Several schools across Three Village helped to support a worthy cause this May, as they raised funds and organized pep rallies to support the ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)Ride for Life.

At Arrowhead Elementary School, students and staff made signs to support the ride’s journey to Washington, D.C., which they displayed outside around the bus circle as the ride visited the building on its way to New York City.   

Earlier this year, Ride for Life founder Chris Pendergast visited Arrowhead to present information about ALS and the Ride for Life. Following the moving assembly, the student body vowed to organize several fundraisers to support the cause. 

The student council organized a fundraiser called “Ride for the Ride.” Students gained sponsors to donate funds in exchange for the students riding their bike, scooter or skateboard for 30 minutes. Gina Schwartz’s fourth grade class organized an ALS spirit week leading up to the day of the Ride for Life arrival and collected donations at lunchtime. Fifth grade students organized a Dimes for Dollars fundraiser. Collaboratively, the school collected $1,261 to support the cause. 

Each May, in honor of ALS Awareness Month, the ALS Ride for Life travels across Long Island over the course of several days. Patients and supporters ride in electric wheelchairs and scooters to spread awareness, information and raise funds for ALS. 

Setauket Elementary School students were inspired to become lifelong readers when members of Stony Brook University’s athletic programs visited to share some of their favorite stories. 

As part of the Seawolves Reading Program, athletes from various teams visited a number of classes as part of the outreach program. 

Ward Melville High School’s boys and girls badminton teams have qualified to participate in county playoffs, in only its second year as a program! The boys team is playing May 16 at Miller Place and the girls team is playing at Half Hollow Hills East. Go Patriots!

The Ward Melville High School boys varsity lacrosse coaches earned their 100th win during this year’s competition season, a remarkable accomplishment for the two-time New York State championship coaching staff.

“I am truly blessed to be part of such a wonderful community and school district that supports the goals of its student athletes and coaches,” head coach Jay Negus said. “I would like to thank all the players that have helped us as a program reach this prestigious milestone. It has been a true team effort from the coaches and the players that are so proud to be Ward Melville Patriots!”

The district congratulates the current and past team members for helping to reach this milestone and coaches Murphy, Muscarella and Negus for their leadership and dedication. 

Three Village Central School District’s All-District Chorus took to the national stage, as they performed the national anthem at Citi Field before a Mets game this spring. 

The group, which was under the direction of Karen Voli, was comprised of 120 sixth graders from all five elementary schools. In addition, the performers were supported by more than 500 district parents and friends during the event. 

“The students performed magnificently and had a great time at the game following their performance,” said Anthony Pollera, district director of music. 

Ward Melville High School’s HOSA club participated in the 2019 Northwell Health’s Spark! Challenge to gain a better understanding of the various STEM careers in the medical field.

During the event, the students met and spent the day with the health and safety coordinator at Northwell Health. They learned just what that job entails and how this coordinator needs to work with many different departments in the medical field to make the business of health care run smoothly for staff, families and patients combined. The safety coordinator works with the environmental administrator, the physician’s assistant, and the lab technician specialist, training them to help provide the best possible care for everyone.

Before concluding the day, the students met with their peers from all over Long Island to learn about the different career opportunities available to them and network about their similar interests. 

Minnesauke Elementary School sixth graders Matthew Barry and Isabella Rowett received the 2019 Suffolk Zone Outstanding Physical Education Student Leadership Award. 

Barry and Rowett were selected by their physical education teachers for outstanding performance in all aspects of physical education. The students were honored at a ceremony at Bay Shore High School, where they received an award and T-shirt.

Ward Melville High School recently provided students with a wealth of information about personal financial health during a “Money Talks” workshop hosted by Industry Advisory Board (3V-IAB) members Dina Isola and Hope Kinney. 

During the event, students received a crash course on making wise financial decisions. The presenters covered topics such as savings, credit and managing college loans. Referencing how Warren Buffet started his empire at age 11 taking advantage of one simple concept, the students learned that it is never too early to embrace sound financial management practices.  

