School News

Southampton

Southampton Intermediate School and High School music students took educational trips to New York City on May 8 and May 17, respectively, to see professional musicians in action.

Intermediate students visited Lincoln Center and attended a New York Philharmonic Young People’s Concert for schools, where the Philharmonic performed pieces on a theme of “Coming to New York — Immigrant Voices.” High school musicians enjoyed a double bass recital at the Juilliard School, attended a performance of “My Fair Lady,” and performed a few select pieces outside of Lincoln Center.

The Southampton Elementary School Student Council recently presented a $500 check to the Southampton Women’s Cancer Coalition and Lucia’s Angels. The students raised the money by collecting and recycling water bottles throughout the school year.

Seven Southampton High School students who are poised to enter the military after graduation will be honored at a ceremony on May 31 at 9:30 AM at Hampton Bays High School. The community is welcome to attend.

Westhampton Beach

The Westhampton Beach Board of Education acknowledged the accomplishments of Class of 2019 valedictorian Chris Bender and salutatorian Frank Lapinski on May 13.

The two seniors earned the top spots in their class through their commitment to academics, as well as their participating in numerous extracurricular activities.

Westhampton Beach High School students Evan Lockwood and Matthew Daleo received a high honors award at the Long Island Science Congress Senior Division Awards Ceremony on May 20 for their research project, “Biodiversity of Pre-Cretaceous Vertebrates at the Lance Formation, Wyoming, USA.”

The sophomores, who have been working on their project under the direction of science teacher Dianna Gobler, collected fossil samples they used for their research during a school trip to Wyoming with science teacher Rob Coleman.

Westhampton Beach Elementary School celebrated the arrival of spring with its annual PTA-sponsored spring formal lunch on May 21, where students dressed up and enjoyed a lunch of chicken and noodles with a brownie dessert.

Springs

The Springs School fourth grade concert will be held on June 6 at 6:30 PM.

The fifth grade class will also have their D.A.R.E. culmination at 10 AM on June 7, at which they will sing a song they learned and read poems.

Fifth-graders also recently attended the “Annual Conference for Kids” at the Riverhead Campus of Suffolk Community College, where they attended hands-on STEM and/or STEAM-related educational workshops designed to help students explore their own interests, foster high levels of engagement, and empower the potential of their minds.

Tuckahoe

Tuckahoe students recently experienced virtual reality when technology teacher Jessica Ovanessian and school librarian Laurie Verdeschi led them on Google Expeditions through sites such as the Museum of Natural History, the Statue of Liberty, the Grand Canyon, and Yosemite National Park.

Students were also able to explore microscopic landscapes to learn about cells, as well as take a tour of the solar system with the 3D goggles.

Montauk

The Montauk School will host parent-teacher conferences for kids in fourth and fifth grades on May 30 from 7:30 AM to 2:45 PM. The school will also host a dance on May 31 from 6:30 to 9:30 PM.

Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center

The Eleanor Whitmore Early Childhood Center recently hosted a presentation on “Helping Children Through Life’s Transitions” with Dr. Julio Gonzalez of SUNY Old Westbury.

Dr. Gonzalez joined Arlene Pizzo Notel, the center’s program director, and SherriAnn DuRussell, the center’s psychologist, to focus on the challenges children face in coping with life changes and effective strategies to help children transition. The program was presented in English and later on in Spanish.

Riverhead

Riverhead High School’s Sabrina McDonald, Kateryn Mendez, Alexander Perez, and Jalynn Gamble were inducted into the National Technical Honor Society at the H.B. Ward Technical Center on May 21. Riverhead High School guidance counselor Christy Salerno was also recognized for her service to her BOCES students and inducted into the NTHS as an honorary member.

Riverhead High School’s athletic teams were recently recognized by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association with an Exemplary Display of Sportsmanship, Ethics, and Integrity Award.

Author and illustrator Ralph Masiello visited the students of Riverhead’s Aquebogue Elementary School on May 20. Masiello spoke about his career and held illustrator workshops throughout the day. He also presented each class with a signed illustration, and a group of students were selected to have lunch with him as part of a writing contest.

Roanoke Avenue Elementary School’s second grade class put on “The Poetry Jam,” a poetic performance in which the students read poems they had written and memorized for family and friends on May 17.

Aquebogue Elementary School fourth- graders in Tami Koller’s class recently worked with Patrick Mullooly of Newsday’s Kidsday to draft articles that will be published in September.

The students wrote on a variety of topics, including apple picking on the East End and their favorite restaurants. Several groups of students were also selected to write articles after touring the Bronx Zoo’s new dinosaur exhibit, going to a Cirque du Soleil show, and interviewing author Chris Grabenstein.

Of the students in Aquebogue’s Read-a-Thon, 165 were granted “Mega Star” reading status for completing three cycles of the literary challenge. The students read for a combined total of 143,455 minutes.

Riverhead Middle School’s Wind Ensemble, directed by Annette Brewer, performed at the annual Peconic Bay medical Center Memorial Day event on May 21.