District News Archive 2010-2011 School Year

2010-2011 School Year

Bellport Student Wins Community Photography Contest (6/28/11)
The Bellport High School Art Department is proud to announce that Elysa Schuhmacher has won first place in Assemblyman Dean Murray’s Community Photography Contest. Elysa’s photograph “Waiting for Love”, will be displayed in the State Capitol Building as well as in Patchogue on Saturday, July 16^th. As the winner, Elysa will have the opportunity to spend the day at the State Capitol next year.

Summer School Program (6/18/11)
Summer School registration will be held on Wednesday 6/29/11 & Thursday 6/30/11 at Bellport Senior High School, 205 Beaver Dam Road, Brookhaven NY. Registration hours are from 8:00am-12:00pm & 1:00pm-2:00pm. Please click on the links below or call 631- 730-1575 for additional information.

Program Dates and Times

August 2011 Testing Schedule

NYC v. Long Island All Star Football Game (6/18/11)
The New York City vs. Long Island All Star Football Game, also known as the Boomer Game, will air live on channel 14 this Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 7:30 pm. (Channel 14 or 714 for Cablevision customers only.) Four players on the team are from Bellport; Mike Burton, Travis Houpe, Ryan Sloan and Justin Winter. In addition, our own Coach Cipp is coaching the team! Please tune in to the game on Tuesday night to cheer them on!

Suffolk County School Superintendents’ Association Honors South Country Valedictorian Gourav Khadge (6/8/11)
On Thursday, June 2nd, Bellport High School senior Gourav Khadge was honored at the annual Suffolk County School Superintendent Association’s Valedictorians’ Luncheon held at the Hyatt Regency Wind Watch Hotel in Hauppauge. Gourav, along with other valedictorians across Suffolk County, was congratulated on being named the top-academic student from the South Country graduating class of 2011. This honor recognizes years of hard work and a commitment to his studies.

Attending the celebration with Gourav were his two parents, Mr. Andrew Budris (teacher), Mr. Bernie Soete (principal), Mrs. Linda Rozzi (Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction & Technology) and Superintendent of Schools Mr. Joseph L. Cipp, Jr..

Gourav will be attending Harvey Mudd College and will be studying physics. Congratulations Gourav!

Boys Relay Team Wins Suffolk County Championship (6/2011)
Congratulations to the boys 4 x 800 relay team, Travis Correa, Sheldon Derenoncourt, Derek Palafox, and Brandon Santana, for winning the Suffolk County Championship this past weekend. The team also finished 6^th in NYSPHAA and 8^th in the Federation. The boys received All-State honors for their accomplishments.

Bellport Seniors Chosen for Football Classic / Empire Challenge All-Star Game (6/6/11)
Congratulations to Bellport High School Seniors, Justin Winter and Ryan Sloan, who were selected to participate in the “Upstate Downstate Football Classic” . The New York State High School Football Classic, was established by the New York State High School Football Coaches Association to promote and showcase the outstanding football talent in the state of New York. It is a heavily sponsored contest & played in the Dome at Syracuse University. Players are chosen by a staff who review film & recommendations. Players are chosen by position which makes the selection even more special. The New York State High School Football Classic serves to unite the 650 high school football programs throughout the State, and over 20,000 football coaches (head coaches and assistants), as well as the 80,000 student athletes in New York State that compete in scholastic football. The Classic game and weekend stands as the pinnacle for high school football in New York State, and a rallying point for the New York High School Football Coaches Association.

Ryan and Justin will be joined by Mike Burton and Travis Houpe in the 16th annual “Outback Steak House Empire Challenge All-Star Game” on June 21st at Hofstra Stadium. Coach Cipp has also been selected as a coach for the game.

Bellport High School Class of 2011 - Valedictorian, Salutatorian, Essayist Announced (6/1/11)
Mr. Bernie Soete, Acting Principal of Bellport High School is proud to announce the Valedictorian, Gourav Khadge, Salutatorian, Elise Budd and Essayist, Arya Seghatoleslami for the Class of 2011. A gathering was held in the Principal’s office with family and school district officials to congratulate these outstanding students.

Pictured left to right: Joseph L. Cipp, Superintendent, Mr. Seghatoleslami, Arya Seghatoleslami, Essayist, Mrs. Seghatoleslami, Elise Budd, Salutatorian, Mrs. Budd, Gourav Khadge, Valedictorian and Mr. and Mrs. Khadge.

