June 2009 - riverhead.net

Vol. 25/No. 7
June 2009
Working Together in Our Schools . . .
CONGRATULATIONS TO CLASS OF 2009
Achievement
This issue of
Our Schools
focuses on student
achievement in all
sorts of venues:
academic,
athletics,
citizenship and
the creative arts.
It also applauds
our teachers who
have provided
students with an
environment that
fosters integrity,
Congratulations to the Class of 2009. We are proud of all our students and their accomplishments.
T
he graduating Class of 2009 is counting down as the school year comes to a close. Some have played their last high school game, others played or sang
in their last high school concert or finished their last art project. They were a unique group of students who took up the challenge on the playing field,
on the stage and in the classroom. The Varsity Football team won the LI Class II Championship and the Rutgers Trophy. Several of our seniors will go on to play sports in college after an outstanding final season. Anna Flores sang in the Chorus at the All-Eastern Music Festival. Read on . . .
The following students have achieved an academic standing as the top
15 students in a graduating class of over 300 students.
creativity and
respect.
1 - Rachel Hagler - Political Science – Williams College
2 - Sylvia Hong - Chemistry – Middlebury College
3 - Jessica Egan – Undecided – University of Delaware
4 - Laura Apicello - Engineering – Siena College
5 - Jyl Ristau - Int’l Relations/Business – SUNY-Geneseo
6 - Lauren Bonheim - Biology/Pre-Med – University of Delaware
7 - Amanda Mallahy - Biology/Pre-Med – SUNY-Binghamton
8 - Jessica Roslik - Undecided – SUNY-Stony Brook
9 - Kate Murphy - Engineering/Nursing – Villanova
10 - Kristen Kirchoff - Chemistry/Pharmacy –
University of Connecticut
11 - Dylan Hewkin – Undecided – Boston College
12 - Bria Yazic –Philosophy – University of Vermont
13 - Sara Lohneiss - Biology/Pre-Veterinary – Loyola College
14 - Dylan Gould – Physics – Cornell University
15 - Tyler Lappe - Computer Science – SUNY-Stony Brook
Thank
you for
supporting
our students!
Thanks also
to Jamesport
Gardens for
beautifying the
entrance to the
Middle School.
Catch the Wave
RIVERHEAD CSD
DISTRICT OFFICE
700 OSBORNE AVENUE
RIVERHEAD, NY 11901-2996
the news inside
8
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RIVERHEAD, N.Y.
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POSTAL CUSTOMER
Danielle Buchanan achieved
Peggie Ehlers had the students
perfect attendance ALL 13
spinning at Roanoke as part of
YEARS K-12! (with Mr. Zimbler) their social studies program (p 7).
board/admin
About Education
2
www.riverhead.net
Working Together for Our Schools
June 22, 2009
RCSD Board of Education
District Directors
Directors (Cont.)
Dear Parents, Guardians, and Community Members:
Dr. Diane B. Scricca
Superintendent of Schools
This has been a most exciting, challenging, and progressive
year. The Board of Education has worked tirelessly on behalf of
all our children by setting district goals, continuing their fight for
more state aid, creating an energy performance contract to upgrade
buildings, save energy and cut costs, and attending countless
meetings to benefit our district. We thank you for supporting our
budget so that we may continue with our work.
We’re happy to report that we have made academic strides
over the course of the year with higher test scores in grades 3-8. A
restructuring of the STAR Academy has resulted in an attendance
rate that has gone from 42% to 82% and brought these students
back on campus. Additionally, for the first time, all four schools
are “schools in good standing” as designated by New York State.
Athletic achievements that included a LI Championship in
football, a crew team that finished second in the nation, the NY State
Shot Put Champion, and several athletic scholarships and scholarathlete teams made our community proud of the Blue Waves. We
also congratulate our musicians for their fine showing at the Hershey
Park Music Festival, and our poets, artists, and essayists for their
achievements. We are proud of our students for their many acts
of charity in our community and in the larger community as they
engaged in Math-A-Thons and other fund-raisers.
We want to thank you for volunteering to help us in our
schools on committees, such as our new Communications Advisory
Committee, in our schools, and in so many other ways. Ours is truly
an important partnership.
Enjoy your summer!
Sincerely,
Dr. Diane B. Scricca
Superintendent of Schools
Superintendent of Schools Dr.
Diane B. Scricca is pictured with
administrators and RCSD board
member Christine Prete and her
husband, George, applauding student
athletes at the Varsity Awards Dinner,
one of the many events she attended
this spring. Congratulations to all!
T
he Board of Education thanks the residents in the District for
casting their votes in
the recent budget vote
and Board of Education election.
May board meetings
featured presentations from our K-12
directors in Science,
English Language
Arts, and Math. The
presentations detailed
professional growth
seminars for teachers,
assessment strategies,
and goals for elementary, intermediate and
high school students.
