Massapequa school District

Summer 2018

class of 2018

Ready for the Future

The 62nd class to graduate from Massapequa High School was filled with students who accomplished a lot individually and collectively. Student speakers highlighted many of those achievements at the graduation ceremony on June 18 at Hofstra University.

In the past year alone, there was a county championship for the mock trial team, a state title for the baseball team and a national championship for the robotics team. Students received medals for their performance on world language exams, starred in musicals on the high school stage, were named to county and state music ensembles, contributed to the local and global community through various acts of charity and painted a new mural on the side of Town Bagel.

“We made memories that will live in our hearts and our minds forever,” said senior class President Gillian Murphy.

“Our senior class represents an outstanding composition of students demonstrating scholarship, leadership, service and quality of character,” Principal Patrick DiClemente said. He added that the seniors were the first class to leave Massapequa High School since its designation as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.

Student speakers thanked everyone who has provided support over the years, including their families, classmates and teachers.

“We will take what we learned to our next step and further,” salutatorian Nicole Leonick said. “The world is ready for us.”

Valedictorian Deborah Lobaccaro talked about the choices that she and her 593 fellow graduates make, from the small — deciding what to eat for breakfast in the morning — to the big — deciding where to go to college. The decisions got more complex as they moved from kindergarten to 12th grade, and the older they get, the more empowering their choices become.

General Organization President David Letzter said that leaving high school is a unique transition as he and his fellow graduates will all follow different paths. He encouraged them to embrace the change and “find out who we can become.”

Medals were awarded to an outstanding student in each academic area. The recipients included Gillian Murphy (English), Liam Higgins (social studies), Deborah Lobaccaro (math and science), Evan Warns (world languages), Chris Doyle (business education), Ashley Smith (family and consumer sciences),

Renee Smestad (music), Alex Schmadtke (technology), Elizabeth Schafer (art), Meghan McShane (health education) and Thomas DiGennaro and Nancy Guttilla (physical education). Mr. DiClemente recognized all graduates who have enlisted in a branch of the military or enrolled in a military institution.

To conclude the ceremony, Mr. DiClemente asked them to move their tassels from the right to left, but that only lasted a few minutes as soon caps were tossed in the air in celebration.

Our senior class represents an outstanding

composition of students

demonstrating scholarship, leadership, service and

quality of character.

Principal Patrick DiClemente

Massapequa High School valedictorian Deborah Lobaccaro and salutatorian Nicole Leonick will be continuing their educations at two of the top colleges in the country, where they will both be pursuing careers in the sciences.

Deborah will be attending the Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly known as Georgia Tech, to study biomedical engineering. She said she is particularly excited about the co-op program, which would give her the opportunity to work with professors on research projects or with companies in the medical field.

Nicole will head upstate to the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where she plans to major in biology, the next step on her path to working in pediatric medicine. She has volunteered at Cohen Children’s Medical Center for the past two years, doing craft projects with children to make them feel more comfortable during their hospital stays.

Both students have participated in Massapequa’s independent science research program since eighth grade. Deborah presented her project in the Intel Science Talent Search, for which she worked on creating a biologically safe glue to reinforce aneurysm walls.

They each also spent a week in February at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology enhancing their knowledge of science. Deborah participated in noncontact laser sound imaging, and Nicole took part in noncontact tests to determine if concrete had flaws that could cause problems in seismic events.

Deborah and Nicole both took advantage of the opportunities offered at Massapequa High School to challenge their minds, with each taking a dozen Advanced Placement courses. They said the rigorous work has prepared them for the demands of college. Deborah said her favorite AP course was calculus because it influenced her decision to pursue scientific engineering, while Nicole enjoyed AP Spanish because she liked learning another language and understanding other cultures.

Outside of the classroom, Deborah was on the cheerleading squad, of which she was captain during her senior year, and was also president of Students Against Destructive Decisions and a member of the National Honor Society. She helped organize a prom dress collection and the Safe Halloween event for youngsters to go trick-or-treating at the high school.

Nicole was captain of the rifle team and treasurer of Best Buddies, a club that fosters friendships between students with and without disabilities. She is proud of the friendship walk that the group organized at Marjorie Post Park. Additionally, she was a member of the National Honor Society and Team ECHO, the environmental club.

The two have been friends since their days at McKenna Elementary School. They actually met at youth cheerleading registration, then had class together in kindergarten and first grade. They both also attended the district’s summer recreation program at McKenna and later became counselors.

“It got to the point where we were inseparable, so not being in the same second-grade class was kind of rough,” Nicole said.

“Because of the friendship that we’ve had, we made each other better,” Deborah added.

Among their many memories, the top graduates both cited trips during high school with the orchestra. Deborah plays the viola and Nicole the cello, instruments they both started learning in fourth grade.

Deborah said that achieving the top rank in the class was made possible through hard work, sacrifice and time management. Nicole cited the importance of participating in activities outside of the academic realm. Both students also attributed much of their success to their dedicated and inspiring teachers, from elementary school through high school.

“They would go above and beyond,” Nicole said. “The teachers here had a really big impact on my life and I am really thankful for them.”

Future is Bright for Top Graduates

Graduates from the Class of 2018…Were offered a total of $48.9 million in scholarships to colleges and universities they were accepted to.

Will attend 144 different colleges and universities across 30 states and Washington D.C., including Bowdoin College, Colgate University, Cornell University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, United States Military Academy – West Point, University of Michigan, University of Notre Dame, University of Southern California, Villanova University, Wesleyan University.

