Each December, the high school’s Interact Club participates in the Islip Arts Council’s Festival of Trees event at Brookwood Hall, in which holiday trees are purchased by community groups and local businesses to benefit the Council. During the Dec. 6 event, alongside more than 50 other local community groups, Interact students decorated their tree, purchased by the Rotary Club, with a community service theme.   

“This is a wonderful event that gives students the opportunity to participate in a fun and meaningful service project that has become a great tradition in the East Islip community,” said Interact Club adviser Lisa Rapiejko.

High school seniors Christopher Palmer and Melissa Sconone were named recipients of the 2017-2018 Suffolk Zone awards. Both students were honored at the annual Suffolk Zone Awards dinner, held at Villa Lombardi’s on Nov. 28.

The awards are presented to the top male and female physical education students in each Suffolk County high school’s graduating class, by the Suffolk Zone Chapter of the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. The criteria for selection include outstanding character and leadership qualities, strong contributions to the overall positive tone of physical education and health classes as well as their school, and an A average or above 90 in physical education classes and an overall grade point average of 3.0.

“Melissa and Christopher make a terrific effort to be cooperative, honest, poised, self-confident, attentive, industrious and enthusiastic regarding all class activities, and they are always working to support the instructional efforts of their classes,” said Stephen Restivo, East Islip’s director of health, physical education and athletics.

This year’s Catch-A-Career Breakfast at the Irish Coffee Pub was another great success for East Islip High School’s career exploration program, with more than 90 students spending the morning discussing careers and future plans with over 60 professionals from numerous fields.

During this annual networking event, developed by the East Islip School-Business Partnership and teachers Bridget Lopiccolo and Paul McHugh, each student had the opportunity to meet with two professionals during the morning. The high schoolers heard firsthand what it takes to enter a specific career field and what college courses would be optimal, and learned about the skills that they will need when applying for a job and what resources are available to them as they begin their journey from high school to college to a full-time job.

“We want to thank all the professional men and women who attended this event and provided our students with some very important information that will help them to prepare for the next step in their journey to success,” said Israel Malinowitzer, East Islip’s director of careers and student services.

Students in Lauren Ferlin’s and Lisa Carpenito’s Honors Research classes at the high school recently participated in the “A Day in the Life of a River” program, traveling to Bayard Cutting Arboretum to study the health of the Connetquot River ecosystem.

During the program, which is coordinated by Brookhaven National Laboratory, the Central Pine Barrens Commission, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Suffolk County Water Authority, students gathered data by collecting and identifying biological samples, performing chemical analyses of water samples, and collecting physical data and performing analyses of the river bottom. When uploaded to the program database, the data will provide a snapshot of a typical day in the life of the Connetquot River.  

Coach Henry Nunez’s East Islip Redmen football team, all 10-year-old students at JFK and RCK, recently took up a food collection for the Adopt-A-Family Program through Long Island Cares food pantry to help those in need during the holiday season. The team collected enough food to feed 40 families this year, packing it and delivering it personally to Long Island Cares.

“The boys learned that there is no one factor that determines one’s struggles, and that any face can be the face of hunger,” said team mom Kerri Ierardi. “This selfless task has given these players a greater understanding and appreciation for the blessings in their own lives, as well as the feeling of great pride in the power of giving back to and representing their community.”

The Board of Education will hold a business meeting on Thur., Dec. 13 at 8 p.m. at 1 Craig B. Gariepy Ave. in Islip Terrace. The community is invited to attend.

The high school’s boys and girls cross-country teams recently traveled to Orlando to compete in the Disney Cross Country Classic, battling some of the best teams from around the country as well as the oppressive heat. Many of the Redmen athletes earned personal best times in the five-kilometer race at Disney’s Wide World of Sports. Guided by coaches John Reynolds and Ralph Tubello, both teams ran well and competed valiantly in their respective divisions, the girls team finishing fifth out of 12 and the boys team seventh of 13.

