|
• The Glen Cove School District recently hosted a Realtors/Community Leaders Breakfast, welcoming more than 50 key communicators and real estate agents to the Finley Middle School Mini-Center to share information about the Glen Cove School District. During the breakfast, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Joseph A. Laria, Board of Education Vice President David Huggins and Trustee Joel Sunshine spoke about the district’s educational and extracurricular program. Glen Cove PTA Council Vice President Cheryl Hatala shared the PTA’s insights into parent-school connection, while Landing Elementary School Principal Dr. Michael Israel and Glen Cove High School Principal Dr. Joseph Hinton provided overviews of the elementary and secondary school programs, respectively.
Dr. Hinton also introduced the Class of 2012 student leaders who were in attendance, including Valedictorian Alison Abrams, Salutatorian Alexandra Gerin, Honorarian Gorov Sodhi, and Class President Anish Joshi. The High School Select Chorale also treated guests to a special performance. Attendees were also provided with information to share with prospective homebuyers and anyone else interested in the Glen Cove community. Several attendees shared positive feedback regarding the event and expressed enthusiasm for next year’s breakfast.
• Congratulations to Glen Cove High School Communication Arts Academy students Emily Charlaff, Summer Smiley, and Francesca Sharper for advancing to the regional finals in the 2012 MSG Varsity V-Awards in the On-Air Talent category. Glen Cove dominated this category with three out of six finalists. These three students have represented Glen Cove on MSG Varsity, hosting segments for the Friday Morning News. Media Communications teacher Chris Barry said they are truly the "faces" of Glen Cove High School. Stay tuned to see how they fair in the next round.
• Glen Cove High School DECA (Distributive Education Club of America) participated in the Feinstein Foundation Food Challenge through the Outreach Program at St. Patrick’s Church in Glen Cove. Students collected 20 boxes of non-perishable food items (pictured above) to help alleviate hunger and promote the values of caring and compassion, and the importance of community service in education.
• Glen Cove High School Girls Lacrosse player Ariana Cavallone is a recipient of the Nassau County Sports Commission (NCSC) Outstanding High School Achievement Award. Ariana and her fellow recipients from other high schools in the county will be honored at the NCSC’s "Salute to Champions" Awards Dinner on May 1, 2012 at the Woodlands in Woodbury. Celebrity honorees in attendance will include former New York Met Ed Kranepool, NBA All-Star Wally Szczerbiak, Sportswriter Dave Kindred, Clemson Tiger Dwayne Allen, NY Jets rookie Muhammad Wilkerson, Richard "Big Daddy" Salgado of Coastal Advisors LLC, and ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
• The Glen Cove High School Masquers Society will be presenting its production of Once On This Island under the direction of Edward Norris this weekend, Friday, April 27 and Saturday, April 28 at 8:00pm on the Glen Cove High School stage. Set in the Caribbean, the story centers on a peasant girl on a tropical island, who uses the power of love to bring together people of different social classes and includes elements of Romeo and Juliet and The Little Mermaid.
• Finley Middle School presented its annual spring production entitled Schoolhouse Rock Live, based on the popular Emmy Award-winning 1970s Saturday morning educational cartoon series that emphasized history, grammar, math, science and politics through clever, tuneful songs and shorts such as “Just a Bill on Capitol Hill” and “Conjunction Junction.” The story revolves around Tom, a nerve-wracked teacher whose first day on the job jitters almost get the better of him, until he tunes into the tube and the Schoolhouse Rock characters come alive. The characters teach Tom how to win over his students using imagination and music.
Victor Mendonca, Will Casale, Elizabeth Grieco, Evelina Backiel, Harrison Israel, and Marisa Fahey led a cast of 54 students in grades six, seven and eight. In addition, approximately 20 Finley students served as members of the sound, lighting and stage crew. Finley Theater Director Joy Sullivan thanks all those who attended for their support.
• 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.
• Congratulations to Connolly Elementary School students Paolo Cacio and Gregory Villafane, who are members of the RoboMind Tech Team that won 1st prize for “Fastest Robotic Skills” at the 2012 Robotics Scrimmage held at the New York Academy of Science at 7 World Trade Center in Manhattan last month.
• Students at Gribbin Elementary School recently participated in the National Education Association’s “Read Across America” challenge. Held annually, the event encourages schools and communities to coordinate fun activities that inspire children to read in unison.
• Students in Antoinette Hatzopoulos's first-grade class at Gribbin Elementary School recently enjoyed a hands-on culinary 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!
• 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.
• Glen Cove High School DECA members attended the annual New York State Career Conference and Competition in Rochester, New York, where they participated in competitions in business, marketing, and entrepreneurship. Glen Cove DECA brought home 14 medals, a first-place trophy, and a plaque for fundraising for Crohn’s Disease. Chapter President Alison Baade was named “Outstanding Chapter Member of the Year” and was inducted into the NY DECA Honor Society. Advisor Deborah Pearsall was named “Advisor of the Year.”
• Glen Cove High School’s CAUSE (Community Action Using Student Empowerment) raised more than $2,971 through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s “Pennies for Patients” program. With the help of advisor Susan Poulos, the CAUSE program gives students the opportunity to organize fundraisers that will benefit non-profit organizations. The students surpassed their previous year’s total of $1,500.
• Glen Cove High School student Elias Blinkoff has been admitted to the 2012 Simons Summer Research Fellowship Program, which includes some of the best science students from throughout the country. The Simons Summer Research Fellowship Program requires a seven-week commitment. Elias will be working with Dr. Laura Staum Casasanto and Dr. John Drury in the Department of Linguistics at Stony Brook University.
• During the winter season’s athletics awards, varsity wrestler Gorov Sodhi was named winner of the prestigious Superintendent’s Award. Christina Cappiello, Mauro Carignano, Victoria Durso, Alexandra Gerin, Catherine Liang, and Risa Nagel were also nominated. MVP and Booster Club Award winners were named for every winter squad.
• Three winter teams achieved a Conference Championship: 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.
• Boys varsity basketball coach Pete Falen was honored as Conference Coach of the Year. Coach Falen was also recognized as Girls Soccer Conference Coach of the Year in the fall. 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.
• Congratulations to the Glen Cove High School kickline dance team for winning second place in the Pom Dance division at the Scholastic Kickline Competition held at Nassau Community College. The team also took fourth place in the Kick Routine.
• Students and staff members at Glen Cove High School gathered in the school lobby for the formal dedication of a wonderful art display and case created to house a piece of an I-beam recovered from the World Trade Center, which was donated to the school back in September. The art display shows two hands covered with images of the Trade Center holding the I-beam piece. With a great deal of input from students, teachers Kathleen Wright and Richard Bullis designed the display, while maintenance staff members Ralph Dimaggio and Frank Petrizzo built the casing. The display serves as a memorial to those who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks.
• Several students in Melissa Manzione’s Advanced Photography class at Glen Cove High School were selected to show their work in an exhibit sponsored by the Professional Women Photographers group at the HP Calumet Gallery in NYC this month.
• Juniors and seniors taking Participation in Government and Economics at Glen Cove High School welcomed musician Vinny St. Marten as a culmination to their Black History Month lessons. Mr. St. Marten shared his story of being raised in the orchard section of Glen Cove during the 1950s at the height of segregation, how he lost his sight at the age of seven, and how he befriended a young black student named Walter who helped him get around. A video shown by Mr. St. Marten gave students a better idea of segregation and the impact it had on not only people of color, but also the society as a whole. His visit served as an inspiration to all.
