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Reflections From Our Schools

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE MOUNT SINAI UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT

MOUNT SINAI ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Grades K – 4

Dr. John Gentilcore, Principal Ms. Linda Chase, Assistant Principal

Reflections From Our Schools

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE MOUNT SINAI UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT

Summer 2014 Volume 50 Issue 4

ATHLETES HELPING ATHLETES FIELD DAY

On May 15, the fourth graders had their annual Ath-letes Helping Athletes Field Day. This is a fun-filled day full of activities and events to promote sportsmanship and teamwork. After the morning of activities, the students share a pizza lunch with their high school athletes and then watch a movie that demonstrates perseverance, courage, and growth. It was a great day! This year’s t-shirt design winner was Jaime Salmonson who created a wonderful drawing that was replicated on tee shirts for everyone involved in the day!

Amazing Animals

S tudents prepare to hold a twelve foot Burmese python as part of an assembly highlighting re-

habilitated animals. Our thanks to the PTO for gifting this program to the ele-mentary children.

PTO Book Fair a Success

Our thanks to the PTO for hosting four Book Fairs this year. The most recent, a ‘buy one get one free’ event in May provided every student the opportunity to look at a broad range of children’s literature selections. In addition the PTO donates numerous books to our library shelves. Be sure to mark next year’s Book Fair dates on your cal-endars!

Mount Sinai Mirror 2

MOUNT SINAI ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Environmental Science

M r. Eric Powers of “Your connection to Nature” met with fourth grade students to discuss our impact on the environment.

Erik’s Reptile Edventures Show

Thanks to the generosity of the PTO, the fourth grade class was treated to a one of a kind animal show; Erik’s Reptile Edventure Show! Fresh off a trip to the African Island of Madagascar, Mr. Erik taught students about the animal adaptations and humane treatment of animals in a hands on presentation. Baseball the marine toad, Wally the alligator, Mimi the Mata Mata Turtle, and Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches were highlights of the gathering.

Jump Rope For Heart Poster Winners

C ongratulations to this years Jump Rope for Heart poster competition winner! Students from each grade level decorated our halls with creative posters to help pro-mote our 2014 Jump Rope for Heart event. With their help Mt. Sinai Elementary School was able to raise an amazing $9,518 for the American Heart Associa-tion.

Kids Helping Kids

Third grade students (Sophia Denicker, Emma Wells, Elizabeth Fusco, Abigail Sabella, Mr. D. Lewis, Director of MORE) are recognized for initiating a fundraiser for children with cancer.



Honoring Our Military on Memorial Day

I n honor of Memorial Day, the fourth grade stu-dents had the privilege of visiting with Sergeant Anthony Chiocchi and Private First Class Carlos Tenezaca of the Marine Corps. Sergeant Chiocchi read the book entitled “The Wall”, a picture book about the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC. Our guests discussed how the military keeps America safe and the sacrifices our young men and women endure to keep our country free. Sergeant Chiocchi also explained what each part of his uniform rep-resents including his medals for service.

Monarch Habitat

Congratulations to Mr. Walsh, fourth grade teacher, on creating a butterfly habitat in the ES Courtyard. The garden was recently registered by Monarch Watch as a recognized habitat for these beautiful butterflies as the migrate through our area.

Our Thanks to an Eagle Scout

On Wednesday May 14th members of the community came together to celebrate the completed construction of a bobwhite quail coop, the latest addition to the Elemen-tary School’s courtyard outdoor learning laboratory. The Elementary School is participating in a countywide effort to reintroduce the bobwhite quail and restore balance to our ecosystem. After hatching, the quail will enjoy the safety of the coop for five to seven weeks to mature and acclimate to living outdoors before being released into suitable local habitat. To assist with this effort, Boy Scout Kyle Thompson built the quail coop as his Eagle Scout Project. Kyle (center) is flanked by his proud par-ents and many of the scouts who assisted with the pro-ject. Eric Powers (kneeling left front) is the coordinating wildlife biologist. Building Principal Dr. John Gentilcore and supervising classroom teacher Kevin Walsh stand together on the right.



Ride for Life

T he kindergarten through fourth grade students purchased baseballs made and sold by our ele-

mentary school student council in an effort to raise funds for this worthy cause. Signed baseballs were displayed in the cafetorium to show our support for a cure for ALS. Our school was honored to be a stopping point for the Ride again this year. Student Council members present-ed a check for $1687! It was a rainy day but the weather didn’t dampen the spirits of hundreds of students who welcomed Mr. Pendergast and his friend to our school.

Science Exploration

Professor Crush recently met with students to discuss the differences between physical and chemical reactions in and exciting way. Our thanks to the PTO for gifting this science assembly to our school Pictured: Matteo Marano, Gabrielle Muratore, Fred Coogan, Molly Cleveland and Dante Gervino

Elementary Scientists

Lacey Summer, in Mrs. Nichols' fourth grade class, submitted a unique and intriguing project in the ES Sci-ence Fair. She loves to play Monopoly with her grandfa-ther and decided to investigate what property was the best to purchase and develop to win the game. Her pre-diction was that either Boardwalk or Park Place were the prime locations. She then rolled 720 times and kept care-ful data showing what properties were landed on after each roll. Her statistics indicated "Jail" was the space most frequently landed on, however Lacey explained "that is because there is more than one way to get to that space." The property shown by the experiment to pur-chase, because it was the most often landed on was Illi-nois. This was one of the nearly 100 scientific inquiries in this year's fair, making it another successful scientific evening. Congratulations to all the young scientists participating.



Arbor Day Gift

Recently our fourth grade students were gifted small saplings by the Fourth Grade Foresters USA program. Every year this organization celebrates Arbor Day by teaching fourth graders about the benefits of reforesta-tion. As Mr. Andy Matthews, District MST Director, wrote to the organizers: “The trees are always a big hit with the students, and in today’s world with so much emphasis and concern being placed on global warming and carbon dioxide production, it is always a good thing to teach kids about the benefits of planting trees. As you know, trees increase the amount of photosynthesis occurring on the planet and ultimately reduces carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in our atmosphere. This is something everyone should know, especially the younger generations of students. Thanks again for letting Mount Sinai be a part of the 4th grade forester program.”