“Our Disney trip was an overall fun and athletic experience,” said fellow senior and girls team captain Christina Haig. “Runners had the chance to compete with top schools from around the country, encounter different athletic courses and adjust to running in the Florida climate. The team bonding that existed through the entire trip really made my experience 10 times more enjoyable. As captain, I can safely say that our cross-country team gained a sense of trust, acceptance and encouragement because of this opportunity.”

“It was a great experience,” said senior and boys captain John Leddy. “Obviously the parks were enjoyable, but I feel most of the value in the trip existed in the team bonding that we experienced. It was also beneficial to race with top-tier competition. As a senior and leader of the team, I feel like I really got closer to my teammates, and now I believe that the younger guys know what high-tier runners look like and hopefully they’ll be motivated to reach that level themselves.”

The East Islip Chamber of Commerce recently honored East Islip High School senior Heather McNamara and junior Ashley Rosenthal as Students of the Month. Both were chosen for their community service as well as the numerous afterschool activities that both students are actively involved in every day of the year.

McNamara, who will graduate next June, plans to major in special education and minor in sign language as part of her career goal of becoming a teacher. She is president of the Key Club and a member of the National Honor Society, National Art Honor Society and SADD Club. McNamara serves as an ambassador for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, helping grant wishes to six children to date, as well as the Kiwanis Club of the Islips, and as is a spokesperson for the New York Blood Center and NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center. She volunteers at the Hospitality Too Soup Kitchen at St. Anne’s Church in Brentwood.

Rosenthal, the webmaster for the school’s Key Club, also serves as treasurer for the Student Council and is a member of the Foreign Language Honor Society, Academic Club, Environmental Club, French Club, Interact Club, Leaders Club, Peer Club, STARS Club and Yearbook Club. She also tutors hearing impaired students in English and geometry at the Cleary School for the Deaf.  

Four outstanding student-athletes and team captains from the high school – Lindsay Guzzetta, Kendall Mittleman, Melissa Sconone and John Sidorski – signed national letters of intent on Nov. 21, committing to play lacrosse in college next September. The seniors were congratulated by Superintendent John Dolan and Athletic Director Stephen Restivo for their achievement, in front of their proud families.

Guzzetta, a midfielder, will play for Plattsburgh University, where she plans to major in health and wellness. Guzzetta, a member of the school’s Foreign Language Honor Society and Honor Roll, was named All-Division in lacrosse as well as All-County, All-Division and All-Tournament in field hockey.

Mittleman, who plays attack, will join the Drexel University team. She has been named All-County in field hockey and All-County Honorable Mention in lacrosse, and is the president of East Islip’s National Honor Society.

Sconone, who also plays attack, signed with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She plans to major in exercise and sports science. She has been named All-County and MVP, was a member of the Under Armour highlight team and a Newsday Top 100 Player, finished as one of the top 10 scorers in Suffolk County, and was nationally ranked by “Inside Lacrosse” at No. 25 and was the third ranked attacker in the 2019 class.

Sidorski, who plays attack and midfield, signed with Lehigh University where he plans to major in business. He was named All-County and All-League, a U.S. Lacrosse All-American, 2018 Attackman of the Year, a rising junior and sophomore All-Star, and a member of the Super 7 Champs team. He was nationally ranked by “Inside Lacrosse” at No. 33 in the 2019 class.

The high school gymnastics team finished the season as undefeated league champions, boasting a record of 6-0. East Islip was the only team in League II to qualify for the Section XI team championships, and after a tough, competitive meet, the Lady Redmen moved up to an exceptional fourth-place finish in Section XI.

All-League honors went to Allison DellOrto, Sofia Ferrezza and Sarah Vasquez. Four team members – Cassie Bergin, Nicole O’Connor, Evie Orlando and Isabella Procaccini – earned All-County status and qualified for the Section XI individual championships, hosted by East Islip. Bergin finished first overall and qualified to compete with the New York State team for the third time.

“Each and every one of our amazing student-athletes contributed to this successful season,” said coach Dennis Jones.

As part of learning about the tools and capabilities of Adobe Illustrator, students in Heather Toomey’s electronic illustration classes at East Islip High School recently created a mandala coloring book for a class project.