• Finley Middle School hosted a celebration to commemorate Glen Cove’s designation as one of the Top 100 Best Communities for Young People as awarded by the America’s Promise Alliance. Students, parents, siblings, teachers, and members of local government and community-based organizations were on hand for the celebration in the Finley cafeteria. Students enjoyed pizza and face painting among other activities, and Glen Cove High School Communications Arts students created a video highlighting the city. Mayor Suozzi presented awards to the students, and citations were given to the city by Mayor Bruce Kennedy on behalf of the Village of Sea Cliff, Nassau County Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton, and NYS Assemblyman Charles Lavine.
• Students at Finley Middle School were presented with Citizenship of the Month Awards. Members of the PTA and Principal Anael Alston present these awards to students who demonstrate exemplary humanitarian qualities around the building. Some positive character traits demonstrated included respect toward others, honesty, dependability, cooperativeness, kindness, understanding, and good decision-making. Students recognized were: Jonathan Capobianco, Jace Charon, Guiseppe D'Ambrosio, Gabrielle Ermmarino, Irene Sanchez Estrada, Katherine Hatala, Sabrina Magrini, Claudia Mejia, Julie Micko, Anthony Morace, Carly Pascucci, Elias Pineda, Jefferson Reyes, and Kamia Washington. More students will be honored later this year.
• Students from Finley Middle School took a field trip to Johns Hopkins University Medical Center in Baltimore, MD to learn about careers in the medical field from one of the top neurosurgeons in the world. Dr. Ben Carson, head pediatric neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins, spoke about his profession, the requirements for admission into medical school, and the commitment needed to be successful. In 1987, Dr. Carson made medical history by becoming the first surgeon to successfully separate Siamese twins conjoined at the back of the head.
• Landing Elementary School’s K-Kids recently raised $282 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The students sold pencils and pens in their spare time to raise the funds, while also raising awareness about the disease and once again experiencing a valuable lesson in helping others.
• In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, Landing Elementary School welcomed Glen Cove resident Robert Lynch to share some Irish culture with young students. A charter member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Mr. Lynch entertained youngsters by performing some popular songs on the bagpipes. He also taught them how to march in a parade and how to say “Happy St. Patrick’s Day” in Irish Gaelic (Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona duit). The students were entertained by Irish dancer Caitriona Greene, as well.
• Valerie Scicchitano and Erin O'Beirne's fourth-grade class at Connolly Elementary School took a trip to Glen Cove City Hall to interview Mayor Ralph Suozzi. Students asked the Mayor questions about issues pertaining to the Glen Cove community and took photos with him, which will be used as part of an iMovie they are creating on the history of the city.
• Sue Stanco’s fifth-grade class at Connolly Elementary School entered the contest "Why I Am Proud to Pledge Allegiance to Our Flag," sponsored by the Elks Lodge #1458. Students received certificates for their participation. Haley Gielbeda’s and Solange Unger’s essays were selected to advance to the Elks Club national competition. Robert Giglio from the Elks Lodge #1458 visited the school to congratulate the students and present Haley and Solange with $25 gift cards to Barnes and Noble.
• Students at Gribbin Elementary School participated in “The Fabulous Friendship Challenge,” which asked students to show courtesy, generosity, patience, respect, and friendship to others. More than 150 students received friendship hearts, which now hang from the school’s “Friendship Tree” to serve as an example for all to see.
• Gribbin Elementary School first graders learned a lot about sea stars as they touched and observed live "Stars of the Sound." Julie Nelson, Education Director at the Waterfront Center in Oyster Bay, brought several sea stars to the school as well as clams and mussels, shellfish that the sea stars eat. The children identified the sea stars' parts and learned how sea stars eat, see, and regenerate arms, culminating the session by making a sea star craft.
• Colleen Coelho in Ms. Stasco's second-grade class and Jason Downer in Mr. Segreti's first-grade class at Gribbin School both won awards in the 100 Best Communities for Young People contest, an award that was proudly bestowed upon the Glen Cove community earlier this year.
• Deasy Elementary School welcomed a principal and science teacher from the Great Neck School District to listen to students and teachers speak about how they integrated the Deasy vegetable garden into their everyday science and literacy curriculum. The Great Neck contingent had read about the Deasy garden on the Jamie Oliver Food Network and wanted to see in person what they were doing.
• First and second graders at Deasy are gearing up for the spring growing season. They will soon begin growing their starter plants for the spring harvest under class grow lights. The process begins three weeks prior to the official spring planting, which will take place in early May in the school’s garden.
• The Glen Cove Council of PTAs came together at the Glen Cove Mansion to honor Darcy Maccarone Belyea as the 2012 Community Scholarship Honoree. Ms. Maccarone Balyea serves as the director of the Glen Cove Parks and Recreation Department and was honored for her commitment to and support of Glen Cove students, organizations, and the recreational opportunities she helps to makes possible. The Glen Cove High School jazz band, as well as a faculty ensemble led by teacher Jo Ann Criblez and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Joseph Laria, entertained the 200+ guests. A special thanks to PTA members, local merchants, and corporate sponsors who made the event possible.
• Elementary schools in Glen Cove celebrated Parents as Reading Partners (PARP) Month, highlighted by guest authors and various activities designed to inspire young children to read. Schools even conducted “Community Reader Days” in which administrators, teachers, staff, and older students joined representatives from various departments in the City of Glen Cove, visiting the schools to read to young children. Fifth graders Jasmine James of Landing School and Alontra Schuck of Connolly School each designed a logo that serves as an official design for the program, following the theme “Travel into a Book; Enjoy Your Adventure.”
• Students throughout Glen Cove celebrated the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. last month, as many of the city’s youth marched in the annual MLK parade, followed by a special ceremony held at Finley Middle School. Festivities in district schools included Landing School’s “Barrel Burn,” in which students listed prejudices (e.g., race, religion, gender, violence, fear) on pieces of paper and then tossed them into a fire contained within a barrel that was supervised by the Glen Cove Fire Dept. To kick off their day, the Finley Middle School conducted a prolonged moment of silence during homeroom. Students then listened to a four-minute biography on Dr. King, played over the public address system. Gribbin School held a morning assembly, highlighted by songs and interesting Dr. King facts and phrases that students had researched. Children returned to their classrooms singing “We Shall Overcome.”
• For the first time since 1999, the Glen Cove High School Big Red Varsity Wrestling team won the Conference 3B Championship. Propelled by wins in four consecutive dual meets over Lawrence, Valley Stream South, Bethpage, and Manhasset, the team earned a first-round bye and advanced to the Dual Meet Championships. Qualifiers for Nassau County Tournament were Eduardo Montecer, Joe Nicolich, Gorov Sodhi, Jerry Ho, Scott Nicolich, Christian Klimaszewski (Alternate), Charlie Guastella, Robert Krisch, Mario Serrano and Fabriski Jean-Claude.
• The Glen Cove High School Big Red Boys Varsity Basketball team has won the Conference III Championship for the first time in 22 years. The team finished the regular season with a record of 14-3 in Conference III, 10-2 in league play, advancing to the second round of the playoffs by defeating Floral Park in an exciting 57-54 comeback victory. Congratulations to Coach Pete Falen and the boys on an amazing run!
