Glen Cove HS Writer Accepted into Prestigious Journalism Program

The Cove-er Times Places 2nd as Best Online HS Newspaper on LI

Congratulations to Matthew Kolbert and the staff of the Glen Cove High School newspaper The Cove-er Times. Matthew has been accepted into the prestigious Robert W. Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalists residential program at Stony Brook University. Matthew was one of just 20 students from Long Island to be accepted into the program for his original editorial content, including an essay he wrote as part of the entry process. He is most proud of the recent editorials he has authored on the topics of Internet piracy and class rankings.

Additionally, The Cove-er Times won second place in the Best Online Newspaper category at the Adelphi University Quill Awards. Editor-in-Chief Ylenia-Elvy Panton accepted the award on behalf of the newspaper staff. As part of Adelphi’s Press Day 2012, members of The Cove-er Times staff joined more than 300 high school journalists from Long Island to witness a panel discussion and Q&A by newspaper and magazine editors, online and newspaper reporters, and freelance writers. The panel discussed a range of ethical issues facing journalists today, including the overwhelming impact of social media.

Arlene Munson is The Cove-er Times newspaper club advisor. She is pictured with Glen Cove Coordinator for English Language Arts and Social Studies Melanie Arfman congratulating Matthew. Also pictured (in the second photo) is The Cover-Times staff:  front row, left to right: Yagarah Letellier, Ylenia Elvy-Panton and Lorraine Ballero. Second row, left to right: Matthew, Brandon Mariana, James Ng and Kevin Lopez.

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GCHS Students STEP Up to the Science Competition

Congratulations to Glen Cove High School students Nicole Alexander and Rina Hernandez. Their project won 1st Place in the senior division of the Social Sciences category at the 14th Annual STEP (Science, Technology Entry Program) conference in Albany.

Nicole and Rina collaborated on a research project that compared reaction times in people with different personality types. Their research showed that “Type A” personalities, who are generally considered more aggressive, demonstrated slower reaction times than “Type B” personalities, who are generally considered more complacent. The girls used online visual and auditory tests to arrive at their conclusion. Nicole (second from left) and Rina are congratulated here by their science teacher Brendan Clements (far left) and Science Chairperson Thomas Pye, as they display their 1st Place trophy.

STEP, which is represented by more than 50 colleges and universities from across New York State, provides middle and high school students with practical experience in the scientific, technical, and health‐related fields and prepares them for the rigors of college and beyond. More than 400 students and 125 program directors/advisors regularly attend this conference. Eight students from Glen Cove High School attended this year.

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High School Carnival – June 8th

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GCHS Senior Wins His Second Photography Award This Year

Andrew Vela, a Glen Cove High School Senior, recently won an Honorable Mention in the 19th Annual Gurwin Jewish Nursing and Rehabilitation Center Photography Contest, sponsored by the Tiffen Company.  The contest was open to photographers of all ages and the center received over 700 entries, making this an exciting win for Andrew and Melissa Manzione, his photography teacher of three years.  Andrew’s photograph, 4th of July Sunset, will be added to the Gurwin Center’s permanent photography collection.  The center believes the contest winners will, “enhance the lives of residents through the exhibition of these breathtaking photos”.

The Honorable Mention is Andrew Vela’s second award for his photography this year.  In March, his on-stage perspective of the Glen Cove High School Fashion Show won him Best-In-Show at Glen Cove’s own 100 Best Communities For Young People celebration.  As Andrew is also an AP student and a member of the Select Chorale.   

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Finley Middle School NJHS Helping Battered Women

The Finley Middle School Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) continues to raise awareness about issues of concern, while providing hope for people in need throughout the community. They recently collected more than 30 functional cell phones, which they are donating to a local domestic violence shelter for victims to use in emergency situations. Verizon is refurbishing the phones.

This winter the Finley NJHS sent care packages to troops in Afghanistan, have spent time reading to young children at Tutor Time, and have been involved in many other community service activities.

NJHS advisor Linda Thomas Batson is seen here with current NJHS members displaying the cell phones that they collected from their classmates, staff members and others. The chapter just inducted 32 new members for next year (some are pictured in alternate photo).

