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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 Ms. Elizabeth Hine

Reflections From Our Schools

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE MOUNT SINAI UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT

Summer 2010 Volume 34 Issue 4

Grade Level Reading Nights A nnual reading celebrations at the Elementary School

occurred for parents and second grade students on March

11th, third grade students on May 19th, and first grade students

on May 20th. The second and third grade events were full of

fun group activities, the PTO provided snack, and there was‐

quiet reading time between parent and child. The first grade

celebration was different in that Patricia Shih performed a

number of sing‐a‐long songs that centered on reading as a

theme.

Grade 4 Bully Prevention Workshops During the first week in March, Mrs. Viscosi, the Elementary

School Social Worker, visited all fourth grade classrooms to

conduct bully prevention workshops. Students learned about

the four types of bullying behavior – physical, verbal, emo‐

tional, and cyber‐ and discussed various strategies to deal with

situations should they occur. At the end of the workshops, all

students affirm a pledge to be “Bully Free.”

Students pictured with Dr. Gentilcore and

Mrs. Viscosi during workshop.

Town of Brookhaven Clean Up

April 17th, 2010 marked the first annual

Town of Brookhaven Clean Up which the

Elementary School participated in cleaning

up our school campus. Mr. Siani coordi‐

nated the entire effort and despite unfavor‐

able weather conditions, the group pic‐

tured below collected over a dozen bags of

garbage and recyclables.

Mount Sinai Mirror 2


Journey into Native American Territory

F ourth grade students learned about the New York Iroquois Native American culture on March 3rd by

experiencing a travelling museum of artifacts and storytelling

at the Elementary School. Pictured below are Kaitlyn Schaal

and Drew LoMonaco from Ms. Roode and Mr. Walsh’s classes

dressed in traditional clothing.

100th day of School

S tudents in Kindergarten through Second grade enjoyed dancing and singing to celebrate the 100th day of school on

February 24th. Mr. Guida, known fondly as “The Singing Bus

Driver,” led the children and teachers in songs such as “The

Wheels on the Bus ,” “Bump” and another favorite, “Macaroni

and Cheese.” Thanks once again, to the PTO for providing this

educational entertainment.

Avenue of the Americas at Heritage Park

Fourth Grade Student Council members, along with their co

advisors, Mrs. Hendry and Mrs. Sheedy, are pictured below

with Mr. Drewes, who is the visionary and coordinator for the

Avenue of the Americas Project at Heritage Park. The project

idea was presented to fourth graders in an assembly which

was followed by a school wide fundraiser. Paper tree and

flower cut outs were sold during the lunch periods to raise

donation money for this community beautification effort. The

ground breaking and planting ceremony took place on April 22,

2010. When completed, flags and trees from each of the fifty

United States will adorn the south west area of the park.



Nutrition Assembly

T he Elementary School students were reminded of

important nutrition information in a schoolwide assembly pro‐

gram on March 16th called “The Magic of 5 A Day.” Aside from

the entertainment value, the purpose of the assembly was to

promote the district’s health and wellness policy by getting

students to develop an awareness of the Food and Drug Ad‐

ministration guidelines for healthy eating habits.

Character Education The monthly character theme for April was Tolerance and

students in the Elementary School participated in “Make a

New Friend Day” where they sat with someone else from a

different class in the cafeteria. Pictured below are students

from first through fourth grade with their new friend. First

graders pictured are A. J. Bonomo and Joseph Caputo; Second

graders pictured are Brandon Ventarole and Hayden Taylor;

Third graders pictured are Brooke Cergol and Lindsay Stancam‐

piano; Fourth Graders pictured are Nicole Hagenberger and

Nicole Gill.



Student Council Fundraisers T he Elementary School students and faculty continue

to give generously to several non‐profit causes every year.

Money was collected during lunch periods to help Mr. Pender‐

gast’s Ride for Life campaign, Little Angel Fund, and Angela’s

House. Total donations to the three charities amounted to

over nine hundred dollars.

Author Visit

Children’s Book Week was celebrated with Elementary

School students by a visit from DyAnne DiSalvo, author and

illustrator of numerous children’s picture and chapter books.

She presented three school wide as‐

semblies on May 20, 2010 and followed

up the next day with Writing Work‐

shops for all the fourth grade classes.

Students got a real understanding of

what it takes to be a person who has to

overcome many obstacles, namely re‐

jections from publishers, to follow their dreams.

Safety Sally The mobile “Bus” classroom came to the Elementary School

in May to remind students in grades Kindergarten through

Second Grade about the importance of safety and rules they

need to follow both on and off the bus. Mrs. Height, fondly

known as “Safety Sally”, works for the transportation depart‐

ment of BOCES and coordinates yearly visits to our school to

talk to students, as seen in the photo below.

Grand Falloons

Earth Day was celebrated with a PTO gifted assembly at the

Elementary School called “Grand Falloons.” The message of

Recycling and Reusing to save our planet’s natural resources

was the theme which was portrayed in several short skits and

musical numbers.

(Grand Falloons Continued on pg. 5)



(Grand Falloons Continued from pg. 4)

AHA Field Day

Fourth grade students participated in Field Day events on

May 27th with high school students who belong to the Athletes

Helping Athletes program coordinated by high school teacher,

Mr. Koustantanou. Pictured below is Mrs. Flynn’s class wearing

their T‐Shirt which reflects the winning design entry by Claire

Cai.

Videoconferences During the months of May and June, videoconference tech‐

nology has been dialing up and connecting many classes in the

Elementary School with organizations such as NASA and the

Bronx Zoo to go on “virtual field trips.” Kindergarten students

experienced an “Under the Sea” adventure with the Camden

Children’s Garden on May 19th. First Grade students had an

assortment of videoconferences with titles such as “The Rain

Forest”, “Sense‐Sational Animals,”

“The Moon,” and “Our Magnificent Sun.” In addition, Ms.

Erath’s class was selected to have a question and answer ses‐

sion with a “live” Astronaut, Mr. Bob Cabana. Second Grade

students experienced “Our Solar Neighborhood” and set up a

replica universe with planets out in the fields behind the

school to simulate distances.

Police Smart

O fficer Sandy Lochren is visiting classrooms in the Elementary School as part of Suffolk County Police

Department’s “Police Smart” program. She discusses the im‐portance of beach and pool safety with the younger students, bicycle safety and bullying with the older students.

Suffolk County Reading Council Kieran Orlando, a third grade student in Mrs. Breutsch’s

class, won first place

in the Suffolf County

Reading Council Writ‐

ing Contest. The win‐

ning entry was a

poem titled, Goodbye

Summer, Hello Fall.

Kieran and his par‐

ents, along with Dr.

Gentilcore, will be

attending the presen‐

tation of awards din‐

ner on June 4, 2010.

Congratulations to our award winning poet.

Students on stage during assembly


(Presidential Awards Continued on pg. 7)

MOUNT SINAI MIDDLE SCHOOL

Grades 5 – 8

Mr. Robert Grable Mr. Christopher Heil

Principal Assistant Principal

The Ride for Life

F or many years Mount Sinai Middle School has partici‐pated in heartwarming assemblies honoring Chris Pendergast. Mr. Pendergast, a Miller Place resident, was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

(ALS) in 1998. This disease slowly attacks the nervous system and people who are affected lose the ability to control their muscles. Mr. Pendergast’s mission is to create awareness for ALS. One way he does this is by visiting schools around Long Island and by participating in an event known as The Ride for Life. Each year during The Ride for Life, Mr. Pendergast travels hun‐dreds of miles in his electric wheelchair followed by dedicated supporters and fellow patients. Many Mount Sinai residents have shown their support by participating via donating time and money to conquer this debilitating disease. As was done in the past, the Mount Sinai Middle School’s Student Council, Community Outreach and Community Service clubs felt it was important to help Mr. Pendergast spread awareness of ALS. The aforementioned clubs spread the word by making morning announcements, posters, and by holding a fundraiser to help raise much needed funds to support Mr. Pendergast’s cause. The fundraiser, “The Mount Sinai World Series,” was named after famous New York Yankee baseball player Lou Gehrig. Mr. Gehrig was the first to be diagnosed with ALS. To get as many people as possible in the middle school involved, the fund‐raiser included competitions from all grade levels and staff. A large scoreboard was displayed in the school cafeteria and “baseball hits” were calculated as donations piled in. The scores for each grade level changed as the amount of dona‐tions increased. The winning homeroom classes received an ice cream party. On May 14, several stu‐dents represented the mid‐dle school in this year’s ALS “Kickoff” held at Heritage Park in Mount Sinai. Stu‐dents presented Mr. Pender‐gast with a donation of $800. Many people from the com‐munity attended this event in support of this worthy cause. We will continue to support Mr. Pendergast in all of his efforts and wish him the best of luck on his journey “to find a cure.”