“I was really excited about this collaborative class project,” said Toomey. “Creating art and being able to share it with others is one reason why I love teaching art so much. Each student was able to create a beautiful work of art as an individual, and then as a group, we created something that others can use and enjoy. I would invite everyone to color in a page, photograph it and post it to social media with the hashtag #eiFineArts.”

Matthew Mahon, the student chosen for the cover artwork, said, "I was honored to be selected by my classmates.

“It’s nice that we got the opportunity to express our artistic creativity and share it with others so they can experience it too,” said student Alyssa Huss.

Eleven members of the high school’s Mock Trial team recently traveled to Cambridge, Massachusetts with coach Patsy Lester to participate in the Angela R. Matthew High School Seminar Program at Harvard University.

The students attended two days of lectures and workshops with the Harvard Mock Trial team and competed in in two trials. Senior and team captain Meghan Walsh and sophomore Kate McGaugh were honored with Outstanding Witness awards for their performances, while sophomore Vince Papillo was recognized as an Outstanding Attorney.  Freshmen Emily Blair and Grace Gerondel were excited to compete in their first trials. 

“I learned so much and I hope we can come back next year,” said Blair.

The high school’s Camryn Kreuscher was named county champion in the 50-yard freestyle at the Section XI girls high school swimming championships, held at Suffolk Community College on Nov. 3. She also earned a second-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle. Kreuscher is now ranked 10th in New York State in the 50-yard and 15th in the 100-yard. She will compete on Nov. 15 and 16 at the state championship in Ithaca.

Other members of the East Islip/Connetquot swimming team also found success at the county event. Kaila Ohara finished 12th in the 100-yard freestyle and 23rd in the 50-yard freestyle, Shannon Wodicka finished 19th overall in the 200-yard freestyle and 26th in the 100-yard freestyle, Rachal Romney placed 16th in the 100-yard freestyle and 28th in the 100-yard backstroke, Faith Calabrese placed 17th in the 100-yard butterfly and 22nd in the 100-yard backstroke, and Kelsy Kreuscher finished 19th overall in diving.

At the high school, an outstanding total of 40 current students were named AP Scholars for 2018 by the College Board. The Advanced Placement Program recognizes several different award levels for college-level student academic achievement on AP courses and exams.

Twelve students – Kristen Bayreuther, Marcela Gallardo, Steven Gieseler, Jonathan Guadagno, Shannon Hubany, Joshua Koretz, Stephanie Milito, Isabella Pasha, Maggie Ruland, James Smalley, Kenneth Terwilliger and Cole Zanni – were named 2018 AP Scholars with Distinction.  
Nine students – Zara Aziz, Jenna Buquicchio, Kyle DeLisi, Trevor Garnett, Kylie Goess, Victoria Keenan, Jolie Lenox, Shane McGarry and Natalie Stergakos – were named 2018 AP Scholars with Honor. 

Nineteen students – Kevin Coles, Emma Commisso, Natalie Davies, Allison Dell Orto, Nicholas Finger, Karina Gallagher, Thomas Gonzalez, Kiana Blandin, Nicole Catanzarite, Daniel Guthleim, Christina Haig, Robert Kelly, Madison Lane, Annie McLean, Fatima Reyes, Julianna Spina, Cassidy Stephen, Colin Tadlock and Logan Witte – were named 2018 AP Scholars. 

“We congratulate all 40 of our AP scholars for the results of their hard work and determination to achieve in the rigorous AP courses we offer,” said Principal Mark Bernard.

In advance of Veterans Day, students at JFK and RCK had the chance to invite their family’s veterans to attend special celebrations on Nov. 9, featuring parades through the schools’ hallways, patriotic presentations and musical performances.

“This day has become my favorite day in East Islip,” Superintendent John Dolan told the assembled veterans. “Because of brave men and women like yourselves, we have great opportunities in this country to do wonderful things. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all you do and all you’ve done, for being heroes and role models, and most of all, for being mom, dad, grandma, and grandpa. You deserve nothing but our love and support and appreciation.”

