Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School students Rachel Korba and Juan Miguel Gubisch have been awarded AAA’s Driver Education Award as outstanding students in their school’s driver education course. They were selected on the basis of demonstrated driving skills, knowledge of the rules of the road, and a mature attitude and approach to driving.
The purpose of the award is to not only recognize outstanding high school driver education students, but to also encourage all young drivers to develop the skills and attitudes that will contribute to their being safe drivers.
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Students Recognized for Safe Driving Skills
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Challenged to Make a Difference
In recognition of Earth Day, first-graders in Terri Alzmann’s class at Deauville Gardens West participated in “The Lorax Challenge.”
The Dr. Seuss book, which each class read in celebration of his birthday, delivers the message that one person can make a difference. For the challenge, students were invited to make a difference at home, in their community or at school.
Ms. Alzmann’s class decided to make a difference in their community and their school by planting flowers in the front of their school. The students will continue to observe and take care of their flowers throughout the school year.
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Notice of Board Meeting and Public Hearing – May 8, 2017
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Pops Concert Delivers Explosive Performance
It was a night of memorable performances as students at Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School showcased their vocal skills and dancing abilities at the annual Pops Concert on April 19 in the auditorium.
Kicking off the evening was a performance of “Calling All Hearts” by Stephanie Abreu, Cameren Jackson and the Pops Dancers. The trio of Jamilla Jackson, Halle More and Jelani Bond recreated Destiny’s Child’s “Say My Name” and the Spice Girls catchy chart-topper “Wannabe” was performed by Sarah St. Jean, Cameren Jackson, Katherine Abreu, Tiana Roe and Rose Spanato. “Carry On My Wayward Son” by Kansas got the audience moving performed by Andrew Szabo, Lesly DeCastro, Kishaar Hodge, Kyree Scott, Jonah Ramdas and Nicholas Favichia.
Solo performers were also the highlight of the evening’s concert with performances by Kyree Scott of “Ride” by 21 Pilots; “Free Fallin’” by Nicholas Favichia; “Where the Streets Have No Name” by Jillian Payne; “Rise Up” by Elenys Diaz; “Can’t Stop the Feeling” by Jonathan Angel; Elton John’s “I’m Still Standing” by Kishaar Hodge; “Don’t Dream It’s Over” by Nilsu Yildiz; “Invincible” by Kayla Dixon; “Stone Cold” by Crystal Betz; and “Me and Mrs. Jones” by Lesly DeCastro.
To open the second act, the Madrigal Choir performed a show-stopping version of “Hallelujah.” Powerful duet performances included Sam Smith’s “Lay Me Down” by Taylor Sharpe-Adams and Lesly DeCastro, and Meaghan Trainor and John Legend’s “Like I’m Gonna Lose You” by Kaitlyn Besse and Kyree Scott.
Along with the Pops Choir, the Madrigals closed out the evening with “We Are the World.”
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Environmental Game Is a Perfect Match
In recognition of Earth Day, third-grade student council members at Deauville Gardens West Elementary School participated in an environmentally friendly game about saving the ocean. After reading “Pesky Plastic: An Environmental Story,” the students played a matching game they created on the computer. The students matched plastic items with a recycling bin. They then matched animals with the fish that they are supposed to eat instead of plastic in the oceans, which can be harmful.
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Change Collection Springs Into Action
The Copiague Middle School’s Builders Club recently held a Pennies for Patients fundraiser. Via penny banks in each homeroom class, the club collected $1,425 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The Builders Club raffled off different spring-themed baskets for those who donated.
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Storytime Conference with Spanish Students
Kindergarten students in Maritza Benavides’ class at Deauville Gardens East Elementary School participated in a story time videoconference on April 21 with eighth-grade students in a Spanish 1 class at Berner Junior High School in Massapequa. The eighth-graders told stories in Spanish using different props. At the end of the videoconference, the kindergarten students shared a new song with their junior high school friends.
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A Poetry Night in Paris
The cafeteria at Deauville Gardens East Elementary School was transformed into a candlelit Parisian café and student-poets showed off their talents during the school’s poetry café on April 25.
Dressed in their colored berets, students in grades 3-5 celebrated literacy night by reading both original and published poems of their choice to their families and peers in an open mic format. Each student received a treat bag filled with a beret, sunglasses and an acrostic poetry book to take home. During the intermission, guests snacked on cookies and treats served by their teachers.
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Three Teams Selected as Finalists in STEM Competition
Three teams of Copiague Middle School students have been named national finalists in the second annual Bright Schools Competition. The competition is a collaborative effort of the National Sleep Foundation and the National Science Teachers Association that encourages students in grades 6-8 to explore the correlation between light and sleep and how it influences a student’s health and performance.
