Month: September 2026

School Supply Giveaway Benefits Middle Country Students

Newfield High School alumni recently teamed up with Hawkins Path Elementary School leaders and the Middle Country Teachers Association to host a school supply giveaway for Middle Country Central School District students. Beginning the new school year on a positive note, the giveaway supplied students with back-to-school essentials to ensure they are prepared for success.

Newfield High School alumni Frankie DiAntonio and Maria Daume, of the Lexington Foundation, joined Hawkins Path Elementary School Principal Kristi Leonard, the Hawkins Path PTA, and volunteers from the Middle Country Teachers Association for the event. The Lexington Foundation, founded by DiAntonio, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting families in need. Together with the Hawkins Path PTA, the group helped provide more than 200 local students with backpacks and other essential school supplies to ensure they begin the school year ready to learn.

“We are grateful to see our Middle Country Central School District alumni give back and make a meaningful impact in the community that helped shape them,” Mrs. Leonard said. “This giveaway is a wonderful example of our community coming together to support our students and help them start the school year confident and ready to learn.”

5th Annual Lemonade Stand Fundraiser Supports Middle Country Students

Muccio Family Continues the Back-to-School Tradition

The Muccio family’s lemonade stand fundraiser returned this summer to support Middle Country Central School District families in need during the start of the new school year.

Now in its fifth year, the Muccio siblings—Michael, a Newfield High School freshman; Isabella, a Newfield High School graduate; Giavanna, a seventh-grader at Selden Middle School; and Madelyn, a fourth-grader at Eugene Auer Elementary School—continued the local tradition outside their home. The fundraiser raised $5,440 to purchase backpacks and school supplies for students in need across all 14 schools in the Middle Country Central School District. The inspiring act of generosity highlighted how the community shows up to support their neighbors during the back-to-school season.

As part of the effort, Walmart presented the Muccio family with a $1,500 gift card to purchase backpacks and school supplies. Every dollar raised goes towards helping local students start the school year prepared for success. Additionally, Ralph’s Italian Ices, of Centereach, donated 120 ices to contribute to the cause, and Brendel’s Bagels donated an assortment of bagels.

On August 31, the Muccio children delivered the school supplies to Newfield High School Principal Scott Graviano, with assistance from Board of Education Trustee Gina Cutillo-Siegelbaum, who helped transport the large donation. Library Media Specialist Lisa Cook and the Newfield High School Honor Society students are sorting and packaging all of the supplies into the backpacks to deliver to students in need at all 14 schools. The Muccio family extends its heartfelt gratitude to the community for its continued support and to Walmart for its generous donation to this great cause.

“Our family would like to thank the Middle Country Central School District and the Middle Country community for supporting our children’s mission to help students in our school district,” Michele Muccio said. “We are incredibly proud of our children’s determination, kindness, and compassion, but this would not be possible without the community’s love, support, generosity, and networking. Our children wanted to ensure students in their own neighborhood would be prepared for a successful year with new backpacks and supplies. It has brought them immense joy to help alleviate some of the financial burdens of back-to-school shopping for local families.”