The South Huntington School community officially cut the ribbon on the grand opening of their newly renovated Walt Whitman High School track. This state-of-the art competitive, interscholastic facility, installed by our good friends at The LandTek Group, was made possible through a generous grant provided by Senator Carl Marcellino.
On a recent picture perfect morning, Senator Marcellino was warmly welcomed by South Huntington's award-winning track teams, coaches, district administrators and grateful community residents.
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Grand Opening at Whitman’s New Track
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Golf Gets a Shot at Suffolk Finals
On Monday, October 17th, six of Walt Whitman top golfers teed up at the Port Jefferson Country Club to compete in the 2016 Section XI League III Tournament. While at the tournament the Whitman golf team, consisting of Robert Posillo, Anthony Calovic, Scott McEntee, Joseph Magrane, Ray Matuza and Danny Kulesa, used the opportunity to raise awareness for breast cancer awareness month by wearing pink wristbands during the five-plus hour 18-hole match.
The course was extremely difficult as players gave it their best shot to qualify for next weeks county championships. Walt Whitman's Scott McEntee earned the right to represent Walt Whitman and League III in next weeks Suffolk County Finals at Rock Hill Country Club in Manorville with a final score of 87. "Scott is an amazing athlete,” said Coach Labate. “His passion, dedication and desire to improve his golf game is inspiring. Scott sets an excellent example for the younger players on the team, building character through golf etiquette. As a first year coach, I couldn't have hand picked a better group of athletes. It has been an absolute pleasure coaching the golf team these season and look forward towards the growth and success for the program. I am honored and privileged to be able to experience the Section XI County finals with Scott on Monday, October 31st."
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Boy's Cross Country Runs Away with League III Championship
Varsity Cross Country coach Rob Conroy is happy to announce that his Wildcat Cross Country runners have won the League III Championship on Tuesday, October 18th
Congratulations to the following: Christopher Arthur, Aidan Aziz, Jonathan Aziz, Chris Bias, Zachary Bruno, Dylan Cella, John Creeron, Nicholas De Gaetano, Thomas De Gaetano, Jon Eichner, Paul Follo, Branco Garrido, Michael Giarrizzo, Fazli Halimi, Matthew Harrigan, Richard Hauser, Stephen Hong, Jonathan Juliano, Zachary Lella, Graham Lunt, Andrew Martin, Kevin Martin, Luke Mc Evoy, Ryan Mc Quade, Joseph Mendoza, Christopher Morales, Eyvin Moreira, Benjamin Nace, Michael Naughton, Connor Rankel, Kevin Romano, Raj Shah, Aiden Smyth, Sean Smyth, Jack Wrobel, Kevin Wrobel, Patrick Wuss, Se Min Yoon, and Brian Zuckerberg.
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Monster trucks and Connecting Classroom Curriculum
Renowned children’s author Anika Denise visited Maplewood Intermediate School this week. Ms. Denise is the author of several critically acclaimed books for young readers, including her latest, “Monster Trucks,” which Publishers Weekly pronounced, “a mash up made in heaven” in a recent starred review.
Ms. Denise discussed the ins and outs of book writing, illustrating, and publishing with her third-grade audience. She talked about basic elements and structure of a good story and then thrilled her audience with a creative workshop called ‘What If.’“I wanted Maplewood’s third–graders to know that they already have the power and creativity to come up with great story ideas,” said Ms. Denise. “This group in particular had quality questions that showed me that they liked what I said and that they listened during my presentation. I could see that they made the connections on how they can be more creative and perhaps write or illustrate stories of their own.”
Maplewood third-grade teacher Ms. Cristine was thrilled that her students were part of the assembly and were able to pick up such creative insight from a real pro. “We are currently doing author studies in class, so understanding the structure of a story is important,” said Ms. Cristine. “We learn about the different parts of a book and how to draw the reader in so they are interested and Anika’s books are perfect examples of stories that are fun and exciting to read.”
Ms. Denise’s other published books are ‘Pigs Love Potatoes,’ a Parents’ Choice honor winner, ‘Bella and Stella Come Home,’ chosen by the Rhode Island Center for the Book to represent the state of Rhode Island at the National Book Fair in Washington DC, and ‘Baking Day at Grandma’s,’ which School Library Journal praised as, “Perfect for individual sharing, storytime, baking time, and pretty much any time.” Anika’s forthcoming titles include: ‘Starring Carmen’ (Abrams 2017) and ‘The Best Part of Middle’ (Henry Holt 2018).