Mount Sinai Middle School students present their donation to Mr. Pendergast.

Presidential Awards

"He who wished to secure the good of others, has already se‐

cured his own.” –Confucius. This year’s Community Outreach

and Community Service members had the opportunity to ex‐perience this firsthand. Throughout the 2009 ‐ 2010 school year, each club member diligently kept track of his or her com‐munity service hours on a web‐based program known as presi‐dentialserviceawards.gov. Members participated in activities within their club at school, but they were encouraged to branch out on their own as well. This enabled them to extend themselves beyond that of school based activities. Some ex‐amples of services the members performed above and beyond their club experiences were: raking lawns for the elderly, shov‐eling snow, making cards for the children’s hospital, volunteer‐ing time at animal shelters, raising money for people in need, picking up litter around the parks, planting flowers and much more. The students proved to be mature, conscientious club members who will one day be welcomed and admired in any community. “Giving back” is their motto. The website categorized the members in three ways: Gold ‐ 100 community hours or more, Silver ‐ 75 to 99 community hours, or Bronze ‐ 50 to 74 community hours. For each cate‐gory, the members were awarded a medal, an official letter from President Obama and a personalized certificate from the White House.



During club sessions, the members learned how our country has a long and proud tradition of volunteer service. Now more than ever, volunteers are renewing their commitment to help‐ing others and making new connections that bring us closer together as families, neighbors, communities, and as a nation. The President’s Volunteer Service Award Program is a way to thank and honor Americans who, by demonstrating commit‐ment and example, inspire others to engage in volunteer ser‐vice. President Obama feels that recognizing and honoring volunteers sets a standard for service, encourages a sustained commitment to civic participation, and inspires others to make service a central part of their lives. The members are able to maintain their service logs on the website as they continue earning more hours for their service to their communities. Many students are motivated and look‐ing forward to continue their commitment over the summer. and beyond.

(Presidential Awards Continued fm. pg. 6)

Name Hours Award Thomas Lownds 100.00 Gold Hallie Devlin 61.50 Silver Kayla Branca 61.25 Silver

Hayden Burridge 82.05 Silver Cara Navaretta 92.00 Silver Aamna Qureshi 83.50 Silver Tina Batinovic 61.25 Bronze Madison Burridge 60.00 Bronze Merissa Carpentito 68.50 Bronze Natalie Christiano 54.75 Bronze Corinne Cianciulli 62.75 Bronze Olivia DeMarco 54.25 Bronze Samantha Feeney 51.50 Bronze Jeremy Kisten 57.25 Bronze Raymond Krahm 56.00 Bronze Brandon Lozano 53.50 Bronze Kasandra Lozano 53.00 Bronze Leonardo Lozano 50.00 Bronze Helene Marinello 62.55 Bronze Amber Masullo 50.00 Bronze Tiffany Ong 57.25 Bronze Kaylee Orlando 58.00 Bronze Courtney Palma 73.00 Bronze Sheriden Pollina 50.00 Bronze Beverly Schnall 50.00 Bronze Megan Shanian 65.25 Bronze Bonnie Shepard 55.75 Bronze Kasidy Smith 51.00 Bronze

2009‐2010 Presidential Award Winners

Tools for Schools Drive

D uring the weeks of May 10 and May 19, The Community Service and Community Outreach clubs of Mount Sinai Middle School held their Sixth Annual “Tools for Schools Drive.” Each fifth and sixth grade homeroom class competed to help the unfortunate and win a pizza lunch which was donated by La Casa Restaurant and Aragona’s Pizzeria. This drive encouraged the students to realize the importance of helping underprivi‐leged children and to establish teamwork within a class set‐ting. Some teachers incorporated class lessons into the drive, such as making charts and graphs, as a way for the students to visualize and understand how much they are helping the com‐munity. The students in each homeroom class collected items based on a point system. The item with the highest value was a back‐pack which was worth 20 points. The supplies piled in rapidly and the students were able to triple their amount of supplies from last year. The teachers tallied up the number of points for each day then finalized it with a class total. The school sup‐plies were packaged and donated to local underprivileged chil‐dren. In the fifth grade, it was a close call between Ms. Shreck’s class and Ms. Massano’s class. The winning class was Ms. Massano’s class with 1090 points. The competition be‐tween the sixth grade classes was also very impressive. The winner was Ms. Petrola’s class with 920 points.

Congratulations and thank you to all fifth and sixth grade classes who contributed.



Diary of Anne Frank

O n April 12, 2010, fifth and eighth grade students had the opportunity to view a live performance of The Diary of Anne Frank. This is the true story of a group of people who are living in hope and fear. Anne Frank, her parents, sister, another fam‐ily, and an older gentleman were Jews in the Netherlands dur‐ing the German occupation of World War II. These eight peo‐ple hid in a secret alcove above a factory. This production pro‐vides another perspective to World War II, which dovetails with the grade five and eight, social studies curriculum and English language arts curriculum. The Franks had lived in Germany. As the anti‐Semitism sen‐timent took hold in that country, Mr. Frank and his wife left everything and moved their daughters to the Netherlands. In a few years they were not safe there either. Finally, after Mr. Frank was called to report to the Germans, they went into hid‐ing in the "Secret Annexe." They were joined by the Von Daan family and Mr. Deusel, a dentist. Anne's parents gave her a diary on her birthday in 1942. They still were in their home at the time, so, the first group of entries deal with Anne's private thoughts over school and her social life. Soon after her birthday, though, the family went into hiding. Anne was a person with great insight into the situation and her family. She recorded everyday happenings, her arguments with her family, the happy times, the celebra‐tions, and her dreams, as they hide in the "Secret Annexe" for over two years. Eventually, they were found and arrested by the Germans. Of the eight residents, only Mr. Frank survived the concentration camps.

A special thank you to the Friends of the Arts for fund‐ing this wonderful program.

Math Olympiads

Several students from the middle school were among the nearly 150,000 students worldwide to participate this year in the Math Olympiad Program. From November to March, stu‐dents participated in a series of five monthly contests of five problems each, and weekly practice sessions under the super‐vision and coaching of Ms. Massano. The students responded well and all were recognized with certificates for their participation. The gold pin is awarded to those students in at least the 98 percentile (top 2%). At the middle school, Spero Calamas, with a score of 23 out of 25 points, was in the extraordinary group. The silver pin is awarded to those in the 90 to 97 percentiles and included Christopher Marrs (16/25). The embroidered felt patch is awarded to those in the top 50 percentile and include the fol‐lowing students: Aj Abazis, James Catterson, Elizabeth Deller, Patrick Hanaj, Ryan Hecht, Kevin Kelly, Ben May, Leo Parr, Ian Pfeffer, Jake Rudolph, and Keith Williams.

Each year the Math Olympiads serves over 100,000 students on nearly 5,000 teams nationally and about 50,000 students on 2,000 teams in more than 30 countries. Since 1979, it has pro‐vided challenging, thought‐provoking problems that stretch the abilities of students in grades four to eight, strengthening their foundation for both assessment tests and more advanced studies. Our children have responded to the challenge with eagerness and enthusiasm.

The Great Brookhaven Cleanup This April the members of the Middle School Student Coun‐cil and several teachers and administrators volunteered their time to be part of the Great Brookhaven Cleanup. The cleanup effort focused on the middle school courtyard. Students and teachers planted many perennials, mulched our new garden beds and garden borders. A fresh coat of stain was also ap‐plied to the courtyard gazebo. The support was greatly appre‐ciated by the Courtyard Club, who maintains this area through‐out the school year.

Thank you to all for their collective efforts.

Our courtyard gets spruced up during The Great Brookhaven



Grade 8 Visits Washington, D.C.

The Grade 8 students recently boarded three coach buses and went on a class trip to Washington, D.C. The trip aligns with the Grade 8 social studies curriculum and makes history come alive. The guides have many interesting stories and share facts about the sites and monuments as we travel about. For example, the bronze Statue of Freedom by Thomas Craw‐ford is the crowning feature of the dome of the United States Capitol. The statue stands 19 feet 6 inches tall. Because it represents our countries greatest asset, freedom, no other statue in Washington can be taller. Upon our arrival to D.C., students visited the FDR, Jefferson, Lincoln, Vietnam, and Korean Memorials. Students were pro‐vided with etching paper and graphite to obtain names from the Vietnam Memorial. At the Lincoln Memorial the cornice is composed of a carved scroll regularly interspersed with pro‐jecting lions' heads and ornamented with palmetto cresting along the upper edge. Above this on the attic frieze are in‐scribed the names of the 48 states present at the time of the memorial's dedication. The students are sent out to find where the last two states are inscribed and to locate the word that is misspelled on the wall inside the memorial. One of the most somber parts of the trip was our visit to the Holocaust Museum. With unique power and authenticity, the museum teaches millions of people each year about the dan‐gers of unchecked hatred and the need to prevent genocide. As part of the experience, students were provided with a pass‐port containing the identity of a prisoner before they are crowded into an elevator simulating a boxcar. Before exiting the museum, students can look up the person on their pass‐port to find out if they survived the Holocaust. On a more uplifting experience, students viewed a 3‐D movie in the capitol before the tour. The film was entertaining and stressed the concept of E Pluribus Unum or out of many, one. Students commented that they had a great time and repre‐sented the Mount Sinai learning community as expected.

