To celebrate Thanksgiving, the kindergarten students at Deauville Gardens Elementary School participated in their annual in-school feast. To prepare for the event, the students compared and contrasted their own traditions, learned about the history of Thanksgiving, and showcased their creativity by designing headbands, necklaces, and placemats.
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It’s a Feast
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Food for Friends
Throughout the month of November, students and staff at Deauville Gardens Elementary School collected nonperishable food items that were donated to the Full Gospel Church in time for Thanksgiving.
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Copiague Student Gets Creative
Edwin S. Alvarenga, a Copiague student in Wilson Tech's Advertising/Graphic Design program, captured first place in Graphic Design for his original concept fof a logo, business card, letterhead, and envelope to promote the fictional Brew Right Cafe at the 8th Annual Business Leadership Competition. The Young Professionals Chamber of Commerce, a program of the Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce, sponsored the competition.
The senior at Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School was recognized for his creative designs, the marketability of his concepts and his professional presentation, in which he and his teammate “pitched” their original business concepts to a panel of judges selected from local businesses.
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Good Sports
Congratulations to the Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School Girls Junior Varsity Field Hockey team and their coach Maria Stamatelatos, for receiving the Marilyn Cross Sportsmanship Award. The Suffolk Field Hockey Umpires’ Association present the award, which is given to only one varsity, junior varsity, and middle school team in Suffolk County each year, based on high marks for sportsmanship. Following each game, the referees, rate the teams based on ten different sportsmanship categories. The junior varsity team received the highest rating of all JV teams across Suffolk County and was awarded the plaque. This is the first time a team from Copiague has won this award.
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Copiague Kids in Action
On December 3, students from Copiague Middle School traveled to Farmingdale State College to participate in the Tenth Annual Kids in Action Youth Conference, which honors students who raise money for charity. The conference encourages the leaders of tomorrow by providing examples of personal success, achievement and character. This year’s keynote speaker was Disney Channel star Allisyn Ashley Arm (Zora, “Sonny with a Chance”), who spoke of the importance of community service and helping others. “This trip was a great opportunity to see what others will do for each other without wanting a favor in return,” said middle school student Kiawna Ferguson.
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Unsung Heroes
During the November 24 the Copiague School District Staff Conference Day, Superintendent of Schools Charles A. Leunig continued a time-honored tradition of acknowledging individuals who strive to promote opportunities for students in Copiague Schools. This year, Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School social studies teacher Yoleidys Swedloff and Copiague Weekly Editor Ralph Soluri were honored with the Unsung Hero Award. Following a brief description about the qualities that make Ms. Swedloff and Mr. Soluri “unsung heroes,” they were each presented with a medallion bearing the District logo and motto.
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Sunrise Exhibit
Beginning this past November, the Copiague School District now has a permanent area to showcase a rotating display of artwork at the Westfield Sunrise Shopping Mall in Massapequa. To kick-off this amazing opportunity, select pieces from the Superintendent’s Art Gallery are currently on display on the first floor between New York and Company and the Hallmark Store.“It is our hope to use this space to highlight our up and coming artists and perhaps rotate pieces from our impressive and extensive Superintendent’s Art Gallery,” said Jennifer E. Pierre-Louis, Coordinator of Fine Arts.
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In The Zone
On December 1, two Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School seniors were presented with the New York State Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance Suffolk Zone Award. Emily Hall and Max Woelk were awarded certificates and gold medals recognizing their outstanding achievements as physical education students, scholars, and citizens. The ceremony was held at the Hyatt Regency Wind Watch in Hauppauge.
Determination and perseverance are qualities that define Emily Hall as an athlete, student and person. “She is never willing to settle for anything less than her very best performance in any arena of competition,” said Director of Physical Education and Athletics Peter Cesare. “She is very concerned about the world in which we live and plans to study environmental science in college.”
Maxwell Woelk is an accomplished student looking forward to a degree in environmental engineering after graduation. Max recently earned the College Boards’ “AP Scholar with Distinction Award” and completes his fourth year of both Cross-Country and Track this June. Max plays soccer in a men’s under-25 travel league on the weekends and has given up one month of his summer for the past two years, to attend the Howard Hughes Medical Research Fellowship Program at Stony Brook University, where he was invited first as a student, and later as a mentor. “Physical education class has always been one of Max’s favorite classes, where he gets to participate with his friends and forget the stresses of the school day,” stated Mr. Cesare.
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A Whole New World Comes to Copiague
A tale as old as time lit up the stage at Copiague Middle School as the students presented Disney’s Aladdin Junior. The musical, which takes place in Agrabah, tells the love story between the street urchin Aladdin, played by David Szabo, and Princess Jasmine, played by Natalie Korba, and the challenges they must overcome, including the evil Jafar, who was played by Andre Morgan.
To prepare for the play, the student-actors worked for months to learn lines and choreography, while behind the scenes. the stage crew built sets, sewed costumes, and learned make-up techniques, and how to use the lighting and sound systems. The musical was directed by Gina Occhiogrosso and included support from Assistant Director Michelle Budion, Choreographer Sylvia Walsh, Costumer Meredith Wanzer, Scenic Designer Lauren Lefkowitz, and Producer Jennifer E. Pierre-Louis. Additionally, student-interns from the Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School assisted behind the scenes.
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Winter Wonderland
Continuing their yearly tradition of creating an indoor winter wonderland, physical education teachers Bill Bennett and Barbara Olsen at Great Neck Road Elementary School decorated the gymnasium and organized winter-related indoor activities for their students to enjoy.
