To guarantee their students are prepared with the necessary school supplies for the upcoming school year, the Copiague School District continued its involvement with the United Way Foundation and Make It Count organization. For the third consecutive year, representatives from United Way and Make It Count visited the district with a full-sized school bus filled with notebooks, backpacks, pens, art supplies and other school supplies ready to be donated to the Copiague students.
Members of the Copiague Middle School Builders Club, along with their adviser Maria Ostrofsky, helped unload the boxes and volunteered their time to sort through the donations and package them for distribution. Also on hand for the donation were Board of Education President Michael L. Greb and trustee Everett E. Newman III, Superintendent of Schools Charles A. Leunig, Associate Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Bannon, and Middle School Principal Andrew Lagnado and Assistant Principals Michael Ferretti and Stephanie Valeiko.
“These two organizations do a great thing for our students,” said Mr. Greb. Added Mr. Leunig, “We couldn’t do what we do without their help.”
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Stocking Up on School Supplies
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Honored for Math and Science
Due to his outstanding achievements in mathematics and science, Zachary Wilson, a senior at Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School, has been awarded the Rensselaer Medal and the $60,000 scholarship that accompanies it from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Throughout his high school career, Zachary has demonstrated scientific excellence both in the classroom and in science competitions. Within the last three years, Zachary and his research partner have entered and won numerous science research competitions and have developed processes that can help solve our earth’s energy crisis. “Through a lot of hard work and dedication, I know that I have the potential to revolutionize the way the world works and I intend to do so,” stated Zach.
The Rensselaer Medal is presented annually to recognize the superlative academic achievement of young men and women, and to motivate students toward careers in science, engineering and technology. If he chooses to attend RPI, Zachary will receive his official medal during an Honors Convocation program in the fall. Currently, he plans to study astrophysics in his college years and pursue a career as an astronaut.
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Copiague Senior Named National Achievement Semifinalist
Lindsay Griffiths, a senior at Walter G. O’Connell High School, has been named a semifinalist in the 2014 National Achievement Scholarship Program, an academic competition established in 1964 to provide recognition for outstanding Black American high school students. Of the more than 160,000 students who entered the program, only 1,600 were named semifinalists.
As a semifinalist, Lindsay has a chance to continue on in the competition to win one of approximately 700 scholarships. She was named a semifinalist based on her high achievement on the 2012 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screening for program entrants.
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Advanced Scholars
Fifty members of the Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School Classes of 2013 and 2014 have earned Advanced Placement Scholar Awards in recognition of their exceptional achievement on AP examinations taken last spring. The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program provides motivated and academically prepared students with the opportunity to take rigorous college-level courses while still in high school, and to earn college credit, advanced placement or both for successful performance on the AP exams.
Fourteen students were named AP Scholars of Distinction for receiving an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. The district congratulates Class of 2013 graduates: David Bunn, Aleksandra Czarnecka, Jose Escobar, Robert Gioia, Grace Hall, Daria Kaczorowska, Stwart Pena-Feliz*, John Romano*, Kayla Rosario and Tshay Williams*; and members of the Class of 2014: Alessandra Altruda, Stephanie Fischer, Janiece Morgan and Zachary Wilson.
The designation of AP Scholar with Honor was given to seven students who received an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. Congratulations to Class of 2013 graduate Joshua Outsen and Class of 2014 members Barbara Chelchowski, Ashley Collado, Lindsay Griffiths, Krystal Howell, Ashley Simon and Quinton Woelk.
By earning a score of 3 or higher on three or more AP exams, 29 students were recognized as AP Scholars. Congratulations to Class of 2013 graduates: Ashley Arquer, Crisaldy Brito, Christopher Carlisle, Michael Cesare, Emily Clark, Aleah Daleus, Austin Fournie, Myra Gonzales, Wendy Gonzalez, Kevin Gutierrez, Katerin Guzman, Monashiir Haughton, Manowara Matubber, Janice Mayard, Ashley Mirabile, Kenneth Paragna, Jessica Pearson, Samantha Perez, Bryon Ramirez, Natalina Sagliocca, Madison Swenton, Lizbelle Taveras and Caitlin Zowak; and members of the Class of 2014: Joseph Amorosino, Scott Bottega, Isabel Colon, Kiana Estevez, Avery Hodges and Mimi Swenton.
*Stwart Pena-Feliz, John Romano and Tshay Williams were also given the distinction of being named National AP Scholars, as they received an average score of at least 4 on all AP exams taken and scores of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams.
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All-County Musicians
The Fine Arts Department in the Copiague School District is proud to announce that out of the thousands of students who auditioned for the NYSCAME/SCMEA All-County Festival this year, nine Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School student-musicians have been accepted to perform in the prestigious festival.