Each of the K-12 Directors, stated that they
were pleased with the
direction in which the
district is moving and
with the positive results on state exams.
Ms. Maria Andreotti,
the ELA Director, noted
that the implementation of Fundations this
year has begun to address phonetics, spelling, and fluency issues
in grades K-2. Another
major ELA goal is the
implementation of a
Response to Inter-
Ms. Maria Andreotti
vention (RTI) program,
which is a multi-tiered
approach to help struggling readers.
Dr. Lois Etzel, the K-12
Science Director, noted
the host of events in science this year and new
opportunities planned
for next year which
include: a Pre-Advanced
Placement Chemistry
course; a revamping
of the Marine Biology
course to make it project-based; a double period for AP Physics; and
up to 12 college credits
from SUNY Albany for
the three-year sequence
in Science Research.
Ms. Angelica Diaz emphasized the role of
assessments
and the
importance of
using
data to
drive instruction.
She stressed the need to
provide uniform support
materials for teachers,
which will help engage
students and improve
math achievement.
The Board of Education Issues Proclamation of Appreciation to Retirees
he Board of Education celebrated student
achievement at the June
8th Board of Education
meeting and presented the
2009 retirees with “Proclamations of Appreciation”.
T
Dr. Lois Etzel
The Board read
and presented
Proclamations
of Appreciation
to Retirees at
the June Board
Meeting
The Board and Dr. Scricca
thanked each of this year’s
retirees for their many years
of service to the Riverhead
Central School District. The
following teachers and staff
members are retiring this
year: RHS math teacher Ruth
Clark, who started teaching in
the district in 1985; RHS art
teacher Linda Figari, who has
been teaching art in the district since 1991; RHS special
education teacher and former
school-to-career coordinator
Cornelia Gevinski, who has
worked in the district since
1983; RHS science teacher
Eric Lamont, who has taught
at RHS since 1981; Roanoke Avenue school librarian
Marjorie Lawrence, who has
been a librarian in the distict since 1985; RHS music
teacher David Loddengaard,
who is also the Chairperson
of Music K-12, and has been
teaching in the district since
1974; RMS home economics teacher Lynn Toro, who
taught at RMS since 1993;
Riley Avenue computer lab
assistant Sandra Austin, who
has worked in the District for
14 years; school bus driver
Wendy Drumm, who drove
a bus for the District for 26
years; school bus driver Susan Eaton, who completed
22 years of service; school
bus driver Carol Herig, who
drove a bus for the District
for 10 years; administrative
asssistant Patricia Hipp, who
completed 25 years of service to the District; custodial
worker Russell Nash, Jr., a
Pictured above are the 2009 retirees who attended the board meeting and stayed
for the picture: Dave Loddengaard, Marge Lawrence, William Orlando, Connie
Gevinski, Linda Figari, and Lynn Toro.
custodian in the District since April 1980; custodial worker William Orlando, who performed custodial service to the District
since October 1989; school maintenance crew leader John Trent,
Jr, who has worked for the District since 1972.
rcsd/admin
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www.riverhead.net - news and events
Annual CAP “Say No to Drugs” March
Pictured left to right: Chris Kent, Suffolk County Deputy Executive; Supervisor Phil Cardinale; County Legislator Ed Romaine, County Legislator Jay Schneiderman, NYS Senator Ken LaValle;
Riverhead Councilwoman Barbara Blass (back row); NYS Assemblyman Fred Thiele; Riverhead Councilman Jim Wooten (back row); empty chair; Southampton Councilwoman Anna ThroneHolst; CAP Board President Nancy E. Binger; then Leif Shay and the senior football players. Not pictured are Assemblyman Marc Alessi and Southampton Councilman Christopher Nuzzi.
T
he Riverhead Community Awareness Program, Inc. (CAP) sponsored
its 24th Annual Say NO to
Drugs March on Friday, June
5, 2009. The 2008 Riverhead
Blue Waves Football Team
and Coach Leif Shay were to
lead this year’s march; however, rain kept the students
inside.
The 2008 Long Island Champion Blue Waves were the first
football team in Long Island
history to finish the season
with a 12-0 record. In addition
to winning the Class II Long
Island Championship, they also
won the Division II championship, the Big 4 championship,
the Suffolk County championship, and the Rutgers Trophy—
which is given to the team
designated as the “best team in
the county.” Head Coach Leif
Shay was chosen as Suffolk
County Coach of the Year.
“We are thrilled to have these
young men and coach Shay
lead this year’s program,” said
Felicia Scocozza, CAP’s executive director. “The choice was
clear after many teachers called
and wrote to us praising them as
role models.”
