22016 IB D016 IB DIPPLOMA CLOMA CANNDDIDDATESATES · team, our pride and happiness is over-ﬂ owing right now! Students who par-ticipate improve their problem solving capabilities.”

J u n e 2 0 1 6

Commack High School’s International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Ceremony celebrated the hard work, dedication, and perseverance of 128 IB Diploma gradu-ates after their completion of two years of studies at the highest academic level. The ceremony showcased their diverse talents

and learning in a variety of subject areas through student-based performances and speeches. Any student may choose the challenge of the IB Diploma Program in grades 11 and 12, or may take individual IB courses dur-ing those years. Commack High School

also offers a number of other college-level classes which students may take such as Advanced Placement (AP), Project Lead The Way (PLTW) engineering classes, and courses affi liated with colleges and univer-sities. Congratulations to the Class of 2016!

2016 IB DIPLOMA CANDIDATES2016 IB DIPLOMA CANDIDATES

The Board of Education of the Com-mack School District is pleased to an-nounce the appointment of Leslie Boritz as the new Commack High School Principal, effective July 1, 2016. This decision caps an intensive search process for a dynam-ic leader who will continue to support our District's vision of student achievement through access and opportunity. Mrs. Boritz is a proud Commack alum-nus, and has worked as an assistant prin-cipal of Commack High School since July 2011. Her twenty-two years of service in the Commack Schools also includes eleven years as an assistant principal at Commack Middle School. Her credentials include Masters Degrees in both Arts and Educa-tion and further degrees in School District Administration and Supervision. She is the recipient of many honors and awards, in-cluding Commack PTA's Distinguished Ser-vice Award. "The list of Mrs. Boritz's contributions

to our District is endless," said Superinten-dent, Dr. Donald James. "She has served on hundreds of committees, coordinated and designed academic initiatives that benefi t our schools and students, and vol-unteers for countless activities that benefi t others. She is well qualifi ed as a leader, with endless enthusiasm and compassion, along with a deep understanding of the cul-ture of our high school and community. We are confi dent that Leslie will embrace her new position and give it her all." "I have passionately dedicated my life to the students of our community, and will continue to do so," said Leslie. I look for-ward to continuing the traditions and up-holding the high standards of our school, and am thrilled to be the next principal of Commack High School." The current principal, Catherine No-lan, is retiring this year after twenty years in Commack, the last six as principal of the high school. Congratulations ladies!

New Principal at Commack High SchoolNew Principal at Commack High School

Leslie Boritz

2 T h e C o m m a c k C o u r i e r

Elementary Students Place Elementary Students Place First in the Nation for Science & MathFirst in the Nation for Science & Math

National Science League Teams at both Burr and Sawmill achieved high-est national ranking across all three grade levels! Burr’s fi fth grade team was the First Place National winner, coached by Leah Bernstein and George Morrish. The Sawmill third grade and fourth grade teams also led the nation in this competition, each team clinching First

Place nationally. That team is coached by Lindsey Persichilli and Jennifer Turn-er. National Student Leaders for the 2016 contest, who received perfect scores included Sawmill third graders Christopher, Kaitlin, Shivani, and Van-essa. Fourth grade National Student Leaders were Sawmill’s Ava and Jor-dan.

National Science League is a com-ponent of the Continental Mathematics League, Inc. The multiple choice ques-tions that comprise each contest are based on factual knowledge, as well as students’ understanding of scientifi c processes. Congratulations to all team mem-bers for their dedication to learning and outstanding performance.

Burr’s fi rst place National Science League fi fth grade team, with co-advisor George Morrish.

Mandracchia Sawmill’s third and fourth grade National Science League Team, fi rst in the nation, with advisors Lindsey Persichilli and Jen Turner.

The third grade Continental Math League Team at Mandracchia Sawmill Intermediate School and Burr Interme-diate School’s fi fth grade team both took fi rst place in the nation this year! At Sawmill, there were four Na-tional Student Leaders who received perfect scores on all three meets. They are: Anthony, Harris, Edwin, and Dan-iel. Burr fi fth grader Sun also earned a perfect score.

After several practice sessions, each student works independently on his/her meet within a prescribed time period. Paper and pencil are used to solve the questions. Burr Intermediate School has been a participant in the Continental Math-ematics League for over 25 years. Stu-dents participating in this program are highly challenged on a weekly basis with thought provoking, multi-step word

problems. Each month the teams com-pete against other students nationwide. Burr Coaches this year are Michele Quinn and Marianne Dorman. Saw-mill Coaches are Michelle Goldstein and Stefanie Petrone. Mrs. Goldstein said, “As educators and coaches of the team, our pride and happiness is over-fl owing right now! Students who par-ticipate improve their problem solving capabilities.”

Mandracchia Sawmill’s third grade Continental Math Team (we’re #1), with Principal Michelle Tancredi-Zott, Assistant Principal Evelyn Cardanes Smith, and advisors Michelle Goldstein and

Stefanie Petrone.

Burr’s fi rst place Continental Math fi fth grade team, with Principal Paul Schmelter, and advisors Michele Quinn and

Marianne Dorman.

Thomas AmatoRensselaer Polytechnic

Institute

Theresa Amoruso Fordham University

Lincoln Center/Rose Hill

Ingrid Angulo Northeastern University

Kelley Beirne University of Florida

Gabriella BiscardiFashion Institute of

Technology

Jordan BloomBinghamton University

Daniel ChoiBoston College

Matthew CohenOhio State University

Brianna DelgadoCarnegie Mellon University

John DeMartinoBinghamton University

Jamie EhrhardtUniversity at Buffalo

SUNY

Maria EllersThe George Washington University

Courtney GallagherHofstra University

Kevin GaughanUniversity at Buffalo

SUNY

Eliza Glaser-KshenskyHamilton College - NY

Amanda GoedelSUNY Albany

Vignesh GunasekaranStony Brook University

Gabrielle CadwalladerThe George Washington

University

Jennifer ChaiCornell University

Rahul ChakravortyGeorgia Institute of

Technology

Xiaoxuan ChenUniversity of Pennsylvania

Hannah CheungUniversity of Wisconsin,

Madison

Akhila ChilakalaSophie Davis School of

Biomedical Ed of CUNY

Kelsey Fisher Clemson University

Commack High School’s Top Cohort GroupCommack High School’s Top Cohort Group

Congratulations to the Class of 2016 Congratulations to the Class of 2016

ity

Shelly GuptaWashington University

in St. Louis

Sydney HaasUniversity of Vermont

Julia HedrickTufts University

Maxwell HisigerBinghamton University

Travis HoUniversity of Maryland,

College Park

Jonathan HondenSt. John’s University,

Queens Campus

Leah Kowalsky Binghamton University

Sara KurtenBoston College

Mathusa LakuleswaranHofstra University

Hyun Seo LeeCornell University

David LiHarvard University

Calvin LuiCarnegie Mellon University

Tara ManchioSUNY College at Cortland

Julia Manetta Haverford College

Lucas MarmoraleUniversity of Michigan

Judith MermelsteinRochester Institute of

Technology

Aaron MizrahiBinghamton University

Erin NolanSuny College at Geneseo

SurYoun HuhJohns Hopkins University

Matthew InnellaJuniata College

Austin IzenUniversity of Michigan

Ashley JalazoUniversity of Michigan

Aryana JavaheriBrown University

Mikayla KatzStony Brook University

The seniors in the individual photos on these pages have maintained weighted averages in excess of 100%. Each member of the A++ cohort will be attending a four-year college or university next year, and many of these students have received full or partial scholarships. These students have taken advantage of the rich course offerings available at Commack High School such as the International Baccalaureate (IB), Advanced Placement (AP), and college level classes. They are well-prepared to succeed at the post-secondary level.

The seniors in the individual photos on these pages have maintained weighted averages in excess of 100%. Each member of the A++ cohort will be attending a four-year college or university next year, and many of these students have received full or partial scholarships. These students have taken advantage of the rich course offerings available at Commack High School such as the International Baccalaureate (IB), Advanced Placement (AP), and college level classes. They are well-prepared to succeed at the post-secondary level.