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Glen Cove HS Ranks Among the Best in State and U.S. for AP Testing

Ranks 139th in NYS; Top 5% Nationwide

U.S. News and World Report has released its annual ranking of the country’s high schools, which is based on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exam passing scores, among other criteria. Glen Cove High School did quite well, ranking 139th out of 1,165 schools reviewed in New York State. Nationally, Glen Cove High School ranked 1,105th out of approximately 21,800 schools reviewed, placing within the top 5% of the country. Glen Cove High School has been awarded a silver medal for this accomplishment.

“We are extremely proud of our students, who continue to challenge themselves by enrolling in rigorous Advanced Placement courses,” said Glen Cove High School Principal Dr. Joseph Hinton. “On behalf of the high school administration, I would like to thank all of our teachers who inspire and motivate our students every day, as well as our Board of Education, Superintendent, parents and supportive community who make it possible for us to provide such wonderful programs.”

Rankings are based on the latest data available to the College Board, from the 2009-10 school year.

For more information on the U.S. News and World Report ranking of the best high schools in the country, please click on this link:
http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools

For more information about Glen Cove’s ranking, please click on this link:
http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/new-york/districts/glen-cove-city-school-district/glen-cove-high-school-13702

Finley’s Financial Wizards: Class Wins 1st Overall in Newsday Stock Game!

Need some advice on your financial portfolio? Just ask Critstina Robino’s eighth-grade Home and Careers students at Finley Middle School, who won 1st place overall in Newsday’s Stock Market Game. The team of John Giambrone, Michael Payton, Sean Morrissey and Isaac Loviglio (all pictured left to right with Ms. Robino and Finley School Principal Dr. Anael Alston) won the 15-week virtual competition, out-earning middle schools, high schools, and even college teams from throughout Long Island.

Finley’s financial wizards not only finished 1st overall on Long Island, they also finished 13th in New York State in the statewide competition. Each team in the game is given a virtual $100,000 to invest over the course of the 15 weeks, with the team making the most profit in that time declared the winner. John, Michael, Sean and Isaac cited Under Armour, MasterCard and Apple stock as their big producers. Every Monday they logged onto the Newsday Stock Market Game online leader board to see how they fared for the week, discussing different stocks and using online resources such as Yahoo Finance and TheStreet.com, as well as what they learned in the classroom, to aid them in their investment strategy.

According to Ms. Robino, the Newsday Stock Market Game is interdisciplinary and teaches the students different principles of economics. But if you are too shy to ask the reigning stock market champs for some financial advice, you can always ask Ms. Robino, or one of her two other teams at Finley Middle School who finished in the Top 5 overall on Long Island!

Ms. Robino’s Top 5 Stock Market Teams:

1st Place (LI):
John Giambrone
Isaac Loviglio
Sean Morrissey
Michael Payton

4th Place (LI):
Alexandria Bruzzi
Maggie Muzante
Howard Woods

5th Place (LI):
Michael Damiano
Michael Figliuolo
Joseph Suozzi

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HS Media Art Students are Finalists for MSG Varsity “V” Awards

The MSG Varsity Network recently honored three Glen Cove High School Communication Arts students as regional finalists for its prestigious V Awards in excellence in television video production and broadcasting. The following students enrolled in Chris Barry’s Communications Arts Academy received a certificate from MSG Varsity, a plaque from their school:

Francesca Sharper
On-Air Talent, Non-Sports Category – “GCTV Friday Morning News”

Emily Charlaff
On-Air Talent, Non-Sports Category – “GCTV Friday Morning News”

Summer Smiley
On-Air Talent, Non-Sports – “Smiles With Summer Senior Superlatives”

Each of these students’ segments aired on the MSG Varsity Network (Channel 14 on Cablevision) this year. Francesca is being honored for a piece she created on the Glen Cove High School radio station; Emily is being honored for her coverage of a regional science competition held at Kellenberg High School; and Summer is being honored for a “woman on the street” style broadcast entitled “Smiles With Summer Senior Superlatives” in which she interviewed her fellow classmates at Glen Cove High School about school-related issues.