Since 1983 Riverhead Community Awareness Program,
Inc. (CAP), a not-for-profit
agency, has been providing
drug and alcohol prevention
education programs for the
Riverhead Central School
District. Although CAP directly
serves over 2,000 students a
year through its prevention and
counseling programs, it is best
known for its two-year preven-
tion program taught to over 700
fifth and sixth graders in Pulaski
Street School by community
volunteers and student peer
leaders. The program ends with
the annual Say NO to Drugs
March (or Assembly) in which
students normally march from
Pulaski Street School through
Riverhead wearing Drug Free
Body t-shirts.
Communications Advisory Council (CAC)
We want to get the GOOD NEWS out about our schools!
Communication
is not the
problem.
It’s the solution.
T
he Communications Advisory Council, which acts in
an advisory capacity to the Superintendent of Schools, began
meeting monthly on February
11th. About 25 people came together to discuss a way to “tear
down walls,” and to move the
district and the community forward in “a more positive way for
all the schools’ students and for
the town as a whole.”
The objectives for the meeting included a commitment to:
• provide a forum for open
discussion;
• encourage increased
involvement and understanding between the school
and the community;
• create a positive climate
in our community that
helps energize and enable
a higher level of student
achievement;
• share the mission and
vision of the school district
with the community.
COMMUNICATIONS ADVISORY COUNCIL
Public Relations Team
The CAC divided into three
subcommittees: the Public
Relations Team; the Conflict
Resolution Team; and the Function of Organization Team.
During the 2nd and 3rd meetings,
the teams were identified. The PR Team discussed goals,
logos, branding, activities, media
vehicles, such as news releases,
the Internet, radio, television,
newsletters, planned events, and
other methods of sharing the
good news about the district,
while actively addressing the
challenges faced by the district
and by the town. As their “action step,” the PR
Team has begun to broaden the
Conflict Resolution Team
Function of Organization Team
District’s contact list of organizations, to find contacts within
organizations, and email addresses, as a means of disseminating
information and inviting participation from media and members
of community groups. The PR
Team is calling for anyone who
would like to be on our contact
list to email: [email protected]. In addition, WRIV
interviews with the superintendent have been posted on the
district website and information
will be disseminated on WRHS,
the new high school radio station.
The Conflict Resolution
Team discussed ways to address
concerns raised about facilitat-
ing communications between
students, parents, administrators,
and other stakeholders to resolve difficulties and to find possible ways to prevent conflict.
They are planning to create refrigerator magnets for
each school listing important
phone numbers and email addresses. All of the email addresses for teachers will also
be posted on the internet.
The Function of Organization Team discussed how the organization functions -- the role of
the board, the role of the teacher,
the role of the superintendent
and the chain of communication.
Respect and trust were deemed
essential to communication.
Discussion in this team centered around the need to clarify
for the public that the first level
of communication when a student or parent has a problem or
concern needs to be with the
coach or teacher involved. The
discussion needs to begin at
the building level. Some of the
information on how to accomplish this will be disseminated
through
the District calendar.
“I am very excited about
the work this committee has
done,” states Superintendent
Dr. Diane Scricca. “I’m looking forward to next year and
what
we can do together.”
CAC
members
included:
Winnie Ayers, Dawn Bozuhki, Melissa
Britt, Robert Brown, Carolyn Brunskill,
Angela DeVito, Theresa Drozd, Peggie
Ehlers, Charles Gassar, Thaddeus Hill,
Gordon Scott Kenney, Phil Kent, Sandy
Kolbo, Astrid Lehman, Maureen McKay, Alice McKillop, Greg Meyer, Doreen Moore, Lu Anne Nappe, Jeannette
Ott, Andrea Pekar, Victoria Perrone,
Charles Regan, Sandra Richards, Debra
Rodgers, Lynn Romaine-DiMartino, Dr.
Diane Scricca, David Wicks, M.S. Williams, and Kathleen Wojciechowski.
The
CAC
was
chaired
by
Deputy Superintendent Nancy Carney.
Next Meeting: September 30, 2009.
rhsnews
Congratulations to the students of
RHS for their many accomplishments in the 2008-09 school year.
“Teeny Awards”
We are very proud to announce that
Kaitlin Farrell, Colin Palmer and
Jessica Benitez were nominees and
recipients of Teeny Awards this year.
Kaitlin Farrell: Lead Female in a
Musical (Les Miserable)
Colin Palmer: Leading Male in a
Musical (Les Miserable)
Jessica Benitez: Supporting Female
in a Musical (Pippin) and Choreography (Pippin)
In addition, Kristen Racaniello was
nominated for Graphic Design due to
her exceptional artwork for Pippin,
and Gabriel Galifianakis was recognized for his outstanding work as
Stage Manager for both Pippin and
Les Miserable.