Selection to NYSCAME/SCMEA All-County performing organizations is extremely competitive and is based on a student’s rating at the New York State School Music Association Solo Festival each spring. The students will partake in the All-County concert on Friday, Nov. 22 at Hauppauge High School.
The Copiague School District congratulates the following students on being selected to the Division IV NYSCAME All-County Ensembles.
Mixed Chorus
Marcia Aracena, Alto 2
Duvanny Banegas, Alto 1 (Soprano 2)
Stephanie Fischer, Soprano 1
Lindsay Griffiths, Alto 1
Natalie Korba, Soprano 1
Natasha McCombs, Soprano 1
Janiece Morgan, Alto 1
David Szabo, Tenor 2
Jeffrey Yanes, Tenor 2
Concert Band
David Szabo, Trumpet 2/Cornet 1
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Singing Their Way to All-State
The Copiague School District is proud to announce that three talented student-musicians have been selected to perform in the prestigious New York State School Music Association All-State concerts, with three additional students chosen as alternates. The New York All-State bands, choruses, orchestras and jazz ensembles are honors groups comprised of the top students from school music departments across the state. The eight groups will be directed by renowned guest conductors and perform in one of three concerts at the Eastman Theater during the annual NYSSMA Winter Conference on Dec. 7 and 8.
The district congratulates the following Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School students:
Duvanny Banegas --------- Alto I, Mixed Chorus
Natalie Korba ---- Soprano I, Mixed Chorus
David Szabo ------ Tenor II, Mixed Chorus
Stephanie Fischer ---- Soprano I, Alternate
Natasha McCombs ------ Soprano I, Alternate
Janiece Morgan ---- Alto I, Alternate
The students will prepare for the concert under the direction of high school choral director Gina Occhiogrosso.
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New Administrators Welcomed
This year, the Copiague School District welcomed several new administrative appointees, all familiar faces in new positions. To facilitate the process, the district hosted a New Administrator Reception. During the reception, the new administrators socialized with staff and faculty members in the middle school cafeteria.
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Celebrating Education
For the past few years, the Great Neck Road Elementary School has hosted an educational pep rally to excite students about learning, reinforce good behavior and work on team-building. “We host this annual event to build a team spirit and collegiality among the children so that they learn to work together as a team, which has shown to increase academic success,” explained Assistant Principal Karla Cangelosi.
This year, Principal Joseph Agosta, along with Mrs. Cangelosi, visited each of the classrooms to read Carol McCloud’s “Have You Filled a Bucket Today? (A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids).” The book explains the concept of “bucket filling,” which is a metaphor for encouraging kind and considerate behavior and for teaching the benefits of positive relationships. They also held a schoolwide assembly during which they read and discussed “The Juice Box Bully: Empowering Kids to Stand Up for Others.” As an entertaining activity for the students, the Great Neck Road dance team, made up of teachers and staff members from the school, put on a performance showcasing how they work together as a cohesive unit.
To complete the week of activities, physical education teachers Bill Bennett and Rachel Cone hosted schoolwide team-building exercises. “Today is a day you are going to work together and listen to your classmates so you can achieve a goal,” Mrs. Cangelosi said to the students. “This is something you should do each and every day in your classrooms.”
Some of the activities included students creating a continuous line from fence to fence, fourth-graders making specific shapes based on certain criteria without speaking, and fifth-graders transporting a ball using only string in a game called “Toxic Transport.”
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Book Bash
A summer of reading turned into an afternoon celebration for more than 50 Copiague Middle School students who participated in the 2013 Summer Reading Club: Beneath the Surface. The program, a joint collaboration among middle school librarian Dawn Koziarz, middle school English Chairperson Christopher Gaudioso and Stefanie Gangone, head of teen services at the Copiague Memorial Library, encourages middle school students to read for fun over the summer months. “We want to foster a love of reading at an early age and encourage the children to develop a love of books,” said Mrs. Koziarz.
To celebrate the students’ successful completion of the program, the Copiague Middle School PTA hosted a Book Bash in which the students enjoyed free pizza and, based upon their total books read, won prizes. Each student who completed the program received a bookmark, a gift card to the PTA school store and extra credit in their English language arts class for the first quarter. All students who read more than six books also received tickets to Laser Kingdom from the public library. Other prizes included gift cards to Barnes and Noble and Game Stop and the opportunity to be “Librarian for a Period.” Students awarded this designation were Christian Gonzalez, Megan Gustaffsen, James Holland and Alaysjah Lawrence.
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Soul Skaters
For the past three years, students in the Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School Soul Skater Club have traveled to skate parks in Northport and Bethpage to practice their skills while the local skate park at Copiague’s Tanner Park remained closed by the Town of Babylon due to unsafe conditions. In an effort to have the Town reopen the Copiague park, members of the group wrote letters to Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer and, in May, Soul Skater advisers Damin Gomes and Joseph Mannix met with Town officials and successfully petitioned for the repairing and reopening of the park.