For the first Say Hello Day on Oct. 4, students and staff at each of East Islip’s four elementary schools were encouraged to reach out to someone that they did not know during the day, with the goal of fostering feelings of acceptance and inclusiveness. Everyone wore name tags to assist in easily making new friends while building a sense of community.

“It was fun to be able to say hi to everyone by name and set a positive tone for everybody in the school,” said JFK Principal Deborah Smith. “It’s always a great day when you increase the number of people you were able to make feel good by simply sharing a ‘Hello!’ Our goal this year was to create a culture of connectedness. It was a fantastic day of demonstrating kindness to everyone.”

The high school earned All-State recognition by the New York State School Music Association for 13 student-musicians this year.

At this year’s All-State Music Conference, Alexandra Bertolini (soprano), Emily DaSilva (soprano), Karina Gallagher (alto) and Katelyn Spina (alto) will perform with the All-State Mixed Chorus; Victoria Tiernan (soprano) will perform with the All-State Treble Chorus; Liam Greene (French horn) will perform with the All-State Symphonic Band; Victoria Keenan (violin) and Alexandra Stewart (flute) will perform with the All-State Symphonic Orchestra; and Cassidy Triolo (clarinet) will perform with the All-State Wind Ensemble.

Additionally, Max Calarco (jazz trumpet), Luke Ferrari (tenor), Vincent Guiliano (bass clarinet) and Jason Novellano (alto saxophone) were chosen as alternates.

Students were selected after performing for an All-State judge at last year’s NYSSMA festival and their performance and application reviewed by a committee in Syracuse this past summer. The nine selected students will travel to Rochester, NY on November 29 to rehearse with the All-State ensembles, under the direction of selected university professors and professional conductors from around the nation. After three days of rehearsal with the finest musicians in New York State, their hard work will culminate with a performance at the historic Eastman Theatre in front of an audience of over 2,000 people.

“The All-State selection process is very intense and competitive,” said East Islip’s band director Christopher Neske. “Thousands of students across New York State audition for a very limited number of seats. To have nine students from East Islip selected to perform at the conference this year, along with four students designated as alternates, is not only a testament to these students’ incredible hard work and dedication, but also a recognition of the strength of our districtwide music program.”

At the district’s Oct. 25 Board of Education meeting, three members of the eiMAPS organization – President Meghan O’Hara, Vice President Gigi Guiliano, Treasurer Mickey Neske and Correspondence/Membership Coordinator Maureen Meier – were recognized for the group’s continued support. The district’s art programs have been the recipient of nearly $25,000 in donations from eiMAPS over the past several years, including a Pearl drum set and other musical instruments, sewing machines, MacBook Pro computers, and the Picasso People program.

The eiMAPS parent organization, whose abbreviated name stands for East Islip Music and Arts Program Support, was initially developed in 2012 to preserve the art and music curriculum, and now continues its effort by donating items, assisting with field trips, distributing scholarships, and providing guest presenters and special programming. Recently, eiMAPs invited the district’s National Art Honor Society and Tri-M Music Honor Society to its monthly meetings to incorporate student ideas, enhance community outreach, and support students’ vision and endeavors. 

“Our art and music programs, as well as our community, are looking forward to a bright future with such a caring and supportive organization as eiMAPS,” said Dr. Robert J. Wottawa II, the district’s director of art, ENL, music and world languages.

Two seniors, Joshua Koretz and James Smalley, have been named National Merit Semifinalists in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program, and a third, Jonathan Guadagno, was named a Commended Student.

Koretz and Smalley were among only 16,000 students across the country honored as Semifinalists, and will compete for $31 million worth of scholarships. All three East Islip students were recognized for their exceptional test results in the 2017 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. More than 1.6 million students nationwide participated in the annual competition.

“These three students have worked very hard over the last few years, and we congratulate them on this accomplishment,” said Israel Malinowitzer, East Islip’s director of guidance.

Three SUNY Fredonia professors – cellist Natasha Farny, viola player David Rose and violinist Maureen Yuen – visited the high school on Oct. 24 to teach orchestra students in a masterclass. Senior musicians Trevor Garnett, Victoria Keenan, Joshua Koretz and Kathryn O’Neill performed solos and were given feedback by the Fredonia faculty.

