A special program rolled into Walt Whitman High School on Tuesday, September 26th. The AT&T and Siena Upstander Program is a peer-to-peer training approach designed to help high school students combat cyberbullying. This new program utilized trained Siena College students to help educate students, teachers, and school administrators on the growing cyberbullying epidemic and provide workshops, tools, and resources to combat it.
The program at Walt Whitman paired Siena students with 14 of our selected student leaders for the first part of the school day where they engaged in peer-to-peer conversations, role-playing exercises, and workshops on how to be Upstander Ambassadors. At the end of the day, the Siena facilitators and the newly trained high school Upstander Ambassadors conducted a school-wide assembly program to share best practices, build awareness of the danger of cyberbullying and promote the Upstander behavior and culture. Thank you AT&T, the Tyler Clementi Foundation, and the Siena Research Institute and College for bringing this powerful and enlightening program to our students.
Photo Gallery
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Upstander Ambassadors Spread the Word
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Back to the Playoffs
The Boys Varsity Soccer Team clinched a playoff spot with their 3-1 victory over Connetquot yesterday. Fernando Hernandez netted 2 goals while Jordan Perez added a goal and an assist. Jefferson Saravia chipped in with 1 assist. Alec Wurtz made 3 saves in the game. The Wildcats' record stands at 8-1-1 on the season. Please come out and support the team at their next home game on Tuesday, October 3rd. vs. Lindenhurst at 4pm.
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Too Old for Trick or Treating? Here’s a New Idea
Walt Whitman Freshman Alexandra Miller-Henson loves Halloween, but the thought of walking her neighborhood requesting candy was getting old. “What if I didn’t collect candy, but collected something else,” said our creative entrepreneur.
This led Alexandra to create S(care), a not-for-profit organization that provides tweens and teens who love Halloween an opportunity to Trick-or-Treat for a cause. “The goal is every year we trick-or-treat for certain items to donate to shelters and organizations that support those in need.”“I know Walt Whitman has a lot of great programs that help the community and students are always encouraged to help in any way they can. So I’m happy to see this new idea gaining support in our schools and with local businesses,” said Alexandra. “I this it’s a great way for kids to help the less fortunate and have fun at the same time.”
Here’s how it works:•Sign up to participate at: www.scareforcharity.org•Print out and cut up the flyers found on the "More Pages/Flyer" page of the website.•One week before Halloween, ask an adult to accompany you and distribute flyers in your neighborhood.•When you go trick-or-treating, take your s(care) bag with you. These branded bags will be given out free (while supplies last) if you sign up on the website!•On Halloween when you visit the homes in your neighborhood, introduce yourself.•Say thank you, even if they don’t donate!•Drop off your collected toiletries/socks (this years requested items) to one of our drop-off locations.
Way to Go Alexandra! Your spirit of giving and volunteering is what makes our community so special.
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The Center for Science Teaching and Learning Spooky Fest & More
The Center for Science Teaching and Learning (CSTL) is located on Tanglewood Preserve in Rockville Centre, NY. We are a not-for-profit organization with a mission to engage people in science learning and literacy. CSTL utilizes inquiry-based strategies to encourage curiosity and a sense of wonder.
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National Hispanic Award Goes to Two at Whitman
Walt Whitman students Rachel Vaughan and Brenda Mendez were recently honored as National Hispanic Award recipients. “This award recognizes students for their high academic achievements, and of course their Hispanic Heritage,” said Principal John Murphy. “We are incredibly proud of Brenda and Rachel who have been selected for this prestigious honor. Both of these young ladies are a testament to our school community and personify what it's like to be Hispanic and excel in our society. They are wonderful young ladies that bring a lot of joy to our high school."
Way to go Rachel and Brenda!
