Washington Primary School’s Featured Artists of the Month for May are a very talented group. They were personally selected by art teacher Maria Mazzola to have their work displayed in the building’s main hallway throughout the current month.
May’s Featured Artists include Parker Garrett, Leo Affa, Avery Merlin, Madeline Kyle, Pfeiffer Laycock, Byron Jimenez, Ayat Baig, Ethan Martin, Cesar Luvo Rodriquez, Edwin Hernandez Amaya, Mason Dasaro, Darwin Portillo Villegas, Izabelle Colato, Brianna Mata and Misael Hernandez Benitez.
Each member of the group received a certificate and a medallion hanging from a red, white and blue ribbon that they wore around the neck.
Flat Stanley at Flower Hill School
Teacher Erika Brignati’s first grade dual language class at Flower Hill Primary School embarked on an exciting learning opportunity that incorporated a diversified set of activities.
“This video conference collaboration offered by BOCES started as an exciting way to meet another class from around the state and blossomed into a full interdisciplinary unit that incorporated many subjects,” Mrs. Brignati said. “As students read the original Flat Stanley book, we created our own Flat Stanley’s to mail to our loved ones and have them write back.”
Class members received responses from as far away at South Carolina and even the Dominican Republic. Students were encouraged to make connections and use their map skills to locate the locations on various maps and then decide if it was north, south, east or west.
The class also used their measurement, reading, writing and critical thinking skills during center based activities where the main character Flat Stanley was featured. The youngsters public speaking skills came into play when they video chatted with another class from across the state to discuss similarities and differences with each other.
“This is a great way to peak student’s interest in chapter books, technology and also travel, which is one of my favorite subjects,” Mrs. Brignati said. “The students were extremely excited to talk more with their new ‘video pals’ after doing a test connection and meeting students from the Elmont School District.”
Planting Day at Washington Primary School
Washington Primary School Principal Michelle Richards spearheaded a “planting day” outside the building one recent Saturday. A group of faculty members, students and parents spread around dirt and mulch, weeded and planted and watered.
The renovated garden areas look sharp and are already drawing positive comments from visitors to the building. Overgrown areas were pruned back. Hard soil was loosened and new plants were put into the ground. The results speak for themselves.
Jefferson’s Citizens of the Month
Jefferson Primary School Principal Valerie Capitulo-Saide with April's Citizens of the Month.
Jefferson Primary School’s April Citizens of the Month are an incredible group of young people. Energetic, intellectually sharp, creative and polite, they are all fun to work with each day.
Jefferson Principal Valerie Capitulo-Saide presented certificates to Genesis Aguilar-Chavez, Paula Amaya Serrano, Giselle Avelar, Katelynn Biancardo, Zoe Bonilla, Henry Booth, Dante Francis, Matthew Gomez, David Granados-Medrano, Amiyah Herring, Brianna Linares Mendez, Jack Popp, Valery Say Alvarez, Ben Sheetrit, Neyri Torres and Bennett Wagner.
The honorees all had big smiles on their faces as their names were called out. The assembled together and posed for a group photos with Ms. Capitulo-Saide.
Washington School Awards
Washington Primary School Principal Michelle Richards recently announced the recipients of April’s Washington Ways Awards.
The honorees include Valerie Soriano, Madeline Kyle, Layla Zivkovic, Gizelle Alfaro Velasquez, Jake Molina, Samuel Simon, Leslie Cisneros-Morales, Nicole Tosta, Matthew Rivera Jr., Shane Hepworth, Isabella Ulloa, Andy Alvarez, Ashley Castillo-Guevara, Xavion Greene, Deyrin Corado Perez, Brian Fuentes and Luis Albizurez Franco.
The entire classes of teachers Suzy Dinehart, Miriam Engle and Melissa Studdert were also recognized for their wonderful effort and performance throughout the month of April.
Principal Michelle Richards with April's Washington Ways Award recipients
“It is delightful to present these awards to these fine boys and girls who are working so hard and displaying so much enthusiasm,” Dr. Richards said.
Dr. Richards presented an attractive certificate to each of the honorees and posed for a commemorative photo with the group in the main lobby.
Here’s how the Washington Ways program works:
White tickets are awarded weekly for good behaviors and actions in the classroom. White ticket winners are honored with special recognition in their classroom at the end of each week and their names are announced every Monday morning.
Red tickets are presented to individuals for notable good behavior outside of classrooms, including in hallways, buses, the playground and cafeteria, etc. At the end of the month, the student in each class with the greatest number of red tickets is recognized with a special certificate.