Recycling for a Cause

F rom February through May, students of Mrs. Nania, Mrs. Nichols, and Mr. Walsh’s classes

collected bottles to donate money to the Ride for Life. Earlier in the year, Mr. Pendergast met with the students to discuss the Ride and ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. The students took turns each day working during their recess to collect water bottles to be recycled. With great enthusiasm these classes helped the Mount Sinai Ele-mentary school raise over $1,600 for ALS and the Ride for Life.

Way to go fourth grade students! Pictured with a day of donations are Ronald Guzzi and Sarah Erlich.


The ES Welcomes 95 New Entrants!


O n Friday, May 30, 2014, the Mount Sinai Ele-mentary School welcomed 95 new ‘entrants!

Thanks to the effort of fourth grade teacher Mr. Walsh working collaboratively with Cornell Cooperative Exten-sion bobwhite quail eggs were hatched in our school. After a short stay in the brooder they will relocate to the newly constructed coop in our school courtyard. Ulti-mately they will be released in a NYS park to help reduce the Long Island tick population. You are welcomed view their release this summer. Be sure to check out the Quail Cam on our school portal!

O n June 3rd, the Elementary School celebrated its First (and we hope annual) Field Day. For months, Mr. Daquino, along with his physical education colleagues, Mr. Strovink, Mrs. Wilson and Mr. Herrschaft have worked tirelessly planning this day. Joined by dozens of faculty and parent volunteers, students participated in a soccer shoot-out, played blow-up basketball, outdoor chess, ran three-legged races and hurdle relays (to name a few), danced (with Mrs. Holden) to the tunes of our DJs, had their faces painted by HS Art students and snacked on Ralph’s Italian ices graciously provided by Mr. and Mrs. Albert. And of course our PTO and Booster clubs provid-ed water and snacks. Thank you to ALL who helped make this a wonderful experience for all of our Mt. Sinai students.

Field Day



March

Athletes

April

Musician Dec./Jan. Kara Pearl

Artist Ashley Archila

Mr. Strovink, Mr. Daquino, Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. Chase congratu-late Student Athletes Back Row: Kennedy Orlando, Jayden Caru-

so, Sarah Mlyn, Jordan DeBlasioFront Row: Aidan Passaro, Jackson Paplin, Hannah Strom

Musician Emma Valentine

Artist Jeffrey Paul

Mr. Strovink, Mr. Daquino, Mrs. Wilson and Dr. Gentilcore congratulate Student Athletes

Back Row: Devin Carros, Austin Oppenheim, Jamie Salmonson, Kevin Goncalves,

Athletes

Musician Zekey Huang


Creative Poetry

Several students were honored for their creative poet-ry from the Mid Island Y JCC in Plainview. Julia Hecht’s “Mirror” earned first prize, while Jake Taylor’s “Pinecone” earned fourth prize. In addition, Tatianna Spotorno’s “Earbuds,” Noah Endelson’s “Sneaker Heads,” Ryan Curtis’ “Paper,” and Claire Cai’s “Annecy, France,” re-ceived honorable mention from Gail Teller, Poetry Series Director.

MOUNT SINAI MIDDLE SCHOOL Grades 5 – 8

Mr. Peter Pramataris Ms. Elizabeth Hine Principal Assistant Principal

Junior Great Books classes traveled to the Walt Whitman Birthplace

Mr. O’Leary with his Junior Great Books class above

O n May 8, 2014, the Junior Great Books classes traveled to the Walt Whitman Birthplace in West Hills to experience a sample of the life of Walt Whitman, one of America’s greatest poets. Students went on a guided tour of the house where Walt Whitman was born, which was built by his father circa 1810. In the house, students viewed relics from his time period. Additionally, students learned about Long Island as it existed during Whitman’s lifetime and read some of his poetry that was inspired by this setting.

Ms. Wallace’s Junior Great Books class above

Mr. O’Leary’s Junior Great Books class ‘Dream Flag Project’

Mr. O’Leary’s Junior Great Books class took part in the Dream Flag Project, which was inspired by the poetry of Langston Hughes. Students were asked to reflect on the universal theme of hopes and dreams and make a meaningful connection to their own life in the world we live in today. Throughout the school year, the students worked with a grand person, created their project, and then shared it with their family and friends during a heart-felt ceremony. The students’ work will be on a summer tour in Alaska, showcasing the importance of hopes and dreams with other classes and students.

The Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center Opened Its Doors

The Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center opened its doors this spring for students to create pro-jects centered on this year's theme: "The Holocaust is relevant and important today because..." Students had an opportunity to share their work and meet several Holo-caust survivors, who were honored with the educational efforts put forth. Dylan Rinck captured the audience with his reading of “The World’s Scarce Changes” a poem that he created honoring the legacy of lessons from the Holo-caust, which earned him first prize, along with a savings bond of $150. Ruchi Thaker’s poem “The Star of David” received second place honors, with a $100 savings bond. Tatianna Spotorno’s original drawing “The Death of Inspi-ration” earned second prize, with a $100 savings bond, depicting how the every person was not just a number.

(Holocaust Memorial) Continued on pg. 9)


MOUNT SINAI MIDDLE SCHOOL

In addition, Julia Hecht’s performance of her original song captivated the audience and received second prize, along with a $100 savings bond. And the Junior Great Books’ multimedia project “Lessons Learned” was awarded sec-ond prize, with a $100 check for future studies. Congratu-lations to all the students.

(Holocaust Memorial) Continued fm. Pg. 8)

Tatianna Spotorno, Julia Hecht, Dylan Rinck, Cameron and Mr. O’Leary

Mount Sinai Celebrated the Seventh Grade An-nual Arts and Science Fair

The Winners are: Michael Acquafredda & Michael Clahane

Lindsay Stancampiano Kevin Johnston & Jake Ritter

Asad Azim Sydney Cullin & Makenzie Mitchell

Olivia Scanlon Samantha Zhang & Alyssa Goiang

Neil Esposito & Hunter Tegay Jackson Law & Christian Law

Anna Serro & Sarah Fuoco

On Thursday, April 10, 2014, Mount Sinai celebrated its annual arts and science fair. The entire seventh grade class participated in the science fair. The projects were outstanding and the turnout for the fair was wonderful. In addition to all the excellent projects, ten were selected as “Best in Show” to be entered in next year’s regional com-petition of the Long Island Science and Engineering Fair. At this event students will have the opportunity to present their work and see projects from schools all over Long Island. In addition, some may be selected to receive a special award for their work.