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Clean Closets Mean Scholarships- PTA Clothing Drive
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SW/SMS PTA Wildcat Bash at Bowlmor Lanes
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A Little Encouragement Can Go a Long Way
Oakwood Primary Center Library Media Specialist Christine Le Claire had first-graders jumping for joy as they worked to make the world a better place. International Dot Day is celebrated every year in September. The Dot, by Peter H. Reynolds, is the story of a girl discovering her talent and creativity through the subtle urging of her art teacher.
Oakwood's first-grade students recalled times when they were afraid to try new things for fear of failing. Focusing on perfectionism and insecurity as well as artistic process, the author shows in a humorous and kind way that getting started can be theof the hardest part ofthecreative endeavor.“We registered to be a part of the global community participating in making the world a better place and ‘leaving their mark,’” said Ms. Le Claire. “Students designed their own dots and used the Quiver app on their iPads to bring them to life. Each first-grade class was filled with excitement when they saw their creations jump off the pages.”
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Charm and Humor Teach a Gentle Lesson About Respect
Award-winning, author/illustrator, Richard Torrey visited Countrywood last Friday to give an exciting program celebrating his new book, Ally-saurus & the Very Bossy Monster. He shared with students how he first became involved with writing and illustrating books. Mr. Torrey inspired the children with his love of literature and students left wanting to try illustrating a character of their very own.“I really enjoyed visiting Countrywood Primary and all the amazing students and teachers,” said the author/illustrator of well over a dozen books. “It was a pleasure and an honor to speak to you about my new book Ally-saurus & the Very Bossy Monster and how a children's book is created. You were wonderful!”
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Whitman Honors Their ‘Commended’ Students
Walt Whitman’s National Merit Commended students Rachel Vaughan, Aisha Majid, Tiffany Chuen, and Graham Lunt were honored recently for their high achievement on the PSAT. More than two-thirds (about 34,000) of the approximately 50,000 national high scorers on the PSAT receive Letters of Commendation in recognition of their outstanding academic promise. “This is especially rewarding because we have not had this many ‘Commended’ students in a couple years,” said Principal John Murphy. Together with Whitman’s other National Merit Semi-finalists, the high-performing high school has eight seniors in this year’s prestigious academic competition for recognition and scholarships. “It is evident that since an early age these seniors have identified themselves as students in the forefront of academic excellence and we are very proud of them.”
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Project Excel: No Excuses!
On Monday, October 2nd, our community celebrated the Project Excel opening orientation. This special program, coordinated by Mr. David Perkins, provides job training, mentoring, and academic assistance to our district students. Its mission is to: Enhance academic success, build character in students, and engage parents to promote our shared vision. In his welcome address, Mr. Perkins introduced this year’s theme “No excuses, we are unstoppable in reaching our goals.” The evening’s guests were treated to some wonderful words from motivational speaker and author Mr. Malik Champlain.“Three main principals– Passion, Hunger, and Drive are intrinsic factors that students need to have to overcome obstacles that prevent them from reaching their goals,” said the Brooklyn-born keynote speaker who is now married, a father, and a home-owner in the greater Hartford area of Connecticut. “Tonight I am going to share with our Project Excel families building blocks to help them achieve their goals.”
Mr. Champlain had a real struggle to get to where he is, and his powerful story resonates with today’s youth. ‘Tough times don’t last, tough people do,’ he often reminds himself. A firm believer in ‘giving more than you take,’ Mr. Champlain, speaking directly to our parents in the audience, told them that “The same building blocks that their children are going to need to reach their goals are the same ones parents will need to reinforce. Good supervision is when parents see their child veer off the path and quickly get them back on the right path.”
Thank you to all of our service providers—Boy Scouts of America, Family Service League, Girl Scouts, Huntington Resource Center, Huntington Youth Bureau-Project Excel, Long Island Head-Start, St. Joseph’s College, and the Tri Community and Youth Agency, to our School Coordinators— Mr. Ian Denson at Birchwood, Ms. Maria Colon at Maplewood, Mr. Shaka Williams at Silas Wood, Ms. Jennifer DeNoble at Stimson and Mr. Roberto Torres at Walt Whitman, to our district mentors, and this year’s interns— Nicholas Aprigliano, Wesly Bazemore, Kristie Bohn, Lisbel Collado, Marc Etts, Maria Jaramillo, Robert O’Neil, Michael Rivera, Jonathan Rosen, Maria Seslowsky, Ashley N. Smith, Bridget Vaher, Daniela Venegas, and Ana Alicia Walsh. These educators and community advocates do wonderful things for our students.