Bellport HS Students Film Presented at First Exposure Film Screening (6/1/11)
Mr. Bernie Soete, Acting Principal of Bellport High School and Ms. Suzette Fandale, Chairperson of the Art Department for the South Country School District are pleased to announce that students Zachary Towlen and Jack Nix presented their short film "You, Me and Bananas" at the 5th annual First Exposure film screening at the Huntington Cinema Arts Centre. Zachary and Jack’s work was selected by the Suffolk County Film and Cultural Affairs Council from over 85 videos that were entered in the Long Island Media Arts Show. The event was attended by members of the Long Island Film Alliance who seek possible entries into the Hamptons Film Festival.

Bellport Girls Varsity Softball - A Class Act (5/31/11)
Comsewogue School District extended their gratitude to our Girls Varsity Softball Team in recognition of their tribute and support for one of their team members. A week after learning that a member of the Comsewogue Softball Team suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while playing in the gym, the Bellport team wore the Comsewogue Team's shirts with Bellport on the front and their team member's name on the back. Wearing the shirts for the whole game, Bellport later presented each of the Comsewogue girls with the tee shirts as well. Comsewogue in return, wore the Bellport shirt at a subsequent game. In the words of Comsewogue Superintendent of Schools, Joseph Rella, "it is probably the classiest thing I have seen happen.....your girls lifted the spirits of our kids in a way that they will never forget, I will never forget and our district will never forget". Kudos to our Coach, Erin Molloy, Assistant Coaches Buster Mass and Jason McGowan, and to the members of our Girls Varsity Softball Team for their wonderful demonstration of sportsmanship and compassion.

Frank P. Long ELA Test Pep Rally (5/2011)
The talented and dedicated staff of the Frank P. Long School, held an ELA Test Pep Rally recently to encourage and motivate students taking the ELA Tests. Click on the link below to view a video of the rally.

PTA Council Board Positions Available 5/25/11 The South Country PTA Council has the following Board positions available to anyone interested in becoming a PTA Council Board member for the upcoming 2011-2012 school year. Every position is open for nominations. If you are interested or if you would like to nominate a person(s) for one of these positions, please click here, complete the form and submit it in a sealed envelope to the attention of the “PTA Council Nominating Committee” by Wednesday, May 25, 2011.

President Vice President Treasurer Recording Secretary Corresponding Secretary

School Budget Vote Results 5/19/11 Thank you to the South Country Community. The budget passed with 1,709 to 1,188 votes. Congratulations to Victor Correa, Biaggia (Jeannette) Mistler and Barbara Schatzman, who were elected to seats on the board.

Thank you to South Country Lions Club
On behalf of the District, Dave Seyfert, Visual Impairment Teacher for the South Country School District, thanks the South Country Lions Club for their generosity in helping to meet the educational needs of students with visual impairments The South Country Lion’s club continues to be very active in helping to meet the educational needs of student’s with visual impairments in our district. In 1925, Helen Keller asked The Lion’s club to become “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness,” and the Lions have been helping to meet the needs of individuals with visual impairments since that time. School Districts are mandated to provide for the educational needs of students with visual impairments within the school day; The Lions play a vital role in helping to meet those needs that fall outside of the school day. They have made two very generous donations on behalf of two district students during the 2010-2011 school year. At their September 28^th meeting, The South Country Lion’s Club presented a South Country kindergartner with a state-of-art electronic magnifier. A second donation made by The Lions will be used to pay for a middle school student to take a class over the summer at Baruch College’s Computer Center for Visually Impaired People (CCVIP) in Manhattan. South Country Vision Teacher, Dave Seyfert states, "I’ve been making requests of the South Country Lion’s club for nearly 25 years now, and they still amaze me with their generosity and enthusiasm. They are truly unspoken heroes within our community. The South Country Lion’s club has several annual fundraisers, and I hope that the larger South Country community would remember their efforts in helping the district’s students and consider supporting them during these events.” Read more...

Kreamer Street School SDM Hosts Spaghetti Dinner 5/11/11
On April 28th the Kreamer Street Elementary School Shared Decision Making Team hosted The Annual Spaghetti Dinner. It was an evening filled with good food and parent workshops conducted by Kreamer Street teachers. While the parents were in their workshops, the students were engaged in structured activities led by teachers, support staff and Bellport High School students from the Future Teachers of America and Interact Clubs. At the conclusion of the workshops, the school community gathered in the cafeteria for a Spaghetti Dinner which was prepared by staff and retirees of the South Country School District. Music was provided by students from the Bellport Middle School orchestra under the direction of Juliette Valenti. The evening concluded with a raffle drawing to support the third grade picnic. Click on the photos below.

