Middle Country Central School District in the Media

Newfield High School held an induction ceremony for 18 new members of its National Art Honor Society. The purpose of this organization at Newfield High School is to inspire and recognize students who have shown outstanding ability in art and support students’ creative abilities and talents. The Art Honor Society advised by Sal Berretta, besides supporting its membership, looks to promote the love of the arts in the greater Newfield High School student body. 

“Our goal is to foster excellence and a dedicated spirit among our Art Honor Society members as well as bringing attention awareness of art to our community, our high school, and other areas of the school curriculum,” said Scott Graviano, Principal of Newfield High School. “Welcome to our new inductees and we are confident our existing members will give them support and resources to thrive.”

During the ceremony, guest speaker, Shay Steuart, a senior at SUNY New Paltz majoring in Art Education and Art History and minoring in Evolutionary Studies and Social Justice Educational Studies, spoke to the Art Honor Society members. She is a visual artist, primarily working in acrylic and oil paint, and just finished her student teaching at New Lane Elementary School and will begin student teaching at Newfield High School.

New Inductees:
Shariq Ahmad
Tahsina Akbar
Anjali Alexis
Mya Barry
Faith Burns
Devi Das
Vicky Das
Abigail Daniels
Phenisha Dulnuun
James Keenan
Payton Martin
Jessica Mcllree
Amtul Naqvi
Daiana Ramirez
Samantha Sayers
Caralena Schwartz
Ella Sharrock
Isabella Warner 

Approximately 75 eighth-grade students at Dawnwood Middle School and Selden Middle School in the Family and Consumer Science and Technology classes participated in the annual Job Shadowing Day event sponsored by the Middle Country Business Advisory Board (MCBAB). This was the first such event after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Students worked alongside or shadowed a family member or friend of the family and had the opportunity for a behind-the-scenes look at an average workday in a variety of careers, including paralegal, teaching, nursing, small business owner, and corporate executive. The students saw firsthand how the education they are receiving at school, including 21st-century skills such as time management, communication, teamwork, and problem-solving are directly connected to future employment.

“I observed in-person and through participation in virtual meetings how a cohesive team works,” said Angela Patalano, an eighth-grade student at Selden Middle School, who shadowed a senior vice president of data and systems integration at Lifetime Brands. “I took a showroom tour and learned a great deal  about product categories and branding.”

Middle Country Central School District’s Jericho Elementary School students recently participated in a Math-A-Thon competition sponsored by St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital to help raise money and increase awareness of the groundbreaking work done at the Memphis-based research hospital. The school’s first-grade through fifth-grade students completed grade-appropriate math tasks as the foundation of the fund-raising effort.

“It’s truly amazing to see what we can do as a community,” said Elena Baldwin, Principal of Jericho Elementary School. “Special thanks to Carolyn Raynoha who organizes and spearheads Math-A-Thon each year. Your dedication to your students and giving back to the community is admirable!”

This was the eighth year that the school has worked with St. Jude’s. This year, the students’ efforts resulted in  $6,501 being raised for the hospital. Over the course of eight years, Jericho Elementary School students have raised $76,615.

“The students truly enjoy and look forward to the Math-A-Thon,” said Carolyn Raynoha, Jericho Elementary School’s fourth-grade teacher. “This program aligns with our Character Education efforts, and more specifically with this month’s  theme word which is caring.”

The St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital is world-renowned for its work in treating and fighting childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Treatments developed at St. Jude’s have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to more than 80% since it opened over 50 years ago.

The Middle Country Central School District recently announced its February students of the month. Receiving recognition were Centereach High School senior Sadia Huda, Newfield High School senior Amanda Knoph, eighth-grade Dawnwood Middle School student Santiago Valdivieso, and eighth-grade Selden Middle School student Matthew Sheridan.

“It brings me great pride each month to honor the excellence of our students throughout the District,” said Dr. Roberta Gerold, Superintendent of Schools. “These students have excelled both in and out of their class as well as in their extracurricular activities and being active role models amongst their peers.”

Centereach High School senior, Sadia Huda is an academically outstanding student. Throughout her high school journey, she has excelled in the classroom while challenging herself. Her weighted GPA is 97.1, which places her in the top 50 of the senior class. Sadia will graduate in June with more than 30 college credits. Sadia is a member of the National Honor Society, Spanish Language Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, Tri-M Honor Society, a member of the varsity bowling team and sings in the women’s choir. She volunteers her time through these organizations as well as at the Middle Country Public Library and Sachem Public Library. With countless volunteering hours, Sadia also finds the time to work more than 20 hours a week at her local CVS. Sadia has been accepted to a number of colleges and looks forward to pursuing a double major in Biology and Computer Science.