NYSSSA Program
Two RHS students, Katie Blasl and
Cindy Mujo, have been accepted into
the NYSSSA School of Choral Studies program. They will be attending
the Choral Studies program at SUNYFredonia from July 5 through August
5, 2009. Admission to these programs
is very competitive. More than 1,000
students auditioned for the choral program statewide, but only 70 students
were accepted into the program.
Natl. Merit Scholars
RHS juniors, Kyle Patterson and
Katherine Skinner, have reached the
qualifying step to continue in the
National Merit Scholarship competition. Katherine also won the
Rensselaer Science Award.
Congratulations
Miguel Maysonet and Katherine
Skinner were named the News
Review Athletes of the Year.
4
www.riverhead.net - news and events
Top Two in the Class of 2009
VALEDICTORIAN
SALUTATORIAN
RHS senior Rachel Hagler is the sixth valedictorian from
Riverhead High School to graduate having had a longstanding devotion to the Latin program. Her love of Latin
is surpassed only by her love of political science, which
will be her major in college. Rachel has already begun her
studies in political theory and foreign affairs at a college
level during a summer program at Boston University.
RHS senior Sylvia Hong is the 2009 Riverhead High
School salutatorian. Sylvia will be graduating with a GPA
of 106.7033 and eight AP courses plus several Syracuse
University Project Advance (SUPA) credits.
Name: Rachel Hagler
GPA: 108.8307 (weighted)
Plans: Williams College, MA
Major: Political Science
Name: Name: Sylvia Hong
GPA: 106.7033 (weighted)
Plans: Middlebury College
Major: Chemistry
Rachel has literary aspirations as well. She is the editor of
Labyrinth, RHS’s creative writing anthology. As a junior,
Rachel was a member of Riverhead’s Channel 12 Long
Island Challenge Team. The Team won their first three
rounds. This year, as a senior, Rachel is a member of
Mentathletes, the National Honor Society and the National
Foreign Language Honor Societies for Spanish and Latin.
She was a Commended Student in the National Merit
Scholarship Program, an A.P. Scholar, and a Fairfield
Book Award recipient. Rachel also won awards in the Latin
Declamatio competition and Certamen. Also an athlete,
Rachel was a four-year member of and a co-captain of the
girls’ cross country team.
Rachel’s weighted GPA is 108.8307. Her post high school
plans include attending Williams College next fall with
aspirations of becoming a political science major with a
journalism minor. Williams is consistently ranked as one of
the nation’s top liberal arts colleges, and its faculty is noted
for the quality of their undergraduate teaching.
“I would like to be a political journalist and possibly a
foreign correspondent. My favorite subjects are history
and language arts,” shares Rachel. “I want to congratulate
my fellow high school graduates and express my profound
gratitude to my teachers, mentors, and guidance counselor,
all of whom are truly inspired and inspiring.”
T
Sylvia is a member of the National Honor Society and
the Latin Foreign Language Honor Society and Math
Club. Along with these academic achievements, she is
also a member of the soccer team and Key Club. With
an interest in the sciences, Sylvia participated in a
program offered at Riverhead High School called Women
in Science and Engineering (W.I.S.E.). Participants in
W.I.S.E. begin the program in 10th grade. Along with
nine other students in her class, Sylvia traveled to Stony
Brook University and engaged in activities such as marine
biology research at Flax Pond and learning about the
basic concepts of robotics and engineering. She also
participated in the Chemistry Olympiad and received
the American Chemical Society award.
In addition to her interest in the sciences, Sylvia has also
enjoyed participating in the Young Scholars Program
in a sociology course at Stony Brook University. While
attending these night classes, she developed an interest
in the humanities.
Upon graduation, she plans to attend Middlebury
College and major in chemistry. Middlebury College, in
Middlebury, VT, is one of the nation’s finest liberal arts
colleges, with unique strengths in international education,
languages, the sciences and environmental studies.
Sylvia notes, “Though I will major in chemistry, I am
very excited about exploring the myriad of other options
available to me as well.”
Natonal Honor Society Inducts 54 New Members
he inductees into Riverhead High
School’s chapter of the National
Honor Society have been chosen for
the 2008-09 school year. The National
Honor Society is more than just an
honor roll. Using national guidelines,
the local chapter establishes rules for
membership that are based upon a student’s outstanding performance in the
areas of scholarship, service, leadership, and character.
According to advisor Laural Olsen,
“Fifty-four students were inducted.
The evening went off without a hitch-a tribute to the hard work and dedication of our officers.”
“Our inductees truly represent what
the Honor Society is all about,” explains the group’s other advisor, Deborah MacLellan. “These students are
the best of the best--stars on the stage,
the athletic fields, in the community
and in the classroom.”
The mystery honorary member inducted this year was science teacher
Christopher McCrary.
