floyd features - summer 2014

5/22/2018 Floyd Features - Summer 2014

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Wearing their trademark red and black, the William FloydMock Trial team capped o their second consecutive champi-onship season with a win over Notre Dame-Bishop GibbonsHigh School out of Schenectady, NY, in the New York StateMock Trial Championship held in the states capital. The team

argued in front of The Honorable Susan Phillips Read, Associ-ate Judge of the Court of Appeals, New York States highestcourt. They have not lost a match since nishing fth in thestate nals in 2012. New York State Mock Trial is sponsoredby the New York State Bar Association. William Floyd qualied for the State Finals in April bycapturing their fth consecutive Suolk County RegionalChampionship. The team then spent the month prepping andrening their skills as they defended the imaginary Penn Hy-draGas, Inc., (Pennsylvania) and their CEO Mitchell Tomley,

who were charged with illegally contaminating the drinking

water of the ctitious Molivar, NY, a Pennsylvania-New Yoborder town. They swept through the rst day of competitito qualify for the championship round. Senior Vincent Kappel, who served as team captain, wasexcited about winning a second consecutive champion-

ship, calling it the perfect way to end his senior year. He waequally excited about the future of the team, which consistof only two seniors along with three juniors, six sophomorand three freshmen. Despite the teams youth and relativeinexperience, Kappel said they were able to overcome thechallenge and embrace William Floyds winning tradition.That tradition is spearheaded by team coach William Hen-nessy, who now has led William Floyd Mock Trial teams toState Championships in six seasons (1999, 2001, 2004-20and 2013-2014), including two back-to-back titles. He hasbeen guiding and mentoring William Floyd Mock Trial stu-dents since 1980.

William Floyd Wins Second State Mock Trial Championsh

Members of the 2014 William Floyd State Champion Mock Trial Team pictured with The Honorable Susan Phillips Read.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Class of 2014

Valedictorian

and Salutatorian

Page 4

William Floyd to

Honor History with

New Museum

Page 3

Congratulations graduates of theWilliam Floyd High School

Class of 2014!

The William Floyd District Oce entrance has a new look! Floyd Pride!

The Official Newsletter of the William Floyd School District Summer 2


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SUPERINTENDENTS MESSAGECOMMENCEMENT REMARKS

55th Graduating ClassJune 28, 2014

Parents, remember back in 2001when our graduates were ve-yearsold, really cute and you were send-

ing them o to kindergarten. So theCare Bears and Beanie Babies havebeen replaced with iPhones and

cars and your sons and daughters areyoung men and women prepared to take on the world as theyleave here today.I became superintendent of schools in October of 2006 when

most of our graduating seniors were beginning fth grade. I amso proud of how they have grown as learners and as people.Graduating seniors: in a few minutes you will become alumni

of the William Floyd High School. You, the Class of 2014, havebeen an absolutely awesome group of students. Your list of

accomplishments individually and collectively is astounding.You are leaving a legacy at William Floyd and throughout ourcommunity that will long be remembered.Regardless of the path you have taken to get here, you are

part of a special group, a group of people who will be eternallyconnected to our high school, to our community and to eachother. You are forever a Colonial! As I was getting ready to come here this morning for ourgraduation ceremony, I couldnt help but think about my owngraduation from William Floyd High School many years ago.There is an old saying, The more things change, the more

they remain the same. So what has changed from my highschool graduation 44 years ago? And how does it remain the

same?At my graduation, we had the rst Floyd graduate, BillKonstant, who would be attending an Ivy League college.What has changed is today we have our valedictorian andsalutatorian who are attending Ivy League schools in thefall; AND, in the worst kept secret in the world, one stu-dent who was accepted to all eight Ivies; although Kwasiannounced that he will only be attending one. What hasntchanged is that Bill, the salutatorian of my class and Emily,the salutatorian of this class each chose to attend CornellUniversity.At my graduation, if people wanted to take pictures, theyhad to use a camera with lm. Does anyone remember

Kodak moments? You didnt know if you had a good pic-ture until you had the lm developed; and by then, if thepictures werent very good, it was too late. If you wanteda picture right away, you had to use a Polaroid. What haschanged is that your phones include camera functions and

you know right away if your picture is a keeper. In secondsthat picture can be sent along or posted on social media.What hasnt changed is that you shouldnt be putting

yourself in compromising or unattering situations thatyou dont want others to see. Employers dont take kindlyto that.

