Huntington School Briefs
Jefferson Primary School likes to recognize its top young artists. In collaboration with art teacher Maria Mazzola, one artist from each classroom is featured each month.
The youngsters’ lovely artwork is put on display in Jefferson’s mail lobby. Parent volunteers have helped beautify hallway displays with students’ original work.
Jordin Aguilar Chavez, Jonathan Balcarcel Veliz, Ronnie Carrillo, Grayson Dunn, Kemberly Escamilla Sura, Jason Flores Menjivar, Anthony Gomez, Julian Grijalva Castillo, Ruby Hoffman, Yarel Lopez Cruz, Christopher Maldonado Acosta, Logan Mazure, Anna Mejia, Melanie Rodriguez, Gricelle Rojas, Yenith Santos-Chavez, Alexa Schirripa and Geovanny Ulloa Castro were all recognized.
Flower Hill’s Star Students
Flower Hill Primary School recently recognized a group of exceptional young people with Star Student Awards for the month of April. The youngsters were honored for their performance in the classroom and all around the school.
Jasmine Alas, Nicholas Bartasi, Campbell Arthur, Christopher Moreira Reyes, Karly Maldonado, Angie Maldonado, Chloe Gao, Marcus Argaman, Grahm Sulinski, Emily St. Rose, Maximillian Butler, Belinda Velazquez, Nathaniel Sierra, Mildred Hernandez Veliz, Jaziah Edwards, Adriana Flores Matute, Brandon Campos Ruiz, Melanie Carillo, Amaya Santiago, Tyler Peck, Jessica Kuom, Emily Flores-Hernandez and Ashlee Vaquerano.
Principal Marlon Small presented the students with certificates and posed for a commemorative photo with the youngsters.
Senior Wins Scholarships
Huntington High School senior Jack Malone is the recipient of the Wm H & Laura Lurty Music School scholarship and the Distinguished Music Scholar scholarship. The teenager is headed to the University of Delaware in the fall.
Friday Night Picnic at Washington School
The Washington Primary School PTA is sponsoring a family picnic behind the building on Friday, June 3 at 6 p.m. Participants are asked to bring their own picnic dinner. There will be a DJ and face painting will be available.
Duo Wins Honors in Brookhaven Lab Science Fair
Riley Murtagh and Jackson Schmidt captured honorable mention recognition in the Brookhaven National Lab’s elementary science fair in Upton. More than 500 projects from 125 Suffolk schools were entered in the competition.
Ms. Murtagh is a fourth grader at Southdown Primary School. Her project, titled “What makes a flower happy,” intrigued judges and was one of ten overall entries on the fourth grade level to be recognized.
Mr. Schmidt is a sixth grader at Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School. His project focused on “Frisbee – How shape affects flight. The entry was one of just five honored on the sixth grade level.
The annual fair, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory and coordinated by the Lab’s Office of Educational Programs featured Brookhaven scientists, engineers, technical staff and teachers from local elementary schools serving as judges.
Science fairs were held in every elementary school building in the Huntington School District. The top projects advanced to the Brookhaven National Laboratory’s annual competition.
Finley Honor Society Wrap-up
Last week’s J. Taylor Finley Middle School National Junior Honor Society induction ceremony brought 71 new members into the fold. The induction was conducted by the 70 eighth graders currently in the organization.
“I was overwhelmed with the enthusiastic participation of the honor society members,” said teacher Amy Hughes, who serves as the organization’s faculty advisor. “I also was extremely appreciative of present honor society parents who donated and served the food for the reception following the ceremony.”
Donation from Bethpage Federal Credit Union
Bethpage Federal Credit Union donated $331.55 to the Huntington School District to cover transportation expenses related to the Woodhull Intermediate School student council’s field trip to an air show at Republic Airport in Farmingdale.
Bus Contract Update
Huntington School Board members voted unanimously to approve a letter of intent from Huntington Coach Corporation to renew all existing transportation contracts at an increase equal to the applicable Consumer Price Index figure (or whatever alternate official renewal rate may be subsequently instituted by New York State) for the 2016/17 school year under the same terms and conditions of the current agreement.