Benitez, Jessica
Blank, Christian
Blasl, Courtney
Blasl, Kathryn
Brewer, Ashley
Brewer, Devon
Brown, Natashia
Budd, Alexandra
Buhner, Myles
Buthmann, Jessica
Cooper, Emily
Diresta, Samantha
Dougherty, Colleen
Ferris, Kaitlyn
Griffith, Kellie
Hallock, Kelsey
Hartill, Kelli
Hejmej, Michael
Hubbard, Alyssa
Keller, Julian
Kelly, Zachary
Kent, Emma
Keupp, Connor
Kringle, Michael
Kuck, Kaitlin
Kyprianou, Niki
Lombardi, John
Lul, Jonathan
Markel, Alexa
Markewitz, Ellie
McCombe, Amelia
McDaniel, Ashley
McKay, Yvonne
Meyer, Gregory
Mikelinich, Lauren
Misiano, Gabriella
Morrow, Julia
Nadeau, Amanda
Normoyle, Jacqueline
Palermo, Bryan
Panagakos, Nicholas
Patterson, Kyle
Portocarrero, Miles
Powers, Michael
Rambo, Kelly
Rodriguez, Peter
Rowe, Kristina
Seal, Alyssa
Skinner, Katherine
Smith, Brian
Spaeth, Veronica
Swift, Catherine
Thomas, Benjamin
Yakaboski, Timothy
This year’s officers
included:
Amanda
Mallahy (President),
Kelly Savage (VP),
Lauren Bonheim (Secretary), and Samantha
Messina (Treasurer).
Next year’s officers
are Julian Keller (President), Peter Rodriguez (VP), Katherine
Skinner (Secretary),
and Samantha Diresta
(Treasurer).
districtnews
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www.riverhead.net - news and events
Recognizing Outstanding Student Achievement
RHS National Foreign Language Honor Society Inducts 70 New Members in 2009
T
There were 37 inductees into the Spanish National Honor Society. Jessica Roslik is the president of the Spanish Honor Society.
he National Foreign
Language Honor Societies held their induction
ceremonies in the RHS auditorium. Twenty-two students were inducted into the
French Honor Society; eleven students were inducted
into the Latin Honor Society;
and thirty-seven students
were inducted into the Spanish Honor Society for a total
of 70 students.
In order to qualify for the National
Foreign Language Honor Society,
a student must maintain a 90%
or higher throughout three years
of study of a language other than
English and maintain an overall
average of 85% or higher.
There were 22
inductees into
the French
National Honor
Society.
Esra Erol is
the president
of the French
Honor Society.
There were 11
inductees into
the Latin
National Honor
Society.
Rachel Hagler, an
officer of the Latin
Honor Society,
is also the 2009
Valedictorian.
Foreign Exchange students, Kaitlin Farrell to Argentina (2007-08) (Top), Melissa Chernis to France (2007-08) (Middle), and
Samantha Sikder to India (2008-09) (Bottom-Left), spoke movingly about their experiences as exchange students. This year’s
foreign exchange student to RHS from Romania, Marius Gabor, also spoke.
Senior Awards Night--Awards, Scholarships, Recognition and Shared Memories
The Spirit of
the Riverhead
School community takes the
stage at Senior
Awards Night
Memorials / Scholarships
A Year of Remembering Vinny
he spirit of the Riverhead School community takes center stage
on Senior Awards Night. Students are recognized for their
achievements and surrounded with the love and care of a community
who wants to help them succeed. Touching memorials to loved ones
who have died flow over into thousands of dollars in scholarships to
help those seniors who are the recipients of that love.
Pictured above: Bobby and Donna Goodale with just a few of
their scholarship recipients: (L-R) Anna Flores, Heather Kopp,
Peter Cybulski, Stephanie Witt, and Marius Gabor.
he 2008-09 school year began with a tribute to Vinny Nasta,
who was killed when his plane crashed in an air show.
At the Superintendent’s Day Opening Ceremony, Dr. Scricca challenged, “As we go through this year, let us, together, honor Vinny’s
memory...as we live out his legacy in the profession that we love.”
Vinny’s spirit was present throughout the year and culminated at
the Sr. Awards Night in three memorial scholarships given out by
Vinny’s wife, Kathy, and David Jensen. One of the recipients (pictured above) was music scholarship winner Gregory Bokee.
Community Reaches Out Through Scholarships
T
The Spirit of Vinny Nasta Lives On
T
districtnews
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www.riverhead.net - news and events
High School Athletes Display Blue Wave Spirit
GOLD KEY - Athletic Award Winners: L-R: Rachel Hagler, Rebecca Beierle, Kate Murphy, Lauren Bonheim, Amelia Czelatka, Samantha Messina, Quiera
DeCosta, Laura Apicello, J.J. Razzano, Nick Grefe, Will Lehmann, Andrew Smith (John Verderber not pictured). This prestigious NYSPHSAA Award is
presented to athletes who have accumulated at least 52 points for participation in sports and leadership activities throughout their high school careers.
