This year’s student council-sponsored Turkey Trot at Ruth C. Kinney Elementary School was a huge success, filling over a dozen boxes with nonperishable food items for donation to a local food pantry. 

“The large turnout demonstrates how the RCK community cares for those in need,” Principal Janet Jones said. “The students who participated had fun ‘trotting’ around the back field before the start of school. It was wonderful to see so many participants on a brisk Tuesday morning. The kids were all smiles.”

Date Added: 11/29/2022

East Islip High School senior Kate Alexander signed a national letter of intent on Nov. 9 to play soccer for West Chester University in Pennsylvania next fall. Her major is undecided.

A forward, Alexander is a four-year varsity starter and was named team captain in her senior year. Her many accolades include All-State second team, two-time All-County, All-League, Suffolk County Small Schools Player of the Year, Newsday Top 100 Long Island Girls Soccer Players, Newsday All-Long Island second team, four-time Scholar-Athlete and High Minds in Motion. She has also been a six-year player and captain of the New York Surf club soccer team.

Alexander’s academic and extracurricular activities include serving as co-president of the National Art Honor Society and membership in the World Language Honor Society, Leadership Club, Stars Club and Little Buddies.

Date Added: 11/29/2022

East Islip High School’s mock trial team had a busy and successful fall season, including participating in two major competitions.

In October, eight team members competed in the Empire Eclipse tournament, an international online competition that comprised teams from seven different countries. The case was a criminal matter in which the federal government charged the defendant with computer hacking and creating a danger to the public by sending a false incoming missile alert. East Islip competed against schools from South Korea, California, Oregon and Tennessee, and went 2-2 over four rounds of intense competition. Senior Jacob Franchi was recognized with an Honorable Mention for Outstanding Attorney.

In November, 17 of East Islip’s mock trial students traveled to Harvard University for the annual Harvard Mock Trial Association Angela R Mathew High School Seminars. The students attended lectures and worked one-on-one with reigning national champion Harvard Mock Trial members to improve their trial advocacy skills. The fact pattern was a negligence tort in which the plaintiff was suing a small plane company for the crash that killed her husband. East Islip’s students worked on both the plaintiff and defense sides of the case and competed in trial rounds against schools from Florida and Pennsylvania. Two students were recognized with awards for their performances: junior Julia Fink earned an Outstanding Attorney designation and freshman Nicholas Cusumano was named an Outstanding Witness.

Date Added: 11/23/2022

The academic accomplishments of East Islip High School’s students were celebrated at the East Islip School District Board of Education’s Nov. 17 meeting.

Six seniors – Stephen Coleman, Antonio Cottone, Ryan Deveraux, James Kelly, Ruelin Man-Martinez and Nina Walsh – were recognized as Commended Students in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program. The six are among only 34,000 Commended Students recognized nationally for their outstanding academic achievements. Their high selection index scores place them among the top 50,000 of over 1.5 million students who took the 2021 PSAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

Another senior, Isabella Fantauzzi, was recognized for being named a Semifinalist in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program. Approximately 16,000 Semifinalists across the nation will go on to compete for 7,250 scholarships, totaling more than $28 million.
High school junior Patrick Vazquez was recognized for being named a recipient of the College Board’s National Indigenous Recognition Program award as well as the National Hispanic Recognition Program award. To earn these awards, students must take the PSAT/NMSQT in October of their junior year, achieve a minimum qualifying score, possess a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher by the middle of their junior year, and identify as, respectively, Hispanic/Latinx, or Alaska Native, Native American or Native Hawaiian.

The evening also included detailed presentations on two burgeoning high school programs, the WFTK broadcast studio and the rejuvenated “The Broadcaster” school newspaper, which have been working in synch to enhance both programs. The state of the art video production studio, funded by the For the Kids Foundation, debuted in 2018. “The Broadcaster” returned in 2022 in digital form, spearheaded by English teacher Michael Augello and senior and Editor-In-Chief Tristan Hearth.      

Date Added: 11/23/2022

East Islip High School junior Kelsey Kreuscher placed 14th at the New York State Diving Championships, held Nov. 18 in Rochester, earning her All-State honors and a medal. Kreuscher becme the first county champion in the history of the Connetquot/East Islip girls diving program when her personal best score of 517 won her first place at the Suffolk County Diving Championships on Nov. 2.  

Date Added: 11/22/2022