Thank You Maplewood PTA for sponsoring such a great program that enriches and supports our student’s classroom activities.
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Haiti Needs Our Help
The Walt Whitman school community, led by students, Sean and Jennifer Duclay, has established a fundraiser for the people of Haiti in the wake of Hurricane Mathew.
There is a great need to help provide the support necessary for those less fortunate and in dire need of medical assistance. If you would like to help, please click on the link below. There will also be collection jars in the North and South Cafeteria as well as the main office. Thank you for your time and support.
To donate please use the following link:
http://events.doctorswithoutborders.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.personalCampaign&participantID=3772&cmr=A7F636E1E994&language=en
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FIVE Guys and Robocats Fundraiser
Our Walt Whitman Robocats needs your support! Join us on October 24th 4-10PM @ Five Guys and they will donate back to the Whitman Robocats.
See flyer below for more information
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Early Dismissal November 23rd
PARENTS: PLEASE BE REMINDED THAT THERE WILL BE A 15-MINUTE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT/EARLY RELEASE ON WEDNESDAY,
NOVEMBER 23, 2016. STUDENTS WILL BE DISMISSED FROM THEIR SCHOOL 15 MINUTES EARLY ON NOVEMBER 23, 2016. PLEASE BE
PREPARED ACCORDINGLY.
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Thank You Stimson Community
As many of you are aware, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Many of us on Long Island and in the South Huntington community have had a loved one affected by this disease. To honor those lives impacted and to support research, all Stimson students and staff wore pink on Friday, October 14th. Each staff member made a donation of five dollars or more, and students were encouraged to donate one dollar. We are proud to announce that as a building we raised over one thousand dollars that will be donated to “Stand Up for Suzanne,” a fundraising group set up to honor Suzanne Shea, a South Huntington mom. They have joined with Cold Spring Harbor Lab, a leader in Breast Cancer Research. Great job Stimson!!!
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Maplewood’s 9th Annual Maroon ‘n White Bowl Sets Record Crowd
Family members, students, teachers, administrators, BOE members and friends all enjoyed a beautiful fall evening last Friday to cheer on their favorite players in this wildly popular football classic as a means to help raise money for additional programs at Maplewood. The Maplewood PTA did a wonderful job providing snacks and hot drinks for the largest turnout of teachers and volunteers ever, including an attendance breaking 450 spectators.
The White team won 28-7 and while it was very competitive in the first half, White really took over the game in the second. We get word that several players, including Chastity Patino, Ed (the sack-master) Nitkewicz, and Melanie Tietjen, really made an impact, but everyone played well and had a great time.“This game has gone from a handful of players on Maplewood’s back field to now annually under the Friday Night Lights at Whitman’s turf stadium,” said Maplewood Principal Dr. Vito D’Elia. “Each year the event gets bigger and bigger and that’s a testament to what a really special community we have here at Maplewood.” “This special night provided a wonderful example of the community spirit and teamwork that make our school district so special,” said Dr. Joseph Centamore in the most recent Superintendents Newsletter. “The energy and enthusiasm generated during the PTA fundraising speaks volumes about our Wildcat Pride.”
MAROON TEAM: Dr. D'Elia, Dr. Bennardo, Mr. Ciappetta, Dr. Bruno, Ms. Vargas, Mrs. Simonds, Mr. O'Connor, Mrs. Brendel, Mrs. Belz, Mrs. Lettieri, Mrs. Gross, Mrs. DeCicco, Mr. Tarquinio, Ms. Liegey, and Ms. Maggio.
WHITE TEAM: Mr. Fauci, Dr. Centamore, Mr. Nitkewicz, Mr. Slovak, Ms. Vitale, Ms. Tietjen, Mrs. Schumm, Mrs. Cuozzo, Mr. Schmidt, Mrs. Trapani, Mr. Naccarotto, Ms. Patino, and Ms. Bucaria.
Photo Gallery
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Exploring a Human Heart to the Gravity on Jupiter @ Silas Wood
We hear from STEM coach Ms. Mari Scardapane that this week, all of our Silas Wood sixth-graders are completing a science experiment using our zSpace STEM Lab. This cutting-edge 3D virtual reality technology supports the belief that learning is best experienced through doing.