On behalf of the entire science department we would like to thank everyone who participated. We are very proud of your hard work. Good luck to the winners at LISEF!

Mount Sinai Middle School honored by the Suffolk Reading Council

C ongratulations to Kaitlin Chen for being honored by the Suffolk Reading Council. Kaitlin created a persuasive piece entitled: “Why Should Students Learn Foreign Lan-guages at a Younger Age?” earning third place recogni-tion. Kaitlin’s work focused on how children’s brains are more organized and accustomed to language when ex-posed at a young age. Additionally, she argued for the inclusion of a foreign language in the younger grade lev-els. Kaitlin’s influential piece stood out as a model of po-tential success. In addition to her submission, many other items were submitted in support of our Honor School ap-plication. Due to our work in promoting literacy, our school was once again named a Suffolk Reading Council Honor School.

Walt Whitman Birthplace Association Honored Students for their Poetry Writing

The Walt Whitman Birthplace Association honored several students for their poetry writing at the Walt Whit-man Birthplace in West Hills. Students were asked to cre-ate works focused on this year’s theme: A Song of Joys. Tatianna Spotorno was honored as a grand champion for her creative multimedia work “Cello” and read her poem for the audience. Amanda DiDonato and Ethan Angress followed with second and third place respectively in the same category. In addition, Claire Cai, Bianca Lucas, Emily Seiter, and Ruchi Thaker all received honorable mentions for their projects. Samantha Valenti received second place honors for her individual anthology, accom-panied by CaroleAnn Scott with third place, and Ryan Wilson with an honorable mention. Asad Azim’s individu-al poem “A Story of Jubilance” was also awarded honora-ble mention. To round out, three of Mr. O’Leary’s classes earned honors for their class anthologies. Congratulations students!



President's Volunteer Service Award

T he members of the Community Outreach and Service Club are dedicated to making a difference in our school and community. Throughout the year, members participated in various activities that helped them develop compassion and empathy for those less fortunate. They had the opportunity to collaborate with their peers and achieved priceless, intrinsic rewards. Each active member served 50 to 100 hours in the community. Their efforts were recognized as they received the President's Volun-teer Service Award issued by Points of Light Institute and the Corporation for National and Community Ser-vice on behalf of the President of the United States. In addition to the award, the students were presented with a letter from the President and a medal. Congratulations on a job well done!

Students and Citizens of the Month

APRIL 2014

Missing from photo is Jeffrey Caputo

Student Subject Desarae Casey Grade 5 Kelsey Carr Grade 6 Justyn Carreras Art Nicholas Livreri English Language Arts Julie Pfeffer Family and Consumer Sciences Vanessa Cole Health

Amanda DiDonato Health Andrew LoMonaco Math

Jeffrey Caputo Music Jennifer Kelly Science Abigail Lester Social Studies

Anthony D'Angio Spanish Noreen Guilfoyle Technology

Student Grade Jayden Milanesi 5 Jacob Merlo 7 Hailey La Giudice 8 Kaitlyn Schaal 8 Gabrielle Stoma 8

Citizens

MAY 2014

Missing from photo is Richard Checo, Clare Dana & Lawrence Giarrizzo

Student Subject

Daniel Stoma Grade 5

Gianluca Ferrara Grade 6

Anthony Robledo Art

Ross Runfola Art

Ashley Conway English Language Arts

Ebelyn Harriman English Language Arts

Nicole Ambrosio Family and Consumer Sciences

Amanda DiDonato Math

Nicholas Arciello Music

Jacob Hashim Physical Education

Clare Dana Science

Anjoli Persaud Social Studies

Isaac Kisten Spanish

Nina Barcelon Technology

Student Grade Dimitri Batuyios 5 Holly Carall 5 Richard Checo 5 Nicole Deller 5 Lawrence Giarrizzo 5 Daniella Graffeo 5 Jayden Milanesi 5 Ellyssa MacAvoy 8 Caiya Schuster 8

Citizens



Dora Batinovic Robert DeMeo Nicholas Livreri Lauren Salmonson

Ryan Beiter Emily Flamme Isabella Martinis Victoria Samour

Morgan Blasi Aristea Franks Holly McNair Angelie Sancho

Shane Bombace Sarah Fuoco John Munoz Andrew Sartori

Emily Burrus Alexa Fusco Michael Muroff Gabriella Sartori

Noel Calamas Alexis Gergely Nicolas Nigohosian Anna Serro

Heather Caputo Christopher Gill Kierin Orlando Ryan Smolarsky

Justyn Carreras Katherine Gudzik Julie Pfeffer Lindsay Stancampiano

Ryan Carros Alyssa Guiang Nicolas Pintabona Bridget Sullivan

Danielle Cavalier Kaitlin Jensen Ibraheem Qureshi Marina Trepeta

Brooke Cergol Matthew Kaminskey Victoria Ravel Zachary Tulloch

Dylan Champagne Hailey Kellachan Anya Reilly Ryan Wilson

Gavin Code Isaac Kisten Brianna Ringle Jonah Yonks

Clare Dana Christian Law Jacob Ritter

Anthony DeGennaro Jackson Law Michael Sabella

Inductees~Grade7

Inductees~Grade8

Kaitlin Chen Tyler Hinnerschietz Anni Pattapong Caiya Schuster

Ashley Conway Bianca-Anne Lucas Brett Petralia Ariana Wright

Camryn Harloff Connor O'Hanlon Madeline Prunty Jake Croston

2014 NATIONAL JUNIOR HONOR SOCIETY


MOUNT SINAI HIGH SCHOOL Grades 9 – 12

Mr. Matthew J. Dyroff Assistant Principal

Mr. Robert Grable Principal

Mr. Chris Heil Assistant Principal

Photography Field Trip

O n April 11, New York City hosted one of the largest photography shows and Mount Sinai High School pho-tographers were in attendance. The Association of Inter-national Photography Art Dealers (AIPAD) hosted their event at the Armory Building on Park Avenue. Our students had the opportunity to witness the vast arrangement of worldwide galleries. The galleries were set up like exhibits in a museum. Students explored and gained inspiration and new knowledge of photographers and techniques. While exploring, it was a great experi-ence to see how photography not only has aesthetic function, but acts as a business as well. Photographers and retailers were accessible and offered information about the gallery of work displayed. This experience was made possible by the generous donation of Mount Sinai’s Friends of the Arts. Our stu-dents and chaperones are truly grateful to have had the opportunity to see such a well-recognized show and gain additional inspiration.