This past weekend MSG Varsity announced that Francesca was named a Tri-State Finalist for the MSG Varsity V Award for Best On-Air Talent. Her work will now be judged against contestants representing high schools from throughout New Jersey, Connecticut and New York State.

MSG Varsity Area Manager of High School Partnerships Kevin Waters is pictured here awarding Summer, Francesca and Emily certificates for their achievement, along with their teacher, Mr. Barry.

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Connolly Students are Presidential

Nine students in grades 3-5 at Connolly Elementary School were honored for authoring the top essays in State Assemblyman Charles Lavine’s Presidential Essay Contest. Seven classes at Connolly School participated in the contest, which asks students to select their favorite president, explain why they chose him and document some of his accomplishments. The most popular presidents among the students were Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, with honorable mention to John F. Kennedy. The top three essays were chosen from each grade level, with Assemblyman Lavine personally visiting the school to present the winners with their awards. The nine winners are:

3rd Grade Winners
1st - Philip Wlodarczyk
2nd - Yenifer Fernandez
3rd - Lindsay Gavino.

4th Grade Winners
1st - Steven Bailey
2nd - Caterina Carvelli
3rd - Greg Villafane
 
5th Grade Winners
1st - Dylan Anucik
2nd - Victoria Blasucci
3rd - Alexandra Gaudio

Additionally, Assemblyman Lavine presented every Connolly student who participated in the contest with a Certificate of Appreciation for his/her efforts. He will visit Landing Elementary School later this month to award the school’s top essayists and honor all of its participants, as well.

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Advocates for a Better Earth

After reading Michael Recycle and the Tree Top Cops students in Allison Hernandez’s fourth-grade class at Landing Elementary School created Earth Day mascots and wrote brief statements about how they feel they can make the Earth a better place. Mikael Barajas wrote, "I can make the Earth a better place by cleaning beaches and picking up trash in the street. Cleaning the beaches is a good thing because if you clean the beaches, where will you play and who will protect the wildlife that lives there? I can form a club to protect wildlife. I can also recycle plastic bottles because you can reuse them and make them into something else."

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GCTA Honors Young Essayists

The Glen Cove Teachers' Association (GCTA) recently honored four Glen Cove School District students for their success in the Long Island Presidents' Council Essay Contest, "School Changes My World." Four different grade-level groups participated. The Glen Cove winners are as follows:

Lindsey Hernandez, K-2, Gribbin School (teacher-Colleen Verity)
Livie Muzante, 3-5, Landing School (teacher-Denise Palowski)
Julie Micko, 6-8, Middle School (teacher-Priscilla Incerto)
Vivian Rysdyk, High School (teacher-Paul Liepa)

Winners were given the opportunity to read their essays to the community at the April Glen Cove Board of Education business meeting.
 
GCTA President Karen Ferguson presented winners with a check for $50 on behalf of the GCTA and their names were forwarded for participation in the Island-wide contest. Winners of the Long Island contest will receive $500 and their essays will be read during a public radio broadcast as part of a Long Island campaign to highlight public education.

GCTA President Karen Ferguson is seen here congratulating (back row, L-R) Julie Micko, Vivian Rysdyk, (front row, L-R), Livie Muzante, and Lindsey Hernandez.

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Young Minds with Great Impressions

Jean Henning, Senior Museum Educator of the Nassau County Museum of Art, recently stopped by Deasy Elementary School to meet with students as part of the museum’s Visual Thinking Strategies program. Ms. Henning brought various paintings for the students to observe and identify the many elements of which they are comprised, including landscapes, buildings, people, animals, and other objects and shapes. The program is designed to develop visual thinking strategies in young children by engaging them in discussion about images, inspiring them to infer and share their opinions on what they see. Students will be making a trip to the museum this month as a follow-up.

