/3,000 steeplechase, 100/110 high hurdles, high jump and more. In addition to the standard track and field events, fifth-graders from the four elementary schools – Deauville Gardens East, Deauville Gardens West, Great Neck Road and Susan E. Wiley – participated in a special boys and girls 4x100 relay.

For the Copiague boys, David Lawrence placed second in the 100-meter dash with a time of 0:11.74, took third place in the long jump with 21 feet, 7.5 inches and placed second in the triple jump with 43 feet, 2.5 feet. Antoine Moore Jr. placed second in the 400-meter dash with a time of 0:50.82. Jackson Bright, Aryes Garrett and Brenton Bennett took fifth, sixth and seventh place, respectively, in the high jump.

For the Copiague girls, Halle Moore took first place in the 400-meter dash with a time of 60.66, while Akajia Atkins placed third in the 100-meter dash with a time of 0:13.25. The girls 4x400 meter relay team placed second with a time of 4:36.29, and high jumper Lyndsey Wilson secured third place with a jump of 4 feet, 10 inches. Akajia Atkins placed first in the long jump with a 17 foot, 3-inch jump, and Kyria Moore took fifth in the shot put with a toss of 32 feet, 6.75 inches.