Envirothon 2014

This April, teams from across Long Island went head-to-head in a competition that tested their knowledge of the Earth. The competition focused on five main categories: wildlife, forestry, aquatics, soils, and current issues fac-ing the planet.

This year’s team consist-ed of Daniel O’Mara, Al-exander Mule, Nicholas Eberhard, Alec Donowitz (sophomores), and Dev-on Gaynes (junior). These diligent and com-petitive students also pre-pared an oral presenta-

tion in which they displayed their detailed plan to convert a hypothetical summer camp into a functional, education-al farm. Preparation for the competition consisted of each stu-dent choosing one of the five aforementioned topics that most interested them, studying, and researching every aspect of that field. Advised by Ms. Sing, one of the high school’s science teachers, the team met several times to compile their ideas and to create a vibrant visual aid to help facilitate their oral presentation. The competition consisted of several multiple-choice tests that encompassed many environmental ideas and concepts. One student commented that Ms. Nau-Ritter’s Advanced Placement Environmental Science class great-ly helped prepare her for the competition. The student’s efforts paid off. Mount Sinai placed fourth in the Suffolk County division, and had one of the highest aquatics scores overall. Ms. Sing and the team plan to continue their hard work and hope to bring more pride to Mount Sinai’s academic reputation by competing again next year.

College Pride Day

On Friday, May 9, Mount Sinai School Dis-trict celebrated College Pride Day. The purpose of this day was two-fold: to highlight the colleges

our senior students will be attending in the fall, and to begin the process of underclassmen thinking about their future college plans. All students were encouraged to wear a shirt and/or hat of their choice. Seniors wore shirts of the colleges they would be attending, while underclassmen wore a shirt of a college they hope/wish to attend, where their parents may have attended, or maybe their favorite col-lege team. Faculty and staff were involved as well, wearing ap-parel from the undergraduate or graduate school they attended. The day was a huge success and highlighted many fine colleges/universities.


MOUNT SINAI HIGH SCHOOL

Students Visit the Riverhead Correctional Facility

B usiness Law students had the opportunity to re-ceive a detailed tour of the Riverhead Correction-

al Facility on April 9. Over the course of the year, stu-dents were educated on both criminal and civil laws through classroom discussions, as well as through two mock trials. We examined repercussions that a defend-ant may be faced with based on court of law rulings. Several days prior to the trip, Officer Oliver visited the class and provided a very comprehensive description of the facility. His presentation was well received and stu-dents were properly prepared. Overall, this was a great firsthand experience for stu-dents who are pursuing law as a profession. It also en-courages students to always obey and follow the law.

Pictured above (l. to r.) are Jarrod Testa, Nicholas Schmitt, Da-kota Caruso, Michael Cortese, William Seeger, Stephanie Dun-ham, Jordana Corcione, Matthew Eisenblaetter, Appio Fragoletti

and Samantha Sorgente.

Central Islip Courthouse

Business Law students had the opportunity to receive a very comprehensive visit with the Honorable Joseph Bianco on Friday, April 4, in the Central Islip Courthouse facility. The experience included a tour of Judge Bianco’s Chambers, along with a detailed personal overview of his career responsibilities. This was a wonderful experience, which enabled the students to see and hear firsthand the law concepts that have been covered in class. The students also had the opportunity to conduct a “mock” trial in his courtroom. Overall, this was a great firsthand experience for students to respect our Constitu-tion and to encourage students to always obey and follow the law.

Mount Sinai student Rachel Constantino “sits on the bench.”

The Mount Sinai Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Chapter was fortunate this year to send four stu-dents to the Rochester State Leadership Conference held April 9 through 11. The students, Seth Brand, Jere-my Kisten, Juliana Palmiotto and Sofia Tufariello, com-peted in both written exams and/or in public speaking events. We are very proud of their placements. Jeremy Kisten, for the second year in a row, will represent our chapter at the National Competition later in June in Nash-ville, Tennessee.

Pictured above (l. to r.) with Ms. Clancy are FBLA members Juliana Palmiotto, Sofia Tufariello, Chris Dallao (current Presi-

dent), Seth Brand, Su Yang and Cassandra Arnemann.



Stuff-A-Bus

O n Sunday, April 27, members of Mount Sinai High School’s Student Council and Interact Club organized a food drive at the King Kullen Supermarket in Mount Sinai. The students col-

lected non-perishable food items to donate to Island Har-vest. With the help of the community, food and necessary items were collected and “stuffed” into a school bus. This bus was then driven back to Mount Sinai High School, where students helped unload and move the groceries to the lobby. Later in the week, everything that the Student Council, Interact Club, and the numerous volunteers had collected was picked up and delivered to Island Harvest. Thanks to the efforts of our students and community, we were able to donate over 1,100 pounds of food to this worthy organization. Thank you for your support. Honors Art Show 2014

Th e Art Department proudly presented the 2014 Mount Sinai High School Honors Art Show on Friday, May 16. The show took place in the auditorium and fea-tured works from sophomores, juniors, and seniors cur-rently enrolled in advanced level art courses. Paintings, drawings, collages, photographs, as well as 3-dimensional works were on display. Parents, students, and community members were welcomed with refreshments courtesy of the Fine Arts Department as they enjoyed the display.

As strong advocates of helping the Mount Sinai community in any way possi-

ble, two groups, the Peer Leaders and Student Council, welcomed the American Red Cross to hold blood drives during the fall and spring seasons at Mount Sinai High School. In early April, these students helped nurses set up the equipment that was brought in, volunteered as escorts to make sure everyone who donated blood stayed on their feet and remained healthy, and encouraged their fellow students to participate and donate. Students took care of paperwork and monitored the area to make sure every-thing was going smoothly so that the nurses could com-plete their jobs properly. Due to the recruiting efforts of the students, thirty-seven pints of blood were collected from students, staff and community members. Thanks to the generosity of our community, many local people were given “the gift of life.” We hope to see your continuous support in the coming years. The next blood drive at the High School will be held on November 20, 2014.