Newfield High School senior Amanda Knoph is focused and diligent in her work habits. Her dedication has paid off in both her perfect class average and AP scores last year. She ranks number 13 in her class of 381 seniors. Amanda has an unweighted GPA of 98.102 and a weighted GPA of 101.0071. She expects to graduate in June with more than 30 college credits. Amanda is a superstar outside of the classroom as well as inside the classroom. She is a member of the National Art Honor Society, Foreign Language Honor Society, and National Honor Society. Amanda is a member of the Middle Country varsity gymnastics team where she is a two-time scholar-athlete award winner, helping the team rise to Suffolk County League II Champions. Amanda was also named All-American team member. Outside of school, Amanda volunteers in neighborhood clean-ups in the Town of Brookhaven with her team is a homework helper at the Middle Country Public Library and is a gymnastic coach at New Era Gymnastics. 

Eighth-grade Dawnwood Middle School student Santiago Valdivieso is a well-rounded student. According to Santiago’s teachers, he regularly volunteers to answer questions, and frequently raises his hand to ask thoughtful questions or check for understanding. Santiago’s overall average for his sixth and

seventh-grade school years was 98.77. His average for this school year’s first and second quarters is 98.83. Outside of school, Santiago’s passion is soccer. He plays on a travel team as well as at Dawnwood Middle School. 

Eighth-grade Selden Middle School student Matthew Sheridan is a steadfast worker and holds himself to high standards. His quarterly averages are always in the mid to high 90s which has put him on the high honor roll every quarter of his middle school career. This year, he has maintained an average each quarter at or above 98. In addition to playing football at Selden Middle School, Matthew has been a member of the Select Chorus and he was one of only five students from the school selected for the SCMEA All-County Festival. He is a member of the National Junior Honor Society and outside of school, Matthew is a Boy Scout and enjoys swimming, reading, and listening to classic rock ‘n’ roll.

Middle Country Central School District’s New Lane Elementary School students recently had the opportunity to learn about and benefit from the Love on a Leash therapy dog program during a visit to the school by several of the organization’s therapy dogs and their owners.  

“We know that school can be stressful for some students, they can get overwhelmed due to various factors, so we wanted to provide a healthy outlet for our students to release their stress and wind down,” said Phyllis L. Saltz, Principal of New Lane Elementary School. “Our students find comfort and a way to de-stress around these specially trained dogs. The sessions also provide an opportunity for our students to learn new social skills while interacting with the therapy pets.”

Love on a Leash is a not-for-profit organization that provides a platform to encourage volunteers to engage in a meaningful and productive therapy dog program. The organization’s mission is “to bring comfort, happiness, and healing to more people nationwide by increasing public awareness of pet therapy.”  The organization provides its volunteers with an accessible certification process that qualifies them to provide pet therapy in their community as part of a qualified therapy team.

Middle Country Central School District students, family, board members, administrators, faculty, staff, and community members recently gathered at the Dr. Karen J. Lessler District Conference Center located in Centereach High School to honor the late Dr. Karen J. Lessler during a solemn and heartfelt dedication ceremony. 

“We are grateful to be able to dedicate the District’s conference center in honor of Dr. Lessler,” said Dr. Roberta Gerold, Superintendent of Middle Country Central School District. “Her passion for her community, students, education, and family was limitless.  It’s reassuring to know that visitors who pass by or visit this conference center will have a moment to remember Dr. Lessler and reflect on her legacy as a great educator, mother, wife, and friend. I especially want the members of the Lessler family who are with us this evening to know that Karen’s impact on this district and community will be felt for generations to come.”

Dr. Lessler served on the Middle Country Central School District Board of Education for over twenty years. She held the position of president of the Board for eighteen years. During her tenure on the Board, Dr. Lessler received numerous awards and recognition, including the Person of the Year Award in 2006, Volunteer of the Year in 2008, Teacher of the Year by the Veterans of Foreign Wars in 2006 and 2015, the Education Award at the 28th Annual Women’s Recognition, the Town of Brookhaven and the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association Distinguished Service Award in 2015. Dr. Lessler was also invited to interview and nominated by the Senate and Assembly Education Committee for an at-large Board of Regent position in 2015 and served as the Long Island spokesperson for St. Jude’s Children’s Research hospital for 10 years. The Middle Country Central School District dedicated the District Conference Center to Dr. Lessler in recognition of her over twenty years of devotion and service to the district. 