Capital Reserve Fund Transfer
Huntington School Board members voted unanimously to approve a transfer of monies to the capital reserve fund. “The business office has reviewed and reconciled the capital project for door replacements at Woodhull Intermediate School,” said Kathleen Acker, assistant superintendent for finance and management services. “In doing so, we identified $9,369.35 in surplus funds. These funds accumulated as a result of the final expenses being lower than the budgeted amounts.”
Music Awards for Seniors
Huntington High School Class of 2016 members Dylan DelGiudice and Melany Lanham-Ciancia are among 16 Suffolk seniors to capture New York State Council of Administrators of Music Education scholarships.
“Candidates must demonstrate the highest level of musical proficiency, consistent participation in local and state ensemble festivals, evidence of serving their school and community and an acceptance letter from a college or university school of music or music education,” said Sarah Loveland Gill, district director of fine and performing arts.
SEPTA Donation
The Huntington School District’s Special Education PTA has donated $430.78 for the purchase of supplies for the J. Taylor Finley Middle School friendship club.
Bids Awarded
Huntington School Board members awarded a bid for in-car driver education instruction during the 2016/17 school year to the East Meadow Driving School.
A bid for integrated pest management was awarded to Bug Fighters, Inc.
Arts in Education Presentation
The Huntington School District’s Arts in Education Committee recently sponsored a presentation of Alice in Wonderland by The Pushcart Players acting company for the first and second graders in each of the four primary school buildings.
Filled with Lewis Carroll’s pure nonsense and madcap characters, the story is an “intriguing tale about a curious and proactive young girl who has enchanted readers for many generations,” according to promotional materials distributed to teachers. “Pushcart’s whimsical music, design and direction offer a precious theater experience. Alice goes on an enchanted journey of self-discovery with challenges, choices and happy conclusions.”
Jefferson’s April Featured Artists
Jefferson Primary School recently recognized nearly 20 talented students at April’s Artists of the Month for the beautiful pieces they produced, which were displayed in the building’s main lobby.
April’s featured artists included Edwin Andrade Ortez, Skya Cham, David Cruz Ponce, Harry Cuadra, Jeremiah Curtis, Angelie Falcones, Violetta Fox, Angelina Hernandez, Jenna Italiano, Sofia Karkaya, Andrea Martinez-Posantes, Emma Mortensen, Raul Ortega Salgado, Cindy Quintanilla Saravia, Emily Ramos, Jose Reyes-Benitez, Amy Salamanca Barralaga and Alejandro Ulloa Alfaro.
Flower Hill’s April Math Challenge Honorees
Flower Hill Primary School students are increasing loving math. Seven students were honored for winning April’s Math Challenge. Members of the group answered questions at home on their own time and submitted their answers. They were a happy bunch when their names were announced over the public address system. The youngsters were given certificates and had their photos taken to commemorate the occasion.
The honorees included third graders Isaac Joseph, Paige Wallace, Ashley Palacios and Marcus Oromaner and fourth graders Emily Flores Hernandez, Joanna Kasindorf and Thomas Girimonti.
Jefferson’s April Spot Awards
Jefferson Primary School is home to the Jaguars. Teachers and support staff members love to “spot” a student working hard, displaying respect, helping others and being a good citizen around the building.
Monthly Spot assembly programs recognize honorees on every grade level. Every Jefferson student is trying to get spotted so they can be an award winner, too.