Four students will serve our country in the United States Armed Forces directly after high school. Three students are enlisting in the United States Marine Corps and one student is enlisting in the United States Navy. 63 percent of the Class of 2018 earned college credits while in high school.

37 percent of the Class of 2018 earned at least a semester (15 credits) of college credits while in high school. 2018class of

GraDuates froM the class of 2018…

Timothy Taylor, President Gary Baldinger, Vice President Jeanine Caramore, Secretary Kerry Wachter, Trustee Lucille F. Iconis, Superintendent of Schools

Board of Education

superintenDent’s

MessageCongratulations to the Class of 2018! Our

departing senior class certainly made its mark during its 13 years in the Massapequa School District. Members received numerous accolades in academics, the arts and athletics. They gave so much to the community through service activities. Our graduates are bright, passionate and civic-minded, and are poised for great success as they enter adulthood.

They will head off to some of the finest colleges and universities in the country to continue their academic pursuits. Others will enter the military or join the workforce. They are now ready to make their mark on society.

I would also like to acknowledge the Massapequa High School Class of 2025, who were honored at their elementary school moving up ceremonies. They became the second class of fifth-graders to graduate from our six elementary schools, and first class to do it alone. Great opportunities await them at Berner Middle School.

As they moved up in ceremonies held in the auditoriums at the high school, the middle school and McKenna Elementary School, each stage featured six panels hanging on the back curtain. Each panel represented one of our elementary schools. A blue ribbon connected all of the panels, symbolizing how the students will soon come together for the first time as a class.

This summer is filled with a lot of excitement in our schools. Thousands of our students are taking part in the summer recreation program, music, art and theater classes, and sports skills camps. This gives children an opportunity to socialize with their peers and make new friends, express their creativity and remain physically fit. Many of our older students are working as counselors and learning valuable leadership skills.

Several construction projects are also underway, including the replacement of windows at Fairfield Elementary School, the replacement of floors at Unqua Elementary School and upgrades to the high school library. We continue to improve the district’s facilities, thanks to continued support from the community. In January, voters approved renovations to classrooms and bathrooms as well as the installation of air conditioning, and we will update the public as those projects draw closer.

I wish everyone a safe, happy and healthy summer. Please continue to visit the district’s website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages for updates and photos.

Lucille F. Iconis,Superintendent

Berner Middle School welcomed its first class of sixth-grade students on Sept. 6, 2017, and they have thrived over the last 10 months. They took advantage of increased academic offerings along with the opportunity to participate in clubs and intramural sports.

Core classes for the sixth-graders were grouped together on the third floor, and students were assigned to one of three houses of approximately 180 students to create a small-school feeling within a big school. Each house had four teams and students had two teachers – one for English language arts and social studies, and another for math and science. Students received additional periods of ELA and math every other day.

Their schedule also consisted of a world language course every other day, in which students could choose from French, German, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. They also had music, physical education and lunch. One period a day was reserved for the wheel courses, with students receiving 10 weeks of instruction in art, family and consumer sciences, health and technology.

The sixth-grade program included the introduction of MS 101, a course that primarily focused on organization and communication skills. The class met every other day throughout the year. Because computers are the pens and paper of this generation, students learned how to use their assigned Chromebooks to keep their schedules and communicate with their classmates and teachers. There were lessons on email etiquette, digital citizenship and the responsible use of social media. Guidance counselors and psychologists visited classrooms to support social and emotional learning. The theme in the classes this year was “Growth Mindset.”

“It is a rich course and we were really able to tailor it to what these kids need,” said Superintendent Lucille F. Iconis. “It’s very quickly become a very popular class.”

MS 101 is a model program, as representatives from other districts have visited the school to see classes in action.

The relocation of sixth grade to the middle school provided for an enhanced special education program, with self-contained and integrated co-teaching classes for the core academic areas. Support classes were also provided along with occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech classes as needed.

Students had the opportunity to participate in

the school’s extracurricular activities. With the addition of the sixth grade, the number of clubs at Berner expanded from 20 to 30, giving students an opportunity to explore different interests, including art, cooking, world languages and more.

“There is something for everyone,” Ms. Iconis said. “The club meetings were well attended and enrollment increased throughout the year.”

A sixth-grade intramural sports program was created to mirror the seventh- and eighth-grade interscholastic athletics program. The fitness room was enhanced and was open four days a week after school.

“Seussical the Musical” included 43 sixth-graders, making up about one-third of the cast. Approximately 85 percent of sixth-graders achieved one of three levels of honor roll.

A high level of social and emotional support was provided, with three dedicated guidance counselors for the sixth grade. The school has one social worker and four psychologists, including one assigned to support sixth-graders. Students participated in character education lessons throughout the year from Berner’s One School, One Book initiative. This year’s selection was “One for the Murphys.”

Ms. Iconis said one of the biggest challenges was introducing both the sixth- and seventh-graders to Berner at the same time, but the administrative team of Principal Jason Esposito, Executive Assistants to the Principal Barbara Lowell and Beth Mullins, and Dean Rob Tucker did a great job of making sure everyone felt welcome. The eighth-graders served as fine role models.

“We tried really hard to provide a great experience for all of the students and be accessible to all of the parents,” said Principal Jason Esposito, who added that teachers foster collaborative classroom environments in which students feel comfortable working with each other.

The administration will continue to assess, monitor and adjust the sixth-grade program to make it even stronger.

updatE on the Sixth-Grade Transition