Grade 6 Visits Brookhaven National Laboratory

I n March and April, all sixth grade classes visited Brook‐haven National Lab (BNL) Science Learning Center. Our stu‐dents experienced science in the most hands‐on way. First, students discovered the history and science behind Magnetic Levitation Trains. They assembled and tested a prototype train while collecting and analyzing their data to figure out how to build the most cost‐effective train. Next, during several inter‐active demonstrations with an actual Van de Graff generator, students learned about the structure of the atom and how it is used to produce static electricity. Finally, students explored light and spectroscopy by viewing different light sources to see how each element produces a unique spectrum. It was a great way to develop an understanding of how scientists use light waves to identify elements. Our students loved exploring the Science Learning Center and working in groups to accomplish the challenges posed. Overall, students were fascinated to experience first‐hand how the scientists at BNL conduct research and experiments with magnets, electricity, and light in order to design technology that impacts our everyday lives.

Bianca Wasser, Leon Paul and Kaitlyn Kaufman

participate in an experiment at BNL.


Walt Whitman’s Poetry Contest

E ach year there is an annual poetry contest spon‐sored by the Walt Whitman Birthplace Association. This year’s

theme for the Walt Whitman’s twenty‐fourth poetry contest

was “That Music Always Round Me.” Ms. Petrola’s sixth grade

writing classes, once again, entered their work to create an

anthology that would reflect the theme of “If you just listen…

you will hear music all around you.” Seventy‐five poems were

selected and placed into the anthology. Many of the poems

were shaped like music notes which added to the emotional

feeling that the “music” of their words and phrases was im‐

printed upon the page. To everyone’s great pleasure, this an‐

thology entitled, The Music Side of Life, received first place in

the designated category reflecting projects from fifth and sixth

grade students across Long Island. Each student whose poem

was accepted received a blue‐ribbon award and a presentation

copy of his/her award‐winning poem.

Pictured above are winning students from Ms. Petrola’s sixth grade writing class.

Dream Flag Celebration

You are never too young or too old to set a new goal or

dream. From the smallest personal beginnings to the largest

human triumphs, dreams and goals shape people's lives and

motivate them to learn. That was the theme that inspired the

Junior Great Books students in Ms. Connor’s and Mr. O’Leary’s

grade eight English classes to study the “dream” poetry of

Langston Hughes and relate it to their own past, present and

future.

JGB students at the Dream Flag Celebration

Students interviewed a grandparent or a “grand” person to discover who and what impacted their dreams and what they are most proud of. Students found that although they may not share the same dreams, there are no short cuts; the road to success requires courage, perseverance, commitment, effort, and a sense of pride.

The Dream Flag Project is a global initiative that recognizes and embraces the im‐portant connection between self, school, community, humanity, and the world. Mount Sinai students added the inter‐generational aspect to reflect on their history and hopes for the fu‐

ture, as they looked back to recognize accomplishments and look forward to set new goals. Students presented their inspi‐rations in a poem that they wrote to symbolize their determi‐nation to reach their goals. Poems were transferred onto fab‐ric to create fifty‐five distinct flags that represent the impor‐tance of each Junior Great Book student’s connection to his/her dreams. On May 20, 2010, students, “grand” people, and parents gathered to listen to the students express their gratitude and share their poems. We would like to express our sincere thanks to the North Shore Heritage Center for hosting the Dream Flag Celebration and for displaying all Dream Flags in their community room.

Students of the Month March 2010

(Student of the Month Continued on pg. 11)

(Not pictured: Kathryn Ortiz, Tiffany Ong and Samantha Sorgente)




(Student of the Month Continued fm. pg. 10) Student Subject

Kathryn Ortiz Grade 5

Dalila Diamond Grade 6

Brian McKeown Music

Hayden Burridge Spanish

Devon Gaynes Math

Jeremy Kisten English Language Arts

Tiffany Ong Science

Samantha Sorgente Family and Consumer Sciences

Antonina Fiore Physical Education

Kenneth Laudante Technology

Laurence Paul Art

John Shlonsky Social Studies

April 2010

(Not pictured: Courtney Palma and Alyssa Muscarello)

Student Subject

Courtney Palma Grade 5

Matthew Harris Grade 6

Amanda Loh Physical Education

Nelson Martin Barcelon Jr. Art

Jillian Dunne Family and Consumer Sciences

Emily Goodman Social Studies

Alyssa Muscarello English Language Arts

Alex Altamirano Technology

Colette Graziano Math

Kaitlyn Loh Spanish

Hayley McLean Music

Alison Statham Science

May 2010

Student Subject

James Catterson Grade 5 Patrick Hanaj Grade 6 Alexa Mani Music Leanna Nichols Science Jenry Nieto Social Studies Illyana Padilla Family and Consumer Sciences Thomas Clark Technology Jennifer Combs Spanish Alexander Miller Art Kelly Napolitano Math Joseph Vella Physical Education Ashley Vetter English Language Arts

(Not pictured: Thomas Clark)

Citizens of the Month

March 2010

(Not pictured: Zachary Krackow)

Student Grade

Janna Poretsky 5

Andrew Franklin 6 Matthew Harris 6 Daniel Henry 6 Zachary Krackow 6 Jeremy Kisten 7 Ryan MacAvoy 7 Victoria Morello 7 Sydney Pirreca 7 Cody Munnich 8

(Student of the Month Continued on pg. 13)


April 2010

(Student of the Month Continued fm. pg. 12)

Student Grade Alexander Giannantonio 5 Brian Macri 5 Brianna Seckel 6 Gabrielle Barbieri 7 Timothy Chebuske 7 Kristina Reddy 7 Victoria Silano 7 Samantha Thompson 7 Jenna Altamirano 8 Jillian Juhas 8 Michele Kekkonen 8 Daria Martorana 8 Jessica Wellhausen 8

May 2010

(Not pictured: John Devereux and Justin Murphy)

Student Grade

Sheridan Pollina 5 Daniel Cianci 6 Caitlin Connor 6 Faris Furoogh 6 Patrick Tibbetts 6 Shahajahan Chowdhury 7 Christian Dular 7 Brittany Edwards 7 Alexa Mani 7 Brandy Banser 8 John Devereux 8 Justin Murphy 8

Drama Club Update

A fter months of hard work, the Middle School Drama Club has completed another successful season. Their produc‐tion of Forty‐five Minutes from Broadway, held on March 18 and 19, was met with much applause and adulation. The stu‐dents worked very hard and performed a wonderful show in the grand Broadway tradition. Congratulations to all!

Super Green Me The Mount Sinai Middle School’s Going Green Club dis‐played its true colors as they wrote, performed, and directed their first Public Service Announcement (PSA) for the Town of Brookhaven contest. Focusing on the concept of the benefits of recycling, the club created a sixty‐second video that re‐ceived the recognition of honorable mention at the Town Board meeting held on May 18, 2010. Keeping the spirit alive, the Going Green members have raised funds from the sale of Earth Day tee shirts, which will be utilized to purchase paper recycling waste buckets for each classroom in the middle school, as well as, bottle recycling con‐tainers for the cafeteria.

Chris Golino, Frank Bosio, Jacob Wright, and Mr. O’Leary



Mount Sinai Goes to Boston

T he seventh class traveled to Boston for two days of fun filled adventure. The students arrived at the mid‐dle school at 5:30 a.m. wide‐eyed and ready to roll. All one‐hundred and thirty eight of us boarded the Port Jefferson ferry at six o’clock in the morning, a wonderful surprise for the ferry’s regular commuters. However, our students were on their best behavior and represented the middle school in typi‐cal fashion. Our first stop was at Plimoth Plantation, which is a re‐creation of a 1627 English Village built by English colonists in the midst of the Wampanoag Indian tribe’s homeland. Here, costumed role players in both the village and Native American homesite, communicated in their native tongue and provided students with commentary related to their daily activities. The students had an opportunity to observe the actors weaving baskets, cooking lunch, carving hefty timbers and using fire to form a large log into a boat. The role models interacted with the students and answered a host of questions. Shortly thereafter, we boarded the bus and headed for Bos‐ton. There we boarded a "DUCK," an authentic World War II amphibious landing vehicle, and headed off for a tour of Bos‐ton via land and sea. The tour guides, called conDUCKtors, entertained the students with historical stories and facts as they viewed the sights such as the golden‐domed State House, Bunker Hill, the TD Banknorth Garden, Boston Common, Cop‐ley Square, the Big Dig, the Government Center, the fashion‐able Newbury Street, Quincy Market, and the Prudential Tower. Students had the opportunity to captain the DUCK while emerged in the Charles River. After an evening of dinner and dancing, students awakened at six in the morning for a seven o’clock group breakfast. Sub‐sequently, we again boarded the bus for Boston, this time starting our day with a tour of the city via the Freedom Trail at the Copps Hill Burying Ground.