On Oct. 2, the club and its advisers, along with Mr. Schaffer, Deputy Supervisor Tony Martinez, Councilwoman Jackie Gordon, Town Clerk Carol Quirk, Receiver of Taxes Corinne DiSomma, Suffolk County Legislator DuWayne Gregory, Superintendent of Schools Charles A. Leunig and high school Principal Jeanette Altruda, participated in the official grand reopening and ribbon-cutting of the park. During the brief ceremony, the Town officials deputized the students in an effort to empower them to maintain a positive and safe environment at the skate park.
“It was great that the Town deputized the kids,” said Mr. Mannix. “They now have the responsibility to make sure the park is clean and to look after it.”
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In-House Music Workshop
As a special treat for the wind ensemble and concert band at Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School, a clarinet quartet from Ithaca College’s School of Music hosted an in-house performance for the two groups. “Today is designed to give the students an opportunity to understand the audition process, and to hear the difference between high school musicians and college musicians,” said Coordinator of Fine Arts Jennifer Pierre-Louis.
During the workshop, professor of clarinet Dr. Richard A. Faria and three of his students – Emily Kathryn Dobmeier, Kyle McKay and Christoph Pena – performed various dance music selections, including “3 Tangos” and “Estampas Criollas.” Following the performance, the four clarinetists ran workshops for select students in the wind ensemble.
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Apple Taste Test
The kindergarten students in Claudia Nakash’s class at Copiague’s Susan E. Wiley Elementary School participated in an apple taste test that combined their science, English language arts and mathematics units.
After sampling red, yellow and green varieties of apples, the kindergartners used adjectives to describe the taste of each apple and its texture. Following the taste test, they chose their favorite of the three and graphed their results as a class. In a tight competition, the yellow apple narrowly beat out the green for class favorite. “This lesson is a great way for the students to review the properties of science and utilize their mathematical graphing capabilities,” said Mrs. Nakash.
In preparation for the activity, the students read several fiction and nonfiction books about apples, which included learning the history of Johnny Appleseed and where apples come from.
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Careers in Art
On Oct. 10, 21 advanced art students at Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School were treated to an in-house presentation given by Michele Epstein from the University of Hartford. Ms. Epstein’s presentation included not only information on Hartford’s art program, but also examples of college pieces and submissions from high school students, as well as the process of creating a portfolio. Ms. Epstein spoke about careers in art and even touted “the MFA is the new MBA.” To conclude the program, students were afforded a brief question-and-answer period.
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Fire Safety Prevention
As part of its program to teach children about fire safety and prevention, Copiague’s Great Neck Road Elementary School invited members of the Copiague Fire Department to visit with students. During the program, students were reminded about the importance of being prepared and alert if caught in a fire, as well as working with their families to set up a safe meeting place if they are ever in a situation where their house is on fire.
Additionally, one of the firefighters dressed in full gear, including oxygen tank, so students could see what a firefighter would look like in a fire and not be afraid. The 45-minute program also allowed ample time for students to ask the firefighters questions about fire safety and their gear. The assembly concluded with student volunteers demonstrating the correct way to stop, drop and roll.
The program was held in October as part of National Fire Prevention Month.
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Be a Buddy, Not a Bully
Recognizing the importance of educating students on good character, Susan E. Wiley Elementary School in Copiague hosted a bullying prevention week in October. Throughout the week, announcements were broadcast to the entire student body that revolved around actions to spread kindness, students signed a “Be a Buddy, Not a Bully” pledge, and fourth- and fifth-graders participated in a poster contest. The week culminated with the cultural arts presentation “Box Out Bullying.” Using humor and student volunteers, the live theater assembly program reinforced bullying prevention techniques, helped students understand the difference between conflict and bullying, and discussed the difference between a “teller” and a “tattletale.”“Elementary school is the foundation for learning positive traits,” said guidance counselor Chelsea Termini, who helped organize the week of events with social worker Isonel Soto. “The students need to learn how to stand up for themselves, to tell an adult if they see something, and to develop assertiveness skills to stand up for one another. If the foundation is built at the elementary level, it will travel with them throughout their lives.”
The winners for the “Be a Buddy, Not a Bully” poster contest were fifth-graders Lindsay Oxendine, Nayeli Tavarez-Arias and Olivia Szczepanska and fourth-graders Zaiba Ismael, Senia Lopez and Andrea Flores, for first, second and third place, respectively.