• For Valentine’s Day, several members of the Glen Cove High School Key Club, as well as some high school Spanish classes and one art class designed more than 150 Valentine’s Day Cards that were sent to local senior citizens at Glen Cove Senior Citizen Center. Kudos to the students, teachers and in particular, Key Club Advisor MaryEllen Cuomo, for this kind gesture.
• Glen Cove High School tenth graders Michal Murawski and Elsie Goodman were selected to participate in the celebrated LIU/C.W. Post exhibit Advanced Visions VIII: High School Artists of Excellence. Michal, a student of Ms. Doughty, was awarded honorable mention for his black-and-white portrait of Tom Hanks. He is currently contributing his portrait-painting talents to a collaborative triptych under construction at the high school. Elsie, a student of Ms. Manzione, submitted a digital print of a film negative taken during a concert in New York City.
• MSG Varsity visited the Glen Cove High School TV Studio to observe the Communication Arts Academy students in action and tape a segment for their ongoing series, “Students in the Media.” Kevin Waters, MSG Varsity’s Regional Manager for High School Partnerships, stated that the work GCTV has been submitting this year is “tops both in quantity and quality” and thought it was time to capture the students in action. A cameraperson followed Mr. Barry’s TV Production I class as they rehearsed and recorded a student-written commercial for the fictional product Speedy Gumzalez, written by sophomore Samantha Sullivan and directed by senior Dan Lynch. Simultaneously, the Communication Arts Academy news crew covered MSG’s visit for the GCTV Friday Morning News. MSG Varsity’s “Students in the Media” featuring the Glen Cove Communication Arts Academy has been airing on the MSG Varsity Network.
• Students in Rosa Malley’s Spanish class at Finley Middle School designed menus for their very own Spanish restaurant, writing the dishes and descriptions entirely in Spanish. To make the experience authentic, they converted their classroom into a dining area, complete with tablecloths and proper place settings. Students also had to calculate the tips based on the total bill and service and learned proper dining etiquette.
• The Finley Middle School Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society sent care packages to our troops in Afghanistan, an idea pitched to the students by advisor Linda Thomas Batson. NJHS member Michael Hatala mentioned that he had family in the military and suggested the school focus its efforts on that troop. The response was incredible, as four large flat-rate boxes were filled with snacks, phone cards, batteries, magazines, air fresheners, and cotton swabs and sent to the troops. In addition, NJHS member Patricia Abraham designed special thank you cards. As a result, the Finley Middle School chapter learned the valuable life lesson that helping others results in mutual happiness.
• The Glen Cove Chamber of Commerce recently donated 200 large binders to Finley Middle School for distribution to students. To date approximately 100 of the binders have been handed out to students enrolled in the school’s Saturday ESL Academy. Social workers are identifying which students would benefit most from the remaining binders. Special thanks to Rotary First Vice President Glen Howard for making the connection!
• Kudos to the Landing School Student Council for raising $174 for the Lustgarten Foundation, which is dedicated to finding a cure for pancreatic cancer. Under the direction of advisors Maria DePace and Denise Pawlowski, Landing students sold purple ribbons during National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month (purple is the official color of pancreatic cancer awareness). The idea originated from Landing fourth grader Mykela Pajuelo and her brother, fifth grader Dylan Pajuelo, who lost their uncle to the disease.
• The Connolly School Student Council recently conducted their annual bake sale, which raised $417 to be donated to various cancer awareness/research charities. Susan Stanco is the council advisor.
• Congratulations to Connolly School fifth grader Lauren Retoske, who won second place in the Kiwanis K-Kids Club Greeting Card Contest. Lauren placed for her card entitled “Good Job!” which illustrates straight A’s in the core subject areas. Her teacher is Nancy Cox.
• Landing and Connolly Schools recently conducted their respective schoolwide competitions for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Fifth graders from each school squared off, with each class sending representation to the schoolwide bee. In the end, Yarina Acosta of Landing and Jimmy Mullen of Connolly emerged victorious, advancing to represent their schools at the regional bee, to be held on March 18 at Hofstra University. Hannah Boecklin was the runner-up at Landing, Lauren Retoske at Connolly.
• Students at Gribbin School held their own “Souper Bowl”; the goal, however, was not to amass touchdowns, but rather food for those less fortunate. Coordinated by school social worker Kristin Brosnan, the schoolwide drive encouraged Gribbin students to collect cans of soup and other non-perishable items for donation to a local food pantry. Souper Bowl is a national effort to capitalize on the hype created around the NFL’s Super Bowl by mobilizing youngsters to fight hunger and poverty in their local communities.
• As part of their studies on the environment, students from Deasy School visited the Garvies Point Museum and Preserve to take an informative nature walk and learn about the Long Island climate and how it affects tree and plant life. Youngsters also learned about geology and erosion while studying the East Coast’s largest stream table.
• In honor of the 75th anniversary of Dr. Seuss’ book And to Think It Happened on
Mulberry Street, Allison Hernandez’s fourth-grade class at Landing School and Meryl Gordon’s first graders at Deasy School met in the building’s Discovery Cove Learning Center to celebrate the occasion. Additionally, in honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday, Deasy kindergartners will see the new movie The Lorax, based on the classic Seuss tale. Deasy students will also be tapping the school’s maple tree as part of their science unit on trees.
• Samantha Renison, a GCTV graduate who is now working for Wieden+Kennedy, a full-service advertising agency, stopped by Chris Barry’s Communications Arts Academy to speak with students about what it means to be a media buyer and how her education in Glen Cove, as well as her college and career path, got her there. Samantha is a network media buyer for ABC Entertainment and ABC Family. In addition to ABC, Wieden+Kennedy’s clients include Nike, Coca-Cola, Kraft and Levi’s.
• The Glen Cove High School DECA Club has been very involved this school year.
DECA students recently participated in the North Atlantic Regional Conference in Philadelphia, the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk at Jones Beach, and the Any Soldier program, in which they packed items to send to soldiers overseas. Deborah Pearsall is the Glen Cove High School DECA Club advisor.
• The newly formed Glen Cove High School Interact Club had their first ever charity event in November, a Thanksgiving food drive. Club co-directors Emily and Tori Durso and advisor Melissa Manzione arranged for the club to collect food outside of King Kullen in Glen Cove one Sunday in November. A dozen Interact Club members helped in getting shoppers to surpass their goal of filling up a car with donations. The club then delivered the food to several local food pantries.
• The Glen Cove High School Masquers Society presented its production of Alice vs. Wonderland earlier this month. This bizarre update of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland starred six different student actresses playing the parts of six different Alices. Masquers Society advisor Matthew Rottino directed the play. Thirty students starred and worked behind the scenes to make the show a success.
• Thirteen students from Finley Middle School have been recognized as top scorers in the American Mathematics Competition. District Math Chairperson Cassandra Shannon recently awarded certificates to the following students: James Adams, Grace Blinkoff, Herna Bonilla, Jace Charon, Gaetano Famiglietti, Anthony Ginez, Harrison Israel, Damian Jagustyn, Michelle Melfi, Justin Sobelman, Victoria Tripp, Kai Williams, and Duncan Yates.