Blood Drive



Music Students Visit NYC

O n April 2, fifty-one Mount Sinai High School music students attended a trip to New York City. They

started their day listening to an open rehearsal of the New York Philharmonic. They ate lunch at Applebee’s on Broadway, and then proceeded to the Broadway perfor-mance of “Pippin.” This trip has been a tradition for the past eight years. It enables music students to take advantage of their prox-imity to one of the world’s greatest cities and experience professional performances by world-renowned artists. It was an inspiring day for all!

Mount Sinai Music Students Perform for Seniors

On April 28 and 30, several Mount Sinai High School music students volunteered to perform their NYSSMA solos for senior citizens at the Atria Senior Living in South Setauket and the Rose Caracappa Senior Center in Mount Sinai. The purpose of this performance experience was two-fold: It allowed students to give back to their community, and it also gave the students an opportunity to practice performing in front of an audience right before the Solo NYSSMA Festival, which was the following weekend. The senior citizens were extremely supportive of our stu-dents and we hope to do this again next year!

“Unplugged”

O n May 30, members of the Tri-M National Music Honor Society will be hosting the annual “Unplugged” event. It will take place in the High School library from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. and admission is $5 at the door. Refreshments, courtesy of the Friends of the Arts, will be sold separately. This night is completely run by stu-dents and consists of live acoustic mu-sic. The library is transformed into a coffee house setting. All proceeds go to the Gregory Mantone Memorial Scholarship Fund. For more infor-mation, please e-mail Sarah Marceau at [email protected].



Trig Star Math

O n April 23, four mathematics classes at Mount Sinai High School were visited by Christine Gayron, presi-dent of Gayron de Bruin Land Surveying, and Greg Peter-man, a partner at Nelson and Pope Engineers and Sur-veyors. Ms. Gayron and Mr. Peterman presented some true-life applications of trigonometry in the land surveying industry. Their lesson included some of the surveying history of land parcels in Mount Sinai and its surrounding areas. Students also participated in a series of hands-on activities to take indirect measurements. These activities included students using actual field surveying instru-ments. One week later, on April 30, thirty interested students participated in the Trig Star Math Contest. This is a statewide contest that was sponsored locally by the Nas-sau/Suffolk Chapter of Civil Engineers. Su Yang, a soph-omore, won the local contest here at Mount Sinai. Su’s results were then compared to the results of all of the oth-er students that had participated in the contest throughout the state. Su had the best overall score, making her the 2014 New York State Champion in the Trig Star Con-test! Next up, Su will be entered in the National Trig Star Contest.

Pictured above (l. to r.) are Mr. Tim Izzo, Mount Sinai High School Trig Star Coordinator; Ms. Kelly Lynch, Su Yang’s Class-room Math Teacher; Su Yang, and Mr. Greg Peterman, Partner

at Nelson and Pope Surveyors and Engineers.

National Honor Society Spring Induction

The Mount Sinai High School National Honor Society has had an outstanding year because of the diligent efforts of our officers:

President, Amanda D’Angio; Vice-President, Lindsay Putkowski; Treasurer, Kaitlyn Loh; and Secretary, Sarah Catterson. The December ice-skating at Rockefeller Center, our annual Honor Society trip, was a great success. Every-one had a wonderful time skating and walking through the city during the holiday season. Safe Halloween and the November PTO Craft Fair were also enjoyed by all partici-pants with face painting and lots of fun. With our April induction, it’s time to pass the baton on to our new members, and to wish all our seniors best of luck in the future with a hardy thank you for all their hard work and best efforts representing Mount Sinai’s Chapter of the National Honor Society. Congratulations to all our graduating seniors. On April 24, the new Honor Society members were inducted during an evening candlelight ceremony in which President of the Board of Education, Robert P. Sweeney, gave congratulatory comments. Our new members are:

Martin Barcelon Seth Brand Sage Budovsky Robert Campbell MaryEllen Carron Joseph Casper Timothy Chebuske Shahajahan Chowdhury Shannon Clusel Sarah Combs Deanna Dempsey Jordan Diamond Stephanie Dunham Olivia Esposito David Fuenzalida

Daniel Giordano Kevin Gray Carissa Gulli Victoria Harman Steven Kaufman Jeremy Kisten Lawrence Krepela Ryan MacAvoy Alexa Mani Alyssa Muscarello Leanna Nichols Jenry Nieto Martinez Ashley O’Connor Tiffany Ong Jamie Parente

Jessica Parente Lauren Poretsky Zaineb Qureshi Yulia Rosenfeld Keegan Sabo Michelle Scanlon Ashley Seiter Jenna Shackles Jordan Silberfeld Emily Solomos Sofia Tufariello Amanda Uss Kathryn Walton Brendan Zotto

Congratulations to our new members.



Project Adventure

T he Eleventh Annual Project Adventure Field Trip took place in late April. Students in eight Project

Adventure classes were given the opportunity to chal-lenge themselves on the high-ropes course at the Dorothy P. Flint 4 H Camp in Riverhead. As in the past, all four days were wildly successful. Students had time to choose their level of challenge and perform without time constraints that are normally present when there is only one class period to climb, and to reflect and share their experience with others. Students arrived home tired, sore and feeling more confident in their per-sonal abilities. The next time they are faced with a difficult life choice, they will know that they have what it takes to overcome any obstacle!

2014 Junior Prom

The Class of 2015 enjoyed a memorable night at the junior prom. With the weather being gorgeous out, the day started off with excitement in the air. Early in the evening, Mr. Cardo honored Ms. Amato for all the work she has done as class co-advisor over the past years. The class thanked her, presented her with flowers and wished her well on her upcoming retirement. Then Mr. Cardo announced each junior with his/her date as they walked down a striking red carpet. After the red carpet event, students were transported to the beauti-ful Hamlet at Willow Creek Golf and Country Club. Upon arriving at the venue, students enjoyed a cocktail hour, which allowed socializing, eating, and refreshments. When students entered the dining room, they were amazed by how beautifully the room was decorated. The sounds of the DJ’s music attracted many students to the dance floor. He provided students with great entertain-ment.

