After reading “How to Catch a Turkey” by Adam Wallace and Andy Elkerton, third grade buddies from Mrs. Mullins’s class at Great Neck Road Elementary School worked with their first grade buddies in Mrs. Loeber’s class on a STEAM activity. The students used marshmallows and toothpicks to create a turkey trap. Students worked together to use engineering, communication and problem-solving skills. The buddies meet several times during the year to work on other types of activities that include math, reading, technology and science.

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Date Added: 11/22/2023

Great Neck Road Elementary School held a breakfast to honor local veterans on Nov. 9. The invited guests were joined by students, administrators and board of education members. Following a thank-you video tribute, the kindergarten classes led a parade – carrying their flags high – around the gymnasium and sang two patriotic songs. There were also performances by the chorus and a poem recited by fifth graders. The students closed out the breakfast with a big “thank-you veterans” sign.

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Date Added: 11/13/2023

To thank the Copiague School District Board of Education for their ongoing support of students, members were recognized during the Oct. 16 meeting. The New York State School Board Association designates the week of Oct. 17-21 as School Board Recognition Week.

The recognitions kicked off with a performance by the Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School Madrigal Choir. The Copiague Teachers Association donated to three local food pantries and the Eagle’s Nest food pantry. The Copiague Association of Supervisors donated to the district’s Eagle’s Nest food pantry and the Copiague Association of Principals donated funds to the Chris Madden Scholarship. Copiague PTA Council provided refreshments for the celebration and donated to the American Association of Suicide Prevention and the Carmyne Payton Memorial Scholarship. The Art Honor Society created a piece for display in the board of education meeting room.

Date Added: 10/23/2023

Student-artists at Great Neck Road Elementary School are showing off their artistic side this October. Kindergarten students are celebrating fire safety month by creating their own cut paper firetrucks in art class with Ms. Haughney. The fifth graders studied the art of Sari Shryak. They drew, painted and mixed their own tints of color to create their own disco balls.

Date Added: 10/13/2023

The kindergarten students at Great Neck Road Elementary School are jumping into fall with lessons themed around pumpkins, apples and leaves.

After reading “The Leaf Thief,” students created their own leaf-shaped suncatchers in all the autumn colors. The suncatchers will hang on the classroom window and reflect the season’s colors into the room. Kindergartners also used apples to measure each other and counted how many apples they had to add or subtract to cover the height of their classmates. The students also used paper plates to create and decorate their own pumpkins. The kindergarten students cut out the inner circle of the plate so they could become the pumpkin’s face.

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Date Added: 10/6/2023

Copiague School District celebrated its Hall of Achievement’s newest inductees with a ceremony held on Sept. 30. This year’s five inductees – Robert Durgin (Class of 1977), Quashier Flood-Strouble (Class of 2000), Frank Giorgini (Class of 1965), Deborah Payton-Jones (Class of 1978) and Robert Waidler (Class of 1990) – bring the total number of Hall of Achievement members to 122.

The goal of the district’s Hall of Achievement is to introduce positive role models to the school community and build a sense of pride for all Copiague graduates. Copiague School District Board of Education President Kenneth Urban welcomed attendees to the ceremony. “Inductees, you become a member of a group that has helped shape our school throughout the years – a well-rounded, diverse district with our doors always open to help everyone succeed,” he said. “Current and future students will walk our halls and read your plaques. It will help guide and steer them in the right direction for their future.”

Copiague School District Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kathleen Bannon added, “Our goal is to introduce these alumni as positive and motivating role models to our entire school community,” she said. “By the nature of their accomplishments and service, our inductees’ achievements inspire our students to reach their goals.”

Robert Durgin earned a bachelor’s degree in government and Russian language from the University of Notre Dame. He received a juris doctorate from Tulane University. He served on active duty with the U.S. Marine Corps, was certified as a judge advocate and retired as a lieutenant colonel from the Marine Corps Reserves. He practiced law and later joined Johnson & Johnson as the worldwide vice president, regulatory affairs for the DePuy Synthes Companies.

Following graduation, Quashier Flood-Strouble received a Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice from Florida A&M University and a master’s degree in school counseling from Capella University. She worked at the Department of Children and Families as an abuse counselor and school counselor at Tallahassee Collegiate Academy. Recently, she co-founded and oversaw a free six-week summer camp for underprivileged children.

Noted for his tilework and designing the all-clay Udu drum and introducing it to the U.S., Frank Giorgini’s mosaic installations can be seen in Whitehall Street in Brooklyn, the 2nd Avenue subway station and the LIRR Merrick station. Giorgini received a Bachelor of Arts degree in fine art and industrial design from Pratt Institute and a master’s degree in fine arts from Southern Illinois University. He taught tile design and fabrication at Parson’s School of Design and authored a handmade tile book.

Deborah Payton-Jones holds a Bachelor of Science in business management from Florida A&M University. She worked at the Fashion Institute of Technology for 32 years, also serving as the voter registration coordinator. She recently founded VoterEducation365, dedicated to educating and organizing communities around voting. She currently works with the Suffolk County Board of Elections.

Following graduation, Robert Waidler received an associate degree in criminal justice and entered the New York City Police Department before transferring to the Denver Police Department. There, he created and coordinate a resiliency and wellness program, peer support program, Chaplain’s program, physical therapy program and reintegration

program. He also holds certifications in yoga teacher training, health and wellness coaching, personal training and behavior change specialist.

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Date Added: 10/6/2023