Again, the tour guides provided students with a history of the city and its various landmarks and answered students’ ques‐tions. Some of the attractions the students toured included Faneuil Hall, Paul Revere’s house (exterior), and the Old North Church. After a long morning of walking, students finished the day at Quincy Market for lunch and street entertainment. As usual, the food was outstanding and the entertainment even better. All in all, it was a fantastic trip. The weather cooperated nicely and our students fulfilled our expectations.

Mount Sinai National Junior Honor Society Induction

On May 12, 2010, a new group of Mount Sinai Middle School students was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society. This year, this tremendous honor was bestowed upon forty‐eight deserving students in our school. Co‐Advisors Ms. Meehan and Mr. Grossman were joined by Mr. Grable, Mr. Heil, Ms. Corley, and the Mount Sinai High School’s National Honor Society President, Sabrina Spotorno, in congratulating the deserving students. Many people believe that a member of the National Junior Honor Society must have good grades. And, while this is true – a student must have a 90 average in the four Core subjects – there are many other requirements for membership. These are referred to as the “Pillars of Character.” At the aforementioned induction, the current officers spoke about each of the five pillars. President Eric Compagnone spoke on the subject of leadership. Vice President Kelly Na‐politano reminded attendees and inductees about character. Treasurer Kaitlyn Loh talked to the audience and the inductees about the importance of citizenship. Secretary Amanda D’An‐gio discussed the importance of service to others in our school and greater community. Finally, Corresponding Secretary Jen‐nifer Combs spoke about scholarship. As stated, the five Pillars of Character, as addressed by the officers, are the qualities sought in the membership of National Junior Honor Society. May 12 was an amazing night of celebration. Congratula‐tions to all of the 2010 National Junior Honor Society recipi‐ents. As a group, we look forward to your success and we know that you will all achieve great things. Congratulations to the following inductees:

(National Honor Society Continued on pg 15)

On April 15, 2010, Mount Sinai Middle School students at‐tended the Long Island Science Regional Science Fair (Junior Division) at SUNY Farmingdale College. The students’ projects were chosen to attend the LISC regional fair after being awarded the “Best in Show” top project award in last year’s seventh grade science fair held here at Mount Sinai Middle School. These students are Kyle Cullin, Brian Gentile, Anthony Graffeo, Andrew Holomshek, Raquel Lobato, Kristen Marino and Miriam Slaiby. The LISC competition includes students from over 50 schools throughout Long Island and was established in 1950. Our students proved to be very competitive all receiving Cer‐tificates of Achievement and Meritorious ribbons. We are ex‐tremely proud of the hard work, dedication, and professional‐ism they displayed at the competition. Congratulations!

On Thursday, April 15, Mount Sinai celebrated its annual arts and science fair. The entire seventh grade class partici‐pated in the science fair. The projects were outstanding and the turnout for the fair was wonderful. In addition to all the fine projects, seven projects were selected as “Best in Show” to be entered in next year’s regional competition of the Long Island Science Congress (LISC) at Farmingdale College. Stu‐dents will compete against other schools on Long Island.

This year’s winners are:



Grade 7 Anthony Abbondanza Seth Brand Hayden Burridge MaryEllen Carron Shahajahan Chowdhury Olivia Cifuni Sarah Combs Jessica DeMeo Jordan Diamond Stephanie Dunham Olivia Esposito Daniel Giordano Christopher Golino Carissa Gulli Victoria Harman Kathryn Hogan Dylan Jurgensen

Steven Kaufman Jeremy Kisten Lawrence Krepela Alexa Mani Victoria Morello Tiffany Ong Lauren Poretsky Molly Presser Zaineb Qureshi Bradly Reed Marc Scalamandre Jenna Shackles Emily Solomos Hannah Sullivan Jason Vengilio Kurt Walters

Grade 8 William Brennan Justin Burger Gabriella Conceicao Daniel Connelly Gabrielle Corrente Salvatore Costa Silvestro Crino Jr. Antonina Fiore Deanna Mancine Kristen Marino Katelyn McCadden Amber McCoy Laurence Paul Amanda Spoleti Christopher Zoufaly

(National Honor Society Continued fm.pg 14)

Suffolk Reading Council

T housands of poetry entries were submitted throughout Suffolk County this year in the Suffolk Reading Council’s

annual poetry contest. Students were asked to submit their best work; a poem that represents their true feelings and emo‐tions. This year, seventh grade student Alyssa Muscarello earned second place in the Grade 6 – 8 category. As part of her award, Alyssa’s creative poem will be published in the Suffolk Reading Council Literary Journal. In addition, Zaineb Qureshi, Haleigh Lyons and Kyle Cullin all received certificates of recog‐nition.

The Light ‐Alyssa Muscarello

In this place, I hold a light

Although it’s small, it shines so bright. This light shimmers and glows day in and day out,

And helps me when I’m down and out.

In this place, I hold a light, I’ve got some time to spare,

I keep my secrets hidden and safe And I know it’s always there.

In this place, I hold a light,

I never seem to tire, Of letting my feelings shine with such sheen,

This light always follows me.

In this place, I hold a light, And if you hadn’t guessed, This light I hold is my heart And it shall never rest.

Long Island Science Congress (LISC) Regional Science Fair

Grade 7 Science Fair

Student and Project

Keegan Sabo

How do Pea Tendrils respond to different rods?

Bradley Reed

Which Fruit Makes the Most Energy?

Jenny Brajuha & Gwen Hine

What Keeps Lettuce Crisp the Longest?

Tiffany Ong & Julia Gallo

Do Different Densities of Different Liquids Affect the Rate of Evaporation?

(Grade 7 Science Fair Continued on pg. 15)



(Grade 7 Science Fair Continued fm. pg. 14) Alexander Mule

How Long Can DNA Survive Separated From Other Cell Components?

Devon Gaynes

Which is More Benificial to a U Home ‐ Solar Wind of Energy?

Martin Baredon & Ryan Suslan

Which Substance Melts Ice Faster?

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 the LISC in 2011.

Bradley Reed is pictured above with his project.

Walt Whitman Celebration

Mount. Sinai Middle School students were honored for their inspired contributions in the Twenty‐Fourth Annual Walt Whit‐man Birthplace Association Poetry Contest on Sunday, May 30, 2010. Focusing on the theme of “That Music Always Round Me,” students used their imaginations to create original pieces using Walt Whitman’s words as a springboard. Shahajahan Chowdhury’s entry “The Darkness” earned second place hon‐ors while Tina Batinovic’s piece “A Walk in a Field of Daises” followed with third place. Receiving honorable mentions were Timothy Chebuske, Julia Gallo and Zaineb Qureshi. In the class anthololgy category, Mr. O’Leary’s seventh grade communicaitons class earned second prize with their collected works “Euphonic Epiphany,” while the Junior Great Books class respectively received an honorable mention for “‘Serendipitous Symphony.”

The Darkness Shahajahan Chowdhury

The wolf howls, On the day of the full moon, There’s nothing but haze,

And the darkness around you.

You hear crickets chirping, The adrenaline rushes through your body,

You try to calm yourself, Try not to look behind you!

You slowly look behind you,

You imagine something broken starting to work as you move your neck,

There seems nothing behind you, Nothing but the sounds of chirping crickets.

You continue to walk,

But the crickets stop chirping, You can hear your own footsteps,

Oh it’s quiet! Too quiet!

You slowly try to resume your pace, The wind starts to whisper in your eyes,

The tree starts to rattle like a wounded snake, There’s no turning back now!

You start to run,

But things you saw keep on coming back, You start to breathe heavily,

And your sweat starts to take control of you.

Next thing you know, You see your friends laughing and hanging out,

You quickly tell them what happened, But they seem to laugh and, not believe you.

Promising Young Writers A Walk in the Field of Daisies Tina Batinovic

On a warm summer day, when the sun has yet to set,

I slipped on my dress, and went off to play.