Caitlin PassaroUniversity of North

Carolina at Chapel Hill

Vincent PennettiBoston University

Brian PiccolaBoston College

Julia RailoStony Brook University

Jessica RosenthalBinghamton University

Valerie SampsonElon University

Mehtaab SawhneyUniversity of Pennsylvania

Matthew ShalhoubDuke University

Deborah SiegelBinghamton University

Kailee SieversUniversity of Delaware

Steven SilvermanBinghamton University

Alexa SvenssonMarist College

Anna TobinNortheastern University

Christian TrenkleStony Brook University

Carly TurkiewiczCornell University

Mailysa WoodBentley University

Mirra YuCarnegie Mellon University

Andy ZhouCornell University

Principal’s Award winners: Brian Farrell, Jenna Goldberg, Jennifer Ryder, Matthew Shalhoub, Deborah Siegel, and Max Watkins.

Commack High School’s Top Cohort GroupCommack High School’s Top Cohort Group


Every year since 2002 the Commack School District and the community honor the victims and heroes of 9-11. We made a promise many years ago to never for-get. We are so proud of the many Com-mack community members who attend our memorial event year after year.

This year we will honor many of Com-mack’s fi rst responders, heroes, and vol-unteers on September 11, 2001 with a 9/11 Candlelight Ceremony, “A Night of Remembrance.” We will read the names of those heroes at the ceremony.

Please submit the names of Commack fi rst responders and/or volunteers and their role on 9-11 or the days following by July 1, 2016 to [email protected] or mail to:

Burr Intermediate SchoolAttention: Debbie Virga

235 Burr RoadCommack, NY 11725

631-858-3623

It’s time for us to support and thank Com-mack’s own.

Nineteen Commack High School students were awarded NYS Scholarships for Academ-ic Excellence. Awards are based on student grades in certain Regents exams. The schol-arships provide $500 to $1,500 per year for up to fi ve years of undergraduate study in a New York State post-secondary college or univer-sity. Director of Guidance, Jonathan Macaluso said, “Each of these students has excelled ac-ademically at a very high level and will be at-tending some of the most prestigious colleges in the country. I am confi dent that this fi ne group of young men and women will continue to impress us as they continue to pursue their academic and career goals.” Congratulations to: Ingrid Angulo, Emily Chen, Jennifer Chai, Brianna Delgado, Jamie Ehrhardt, Maria Ellers, Kevin Gaughan, Eliza Glaser-Kshensky, Matthew Innella, Aryana Javaheri, David Li, Calvin Lui, Aaron Miz-rahi, Erin Nolan, Mehtaab Sawhney, Joseph Schmitz, Anna Tobin, Christian Trenkle, and Carly Turkiewicz.

NYS Scholarship for Academic ExcellenceNNYYYSSS SSScchhhooollaarrsshhiippp ffoorr AAccaaddeemmmiicc EEExxcceellllleennncce

With students are, on left, back row, Jonathan Macaluso, and on right, Assistant Principal Susan Shapiro, and Superintendent Dr. Donald James.

Each year for the past fi ve years, Commack High School’s Engineering stu-dents have competed in the “NYIT Con-nect-To-Tech Engineering & Technology High School Showcase Competition.” This competition looks for an engineering proj-ect that solves a specifi c problem and can lead to a product being developed. Pre-sentations are similar to the ones seen on TV’s “Shark Tank.” Our students collected $1,800 in prize money for their wins. Joe Castrogivanni, advisor and tech-nology teacher said, “You really need to sell your problem and your solution, and

have a solution that can be demonstrated. You must also demonstrate that your solu-tion that can be innovated into a product.” This year the students won fi rst and second place. Congratulations to the fol-lowing student teams: First Place: Com-batting Storm Surge Inundation - Abigail, Kyle, and Raymond. Second Place: The Mobility Enhancement System - Alexan-der, Connor, and Ariel. To see more photos from the compe-tition, please visit: https://goo.gl/photos/u6xHX9ZXKtZgwR3r8.

Product Development Teams Win Technology Kudos & Cash!9-11 Ceremony Honors

First Responders

T h e C o m m a c k C o u r i e r 7

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

Tuesday, September 6, 2016Photos from the Commack High School Graduation will

be posted online.

BOARD OF EDUCATION REORGANIZATION MEETING

Tuesday, July 7, 2016Hubbs Administration Center

8:00 p.m.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

There are oodles of summer fun activities and camps for kids

listed on the Community Events Page :www.commackschools.org

Click on the Community Events Button

Free Summer Lunch Program

Children who qualify for free lunch during the school year can participate in the Summer Food Service Program. Meals will be provided to all eligible chil-

dren free of charge. For Income Eligibility Guidelines and program locations, please go to the Lunch page on the Commack Website. www.commack.k12.ny.us/

lunch/index.asp.

What an amazing year we’ve had in our schools! Our students are thriving in the classroom and in the global community. Aside from the many student accolades and awards earned, we have touched those locally and around the world through humanitarian efforts and outreach. This is the lesson we need to teach our children: to care for oth-ers as well as ourselves. We can only accomplish these goals with the dedi-cated support of our staff and our community. We wish a fond farewell to Catherine Nolan, our beloved high school principal, and a warm welcome to Leslie Boritz. More on that in this issue. I’d like to express my gratitude for your continued faith in our fi scal practices and academic programs. We continue to emphasize our practice of offering access and opportunity to every student so that each student can suc-ceed and follow his or her own path in the future. Thanks to multiyear budgeting practices, we have continued to ex-pand our subject and enrichment offerings, kept class sizes steady, and increased security in all of our schools. Com-mack is truly built on the combined successes of everyone working together. During the summer months, I hope you take advantage of the many varied activities available through the Dis-trict, local organizations, and towns. We’ll be busy spruc-ing up the buildings and grounds, and hope to have a new look for our website in place by the start of September. Thanks to our proactive testing, water quality in all fi x-tures (sinks and fountains) in our schools is now within EPA standards. Please continue to support our advocacy efforts to re-duce the over-testing of our children, and check the web-site for back to school information and calendar events. I wish you a peaceful and safe summer.

Sincerely,

Dr. Donald James

Breakfast Program Waiver Consistent with past years, the Commack Union Free School District has applied for a waiver of the school breakfast program. This waiver was requested after a poll of primary, intermediate, and middle school parents determined that the large majority of families would not avail themselves of a breakfast program. In-terested parties may address comments or suggestions to the attention of Laura A. Newman, Assistant Superintendent for Busi-ness, PO Box 150, Commack, NY 11725. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, fa-milial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected ge-netic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or employment activities.)If you wish to fi le a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Dis-crimination Complaint Form (PDF), found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_fi ling_cust.html, or at any USDA offi ce, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Offi ce of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at [email protected]. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities and you wish to fi le either an EEO or program complaint please contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339 or (800) 845-6136 (in Spanish). USDA is an equal opportunity employer.


Commack High School senior, David Li, was named as a semifi nalist in the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. Inclu-sion in this program is one of the highest honors be-stowed upon graduating high school seniors. Schol-ars are selected on the ba-sis of superior academic and artistic achievements, leadership qualities, strong character, and involvement in community and school activities. David scored 2380 out of a possible 2400 points on the SAT. David has received many accolades for his sci-entifi c accomplishments, and recently won fi rst place in the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium Regional Finals. He was a fi nalist at Intel’s Interna-tional Science and Engi-neering Fair last year, and a semifi nalist this year. He also was invited to present

his manuscript about one of his inventions, a wireless tracking system for at-home medical equipment during national disasters, at the IEEE Long Island Systems Applications and Technol-ogy Conference, and his work has been published in scientifi c journals. David will continue his studies at Harvard. Con-gratulations on your many accomplishments.