• Fourth-grade students at Landing School joined the Reading Club, which met for about five weeks every day for an hour before school. The book lovers read a number of books from various genres and had an enormous amount of interactive discussions about setting, plot, author’s purpose, and other literary elements. In addition, students enjoyed creating projects that connected with the stories they read.
• Fifth grader Ireanna Peralta at Connolly School is the winner of a Scholastic writing contest, sponsored by Scholastic Storyworks magazine. For the assignment, students in Frank Monteleone’s class read a nonfiction article entitled "The Awesome Powers of Ethan Z" from a Scholastic magazine. The article was about a boy who finds inner power to ignore bullying and mean behavior from people due to his physical differences. Ireanna was one of only ten winners nationwide, and received a free copy of the book Powerless by Matthew Cody.
• The sounds of winter were heard throughout the halls of Gribbin School earlier this month as the school conducted its annual Winter Concert, directed by music teacher JoAnn Criblez. The concert featured the vocal and movement talents of the school’s kindergarteners, first graders and second graders. Many of the songs centered on the winter season, with some traditional favorites sprinkled in. Mrs. Vanommeren’s second-grade class kicked off the show with a brief play entitled “Tacky the Penguin.” First grader Brian Mullen illustrated the show’s program cover. Winter concerts are being held in district schools throughout the month of December. Please refer to the district calendar (online or printed version) for dates and times.
• At Deasy School, students raised $540 for the March of Dimes during their annual Wonderwalk, held on November 30. Additionally, throughout the month of December, the students and staff are collecting gently used gifts and placing them under the schools’ Giving Tree. The gifts will be presented to Deasy families in need during the holiday season.
• Glen Cove High School senior Andrea Washington is the recipient of the Glen Cove Chamber of Commerce’s Future Business Leaders Scholarship. Andrea has been involved in the High School Drama Department, serving in many capacities from Assistant Director to Treasurer of Masquers. She has also participated in DECA, becoming familiar with the community, and helped with the Any Soldiers Program. Andrea volunteers at Deasy School and, with all of her extracurricular activities, maintains a vigorous academic schedule. She is also enrolled in the WISE Program and hopes to intern at a local business or non-profit organization.
• The Glen Cove High School “Big Red” Band performed at the 2011 New York City Veteran’s Day Parade on Friday, November 11, 2011. They were the only marching band from Long Island to participate in this year’s parade. They performed under the direction of Nicholas Carbuto, whose bands have marched in numerous New York City Columbus Day Parades, the Salute to Israel Parade, and the Gator Bowl Parade and halftime show in Jacksonville, FL.
• The Glen Cove High School Key Club conducted a school-wide food drive to help feed local families in need for the Thanksgiving holiday. The students filled eight large boxes with traditional Thanksgiving foods. Earlier this fall, members of the Key Club also sold pumpkin bread and pencils at the Mini Mart in Sea Cliff to raise money for the INN soup kitchen in Glen Cove. Mary Ellen Cuomo is advisor to the club.
• Glen Cove High School senior Emily Charlaff, who is enrolled in Chris Barry’s Communications Arts Academy, recently visited the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations at Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan. While there she videotaped footage of the protests, interviewed protestors and organizers, and even interviewed award-winning filmmaker and documentarian Michael Moore who was visiting the site. Emily captured incredible footage, which she will edit and use for her college entrance video. Mr. Barry was particularly impressed that Emily had the courage to approach Mr. Moore while he was surrounded by news media. “This is the sign of a future reporter or filmmaker learning her craft,” said Mr. Barry.
• Finley Middle School students Evangelia Markoulis and Spyro Markoulis raised $500 for the organization Building Homes for Heroes. After meeting a severely wounded veteran at a relative’s home on Staten Island, Evangelia and Spyro decided to camp out at Stop & Shop to solicit donations from the community for the cause. Building Homes for Heroes is a non-profit organization committed to supporting those who have returned home from the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan with severe wounds and disabilities.
• Seventh-grade art students at Finley Middle School created and “planted” colorful pinwheels for peace in the ground on the school’s front lawn to show their unity and commemorate International Peace Day. Under the direction of art teachers Vicki Gordon and Melissa Manzione, students created these unique pinwheels, writing their messages for peace on one side of each pinwheel and illustrating symbols of peace on the other side. Once planted in the ground, the words and colorful designs whirled around with the wind and blended together to create a beautiful visual image.
• Finley Middle School ESL 3 students in Briana Fazio’s class have been reading the book The House on Mango Street, which is full of figurative language, including similes and metaphors. After studying the differences between similes and metaphors and identifying examples from the book, the students began to write their own poems. Students brainstormed ideas and words that came to mind when they thought of the fall season.
• Schools throughout the district recognized Red Ribbon Week with assemblies promoting the prevention of substance abuse. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Joseph A. Laria stopped by several of the schools, where students wore red clothes and donned red ribbons as a symbol of solidarity and commitment to saying no to drug use and other destructive decisions. Red Ribbon poster contest winners were also acknowledged by the local Substance Abuse Free Environment (SAFE) organization.
• Students at Connolly and Landing Elementary Schools received a living lesson in civic responsibility and the workings of the democratic process during their annual Student Council elections. Borrowing from real politics, candidates for the presidency and other offices campaigned with posters and slogans. With the student body assembled before them, candidates presented speeches outlining their qualifications and major campaign promises. Glen Cove Mayor Ralph Suozzi and mayoral candidate Paul Meli stopped by to share some words of wisdom with the children.
• Connolly Elementary School hosted a Colonial Day event, sponsored by the school PTA. The event, conducted by the Society for the Preservation of Long Island’s Antiquities (SPLIA), provided future generations of Glen Cove citizens with a hands-on lesson in our past through quilting, tin making and rope threading activities.
• Landing Elementary School third-grade teacher Nicole Mazza is a recipient of the March of Dimes Golden Apple Award. The award is presented to teachers who go above and beyond their day-to-day responsibilities to make a difference in the lives of their students and school community. Now in her sixth year as a teacher in the district, Ms. Mazza is one of only ten educators on Long Island honored to receive the award this year. She attributes her efforts to instill technology and incorporate many hands-on activities into the daily classroom lessons as factors in this recognition.
• Students and staff at Landing Elementary School enjoyed a tasty Thanksgiving feast in the school’s All-Purpose Room, complete with all of the trimmings. This year’s event took on special meaning as students and staff honored their longtime school nurse Mary Anne Germino, who is battling cancer. Classes prepared special tributes to Ms. Germino. Landing Principal Dr. Michael Israel and Student Council officers Szymone Frye and Anthony Rant presented a plaque to family friend and Landing School supporter Scott Genova, who accepted the plaque on behalf of Ms. Germino. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Joseph A. Laria stopped by after visiting Ms. Germino in the hospital to relay a message to the Landing students from her. Dr. Laria also sang a Frank Sinatra song in her honor. The Landing PTA coordinated the feast.
• The Glen Cove Rotary purchased warm winter clothing for 30 Landing students in need through Martin Wertheim and the 'Coats for Kids' program. The students were transported by Hendrickson Bus Company to Target in Hicksville, where, accompanied by 14 teachers, they shopped for winter coats, gloves, hats, scarves, boots to keep them warm this winter.