I came to the field of daisies and green,

my hair swishing in the breeze. I plucked a sweet daisy, and put it in my hair.

I walked on the trail,

my boots clucking along. I hear the bushes whisper, I

stop and stare.

Two squirrels fighting over a nut they can’t share.

I sit on an abandoned tree trunk,

and look around me. The tiny buzz of a lady bug as it circles around me.

The sweet tweets of a blue jay

fill the air. Then the sound of leaves crunching under well worn cowboy boots,

approaching me.

He comes up behind the tree and scares me.

We run to the field to play, the wind whooshing past us.

I hear my momma holler from the house

“JoAnna Marie, time for dinner!” We race to my house.

As we pass the neighbor’s house, we hear his fiddle sing with joy.

We reach my house.

I hugged him good‐bye, and ran up the porch stairs,

the last step squeaking as I step on it. I went inside.

I closed the door, and caught my breath.

A walk in the field of daisies.



T he National Council of Teachers of English recognizes stu‐dents across the country for their outstanding writing. This year, Katelynn Cameron, Jennifer Combs, and Haleigh Lyons were among the 415 eighth grade students to receive national acknowledgment for their writing. Students submitted two entries of writing which were then judged using a rigid rubric.

Mr. O’Leary, Jennifer Combs, Katelynn Cameron, and Haleigh Lyons.

A ll too quickly, another school year has gone by. On behalf of the FOA Board, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank eve‐

ryone for their help in making this year another successful one.

Whether your support came via the $5 general membership,

hands‐on volunteer time or a purchase at one of our bou‐

tiques, the FOA is grateful for your support.

This year these funds (totaling approximately $22,000) that

have been so generously donated by the community, have

been put to use by funding BOCES programs in the Elementary

School (Multicultural/World Holiday Show and Tales of a 4th

Grade Nothing), Middle School (Diary of Ann Frank) and High

School (Potsdam Brass Quintet). Costumes and additional

lighting for the High School production of Les Miserables, two

computers for the High School web club and the banner now

hanging in the Middle School auditorium were also purchased

with funds raised this year.

In addition, grade level art contests are held in the Elemen‐

tary School to encourage our children’s imaginations and tal‐

ents. Winners in each class are awarded a $5 gift card and all

children receive a token prize. Artists and Musicians of the

Month in the Elementary School are awarded a $10 gift card to

either Michael’s or Sound Beach Music.

(Friends of the Arts Continued on pg. 22)


MOUNT SINAI HIGH SCHOOL

Mr. Matthew J. Dyroff

Assistant Principal

Mr. Edward Casswell

Principal

Mr. Frank LaBianca

Assistant Principal

Suffolk County Science Teachers Award for

Outstanding Science Student

Mrs. Glynis Nau‐Ritter presented the Suf‐

folk County Science Teachers Award to

Anjali Kapur for being Mount Sinai’s Out‐

standing Science Student. The presenta‐

tion was done at the SCSTA Awards Dinner

held at the Islandia Marriott on 20 May

2010 where Anjali received her plaque

during a speech recognizing her science

accomplishments within the district.

Anjali Kapur with her parents and Mrs. Nau‐Ritter at the SCSTA

Biochem SMARTeam Invited to Science Symposia

T he MSHS Biochem SMARTeam (Students Modeling A Re‐

search Topic) presented their molecular models at several

symposia in the Spring. Following the NSF‐Noyce High School

Science and Mathematics Symposia at Dowling College in

April, the team (Tom Bundy, Billy Dwyer, Erik Hansen and men‐

tors Lani kai Ritter + Ken Gunasekera) was invited as the only

HS SMARTeam to present their Hemoglobin poster at URECA

( the Undergraduate Research Meeting) at Stony Brook Uni‐

versity. They then were invited as the only Long Island team at

the 1st Annual NYC SMARTeam Symposium at Rockefeller Uni‐

versity in NYC in early May.

Senior mentor Lani Kai Ritter represented the group at Brook‐

haven National Lab’s National Synchrotron Light Source

(NSLS) ‐ Center for Nanomaterials (CFN) Joint User’s Meeting

in late May where she explained three of the models (Fringe,

Rad 54 and Hemoglobin) to educators/ NSLS researchers. The

last model was developed under the direction of Dr. Allen Or‐

ville who is a beamline scientist at BNL’s synchrotron.

Regional and Local ISEF Winner

C ongratulations to Anjali Kapur for placing 1st in the local and 3rd in the Regional Spring 2010 International Science and

Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Lehigh Valley. Her research project

entitled “Whole Cell Patch Clamp Analysis of Human Cervical

Carcinoma HeLa Cells Exposed to Gold Nanoparticles” won

several awards throughout the year, including semifinalist in

the 2009 Siemens’ Competition in Science, Math and Technol‐

ogy. May Anjali have continued success research pursuits next

year at the university level.

Long Island Science Congress

Eight MSHS students received awards and certificate for

their poster presentations at the Long Island Science Congress

which was held at Farmingdale University in mid‐April. Honor‐

able mentions were given to Lani kai Ritter, Ken Gunasekera,

Tom Bundy, Billy Dwyer and Erik Hansen for various Biochem

models which were created over the past year. Marina

Venezia, Steven Ford and Allie Rose were given a Meritorious

award for their Mount Sinai Harbor Study.

(LISC Continued on pg. 18)



It Takes Two to Make a Friendship It Takes You to Make a Difference

M ount Sinai High School’s Best Buddies Chapter has had a very exciting year. Our organization fosters friendships be‐tween high school students with and without intellectual dis‐abilities. Our students meet several times a month to plan and organize socials with students from Maryhaven. Our activities also included fundraisers such as the Friendship Walk for Best Buddies New York, a prom, and our own Chinese raffle held at the PTO’s crafts fair. Best Buddies requires of a lot of work and dedicated stu‐dents. Among them are this year’s officers: President Addie Mandelbaum, Vice‐President Emily Williams, Treasurer Kelsea Adams, and Secretaries Erin Lederle, Samantha Kelly, and Dan‐ielle Wesolowski. We have many people who have supported us this year. Aside from the staff from Maryhaven, the students, we would like to thank our administration, secretarial staff, and custodial staff. We would like to thank the Student Government and the Mount Sinai Teachers’ Association for their generous do‐nations. We will use this money to send Erin Lederle, next year’s president, to the Best Buddies Leadership Conference this summer. Congratulations to our seniors, most of whom have been

with Best Buddies since they were freshmen. They are: Addie

Mandelbaum, Emily Williams, Teddy Ma, Noelle Shaljian, and

Jimmy Grippe. Thank you for your dedication to Best Buddies.

We will miss you. Have a safe and relaxing summer and we

look forward to seeing our Best Buddies for the next school

year

STEPS Spring 2010 Program

The MSHS‐STEPS (Science and Technology Enrichment Pro‐

gram for Students) continued with several extracurricular sci‐

ence activities in the Spring, including a Citric Acid Process for

Soil Remediation performed in February at BNL’s Science

Learning Center. The program culminated in May with two

biotechnology lab techniques, PCR (Polymerase Chain Reac‐

tion) at the Biotechnology Teaching lab at Stony Brook Uni‐

versity and the Gene Chip Analysis of the Alu insertion on

chromosome 16 which was performed at the DNA Learning

Center.

Not pictured: Eddie Compagnone, LK Ritter, and Marina Venezia

(LISC Continued fm pg. 17)

Mt. Sinai High School Model UN Brings Home the Gavels!

At this year’s 2010 UNA‐USA Model UN Conference, the Mt.

Sinai High School Team, Mattea Cai, Kyle Capobianco‐Hogan,

Gillian Dana, Sam May & Stephen Schiavetta along with advi‐

sors, Ms. Capobianco, Mr. McHugh and Mrs. Salvia, repre‐

sented the country of Denmark in three committees. The Con‐

ference was held on May 13‐15, 2010 in New York City and

over 2400 high school students from over a dozen states and

16 countries around the world attended.

The opening ceremonies took place at the General Assem‐

bly Hall of the United Nations Headquarters and the guest

speaker was the Secretary‐General, Ban Ki‐Moon, who encour‐

aged the students to use their powerful modes of technology

to communicate quickly, effectively and creatively to solve our

global problems. He reminded them, “You are in touch with

peers from around the world. You understand the power of

instant communication.

(MS HS Model UN Continued on pg. 19)

Marina Venezia, Allie Rose and Steven Ford at LISC



I appeal to you to use that power for the common good, the

power of communication and the power of networking.” Also

addressing the GA was Bill Roedy, chairman and chief execu‐

tive of MTV Networks International and UNAIDS ambassador,

who inspired the delegates to take up action against HIV/AIDS

by showing them a video about the Staying Alive Campaign.