The winning students from Copiague Middle School are Qbar Velasquez, Roman Burrus and Adam Antonsiak, who investigated “How Do Different Color Lights Affect Sleep?”; Tyler Rosario, Semaya Robinson and Asiatul Hoque, who studied the “Impact of Blue Light on Sleep;” and Elizabeth Garrovillas, Olivia Healy and Lauren David, who submitted research on “How Does Asthma Affect Sleep?”
Under the mentorship of Middle School science chair Dr. Daniel Leccese, the team identified, investigated, and researched an issue related to light and sleep as it pertains to their community and/or young adolescents. Teams develop a prototype, create an awareness campaign or write a research proposal for the competition. Each team then submits a written report detailing their project along with a three-minute video showcasing their investigation. Projects are evaluated on the basis of several criteria, including scientific accuracy, innovativeness and potential impact.
The three Middle School teams were chosen among 50 national finalist teams of nearly 500 students from 53 schools. National winning teams will be announced in early May.
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A Sea of Blue
April was autism awareness month and the students and staff at Susan E. Wiley Elementary School worked together to join the fight. Throughout the month, faculty, students and their families could purchase a puzzle piece and donate any amount to the cause. On April 28, the school participated in “Light It Up Blue,” dressing in blue to show their support. With the pieces of the puzzle displayed together in the main lobby, the school raised $125 to benefit autism awareness.
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Highlighting Copiague (video)
Enjoy this video put together by Board President Brian Sales for the 2017 Community Summit.
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Confidence Shines in Character Education
Fifth-graders at Deauville Gardens East Elementary School showed off their confident spirits when they presented their monthly character education assembly to their peers on April 28.
In a game show-style format, the fifth-grade students played the game “Show Your Confidence” in an effort to illustrate this month’s character education trait: confidence. While some students portrayed a game show host, others acted as contestants to answer questions about positive vs. negative thinking in everyday situations.
The students concluded the assembly by reminding their peers to show their confidence, and keep positive thoughts first to show that they believe in themselves.
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Love Notes for Mom
Kindergartners in Kirstin Cerrone’s class at Deauville Gardens West Elementary School are showing their mothers how much they love and appreciate them on their special holiday. The students crafted mod podge mason jars for their moms and filled them with love notes to be presented on Mother’s Day.
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Under the Magnifying Glass
Using their magnifying glasses, third-graders in Mary Prisco’s class at Deauville Gardens West Elementary School have been observing the lifecycle of butterflies. They are carefully watching as the caterpillars housed in jars in their classroom are transforming into painted lady butterflies. Students also made diagrams depicting their observations of the butterfly lifecycle.
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Track Stars Shine at Penn Relays
The Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School girls varsity track team, coached by Antoinette Spencer, competed in the 2017 Penn Relays from April 27-29. The 4x400 meter team – Halle Moore, Jasmine Jackson-Gomes, Akajia Atkins and Mikayla Angel – brought home the silver medal with a personal record of 4:08.77. The girls 4x100 meter team of Moore, Ajhani Carroll, Shanna Greer and Atkins placed fifth with 50.71 seconds, a personal best for the 2017 season.
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Second-Grader Share Stories for Mother’s Day
Second-grade students in Diana Daniels’ class at Susan E. Wiley Elementary School honored their mothers and special ladies in their life during a Mother’s Day Tea on May 11.
Invited guests shared the afternoon with the students in their classroom while listening to each student share a story about their special person. Mothers, grandparents, aunts and sisters gathered together for tea and cupcakes while spending some quality one-on-one time with their special second-grader.
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Students Honored for Cultural Work
The Jewish Community Relations Council of Long Island recently honored three students from Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School during its annual Holocaust Remembrance Day commemoration on May 4 at Suffolk County Community College in Selden.
Mikayla Angel, Rigaud Destime and Sophia Hall received proclamations from the JCRC-LI and elected officials from Suffolk County for their work in creating a more civil society.
Keynote speaker Hannah Robinson, a Holocaust survivor, explained how her family was destroyed by the actions of the Nazis and how neighbors and strangers helped her family survive before they were ultimately sent to Auschwitz. The students spoke with Robinson following her lecture.
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Hip Hop Club Creates Positive Culture
The Hip Hop Club at Walter G O’Connell Copiague High School, under the direction of Yvan Garcia, recently wrapped up its annual production. This year’s show – “Taking Back the Music” – was a student created work, centered on the themes of anti-bullying and cultural acceptance. In late April, the students performed two shows for the community and one private production for more than 400 middle school eighth-graders at Copiague Middle School as part of an orientation/character education initiative.
At the conclusion of the performance, the eighth-grade students asked questions of the Hip Hop Club and step team members about their involvement in the show as well as questions related to what it takes to be successful at the high school level.
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Making of a Musical Video
From the musical announcement to auditions, tryouts and opening day,
here’s an inside look into Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School
students making “The Little Mermaid."
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Scholastic Aptitude Test Information
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