April’s Spot Award recipients included:
Kindergarten
Giovanni Aguilar, Giselle Avelar Romero, Benjamin Burke, Gian Carlos Bracero, Katherine Duke, Katheryn Escobar Ramos, Brianna Jimenez Leon, Miranda Kincaid, Aniston Mata Gomez, Dayana Portillo-Hernandez, Alejandro Ulloa Alfaro
First Grade
Julian Canales, Yulisa Canas Ulloa, William Chavez Cisneros, Steven Contreras Moreira, Erick Diaz Santos, Grayson Henderson, Elliot Manu, Eli Rodriguez-Guevara, Audrey Sherwood
Second Grade
Byron Araujo Yanes, Franklin Escobar, Dalton Flynn, Tamara Grimanelli, Erin Hanlon, Robert Hotine, Austin Krywak, Axcel Ramirez, Daniro Rodriguez, Edwin Velasquez, Charlie Villalobos
Third Grade
Ronnie Carrillo, Jordin Aguilar Chavez, Jack Hotine, Geovanny Iglesias-Soriano, Carlos Marroquin, Raul Ortega Salgado, Jose Reyes-Benitez, Marta Reyes-Zamora, Gabriel Samuel, Patrick Tito, Gabriela Vilorio
Fourth Grade
Jordan Argueta-Guzman, Yuvinis Canas-Saravia, Harry Cuadra, Jackeline Guevara-Medina, Edwin Marroquin, Fabiola Molina-Garcia, Nicole Villalobos Flores
HHS Student Government Advisors are Happy
Huntington High School student government faculty advisors Anthony Troffa and Fred Bisogno are quite pleased with this year’s officers and what the organization has managed to accomplish since last September.
The student government consists of school-wide officers and individual class/grade officers. There are class advisors for each grade level. The teenagers worked closely with their teacher advisors and pulled off many commendable projects and initiatives.
The school-wide GO is led by Alexandra Berwick (president), Jeannie Kopstein (vice president), Dylan Schedler (treasurer), Vincent Fredericks (corresponding secretary), Katie Reilly (recording secretary) and Brianna McDonald (historian).
The Class of 2016 is led by seniors Holly LoTurco (president), Daniel Mollitor (vice president), Meghan Plant (treasurer), Nina Cartwright (corresponding secretary), Kelly Palladino (recording secretary) and Anna Brosoff (historian).
The Class of 2017 is led by juniors Sam Prinzi (president), Kelsey Miller (vice president), Abby Bellistri (treasurer), Allyson Arleo (corresponding secretary), Theresa Moreno (recording secretary) and Emma Pipolo (historian) and administrative assistants Kayla Ryan, Jacob Fuller, Keegan Dunne, Cody Bograd and Magenta Lopez.
The Class of 2018 is led by sophomores Lindsay Saginaw (president), Levi Leach (vice president), Katie Seccafico (treasurer), Max Robins (corresponding secretary), Rachel Moss (recording secretary), Charlotte Brosoff (historian) and Joel Alfaro (administrative assistant).
The Class of 2019 is led by freshmen Christiana DeLuca (president), Katie Stock (vice president), Kaitlyn Sage (treasurer), Katie Burton (corresponding secretary), Isabella Cahill (recording secretary) and Teddy Holly (historian).
Messrs. Troffa and Bisogno said that planning is already underway on next fall’s Homecoming Day and all the activities related to it. The student government is the organization responsible for putting together the weekend.
BOE Approves Tax Anticipation Note Resolution
The Huntington School Board members have approved a resolution enabling the district to issue $25 million in tax anticipation notes for the 2016/17 school year.
At this point, the district is unsure of the exact amount of its borrowing needs. That decision will be made in late August or early September, according to district officials.
The Huntington School District, like districts across New York State, needs to issue tax anticipation notes to cover its expenses while its waits to receive school property taxes paid by residents. Delivery of these taxes to the school district by the town does not match the expenditure schedule.
The TANs, as they are known, are issued each year in anticipation of the collection of property taxes and can only be used for the same purposes, i.e. to cover regular district expenses. The TANs will not be issued in renewal of other TANs. The notes will mature within the period of one year from the date(s) of their issuance.
The TANs will be executed in the name of the district by the manual signatures of the school board president and vice president, the district treasurer, the district clerk “or such other officer of the district as shall be designated by the chief fiscal officer of the district and will have the corporate seal of the district impressed or imprinted thereon which corporate seal may be attested by the manual signature of the district clerk,” according to the resolution.
Proceeds from the TANs will be invested by the district until such time as they are needed to pay general obligation expenses.