The photo booth was also a big hit and gave students an opportunity to have wonderful memories to cherish for years to come. Mr. Shapiro, along with the photographer, took amazing shots of students dancing, mingling with their peers and socializing outside during the evening. Everyone enjoyed the extraordinary water view from the balcony. It was this memorable night that brought the whole Class of 2015 together.

Mount Sinai High School at Stony Brook University STEM Initiative Program

S tudents from Mount Sinai High School and Port Jef-ferson High School participated in a Stony Brook Univer-sity STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Initiative Program where high school students were given the opportunity to explore various aspects of engineering and computer programming. The program was conduct-ed on Thursdays from January until April at the Center for Science and Math Education located on the Stony Brook University campus. Funding for the program was arranged by Senator La-Valle. Students along with science teachers, Glynis Nau-Ritter and Catherine Hantz, participated in Session 1 on Learning Programming with Images and Apps, and Ses-sion 2 on Electrical and Computer Engineering. This STEM Initiative Program will hopefully continue next year with another group of students from ninth through eleventh grades who show a strong interest in pursuing science and engineering.

Mount Sinai student Jenry Nieto soldering in the STEM Initiative Program with Port Jefferson High School partner



A.P. Biology Explores Science Away from Mount Sinai High School

T he Advanced Placement Biology (APB) class per-formed biotechnology lab techniques at Stony Brook

University in preparation for their AP exam in May. A Pol-ymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique was used to identify genetically modified foods (GMOs). Students also manipulated bacteria to insert the GFP (green fluorescent protein) when the class visited the Biotechnology Teach-ing Lab on March 27 with Ms. Nau-Ritter. The GMO lab activity, which is part of their APB col-lege lab portfolio, was coordinated by Professor Joan Kiely of CESAME at Stony Brook.

AP Biology students Chris Dallao and Grayson Valentino per-form PCR at Stony Brook Lab.

Civic Engagement

STUDENTS OF THE MONTH

On May 27, Mount Sinai High School’s Student Gov-ernment hosted Congressman Tim Bishop and represent-atives from six Suffolk County schools in the annual Civic Engagement Ceremony. Students from high schools across Long Island had the opportunity to present the results of the hard work they put into community service activities and events. In previous years, students have accomplished many things; some traveled to Africa to bring school supplies to under-privileged children while others remained at home and created Safe Halloween events and Beach Cleanup pro-grams to help the local community. This year has been no different and students’ achieve-ments were recognized for the positive influences they have had in the betterment of tomorrow. Congressman Tim Bishop personally commended students for their tire-less efforts and rewarded them with congratulatory certifi-cates as a token of appreciation and as a reminder that their efforts are not going unnoticed and are very much appreciated.

MARCH

Art Veronica Venezia 9 Business Kaitlyn Loh 12 Citizenship Michael Frank 9 Computer Science Andrew DiDonato 10 English Kevin Kelly 9 Family & Consumer Science Chloe Franza 10 Foreign Language Daniel Giordano 11 Health Luke Marino 10 Math Sarah Garceau 10 Music Stephanie Dunham 11 Physical Education Ryan Schaal 12 Science Savanna Russiello-Tous 9 Social Studies Thomas Labriola 10 Technology Simione Daves 12

APRIL

Art Zaineb Qureshi 11 Business Rachel Constantino 12 Citizenship Ashley Becker

Joseph Casey

Douglass Gentile

Justin Edwards

12

10

10

12 Computer Science Benjamin May 9

English Michelle Scanlon 11 Family & Consumer

Science

Victoria Morello 11

Foreign Language Nicholas Glendenning 9

Health William Brune 11 Math Veronica Venezia 9 Music Emily Mantone 10 Physical Education Antonio DiMonti 11 Science Nicole Hurowitz 9 Social Studies John Bonghi 11 Technology Thomas Yavorka 12

MAY

Art Roland Wimmer 12 Business Danielle Hertzovitz 12 Citizenship Michael Basovich 11 Citizenship Amanda D'Angio 12 Computer Science Thomas Labriola 10 English Alexander Michalos 12 English Michael Frank 9 English Rene Campbell 9 Family & Consumer Science Daniela Pintabona 12 Foreign Language Selin Erdogan 12 Health Lawrence Krepela 11 Math Brittany Allen 11 Music Thomas Armstrong 12 Physical Education Shaina Molow 9 Science Noah La Rocca 11 Social Studies Tyler Rouse 10 Technology Alyssa Carr 10 Technology Brianna Pidoto 10


MOUNT SINAI HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS Mr. Scott Reh, Athletic Director

SCHOLAR/ATHLETE SPRING TEAM AWARDS

The New York State High School Athletic Association has recognized Mt. Sinai High School varsity athletic teams for achieving academic excellence while actively participating in varsity level interscholastic athletics during the 2013-2014 spring season. Varsity Girls Spring Track 96.204 Varsity Boys Spring Track 94.098 Varsity Boys Tennis 93.721 Varsity Girls Lacrosse 92.649

Varsity Football Justin Burger – All Division 1st Team Nick Cavaliere – All Division 2nd Team Mike Clark – All Division 1st Team Mike Cortese – All County Brandon Drumgole – All Division 1st Team Nick Kelly – All County Shane Leonard – All Division 2nd Team Matt Mavrovich – All Division 2nd Team Bryan Reed – All County Coles Williams – All Division 1st Team Zachary Wolfe – All County Varsity Volleyball Maria Pellarin – All League Julia Gallo – All League Emily Solomos – All League

2013 FALL MVP/COACHES AWARD Varsity Boys Soccer Joseph Casper – MVP Anthony Pesce – Coaches Award Christopher Marrs – Mustang Award Varsity Girls Soccer Gabrielle Corrente – MVP Ashley Vetter – Coaches Award Rachel Menna – Mustang Award

Varsity Girls Soccer Gabrielle Corrente – All County, All State Daria Martorana – All League Rachel Menna – All League Varsity Girls Cross Country Caroline Fiodalisi – All League, All Division Caroline Hoeg – All League, All Division Varsity Boys Cross Country Daniel Connelly – All League, All Division All County, All State, 85th in Federation Varsity Girls Tennis Alexa Mani – All League Erika Mani – All League Tiffany Ong – All League Margarita Suvorov – All League Kaitlyn Loh – All County Kelly Napolitano – All County Varsity Boys Soccer Joseph Casper – All Conference Christopher Marrs – All League Benjamin Kopcienski – Academic All County