Presidential Scholar Honors

Undefeated Brainstormers Win Regional Quiz Bowl

Commack High School’s Brainstormers fi nished off the year and won fi rst place at the Regional Quiz Bowl Competition. The Varsity Team of Captain Samuel, Muzaffer, Mehtaab, Zack, and Tanner went undefeated all year, as did the Junior Varsity Team, which placed fi fth overall at Regionals. “This season both Var-sity and Junior Varsity Teams were undefeated and dem-onstrated an unfathomable depth of knowledge and

great sportsmanship. This was one of our best years and we hope to continue these wins next year,” stated club advisor Katina Price. Brainstormers is a trivia club with topics ranging from Kanye West to Chinese ge-ography. If you’d like to par-ticipate, email Mrs. Price at [email protected] or you can attend a meet-ing in the fall. Junior Varsity Team members include Cap-tain Judith, Jordan, Evan, Anoop, and Raphael.

S.O.S. Save Our SpeciesS.O.S. Save Our Species

Commack Middle School joined an in-ternational effort to bring awareness of the endangered species of the world and their habitats. On May 20, the school held its an-nual S.O.S. Sidewalk of Species Day, with students using chalk to sketch a picture of wildlife that is facing extinction, disappear-ing fast, or have a very small population. Groups of students or individuals re-

served a 6’x 6’ square for their drawings, and worked on this impressive display dur-ing their lunch periods and after school. Endangered Species Day has become an opportunity for both committed activists to engage in actions that protect our van-ishing wildlife and for others to learn more about the importance of protecting imper-iled species and ways that they can help to

achieve this. Special thanks go to CMS PTA’s Arts in Education Committee for sponsoring this event. In photos, the entire back courtyard was fi lled with beautiful drawings, and in the photo on the right, Miriam, Lisa, and Hai-ley put the fi nishing touches on their snow leopard.


First Class Experience from theFirst Class Experience from the Suffolk County Police Department Suffolk County Police Department

Congratulations to Marina and Catherine on winning the Us-dan Scholarship Award. Each year, the Commack PTA Council Arts-in-Education Committee awards two $1,000 scholarships to Commack Middle School students for their exceptional talent, commitment, and experience in the performing and/or visual arts. The scholarship will assist them in attending the Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts Summer Camp. Featured in the picture are Principal Anthony Davidson, Ma-rina, Catherine, and guidance counselors Denise Pihlkar, Nancy Neibloom, and Jeff DiLorenzo.

Summer Scholarships

Teacher Kim Helms-Smith and Wood Park's Bus Ambassa-dors and Safety Patrol Team gave goodie bags to the Wood Park bus drivers to show Wood Park's appreciation to the drivers for their dedication and commitment to getting Wood Park students to and from school every day. The Safety Patrol and Bus Ambas-sador Programs are part of Wood Park's Peaceful Bus Program. The program is designed to increase positive student interac-tions on our school buses and creates community and responsi-bility among students riding the bus. The goodie bags were decorated and packed by Mrs.Gro-malski's Little Leaders Club.

Thanking Our Bus Drivers

Students in Jeff Trebour’s class and the entire student body at Burr Interme-diate School had a special visit from the Suffolk County Police Department. It was a memorable experience thanks to John Barry, 1st Deputy Commissioner, SCPD, whose daughter is in Mr. Trebour’s class. On hand to teach the children what the police department does and what police offi cers and the department can do for you were offi cers and vehicles from Emer-gency Response, K-9 (canine), and local,

highway, and motorcycle patrol. The favorite demonstration was given by the K-9 unit (photo above). Students watched the well-trained and powerful German Shepherds respond to orders and commands “barked out” by their com-manding offi cers. Students learned that the dog’s presence is a deterrent to crime. Their superior sense of smell alone makes them a valuable law enforcement tool that saves lives and improves effi ciency in overall police work.

Students were able to sit in “Big Bear,” an armored vehicle that can carry the Emergency Response Unit offi cers to deal with situations that require a larger pres-ence, more force, or greater protection for both its offi cers and communities. If a sus-picious package or actual bomb has been spotted, emergency responders may also use a robot to handle the situation (photo on right). Many thanks to all the police offi cers who protect and help us every day.


Photographic Splendor

S y d n e y , a research stu-dent at the high school, has been working on a weather reanaly-sis project, also known as weath-er backcasting. Backcasting is when weather data, like precipi-tation or tempera-ture, is able to be recreated without the existence of

previous weather records. Sydney’s goal was to take concrete his-torical data from a weather recording station off the southwestern coast of Australia, and compare it to the data that a model recreat-ed from the same time period. She prepared a poster summarizing her research, and it is the only United States high school student’s poster that will be presented at the ACRE Workshop and Historical Weather and Climate Data Forum, taking place at the University of Maynooth, in Ireland. The ACRE is a conference in which many different meteorologists from around the world meet to discuss a variety of topics, such as data recreation and digitization. Sydney worked closely with Mac Benoy, a meteorologist for the Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology, who, “Coached me though this entire project, supplying me with both the historical and

recreated data, and providing valuable insight and guidance for me through-out the entire experience. He was able to se-cure my spot at the ACRE Fo-rum.” Mac Benoy said, “We have had the plea-sure of working with Sydney on this scientifi c study to deter-mine how well a leading weather model is able to recreate global weather of 140 years ago. This

has never been done for the Southern Ocean, an important source of world weather patterns. Sydney’s work combines data she de-rived from Australia’s earliest weather network (1870) with data from a leading weather backcasting model out of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado. The quality of her work is underscored with the up-coming display of her poster at the annual conference of historic climate scientists at Maynooth University, Ireland.”

The Weather Down UnderJudging the Accuracy of the 20CR Weather Reanalysis System:

A Comparison with 19th Century Weather Observations

1) Digitize raw weather data supplied in images of Australia Bureau of Meteorology records.

2) Extract data from the 20CR model and compare it with the data that was digitized.

• Debates over anthropogenic global warming, and the potentially ‘looming and significant changes in future climate’ represent one of the dominant narratives of the 21st century.

• As the Southern Ocean is an important source of the world's climate, changes in its weather patterns are important input to the analysis of global climatic change.

• The starting point for an analysis is an accessible historical record of weather in the Southern Ocean, which would allow comparison with current data.

• In the mid 19th Century Charles Todd, a pioneer Australian meteorologist established a network of observation stations which recorded 3-hourly weather data. Important among these was the Cape Borda Lighthouse which recorded weather as it came north from the Southern Ocean.

• The 20th Century Reanalysis model is a weather hindcasting system conceived and run by the Earth Systems Research Laboratory (CIRES, University of Colorado). It attempts to recreate comprehensive climate data stretching back 200 years.

• 20CR uses surface air pressure observations as a starting point to simulate the full array of the Earth’s weather patterns including rainfall and temperature at a resolution of 2 degree latitude/longitude. Much of observation data comes from ACRE-facilitated global citizen science digitization projects.

Background Information

Purpose Methodology

Results

Future Implications

Using rainfall as an indicator, to determine how reliable the 20CR reanalysis system is in recreating the historical

climate record of the Southern Ocean during the latter half of the 19th century.

• Another data set, containing the years 1894-1899, will be analyzed to further understand the capabilities of the 20CR model.• This data set will further illustrate how accurate the model is in re-creating actual historical rainfall.

S d Si t

• Because the p-value is less than 0.05, there is a significant different between the two sets of data• Because the p-value is so close to 0.05, the two sets are not drastically different, but still enough to be considered different.• The 20CR Model almost always predicted a lower amount of rainfall than the amount of rainfall that actually occurred.• Because of a “small” amount of data that was used in the calculation, the p-value from the t-test may not be accurate.