(MS HS Model UN Continued on pg. 19)

Sam May and Stephen Schiavetta were part of the Interna‐

tional Atomic Energy Agency trying to solve the problem of

nuclear clean up and security. Through cooperation, collabo‐

ration, caucusing and negotiations, Sam & Stephen came up

with a resolution that was signed by many of the delegates in

the IAEA committee. At the closing ceremonies on Saturday,

May 15 at the UN, they were awarded the “Best Delegation”

for their committee and were called up to the podium to re‐

ceive the prized gavels for their hard work. All participants did

an outstanding job and eagerly await next year’s conference.

Students Travel to Florida for the National Ocean Sciences Bowl Competition

H aving won First Place at the Bay Scallop Bowl Regional Competition on March 6, 2010 at Stony Brook University, the Mt. Sinai Ocean Sciences Bowl team participated in the National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) competition from April 24 ‐ 26 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Team members included Russell Leibowitz (Team Captain), Ken Gunasekera, David Eber‐hard, Tom Bundy and Nick O’Mara. Each team member re‐ceived a check for $1000 and the all‐ expense paid trip in April to compete at the National Ocean Sciences Bowl in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The National Ocean Sciences Bowl “is a nationally recog‐nized and highly acclaimed high school academic competition that provides a forum for talented students to test their knowl‐edge of the marine sciences including biology, chemistry, phys‐ics, and geology.” The competition is managed under The Con‐sortium for Ocean Leadership which represents leading oceanographic institutions and universities. “The NOSB mis‐sion is to enrich science teaching and learning across the United States through a high‐profile national competition that increases high school students’ knowledge of the oceans and enhances public understanding and stewardship of the oceans.”

Mt. Sinai’s Ocean Sciences Bowl team has been a “powerhouse” over the past 9 years, winning the regional competition in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2009 and 2010. In 2004 and 2007, the Mt. Sinai team finished third and in 2008 they placed second.

Project Adventure Completes 7th Year

I n 2003, Physical Educations newest specialized course, Project Adventure, was started with 1 section and 17 students.

Today there are nine sections of Juniors and Seniors running

with 25 students in each class and two teachers. Our staff is

highly trained with one staff member holding a Level 2 certifi‐

cation. Not only has our enrollment and staff grown but with

the support of the Superintendent, BOE and Athletic Director

our high ropes indoor and outdoor course has grown as well.

The newest high element of our climbing tower can be seen

from across the campus as it stands as a proud testament to a

community that supports education in all its aspects.

Mt. Sinai is about to graduate its 7th group of PA students.

These students have kept detailed journals and have spoken to

the power of this life changing course. Check out our web page

on the district web site by visiting Karen Blumenthal’s Class

page.

Student climb the tower, Mt. Sinai’s newest high element.



STUDENT OF THE MONTH

M ount Sinai High School would like to recognize the following students who received Student of the Month certifi‐cates

Student Subject Grade

Thomas Bundy Computer 10

Anthony Silva Technology 10

Robert Kluger Social Studies 9

Alexander Croteau Foreign Language 11

Jaime Shlimbaum Family & Consumer Science 12

Jenna Van Middelem Physical Education 9

Jiawen Hu Health 10

Anjali Kapur Science 12

Moira Power Music 12

Joohyun Woo Math 9

Corinne Gentile Art 11

Sabrina Spotorno Citizenship 12

Russell Leibowitz Citizenship 12

Nicholas Musachio Business 12

Daniel Sullivan English 9

FEBRUARY

MARCH


Christina Sancho Science 10

Camille Jwo Foreign Language 9

James Christiano Technology 11

Juliana Cespe Citizenship 12

Addie Mandelbaum Citizenship 12

Brittany Callahan Family & Consumer Science 12

Dylan Gargan Physical Education 12

Douglas Putkowski Computer 11

Frank Abbondanza Health 11

Joshua Blake Math 11

Marco Spotorno Art 11

Jacqueline menna English 9

Michael Marino Business 12

James Gallo Social Studies 11

Erica Russo Music 12

April


Lani Kai Ritter Science 11

Erica Russo Foreign Language 12

Alexei Brandt Technology 12

Ashley Narsingh Citizenship 11

Stephanie Conceicao Citizenship 11

Alexandra Francis Family & Consumer Science 10

Raymond Spataro Computer 10

Christopher Kershow Health 11

Julia Dooley Math 9

Emily Armstrong Art 11

Lauren Ferris English 12

Christopher Kershow Business 11

Ian Schneider Social Studies 12

Erica Giordano Music 12


MOUNT SINAI HIGH SCHOOL MUSIC & ART

Mr. Stephen Mantone, Music & Applied Arts Director

SCMEA

T his March, Mount Sinai Middle School had an unprece‐dented number of students selected to participate in the Suf‐folk County Music Educators Association (SCMEA) Division I and II Festivals. Students were selected via teacher recom‐mendations and last year’s NYSSMA Solo Festival scores. On March 6, 12 and 13, nearly fifty Mount Sinai Middle School students rehearsed in three groups in each division: orchestra, chorus and band. Concerts were held at Sachem East High School on March 14. The students selected in each group are as follows.

Division I (Grades 5 & 6) Band: Samantha Croston Gabriela Custodio Hallie Devlin Alex Giannantonio Ryan Hecht Brian McKeow Daniel O’Mara Nicole Ravel Andrew Rodriguez Christopher Schiavetta Meghan Walker Shane Walker Chorus: Courtney Ellis Brune Corinne Cianciulli Olivia Hiz Daniel Molloy Cara Navaretta Emily Whelan Jessica Woo

Orchestra: Hannah Austin Samantha Beiter Jacob Bezner Mikayla Burger Madison Burridge Spero Calamas Lucas Capobianco‐Hogan Ross DiBetta Dylan Gins Amanda Loh Rebecca Lynch Emily Mantone Delaney Mulligan Nikita Narsingh Evan Nilsson Megan Reilly Samuel Ritter Emily Robinson Emily Shaljian Michael Shen Vanessa Wellhausen

Division II (Grades 7 & 8) Band: Rachel Menna Bryan Reed Chorus: Peter Riley Brune Stephanie Dunham Aaron Miller Orchestra: Eric Compagnone Kyle Cullin Erika Mani

LISFA

Several orchestra students from the Mount Sinai Middle School were selected from students throughout Suffolk County to participate in this year’s Long Island String Festival Associa‐tion (LISFA) rehearsals and concerts. Festivals for Grades 8‐12 were held on January 15, 16 and 17 and Grades 5‐7 festivals were held on January 29, 30 and 31. Participation in both LISFA and SCMEA groups is truly an honor and requires numer‐ous hours of preparation from each student. Congratulations to the following Mount Sinai Middle School students who par‐ticipated in this year’s LISFA Festivals.

Grade 5 Lucas Capobianco‐Hogan Constance Cash Cristina Gulli Janna Poretsky Emily Robinson Savanna Russiello‐Tous Nikita Narsingh

Grade 6 Caroline Hoeg Emily Mantone Grade 7 Sarah Barbakoff Grade 8 Kyle Cullin Erika Mani

SENIOR AWARDS PRESENTED 2010

Several graduating seniors from Mt. Sinai High School were

honored at the recent Spring Concerts on May 25‐27 for their

contributions to the Music Department. Receiving awards

were:

♫ National School Orchestra Award: Alexandria McGowan

♫ National School Choral Awards: David Schwartz

Nicole Petrosini

♫ Woody Herman Jazz Award: Kevin Redding

♫ Louis Armstrong Award: Nicholas Palmeri

♫ John Philip Sousa National Band Award: Erica Russo

♫ Arion Award: David Schwartz

(Senior Awards 2010 Continued on pg. 22)


MOUNT SINAI HIGH SCHOOL MUSIC & ART

This recognition program has been enthusiastically received

and plans to include Middle School are in the works for next

year. As the school year comes to an end, the FOA will once

again bring in caricature artists for the 8th Grade Moving Up

celebration and we are also pleased to award eight $500 schol‐

arships to deserving seniors.

(Senior Awards 2010 Continued fm pg. 21)

A majority of these students have achieved recognition at the

state and and local levels for excellence for their instruments

or voice.

David Schwartz, in addition to receiving the Arion Award

also received the NYSCAME Scholarship from The New York

State Council of Administrators of Music. Nicholas Palmeri in

addition to receiving the Louis Armstrong Award also received

the SCMEA Scholarship from the Suffolk Chapter of the New

York State Council of Administrators of Music Education.

Congratulations to all!

Student perform in the High School Musical “Les Mis”

(Friends of the Art Continued fm. pg. 16)

Our summer programs are doing well. In addition to the

Summer Theatre Program which is well‐received every year,

we are back with our third year of the “Sounds of Summer”

Music Program. This year we are proud to present a three‐

week long art program. Applications to all three programs can

be found on the district website at our link.