Arrowhead Elementary School third grade students in Lorraine Hegarty’s, Lorin Herrmann’s, Jennie Starr’s and Danielle Tardo’s classes celebrated Children’s Day, the Japanese national holiday (May 5), with lessons on the culture, art and iconic symbolism of the East Asian nation.

In addition to creating some beautiful crafts, the students learned some new vocabulary words as they put together stunning representations of the country’s artwork. They learned about origami, the traditional art of folding paper, and heard about various uses for paper handheld fans, including how they were used to send secret messages. They were also taught a fun way to make cherry blossom artwork by blowing ink through a plastic straw and attaching pink tissue paper for the blossoms. The students also found some pinecones and branches on the school property to add to their ikebana displays, the disciplined art form that relies on developing a closeness with nature. 

In the spirit of this year’s March Madness basketball series, W.S. Mount Elementary School third grade students took part in a literary-themed book bracket.

Based on student suggestions and teacher nominations, a bracket of the top 16 books were displayed on a large board in the school’s main hallway. In class, the students voted each week on their favorite choice, which spanned categories such as picture, informational, mystery, historical fiction and graphic novels. This year’s book of the year was “I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912” by Lauren Tarshis. 

Ward Melville High School’s Invictus Yearbook staff received numerous awards at the JEA/NSPA Spring National High School Journalism Convention in Anaheim, California. 

This semiannual gathering of high school journalists and advisers is co-sponsored by the Journalism Education Association and the National Scholastic Press Association and is the largest gathering of student journalists in the country. Ward Melville’s students had top submissions in photography, layout, advertising, graphic design, journalism, and copy and caption writing.

Congratulations to the following student-honorees and their advisers, Camryn Baum and Christine Solntzeff. 

Jessica Sung – Superior in Newspaper Layout
Camryn Zezelic – Superior in First Year Photo
Kayla Zorn – Superior in Graphic Design: Advertising
Jocelyn Su – Excellent in Graphic Design: Infographic
Liliana Ayer – Honorable Mention in Yearbook Copy/Caption: Student Life Writing
Grace Boyle – Honorable Mention in Graphic Design Logo
Emily DeStefano – Honorable Mention in Yearbook Copy/Caption Academics Writing
Harrison Goldstein – Honorable Mention in Portfolio
Caitlin Lynch – Honorable Mention in Yearbook Copy/Caption Sports Writing
Adriana Orduna – Honorable Mention in Yearbook Layout: Theme

An esteemed group of student-scientists from P.J. Gelinas and R.C. Murphy junior high schools recently showcased their scientific prowess at the New York State Science Olympiad Tournament in Syracuse on April 6 and 7. 

At the tournament, the best 1,100 teams from New York State competed in more than 20 challenging science and engineering events which spanned a vast assortment of topics. Competing with exemplary poise, pride and sportsmanship, the team from P.J. Gelinas Junior High School secured a first place finish at the state tournament and will be competing in the upcoming national tournament.  

Additionally, the team from R.C. Murphy Junior High School placed fifth among a challenging group of competitors. 

P.J. Gelinas Junior High School’s National Junior Art Honor Society members lent their creative and artistic talents to fashion a one-of-a-kind mural. 

The piece features 24 mixed media squares forming the Old Field Point Lighthouse in Setauket. The NJHS members contributed to the project by working on the different squares with the help of adviser Michael Sacco. The completed piece was gifted to Assistant Superintendent Kevin Scanlon and hung in his office using framing created by Gelinas technology teacher Dean Kostis. 

W.S. Mount Elementary School fifth and sixth grade Drama Club members took to the stage this spring to perform the beloved musical, “Aladdin Jr.” before two packed audiences.

Working under the direction of Drama Club adviser Gretchen Tranchino, the student-actors rehearsed for months to bring to life the story of how a “diamond in the rough” transforms from a street rat to learn his true worth lies within. During the performances, audiences were transported to a “Whole New World” as the students acted flawlessly and performed such hit songs as “Friend Like Me,” “One Jump Ahead” and “Prince Ali.” 