Our South Huntington Educational Foundation (SHEF) purchased zSpace that consists of 14 high definition workstations that uses glasses and a stylus to create an immersive educational experience.
Pictured are students from Mr. Poller and Mr. Beaumont's classes. Using a program called Newton's Park, the students conducted their experiment in the simulated gravity of earth, the moon, and Jupiter. Where do you think the ball rolled fastest?
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September Athletes of the Month
Our male athlete of the month for September is Jamari Brown. “Chemistry is everything,” said Jamari when talking about his football team. “It’s all about the coaches preparing us and working hard in the weight room off season. We are ready for this.” The football team has shown a tremendous sense of pride never giving up when the score is not in their favor. Win or lose, the chemistry is right. “Jamari is one of the better all-round players I’ve coached in a while,” said Varsity Head Coach Robin Rosa. “He has great speed, and his cutting ability is second to none in Division One.” As a senior, the college hunt is on for Jamari, and wherever he lands, he hopes to be able to offer his considerable football talent to some lucky collegiate program.
Lady Wildcat Volleyball player Olivia Poplawski, a Newsday selected top LI Setter, is our female athlete for the month for September. Like many athletes Olivia thrives on the ‘team’ aspect of sports. “Our chemistry is great so we have a lot of fun when we play,” said Olivia. “We’re all dedicated and work really hard and to be able to make the playoffs for the first time since 1995 a great acknowledgement to all of that hard work.” Olivia is a four-year starter and last season set the single game and single season records for assists, as well as the most career aces record. She is no stranger to the spotlight and was selected All-League in her junior year. Olivia is looking forward to playing volleyball next fall at Stephens Institute of Technology.
Congratulations to Olivia and Jamari. We are very proud of these two fine athletes, as they serve as wonderful role models for the younger students of our community.
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Girls Soccer Playoffs Begin Today
Come out and support our Lady Wildcats as they battle Smithtown East today at 2:30 on Whitman's Turf field
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Lady Wildcat Soccer Takes Round One of Playoffs
On Friday the girls varsity soccer team defeated Smithtown East in their first round playoff game by a score of 1-0. Rebecca DeWitt scored Whitmans only goal. The defense of Alexa DelColle, Shelbi Wuss, Jaime Kralstein, Yomary Cordero and Meaghan Soulias played solid. Brittany Shaneberger made 8 saves to secure the shutout. The girls now move on to the next round where they will play #1 ranked Northport today (Monday 10/24) at 2:30. Good luck girls!
Photo Gallery
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Track & Field Day Features District's 5th Graders
South Huntington’s 5th Graders competed in their annual Track & Field Day and the cheering crowd kept the excitement high as event after event unfolded. From the beginning of the 50 Meter dash to the final 4x100 Relay, Birchwood’s and Maplewood’s finest competed head to head.
A personal best was the challenge of the day, and our 5th Graders did not disappoint as the competitive spirit could be felt from the cheering stands to the action on the track and fields. Thanks always to Mary Gross and all of the great PE teachers who volunteered to help make this a special day for our 5th Graders.
Congratulations to all of our outstanding young athletes who competed!