“Everyone in attendance remarked on how great it was to hear the students perform individually and learn from the feedback they were given,” said Giovanna Ruggiero, East Islip’s orchestra director. “I am so glad my students had this wonderful opportunity and I hope to provide more experiences like this in the future.”

Second-grade and kindergarten reading buddies at Connetquot worked together on a fall craft for Fun Friday to show the changing colors of leaves in the fall.

Since the new school year began, Melissa Love’s second-grade students and Jennifer Rizzo's kindergartners have been reading together once a week to increase fluency and share the enjoyment of books. The second-graders enjoy reading to their younger schoolmates and helping them with projects.

“I like being buddies because they are fun to meet with and work with,” said second-grader Mark Speiss.

At the Board of Education meeting on Oct. 9, the district honored an esteemed local organization, the For the Kids Foundation, for its $40,000 donation to fund East Islip High School’s new WFTK broadcasting studio.

The school’s old studio debuted in 1989 and has been running for the last eight years under the guidance of teacher James Connell. The upgraded facility, including new cameras and electronics, will now be home to a modern state of the art video production studio capable of broadcasting live video over the internet. It is scheduled to start running in December, with the broadcasting of live events commencing by next June.

High school students in Heather Toomey’s art classes competed in a contest to design a logo for WFTK, with senior Michael Laird’s effort named the winner.

“We are very grateful to the FTK family for their very generous donation and we look forward to having them come visit our broadcasting studio and watch our students in action,” said Israel Malinowitzer, East Islip’s director of technology.

High school students recently participated in the Eastern District of New York’s Justice Institute program, a camp experience focused on learning about the judicial system, held in the Federal Courthouse building in Central Islip. The program, developed by U.S. District Judge Joseph Bianco in collaboration with the Touro Law Center, provides attending students with the civics education and advocacy skills that will prepare them for college, career and civic engagement.

East Islip sophomores Jacob Arens, Kate McGaugh, Vince Papillo and Kimberly Turtell – all members of the school’s mock trial team coached by Patricia Lester – competed in a championship mock trial round against Massapequa High School, earning first place in the tournament. Turtell was recognized for Best Opening Statement for the Prosecution.

The program concluded with an inspirational talk by guest speaker Mitsue Salador, an American citizen of Japanese descent. Salador was attending college in 1942 when she was deported to an internment center in Portland, Oregon for U.S. residents who had Japanese ancestry.  A current resident of West Islip, where she served as a reading teacher in the public schools, Salador spoke about racism during World War II that led to Pres. Roosevelt’s signing of Executive Order 9066, which authorized the physical removal of all Japanese-Americans living on the West Coast into internment camps. She discussed the discrimination that existed during the wartime years and emphasized the importance of acceptance and tolerance of all people. She also shared her pride in being an American citizen and pointed out that over 40 years later, the federal government passed the Civil Rights Act of 1988, which apologized for the mistake it had made and provided monetary compensation to the survivors of the internment camps.”

“It was heartening to me to observe this group of young people, who were intensely interested in the circumstances of this injustice that took place approximately 76 years ago,” Salador said. “I was happy to inform them that the U.S. government admitted they made a mistake and took responsibility for it.”

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the high school’s boys and girls volleyball programs volleyed for a cure by participating in the Side-Out Foundation’s Dig Pink initiative, collectively raising $1,128 over the course of a few weeks for breast cancer awareness.

All teams assisted by selling Dig Pink shirts prior to game days. On Oct. 9 and 10, the boys and girls teams took to the court to help block out cancer. The gym was adorned with inspiring posters, pink donation balls and balloons, and a court outlined in bright pink. Girls team members also raised funds by making baked goods to sell on game day.

“It’s always inspiring to watch a school come together for a great cause,” said girls coach Romina Ackley. “We hope to continue to raise awareness and fundraise.”

“I am so glad that the boys wanted to get involved in the Dig Pink games,” said boys coach Laura O’Donnell. “We often forget that men too are at risk for breast cancer. The participation of the boys and their families in this fight unites all of us at East Islip in supporting a great cause.”