It looks like another great year to come for our Project Excel students and their families.
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Supreme Court Justice Inspires Whitman Students
The Justice Institute on Long Island is taking the concept of summer camp into the federal courthouse, imparting civics education and advocacy skills that prepare students for college, career, and civic engagement.
The program was run by the Federal Court in partnership with the Touro Law Center and the Eastern District of New York Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. Open to those completing the 9th grade, participants heard from federal judges, FBI agents, Deputy U.S. Marshals, federal prosecutors and criminal defense lawyers. They observed court proceedings in the federal courthouse including a Naturalization Ceremony. Students also heard from experienced lawyers about advocacy and, with the assistance of law students, participated in a mock trial competition at the conclusion of the Institute. This past summer, participants were also privileged to hear a presentation by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
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The Battle for First Place– This Saturday
We hear from coaches Brian Karcz and John DiGiacomo that the Boys Varsity Soccer Team earned their 6th straight victory by the score of 4-2 over Lindenhurst on Tuesday. Nik Cerrito and Fernando Hernandez notched 2 goals apiece. Hernandez currently has 18 goals on the season. Jefferson Saravia tallied 3 assists. Anthony Paredes chipped in with an assist. Alec Wurtz made 3 saves for the win.“We have the ability to put the ball in the back of the net, it’s just a matter of how often we do it and how bad we want it,” said Coach DiGiacomo, referring to several missed opportunities in the first half. “Lindenhurst is a very good team in our league with their only losses coming at the hands of Northport and us, so it was a highly competitive game.”
The Wildcats' record stands at 9-1-1 overall. The team is on the road for a first-place battle at Northport on Saturday, October 7th at 2pm.
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The Doctor Will See You Now
We hear from STEM coach Ms. Mari Scardapane that this week, all of our Silas Wood sixth-graders are completing science experiments using our zSpace STEM Lab. This cutting-edge 3D virtual reality technology supports the belief that learning is best experienced through doing.
With that in mind, have you ever visited the doctor for a bad cold or a sore throat? Did the doctor listen to your heart and your lungs, and then look in your ears and throat? Well, that’s exactly what students at Silas Wood did when they took on the role of virtual doctors, using zSpace to determine a diagnosis for their "patient." Some of the students even went on to explore the internal structure of the parainfluenza virus and the molecular structure of the medicine a patient might take!
Thank you South Huntington Educational Foundation (SHEF) who purchased zSpace that consists of 14 high definition workstations that use glasses and a stylus to create an immersive educational experience.
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Coral Fragging Peaks Students Interest
Whitman research students in Mr. Feraco’s classes have been diligently working on an exciting new research project. With a very generous donation from Fishlife Aquariums in South Huntington, our research program was able to construct a coral aquaculture system in the research classroom. Fishlife owner Joe Racioppi, Paul Olsen and manager Chris Sullivan recently instructed students about coral fragging.“Our 10x4 foot coral aquaculture system is currently being used for a variety of different types of coral restoration and animal behavior studies,” said Mr. Feraco. “Students are exploring optimal conditions for the growth of many different coral species.” With 75 percent of reefs currently under the threat of damage or death, there may not seem like much any one person can do. But students are learning to grow and study the genetics of captive corals, which they hope to sell to aquarium enthusiasts — and possibly one day introduce back into the wild.