Table 1: Finalized Data

Fig. 3: Graphical comparison of the model and the recorded data

Fig. 1: Sir Charles Todd Fig. 2: Original Weather Log

• In doing a paired t-test, comparing the recorded data to the data produced by the model, the p-value was 0.04 .

late

M

Year 20CR Model (mm) Recorded (mm)1870 510.5 643.1281871 456.1 812.36821872 559.4 680.4661874 537.6 491.2361875 487.0 821.00421876 449.4 460.883

Junior Brooke is an amaz-ing young photographer. She won fi rst place in the Photo-graphic Society of America (PSA) Youth Showcase; she will be featured in the Sep-tember 2016 issue of the PSA Journal for her award winning photograph of the Brooklyn Bridge. She was awarded $175, as well as membership and a subscription to the PSA

Journal. This past month, Brooke also swept the awards at the Photographic Federation of Long Island in several catego-ries: "Color Choice" 1st Place, "People" 2nd Place, and "Ar-chitecture" 3rd Place. Con-gratulations to Brooke (with lead art teacher Rob Raeihle in photo), and we hope to see more of her work in the future!

Commack High School World Languages students earned accolades for their per-formance at the Long Island Chapter of the American As-sociation of Teachers of Italian Poetry Contest held at SUNY Old Westbury. In preparation for the po-etry contest, students memo-rized and dramatized excerpts from several well-known liter-ary works written by famous Italian authors. More than 250

students from across Nassau and Suffolk Counties competed in the event this year, and four students representing our Dis-trict earned special recognition:

Level 5 Seniors:1st place - Kellyann2rd place - Thomas

Level III Sophomores:3rd place - RaphaelHonorable Mention - Lauren

Poetry Accolades


In April, the Com-mack Chapter of the Fu-ture Business Leaders of America attended the New York State Leader-ship Conference, host-ed by NYS FBLA. This conference is attended by over 600 FBLA stu-dent members from New York State. “The students pre-pared and studied and

boy did it show. We are so proud to announce the winners of the New York State Leadership Conference, 2016,” said advisor Sandra Braun. Any student that earned fi rst through fourth place at the com-petition has the oppor-tunity to represent Com-mack at the National Conference in Atlanta.

Commack FBLA New York State Winners

Publication Design: Brandon and Jeremy - 2nd placeBanking and Finance: Michelle, Lauren, and Mailysa - 2nd placeCyber Security: Rick - 2nd placeNetworking Concepts: Rick - 5th PlaceHelp Desk: Lauren - 2nd placeHospitality Management: Giovanna, Tara, and Olivia - 2nd placeInsurance Risk Management: Brian - 3rd place Basic Decision Making: Abinaya - 4th placeMarketing: Greg, Brian and Jessica - 4th placeBusiness Ethics: Alexis and Abinaya – 4th PlaceAgribusiness: Amy - 5th place

Teaching Children Street Smarts All of the students at Wood Park walked round-trip from Wood Park to Sawmill on a lovely spring morning in April for the fi rst annual Safety Walk! This program is one component of the collabo-ration between the Smith-town Youth Bureau Safe Routes to School Program, and Wood Park Primary School, with help on the walk from the staff, the SCPD 4th Precinct, Wood Park PTA volunteers, and the Commack School Dis-trict security staff. Prior to the students setting off on their jour-ney, Police Offi cer Dono spoke with the students about many pedestrian safety topics such as how to cross safely in a cross walk, the importance of us-

ing a sidewalk when one is available, how to be aware of cars pulling out of drive-ways when walking on a sidewalk, the reasons we face traffi c when we are pedestrians, how to cross a street, and making sure you’re dressed properly, including tying your shoe-laces. In addition to the safe-ty education, Youth Bu-reau’s Gina Shalhoub also discussed the many health benefi ts of walking for fun and for exercise. Each of the children received a complimentary “Walk With Me to Wood Park Primary School” ac-tivity book from the Smith-town Youth Bureau. Over 120 miles were walked during the school day by the students!

Look up, not at your cell

phone

Walk facing traffi c!Walk facing traffi c!

Look left, look right, then look left again before crossing the street!


The Suffolk County Executive Award was created to recognize and honor a deserving student who has combined academic success with a com-mitment to the com-munity. This year, eighth grader Skyla was nominated as the re-cipient at the Commack Middle School. Skyla is a hard-working, well-balanced high-honor roll student with the spirit of giving. She has helped new students navigate their way around our middle school, participated in our school play, and is a mem-ber of both our soccer and track teams. Skyla has assisted at a special needs dance class at the NXG dance studio, learning basic sign language to better communicate with students who are hearing impaired. Skyla vol-unteers at a youth soccer camp, teaching drills and creating games to make the practices

more enjoyable for the children. Skyla also collected 25 cleats and donated them to Peace Passers Organization, which provides soccer equip-ment to communities that have limited access to proper gear. This young lady also re-cently volunteered at her parish to make wash kits for those in need. Skyla truly understands the concept of “service above self!” Congratulations to Skyla and to all students that make a positive difference in our com-munity. In photo with Skyla are middle school principal, An-thony Davidson, and guidance counselor Christine Nicols.

The “Triple-C Awards” pro-gram is sponsored by the New York State Offi ce of the Attor-ney General, to recognize the “Character, Courage, and Com-mitment” of New York’s hard-working students. Middle school students who have shown a tremendous dedication to learn-ing, to their community, and to their classmates are nominated annually by their school coun-selors for this award. Eighth graders and classmates Ava and Amanda are this year’s winners. Dedication, friendship, and teamwork have been the key ingredients to their success stories. Both girls are enrolled in Ms. Cohn’s Global Citizens Enrichment class this year and have taken on a very special project to help children across the world. Ava was inspired and learned the concept of giving when she was very young. Ava and her family have held an an-nual tradition of providing holi-day presents to a special fam-ily in need. From those early childhood moments, she was inspired to help people. Ava plays softball and fi eld hockey and excels academically. Amanda comes from a family of Girl Scouts who un-derstand the spirit of service—her mom is a Girl Scout leader and her sister is a Gold Award recipient. Amanda is currently working on her Silver Award by working with “Friends of Fred-die Pet Rescue” foundation.

She helps to make the pets beds from recycled, shredded paper for adoptable animals. Amanda also helped with a book drive and read to a class at a special needs school in Brooklyn. Amanda aspires to be a teacher in the future. Amanda is on the track team, plays bas-ketball and was the fi eld hockey captain. She is a superb stu-dent academically. Together, Amanda and Ava worked hard on their Global Citizens class project. They re-searched a website on the or-ganization Develop Africa, (De-velopAfrica.org) a U.S. based non-profi t charity organization working to establish meaningful and sustainable development in Africa. They learned about a Dream Home for orphans need-ing school supplies, and set a goal to collect enough new or gently used school supplies to fi ll 22 backpacks, one for each child. The girls led a drive by posting fl yers, writing an ar-ticle for the school paper and contacting various companies for donations and discounts. They collected money to ship the backpacks to the Dream Home in Africa. Their passion and dedication to their project is helping to touch the lives of children on a global scale. In photo with Amanda and Ava are Guidance Director, Jonathan Macaluso, guidance counselors Kim Denton and Christine Nicols, teacher Toni Cohn, and Principal Anthony Davidson.

The Offi ce of the State Comptroller recognizes stu-dents who have shown aca-demic excellence and the potential for leadership in-volvement in activities that have improved the school or community. This year, eighth grader Gabriella, “Gabby” was chosen for the award. Gabby moved to Com-mack in sixth grade and made quite the smooth transition, establishing herself quickly by getting involved and making connections. She is a hard-working member of the Na-tional Junior Honor Society, an instrumental member of the Student Council Executive Board, and she maintains con-sistent high-honor roll status. Gabby also plays softball for our school team. Gabby dedicates so much of her time to making our school a better place, and had a big role working on the annual Is-land Harvest Food Drive.

Gabby’s commitment requires hours of her time, and Gabby is truly an asset to our school and community. In photo with Gabby are Director of Guidance, Jonathan Macaluso, and guidance coun-selor Kim Denton.