V
arsity Softball earned a spot
in the Section XI post season playoff schedule.
Crew members Ed O’Neill
and Dylan Gould are the 2009
New York State Senior Double
Event Champions. They went
on to place SECOND in the
NATION!
In track, Michael Smith was
crowned the NY STATE
SHOT PUT CHAMPION
(indoor and outdoor). He
broke the school record with
a 57’ 3/4” throw. Also participating in state competition were Aaron Green, Melodee Riley, Joe Verderber,
and Sasha Schaefer.
Seventy-five of the graduat-
ing senior athletes will be attending college. Many of those
75 athletes, who are going to
college, will also play their
sport in college and have received academic scholarships
as a result of their athletic/academic achievements. Six seniors from the Varsity Lacrosse
team will continue to play la-
crosse in college next year.
Maysonet and Andrew Smith
will play football for Hofstra,
Jimmy Powers will play baseball
for Temple, and Dylan Gould
will row for Cornell University.
Maysonet, Smith and Powers received full athletic scholarships. Five spring teams were named
Scholar/Athlete teams.
Michael Smith is the NY STATE
SHOT PUT CHAMPION
(first indoor and now outdoor)
Ed O’Neill and Dylan Gould
went all the way to SECOND IN
THE NATION IN SR. BOYS
DOUBLES! WAVE TO GO!
Going GREEN in the Riverhead School District
“Together we
can face any
challenge as
deep as the
ocean and as
high as the
sky.”
Sonia Gandhi
RMS science student Leanne
Weber nets some sea animals.
R
John Barona’s Living Environment
class participates in huge computer
recycling project as part of “Boundless
Environments”
Grant program.
Leanne Weber and Kyle Helgans drag the seining net through the water at the Indian Island
Beach.
iverhead is bordered by
the Peconic River and the
Great Peconic Bay on the south
and the Long Island Sound on
the north and it is only a short
bus ride to the Ocean. Riverhead’s unique location and glacial origin offers its students a
rich scientific learning experience.
A recent RMS field trip engaged students in exploring
the varied geography of Long
Island and helped them relate
these differences to the forces
that created and still shape the
Island today. Wearing waders and dragging a seining net
through the water, they excitedly netted assorted animals
such as needle fish, killies,
whelks, and mud snails. For
many this was their first experience at finding and holding
these animals.
RHS students in John Barona’s Living Environment
class have been learning about
the importance of taking care
of the water that surrounds
and lies under Long Island by
participating in the “Boundless Environments” program
through a grant obtained from
the Motorola Foundation by the
LI Science Center of Riverhead.
The class helped recycle computers safely through an arrangement with e-Scrap Destruction. They also travelled to all of the
schools to label storm drains with
a medallion warning people not
to allow pollutants to enter the
drains as it winds up in our bays.
Sean Harkin and Meghan Davis won “high honors” in the
recent LI Science Congress Senior Division Awards Program
for their project called “A Comparison of Road Salts and their
Effect on Vegetation.” They
also presented their experiment,
along with the RHS BNL Oyster Project Team, and Amanda
Gallo, another member of Bob
Jester’s research class who has
been determining the health of
the pond adjacent to RHS, at
BNL’s “Open Space Stewardship Program Celebration”.
Dr. Scricca helps apply a colorful “No Dumping” medallion near
a drain, which was part of a project undertaken by John Barona’s
Living Environment class as part of a Motorola Grant.
Sean Harkin and Meghan Davis won High Honors at LI Congress.
districtnews
www.riverhead.net - news and events
Talk About Hands-On Learning Events . . .
Art-In-Action
Creative approaches engage students in learning
A
Peggie Ehlers teaching students how to whorl with drop spindles.
AP Biology students acted as instructors in a special kindergarten
Dinosaur Unit at the Phillips Avenue School. RHS sophomore
Sean Harkin assists a student during a dinosaur “dig” for bones.
Margaret Gaare’s 4th grade class at the Riley Avenue School
concluded their unit on biographies by hosting a wax museum in
their classroom.
pril is National Poetry
Month, but the Riverhead
Central School District
celebrates its poets and their
poetry all the way through
June. Marlin, La’Shay, Brynn,
Natalia, Carlos, Larissa are
all the names of published
poets. Their publishers are their
teachers, Mrs. Kent and Mrs.
Spillini, Mrs. Tuohy and Mrs.
Mariotti, and the poets are in
second grade, but their poetry
is as fun and inspirational as the
poets they emulate.
