Huntington UFSD recognized 16 faculty members who recently achieved the milestone of receiving tenure appointments. A small reception and ceremony was held in the rotunda at Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School prior to a regular meeting of the Huntington School Board this past Monday evening.
The group of honorees included Kathleen Acker (assistant superintendent for finance and management services), Navila Armon (social worker), Marissa Bergmann (physical education)
Diana Bonilla (guidance), Sarah Buchalter (social studies), Cristina Campagnoli (elementary dual language), Allison Capewell (English), Allison Conlon (elementary), Natalia Herrera (world language), Dena Mortell (art), Amelia Saggese (science), Abigail Simon (math), Gamal Smith (assistant principal), Kim Valerio (art), Thomas Van Bell (science) and Justine Vaughans (special education).
Superintendent James Polansky spoke about each of the tenure recipients. A crowd of family, friends, trustees and fellow faculty members attended.
The honorees were also recognized during the Huntington School Board meeting and later assembled outside Adam Spector Auditorium for a group photo.
Blue Devil Band Competing at Malverne
The Huntington Blue Devil marching band will travel to Malverne on Saturday for its third competition of the season.
The Blue Devils captured first place in their first two competitions. Huntington will take the field at 7:53 p.m. on Saturday night to perform its 2019 field show, “Disruption.”
Bands from Islip, Floral Park, Hicksville, Sachem, East Ramapo, Copiague, Levittown Division Avenue, Westmoreland, Mineola, Roslyn, Webster, Brentwood, Arlington and host Malverne will also be on hand.
Donations to Huntington UFSD
Huntington School Board members accepted several donations to the district during a public meeting this past Tuesday night.
The Huntington Foundation for Excellence in Education has awarded a grant worth $8,980 to Huntington UFSD to cover costs associated with the Math and Movement “innovative educational project in our district.” The “math mats” will be used at Washington, Flower Hill, Southdown, Jack Abrams STEM Magnet and Woodhull Intermediate schools. (Note: Jefferson School’s math mats were previously funded through a different grant.
Adam Jessie donated mums and mulch to Southdown Primary School. The items are valued at $550.
Park Avenue Tennis donated two cases of new tennis balls to the Huntington athletic department. The items are valued at $160.
The United Way of Long Island the Huntington Coach Corp. donated school supplies valued at $6,500 for distribution to Huntington UFSD students.
College Financial Aid Night on October 10
It’s a presentation that no student or parent should miss. The Huntington High School guidance department is sponsoring Financial Aid Night on Thursday, October 10 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium. Attendance at the event is strongly encouraged.
Topics during the evening will include how to go about applying for financial aid, completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), avoiding the most common errors, the criteria used for financial aid decisions and parent and student loan options and scholarships.
Familiarity with the FAFSA form is especially important, according to school officials, since it forms the basis for need-based federal financial aid as well as non-need based federally backed student loans and is frequently required when applying for state level need-based or merit aid.
Contact college counselor Bernadette Walsh (bwalsh@hufsd.edu) for more information.
Donate Old Cameras to HHS Photography Program
That old 35mm SLR camera of yours that is gathering dust on the shelf in your closet is a valuable commodity to the Huntington High School photography program. School officials are urging the community to donate those old cameras for student use.
“We are in need of 35mm Canon Rebels, Pentax K-1000s and Canon AE 1s,” said Pamela Piffard-Williams, Huntington’s photography teacher. “Many people have great cameras that they are no longer using, due to the convenience and quality of digital cameras. We teach film development in our photography course and would appreciate any donations the community might wish to make.”
Mrs. Piffard-Williams said the program’s success depends upon the continued availability of 35mm cameras. The district has been unsuccessful in past attempts to buy new 35mm cameras and get the broken ones that are already in the inventory repaired for continued use.
The district is not interested in obtaining broken cameras or those missing parts since most such cameras cannot be rehabilitated. Donors will receive a letter indicating the value of any donated camera to the program for tax purposes. Most such cameras have a current market value of about $100.
Contact Mrs. Piffard-Williams at ppiffard@hufsd.edu or call 631-673-2106 for more information. Please include the make and model of the camera in any correspondence.