Middle School Student HonorsSuffolk County Public Service Award Recipient Triple “C” Awards Recipients

Offi ce Of State Comptroller Student Achievement Award


Commack High School’s student newspaper, The Cou-rant, won 13 individual awards at the Long Island Press competition in a variety of categories. This year's island-wide contest had an estimated 2,000 entries, and was judged by professionals in the industry. Congratulations to the following students:

• 1st Place Financial News Reporting: Anna • 1st Place School News Reporting: James • 1st Place Religion/Multicultural Reporting: Alyssa • 2nd Place Section Layout: Sydney • 2nd Place Entertainment Headline: Katherine • 2nd Place Column Writing: Anna• 2nd Place Social Media Coverage: Ray • 2nd Place Technology Reporting: Ray • 3rd Place Illustration: Sydney • 3rd Place Entertainment Headline: Katherine • 3rd Place Social Media Reporting: Michelle • 3rd Place Feature Headline: Megan • 3rd Place In Depth Reporting: Zack & James

How many eighth graders earn $100 and a ticket to a gala for writing a letter? This year, at least one. John, who recently starred in the Commack Middle School musi-cal production of “Shrek,” can now take a bow for winning this year’s Li-brary of Congress “Letters About Lit-erature” writing competition for New York State. “I am extremely excited because I feel it’s just an amazing honor,” said John about his top placement for grades 7-8. The competition asked students to write a letter to an author, explain-ing how reading their story changed their lives. John wrote a letter to George Orwell. When asked why he

wrote to Orwell out of all the authors born after the turn of the century that might be a likely pick, John gave an answer that many a bibliophile can relate to. “His books really inspired me.” Orwell is best know for his works such as “Animal Farm” and “1984.” As the NYS winner, John attend-ed the New York State Writers Hall of Fame Induction Gala. Among this year’s inductees are ground-break-ing 21st century writers such as Toni Morrison (Beloved) and Stephen Sondheim (Into the Woods). In photo with John are Charles Schulz, Director of English, and his English Language Arts teacher, Lau-rel Ormiston.

“Shrek” Star Claims Top Prize in Statewide Writing Competition

Courant Does It Again!

The Smithtown Youth Bureau and Stony Brook Hospital joined with students from Commack High School’s Students Against Drunk Driving to build awareness of the dangers of reckless and distracted driving. The SADD members attended a half-day training session in February where they learned how to teach others and presented the prgoram to all tenth grade health classes in April, which is Na-tional Teen Distracted Driving Month. Week-long public service announcements on Commack High School’s morning CTN News channel (www.commack.k12.ny.us/chs/tvnews/) also carried the message that distracted driving is the number one killer of teens in America. The program is from a non-profi t in California called “Impact Teen Drivers,” and the specifi c program the students presented to their peers was ‘What Do You Consider Lethal?” Although many schools have programs where they bring in speakers to talk to the students, very few offer a student-to-student program. Video interviews and reenactments of vehicular crashes and the disastrous results of just a few seconds of inattention while behind the wheel provided powerful insight into the impact on the driver or his/her passengers, friends, and families.

The message: Don’t text and drive. Make a conscious commitment to avoid any lethal distractions.

c k

Distracted Driving = Death


R o n a l d M c D o n a l d K i d s ’ Wa l kR o n a l d M c D o n a l d K i d s ’ Wa l k

CMS Pen-Pal ProjectCMS Pen-Pal Project When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone? Re-member the days of having a pen-pal? Eighth grade students in Victoria Grennan’s Italian classes at Commack Middle School used pen and paper to correspond (in Italian) with students attending Istituto Comprensivo XIII Aprile, located in Soci-Bibbiena, Italy. Mrs. Grennan recalled, “Back in December, I was able to establish a correspondence with an Italian teacher of 8th grade English, who was interested in having our students write to one another the traditional way. Both groups of students were very excited, but many students asked why we were sending letters, when there is so much technology available to us today. When students received their letters, after weeks of anxiously waiting, the word ‘surprised’ could hardly describe their reaction. Two days in class were spent opening some very elaborately decorat-ed letters, sharing information that pen-pals had divulged to their partners, and ogling over GIFTS that were sent by the students in Italy. Needless to say, after this experience, the students were even more motivated to fi nd out about their new friends in Italy.” After a few months of letter writing, an even more exciting experience - Skyping with their pen-pals, and seeing the faces and hearing the voices of the students they had been writing to. A very civilized affair, the students introduced themselves, in both Italian and English, and then asked questions regarding both tra-ditional and modern Italian and American culture. The students compared their school systems, and talked about T.V. shows, the books they read, the music they listen to, places they have visited, how they celebrate their holidays, and how Carnevale is

celebrated in Italy. “This was such a great opportunity for my students,” said Mrs. Grennan, “meeting and communicating with people across the At-lantic and learning and comparing their cultures.”

North Ridge Primary School par-ticipated in a hugely successful week-long Ronald McDonald Kids Walk. The program began with the entire school outside on the blacktop to do some warm up exercises to prepare for the walk. Ronald McDonald then visited all the classrooms to talk to the children about the Ronald McDonald House

and thanked them for their donations. The children, teachers, and lunch aides were very enthusiastic about getting as many laps in as they could each day at lunch or recess. Physi-cal education teacher, Mrs. Esposito, mapped out a track and placed a buck-et of Popsicle sticks to collect for each completed lap. This helped the chil-dren to remember how many laps they

did so they could inform their sponsors. Mrs. Esposito would then post class totals on a fun bulletin board displayed in the hall. Some students were able to do between 12 and 25 laps a day, the equivalent of walking one to two miles. Thank you to the children and their sponsors. The Ronald McDonald Kids Walk fundraiser was a great way to kick off a summer of healthy activities.

T h e C o m m a c k C o u r i e r 15T h e C o m m a c k C o u r i e r

Two Commack High School juniors are in the spotlight for designing a metal grate that would block almost all fl oodwater from reaching the subway tunnels, as it did during the storm surge caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Raymond and Kyle, both Intel International Science and Engineering Fair Finalists, presented their design prototype at the recent competition in Phoenix, AZ, and are featured in the Society for Science on-line journal https://student.societyforscience.org/article/teens-invent-way-keep-fl oodwaters-out-subways. Much of the fl oodwaters enter the subway system via ven-tilation grates, which are at ground level. Using the same size grate dimensions as those in use now, Ray and Kyle created a scale model using a 3D printer that allows the grates to be closed. When the grate is open, there is air fl ow to the tunnels below. Un-like the grates used now, the teens’ invention, operated with a tam-perproof key, allows the grate to be closed, blocking water from entering. Their research project, entitled “Combating Storm Surge Inun-

dation in New York City Subway Stations” also won the RICOH Sustainability Award, the American Metertological Society Award, and the the Best in Fair, All Categories, at the State level competi-tion (NYSSEF). The students’ invention would not be expensive to implement, and subways world-wide would benefi t from using their system, as it is adaptable for use on any size grate. In photo, Kyle is on the left, Raymond is on right.

Saving the Subways from Flooding

North Ridge Primary School stu-dents in Cyndi Nichols’ fi rst grade class and Donna Sandak's kinder-garten class completed their “Service Learner” year by making popsicle frames for their friends at The Bristal Assisted Living Facility in East North-port. They decorated the frames with beautiful shapes, and completed 45 frames to share. These two classes have worked tirelessly all school year long for their community. From Halloween masks

for the children in Stony Brook Hos-pital to a wonderful Valentine's Day concert at The Bristal, each student felt that they had made someone else's day a little brighter! We cel-ebrate their efforts to share a smile throughout their community! In photos above, the Mrs. Nich-ol’s class is on the left, and Mrs. Sandak’s class is on the right. In the smaller photo, fi rst graders, Jesse Schoenfeld and Sofi a D’Alessandro, create their gifts for the residents at The Bristal.

Service Learning:Service Learning: Teaching Children to Care for Others Teaching Children to Care for Others


I N D I A N H O L LO W S T U D E N TSB E A U T I F Y T H E P L A N E T

Students in Jamie Coppola and Maria Ruffi ni’s kinder-garten classes at Indian Hollow Primary School celebrated Earth Day by reading about our planet, creating nature-themed hats, and painting watercolor pictures. They fi n-ished by planting fl owers to brighten up our planet.