“It was heartwarming to see everyone who gathered to honor Dr. Lessler. She was a leader and a friend who served our students and community for over 20 years with compassion, intelligence, vision, and heart,” said Board President Dawn Sharrock. “Thank you to Legislator Nick Caracappa, Ron Edelson of ZE Creative Communications, and Danny Haffel of Johnson Controls Inc. for their generous donations that allowed the memorial plaque in Dr. Lessler’s honor to be created.”

On Friday, January 27th, Newfield High School student Raiyah Reid became only the third female in Newfield High School Varsity Girls Basketball history to reach the 1,000-point milestone.  Raiyah is currently a junior at Newfield High School and has been a part of the Newfield High School Varsity Girls’ Basketball program since the eighth grade.

“To score 1,000 points in your varsity basketball career is truly unique. You simply don’t see many players–female or male–achieving this laudatory milestone on varsity public school basketball teams,”  said Joseph Mercado, Director of Physical Education, Health, and Athletics. “We are incredibly proud of Raiyah.  The fact that she is the third female to achieve this momentous accomplishment speaks volumes about the Newfield High School basketball program and our coaches. Congratulations to Raiyah Reid!”

In honor of Dr. Martin King, Jr. Day and to kick off Black History Month, Eugene Auer Elementary School hosted an assembly organized by fourth-grade teacher Ms. Jeanine Buttino, with the help of Principal Kenneth Gutmann.

“Educating our students about Dr. King’s leadership and legacy is a great way to teach our learners about equality and the civil rights movement, said Principal Gutmann. “We are also looking forward to honoring Black History Month with the many classroom activities and lessons planned for the month of February that will be highlighting the countless African Americans who have contributed so richly and heroically to our country’s history and culture..”

During the assembly, selected students from each grade level shared with their fellow classmates what dreams they envisioned for the future. After, students listened to Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech as well as listened to teachers read various books in honor of Dr. King and Black History Month.

Stagecoach Elementary School teacher Elaina Fein’s third-grade class recently received 12 Hess trucks along with the Hess toy truck STEM curriculum guide to use as classroom STEM learning tools. The award of the trucks and curriculum guide was the result of Ms. Fein’s successful application to a program sponsored by the Hess Corporation and the Baylor College of Medicine promoting the educational use of toys.

“STEM is vital in our early learners’ education. It incorporates critical thinking, collaboration, and analysis which are vital in the real-world contexts of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics,” said Shaun Rothberg, Principal of Stagecoach Elementary School. “Exposing our students to STEM early in their education better prepares them for success throughout the educational and life journey.”

The Hess Corporation and Baylor College of Medicine sponsor the STEM Educational Outreach Program which offers free learning kits that include the Hess toy trucks and the STEM curriculum guide. This year the program gave away up to 1,000 STEM kits.

“Our third-grade students were excited to receive the toy trucks and to explore the principals of speed, velocity, and friction related to driving, racing, and track design,” said Ms. Fein. “Thank you to the Hess Corporation and the Baylor College of Medicine!”

Newfield High School’s Students Against Destructive Decisions club (SADD) facilitated a successful Driver’s Safety Program through a collaboration of the Town of Brookhaven and Newfield High School Health classes.

“Educating our students about driving responsibly and safely is important, especially during the holiday season,” said Danielle Dineen, Newfield High School SADD advisor. “Through the Driver’s Safety Program, our students participated in an indoor obstacle course and witnessed firsthand how dangerous driving can be if one takes their eyes off the road—even just for a second!”

Al Ferrari, a volunteer retired police officer, and his Driver Safety team visited Newfield High School and presented some difficult truths about driver’s safety, one of which was that Middle Country Road is rated the fourth most dangerous road in New York State. The powerful presentation really resonated with students; many stayed after to personally thank them and express how the program had affected them. 

During the aforementioned obstacle course, students were challenged to not hit any traffic cones while texting, speeding, or wearing vision-distorting “drunk” goggles. Students learned that multitasking while driving is always unsafe and always a bad idea.

“Thank you to Al Ferrari and Tom Indence for visiting our school; Lisa Cook, our school librarian for her technical assistance in preparing for the event; and the Newfield High School custodial team for assisting in the set up of the space,” said Ashley Sabia, Newfield High School SADD advisor.