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Gymnastics Starts Strong
The Walt Whitman Girls Varsity Gymnastics team is off to a great start. Wednesday’s meet ended in a win with the final score of Whitman 131.275 and Hampton Bays 129.075. Carly McEntee had an amazing meet placing 1st on the vault, balance beam, and the floor exercise. Danielle Harris, senior and an all-around gymnast placed 2nd on the vault and 3rd on the floor exercise. New to the team, Sarah Astegher placed 2nd on the uneven bars. The entire team is working very hard toward their personal goals, as well as the team goals. Coach Angela Gunsel expects the team to have a very successful season.
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Big Night @ Whitman's Turf Stadium
Maplewood’s Pep Rally got off in grand style on Wednesday as teachers from the Maroon and White teams were introduced to the students. Organized by Maplewood 4th grade teachers Jen Brendel and Renee Schumm, the festive rally set the stage for tonight’s big showdown at 7:30 PM on Whitman’s turf field.
Anissa McQueen and Donna Isaacson expertly emceed the Pep Rally. After the 2 teams were introduced, everyone got to enjoy a funny and creative video, created by Dermot O’Connor that had everyone laughing and wanting more.
We encourage the whole South Huntington community to come out tonight, Friday, October 6th at 7:30 PM to cheer on their favorite teachers in this wildly popular football classic as a means to help raise money for additional programs at Maplewood.
WHITE TEAM: Mr. Ciappetta, Mr. Joyner, Dr. Bennardo, Dr. D'Elia, Ms. Maggio, Mr. Lauria, Mr. Keogh, Ms. Bucaria, Ms. Schumm, Ms. Trapani, Ms. Vargas, Ms. Patino, and Ms. Poncet.
MAROON TEAM: Mr. Nitkewicz, Dr. Centamore, Dr. Bruno, Mr. Fauci, Ms. Shadler, Mr. O’Connor, Ms. Brendel, Ms. Cuozzo, Ms. Tietjen, Ms. Zuhoski, Mr. Slovak, and Ms. Beaumont.
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Unity Day Every Day in South Huntington
On Saturday, September 9, 2017, the South Huntington School District was thrilled to host the Unity in the Community Parade & Fair for the first time. First held in 2010, this event has become a tradition to celebrate the community’s unity, diversity, and solidarity. We are incredibly proud of South Huntington’s role in this wonderful endeavor and appreciate the chance to showcase our outstanding district on a regional stage.
The Unity in the Community Parade and Fair sends a message that our common bond as Americans, and our basic human decency, is strong enough to overcome any differences we have. Even though the Town of Huntington has unbelievable diversity in terms of ethnicity and culture and religion and wealth, we are all part of one community. As a community member, each of us has certain responsibilities, including tolerance and lending a helping hand when times are tough.
The South Huntington School District perfectly embodies the spirit of this event. Located in the heart of Long Island, our district looks and sounds like America in the 21st century. With our very diverse population, it would be easy for divisions to emerge. But thanks to the strong leadership of the Board of Education, Administration and our teachers, this has not occurred.
Our success in this area is due in large part to the fact that we have not succumbed to the efforts of others to embroil us in the hot-button issue of the day. In South Huntington, we block out the distractions and focus on the things we can control. We remain laser focused on our mission: providing resources and fostering an environment from which the leaders of tomorrow can emerge. Leaders that recognize that relationships matter and that to solve our most intractable problems, we need forward thinking, empathy, respect, and most importantly, to listen to one another.
For these reasons, in South Huntington, every day is unity day.
Photo Gallery(Parade & Program Awards)
Photo Gallery(Fair)
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Youth Cheer Clinic
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Learn how to Cheer, Dance, Tumble and More!
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DECA- Wolves of Wall Street Scavenger Hunt
Attention Whitman Students...Looking for a good time with 2 to 5 of your friends aged 13 to 19? Then come to the DECA-sponsored ‘Wolves of Wall Street Scavenger Hunt’ on November 5th in Huntington Village. Only $7 gives you a chance to win great prizes. Check out our Instagram at wolvesofwallstreet17 for more information.
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