Author Heather Forest Visits Brookhaven Elementary School
The PTA of Brookhaven Elementary School sponsored a storytelling performance from award winning author/story teller Heather Forest. Ms. Forest’s storytelling blends original music, folk guitar, poetry, prose and the sung and spoken word. She has recorded eight albums of storytelling and written seven children’s picture books based on folktales. The performance was enjoyed by all the students and staff. Pictured is author Heather Forest.

Bellport High School Latin Students Compete at Stony Brook University 5/10/11
On April 4, 2011 Latin students in Mrs. Ellams classes at Bellport High School participated for the first time in the Latin Certamen (competition) held every year at Stony Brook University. The students finished in the top one-third of all the schools from Nassau and Suffolk County. Students competing from Latin 1 classes were Mark Maranan, Rebecca Nardulli and Sebastian Gonzales. Daniel Santana, Rachel Celentano, Elise DeLillo and Kelsey Delmotivits competed from the Latin II classes.

Advanced Woodworker's Club at Frank P. Long School 5/10/11
Pictured below is The Advanced Woodworker’s Club at Frank P. Long School, displaying some of their more technical projects completed over this past academic year. This years’ group of 5th graders worked tirelessly during their lunch periods under the direction of club coordinators, Peter Cisek and Michael Miles. The Advanced club was established because of the overwhelming demand from students to continue their woodworking skills after they completed the basic course in 4th grade. They learn valuable skills such as geometric design, advanced measurement, hand manipulations, following difficult sets of instructions and many other social/emotional and educational applications.

Examples of the more advanced projects include building magazine racks, footstools, sitting benches, Adirondack chairs, bat houses and birdhouses. “All in all, the program has become so popular that 150 to 200 children will sign up per year to participate in the program,” said Pete Cisek. Behind the scenes, Michael Miles, Student Assistance Services Counselor says, “the program is designed to coordinate with many of the individualized behavioral plans for working with hard to reach children. It is a double reward because the children are discovering just how much fun it can be to learn.” Participation in the Advanced Woodworkers Club is a privilege and many of the students must demonstrate appropriate behavior through their actions to get approved into the club. “Because these students are working with tools and equipment, they must model all of the Pillars of Good Character to show they are responsible enough for that opportunity,” pointed out Cisek. Many students will make an effort to improve their classroom behaviors to ensure their spot in the next Advanced Woodworkers project. “When the child does his best he gets the opportunity to build and experience nature’s garden as a reward.”

Pictured Above: Back row standing, Principal Stefanie Rucinski , Mackenzie Maletta, Emma Johnsen, Kaitlyn DeVito, Natasha Torres, Catherine Nickla, Assistant Principal Mandy Mazziotti , Rachell Paz. Kneeling Tatiana Borelle, Emma Walker, Danielle Hanley, Zachary Mastrogiacomo and Mitchell Maresco

Registration for Summer Driver Education
Registration forms are now available for the Bellport High School Summer Driver Education program, beginning Tuesday, July 5, 2011. Click here for additional information.

Annual Elementary Schools Science Fair Winners 4/27/11
The Annual Elementary School Science Fair was a huge success this year. More projects were submitted by our students at all four of our Elementary Buildings than in past years. Students who received 1st place recognition at each grade level will now be sent along to the Brookhaven National Laboratory Competition in early May for regional competition. All students who received 1st place recognition had their projects displayed and were recognized at the April 13, 2011 Board of Education meeting. Congratulations to the following winners:

Frank P. Long Intermediate School 4th Grade- Justin Maler 4th Grade- Jason Izzo 5th Grade- Casey Myers 5th Grade- Sarah Vaccaro	Brookhaven Elementary School Pre-K-Danilo Encalada Jara Kindergarten- Evan Riley 1st Grade-Lauryn Alexandre 2nd Grade- Justin Renfroe 3rd Grade- Alexis Spence
Kreamer Street Elementary School Kindergarten- Naliyah Wright 1st Grade-Victoria-Ann Mena 2nd Grade- Ben Niebling 3rd Grade- Trinity Belmonte	Verne W. Critz Elementary School Kindergarten- Abigail Dvorsky 1st Grade- Marc Promutico 2nd Grade- Emely Reich 3rd Grade- Timothy Montick

Congratulations to all of our winners and good luck at the Brookhaven National Laboratory competition!