In Mary Fox’s fi rst grade class, the children learned about preserving Earth’s natu-ral resources, and gained an appreciation of how everyone can help in this task. They decided to beautify the courtyard by planting fl ow-ers. Thanks to the help of the very dedicated and generous parents at Indian Hollow, the courtyard was weeded and the soil turned over so that students could plant. It was a team effort and thanks to all involved, the courtyard looks beautiful.

ROLLING HILLS GARDENERS WOOD PARK RECYCLES The Rolling Hills students are pictured planting azalea bushes in the courtyard in rec-ognition of Earth Day. The stu-dents observed and discussed the root system and how to best care for their class plant. Pink fl owers bloomed in May to wel-come spring. Wood Park children teamed up with the Commack Library to create cardboard box structures, learning to recycle and help save Mother Earth’s limited resources.


SAWMILL STUDENTS + MATH TOURNAMENT = SUCCESS!

H E L P I N G O U R F U R RY F R I E N D S For the past three years, Burr Interme-diate School students have generously col-lected donations for their four-legged friends at the Little Shelter in East Northport. In addi-tion to the Little Shelter, students brought in items to support the Guide Dog Foundation of Smithtown, a wonderful organization that provides guide dogs (free of charge) to help increase the independence of people with

disabilities. Arleen Leone of the Little Shelter in East Northport kicked off our annual drive with an assembly for the entire school. She and her puppy Clara stressed the importance of car-ing for our furry pals, and all the animals of our community. Both organizations were grateful for the efforts of Burr’s staff and students. In photo, Vincent with Clara.

Congratulations to Mandracchia Sawmill Intermediate School’s fourth and fi fth grade Continental Math League teams for bringing home trophies at the Suffolk Math Tournament. A special congrat-ulations goes to Alyssa for placing second in the fourth grade indi-vidual event. In photo are stu-dent members of the teams and coach/adviisors: Stephanie Ierano, Patricia Tappin, Roberta Harris, and Fran Lettieri.

Five Commack High School students received accolades at the Long Island Business Teachers Association annual Busi-ness Education Contest held recently. The students competed against more than 220 of their peers from 20 other schools in competitions such as: accounting, business calculations, business law, business principles, computer applications, mar-keting, personal fi nance, sports marketing, web design, word processing and more. Congratulations to:

Matthew Ciurleo, 1st place, Business Principles John Marino, 1st place, Computer ApplicationsPatrick Zeng, 1st place, Business Law (not in photo)Sabrina Lang, 2nd place, Word ProcessingTodd Gallert, 5th place, Sports Marketing ... and to their teachers, Sandra Braun and Carol Duckfi eld.

They Have What It Takes:Recognition for Business Acumen


Science inquiry and discovery contin-ues to thrive at Burr Intermediate School. In March, students participate in the Burr An-nual Science Fair. Two projects from each grade level are chosen to represent our school at the 2016 Brookhaven National Lab Elementary Science Fair, held in May. This year, the students who represented Burr were: Nell and Jake (grade 3), Jillian and Gracen (grade 4), and Rishin and Ryan ( grade 5). About 120 schools from across Suffolk County participate in BNL annual event. Volunteer BNL scientists and teachers are teamed up to judge over 500 projects from grades K-6. We are pleased to announce that Burr had three winners!

Grace, in Mrs. Campa’s fourth grade class, won Honorable Mention for her project, “Gen-der Sterotypes.” Rishin, in Mrs. Ros-ner’s fi fth grade class, won Honor-able Mention for his project, “Point of a Pa-rabola: Does it Boost the Wi-Fi Signal?” and Ryan, in Mr. Ball’s fi fth grade, class won Honorable Mention for his project, “Virtual Reality.” This is the second year in a row that Burr has had three Honorable Mention win-ners at the Brookhaven Fair. Four banners

hang in the school, from previous overall winners. Burr Intermediate School contin-ues to win yearly honors at this prestigious fair, which is a testament to Commack School District’s commitment to science. In photo, congratulating the young scientists are Assistant Principal, Donna Forbes, and Sue Rosner, Burr Science Fair Coordinator.

S i i i d di ti G i M

Burr’s Brookhaven Science Fair Winners

Second Graders Leave Their Legacy

All second graders at all four primary schools worked with artist Cathy Russell on Legacy Proj-ects, sponsored by each school’s PTA Arts-in-Edu-cation Committees. Each project will leave a unique and personal “piece” of each child at their elemen-

tary school - to revisit at a future time. At Wood Park each student created a ceramic tile, in various shapes and colors, for the Legacy Project. The tiles were designed to be the tesserae (pieces) for a mosaic bench that is the latest ad-dition to the "Sole" Mates mural in the front lobby. These students are moving on, but they sure had fun leaving their "mark" on Wood Park! At Rolling Hills, work has continued for three years on this second grade legacy project, hanging in the windows at the front breezeway of the school. Cathy drew fl owers, butterfl ies, bees, and watering cans on plastic discs that the students colored in with

special paints. The discs are connected with wire and as the sun shines through them, the breezeway is washed in color! At Indian Hollow, the second graders continued to work on a Legacy Proj-ect located in the Fred R. Horowitz Multi-Purpose Room. For the last three years, students in Mrs. Tumminello’s art classes “Sole Mate” im-pressions using the bottom of their shoes. These small sole im-pressions are made in clay, fi red, and glazed by the children. This year students created two clouds which accompany a sun and their 50th Anniversary Tree. North Ridge created rainbow tiles, inspired by the Maya An-gelou quote, “Be the rainbow in someone’s cloud.” Clay imprints from the soles of their shoes were glazed and fi red to create a gor-geous mosaic piece of art that is displayed at the school opposite the entrance to the main offi ce.


This year, the Commack School District collected almost $80,000 in its annual fundraiser for St. Bal-drick’s Foundation. North Ridge Primary School students brought in loose change and bills to donate to St. Baldrick’s, as well as a number of students who had their heads shaved at the event. The children in the class that brought in the most money (Ms. Oliveto’s kindergarten class brought in $350.06) received a St. Baldrick’s

T-shirt and a gift certifi cate for a free slice of pizza and a soda at Filetto’s. The second place class (Ms. Eber-hardt’s fi rst grade class, $288.04) also received a T-shirt, as did Ms. Rowan’s class, which contributed $154.29. In total, the school collected $1,420.15 in change and bills. School psychologist James Fawcett leads the charge at North Ridge, and is a real hero for kids with can-cer.

The fi rst graders at Indian Hollow learned about living things this year. To extend that learning, Mrs. Beth Wrede from the Long Is-land Science Center, visited the students to present a great program all about bats! Most people don’t realize that bats are helpful to the environment and quite peaceful animals. The children were able to examine sev-eral bat skeletons as well as participate in an echolocation experiment. Mrs. Wrede brought a slide show, which helped educate the students on what various bats look like and where they live. Each student also got to make his/her own clothespin bat to use as a magnet or a bookmark.

Some very exciting events occur at the Commack Middle School Library. From Maker Space creations to video conferences, to contests for checking out the most books, librarians Carolyn Burton and Joan Hanley, along with li-brary aides Virginia Maina and Eloise Rojas, had a very busy year. A visit to the library offers a chance to look at Google card-board glasses, phone prisms, QR code messages, projec-tors in a box, and robot artists. Maker Spacers have also dis-covered the Makey Makey, an invention kit that allows users to connect everyday objects to computer programs. Did you ever play a tune on a banana? Makey Makey users have! Maker Space creators at-tended SLIME - the Students of Long Island Maker Expo. Aside from the inventive items

mentioned above, Heather (photo) walked down the run-way in her trash to fashion show ensemble. I bet you didn’t think you could wear a book and read it as well! As you can see, the CMS library has so much more to of-fer than books and databases. Stop by in the fall when you get off the bus, get a pass for ELO or lunch, and come on in for a visit.