• Gribbin Elementary School students, families, and staff donated frozen turkeys and non-perishable items to provide a complete Thanksgiving dinner for 17 Glen Cove families. Each classroom decorated a box to collect the food as a lesson in generosity and giving. Gribbin School social worker Kristin Brosnan delivered the Thanksgiving meals to the families on November 21. Connolly Elementary School also donated turkey meals to local families, and schools throughout the district continue to conduct food drives to feed those in need for the holidays.
• Amy Cooke’s second-grade ESL students at Gribbin Elementary School created a PowerPoint presentation by collaborating with their parents, asking them to share memories of their native country. Parents shared these memories in Spanish and the students translated the oral stories into English. They then placed their written translations into the presentation, which they called “The Moon Was the Best.”
• Deasy School presented a free Health Fair on November 16 to provide information about healthy lifestyles, nutrition, after-school programs, sports leagues, health services, and related services to the Glen Cove community. Exhibitors provided information, demonstrations, and product samples. Free health screenings were also offered by Glen Cove North Shore LIJ Hospital. There were also Zumba, karate and yoga demonstrations held for students in the gym, as well as a dance party, with Deasy teacher Michael Battaglia serving as the DJ.
• At Deasy School, children have been involved in four community service projects in which they: collected enough food to provide 33 Deasy families with Thanksgiving food baskets; participated in a “WonderWalk” to support the March of Dimes; participated in a “Pennies for Ped” campaign with the Glen Cove Kiwanis Club to help send other youngsters to summer camp; and collected toys and clothing for families in need.
• Thirty-two student-musicians from the Glen Cove School District have been selected to perform in the Nassau Music Educators Association’s upcoming concert in January at the Tilles Center at C.W. Post University. These students are among the top musicians in Nassau County, selected based on teacher recommendation and performance. A complete list of the students can be found in the Glen Cove Knightline newsletter, posted on the district website: www.glencove.k12.ny.us.
• Girls Varsity Lacrosse players Ariana Cavallone and Alex Gerin have both achieved Academic All-American status, which is awarded to a player who exhibits exemplary lacrosse skills and excellent sportsmanship on the field while representing high standards of academic achievement in the classroom. Selected players are also recognized for making significant contributions of service to the school or community.
• Fall Athletic Teams Success: Coach Pete Falen and the Girls Varsity Soccer team won the regular season Conference Championship. Coach Adrienn Tonner and the Girls Varsity Tennis team won the Division Championship.
• Samantha Renison, a GCTV graduate who is now working for Wieden+Kennedy, a full-service advertising agency, stopped by Chris Barry’s Communications Arts Academy to speak with students about what it means to be a media buyer and how her education in Glen Cove, as well as her college and career path, got her there. Samantha is a network media buyer for ABC Entertainment and ABC Family. In addition to ABC, Wieden+Kennedy’s clients include Nike, Coca-Cola, Kraft and Levi’s.
• The Glen Cove High School DECA Club has been very involved this school year. DECA students recently participated in the North Atlantic Regional Conference in Philadelphia, the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk at Jones Beach, and the Any Soldier program, in which they packed items to send to soldiers overseas. Deborah Pearsall is the Glen Cove High School DECA Club advisor.
• The newly formed Glen Cove High School Interact Club had their first ever charity event in November, a Thanksgiving food drive. Club co-directors Emily and Tori Durso and advisor Melissa Manzione arranged for the club to collect food outside of King Kullen in Glen Cove one Sunday in November. A dozen Interact Club members helped in getting shoppers to surpass their goal of filling up a car with donations. The club then delivered the food to several local food pantries.
• The Glen Cove High School Masquers Society presented its production of Alice vs. Wonderland earlier this month. This bizarre update of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland starred six different student actresses playing the parts of six different Alices. Masquers Society advisor Matthew Rottino directed the play. Thirty students starred and worked behind the scenes to make the show a success.
• Thirteen students from Finley Middle School have been recognized as top scorers in the American Mathematics Competition. District Math Chairperson Cassandra Shannon recently awarded certificates to the following students: James Adams, Grace Blinkoff, Herna Bonilla, Jace Charon, Gaetano Famiglietti, Anthony Ginez, Harrison Israel, Damian Jagustyn, Michelle Melfi, Justin Sobelman, Victoria Tripp, Kai Williams, and Duncan Yates.
• Fourth-grade students at Landing School joined the Reading Club, which met for about five weeks every day for an hour before school. The book lovers read a number of books from various genres and had an enormous amount of interactive discussions about setting, plot, author’s purpose, and other literary elements. In addition, students enjoyed creating projects that connected with the stories they read.
• Fifth grader Ireanna Peralta at Connolly School is the winner of a Scholastic writing contest, sponsored by Scholastic Storyworks magazine. For the assignment, students in Frank Monteleone’s class read a nonfiction article entitled "The Awesome Powers of Ethan Z" from a Scholastic magazine. The article was about a boy who finds inner power to ignore bullying and mean behavior from people due to his physical differences. Ireanna was one of only ten winners nationwide, and received a free copy of the book Powerless by Matthew Cody.
• The sounds of winter were heard throughout the halls of Gribbin School earlier this month as the school conducted its annual Winter Concert, directed by music teacher JoAnn Criblez. The concert featured the vocal and movement talents of the school’s kindergarteners, first graders and second graders. Many of the songs centered on the winter season, with some traditional favorites sprinkled in. Mrs. Vanommeren’s second-grade class kicked off the show with a brief play entitled “Tacky the Penguin.” First grader Brian Mullen illustrated the show’s program cover. Winter concerts are being held in district schools throughout the month of December. Please refer to the district calendar (online or printed version) for dates and times.
• At Deasy School, students raised $540 for the March of Dimes during their annual Wonderwalk, held on November 30. Additionally, throughout the month of December, the students and staff are collecting gently used gifts and placing them under the schools’ Giving Tree. The gifts will be presented to Deasy families in need during the holiday season.
• Elementary schools in Glen Cove celebrated Parents as Reading Partners (PARP) Month, highlighted by guest authors and various activities designed to inspire young children to read. Schools even conducted “Community Reader Days” in which administrators, teachers, staff, and older students joined representatives from various departments in the City of Glen Cove, visiting the schools to read to young children. Fifth graders Jasmine James of Landing School and Alontra Schuck of Connolly School each designed a logo that serves as an official design for the program, following the theme “Travel into a Book; Enjoy Your Adventure.”
• Students throughout Glen Cove celebrated the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. last month, as many of the city’s youth marched in the annual MLK parade, followed by a special ceremony held at Finley Middle School. Festivities in district schools included Landing School’s “Barrel Burn,” in which students listed prejudices (e.g., race, religion, gender, violence, fear) on pieces of paper and then tossed them into a fire contained within a barrel that was supervised by the Glen Cove Fire Dept. To kick off their day, the Finley Middle School conducted a prolonged moment of silence during homeroom. Students then listened to a four-minute biography on Dr. King, played over the public address system. Gribbin School held a morning assembly, highlighted by songs and interesting Dr. King facts and phrases that students had researched. Children returned to their classrooms singing “We Shall Overcome.”
• For the first time since 1999, the Glen Cove High School Big Red Varsity Wrestling team won the Conference 3B Championship. Propelled by wins in four consecutive dual meets over Lawrence, Valley Stream South, Bethpage, and Manhasset, the team earned a first-round bye and advanced to the Dual Meet Championships. Qualifiers for Nassau County Tournament were Eduardo Montecer, Joe Nicolich, Gorov Sodhi, Jerry Ho, Scott Nicolich, Christian Klimaszewski (Alternate), Charlie Guastella, Robert Krisch, Mario Serrano and Fabriski Jean-Claude.