During its April meeting, the Three Village Central School District Board of Education took time to honor several students and a member of the staff. 

Many R.C. Murphy Junior High School writers were celebrated for their creative pieces that were honored through this year’s Scholastic Art & Writing competition, as well as the Walt Whitman Student Poetry Contest. R.C. Murphy Junior High School student Mohammed Saud Haleem and P.J. Gelinas Junior High School student Jacob Paredes were celebrated for winning the school’s Geography Bee. District Director of Facilities James O’Hagan was recognized for being named the 2019 Council of Administrators and Supervisors Administrator of the Year. 

Setauket Elementary School students are brushing up on their foundational mathematics skills as part of a fun activity organized by school math specialist Lisa Wall.

In the spirit of the spring season, Ms. Wall created an egg hunt activity for all grade 1-5 students that could be conducted in individual classrooms. Hidden in the 32 eggs were math questions specifically targeted to each grade level and aligned with the district’s Go Math! program. After discovering the hidden eggs, the students worked independently to solve the challenge. 

Each problem was specifically tailored to test the students’ understanding of a concept previously covered in class. After the students’ responses were reviewed by the classroom teacher and Ms. Wall, both were able to provide additional support and instruction on concepts that students had incorrectly answered. 

Several students from the Three Village Central School District were honored for their creativity and talents with honorable mentions and awards during the fifth annual Helen Stein Shack Picture Book Award.

The Helen Stein Shack Book Contest called for teens in grades 7 through 12 who live in the Three Village Central School District to create a children’s picture book. Each entry could be the work of a single author/illustrator or a collaborative effort between an author and an illustrator. The contest was divided into two grade categories, grades 7 through 9 and grades 10 through 12, with one first-prize winner and one second-prize winner selected from each group.  

Congratulations to the following honorees: 

First Prize (Grades 7-9 category): “Gerald’s Share” by Nicole Xiao
First Prize (Grades 10-12 category): “You Saved the Earth: A Plastic Bottle’s Journey” by Juliet Weschke
Second Prize (Grades 7-9 category): “Lily and Liam’s Summer at the Library” by Riley Meckley
Second Prize (Grades 10-12 category): “Simon’s Day at the Beach” by Nicole Freeley

Each of the winners’ books were bound and added to the Library’s Local Focus Collection and winners received monetary scholarships. First-prize winners Nicole Xiao (eighth grader at P.J. Gelinas Junior High School) and Juliet Weschke (10th grader at Ward Melville High School) received $400 checks, and second-prize winners Riley Meckley (ninth grader at P.J. Gelinas Junior High School) and Nicole Freeley (11th grader at Ward Melville High School) received $100 checks.  

Ward Melville High School students and staff were recently invited to Stony Brook University to listen as New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo delivered his budget talk this April. The students were from Vince Cereola’s AP lit class.

R.C. Murphy Junior High School student Alexa Moore has been a driving force behind spreading awareness and fundraising to support childhood cancer research, a drive that has been extremely personal for her over the last 11 years.

Alexa attended and volunteered at her first event as an honored child back in 2008, when she donated her purple piggy bank that contained almost $200 to help support the cause. It was from that day forward that Alexa realized how important this cause was not only to her, but to all those fighting pediatric cancer.

Alexa has become an activist, raising awareness and helping others who have had similar battles. She is a cancer survivor of almost 11 years, having been diagnosed with clear cell sarcoma of the kidney – a very rare cancer. Alexa has been a guest speaker to peers her own age at several other St. Baldrick’s events and this year was the driving force behind bringing the event to her school.

While managing to maintain straight As and stay an active member of the school and community, Alexa took on the challenge of running St. Baldrick’s on her own. Under the guidance of Mr. Gries, Alexa began her fundraising efforts by spreading the word on social media and making posters with her friend Zach to advertise around the school. She became a team captain and many of her peers joined her in the effort to raise money for their first St. Baldrick’s event. Together they raised $10,630, and the entire event brought in $12,406 for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation.