I am thrilled to be able to report that our “SOS from the

FOA” has been heard and six parents have selflessly come for‐

ward to help keep us running smoothly. Each new member is

looking forward to being part of the FOA next year and meet‐

ing you all at the Back‐to‐School Nights.

On a personal note, Kim Schnall and I are moving into advi‐

sory positions on the Board. There are no words to express

how much we have enjoyed being part of this organization for

the past several years. We have truly enjoyed working with

the parent volunteers and especially enjoyed the smiles on the

children who have benefited from all the programs and

“extras” we have been proud to make happen.

Again, on behalf of the Board, I’d like to wish you all a happy

and healthy summer. And on behalf of the children and the

Board, many thanks for all your support and help.

Sue Walters President

NYSSMA Festivals

O ver 350 Mount Sinai students participated in the Solo/

Ensemble Festival sponsored by the New York State Music As‐

sociation on Friday, March 27 – Saturday, March 28, 2009 at

the Bellport High School. The students select a piece of music

according to the level of difficulty, and prepare 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. While all the students performed

very well, two stand out as having achieved perfect scores.

They are David Schwartz, Voice and Percussion and Claire Kos‐

tic, Oboe.

Eight performing organizations from the Middle School and

High School participated in the Major Organization Festival

held on May 18‐20. Their scores are as follows:

High School Symphonic Band, Gold

High School Concert Band, Silver

High School Chorus, Gold

High School Orchestra, Gold

Middle School 7/8 Chorus, Gold with distinction

Middle School 7/8 Orchestra, Gold

Middle School 7th Grade Band, Bronze

Middle School 8th Grade Band, Bronze

Congratulations to all!


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 2009‐2010 spring season.

Varsity Boys Lacrosse 90.431

Varsity Boys Spring Track 94.452

Varsity Girls Spring Track 96.135

Varsity Girls Golf 91.432

Varsity Girls Lacrosse 90.716

Varsity Boys Tennis 91.232

Congratulations to Lauren Ferris and Ian Schneider for achieving the Suffolk Zone Award for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance for the 2009‐2010 school year. This honor has been a result of their outstanding achievement in physical education

and other scholastic areas as well as their contribution to the high school in the areas of athletics, leadership, and club/class activi‐

ties. These students have been selected after a thorough screening process by a panel of physical education teachers.

Congratulations to Alex Guzman who competed in the 400 meter dash and broke not only a schools record but also broke his pre‐

vious record of 51.9 seconds by running an amazing 51.3 seconds. Alex also broke school records in the 100 and 200 meter dashes.

Congratulations to the Varsity Girls Spring Track team for having an exceptional Division 3 Meet. The Mustangs scored an amazing

130.5 points against 20 teams. Bayport placed second with 78 while SWR was third with 67. This is the team’s third straight Divi‐

sion 3 Suffolk County title as well as their third League 6 Undefeated Champions!

Congratulations to the Varsity Girls Golf team for earning the title of undefeated League 3 Champions for the 2009‐2010 season.

Congratulations to the Varsity Baseball team for earning the title of the League VII Champions for the 2009‐2010 season.

Mount Sinai High School

2009 FALL ALL LEAGUE AWARDS

Varsity Girls Soccer

Alexandria Abruzzo – All‐ County

Lauren Ferris – All‐County

Amanda LiRosi – All‐League

Jaclyn Martinetion ‐ All‐County

Jamie Martinetion ‐ All‐Conference

Rachael Yavorka ‐ All‐Conference

Varsity Gymnastics

Brittany Brockner ‐ All‐ League

Cassandra Lynagh ‐ All – State, All‐County, All‐League

Samantha Sapienza ‐ All‐League

Varsity Volleyball

Dakota Luca ‐ All‐County

Emily Bongiorno ‐ All‐League

Kelsey Lubin ‐ All‐League

Diana Lopez ‐ All‐County

Caleigh Dolese ‐ All‐County

Varsity Tennis

Robin Brand ‐ All‐ League

Erica Giordano ‐ All‐League, All‐ Division

Kristen Irizarry ‐ All‐ League

Heather O’Brien ‐ All‐League

Varsity Football

Frank Abbondanza ‐ All‐Division

Jesse Baldassare ‐ All‐Division

Joseph Bongiorno ‐ All‐Division

Rasif Choudhury ‐ All‐Division 2nd Team

James Grippe ‐ All‐Division 2nd Team

Austin Kay ‐ All‐Division

Robert Murphy ‐ All‐County

Dennis Shumar ‐ All‐Division 2nd Team

Connor Stroh ‐ All‐Division

Robert Zbikowski ‐ All‐County

Varsity Girls Cross Country

Brittany Callahan ‐ All‐League, All‐Division, Division IV Champion,State Qualifier

Samantha Capece ‐ All‐League

Amanda Clark ‐ All‐League, All‐Division, State Qualifier

Julia Dooley ‐ All‐League, State Qualifier

Anjali Kapur ‐ All‐ League

Kayleigh Olive ‐ All‐League, All‐Division, State Qualifier

Stephanie Sheehan ‐ All‐League, All‐Division, State Qualifier

Amanda Stasiewicz ‐ All‐League, All‐Division, State Qualifier

Janie Turek ‐ All‐League, All‐Division, All‐County, Suffolk County B Champion, State Qualifier

Varsity Boys Cross Country

Alexei Brandt ‐ All‐League, All‐Division

Varsity Boys Soccer

Alexander Guzman ‐ All‐ Conference

Nadeem Marghoob ‐ Academic All‐County

Bryan Morin ‐ All‐League

Matthew Poillon ‐ All‐Conference





2009 FALL MVP/COACHES AWARDS

Varsity Boys Golf Russell Leibowitz ‐ MVP Kenneth MacDowell – Mustang Award Anthony Powers ‐ Coaches Award Varsity Boys Soccer Alexander Guzman ‐ MVP Nadeem Marghoob ‐ Coaches Award Nicholas Musachio ‐ Mustang Award Varsity Girls Soccer Lauren Ferris ‐ Coaches Award Alexandria Abruzzo ‐ Coaches Award Jaclyn Martinetion ‐ Mustang Award Varsity Football Robert Murphy ‐ MVP John Venezia ‐ Coaches Award Frank Abbondanza ‐ Mustang Award

Varsity Volleyball Dakota Luca ‐ Mustang Award Kelsey Lubin ‐ Coaches Award Caleigh Dolese ‐ MVP Varsity Girls Cross Country Brittany Callahan ‐ MVP Samantha Capece ‐ Mustang Award Anjali Kapur ‐ Mustang Award Amanda Stasiewicz ‐ Coaches Award Janie Turek ‐ MVP Varsity Boys Cross Country Alexei Brandt ‐ MVP Ryan Burda ‐ Mustang Award Zachary Kollmer ‐ Coaches Award Christopher Linkletter ‐ Coaches Award

Varsity Girls Tennis Erica Giordano ‐ MVP Heather O’Brien ‐ Coaches Award Justine Scharrer ‐ Mustang Award Varsity Gymnastics Brittany Brockner – MVP Nicole Petrosini – Coaches Award Samantha Sapienza – Mustang Award

Suffolk County Championship Awards

Fall 2009 – 2010

Brittany Callahan

Division IV Champion

2009‐2010 Cross Country

State Qualifier


2009‐2010 Winter All League Awards

Janie Turek

Suffolk County B Champion

2009‐2010 Cross Country

State Qualifier

Varsity Boys Bowling

Michael DiRenzo – All League

Wiliam Reynolds – All League

Varsity Boys Basketball

Wayne Harris – All League

Patrick Hogan – Honorable Mention All‐League

Matthew Pellarin – Academic All‐County

Varsity Wrestling

Connor Stroh – All League

Jay Shlimbaum – All League

Eric Kogel – All County, All League

Brian Slattery – All County, All League

Frank Abbondanza – All County, All League

Christopher Powers – All County, All League

Anthony Powers – All League

Anthony Grippe – All League

Varsity Boys Winter Track

Alexander Guzman – All League

Varsity Girls Basketball

Emily Bongiorno – All League, All County

Lauren Ferris – Academic All County

Kelsey Lubin – All League, Academic All County

Sarah Shine – All League, All County

Varsity Girls Winter Track

Brittany Callahan – All League, Academic All County

Samantha Capece – All League

Amanda Clark – All League

Julia Dooley – All League

Elyssa Geer – All League

Lauren McEvoy – All‐League

Janet Mellor – All League, All County

Amanda Stasiewicz‐ All League, Academic All County

Janie Turek – All League, All County

Nina Volino – All League


Varsity Softball

Michelle Piergiorgi –All Division

Jordan Fiore – All Division

Kelsey Lubin – All Division

Sarah Shine – All Division

Gianna Gulli – All League

Holly Drasser – All League




Winter 2009‐2010 MVP & Coaches Award

Varsity Boys Bowling Shayna Ahrem – Coaches Award Michael DiRenzo – MVP Altan Enon‐Eletto – Mustang Award William Reynolds – MVP Varsity Girls Basketball Emily Bongiorno – MVP Sarah Shine – MVP Rachael Yavorka – Coaches Award