• The Glen Cove High School Big Red Boys Varsity Basketball team has won the Conference III Championship for the first time in 22 years. The team finished the regular season with a record of 14-3 in Conference III, 10-2 in league play, advancing to the second round of the playoffs by defeating Floral Park in an exciting 57-54 comeback victory. Congratulations to Coach Pete Falen and the boys on an amazing run!
• For Valentine’s Day, several members of the Glen Cove High School Key Club, as well as some high school Spanish classes and one art class designed more than 150 Valentine’s Day Cards that were sent to local senior citizens at Glen Cove Senior Citizen Center. Kudos to the students, teachers and in particular, Key Club Advisor MaryEllen Cuomo, for this kind gesture.
• Glen Cove High School tenth graders Michal Murawski and Elsie Goodman were selected to participate in the celebrated LIU/C.W. Post exhibit Advanced Visions VIII: High School Artists of Excellence. Michal, a student of Ms. Doughty, was awarded honorable mention for his black-and-white portrait of Tom Hanks. He is currently contributing his portrait-painting talents to a collaborative triptych under construction at the high school. Elsie, a student of Ms. Manzione, submitted a digital print of a film negative taken during a concert in New York City.
• MSG Varsity visited the Glen Cove High School TV Studio to observe the Communication Arts Academy students in action and tape a segment for their ongoing series, “Students in the Media.” Kevin Waters, MSG Varsity’s Regional Manager for High School Partnerships, stated that the work GCTV has been submitting this year is “tops both in quantity and quality” and thought it was time to capture the students in action. A cameraperson followed Mr. Barry’s TV Production I class as they rehearsed and recorded a student-written commercial for the fictional product Speedy Gumzalez, written by sophomore Samantha Sullivan and directed by senior Dan Lynch. Simultaneously, the Communication Arts Academy news crew covered MSG’s visit for the GCTV Friday Morning News. MSG Varsity’s “Students in the Media” featuring the Glen Cove Communication Arts Academy has been airing on the MSG Varsity Network.
• Students in Rosa Malley’s Spanish class at Finley Middle School designed menus for their very own Spanish restaurant, writing the dishes and descriptions entirely in Spanish. To make the experience authentic, they converted their classroom into a dining area, complete with tablecloths and proper place settings. Students also had to calculate the tips based on the total bill and service and learned proper dining etiquette.
• The Finley Middle School Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society sent care packages to our troops in Afghanistan, an idea pitched to the students by advisor Linda Thomas Batson. NJHS member Michael Hatala mentioned that he had family in the military and suggested the school focus its efforts on that troop. The response was incredible, as four large flat-rate boxes were filled with snacks, phone cards, batteries, magazines, air fresheners, and cotton swabs and sent to the troops. In addition, NJHS member Patricia Abraham designed special thank you cards. As a result, the Finley Middle School chapter learned the valuable life lesson that helping others results in mutual happiness.
• The Glen Cove Chamber of Commerce recently donated 200 large binders to Finley Middle School for distribution to students. To date approximately 100 of the binders have been handed out to students enrolled in the school’s Saturday ESL Academy. Social workers are identifying which students would benefit most from the remaining binders. Special thanks to Rotary First Vice President Glen Howard for making the connection!
• Kudos to the Landing School Student Council for raising $174 for the Lustgarten Foundation, which is dedicated to finding a cure for pancreatic cancer. Under the direction of advisors Maria DePace and Denise Pawlowski, Landing students sold purple ribbons during National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month (purple is the official color of pancreatic cancer awareness). The idea originated from Landing fourth grader Mykela Pajuelo and her brother, fifth grader Dylan Pajuelo, who lost their uncle to the disease.
• The Connolly School Student Council recently conducted their annual bake sale, which raised $417 to be donated to various cancer awareness/research charities. Susan Stanco is the council advisor.
• Congratulations to Connolly School fifth grader Lauren Retoske, who won second place in the Kiwanis K-Kids Club Greeting Card Contest. Lauren placed for her card entitled “Good Job!” which illustrates straight A’s in the core subject areas. Her teacher is Nancy Cox.
• Landing and Connolly Schools recently conducted their respective schoolwide competitions for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Fifth graders from each school squared off, with each class sending representation to the schoolwide bee. In the end, Yarina Acosta of Landing and Jimmy Mullen of Connolly emerged victorious, advancing to represent their schools at the regional bee, to be held on March 18 at Hofstra University. Hannah Boecklin was the runner-up at Landing, Lauren Retoske at Connolly.
• Students at Gribbin School held their own “Souper Bowl”; the goal, however, was not to amass touchdowns, but rather food for those less fortunate. Coordinated by school social worker Kristin Brosnan, the schoolwide drive encouraged Gribbin students to collect cans of soup and other non-perishable items for donation to a local food pantry. Souper Bowl is a national effort to capitalize on the hype created around the NFL’s Super Bowl by mobilizing youngsters to fight hunger and poverty in their local communities.
• As part of their studies on the environment, students from Deasy School visited the Garvies Point Museum and Preserve to take an informative nature walk and learn about the Long Island climate and how it affects tree and plant life. Youngsters also learned about geology and erosion while studying the East Coast’s largest stream table.
• In honor of the 75th anniversary of Dr. Seuss’ book And to Think It Happened on Mulberry Street, Allison Hernandez’s fourth-grade class at Landing School and Meryl Gordon’s first graders at Deasy School met in the building’s Discovery Cove Learning Center to celebrate the occasion. Additionally, in honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday, Deasy kindergartners will see the new movie The Lorax, based on the classic Seuss tale. Deasy students will also be tapping the school’s maple tree as part of their science unit on trees.
• The Glen Cove School District welcomed back students on Tuesday, September 6. Several activities were designed to allow students to get to know their new teachers and classmates, as well as to prepare them for the new school year. All four Glen Cove elementary schools, as well as Finley Middle School and Glen Cove High School, opened smoothly despite inclement weather and power outages the previous week.
• On Friday, September 9 and Monday, September 12, the Glen Cove Schools commemorated the 10th anniversary of the attacks on the United States with multiple ceremonies and activities to honor the memories of those who lost their lives as a result of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.
• Gribbin School Principal Francine Santoro read a special poem to students encouraging young children to “always remember and never forget.” Music teacher JoAnn Criblez performed “America the Beautiful,” after which Gribbin students participated in a moment of silence. Principal Santoro also reminded students to read the book “September 12th: We Knew Everything Would Be Alright,” written and illustrated by first-grade students from H. Byron Masterson Elementary School in Kennet, Missouri.
• Gribbin School first-grade teacher Giselle Taylor recently submitted a proposal to the Long Island Technology Summit and was invited to present at the Summit on October 18th. She will be presenting her first grade students “Making Public Service Announcements Using iMovie.”
Gribbin School’s Fine Arts Festival from May 2011 was also featured for a week on “My LI TV.”
• At Landing School, students dressed in red, white and blue to show their patriotism and sang “God Bless America,” led by music teacher Rosita Mallo. Two flags honoring the heroes and victims were unfurled and displayed for students to view. Afterward, “God Bless the USA,” sung by Lee Greenwood, was broadcast over the public address system.