 

 

W.S. Mount Elementary School sixth graders put their creative talents to use to support a local food pantry whose supplies were running low. 

Working as a grade level, the students created inspirational bookmarks to sell during lunch periods. They took turns setting up the table with the beautifully decorated, laminated bookmarks and sold them to their peers. In one week, the students raised $700 to purchase supplies for the food pantry. 

In honor of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, Ward Melville High School health classes recently participated in a two-day Town of Brookhaven Safety Town initiative.

This program helped to support the district’s health curriculum in recognizing the dangers of distracted driving, including texting, using a phone or being under the influence of any chemical substance. On the first day, students were asked how certain situations and scenarios can be avoided. On the second day, they participated in a variety of exercises designed to replicate the impairment created by drinking, chemical substance use or texting.   

The district’s Board of Education recently celebrated the successes of several student-artists and science research scholars. 

Minnesauke Elementary School student Julia Hou was commended for being named a 2019 New York State Arbor Day Poster Contest winner. For her submission, Julia created a picture showcasing the habitats of bats. R.C. Murphy Junior High School student Carolyn Liu was commended for her painting “Across the Three Village Inn,” which had been accepted into the 2019 National Junior Art Honor Society juried exhibition. 

Ward Melville High School InSTAR students Kelsey Ge, Maya Pena-Lobel, Megan Specht and Elizabeth Wang were celebrated with the assistance of two representatives from Regeneron. Earlier this winter, the four students were named Scholars in the prestigious Regeneron Science Talent Search. 
 

Nassakeag Elementary School kindergarten students in Adrienne D'Onofrio’s class learned about what makes rain during an interactive science lab experiment.

Following proper safety rules, the students filled a container with water and scooped shaving cream on top, then used a dropper to place colored water on top of the shaving cream. While observing, they noticed that the colored watered went through the shaving cream. They identified the colored water as representing the rain and the shaving cream as the clouds, and concluded that when the clouds are fuller, the moisture (rain) comes through them.  

Dubbing themselves the “Setauket SACC Super Stitchers,” 24 students who attend Setauket Elementary School’s SACC program worked from mid-January to mid-March to learn to loom knit hats in baby and toddler sizes.

As part of a different community service project each year, the program either makes or collects items that are distributed to worthy causes. This year’s hats project is being donated to the Child Life Services program at Stony Brook University Hospital.  

The students’ hard work and dedication resulted in 30 completed hats.  

Three Village Central School District elementary school teachers, staff and administrators came together to take part in one of the most spirited nights of the year – the annual TVTA Charity Sports Night.

Throughout the evening, the teams represented their school as they competed in a number of silly, sport-themed activities. 

The evening raised more than $11,170 for student scholarships. 

As a result of their science research projects, Ward Melville High School senior Kelsey Ge and junior Leo Takemaru placed first in their division at the Long Island Science and Engineering Fair. Both now qualify to compete at the International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Arizona. 
 
Leo’s project focused on how human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), which weakens the body’s ability to fight infection. His research strongly indicates that a recently discovered protein, CCDC11, is required for efficient budding of HIV particles from cells. Therefore, inhibition of CCDC11 may be an effective method to fight HIV-1 in the future.

Kelsey’s research focused on the identification and evaluation of the manifest ways in which tropical cyclone and hurricane evolution has changed over the past four decades. Factors quantifying the intensity, intensification and short-term changes of each cyclone were analyzed over time and assessed for statistical significance. These trends were then compared to heat, moisture and wind composition values. This two-pronged approach points to the long-term environmental changes that are associated with these trends and how they may be related to climate change.

During the international competition, Kelsey and Leo will be competing against students from around the world for a top prize of $75,000. 

March 2019 - Arrowhead's gymnasium was transformed into an authentic Native American experience. 4th-graders learned native customs, ancient teachings and craftworks during the Journeys Into American Indian Territory presentation.