Varsity Boys Basketball Osman Okuyan – Coaches Award Matthew Pellarin – Coaches Award John Venezia – Mustang Award Varsity Wrestling Eric Kogel – MVP Anthony Powers – Coaches Award Brian Slattery – Mustang Award

Varsity Girls Winter Track Brittany Callahan – Coaches Award Amanda Clark – Mustang Award Janet Mellor – MVP Amanda Stasiewicz – Coaches Award Janie Turek ‐ MVP Varsity Boys Winter Track Alexander Guzman – MVP Zachary Kollmer – Coaches Award

Suffolk Championship Awards

Winter 2009 – 2010

Janet Mellor

Suffolk County Small School Champion

55m High Hurdles, 55m dash, 300m run

2009‐2010 Girls Winter Track

Placed 5th at the New York State Championship 55m dash

National Qualifier

Janie Turek

Suffolk County Small School Champion

1000m race, 1500m race

2009‐2010 Girls Winter Track

Placed 2nd at the New York State Championship, Intersectional Relay

1000m leg

National Qualifier 800m run


2009‐2010 SPRING All League AWARDS

Varsity Boys Lacrosse

Matthew Poillon – All County

Joseph Bongiorno – All Division

Varsity Girls Lacrosse

Shannon Burns ‐ All County

Caroline Fitzerald– All County

Honorable Mention

Rachael Dillon – All County

Marina Venezia ‐ All League

Carly Spano ‐ All League

Varsity Girls Golf

Juliana Cespe – All League

Elizabeth DeLio – All League

Emily Hervan – All League

Kristina Ly – All League

Varsity Girls Spring Track

Robin Brand – All League

Brittany Callahan – All Division, All League, Academic All County

Samantha Capece – All League

Christina Casper – All League

Amanda Clark – All League

Julia Dooley – All League

Elyssa Geer – All League

Anjali Kapur – All League

Lauren McEvoy – All League

Janet Mellor – All Division, All League

Kayleigh Olive – All League

Alexandra Rose – All League

Stephanie Sinkoff – All Division, All League

Amanda Stasiewicz – All Division, All League, Academic All County

Janie Turek – All Division, All League, All County

Nina Volino – All League

Rachael Yavorka – All League

Varsity Boys Spring Track

Alexander Guzman – All Division, All

League, All County

Zachary Kollmer – All Division, All

League

Ryan Burda – All Division

Edward Lamparter – All Division

Varsity Boys Tennis

David Schwartz – All Division

Andrew Hine ‐ All Division

Richard Vetter – All League

Varsity Baseball

Ian Schneider – All County

Tyler Badamo – All County, League 7

MVP

Nick D’Angelo – All League

Doug Putkowski – All League

Matthew Esposito – Academic All League





Spring 2009‐2010 MVP & Coaches Award

Varsity Baseball

Tyler Badamo – MVP

Nick D’Angelo – MVP

Ian Schneider ‐ MVP

Varsity Softball

Danielle Parente – Coaches Award

Jordan Fiore – Mustang Award

Kelsey Lubin –MVP

Varsity Girls Lacrosse

Shayna Pirrecca – Coaches Award

Rachael Dillon ‐ MVP

Shannon Burns ‐ Mustang Award

Varsity Boys Lacrosse

Ryan Haring – Coaches Award

John Venezia ‐ Coaches Award

Matthew Pollion ‐ MVP

Louis Fava ‐ Mustang Award

Varsity Girls Golf

Emily Hervan – Coaches Award

Victoria DeMartino –MVP

Juliana Cespe – Mustang Award

Elizabeth DeLio – Coaches Award

Varsity Boys Tennis

Andrew Hine ‐ Coaches Award

David Schwartz ‐ Mustang Award

Richard Vetter ‐ MVP

Varsity Girls Spring Track

Brittany Callahan ‐ MVP

Amanda Clark ‐ Coaches Award

Janet Mellor – MVP

Kayleigh Olive ‐ Mustang Award

Amanda Stasiewicz ‐Coaches Award

Janie Turek – MVP

Varsity Boys Spring Track

Alex Guzman – MVP

Zachary Kollmer – Coaches Award

Ryan Burda ‐ Mustang Award

Suffolk Championship Awards

Spring 2009 – 2010

Janet Mellor

Division 3 Suffolk County Champion

100m High Hurdles, 100m, 200m

Overall Suffolk County Champion, 100m, High

Hurdles

2009‐2010 Spring Track

National Qualifier

Brittany Callahan


3000m race


Janie Turek


800m, 1500m, 2000m Steeple Chase


National Qualifier Steeple Chase

Dear Parents:

Students who are interested in participating in interscholastic athletics during the 2010‐2011 school year must have a Sports Physical Ex‐

amination on or after June 1st, 2010 before they may take part in try‐outs.

The school district physician will be available at MOUNT SINAI HIGH SCHOOL for physicals on the following dates:

Wednesday, June 23rd 3:30 p.m. 7th through 12th grade girls (all sports)

4:00 p.m. 7th through 12th grade boys (all sports)

Wednesday, July 7th 9:00 a.m. 7th through 12th grade girls (all sports)

9:30 a.m. 7th through 12th grade boys (all sports)

Wednesday, August 11th 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 during the 2010‐11 school 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, 2010 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 Monday August 16th Varsity Football equipment handout 9:00 am

J.V. Football equipment handout 9:30 am

1st Football Practice Varsity & J.V. 5:00 pm

Varsity & J.V. Cheerleading Coach will contact

Monday, August 30th

Varsity and J.V. Boys Soccer 8:00 am

Varsity and J.V. Girls Soccer 8:00 am

Varsity Girls Gymnastics 8:00 am

Varsity and J.V. Girls Tennis 8:00 am

Varsity Boys & Girls X‐County 8:00 am

Varsity and J.V. Boys Golf 8:00 am

2010‐2011 ATHLETIC STARTING DATES

High School Varsity & J.V.

Football August 16

All Fall Sports August 30

Homecoming October 16

Middle School

Fall September 7

Early Winter November 8,9 & 10 (Girls Volleyball tryouts)

Nov. 15 ‐ 1st practice (Boys Basketball & Girls

Volleyball)

Late Winter January 24

Spring March 28th

We hope this information will help your child meet his/her athletic goals and be ready for the 2010‐2011 school year.

Sincerley,

Scott C. Reh

Athletic Director

The Booster Club has had a very busy school year and now that it is coming to an end we would like to say congratulations to all of our athletes. A special CON-GRATULATIONS to our 2010 SENIORS.

SUPER RAFFLE TICKETS FOR A 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee are now on sale for $50.00 each. The drawing will be held at the Annual Golf outing on Monday, June 28, 2010. The money raised will be used for new cardio equipment in the brand new gym. Get one soon! There are only 2000 tickets and they are selling fast.

Look for our Booster Club Summer Camps. A flyer will be out soon. It’s a great way to start the summer.

Thank you to everyone who has helped to make the Booster Club a success. Have a great summer.

Booster Club Blog

Graphics used in this publication from www.animationfactory.com

During the school year, the PTO hold various fundraisers to raise money to support our schools and children. These funds are used to purchase items not covered in the budget that are requested by the principals or the district. If not for the help from our volunteers and support from our community our events would not be nearly as successful as they are and these requests could not be fulfilled. On behalf of the members of the PTO and Mount Sinai students we thank you for all that you have contributed and the opportunities you have afforded us. We look forward to out vol‐unteers returning next year and new ones to join us.

Our first General Meeting is Sept. 24, and the Annual Ladies Night Out event will be Nov. 10. As always, we appreciate your continued support.

The PTO is making an effort to go green so please visit out new PTO website http://mtsinaipto.com to get all the infor‐mation you will need about what is going on in the PTO.

Proposed 2010‐2011 PTO Executive Board

President Ellie Marino

Vice President Carolyn Pollina

Treasurer Anna Bonghi

Secretary Sue DiRenzo Fundraisers

Anyone interested in the hospitality position can contact Ellie Marino 476‐6693.

Many thanks for their volunteer service to our 2009/10 board members that are leaving us this year:

Phyllis Daley Terese Lumley

Candice Donin Maria Samour

Candice Donin Maureen Sweeney

Paulette Giannuzzi

Maureen Johnson

Documents

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