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The Voice of Copiague
Spanning across six decades, totaling 50 years, Copiague resident Mike Cesare has been volunteering his time as official announcer for the Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School football and basketball teams. In celebration of his service to the children of Copiague, the Board of Education unanimously passed a resolution to rename the press box in his honor and surprised Mr. Cesare with the recognition during halftime of the 2013 homecoming football game. “On behalf of the Board of Education and our entire community of Copiague, I am honored to announce that from here on in, the press box shall be named ‘Mike Cesare’s Eagle’s Nest,’” said Superintendent of Schools Charles A. Leunig during the brief ceremony. Added Walter O’Connell, who proposed the original idea to Mr. Leunig, “There are some people who give a lot back to the Copiague community and students and ask for nothing in return, and Mike is one of those people. He's a good man and deserves everything. He is the voice of the Eagles.”“This gives me so much joy,” said Mr. Cesare of the surprise. “People ask me why I do this and why I do it for free. I do it because I love the kids’ enthusiasm. At events like homecoming, the kids come back and make a point to stop by and say hello and give me a hug, and you just can't beat that. I feel like I have 10,000 kids!”
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Alumni Inducted
In an effort to recognize graduates of Copiague High School who have succeeded in their careers and lives, as well as those who have distinguished themselves by virtue of their contributions to community and society, the Board of Education created the Hall of Achievement. Each year, to conclude the District’s homecoming festivities, inductees are celebrated at a special evening ceremony.
This year’s inductees are Dr. Jame’l Hodges (Class of 1992), Mark A. Rosenberg (Class of 1990) and Marina Katherine (Tsakis) Skea (Class of 1973). With the induction of the three newest members, the Hall now boasts 85 members.“Copiague – a very diverse community with people from around the world; Copiague – a school district where over 4,000students pass through the hallways each year; Copiague – a place where the school district won national honors for Advanced Placement; Copiague – a town and school district that produced so many graduates that went on to do amazing things throughout the town, the country and the world,” said Board of Education President Michael L. Greb. “Tonight, we have many of those alumni present. I am humbled by your presence.”
The goal of the District’s Hall of Achievement is to introduce positive role models to the school community. By their very nature, inductees to the Hall inspire students to adopt high aspirations.
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Celebrating Homecoming
Throughout the week of Oct. 15, Eagle pride soared through the halls of Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School as students, staff and administrators prepared for Homecoming 2013. Emblazoned in blue and white, the student body excitedly participated in the Friday afternoon pep rally that culminated their spirit week activities.
Spirits remained high on Saturday as Board of Education President Michael L. Greb, Vice President Brian J. Sales and trustees Doris Fischer, Rosemary Natoli and Everett E. Newman III joined Superintendent of Schools Charles A. Leunig and other district administrators to lead the homecoming parade down Great Neck Road to the high school football field, where a carnival-like fair was set up for community residents to enjoy. The afternoon continued as the varsity football team took on Middle Country’s Newfield High School. Despite their best efforts, the Eagles were unable to defeat the Wolverines.
During halftime, attendees enjoyed performances by the marching band, cheerleaders and steppers, as well as a surprise celebration honoring Mike Cesare for his 50 years announcing football games. The 2013 homecoming court was also announced during halftime, with seniors Cho Connor and Mariah Tavares named king and queen. Rounding out the court were juniors Kevin Roberts and Grace Cirola, sophomores DeAndre Harris and Mackenzie Boyle, and freshmen Franklin Tejada and Brionna Sliva.
Concluding the festivities was an evening celebration honoring three alumni and inducting them into the Hall of Achievement. This year’s inductees are Dr. Jame’l Hodges (Class of 1992), Mark A. Rosenberg (Class of 1990) and Marina Katherine (Tsakis) Skea (Class of 1973).
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Pumpkin Patch
Just in time for Halloween and other fall-related activities, the PTA at Deauville Gardens West Elementary School in Copiague transformed the school field into a pumpkin patch. Equipped with mini pumpkins, hay bails and an old farm truck, the decorated field welcomed students from kindergarten through fifth-grade and allowed each student to choose their own pumpkin to take home. Once each student picked his or her perfect pumpkin, the PTA staged a fall-themed class photo.
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Copiague Recognizes Board
Recognizing the hard work and dedication its trustees commit to helping the community, the Copiague School District honored its Board of Education during its Oct. 21 meeting. The recognition was made to mark the New York State School Board Association’s School Board Recognition Week, which enables community members to thank their board for its volunteer service to the schools.“This event is held annually to recognize a very special group of people who give so much to our community,” said Superintendent of Schools Charles A. Leunig.
During the ceremony, members of the Copiague Middle School Chamber Singers, under the direction of Kaitlin Schneekloth, sang two songs and members of the PTA Council, Copiague Teachers Association, Copiague Principals Association, Copiague Supervisory Association, Copiague Clerical Association, and the Copiague teacher aides and assistants donated funds to various charities, local organizations and scholarships in the name of each board member.
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