After winning the Eastern Long Island Science Olympiad Regional Tournament in January and breaking a regional record for best overall score, Ward Melville High School’s Science Olympiad team competed against the top 55 teams in New York at the 2019 New York State Science Olympiad Tournament, where they clinched second place and earned a bid to the national competition.

New York State is the most competitive state in the nation for Science Olympiad, with a total of 678 teams participating this year. Each year, only the first- and second-place teams from New York can qualify to move on to the national tournament. 

During the state contest, Ward Melville’s talented team of students received top 10 placements in 17 out of 23 events, with notable performances in Astronomy, Code Busters, Disease Detectives, Forensics, Fossils and Wright Stuff. 

“Qualifying for the Science Olympiad National Tournament is always Ward Melville’s primary objective and driving motivation,” coach Jenny Serigano said. “In the past several years, our team has experienced a tumultuous mix of stunning victories and heart-wrenching defeats. After two years in a row of coming in third place and narrowly missing our goal of qualifying for nationals, our Ward Melville team achieved a second-place victory and beat out longtime rivals from Fayetteville-Manlius.”

Ward Melville’s team will be making a triumphant return to the national tournament for the first time in three years and will be competing against the best 60 teams in the nation at Cornell University on May 31.

P.J. Gelinas Junior High School’s new ninth-grade Hands on Health course is designed to enable students to participate in activities and lessons centered on myriad health and wellness topics. 

As part of a recent unit on mindfulness and stress relief, the students conducted presentations for their peers based on comprehensive research. They delivered 10-minute activities and then organized push-in lessons for the seventh-grade classes, which included PowerPoint presentations and different activities pertaining to health-enhancing behaviors. Additionally, the entire class participated in a yoga workshop during a field trip to Avalon Park. 

Other units included as part of the course were teambuilding, communication, mental health and relationships. The class will conclude the year with lessons on hands-only CPR and presentations on the many careers in the health field. 

As an extension of their social studies curriculum, fifth-grade students at W.S. Mount Elementary School stepped back in time to participate in an immigration simulation. 

Before the event, the students researched a family member who had immigrated to the United States and then created a fictional individual based on their research. On the day of the immigration simulation, the students dressed and acted as that individual as they embodied his or her persona.  

Once inside the cafeteria, or “Ellis Island,” they began the process of becoming an immigrant. Parent and staff volunteers were on hand in the school’s mini-gym monitoring the different immigration stations, which checked the immigrants’ background, vocation, character and health, and ultimately cleared them for citizenship. Once accepted as citizens, the students were asked to review a copy of the federal Constitution, were given a commemorative U.S. citizen identification card stamped with their fingerprints and were asked to recite the Oath of Citizenship. 

At the conclusion of the program, the fifth-graders gathered in the auditorium to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and the Oath of Citizenship in unison. 

Ward Melville High School student-artists regularly captivate audiences with their talents, and this March those skills earned a number of students high honors in the 2019 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards in the Northeast Art Region-at-Large.

The Three Village Central School District congratulates the following students on these exceptional honors: 

Natasha Bartley – a Gold Key for digital art
Natasha Bartley – two Silver Keys and two honorable mentions for drawings and illustrations
Erica Lin – a Silver Key for digital art
Eva Reznik – a Silver Key and two honorable mentions for drawings and illustrations
Hawon Roh – an honorable mention for drawing and illustration
Cleo Watson (not pictured) – an honorable mention for digital art
Cleo Watson (not pictured) – a Silver Key and an honorable mention for her comic art

With the support and organization of the school’s Site-Based Management Team, Nassakeag Elementary School students and staff took part in activities and programs in honor of Wellness Week this March.

To kick off the event, the school welcomed guest speakers on a day they called Mindful Monday. During an assembly program, Dana Cavalea, former strength and conditioning coach of the New York Yankees, spoke with the students about his book, “Habits of a Champion.” 

For the remainder of the week, each day followed a central theme as well. On Tasty Tuesday, the school’s PTA provided each student with a healthy snack; on Walking Wacky Wednesday, teachers and students wore wacky clothing and went on walks; and for Namaste Thursday, all grades had a yoga session with Missy Cotton, a certified instructor and former student. The week ended with a Fun Friday Drop Everything and Read initiative and evening program for all families. 

