The community came out in full force to support Copiague School District during its homecoming celebration on Sept. 16. Eagle pride was soaring as the day kicked off with a parade, followed by a fair, football game and Hall of Achievement inductions.

Starting with a parade at Great Neck Road Elementary School, each of the district’s schools, community clubs, activities – as well as athletic teams and musicians – marched down Great Neck Road en route to Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School.

Floats from the senior, junior, sophomore and freshman classes also lined the roadway in this year’s theme of “Through the Decades.” The homecoming court – including king Josh Tavares and queen Kathy Rosado – rode atop convertible cars and waved to the crowd down the parade route.

Following the parade, Copiague Board of Education members, administrators and local government officials gathered on the school’s new turf field to welcome the community. Members of the homecoming court were introduced before the Eagles took on the Huntington Blue Devils. Despite their best efforts, Copiague was defeated by Huntington.

Later in the evening, Copiague celebrated the 20th anniversary of its Hall of Achievement, inducting four new members into the ranks. This year’s honorees were Dave Colford, Class of 1994; Silas W. Kelly, Class of 1971; Dr. Corinthia Price, Class of 1993; and Ken Urban, Class of 1993.

Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School student Taylor Sharpe-Adams has been selected to New York State School Music Association’s All-State Chorus as an alternate. Taylor is an Alto II voice, and is waiting to hear if she gets called up to a choral ensemble. The All-State Winter Concert will take place from Dec. 1-3 in Rochester, New York.

United Way’s Stuff-A-Bus pulled up to Copiague School District’s administrative building packed with boxes of school supplies for the students of Copiague on Sept. 11.

More than 75 boxes were filled with supplies including backpacks, pens and pencils, notebooks, lunch boxes, rulers, scissors, glue and more. United Way’s Stuff-A-Bus campaign, now in its ninth year, collects donations and also has support from corporate partners. 

Members of the Copiague Middle School Builders Club, the junior version of the Key Club, were on hand to help unload the boxes when Educational Bus Transportation delivered the packed boxes. The Builders Club, along with adviser Maria Ostrofsky, will help unpack and sort the boxes to be delivered to the different schools in the next week. 

Copiague School District has appointed Michelle Budion as director of ENL and world languages, effective Aug. 7.
    
Budion has been a faculty member at Copiague School District since 2004, working as an ESL teacher at Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School until 2005. From 2005 to 2009, she worked as an ESL teacher at Copiague Middle School. In 2009, Budion was named the districtwide coordinator of ESL and foreign language.
    
Budion holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Hofstra University and a Master of Science in teaching English as a Second Language from St. John’s University. She also completed her school building leader/school district leaders’ certifications from Stony Brook University.

The Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School Class of 2021 toured their new building, received their schedule, became acquainted with administrators and reconnected with their classmates during summer orientation on Aug. 29.

High school administrators, guidance counselors and teachers welcomed the incoming freshman class, along with their parents, as they received their schedules and locker assignments for the upcoming school year.

Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School Principal Joseph Agosta addressed the students and their families as they gathered in the auditorium for an informational session.

“This marks the first step in a very important journey,” Agosta said. “You are now being introduced to the most critical four years in your life that will help prepare you for college and your post-secondary plans.”

Agosta answered some questions generated by students following the spring orientation and also had them preview a “day in the life” of a Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School freshman to give them a better understanding of the building and its workings.

Students ended the orientation with a guided tour of the building by members of one of the school’s 30 different clubs.  

To usher in the 2017-2018 school year, Copiague School District’s faculty, staff, board of education members and administrators gathered prior to the start of school’s opening day at Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School for Superintendent’s Conference Day on Aug. 31.

After reconnecting during a welcome back breakfast in the library, the staff gathered in the high school’s auditorium where Copiague School District Board of Education President Michael Greb addressed staff and offered well-wishes for the new school year.

To give staff a sense of the amount of work completed over the summer, Copiague School District Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kathleen Bannon presented a slideshow featuring an overview and update on the capital projects. “There is still a tremendous amount of work to be done,” she said. “With some patience and flexibility, we now all have the opportunity to work in improved facilities.” Dr. Bannon recognized Don Oliver, plant facilities manager for the district, with an unsung hero award for his role in the bond projects.

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