Huntington School Briefs
Michael O'Connor is headed to Carnegie Mellon University. The Huntington High School Class of 2011 member plans to study mechanical engineering.
Mr. O'Connor can multi-task with the best of them. He earned high grades, participated in clubs and sports, held down a job and garnered an Eagle Scout Award.
A valued member of the Blue Devil crew team, Mr. O'Connor developed a number of close friendships over the past four years. He served as treasurer of both the Spanish and Math honor societies at Huntington High School.
Mr. O'Connor is an accomplished scholar. He won a Congressional Merit Award, the Bausch & Lomb Science Award and the Suffolk County Science Teachers Association Award.
Mr. O'Connor earned his Eagle Scout Award while a member of Troop 12 of the Boys Scouts of America, an organization near-and-dear to the teenager's heart.
Next BOE Meeting
The Huntington School Board will hold its next public meeting on Monday, August 29 at 7 p.m. in the J. Taylor Finley Middle School large group instruction room (auditorium). A meeting agenda will be posted on the district's website at www.hufsd.edu prior to the session.
Southdown PTA Line-up
The Southdown Primary School PTA has announced its slate of officers for the 2011/12 school year. The organization will be led by President Laura Cheshire, Vice-Presidents Keri Brandine and Kimberley Steinberg, Treasurer Valerie Kellogg, Corresponding Secretary Kerry Neira and Recording Secretary Lyndia Agrillo. Pamela Lumpe and Dawn Weir will serve as delegates to the PTA Council.
New HHS Math Teacher
Patricia Tagliente has been hired to teacher math at Huntington High School. She hold undergraduate and graduates degrees in math and math education, respectively from Adelphi University.
District officials reviewed 561 applications, conducted 30 pre-screenings and interviewed 11 candidates before recommending Ms. Tagliente for the position.
Prior to coming to Huntington, Ms. Tagliente has worked as a leave replacement math teacher at Hauppauge High School (2007/08), John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore (Nov. 2008-March 2009 and Sept.-Dec. 2009), Farmingdale High School (March-June 2009), Wellington C. Mepham High School in Bellmore (Jan.-June 2010) and Plainedge High School (2010/11).
Ms. Tagliente's probationary period will run from Sept. 1 to Sept. 1, 2014.
Jefferson PTA Officers
The Jefferson Primary School PTA's 2011/12 officers are in place. The slate includes co-Presidents Toniann Mangan and Lisa Santa-Maria, co-Vice-Presidents Donny Kye and Rosemary Miller, Treasurer Andrea Morris, Corresponding Secretary Alison Iglesias and Recording Secretary Laura Marziliano. Historians Marybeth Basso, Ellen Heller and Cindy Neber and PTA Council Delegates Sandy Furman and Peg Odenthal round-out the line-up.
Youth Court Participation
The Huntington School Board approved an agreement with the Town of Huntington relating to the town's youth court program. The district committed to the town and related agencies "access to school buildings for the purpose of meeting with students, obtaining student volunteers, training student volunteers and as otherwise reasonably necessary."
The district and its students have participated in the youth court program for many years. The program will run through August 2012.
"The parties to this agreement recognize that the youth court program is a community based intervention/prevention program that is designed to provide an alternative resource for the juvenile justice system for first-time non-violent misdemeanor juvenile offenders where community youth determine what, if any, sanction(s) should be imposed for the offense(s) of the defendant," states the agreement.
The Suffolk Probation Dept. evaluates potential youth court cases and sends its findings to the "designated assessment unit" for potential referral to the town's program.
The youth court is staffed by students, which fill the positions of judge, prosecutor, defense counsel, jury and bailiff and court clerk. Participants in the program are volunteers who undergo a 6-10 week training program with actual attorneys, judges and probation officials.
The Town Board reviewed "all of the facts associated with the youth court program" and "determined it to be in the public interest" to continue its sponsorship "so as to provide educational services to the youth offenders and volunteers in an effort to promote long-term behavioral change that leads to enhanced public safety."
Huntington trustees voted 7-0 to approve the agreement.
Substitute Administrators
Retired principals Jack Abrams, Anthony Barresi and Lois Markland were authorized by the Huntington School Board to work as substitute administrators during the 2011/12 school year.
Training Workshop
Huntington School Board members approved the participation of teachers Brian Foster, Catherine Barth, Dorene Karivalis, Margaret Connors and Joanne Cicio in a school data inquiry team training workshop on August 24.
Marching Band Advisors
Huntington School Board members appointed Lauren Macchio (color guard instructor/summer), Jessica Castaneda (tech #2/summer) and Jonathan Swengler (tech#3/summer-partial) as Blue Devil marching band advisors.
Treasure Chest Training
The Huntington School Board authorized teacher Soraya Triessl to participate in Treasure Chest/Tesoros training. She will be paid $200 per day for up to three days of training. A Title I LEP/ELL grant will cover the training expense.