Paul J. Gelinas Junior High School students Acadia Kunkel, Ava Della Pietra and Jacqueline Wu were honored for their original works on the regional level of the 2019 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.

In Ava’s submission in the personal essay/memoir category, “The Song of the Night,” she crafted a narrative of a young girl’s relationship with her grandfather through a series of memories and reflections upon life. For this piece, Ms. Della Pietra received the Gold Key award, the highest distinction available for the Northeast Writing Region-at-Large.  

Acadia’s short story, “When You Thought Nothing Could Go Wrong" is about a girl, Alison, a skilled violinist who gets first chair in a prestigious youth orchestra in Manhattan. The story shows how even the best and the brightest struggle with stage fright and imperfections.

Jacqueline was honored with a Silver Key award for her short story, “Forever.” 

Three Village Central School District Superintendent of Schools Cheryl Pedisich was named an Administrator Service Award honoree during the 18th annual SCOPE Education Services awards dinner. 

The award was presented in honor of Ms. Pedisich’s unwavering dedication to the school district and her expertise. The evening’s honorees were chosen for recognition based on their exemplary contributions to the field of education and for embodying the night’s theme of “Shining Above the Rest” during the 2018-2019 school year.

As a result of their exceptional performance at the state level, 11 members of Ward Melville High School’s DECA team have qualified to compete in the National DECA Competition in Orlando, Florida, this April. 

The entire team had an exceptional performance, with seven students placing in the top 10 in their respective events. The district congratulates the entire team, along with adviser Ilene Littman, on their dedication and wishes those competing in nationals the best of luck. 

Ward Melville’s National Qualifiers: 
Diego Bennett - First Place – Financial Literacy Promotion Project
Elizabeth Wang - First Place – Quick Service Restaurant Management
Akshay Malhotra - Second Place – Principles of Hospitality and Tourism
Hannah Lu - Third Place – Restaurant and Food Service Management
Ashley Zhang - Fourth Place – Hotel and Lodging Management
Jade Eggleston and Jessica Guo - Fifth Place – Buying and Merchandising TEAM event
Dara Berman and Katie Zhao - Fifth Place – Marketing Management TEAM event
Leo Takemaru and Dale Yu - Fifth Place – Business Law and Ethics TEAM event

Top 10 in New York State Competition: 
Michael Bernstein – Business Services Marketing
Eric Chung – Automotive Services Marketing
Jonathan Huang – Accounting Applications
Elyas Masrour – Retail Merchandising
Nancy Zhong – Principles of Finance
Chelsea Pan and Eileen Whelan – Hospitality Services TEAM event

P.J. Gelinas Junior High School students transported audiences back to the 1950s as they donned poodle skirts and took to the stage to bring the classic story of “Grease” to life.

From Pink Ladies to black leather jacket-wearing greasers, the students embraced the storylines of the students at Rydell High and captivated audiences with their vocal and acting performances during the multinight run, including a complementary performance for district sixth-graders.  

Delegates from Ward Melville High School’s Model United Nations won their first award at the 2019 National High School Model United Nations conference. Their diplomacy skills as representatives of the People’s Republic of China earned them an Award of Merit, a distinction given to only three schools each year.

At the conference, delegates simulated various United Nations committees with participants from all over the nation and the world. They approached the topics that were discussed in their committees from the point of view of the People’s Republic of China, collaborating with delegates representing other countries to find solutions to the world’s most pressing issues.

Senior Delegate Samuel Kim was also recognized with the Award of Distinction. This is the highest honor given to an individual delegate in committee for outstanding leadership and diplomacy. Samuel represented South Africa in the International Atomic Energy Agency committee, where he debated the feasibility of nuclear energy in developing countries.

3/21/19 - Arrowhead students celebrated World Down Syndrome Day and rocked their colorful socks to raise donations for and awareness of Down Syndrome.

