School News

Hampton Bays

Hampton Bays High School’s student journalists received top honors and several Quill Awards at Adelphi University’s Press Day on January 28. Kiera Hughes placed third in the opinion category, while Schuyler Dorchak placed third for best feature. Julia Heming won a third-place award for best news article, and Dylynn von Bartheld earned honorable mention as outstanding reporter. Each of the winning articles had been published in the school’s newspaper publication, Tide.

Hampton Bays Elementary School’s second grade celebrated the Chinese New Year on February 5. Stephanie Tam’s class learned about the holiday’s traditions, made colorful masks, learned to speak and write a few words in Chinese, and received a traditional red envelope.

Riverhead

Fourth graders in the Riverhead Central School District created a mural that was displayed at the district’s Black History Month celebration on February 13. The mural features paper hands, colorfully decorated by the students using markers, and the Zentangle technique of drawing structured patterns. Each hand features the artwork of several students. The hands were added to a giant tree cutout on the mural with a slogan that reads, “Unity grows through community.”

The district’s elementary schools participated in the annual Great Kindness Challenge, which aims to foster kindness in the schools, during the last week of January and the first week of February.

Fourth graders in the Peacemakers Club at Phillips Avenue and Roanoke Avenue elementary schools decorated their schools with kindness-themed signs and created kindness rocks. They also met with the original members of their club, who are now in high school. The students at Aquebogue Elementary School hosted school spirit days and collected “kind coins,” or change, for those in need.

At Riley Avenue Elementary School, every class designed kindness banners and hung them outside their classrooms as part of a school-wide contest. Students also wrote notes to their peers, which were delivered by the school’s student council as part of a letter writing campaign.

Children in kindergarten through fourth grade participated in Global Play Day on February 6. The students were encouraged to step away from books and play with toys, board games, and art supplies that they brought to school.

The initiative was brought up by a group of third graders from Riverhead’s Roanoke Elementary School in hopes that it would inspire families to plan for more unstructured play time during non-school hours and also develop students’ social and imaginative skills.

Southampton

The Rotary Club of Southampton recognized senior Nicholas Maddock as its Student of the Month for February.

Maddock is president of the school’s robotics club and the vice president of the Junior State of America and the Patriots Club. He is also the member of the National and Latin honor societies, as well as the treasurer of the Southampton Fire Department Junior Program.

As an Eagle Scout, Maddock is a senior patrol leader and junior assistant scoutmaster for Troop 58 and earned the Trailblazer District Honor Spirit Award. In his free time, he enjoys blacksmithing, woodworking, and playing the guitar and piano. In the fall, Maddock plans to study mechanical engineering at Lehigh University, along with military science.

Twenty-two Southampton High School students performed in the Hampton Music Educators Association High School Festival on February 2.

The concert, which was held at Eastport-South Manor High School, featured East End student-musicians in band, chorus, and orchestra. The participants were chosen based on their high scores at the New York State School Music Association Solo Evaluation Festival held last spring.

Sofia Skoldberg, a freshman violinist, was chosen to serve as concertmistress of the HMEA Orchestra.

Southampton High School students in Pam Collins’s art class recently visited the Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill for an art workshop. Jeremy Dennis, a contemporary fine-art photographer and member of the Shinnecock Nation, discussed the aspects of narrative in his work to the students. He then assisted them in designing their own collages, which are on display at the Parrish through February 28.

Southampton Intermediate School teachers recently participated in a “Souper Bowl” lunch fundraiser for the annual seventh-grade field trip to Boston. Spearheaded by social studies teacher Melissa Rogge, the teachers and staff chefs cooked up chili, chicken, and stew. The food was sold in the school’s faculty room. Rogge, who has led several fundraisers, started monthly fundraising with the understanding that not all students’ families have enough funds to pay for the Boston trip. “We do this for the kids, and all the proceeds go to them,” Rogge said. So far, more than $1000 has been raised.

The Southampton Elementary School Student Council has been collecting gently used coats as part of a community service project to help those in need. The coats they collect will be dry-cleaned by Good Ground Cleaners in Hampton Bays and then delivered to the Heart of the Hamptons groups.

The student council also held a water bottle collection to raise money for the Women’s Cancer Coalition and collected shoes for Operation International, which provides medical and humanitarian aid to impoverished countries.

The elementary school hosted the annual Snowball Dance for its pre-K students on February 8. The students dance, sang, and showcased their attire during a fashion show.

Springs

Mrs. Dellapolla’s third grade class is raising money for UNICEF with “UNICEF Kid Power,” in which students earn points with movements, videos, and class activities. The money raised provides therapeutic food packets to malnourished children.

Students also celebrated the 100th day of school last week with activities such as puzzles and a 100-cup challenge, in which they tried to stack 100 cups without them falling. Students in Mrs. Sullivan and Ms. Waleko’s second grade classes made portraits of what they thought they would look like at age 100.

Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center

Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center hosted another workshop for parents and caregivers in the weekly Parent Outreach meeting.

The presentation and discussion, which was given in both English and Spanish, focused on “Social-Emotional Competency: The Importance of Teaching Kindness, Empathy, and Acceptance.” Arlene Pizzo Notel, the program director, gave the presentation, along with Dr. Julio Gonzalez of SUNY Old Westbury and various special guests.

Mattituck-Cutchogue

Mattituck Junior and Senior High School students recently participated in the Springs School Cultural Diversity Institute. The students had the opportunity to deepen their understanding of cultural diversity and to engage in dialogue on the negative impact of bias, prejudice, discrimination, and stereotyping with a diverse group of community members.

Judy Sleed, a Holocaust survivor, shared the story of her past and encouraged the students to be accepting of all cultures in schools, the community, and throughout the world.

Submitted by local schools