During their physical education classes, the students took part in such activities as ice hockey (to teach hockey stick handling skills), snowball skating (to work on balance), ice bowling, toy toss, wonderland volleyball, bobsledding, and a polar puzzle. An activity added this year was downhill skiing. Utilizing SmartBoards and a Nintendo Wii game, the kids zigzagged their way down the treacherous slope.
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Food for Local Families
Third graders in Diana Daniels’ and Linda Drenckhahn’s classes at Susan E. Wiley Elementary School in Copiague showcased their holiday spirit this December by organizing a schoolwide food drive. The nonperishable food items collected were donated to the Full Gospel Church in Copiague and the United North Amityville Youth Organization (UNAYO), both which service families within the Copiague School District.
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Copiague Seniors Host Local Senior Citizens at Senior-to-Senior Dinner
Seniors at Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School celebrated the holidays by hosting more than 200 senior citizens from Copiague, Lindenhurst, and Amityville at their annual Senior-to-Senior Dinner.
Weeks of preparations by administrators, teachers, students, and staff turned the evening into an unforgettable event for the more than 200 local senior citizen residents in attendance, as well as the more than 50 volunteer high school seniors. The Senior-to-Senior Dinner provides an opportunity for the District and the Senior Class to thank its senior citizens for their continued support.
The night began with a sing-along performance by the Madrigal Choir. Under the direction of Larry Wurtzel, the students performed a vast array of holiday songs. Following the dinner, the young and young-at-heart gathered together on the makeshift dance floor to show each other their best moves.
Student Activities Advisor Toni McIntosh arranged the entire night with assistance from the Senior Class and their advisors Michelle Penyy and Allison Weller.
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Pen Pal Fun
Since the beginning of September, third-grade students in Ann Marie Byrnes’ and Jeanie Mullins’ classes at Deauville Gardens and Great Neck Road elementary schools, both in Copiague, have been pen pals corresponding through handwritten letters and pictures. To celebrate the holiday season, the two classes met for the first time and participated in getting-to-know-you activities. Students culminated the meeting by working with their pen pals to create snowmen ornaments. The students in Mrs. Byrnes class will visit Mrs. Mullins’ class at Great Neck Road in the spring to celebrate a successful year as pen pals.
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Copiague Students Sing for Board of Education
Continuing its yearly holiday tradition of inviting student-musicians to perform selections from their winter concert at the last Board meeting in December, the Copiague Board of Education welcomed the Great Neck Road Elementary School choir. Under the direction of Mr. Andre Hosza, the chorus wowed the crowd with three musical selections, including “I Can Be” and “Waltz of the Snowflake.”
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Dear Santa
As a way to give back, students at Copiague Middle School participated in Macy's Believe “Letter to Santa” Campaign. For each letter written by the students, Macy's donated $1 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. To begin the program, the Esteem Team, with their advisor Francesca Spinelli, and the Student Council and their advisor, Stephanie Colagiacomo, held a marathon letter writing in the library. Together, the two groups wrote more than 200 letters.
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Finance Made Fun
In an effort to teach its students how to be responsible about money, the dangers of credit card debt, the importance of saving, budgeting, and the difference between needs and wants, the Great Neck Road Elementary School in Copiague welcomed Brad Zupp and his FUNance Assembly Program. During the PTA-sponsored program, Mr. Zupp used humor, props, storytelling, and student volunteers to discuss financial planning.
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Brighten The Holidays and Building Character
This school year, members of the Copiague Middle School Builders Club has worked hard to brighten the day for others. The Builders Club, which is a student organization sponsored by the Kiwanis Club, encourages its students to plan and work on various community service projects to help communication skills, values, teamwork and character.
In December, along with their advisor Maria Ostrofsky, the students collected and donated eight large bags of toys for the John Theissen Foundation, which distributes the toys to sick and underprivileged children in hospitals and child-care facilities across Long Island. The students also raised almost $200 for UNICEF and an additional $1,200 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
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Bash the Trash
As part of their recycling initiative, including the newly installed fifth-grade recycling committee, students from Susan E. Wiley Elementary School in Copiague enjoyed a musical performance by Bash the Trash. The musicians, who are dedicated to raising environmental awareness through the arts, used homemade instruments used from recycled and reusable materials. During the performance, the students also learned about the science of sound, including vibration and pitch, as well as which every day household items can be turned into their own instruments.
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The Road to College Continues
In an effort to inform students and their parents about higher learning opportunities and the many ways to save for a college education, the Copiague School District held its second annual College Day and K-12 College Planning Event – “Who Can $ave for College? I Can!” Parents and students were invited to attend workshops to learn how to save money for college from local loan officers. They received information from more than 45 college and university representatives in attendance at the college fair and learned about volunteer opportunities for community service.
Superintendent of Schools Charles A. Leunig welcomed parents and students to the event by discussing the reasons behind College Day. “Last year we recognized that not enough people were speaking to our children about college,” said Mr. Leunig. “What we decided to do was begin that conversation, and it has begun to take root. Our hope is that you’ll continue that conversation at home. If you believe in the possibility of college, your child will get excited.” Two college freshmen and Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School alumni, Statia Thomas and Michael Vandermark, spoke briefly to parents about the importance of college and how Copiague shaped their lives.
During College Day, students and staff members participated in a myriad of college-related activities. At the high school, recent alumni returned to speak to classes about their college experiences and gave advice on the application process. A select few high school seniors also visited the middle school to give their advice on what to expect in high school and to discuss their recent experiences with visiting and applying to colleges. At the elementary level, students were provided with tee-shirts that boasted the District’s College Day logo and motto, “Who’s Going to College? I Am!” Staff members also took the opportunity to wear the colors of their college alma maters and discuss their experiences with higher education.
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