2013FALL MVP/COACHES AWARD

2013 FALL LEAGUE AWARDS

Varsity Football Bryan Reed – MVP Zach Wolfe – Coaches Award Justin Burger – Mustang Award Varsity Volleyball Emily Solomos – MVP Antonina Fiore – Coaches Award Victoria Szempruch – Mustang Award Varsity Boys Golf John Shlonsky – MVP Ryan Connor – Coaches Award Thomas Yavorka – Mustang Award

Varsity Cross Country Girls Caroline Hoeg – MVP Christina Parrish – Coaches Award Ashley Becker – Mustang Award

Varsity Cross Country Boys Daniel Connelly – MVP Chris Dallao – Coaches Award Adeel Azim – Mustang Award Varsity Girls Tennis Kaitlyn Loh – MVP Kelly Napolitano – Coaches Award Erica Mani – Mustang Award

2013 WINTER ALL LEAGUE AWARDS

Varsity Boys Basketball Seth Brand – Academic All- League Coles Williams – All League Varsity Girls Basketball Victoria Johnson – All Conference Veronica Venezia – All League Gabriella Sartori – League 6 Rookie of the year Varsity Boys Winter Track Charles Kollmer – All County – All State 2nd time Small School County Champion, 3rd place in NYS – Pole Vault Daniel Connelly – All County – 3200 Meter Run, School Record Holder Thomas Yavorka – All County – Pole Vault Varsity Girls Winter Track Alexandra Bohne – All League Francesca Carbonara – All League Jacqueline Cumings – All League Caroline Fiordalisi – All League Ashley O’Connor – All League Kayleigh Robinson – All League Margarita Suvorov – All League

Varsity Wrestling Daniel Henry – All League Luke Marino – All League Laurence Paul – All League Leonel Paul – All League Ryan Schaal – All League Jason Shlonsky – All League Jon Shlonsky – All League Varsity Boys Basketball Coles Williams – MVP Nolan Kelly – Coaches Award Benjamin Kopcienski – Mustang Award Varsity Cheerleading Alexa Signorile – MVP Amanda Spoleti – Coaches Award Stephaney Ankelman – Mustang Award Amanda Rose – Mustang Award Varsity Girls Basketball Jessica Parente – Coaches Award Carissa Gulli – Coaches Award D.J. Harloff – Mustang Award

2013-2014WINTER MVP/ COACHES AWARD

2013-2014WINTER MVP/COACHES AWARD (Continued)

Varsity Girls Winter Track Francesca Carbonara – MVP Amanda D’Angio – Coaches Award Ashley Becker – Mustang Award Varsity Boys Winter Track Daniel Connelly – MVP Charles Kollmer – Coaches Award Thomas Yavorka – Coaches Award Varsity Wrestling Laurence Paul – MVP Ryan Schaal – Coaches Award Joseph Vella – Mustang Award



2013-2014 SPRING ALL LEAGUE AWARD

Varsity Boys Tennis Jordan Diamond – All County John Reilly – All League Kyle Cullen – All League Martin Barcelon – All League Varsity Boys Lacrosse Zachary Wolf – All League Daniel Bullis – All League Varsity Girls Lacrosse Jessica DeMeo – All Division Kasey Mitchell – All County Shayna Pirreca – All County Sydney Pirreca – All County Julia Michaels – All County Alexandra Flobeck – All County MaryEllen Carron – All County Morganlee McGrath – All Division Carly Spano – All Division Emily Vengilio – All Division Caroline Hoeg – All Tournament Varsity Girls Spring Track Alexandra Bohne – All League Heather Caputo – All League Francesca Carbonara – All League Amanda D’Angio – All County Academic Caroline Fiordalisi – All League Noreen Guilfoyle – All League Amanda Loh – All League Kaitlyn Loh – All League Alyssa Muscarello – All League Kayleigh Robinson – All League Amanda Rose – All League Alexa Signorile – All County Kasidy Smith – All League

Varsity Boys Lacrosse Zachary Wolfe – MVP Nicholas Cavaliere – Coaches Award Ryan Connor – Mustang Award Varsity Girls Lacrosse Shayna Pirreca – MVP Kasey Mitchell – MVP Julia Michaels – Coaches Award Alexandra Flobeck – Coaches Award MaryEllen Carron – Coaches Award Sydney Pirreca – Coaches Award Carly Spano – Mustang Award Varsity Girls Spring Track Amanda D’Angio – MVP Alexa Signorile – MVP Ashley Becker – Coaches Award Varsity Boys Spring Track Jonathan Ma – MVP Charles Kollmer – Coaches Award Frank Bosio – Mustang Award Steven Boyce – Mustang Award Varsity Girls Golf Deanna Dempsey – MVP Alexa Mani – MVP Jade Hartcorn – Coaches Award Mariah Dick – Coaches Award Marissa McKiernan – Coach Award Ava Rossi – Mustang Award Varsity Softball Holly Drasser – MVP Antonina Fiore – Coaches Award Lindsay Putkowski – Mustang Award Varsity Baseball John Feltman – MVP Nicholas Moerlins – Coaches Award Dominick Caputo – Coaches Award

Varsity Boys Spring Track Jonathan Ma – All League – 110 Meter Hurdles All League – Triple Jump Steven Boyce – All League – High Jump All Division - Petathlon Daniel Connelly – All Division- 1600 & 3200 Meter Thomas Yavorka – All County – Pole Vault Charles Kollmer – All County – Pole Vault – League Champion Roberto Carneiro – All League – Discus Varsity Girls Golf Deanna Dempsey – All League Alexa Manni – All League Jade Hartcorn – All League Varsity Softball Holly Drasser – All County Love’ Drumgole – Rookie of the Year Jessica Parente – All League Cassandra Wilson – All League Varsity Baseball John Feltman – All League Anthony Flynn – All League Jason Conti – All League John Sfakis – All Academic

Varsity Boys Tennis John Reilly – MVP Kyle Cullin – Coaches Award Chris Colosi – Mustang Award

2013-2014 SPRING MVP/COACHES AWARD

Congratulations to the Varsity Baseball team and Coach Reichenbach on winning the 2014 Varsity Baseball Sportsmanship award from the Eastern Suffolk Baseball Umpire Association.