Not Just Books: Libraries Offer Many Options

Sea creatures made the top of the list for the students in Danielle Cooper’s class at Mandracchia-Sawmill. During library class with Joan Hanley, the class explored many different types of animals. Insects, pets, farm animals, sea animals, and jungle animals. The class then voted on the species that interested them the most, and became true authors and illustrators. They carefully researched manatees, sea turtles, jellyfi sh, narwhals, sharks and seals. They also made special depictions for each which are included in their book, “Ocean Creatures.” These hard working authors and illustrators celebrated the publication of their book with teachers and administrators.

Going Batty at IHStill Collecting to Kick Kid’s Cancer


SAAWA Competition

Alexis Capasso, Michelle Wolk and Giovanna Yopp placed third in the Annual Ju-nior Achievement Business Plan Competition. Each young lady received a monetary award of $750, prestigious plaques, and a beautiful place-ment award for the school. During the concluding round of an intensive three-month business education pro-gram and competition, six fi nal-ist teams (out of 125 teams) presented their proposals for innovative arts and entertain-ment products and services to

a panel of high profi le business judges at the all-day event held at KKR offi ces in midtown New York. Following a series of knock-out preliminary rounds, our Commack team “MuZam” took third place, impressing judges with their idea for an app that supplements and/or substitutes for tour guides in museums. Using the MuZam app, visitors of the museum can learn more about the his-tory and background of the art in front of them. In photo with students (on right) is advisor Sandra Braun.

Junior Achievement Award for Students’ Museum AppJunior Achievement Award for Students’ Museum App

Four Burr students en-tered the 16th Annual Tulip Festival School Art Contest, held in Huntington the fi rst Sunday in May. Their depic-tions of tulips were created with colored pencils during their art classes under the guidance of art teachers, Carolann Lally and Geralyn Russo. Fourth grade student, An-thony, came in fi rst place for his grade and fourth grader Logan came in second! Jack, fi fth grade, and Luciawere also entrants in the contest.

Anthony received a $50 gift card courtesy of Astoria Bank, and Mrs. Lally, also re-ceived a $50 gift card to be used for classroom needs. Reproductions of the win-ning works of art were dis-played at the Heckscher Mu-seum of Art and at Heckscher Park, Huntington, during the Tulip Festival. Pictured here are the 4 students with art teachers Ms. Russo, Mrs. Lally, as well as Assistant Principal, Mrs. Donna Forbes, and Principal, Paul Schmelter.

Tulip Festival Artists

The fi rst SAAWA Science Fair was held in April, followed by an Awards Ceremony on May 15, 2016. The fair was in-tended to be a celebration of science, ingenuity, and the cre-ative spirit. SAAWA, the South Asian American Women’s Alliance, presented a platform for stu-dents to compete as equals, and where they would be evaluated only on the basis of how well they have managed to express their interests and thinking in comparison to their peers. Charity won fi rst place in biology at the fair, and the team of Megan, Kelly, and Julia took third place in biology. Ibrahim Khan won third place in phys-ics. This year's fair received en-

tries from 129 participants from 13 schools across Long Island. Each presentation was based on actual experiments and fi eld observations performed by par-ticipants using established sci-entifi c methods. The research for each en-try had been conducted for a maximum of 15 continuous months (June 2014 - Decem-ber 2015) by individuals or teams of up to three students. Entries were by subject and a team of 18 judges led by Pro-fessor Suresh Sahni, of Will-liam Patterson University, NJ, evaluated the entries. In photo, from left to right: science teacher, Jeanette Col-lette, students Charity, Megan, Kelly, Julia, and Ibrahim, lab assistant Andrea Beatty, and science teacher Richard Kurtz.

p


Commack High School sci-ence research students Mike, Trevor, and Nicole used satel-lite data from the lunar surface to explore the contributing fac-tors of fractures in the fl oor of the Moon. Commack was one of the top four scoring schools in the Exploration of the Moon and Asteroids by Secondary Students (ExMASS) poster and research competition, managed by the Center for Lunar Science and Exploration.ExMASS is an academic, year-long, national standards-based lunar/asteroid research program that envelops students in the process of sci-ence. Floor fractures are found in relatively few craters on the moon and the cause of their formation is a mystery. There are two proposed ideas for the cause of these fractures. The mechanism causing fl oor-frac-tured craters has been hypoth-esized to be either magmatic

intrusions or viscous relaxation. Due to the lack of gravity data in earlier studies, a defi nite answer was not determined. Recently, gravity data from the Gravity Recovery and Interior Labora-tory (GRAIL) has provided new insight into how fl oor-fractured craters form, and based on the data, the students concluded that magmatic intrusion is the cause of fl oor-fractured craters. This experiment is important because it allows for a better understanding of lunar surface activity. The student’s research poster will be displayed this summer at the Exploration Sci-ence Forum held at the NASA Ames Research Center in Iowa. In photo, from left to right: sci-ence research teacher/mentor Jeanette Collette, Mike, Trevor, Nicole, science research teach-er/mentor Richard Kurtz, and lab assistant Andrea Beatty.

Resolving Cause ofResolving Cause ofFloor-Fractured CratersFloor-Fractured Craters

Cubes in Space™, an idoodlelearning Inc. Program in collaboration with NASA’s Langley Research Center and Colorado Space Grant Con-sortium, offers global design competitions for students 11-18 years of age to develop STEM-based experiments for launch into space. Commack High School students Kyle and Kazuo’s project centered on inverte-brate microorganisms called rotifers. This year, nearly 500 educators and thousands of students from 22 countries participated and proposed experiments for a spot on a NASA sounding rocket or high-altitude scientifi c balloon mission, of which a total of 160 designs were selected. Kyle and Kazuo’s project was one of them.

Students and educators were exposed to engaging online content and activities in preparation for the design and development of an ex-perimental payload to be in-tegrated into a small cube. Throughout the experience, students developed key 21st century skills; communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity. The experiments will be launched via sounding rock-et in June 2016 from NASA Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore of Virginia or by high-altitude scientifi c balloon in August 2016 from NASA’s Columbia Scientifi c Balloon Facility in Ft. Sumner, New Mexico. In photo with students is science teacher and mentor, Richard Kurtz.

Sending A Cube Into Sending A Cube Into Outer SpaceOuter Space

More Science Kudos... At the June Board of Education meeting, the Board rec-ognized students who won math and science awards at the following competitions:

• National Physics Olympiad• Junior Science & Humanities Symposium• NYSSEF• National Chemistry Olympiad• International Science & Engineering Fair• LISEF• Regional Science Bowl• STANYS

Congratulations to these students and the many otherswho work so hard to succeed!


S i lver Anniver sary Ce l ebrat i on The Commack School District hosts a cel-ebration to honor those who have worked here for 25 years, and those about to begin a new time in their lives (retirement). This year, 20 re-tirees and seven Silver Anniversary honorees were recognized at the Annual Retirement and Silver Anniversary Gala, held at Commack Middle School. Reza Kolahifar, Personnel Director, was the Master of Ceremonies, and the ladies who work with him in personnel planned this de-lightful event. Honorees were presented with plaques and fl owers to commemorate their service to the District and its students. Thank you to Frank Hansen and the Commack High School ICA Jazz Messengers for their sweet music. We wish all our honorees a fulfi lling future, and thank you for your many years of dedica-tion to the students of Commack.

Silver Anniversary Honorees: Gloria Fernandez, Paul Fieman, Larry Natale, Kathleen Olesen, James Oliveri, Jeri Schwartz, and Deborah Slesinski. Retirees: Ellen Aquilino, Ann Bonosoro, Joyce Conneely, Carmela DeMaio, Janet Doktor, Sari Farber, Patricia Foster, Barbara Isaa-cson, Janet LaRosa, Fran Mazeika, Margaret Monckton, Catherine Nolan, Eileen Rogers, Karin Schierwagen, Kathleen Terrell, and JoAnn Waggoner.

In photo with this year’s honorees are Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Donald James, and Executive Director of Personnel, Reza Kolahifar.