• At Connolly School, students gathered in the gym to recite the “Pledge of Allegiance” and observe a moment of silence in unity.
• At Deasy School, second graders read a special poem, "I'm Proud to Be an American," over the public address system. Students also sang “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” recited the Pledge, and held a moment of silence.
• At Finley Middle School, students also participated in a moment of silence as well as in-class discussions. Seventh graders are designing their own pinwheels in honor of the victims of 9/11 and are planting them on the school lawn to commemorate World Peace Day.
• At Glen Cove High School, Principal Dr. Joseph Hinton led a ceremony of students and staff around the school flagpole. The school also unveiled a piece of an I-beam recovered from Ground Zero, which will be permanently displayed at the school. The piece was donated by the family of NYPD Sergeant Peter Curly, who was a member of the city’s Emergency Services Unit and a first responder at the World Trade Center for both the 1993 and 2001 attacks. Sgt. Curly, who passed away in 2007, was a longtime member of the Glen Cove community. It was Glen Cove City Police Officer Mike Napoli who thought the beam would serve as a powerful educational tool for students in Glen Cove. Sgt. Curly’s widow, Mary Ann, and Dr. Hinton both agreed. A formal dedication ceremony was held, attended by the Curly family, Mayor Suozzi and several law enforcement officials, as well as students.
• Deasy Elementary School’s Garden Team and Principal Nomi Rosen are proud to announce that the construction phase of a new garden at the school is underway! The team, which consists of Deasy staff members and parents, spent the summer researching designs and details for the garden. Ms. Rosen anticipates a fall vegetable harvest in November. The harvest will contribute to a Salad Pizza Day for the entire school to enjoy, keeping with the spirit of the Deasy’s ongoing efforts to promote healthy eating and wellness at an early age.
• Second-grade ESL students at Gribbin School raised $500 by running a small lunchtime café in the courtyard and the library at the school. Students prepared drinks and desserts, took orders, seated guests and made change. They also set up and cleaned the café every day for a week, and gave up their lunchtime and recess time to do so. Many staff members came to eat at the café, and their generous support enabled them to help some very deserving elementary school students in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama to buy new shoes. When Mrs. Cooke saw footage of the tornado damage in Tuscaloosa, she thought that maybe her students could add a little support to the other relief services already in place in the overwhelmed area. She contacted Andrea Hamner, Director of Guidance Services for Tuscaloosa County Schools. Andrea was very gracious and appreciative. She said that while the tornadoes had damaged one elementary school and destroyed another, some of the students lost not just their school, but also their homes. Many of the students have been wearing ill-fitting shoes donated by relief organizations, so the ability to buy shoes that fit has proven to be a big help.
• Connolly Elementary School fifth grader Leah Dwyer has authored an award-winning essay as part of Astoria Federal Bank in Glen Cove’s Teach Children to Save Celebration. The theme of Leah’s essay was "Saving for the Future.” Astoria Bank of Glen Cove Assistant Manager Nicole Ortiz recently took time out of her busy day to congratulate Leah.
• Connolly School also just accepted a donation of beautiful mum plants from the Glen Cove Beautification Committee. Newly elected Student Council representatives will plant the mums in front of the school.
• Connolly School is also once again proud to host its own K Kids Club. The K Kids is a service-oriented club that is part of the Kiwanis Club family. Their first project this year will be to participate in the "Pennies for Peds" drive sponsored by the Glen Cove Kiwanis Club. The Connolly K Kids will collect pennies and other loose change during September and October. The monies raised will be used to support the Kiwanis Kamp program.
• At Landing Elementary School, Principal Dr. Michael Israel gathered students by grade level in the building’s all-purpose room to set a positive tone for the new school year. This entailed providing them with the opportunity to review their individual rights listed on each grade level's “Landing Bill of Rights” compact. The compact is designed to reinforce the school rules to the children, ensure that they continue to show respect to the adults who watch over them, and take care of one another. Students sealed their promise to uphold these rights by signing their names to the compact. Teachers and staff also signed their names to the agreement, which will be on display in the all-purpose room for the duration of the school year. Teachers also discussed these important rights with their classes during their review of the Landing School Student Handbook.
• Finley Middle School eighth grader Kai Williams recently completed the renowned Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth Program. The center offers a three-week summer camp of challenging, higher-level programs for gifted learners in humanities, math, and science. Participants also create lasting friendships with students from all over the world. The Johns Hopkins Global Talent Search is open to students in grades 2-8 who achieve above the 95th percentile on national tests, or at the top level on state assessments.
• The watercolor artwork of Finley Middle School student Camille Yvette Lawrence Floyd will be featured as part of an exhibit entitled “Sickle Cell Anemia: A Child’s Perspective” which will be on display at the College of New Rochelle’s Gordon Parks Gallery through November 23. The Gordon Parks Gallery is located at the college’s School of New Resources, John Cardinal O’Connor Campus in the Bronx.
• The Glen Cove High School Guidance Department recently hosted a series of events to aid students and parents in the college search, application and admissions process. During a College Admissions Boot Camp, families from Glen Cove and neighboring school districts learned about all aspects of the college admissions process from professionals representing the University of Alabama, Mount Saint Mary College (NY), Mount Saint Mary’s University (MD), Adelphi University and others. Topics covered included the difference between Early Action and Early Decision, what makes up a winning college application essay, ACT and SAT questions, securing scholarships and financial aid, and planning for the senior year. Last week, the school also held a Senior Guidance Night and a Mini College Fair during school hours. The guidance department will continue to conduct daytime fairs during the school day to connect students with a wide range of colleges and universities, allowing them to ask questions of admissions professionals representing. Please check the district calendar or call the guidance department direct for upcoming events. Students are also informed about scholarship opportunities, field trips, speakers, and special programs through flyers, newsletters, public address announcements, and group presentations in classes.
• Congratulations to Varsity Baseball Coach Kevin Nolan, Girls Varsity Lacrosse Coach Jacquie Gow and Boys Varsity Lacrosse Coach Steve Tripp – all recipients of prestigious coaching awards this past spring. Ms. Gow is the winner of the Nassau County Girls Lacrosse Association’s Coach of the Year Award for Conference B3. The team won the Conference B3 championship with a 7-0 conference record. Mr. Tripp won the Nassau County Lacrosse Coaches Association’s Man of the Year Award for his work in promoting the support and for his body of work at Glen Cove, guiding the team to many playoff appearances and more than 100 wins. Kevin Nolan also won the Conference A3 Coach of the Year Award for guiding the team to yet another successful regular season and playoff appearance.
• Led by Varsity Head Coach Pete Kopecky, the Glen Cove High School Football staff and team members conducted a summer clinic for the City Youth Football League on August 4th. Youngsters ranging in age from five to eleven had the opportunity to hone their football technique with instruction from our very own high school coaches and players. More than 150 players attended.
• Finley Middle School has a new Cheer program. Coach Briana Fazio, who is also a teacher in our district, is coaching the squad. They will be cheering at all of the middle school’s football games. Their first home game is October 11th vs. Locust Valley.