Photo Gallery
Girls 50-Meter Dash
1st - Makayla Lewis (BW)
2nd – Gabby Exantus (MW)
3rd – Mia St. Croix (BW)
4th – Sophia Swanson (BW)
Boys 50-Meter Dash
1st – Jack Maguire (MW)
2nd – Sean Kennedy (MW)
3rd – Sean Fallon (MW)
4th – Dylan Asma (BW)
Girls 80-Meter Dash
1st – Kathleen O’Mara (BW)
2nd – Gabby Exantus (MW)
3rd – Mia St. Croix (BW)
4th – Nayira Kabarajian (MW)
Boys 80-Meter Dash
1st – Sean Fallon (MW)
2nd – Kahlief Sands (MW)
3rd – Jasai McKay (BW)
4th – Michael Dimartino (MW)
Girls 800 Meter
1st – Brittany Cisneros Campos (BW)
2nd – Kayla McCann (BW)
3rd – Riley McDonnell (MW)
4th – Emily Redelman (BW)
Boys 800 Meter
1st – Samuel Nunez (BW)
2nd – Alex Messerschmitt (MW)
3rd – Josue Garcia (MW)
4th – John Blakke (BW)
Girls Running Long Jump
1st – Kathleen O’Mara (BW)
2nd – Kaitlyn Mondry (BW)
3rd – Ariella Sanon (MW)
4th– Cierra Barrett (BW)
Boys Running Long Jump
1st – Tommy Kliampas (MW)
2nd –Carter Schum (MW)
3rd – Romel Farquharson (MW) and Chris Alvarez (MW) - Tie
Girls Standing Broad Jump
1st – Makayla Lewis (BW)
2nd – Katelyn Adams (BW)
3rd – Kelly Breaton (BW), and Iris Hoffman (MW) - tie
Boys Standing Broad Jump
1st – Ismael Laraki (MW)
2nd – James Lombardi (BW), and Jonathan Lopez Fuentes (BW) - tie
3rd – Tre Hernandez (BW) and William Schrama (BW)- tie
Girls 4x100 Relay
1st – Lauren Ottaviano, Emma Creighton, Megan Rankel, Daniela Licona (alt: Ariana Aramburu) (BW)
2nd – Kelly Breaton, Sophia Swanson, Katelyn Adams, Elise Abbate (alt: LaMaya Trotman) (BW)
Boys 4x100 Relay
1st – Dylan Asma, Kole Gottesman, Owen Reyes Lazo, Tommy Kliampas (BW)
2nd – James Lettis, Vincent Bucceri, Kevin Membreno, Andrew Connolly (BW)
Girls Distance Throw
1st - Meckenzie Caldwell, (BW)
2nd- Kaniya Bucknor (MW)
3rd- Juliet Boccia (BW)
4th- Kallie Eichner (MW)
Boys Distance Throw
1st - Kole Gottesman (BW)
2nd- John Lineen (BW)
3rd- Matthew Blair (BW)
4th- Andrew Connolly (BW)
Girls Accuracy Throw
1st - Josie Grant (MW)
2nd- Juliet Boccia (BW)
3rd- Kayla McCann (BW)
4th- Lauren Kispert (MW)
Boys Accuracy Throw
1st - John Lineen (BW)
2nd- Eric Maldonado (MW)
3rd- Kevin Brown (MW)
4th- Thomas Crapanzano (BW)
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Learning with LEGOS
Using individual class sets of LEGO Building Bricks, and following lessons provided by LEGO Education, Mrs. Herrera’s Second Grade Dual Language class has been playing and learning in a very creative and fun way!
Each lesson promotes collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking and problem solving. The children are given a task; for example, build something that will help people cross a river. Using only the LEGOS in their kit the children completed the task and then were asked to explain and describe what they had built, and why they think it will work. The children work as teams, pairs, and individually to create and achieve the lesson’s goal.
The lessons cover all area of the curriculum; there are language arts, math, and even science lessons. Creativity, expressive language, and problem solving are always part of the lesson.
At the end of each lesson the children are asked to build Mr. Learnie. To complete Mr. Learnie every piece in the set must be used, in this way the children know that each set is complete and ready for the next time.
The children have had a wonderful experience with this project. Some of the more experienced LEGO students are great helpers and it is always a team effort to achieve the goal. ESL students gain so much exposure to language because vocabulary and descriptions are a vital part of each lesson.
Way to Go Mrs. Herrera, these Dual Language students are preparing themselves to be their generation’s problem solvers and engineers.
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Whitman Grad/Entrepreneur Helps Babies with Down Syndrome
Congratulations to Walt Whitman Grad Brittany Schiavone who is helping babies born with Down syndrome through her nonprofit organization, Brittany's Baskets of Hope.
In honor of National Down Syndrome month, FOXBusiness.com caught up with the nonprofit organization building baskets that welcome and encourage parents having a child with Down Syndrome.
Use the following link to view (after a brief advertisement) Brittany's Fox Business News interview:
http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/2016/10/24/entrepreneur-with-down-syndrome-pays-it-forward.html
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Kickball Tournament is Special in Every Way
Walt Whitman High School and Stimson Middle School joined forces for the second annual "Burning Bases Kickball Tournament" in Garden City on Friday, October 21.
The team was made up of dedicated students who enjoy playing kickball, love being a part of a team, and who have a strong desire to get involved. This is the second year Walt Whitman High School participated in the tournament and the first time Stimson students joined the Wildcat forces.