Congratulations to the following Gold Key winners. The Gold Key award is the highest honor in Section XI that an athlete can receive for sports participation. It is awarded to student-athletes who receive either a Varsity or JV letter in grades 10 through 12.

Frank Bosio Dominique Parker Eric Compagnone Michael Power Daniel Connelly Salvatore Costa Amanda Rose Amanda D’Angio Alexa Signorile Charles Kollmer Carly Spano

Thomas Yavorka

Congratulations to the following teams for their outstanding achievement during the 2013-2014 school year. Varsity Football Big Four Champions Varsity Cheerleaders – 1st Place in the Nationals Varsity Girls Lacrosse – Division 2 Conference Champions Varsity Girls Golf – Division 2 Champions Varsity Boys Tennis—League 6 Champions



Dear Parents: For your child to be eligible to participate in interscholastic athletics for the Fall Season 2014 thru the Spring Season 2015, a sports physical must be performed after June 1st 2014. For this reason there will be a school physician available to do sports physicals on the following dates at the High School Nurses office: Wednesday, June 18th 3:30 p.m. 7th through 12th grade girls (all sports) 4:00 p.m. 7th through 12th grade boys (all sports) Wednesday, July 16th 9:00 a.m. 7th through 12th grade girls (all sports) 9:30 a.m. 7th through 12th grade boys (all sports) Wednesday, August 13h 9:00 a.m. 7th through 12th grade girls (all sports) 9:30 a.m. 7th through 12th grade boys (all sports)

NOTE: Athletes must report ONLY on their assigned day and time as indicated above. They should be prepared to stay for the entire session. Students entering 7th grade who received a sports physical in June from the school physician at the Middle School are not required to have another physical dur-ing the 2014-15school year.

NO STUDENT MAY PARTICIPATE IN INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETICS UNLESS THEY HAVE BEEN EXAMINED AND CLEARED BY THE SCHOOL PHYSICIAN OR THEIR PRIVATE PHYSICIAN. ***STUDENTS USING A PRIVATE PHYSICIAN MUST HAVE THE ENCLOSED GOLDENROD SCHOOL EXAMINATION FORM FULLY COMPLETED, INCLUDING BLOOD PRESSURE, URINALYSIS & BMI. FORMS MUST BE SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL NURSE ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE START OF THE SEASON.

***THE SCHOOL FORM WILL BE THE ONLY ONE ACCEPTED*** ALL PHYSICALS MUST BE TAKEN ON OR AFTER JUNE 1, 2014 TO BE VALID AND WILL ONLY BE

RECOGNIZED FOR THAT SCHOOL YEAR!

Practices and/or try-outs will begin for the following fall sports on the dates and times listed below. High School—Grades 9-12

Date Team Time

Monday, August 18th Varsity Football equipment handout J.V. Football equipment handout

1st Football Practice Varsity & J.V.

3:00 pm 3:45 pm 5:00 pm

Coach will Contact Monday, August 25th

Varsity & J.V. Cheerleading Varsity and J.V. Boys Soccer Varsity and J.V. Girls Soccer

Varsity Tennis Varsity Boys & Girls X-Country

Varsity Golf Varsity and J.V. Girls Volleyball

8:00 am 8:00 am

Middle School—Grades 7 and 8 1st day of school; Monday, September 3, meetings immediately after school, an-nouncements will be made regarding

location:

Boys/Girls Soccer Football

Boys/Girls Cross Country Girls Tennis

Cheerleading 1st Day of Practice Thursday, September 4th

2014-2015 ATHLETIC STARTING DATES

High School Varsity & J.V. Football

All Fall Sports Homecoming

NCAA Athletic Night Winter Spring

August 18 August 25

September 20 October 22 @7:00 pm HS Auditorium

November 19 March 9

Middle School

Fall Early Winter

September 3 November 5, 6, & 7 (Girls Volleyball tryouts)

Late Winter Sprint

January 20 March 30

We hope this information will halp your child meet his/her athletic goals and be ready when the season starts. Sincerely, Scott Reh Director of Physical Education, Health Athletics, Nursing & Grounds


MOUNT SINAI HIGH SCHOOL MUSIC & ART Mr. Stephen Mantone, Music & Applied Arts Director

NYSSMA FESTIVALS

O ver 400 Mount Sinai students participated in the Solo/Ensemble Festival sponsored by the New York State Music Association on Friday, May 2-Saturday May 3, 2014 at the Shoreham-Wading River School District.

The students selected a piece of music according to the level of difficulty, and prepared it along with scales and sight reading. The scores received will aid in the selection to the various All-County Festivals in the coming school year. In addition to these students, twenty-one high school sophomores and juniors competed at the All-State level, the highest level of difficulty. Nine performing organizations from the Middle School and High School participated in the Major Organization Festival held on May 19-21 at West Islip. Their scores are as follows: High School Concert Orchestra, Gold w/Distinction High School String Orchestra, Bronze High School Symphonic Band, Gold High School Concert Band, Gold High School Chorus, Silver Middle School 8 Band, Gold Middle School 7 Band, Gold w/Distinction Middle School 7/8 Orchestra, Gold w/Distinction Middle School 7/8 Chorus, Silver

Mt. Sinai High School 2014 Senior Music Awards

Awarded at end-of-year concerts:

Several graduating seniors from the Mt. Sinai High School were honored at the recent Spring Concerts on May 27-29 for their contributions to the Music Department. Receiving awards were: ♫ National School Choral Award: Samantha D’Orazi ♫ National School Orchestra Award: Kyle Cullin ♫ Louis Armstrong Award: Christopher Dallao ♫ John Philip Sousa Award: William Lamparter ♫ Patrick Gilmore Awards: George Grolz IV Raquel Lobato Bryan Reed

Documents

Reflections From Our Schools - Mount Sinai School …mtsinai.k12.ny.us/our_district/newsletters/mirror/13-14/2014... · Reflections From Our Schools ... This is something everyone