 

R.C. Murphy Junior High School’s talented student-actors took to the stage this March to bring the Broadway classic “Newsies” to life.

Before packed audiences, including a complementary performance for district sixth-graders and senior citizens, the students told the tale of how the New York Newsboys went on strike in 1899, seeking fair wages for their work. The performers’ talent was evident from the opening number, and audiences were enthralled by the students on stage throughout the musical.   

Ward Melville High School’s chamber orchestra recently collaborated with the William Floyd High School’s chamber orchestra for an afternoon workshop centered on music and cultural exchange.

To help welcome the visitors, each Ward Melville student was paired with a William Floyd student during the event and shared a music stand while rehearsing. The two groups, comprised of 62 student-musicians, studied four different pieces of music during the workshop. Throughout the event, the pairs enjoyed learning about each other’s shared passion for music, the types of pieces they have performed and different techniques for performance. 

The program ended with an impromptu concert for family and friends in the Ward Melville High School auditorium.

Student-writers at R.C. Murphy Junior High School are often inspired to pen remarkable literary pieces in and out of the classroom, and this winter some of those pieces garnered several authors national and regional awards. 

Two students won national honors in the Scholastic Art & Writing Competition as a result of their original pieces. Earning National Silver Medals for Writing, which ranks them among the top 1 percent in the country, were ninth-graders Jennifer Cabrera and Kate Glenn for their Flash Fiction submissions. 
 
Additionally, several students were honored in the Walt Whitman Birthplace Student Poetry Contest, a competition that drew hundreds of submissions from across Long Island. One student from each age category won Grand Champion and three were selected from each category as a winner. Murphy eighth-grader Kate Sun was named the Grand Champion in the grade 7-8 category; ninth-grader Sally Gliganic was named the Grand Champion in the grade 9-10 category and eighth-grader Natalie Dreyer was named the winner in the grade 7-8 category.  

Setauket Elementary School kindergarten students had the chance to act as emergency room doctors during a recent interactive workshop with representatives from Stony Brook University.

During the Teddy Bear Clinic program, before suiting up as professional doctors the students were reminded of important safety tips when riding a car or a bicycle. Wearing protective gloves, hairnets and facemasks, the students took care of their most precious stuffed animals by adhering bandages, braces and splints. 

The program served not only as a reminder of a variety of safety tips but also to help ease students’ apprehensions about going to the doctor. 

As a result of their performance and skills, R.C. Murphy Junior High School’s Science Bowl team No. 1 came in second place during the Long Island Regional Middle School Science Bowl Competition held at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory this past March.

Each year, BNL hosts the competition, which challenges students to answer questions on specific topics in astronomy, biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, earth science, computer science and general science. The competition includes a round robin followed by a single elimination final. A total of 12 teams from across Long Island competed in this year’s contest, and Murphy was represented by two teams. 

The Three Village Central School District congratulates both Murphy teams, along with their coach Patrick McManus, on their accomplishments. 
 
Team No. 1 Members
Joshua Lacoff
Aaron Robertson
Kevin Shi
Eamonn Stamm-Walsh
Ethan Yu
  
Team No. 2 Members
Tyler Byrne
Aidan Clarke
Justin Harper
Michaelangelo Scialabba
Dylan Verby

Three Village Central School District’s Mock Trial has completed its fifth consecutive undefeated regular season in Suffolk County competition, carrying on the winning tradition through hard work, long hours and genuine intellectual curiosity. 

Team members meet regularly on Saturday mornings and can be found in the Gelinas library conferring with local lawyers, interacting with Long Island judges, and crafting and honing their arguments. 

Speaking about the importance of case preparation, senior Jake DePinto said, “Preparing for trial is all about the details of the case; we push through the facts of the matter first and make an effort to finetune our arguments.”