BHS Global Studies Students Skype with Students in Egypt: 4/26/11

On Friday, April 15, 2011, Bellport High School students had the opportunity to connect with students from the Middle East using some of South Country School District’s new technology. Mr. Jonathan Elsalam, a Global History teacher at Bellport High School, arranged five video conference sessions throughout the day using Skype software to link 9^th graders with three graduate students from the University of Cairo. Students discussed issues that ranged from the removal of Mubarak to the role of women in modern Egypt. “Mr. Elsalam’s project is exactly the kind of cutting edge learning experience that our new technology makes possible. It’s a great opportunity to connect students to the world’s hot spots where history is literally happening on the ground,” said Social Studies Department Chairperson Andrew Budris.

Pictured above is one of our 1st place winners,
first grade student Lauryn Alexandre.

Brookhaven Celebrates Scientific Inquiry 4/20/11
The annual Brookhaven Elementary School Science Fair wasa huge success this year, with over 144 projects entered for competition. The annual event is spearheaded by teachers who dedicate much of the year preparing for the fair by serving on the school’s Science Fair Planning Team. We are very proud of all student accomplishments as a tremendous amount of work went into this initiative. Students who received 1st place recognition at each grade level will now be sent along to the Brookhaven National Lab Science Fair later in early May for regional competition!

On Wednesday, April 13th, Brookhaven 1st place winners throughout the district displayed their projects at South Haven School, prior to the start of the Board of Education meeting. Students in grades PK through grade 5 were present to answer any questions and were presented with a certificate of accomplishment at the beginning of the Board meeting by the Superintendent, Mr. Joseph Cipp Jr.

The following Brookhaven Science Fair students received recognition at the school-wide fair held on April 7th:

Pre-Kindergarten
1st place: Danilo Encalada Jara – “Can I Color With Fruits?”
2nd Place: Stephanie Grosso – “Air Pressure”
3rd Place: Samantha Chitu – “Can Lima Beans Grow in the Dark?”

Kindergarten
1st Place: Evan Riley – “Speed”
2nd Place: Kaitlyn Foley – “Which Grows Best – Hot or Cold Seeds?”
3rd Place: Colin Orsino – “Brown Apples”

First Grade
1st place: Lauryn Alexandre – “The Best Bubbles Around”
2nd Place: Nathan Orechovsky – “Spill & Clean”
3rd Place: John Devito – “Glow Stick”

Second Grade
1st Place: Justin Renfroe – “Will a Stem Still Do the Job of a Straw if it is Cut in Half?”
2nd Place: Nigral Sinkler – “Fizzical Reaction?”
3rd Place: Jada Morales – “Potato Maze”

Third Grade
1st Place: Alexis Spence – “The Germinator”
2nd Place: Rocel John Buada – “Want to Be Young and Lovely?”
3rd Place: David Bellante – “Does Pepper Make You Sneeze?”

We congratulate these fine youngsters for winning this distinguished honor, and wish all 1st place winners much success as they enter the next round of regional competition!

Women Sharing Art First Annual Student Scholarship Winner 4/20/11

Women Sharing Art is pleased to announce the winner of the First Annual Student Scholarship. Alicia Blumenthal from Bellport High School was one of over twenty young artists that submitted artwork. Fundraising events by Women Sharing Art members has made possible this monetary award. High school students showed their pieces in additional to their submission to the BAFFA (Bay Area Friends of Fine Arts) Juried Exhibit on Sunday, April 3, 2011. Alicia hopes to attend the College of Charleston or Roger Williams University in the Fall where she plans to major in art.

Pictured left to right is: Suzette Fandale, South Country School District Art Department Chairperson, Alicia Blumenthal, Women Sharing Art Scholarship Winner and Bellport High School Art Teacher, Lisa Conk

Superintendent Cipp Honored 4/13/11

Superintendent of Schools and Bellport Football Coach, Joseph L. Cipp, Jr., was introduced on the floor of the New York State Assembly and Senate recently by Assemblyman Dean Murray and Senator Lee Zeldin.

Mr. Cipp was presented with a joint resolution congratulating him on earning the most victories of any high school football coach in the history of Suffolk County.

Pictured above is Coach Cipp, with his wife Laura, flanked by
Assemblyman Murray (left) and Senator Zeldin (right).