Second graders studied the
elements of poetry: simile,
metaphor, rhyme, alliteration,
onomatopoeia, and repetition,
then wrote their own poetry and
hosted “Poetry Jams” for their
parents in May.
“The students in my class
love to read poetry. They
especially enjoy poets such
as Shel Silverstein and Bruce
Lansky, who write humorous
poems,” states Mrs. Spinelli.
“We loved having Bruce Lansky
visit our school this year.”
At the Pulaski Street School,
students in Pat Jordan-Cowley’s
class concluded their poetry
studies by hosting a “Poetry
Slam” videotaped by poet Darren
Sardelli for his website. Mr.
Sardelli was a poet-in-residence
at Pulaski Street in April.
Another unique learning event
at the Roanoke Avenue School
in May and June was a unit on
Australia taught by Riverhead
resident Peggie Ehlers through
a grant from the New York State
Council of the Arts / EEAC.
This special learning
experience began with the
shearing of a goat and a llama at
the school and ended with each
class spinning its own special
fibers into yarn on spinning
wheels in the auditorium.
“Mrs. Ehlers was amazing,”
stated third grade teacher Kathleen
Horn. “The students learned so
much about Australia in such a
unique way. Sheep are central
to much of the cultural life and
economy of Australia, so it was a
wonderful vehicle for learning.”
Dinosaurs sparked the
imagination of kindergartners
at the Phillips Avenue School in
this special unit taught by RHS
students taking AP Biology.
This science unit had several
stages that started with reading
and learning about dinosaurs in
the classroom and culminated
with a hands-on event in the
cafetorium. Kindergartners went
from station-to-station where
they put together huge dinosaur
and small dinosaur puzzles, went
on an archeological dig for dino
bones, listened to stories about
dinosaurs, did dinosaur math,
and more.
Mrs. Gaare’s fourth graders at
the Riley Avenue School shared
their “Biography Book Club
Celebration” with their parents
and the rest of the classes by
hosting a “Wax Museum.”
Each student read a biography
about a famous personality in
American culture and history,
gathered artifacts and props,
wrote a report, and finally took on
that person’s persona, appearance
and appropriate apparel, made a
banner and froze, wax-like, in
front of their banner. Students
visiting the museum could bring
the wax figures to life by pushing
a button on their chests.
The figures included:
Presidents, American Heroes,
Early Americans, Singers,
Aviators, Entertainers, Authors,
and Inspirational Americans.
Student Writers Win Recognition
Two Award Winning
Student Writers
Congratulations to all who
participated!
Patriot Pen Contest Winners:
Sara, Nicholas, and Kevin
Three Pulaski Writing Contests
Three Pulaski Street students
were chosen as essay winners in
the VFW Patriot Pen Award presented by Commander Eugene
McSherry. Nicholas Pipczynski
won first place, Sara Tucci won
second place, and Kevin Thomas won third place.
The Pulaski Street School had
three Annual Flag Day Essay
Contest Winners: Anna Kidd
won 2nd Place, David Hernandez won 3rd Place, and Tyshea
Hudgins won 4th Place. The
contest was sponsored by the
Riverhead Elks Lodge #2044. Samantha Kerrigan, David
Hernandez, and Natalia Molik
won 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the Juneteenth Essay Contest.
Brynn O’Connor won 2nd
place in the category of “Grade
2 Prose” of the Suffolk Reading Council’s 2008-09 Creative
Writing and Art Cover Contest.
Roanoke 2nd grader Brynn
O’Connor won 2nd place
Read Brynn’s entry below:
My Grandma’s Soft Smile
I have a dream . . . .
That my Grandma is happy in
heaven.
And my Grandpa is not too
lonely.
My family and I try to go to
Buffalo, where my Grandpa
lives, very often.
It was very, very hard watching my Grandma go.
At Buffalo, I always sit in my
Grandma’s chair . . .
It was handmade by my
Grandpa.
I sit in it and close my eyes . . .
I remember her.
I think of her warm hugs and
soft smiles.
In May, the art teachers
in the District took on
the daunting task of
showcasing in one location
student art produced
t h ro u g h o u t t h e y e a r.
This year the event was
in memory of former art
teacher Vinny Nasta.
HS Heroes
The HS Heroes program
was an excellent shared experience for both the STAR
Academy students and the
Aquebogue students. As
the HS students taught the
lesson, both groups learned
a lot about community. The
STAR students also got a
chance to be a HS Hero.
Poi
RHS Child Development
classes experience Poi. Poi is
a performance art employing flags or balls suspended
from a length of flexible material held in the hand and
swung in circular patterns as
a hobby, exercise, etc. They
made their own Poi devices
and then shared the experience with students at Aquebogue as part of their class.