Despite the heavy rain our Wildcats defeated the Fantastic Floral Park Knights. Stimson then took on the mighty Cyclones of South Side in Rockville Center. It was a very rainy day, but all players showed true sportsmanship and dedication to their team. Go Wild Cats!!“These dedicated student athletes and their teachers represented our Wildcat values with class and dignity, demonstrating the character and sportsmanship that make us strong,” said District Superintendent Dr. Dave Bennardo.
Congratulations Team Members:
Walt Whitman: Coach Vincent Altebrando, Andrew Avila, Tim Gudaitis, Nancy Hernandez-Garcia, Erika Lopez, Roseberte Pierre, Joshua Ramtahal, Daniel Sgaraglio, Amtul Thakir, Farrell Blum, Jacob Dougherty, Peter Globuschutz, Justice McCarthy Delk, Edward Nitkewicz, Joseph Pecorella, Dennis Sposato, Alana Thurer, and Alvin Yam.
Stimson: Coach Barbara Douglas, William Aubourg, Jack Cary, Andrew French, Devin French, Jeremy Glover, Jovanny Glover, Anthony Portillo Gomez, Brian Wagner, Ruhullah Halimi, Abdullah Sohai, Alexia Rivera, Michael Vitoria, Francis Charles, Wilfredo Argueta Saravia, Tyler Needham, Jarred Hibbert, Juliet Berger, Jennifer Cisneros, llan Gavrielow, and John Williams.
You can see wonderful pictures of the special day by logging onto our Facebook account at https://www.facebook.com/southhuntingtonufsd/.
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Boys Soccer Opens Playoffs With Win
The Boys Varsity Soccer Team opened the first round of the playoffs with a 3-1 win over William Floyd yesterday. Bobby Cerrito, Kelvin Uceda-Alfaro and Kevin Herrera each scored in a 4-minute stretch to lead the Wildcats. Blake Aronson and Anthony Palazzolo chipped in with assists. Eduardo Alfaro, Cerrito, Noel Reyes and Sean Zagorski played stellar defense in front of Marc DePasquale who made 5 saves. The Wildcats are on the road on Friday at 2pm vs. rival Hills East. Please come out and support the team.
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Stand Up for Suzanne Honored
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and many of us on Long Island and in the South Huntington community have had a loved one affected by this disease. Stimson students and staff wore pink on Friday, October 14th, and on that one day they raised $1,000. The monies were donated to “Stand Up for Suzanne,” an all volunteer 501(c)(3) organization founded in honor of South Huntington wife and mother Suzanne Shea. “For over six years, Suzanne's strength and courage became an inspiration to all who knew her,” said the organization’s President Regina Caliendo. Since their inception in 2014, “Stand Up For Suzanne” has donated over $30,000 to fund the advancement of breast cancer research at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.“I want to thank the team from ‘Stand up for Suzanne,’ and our school nurse, Ms. Susan Hucke, and Stimson mom, Ms. Patti Nardelli, for their incredible work in creating a meaningful donation in the name of Suzanne Shea,” said Stimson Principal Edwin Smith.
The donation from Stimson Middle School will directly support research on metastatic breast cancer that is currently in or moving into clinical trials at Northwell Health. For more information on this life-saving research, please visit standupforsuzanne.org.
Great job Stimson!
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Repeat Performance
Please join in congratulating the 1st Place, New York State Champions ... Your Walt Whitman Wildcat Marching Band!
Congratulations on a big win at the US Bands competition on Saturday night, October 22nd. This is the second consecutive year that the Wildcat Marching Band has brought home a State Championship. “Bravo to all these young musicians who have worked so diligently to achieve this most prestigious title,” said Jackie Tartaro in this week’s Superintendents Newsletter. “We also must truly recognize and congratulate the directors, Dennis Pettas, and Caitlin Coumatos, who through their talent, mentoring, and dedication has enlightened and guided their students through the thick and thin of competitions. Last, but certainly not least, we must acknowledge and thank the unending support and hard work of the MarchingBand Parents Association. Without the constant driven efforts of these dedicated men and women, the Marching Band could not go forward. We thank you for your tireless vigilance in supporting your children and the South Huntington School District."
The season is coming to an end soon... The New England States Championships in Bridgeport, CT are this Saturday and the Nationals will be in Allentown, PA on November 5th and 6th
Congrats again and best of luck!!
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