Mock trial coach Doug Elliot reflects, “One of the things that helps our team assert itself is our students’ thirst for learning and understanding the legal arguments each year. Our members never tire of debating each other at practice and have great respect for the law and, especially, each other.”
Seniors Jake DePinto, Emma McBrien, Leio Koga, Gabby Barry, Jay Sangwan and Jeff Casey (pictured left to right with Mr. Elliot) will graduate with an unblemished regular season record, the result of thousands of hours of practice.

With the regular season behind them, the team is now busy preparing for the single-elimination playoffs at Suffolk County District Court in the coming weeks.

Minnesauke Elementary School sixth-graders in Patricia Woods’ class recently joined with their first-grade buddies in Jennifer Frole’s class to organize a community service project in the spirit of the St. Patrick’s Day holiday.

Both classes collected small toiletry items and packaged them in party bags, each of which included “lucky” green shamrock notes. Additionally, the classes made flowers out of tissue paper that were placed in decorated water-bottle vases. The classes’ 93 gift bags were donated to Meals on Wheels and another local charitable organization. 

Nassakeag Elementary School fourth-graders in Kathryn Comiskey’s class recently utilized their mathematic skills to create special treats for those who visit the Our Daily Bread Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry in East Setauket.

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, the students mixed up 18 batched of Irish soda bread using a traditional recipe. For a mathematical twist, after they successfully made their first batch, Ms. Comiskey removed the 1-cup measuring device. The students were then challenged to make the subsequent ones using their understanding of equivalent fractions. 

“The students loved problem-solving when I took away the 1-cup measure and they had to make the recipe,” Ms. Comiskey said. 

As a result of their exceptional performance on the regional level, both R.C. Murphy and P.J. Gelinas Junior High Schools’ Science Olympiad teams have qualified to compete in the New York State tournament this year. 

The students worked extremely hard under the direction of their team of coaches to prepare for the competition season. During the contests, students complete against peers from across the region in a series of science events, testing their knowledge on such topics as astronomy, chemistry and forensics. Events vary in format from exams to hands-on build events, for which students need to work collaboratively to create a structure or device to deploy during specific events. 

The Three Village Central School District commends the teams and wishes them well at the state level. 

Continuing with the school’s “Lunch with a Scientist” series, P.J. Gelinas Junior High School seventh-graders recently welcomed visiting scientist Dr. Vatsal Bhatt, senior energy policy adviser at Brookhaven National Laboratory and director for cities and communities at the U.S. Green Building Council. 

The talk was based around Dr. Bhatt’s career of research in the fields of energy usage and impacts on climate change. He touched upon how he has helped to develop and implement energy, water and climate change systems modelling for long-term national, regional and urban analysis. This included an evaluation of how the energy policies were developed between the United States, India and China from 2007-2014 to examine energy usage and climate change. 

The experience enhanced the understanding of these topics for the seventh-grade Gelinas scientists, as they walked away with a better understanding of what they individually can do to reduce energy consumption in their daily life and in buildings and communities around them. This understanding will help the students in future coursework and decision-making with respect to energy usage.   

P.J. Gelinas Junior High School art teacher Michael Sacco and Minnesauke Elementary School art teacher Christine Sacco were selected to present during the 2019 National Art Education Association’s National Convention in Boston from March 14-16. This event is considered to be the largest gathering of visual arts education professionals in the world. 

During the event, attendees can choose from more than 1,000 engaging and informative sessions, workshops, tours, events and exhibits designed by and for art educators. Over 5,000 art educators were in attendance.

Mr. and Ms. Sacco presented a joint session featuring service and collaboration projects the Gelinas and Minnesauke National Junior Art Honor Society chapters have completed over the past few years. Separately, Ms. Sacco presented an individual session featuring her grade level projects that she has collaborated in over the past 20 years. 

A logo design created by Ward Melville High School junior Corrine Ange was not only celebrated in her advanced graphic design class this winter but lauded on the national level as it was selected as the winning design in a Davis Art Blank Apron design contest. 

Created with the guidance of art teacher Cortney Weisman, Corinne’s winning design was printed on aprons given to every art teacher/attendee at this year’s National Art Education Association Convention, held in Boston this March.