Math-A-Thon
Raises $5,784
Pulaski participated in a
Math-A-Thon program and
raised $5,784.08 to benefit
St. Jude Children’s Research
Hospital. Pulaski is one of
St. Jude’s “Elite” school
fund-raisers and has raised
$123,238.25 since 1997.
Pictured: top fund-raisers
with Principal Dave Densieski
and Marion White.
7
districtevents
ANNOUNCEMENT
K-6 SCHOOL UNIFORMS:
A district-wide School Uniform
Committee was formed to research
school uniforms for the students
in our district. The committee was
formed on an expressed interest
by many parents and community
members. It was comprised of
parents, teachers, students, administrators, board and community
members. The committee created
and mailed out a parent/guardian
survey, which was also posted on
the district website. After a positive response on the survey and
much research, the Board has written a Uniform Policy, which will
be extended to Pulaski this year.
Watch your mail and the website
for details.
WRHS IS ON THE AIR AT RHS:
WRHS, a radio station from RHS,
is on the air! RHS students (i.e.,
Kyle Kratoville, Dave Talmage,
Sean Roche, Steve Backel and
Josh Emert) working with RHS
tech teacher Bob Mills have set up
a radio station at the high school.
WRHS is on the radio dial at 94.9
and on the Internet at http://www.
riverhead.net/students/wrhs. The
station is live between 11:30 and
12:30 and is archived and streamed
24-hours-a-day on the Internet.
There is a request line at 369-6739
and they play top 40 music, which
they received from WBLI.
Kyle Kratoville’s dad, Jack
Kratoville, who works for 106.7
Lite FM from New York, along
with RCSD Tech Director Robert
Hines and Bob Mills helped them
set it up. Mr. Kratoville was a disc
jockey at the high school radio station when he attended RHS and
was instrumental in resurrecting
the program at RHS.
Equipment was purchased
through a Tech Prep Initiative
Grant (“New York State Perkins
IV Grant”) written by guidance
counselor Christine Angermaier
and Bob Mills.
RHS RIPTIDE NEWSLETTER:
A more “Eco-friendly” Riptide
has changed its format from being published in print to one that
is published on the internet. See
www.riverhead.net for the link.
www.riverhead.net - today’s news and events
Happenings in Our Schools
8
Congratulations
Class of 2009
The graduation ceremony
was held on Saturday, June
27. Our Schools would like
to wish you the best of luck
in your future endeavors!
Some of the members of the
RHS Chamber Choir
H.O.P.E. Students
HERSHEY PARK MUSIC FESTIVAL. RHS Chamber Ensembles received the highest
honor, the Esprit de Corps trophy for the second time in three years. Theis trophy is awarded
to the school that demonstrates exemplary behavior and deportment throughout the festival
weekend. This award highlights the importance of genuine support for fellow performers while
demonstrating excellence in all facets of performance both on and off stage. This award is presented to one school at the conclusion of the festival. The Varsity Jazz Ensemble performed for
adjudication only and received a rating of Excellent. The Chamber Orchestra placed first and
received a rating of Good. For the second year in a row, the RHS Chamber Choir took first
place in their division, Best Overall High School Choir and received a rating of Superior!
H.O.P.E. is a three-year comprehensive health professions educational and mentoring program for
students. Shatia Parker, Catherine
Swift, Shaniese Johnson, Maria
Guzman, Catherine Butler, Conrad
Buhner, and Heather Bingham are
particpating. Srs. Heather Bingham
and Catherine Butler were among
those honored at a “graduation”-both hope to become physicians.
SADD Program
THE KNIGHTHORSE THEATRE COMPANY brought Shakespeare alive and up
close and personal as Ty Lemerande and his wife, Amy, presented scenes from Julius
Caeser and Hamlet in RHS English classes. Pictured: Ty acting out a scene in class.
PRESIDENTIAL FITNESS AWARD. Some of the RHS students who met the re-
quirements of the Presidential Fitness Challenge. (See www.riverhead.net for the list.)
All-State representative Jennifer Rouse
presents a check for a $1,000 to SADD
members and advisor Amy Doucette.
“Mock DWI Crash”
With the cooperation of the Riverhead Police Department, Fire
Department, Ambulance Corp.,
Suffolk County Police Aviation,
Central Suffolk Hospital Emergency Room, and a used auto parts
garage, RHS’s S.A.D.D. staged a
dramatic “Mock DWI Crash” at
Riverhead High School on School
Street before Memorial Day. The
District would like to thank them
all for their participation.
BOARD OF EDUCATION - RCSD
700 Osborne Avenue, Riverhead, NY 11901
website: http://www.riverhead.net
Kathleen V. Berezny, President
Angela DeVito
Christine A. Prete, Vice President
Timothy Griffing
Ann Cotten-DeGrasse
Mary Ellen Harkin
Gregory M. Meyer
Dr. Diane B. Scricca, Superintendent of Schools