Ahead of Veterans Day, students and staff in the Three Village Central School District honored those who have served the country through several ways. Students participated in service projects, special classroom lessons and activities to pay tribute to veterans and the sacrifices they have made for the country.

At Ward Melville High School, students in Ms. Dalton and Mrs. Corbett’s classes organized a clothing drive to benefit the United War Veterans Council. The organization collects donations of gently used clothing and household goods, generates revenue by selling these items to re-use retailers and uses the profit toward its work for veterans. Students helped pack up the collection truck on Nov. 14.

Doug Elliot’s ninth grade public speaking class at P.J. Gelinas Junior High School learned about Christopher Raguso, a member of the U.S. Air National Guard, who paid the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq in 2018. The class discussed Raguso’s eulogy, which was read by his father. Mr. Elliot, who was a friend of Raguso, took his class outside to the front flagpole, where he and Mr. Ehlers, another Gelinas teacher, played military songs on the bagpipes in tribute to Raguso and all veterans who have served the country.

At the younger level, students participated in projects that honor local veterans. Second graders at W.S. Mount Elementary School created placemats that were brought to the Long Island State Veterans Home in Stony Brook. Additionally, Arrowhead and Setauket Elementary Schools led a schoolwide project in which students created cards that were dropped off at the Northport VA Medical Center.

Click here to view the slideshow.

Date Added: 11/14/2022

P.J. Gelinas Junior High School eighth grade science teacher, Nicolette DeMartino, won the Science Teachers Association of New York State Fellows New Teacher Award at its statewide conference in Syracuse. STANYS is a collaborative association that brings together science teachers from across New York to promote excellence in science education while working together to provide opportunities for all students.

The STANYS Fellows New Teacher Award recognizes Ms. DeMartino for her future promise as a new teacher and her outstanding contributions to science education.

Date Added: 11/10/2022

The science department at P.J. Gelinas Junior High School recently took ninth graders out to sea for a fishing field trip. Students boarded the Celtic Quest and went out on the Long Island Sound to catch black sea bass and porgies.

Students who participated in the field trip were enrolled in a Google Classroom page that provided information about the physical and biological aspects of the Long Island Sound. Additionally, they were given recipes to help cook their catch.

Date Added: 10/26/2022

The district celebrated Unity Day on Wednesday, Oct. 19 with activities that focused on anti-bullying messaging. Unity Day encourages school communities to show unity for kindness, acceptance and inclusion. Across the district, students and staff wore orange to send a visible message. Not only did celebrations take place on Oct. 19, in many buildings they lasted throughout the week.

At Ward Melville High School, students in a number of extracurricular clubs came together to “chalk the walk.” Students drew colorful, positive messages on the building’s sidewalks for their peers as they entered the building on Unity Day.

Faculty and staff at Setauket Elementary School also used sidewalk chalk to welcome their students with positive messages. Students were excited to sign a Unity Day pledge, affirming their commitment to creating a positive school environment. Additionally, Setauket Elementary School staff led an interactive game of Family Feud for students. Students participated in the game show, sharing ways they are responsible, open-minded, cooperative, kind and safe.

Minnesauke Elementary School welcomed Prismatic Magic into the auditorium, an educational laser light performance that incorporated anti-bullying messaging. The high-energy show reinforced the importance of teamwork and positivity.

At W.S. Mount and Arrowhead Elementary Schools, students created footprints to “stomp out bullying” and visualize the positive steps they are taking to create a community without bullying. W.S. Mount students also created a chain with orange links of paper that they wrote kind, anti-bullying messages on.

Nassakeag Elementary School students participated in a spirit week surrounding Unity Day. The week culminated with a schoolwide pep rally, where students dressed in green and gold to unite and take a stand against bullying.

While Unity Day takes place during one day in October, the Three Village school community honors its messaging throughout the year. Students were eager to carry out the lessons they learned during Unity Day activities and take steps to put an end to bullying.

Date Added: 10/24/2022

Ninth grade students in Mr. Kostis’ computer design class at P.J. Gelinas Junior High School are learning how to program robots to complete a series of tasks using codes and sensors.

Students started by using the VEX Virtual Robotics program to learn about sensors and test their codes. Then, they moved on to using physical VEX IQ robots with sensors to navigate through a course and move an object into the goal. Using a research, design, build and assess model, students are learning how to use coding and sensors to control robot behavior. They write original code for the robot and analyze the behavior to evaluate additional solutions.

Next, students will be using their programming knowledge to program Tello indoor drones to navigate through a course. For this challenge, students will be using their Drone Blocks software on their Chromebook.

Date Added: 10/19/2022