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Junior Stars Rise at Landing

Twenty-nine students at Landing Elementary School were recently honored as Junior Rising Stars, receiving certificates of recognition for making great strides in academics and overall development throughout the year. Held twice a year at Landing, the Junior Rising Stars program recognizes students from each class who have made the most progress, many overcoming adversity along the way. This spring’s honorees are:

Student

Teacher

Tarik Ahmed Alexa Alma Keyri Alvarez Yoselin Andino Casey Barry Jordan Bonavoglia Federico Caballero Emerson Chacon Ayjah Clarke Jaidan Darson Sonia Flores Ja’Heem Fowler Lisbeth Hernandez Lara Jasser Deanna Jimenez Tyler Kaffl Mayanrawchaa Letellier Damian Luterek Bayron Menjivar Varela Elisia Metz Giselle Monge James Poncet Michel Quezada Carlos Rios Piero Salamanca Katherine Sartori Aliyah Stone Melissa Vargas Lesly Villatoro

Mrs. Mazza Mrs. Flower Mrs. Phegley Mrs. Clark Mrs. Clark Mrs. Mazza Mrs. Flower Mrs. DePace Mrs. Fiumara Mrs. Hernandez Mrs. Hernandez Ms. Orlando Mrs. Conners Mrs. Mendrinos Mrs. Villella Mrs. DePace Mr. Smith Mrs. Conners Mrs. Phegley Mrs. Jensen Mrs. Pawlowski Mrs. Fiumara Mrs. Mendrinos Mrs. Pawlowski Mrs. Tenke Mr. Smith Mrs. Jensen Mrs. Tenke Mrs. Villella

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Youngsters Conquer the Culinary Arts as Pizza Chefs

Students in Antoinette Hatzopoulos's first-grade class at Gribbin Elementary School recently enjoyed a hands-on experience, as one of the class fathers taught the students how to prepare personal pizzas. Mario Bencivenni, proprietor of Delicious Pizzeria in Glen Cove, supplied the dough, sauce and cheese and volunteered his time to work with students on stretching out the dough, and adding the sauce, cheese, seasonings, and toppings. Every child brought his/her own pizza home to bake. Special thanks to Mr. Bencivenni and his son Saverio!

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Rendering of Proposed New Glen Cove HS Walkway to Athletic Field

Click Here to View the Rendering of the Proposed Walkway

School Pride Personified in Red vs. Green Games

The 2012 edition of Glen Cove School District’s annual Red vs. Green Games went to the Red Team this year, as students and staff came out in support of their former (and in some cases current) elementary schools. In a series of games and fanfare that demonstrated ability, creativity and school spirit, the Red Team, representing Deasy and Landing Elementary Schools, defeated the Gribbin and Connolly Elementary School Green Team for the second consecutive year.

Participants donned the color of their allegiance, as points were awarded for the best representation of team through colored shirts, posters in the crowd, the loudest cheering fans and of course, how the teams faired in competition. Current elementary school students were invited to share in the fun, showing off their arms in a Nerf ball toss. Current Glen Cove High School students represented their former elementary school in the games, with the Red Team earning the right to play a team of district staff members in volleyball. Unlike last year, however, the faculty prevailed!

Proceeds raised from the gate were once again donated to the Glen Cove Community Scholarship Fund for the awarding of scholarships for deserving graduating seniors in the Class of 2012.

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Best in Show for Media Arts

A video created by two of Stephen Lombardo's Media Art students at Glen Cove High School was selected as “Best in Show for Video/Computer Animation” at the recent LI Media Arts Show held at Five Towns College. The video collaboration of Mauro Carignano and Joseph Calamusas was among those chosen to advance to the Suffolk County Film Commission where approximately a dozen of the pieces will be shown for the annual student film festival entitled, “First Exposure” to be held in May at the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington.

Mauro and Joseph used the film technique pixellation also known as stop motion photography to portray humans in their movie, entitled Mortal Combat. Using the technique they played the parts of two fighters while incorporating their own wacky brand of humor into the film.

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Council of PTAs Raises Community Scholarship Funds

Darcy Maccarone Belyea named 2012 Community Scholarship Honoree

On Sunday, March 11th, the Glen Cove Council of PTAs honored Darcy Maccarone Belyea as the 2012 Community Scholarship Honoree.  Each year, the Glen Cove Schools’ PTA units come together to raise scholarship money for the Glen Cove High School Senior class, while honoring a special citizen who has given so much to the Glen Cove community. Ms. Belyea, Director of Glen Cove’s Parks and Recreation, was given accolades from many Glen Cove organizations and individuals for her commitment and support of our students, in the various recreational opportunities that she helps to provide.. Many of the recreational programs as well as the Glen Cove City Summer Camp program have grown and continue to flourish under her watchful eye.  