• The Glen Cove HS Select Chorale has been chosen to perform at the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Convention, before more than 500 choral directors from throughout New York State. The convention will be held on October 22 at the Linehan Chapel at Nazareth College in Rochester, NY. ACDA President Brandon Johnson invited the Glen Cove HS Select Chorale based on the fine reputation of the Glen Cove Choral Department. The group is one of eight choral ensembles to perform at the convention, and the only group chosen from the Long Island region. Congratulations to Glen Cove HS Chorale Director Edward Norris, whose students have performed at many in the area as well as concert tours in PA., Washington D.C., and twice in Florida. Just this past April the Select Chorale took top honors at the North American Music Festival in Virginia Beach. They were awarded FIRST PLACE, and TOP ENSEMBLE in the entire festival (band, choir and orchestra).
• Glen Cove has been identified as one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People by the America’s Promise Alliance. Glen Cove is the only community on Long Island to be chosen for this honor, which recognizes our holistic approach to educating students through innovative programs that encourage the involvement of young people in the community. One of the programs of note identified was Glen Cove High School’s Community Action Using Student Empowerment (CAUSE) collaboration with the Glen Cove Youth Bureau, which teaches students how to be informed, responsible and involved citizens.
• Glen Cove High School hosted an informative mayoral debate between Mayor Ralph Suozzi and his Republican challenger Paul Meli. The debate was organized through the high school CAUSE class. A student panel questioned the candidates on local issues including the waterfront project, law enforcement, quality of life, illegal housing and other issues. The candidates for both the Mayor seat and City Council participated in an informal meet-and-greet with the students in the student common area after the debate. News 12 and TV 55 covered the debate on television.
• The Nassau County Executive’s office has honored 21 Glen Cove students, custodial staff members, and school and government officials with certificates of recognition for their timely and effective response in organizing Glen Cove High School as an emergency shelter in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Irene, which ripped through Long Island in August. Nassau County Legislative Aide for Veterans Affairs Robert Germino, who is also a Glen Cove High School graduate, coordinated efforts between the county, the district, the City of Glen Cove, and the Red Cross. Glen Cove football players/students Alex Aguilar, Paul Cavese, Charlie Gustella, Josh Martin, William Neice, and Nick Rant volunteered to lend a hand to the custodial staff, who were called into action by Glen Cove Director of Facilities Joseph Fiorino when Locust Valley High School, a designated Red Cross shelter, began to fill.
• Congratulations to Glen Cove High School student Victoria Andreotti, who has been selected to represent the school as a member of the 2011 New York State All-State Chorus. The group will perform during the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) All-State Conference, held at the prestigious Eastman Theater in Rochester, NY, from December 1-4. Victoria was chosen to participate based on her proficiency score achieved at the festival and teacher recommendations. Ed Norris is her teacher.
• Homecoming 2011 was held on Saturday, October 15. The festivities began with the traditional school pep rally Friday afternoon at Glen Cove High School. In recognition of winning the Summer Stars program, MSG Varsity provided several fun stations to make it a true party experience for students. The celebration continued on Saturday afternoon with the annual Homecoming Parade, complete with floats representing each of the district’s schools. The procession began at Gribbin Elementary School and traveled along Walnut Avenue before concluding on the Glen Cove High School field. Later that evening, the Big Red Varsity Football team kept the celebration going with a convincing 47-21 victory over Roslyn.
• Twelve seventh graders from the Finley Middle School Band were selected to perform in the Hofstra Middle School Honors Band Festival. Selection for this group was by invitation and teacher recommendation. Performers in the festival included more than 450 of the top seventh-grade band musicians from Nassau and Suffolk counties, along with 110 members of the Hofstra University Symphonic Band. The concert is being held in October on the field of Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium. Students selected from Finley are: Grace Brady, Lindsey Payton, Samantha Barry, Dominic Gaudio, Amara Phillip, Jefferson Reyes, Graceanne Woods, Brian Shannon, Julie Micko, Sydney Morris, Andrew Banos, and Nicholas Scarmato. Brittney Frank is their teacher.
• Finley Middle School students in Greg McGahan’s and Natalie Camisa’s science classes collaborated for an “Egg Drop” competition, as students brainstormed, then created, various protective casings to secure an egg and prevent it from breaking when dropped 25 feet from a classroom window. Creative ideas included a rubber glove with wet cotton balls, a loaf of bread, and an iPhone box with rubber bands inside. More than 60% of the eggs dropped survived.
• ESL students in Jennifer Beauchamp’s class at Finley Middle School wrote business letters and mailed them to real companies such as 7-11, CVS, Monster Beverage, Macy’s, 2Cute Clothing stores, and Stop and Shop. Students learned how to structure a business letter in English and had the opportunity to register a compliment, complaint or suggestion to the company.
• Staff throughout the district dressed up in pink and denim for a day in support of breast cancer awareness month on October 21. Wearing the color pink and denim jeans have long been associated with breast cancer awareness. Lee Denim Jeans has long encouraged wearing jeans as a fundraiser for the fight against breast cancer.
• Student Council members at Connolly Elementary School planted mums along the main entryway of the school to kick off National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In addition to spreading awareness in the fight against breast cancer, the activity gives Student Council members a sense of caring and pride for their school community. The school’s K Kids are also participating in Pennies for Peds and collecting for UNICEF, as well as planting tulip bulbs for Glen Cove Cares.
• The Connolly Student Council will be participating in a Breast Cancer Walk-a-Thon during the week of October 24. They will be wearing the color pink and walking on school grounds in lieu of their recess time! The students feel passionate about supporting this worthy cause and tulips will also be planted in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
• Students at Landing Elementary School participated in an assembly conducted by Sensei Hender Alvarado of Gold Martial Arts in Glen Cove. Sensei Hender’s presentation focused on improving communication skills with young students and teaching them how to detect and avoid bullying.
• Deasy Elementary School had two opening assemblies last month to teach students about the school’s commitment to kindness, respect and "doing the right thing even when no one is looking." The first assembly involved staff and student skits, and the second featured performance artists Beth and Scott Bierko, who brought character education to life through music and drama.
• Elementary schools throughout the district are utilizing the “Connected and Respected” curriculum guide to instill sound character education concepts in young children and to prevent bullying. Students are taught expressive ways to get to know one another’s similarities and differences. They learn about empathy and active listening, how to support one another, how to identify and stand up to bullying in a peaceful manner, and how to manage feelings of anger, including ways to de-escalate and resolve conflict.
• Construction on the Deasy Elementary School vegetable garden was completed in October and the fall harvest has begun to grow. Teich Garden Systems built the enclosed garden, funded through a grant. The school community, including parents and staff, had input into the planning. “Farmer Brian” even stopped by to give students an inaugural lesson on growing. The students planted vegetables and will monitor their growth through the season. Students and staff look forward to tasting some of their produce in the near future.
• Gribbin teacher Giselle Taylor submitted a proposal to the Long Island Technology Summit and was invited to present at the summit on October 18. She presented her first-grade students “Making Public Service Announcements Using iMovie.”
• Connolly and Gribbin Elementary Schools welcomed renowned children’s author Patricia Polacco, who shared with the students some of her interesting childhood experiences of growing up in the Midwest. Ms. Polacco is the author of popular books such as Thundercake and Meteor. She even brought with her a chunk of the legendary rock from space for which the book was written and shared it with the children. Librarian Robin Schapira and the respective PTAs were instrumental in arranging the visits.
|