Entire classes can earn blue tickets for positive group behavior out-of-the-classroom. Blue tickets are also awarded to the two classes within the building with the most tickets overall.
PTA Council Awards Luncheon
The Huntington PTA Council will hold its annual awards lunch on Wednesday, June 12 at the Huntington Country Club. The organization will present its Heart of Huntington Award to a graduating high school senior. Several longtime PTA volunteers who are moving on with the graduation of their child will also be recognized.
The incoming 2019/20 PTA Council slate of officers will also be introduced during the luncheon.
Huntington Robotics End of Year Dinner
The Huntington Robotics team will hold its annual dinner on Wednesday, June 12 at 6:30 p.m. in the high school cafeteria. The affair will recognize the program’s financial supporters and volunteers as well as the stars of Team 5016. District executives are expected to be in attendance.
Freshman Naysa Escobar-Rizo Wins First Place
Naysa Escobar-Rizo captured first place for creativity in the Huntington High School Environmental Club’s Earth Day poster contest.
“Naysa is in ninth grade and moved to our district from Columbia this year,” art teacher Kim Valerio said. A creative and artistic student, she first entered my Creative Crafts class in January. She also had some of her work on exhibit at the districtwide art show last week.”
Ms. Escobar-Rizo’s contest prize was a $50 gift certificate.
Donations to Huntington UFSD
Huntington School Board members accepted several donations to the district at the last public meeting.
The Bender family contributed $1,000 to be credited to the Kate Bender Memorial Scholarship Award, which will be presented on June 5 to a member of Huntington’s Class of 2019.
The Southdown Primary School PTA donated $900 to offset the purchase of field day tee-shirts.
The Special Education PTA donated $3,000, which will fund six $500 scholarships that will be awarded to members of Huntington’s Class of 2019 during a ceremony on June 5.
Abstracted Floral Beauty by Irtana Deslouches
Irtana Deslouches uses flowers in her photography
Huntington High School senior Irtana Deslouches has developed a wonderful “abstracted floral beauty” series of pieces.
“The message that my art communicates is a form of beauty behind chaos,” Ms. Deslouches said. “The way that the portraits are broken up into different shapes shows how distortion and chaos go hand in hand to make a piece such as the art you see before you. The beauty behind all the distortion is represented in the flowers that are placed behind the broken pieces of the portrait. That face of the model and the flowers come together to form an art that can simply show that beauty surrounds even the most broken things.”
Ms. Deslouches is a very talented young photographer who has already won awards. “Floral patterns and images are something that I have always loved and favored throughout my life,” she said. “Many forms of art and nature come and go, but flowers and plants always stayed with me. I chose flowers for the theme because I knew it was a decision that I would stick with, especially since I have trouble making decisions in general. That’s why I incorporated flowers into my pictures. It brought out the photo more in my eyes. The broken shapes add structure and creativity. With the help of my photography teacher, she inspired me to start making similar photos so that my photos could have a similar feeling to it but still have their own beauty from having a different model along with a flower to fit each of them individually.”
Huntington Honored by Anti-Bias Task Force
Huntington High School seniors Alyssa Sorensen and Kiara Rafailan were honored at the Suffolk Interfaith Anti-Bias Task Force’s 18th annual spring convocation and awards breakfast.
Ms. Sorensen and Ms. Rafailan were recognized for the work they have done with Young Leaders, a youth development organization based in Huntington.
Huntington High School’s United Amigos club was also honored. Led by faculty advisor Rosario Lorenzana, the group was recognized for its member service in the school and throughout the community.
Brooke Murphy is Principal for a Day
Southdown Primary School third grader Brooke Murphy recently got an inside look at the challenges and joys of being the principal of a building.
Ms. Murphy was Southdown’s Principal for a Day after winning a contest that generated $700 for the PTA. The funds will offset the purchase of tee-shirts for Southdown’s Field Day.
Ms. Murphy went on a special tour of the building with Southdown Principal Scott Oshrin, helped oversee a fire drill and utilized FaceTime to run some ideas by Huntington Superintendent James W. Polansky.
Ms. Murphy engaged in “special operations” around the building, visited classrooms and enjoyed lunch with Mr. Oshrin. All in all it was a great learning experience for the third grader.
Finley Honor Society Induction
J. Taylor Finley Middle School’s Junior National Honor Society chapter will hold its 2019 induction ceremony on Monday, June 10 at 7 p.m. in the LGI. Dozens of students are expected to be welcomed into the organization after meeting its stringent membership requirements. The event will be presided over by Principal John Amato for the final time. He is retiring at the end of June.