The event was again held at the Glen Cove Mansion, which served a delicious brunch in a beautiful setting to over 200 guests.  The Glen Cove High School Jazz Band and a faculty ensemble provided entertainment with performances by Jo Ann Criblez and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Joseph Laria. The event raises enough funds to offer four to five deserving graduating seniors with scholarships awarded through the Glen Cove Community Scholarship Board.  

The Council of PTAs would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank all those who helped to make our 2012 Scholarship Brunch once again a successful event! If not for the tireless work of the Council and many other PTA members, and most importantly the support from our local merchants and corporate sponsors, we would not have been able to create the many fabulous raffle baskets and exciting Grand prizes.  Thank you to all who supported our fundraiser by buying raffle tickets, donating items or donating your time.

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Superintendent's Message

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Coach, Athletes Honored

Glen Cove High School Boys Varsity Basketball coach Pete Falen was recently honored as Conference III Coach of the Year after leading the team to its first Conference championship in 22 years. Coach Falen was also recognized as Girls Soccer Conference Coach of the Year in the fall.

Adding to the team’s accolades, Boys Varsity Basketball leading scorer Kewan Beebe was named to the All-Long Island team, which represents the best players in both Nassau and Suffolk counties. Kewan was also named team Most Valuable Player (MVP). It was a banner year for Coach Falen and Varsity Basketball team, as they compiled a 15-4 record (14-3 in Conference) and advanced to the quarterfinals of the playoffs. The Girls Soccer team finished with a record of 10-5, also making the playoffs.

Kewan averaged 18.5 points and 4 assists per game for the Big Red, stepping it up to 19 points per game in league play and 24 for the playoffs. His season high was 27, which he accomplished twice; including once against County champs Manhasset. He was also tied for second on Long Island in three-point shooting.

In addition to these fine standouts, Glen Cove High School also recognized outstanding athletes at its Booster Club awards night for the winter sports season.
Christina Cappiello, Mauro Carignano, Victoria Durso, Alexandra Gerin, Catherine Liang, Risa Nagel and Gorov Sodhi were all nominated for the prestigious Superintendent’s Award. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Joseph A. Laria presented the award to Gorov, who is a member of the Varsity Wrestling squad.
 
Seven winter athletic teams also distributed varsity, junior varsity and special awards, including the Booster Club Award and MVP awards. Catherine Liang and Eric Goodmark of the Rifle team, Nicole Alexander and Victoria Durso of Girls Varsity Basketball, Kewan and Christopher Theodorou of Boys Varsity Basketball, Gorov Sodhi and Jakub Micko of Varsity Wrestling, Emily Durso and Briana Moglia of Varsity Cheerleading, and Risa Nagel and Rosa Petulla of Kickline were recognized as team MVP and Booster Award winners, respectively. Additionally, Tiana Hueca received the Kickline Spirit Award, and Dylan Silas and Ylenia Elvy-Panton were named the MVPs of the Winter Track team.
 
Director of Health, Physical Education and Athletics Denise Kiernan recognized the three winter teams who achieved a Conference Championship during the winter season, including the Varsity Boys Basketball team, Varsity Wrestling, and the Rifle team. The Varsity Girls Basketball team and varsity wrestlers were also recognized as New York State Scholar-Athlete Teams for achieving an academic average of 90 or better.

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Kids Know Their Characters

Mrs. Gallo's second-grade class at Gribbin School demonstrated their understanding of the importance of main characters to a story and their creativity by crafting “Character Cans” based on stories they read for a recent book report.  The students explored the main character's actions and personalities and inferred the character's traits based on the information they obtained from the story. Anna Basil, who read Samantha: An American Girl Holiday and Christine Cleremont, who read Judy Moody, are pictured here. The book report assignment was a follow-up to a character unit in the classes’ reading workshop.

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