A Fond Farewell from Commack High School Principal, Catherine NolanDear Members of the Commack Community, Upon deep refl ection and with immeasurable gratitude, I am retiring at the conclusion of this school year, effective July 1, 2016. It has been my honor and privilege to serve the children of Commack High School for the past twenty years, fi rst in the area of Special Education and then in Administration as Commack High School’s Principal. As the Educational Leader of our premier high school, I have expe-rienced unquantifi able pride and joy as I worked alongside the very fi n-est district and building-level educators and leaders as we cultivated our students’ minds, hearts, and very souls, supported by our Superintendent’s and Board of Education’s unwavering commitment to excellence. I have been enriched by the countless relationships built throughout my tenure at Commack High School. I wish to thank the entire Commack community – my second family – for entrusting your children to me. Due to your sacred trust and belief in our shared vision as to what is best for children, you afforded me the opportunity to build strong young lives, steeped in purpose and a sense of giving back to humanity. I am immensely grateful and humbled to know that my life’s work has bettered the lives of others – in some small way. By challenging our students’ minds with rich academia embedding choice and challenge, they continue to fi nd success. Intentionally nurtur-

ing the whole child by focusing on their social and emotional health, we cultivate a resilient mindset creating competent and confi dent learners – learners who will go forth into the world to accomplish great things, with a growth mindset, a “can do” attitude that propels them forward. Thank you for sharing your children with me throughout the years. Know that they have enriched my life beyond measure as I now embrace this next phase. I cherish the memories. As we transition in this area of building leadership, rest assured that your children are “in good hands.” Our district leadership will conduct a timely and comprehensive search, to include various stakeholders’ voices in the process, to select my successor who will continue to support our vi-sion, but most importantly, build young men and women who refl ect and defi ne us as an educational community. With Gratitude, Catherine D. Nolan

tudents of Commack.

niversary Honorees:


Did you know the Great Barrier Reef is so huge; it is the only structure, made up of living creatures, that can be seen from space?

Third graders in Amy Mazur and Kris-ten House’s classes studied the continent of Australia and learned about its culture, the wildlife, and the Great Barrier Reef.

Both classes worked diligently to create and assemble their own coral-reef mural and shared some important facts to help preserve and protect the reef.

High school science teacher, Ryan McGrath, used the recently popularized Escape Room concept and adapted it for his chemistry classes. The basic premise is that you and your team are “locked” in a themed room and the only way out is to solve a series of problems and puzzles hidden all around the room. He had his Regents students create

challenge questions for their coun-terpart class and his Pre-IB chem-istry students. He then created an outdoor classroom experience in the greenhouse and the courtyard. Over the course of a couple of weeks, students created questions, thought up puzzles and clues, and organized a “Mad Chemist’s Escape” challenge.

PTA Refl ections WinnerPTA Refl ections Winner

Congratulations to Sawmill fi fth grad-er, Jake, who is a recipient of the National PTA Award of Merit in Film Production in the National PTA Annual Refl ections Com-petition. Congratulations on surpassing the competition at the local and State lev-els. In photo with Jake are PTA President, Tara Darvassy, and Assistant Principal, Evelyn Cardenas-Smith.

The Great Barrier Reef at Burr

Escaping from theEscaping from theClassroom Classroom


On Tuesday, April 19, 2016 over 140 Commack High School sophomores par-ticipated in a unique shadowing experi-ence across various businesses on Long Island. This event, coordinated by Diane Nelson, Career/Internship Teacher, pro-

vides 10th grade students with an op-portunity to learn about a chosen career fi eld and the work world. Mentors shared with the students the various responsibili-ties of their job and offer insight into skills, education, and career pathways needed

to secure gainful employment. Seven-teen students shadowed elementary and special education teachers, the occupa-tional therapist, speech therapist, and the librarian at our own North Ridge Primary School.

Experiencing Future Career Options:Experiencing Future Career Options:Shadow DayShadow Day

Celebrating “National Jazz Appreciation Month” in April, the Commack Middle School Stage Band and Jazz Band had a visit from the Five Towns College Jazz Band. The Five Towns band members sat among our band members and played our music with us. Music teacher and band leader Mark Burr said, “It was great to have college students sitting next to middle school students playing together. After we played all of our music, the Five Towns band played a small concert of their music for our stu-dents."

That’s Show Business!That’s Show Business! Commack’s theatrical productions were a hit at the sixth annual Hunting-Tony Awards ceremony, held at the John W. Engeman Theatre in Northport. There were 25 different categories, and Commack won fi ve Hunting-Tony awards including:

Fall 2015 ProductionLead Actress/Play: Kelsey

Musical 2016 ProductionsLead Actor/ Musical: AdamFeatured Actor/ Musical: Jared Best Stage Crew: Sweeney ToddBest Musical: Sweeney Todd!!!

Please join us in celebrating the achievements of these students and of all the tal-ented students who worked hard on both main stage productions this year. Advisor Karen Malone said, “We are so proud of their success, and we are equally proud of the way the students supported each other at the ceremony.”

All That Jazz


Music teachers from school districts across Suffolk County nominate their stu-dents to participate in the annual Long Is-land String Festival Association (L.I.S.F.A.) and the Suffolk County Music Educators’ Association (S.C.M.E.A.) All-County Festi-val Concerts. The Long Island String Fes-tival Association and the Suffolk County Music Educators’ Association are county

music organizations that offer students the ability to perform with students from other districts in annual All-County Concert Fes-tivals. These honor groups rehearse two to three days in preparation for the concerts. Over 100 musicians from Commack participated in these prestigious festivals. “Once again, the students performed at their usual high level of musicianship, and

we congratulate them for earning this out-standing recognition! It is a tremendous achievement to be selected, as thousands of students are nominated to participate in these well known festivals,” stated Paul R. Infante, Director of Fine and Applied Arts. The photos above contain many of our students who were chosen as outstanding musicians in Suffolk County.

B u r rB u r r

Commack Commack Middle Middle SchoolSchool

Students Honored at All-County Music FestivalStudents Honored at All-County Music Festival

S a w m i l lS a w m i l l

C o m m a c k H i g h S c h o o lC o m m a c k H i g h S c h o o l

POSTAL PATRONCommack Union Free School DistrictCommack, New York, 11725

NON-PROFITCARRIER ROUTE

PRE-SORTUS POSTAGE PAID

PERMIT NO. 8Commack, NY 11725

www.commackschools.org

It was a phenomenal year for our Com-mack athletes! During the 2015-16 school year we have seen our athletes earn All League, All Conference, All County, All Long Island, and even All State honors. We had a Newsday Player of the Year and Coach of the Year. We had a News 12 Scholar Ath-lete and an Individual State Champion. Our Girls Basketball Team won a sec-ond straight Long Island and Suffolk County

Basketball Championship. Our Girls Fenc-ing, Gymnastics, and Softball teams also won a Suffolk County Championship. Our athletic programs continue to give back to the community in many ways including fundraising events for charities, youth and community athletic clinics, and physical education workshops. Commack High School has once again qualifi ed as a New York State School of Dis-

tinction with ALL 32 varsity teams earning a 90% or above academic grade point aver-age. Congratulations to all of our athletes! For the names and schools of the students in the photo above, who are all going on to play college sports, please visit the Athletic Page on the Commack Website.

We are Commack!

Commack Board of Education:Steven Hartman - President

Janine DiGirolamo - Vice PresidentTrustees: Jarrett Behar,

MaryJo Masciello, James Tampellini

Superintendent of Schools: Dr. Donald A. James

Girls Varsity SoftballSuffolk County AA Champions

Boys Varsity BaseballLeague 1 Champions

Girls BadmintonLeague 1 Champions

Boys Track TeamLeague 1 Champions

#MACK SPRING SUCCESSES!!! #MACK

Documents

22016 IB D016 IB DIPPLOMA CLOMA CANNDDIDDATESATES · team, our pride and happiness is over-ﬂ owing right now! Students who par-ticipate improve their problem solving capabilities.”