When I graduated, if you were going to attend college,were expected to do so right after high school. What hchanged is that adults of all ages start and nish: classecourses of study, trainings, classication and certicatiprograms, college and other learning opportunities to new careers, change careers, advance careers, to becomore knowledgeable or just for fun. What hasnt chan

is that learning, whether it is a formal education or selfdirected learning, is a lifelong journey which makes yobetter prepared, more fullled and a heck of a lot moreinteresting to be around.Paper used to be the only medium for reading at the tiof my graduation whether it was books, newspapersor magazines. Now iPads, tablets, and online resourceare the preferred choices of many readers. What hasnchanged is that reading is still a great way to learn andescape.At the time of my graduation, TV used to have seven, tright, only seven channels in the New York metropoli-

tan area. Cable channels and on-demand oerings nowprovide signicantly greater options for viewing. Whathasnt changed is that we need to spend more time liviexperiencing, and enjoying life and less time parked othe couch.Another thing that has changed is that notes, letters, atelephones with dials and cords have been replaced wcell phones, Instagram, text messages, etc. What has nchanged is that communicating clearly, respectfully anfrequently helps to build relationships and understandThe opposite would not serve you well.Another change from when I graduated is our countryat war in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. Now we are at w

in Afghanistan and the Middle East. What has not chais that we continue to have brave Floyd graduates answing the call of duty to serve our country and protect oufreedoms.What has changed from when I graduated are the peo

who we tried to act like, look like, talk like and be like.What hasnt changed is that you need to be yourself annot like someone else. You are unique. Who you alia

with and surround yourself with should be people whhave positive energy, people who believe in you, ap-preciate your unique qualities and encourage you to b

yourself.So walk away today with your heads held high and with g

pride in who you are, what you have accomplished and whyoure from. Our community and our world will be betterbecause of you. You have completed the rst step today bycompleting high school and giving yourselves more chancfor nding success. Never stop believing in yourself and thendless possibilities that lie before you. Remember we wil

ways be good on our commitment to be here for you. RemFloyd Strong and always be proud to call yourself a Coloni

Paul Casciano, Ed.D


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AMESSAGEFROMTHEBOARDOFEDUCATIONThe Board ofEducation wouldlike to congratu-late all of themembers of the

William FloydHigh School Classof 2014. Now itis on to the nextchapter of yourlives whetherit be college,the military or

entering the workforce we hope that you will continue to workhard and be successful in whatever path you choose. We wouldalso like to take this opportunity to thank the sta, faculty andadministration, and the parents/families who are instrumental,

in preparing our children to be college and career ready andleaders of tomorrow.At this time we would like to also thank the residents who c

out to the polls in May to cast their ballot on the budget andtrustee election. Regardless of how you voted, we are thankf

that you participated in the process and let your voice be heSpeaking of advocacy, we still face some important challengwith regards to education funding the GEA or Gap EliminaAdjustment (funds that the State takes away from school disto ll their budget decit) and real mandate relief. While we a slight restoration to the GEA for this upcoming school yearstill have a long way to go. The eorts of the State Aid Advocsubcommittee and residents participating in two social medblast nights went a long way; and we plan on continuing etive advocacy eorts for next school year. Please consider jothe Voices for Floyd Facebook group for important informatnews and updates. Enjoy the summer and see you in the fall

NEWS FROM AROUND THE DISTRICT

The William Floyd School District is creating the Rita Rech

Museum of William Floyd School District History as a way tohonor, remember and celebrate its history and accomplish-ments. The museum, to be named after beloved local civicleader and former William Floyd Board of Education presi-dent Rita Rech, will look to preserve and honor the historyof the school district while serving as a source of pride forpast, present and future students and sta. The museum isscheduled to open on December 17, 2014, which will markthe 280th birthday of founding father, William Floyd.

We believe that successful school organizations preserveand honor their history and share it with future generationsof students and sta, said Dr. Paul Casciano, Superinten-dent of Schools, William Floyd School District. The RitaRech Museum of William Floyd School District History willserve as a place to celebrate William Floyd pride and what itmeans to be Floyd Strong.The museum will seek to include pictures, documents andartifacts dating back to the establishment of the districtup until the present time. The museum committee is

seeking donations of items,including but not limited to

yearbooks, news reports,uniforms, trophies, pho-tographs, letters, hon-ors, awards, graduationprograms, mannequins todisplay clothing items andmore.To have an item considered

for inclusion by the muse-um committee, please senda picture and/or a descrip-tion of the item or items [email protected]. A member of thecommittee will be in contactto learn more about the artifact. If your item is selected, thedonor will have the option to have his or her name includedon the artifact display.

William Floyd to Honor District History with New Museum

Rita Rech

To have an item considered foinclusion by the museum

committee, please send a pictuand/or a description of the ite

or items to:[email protected]


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WILLIAM FLOYD HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2014

VeictiEmily LaSpisa is the saluta-torian for the William FloydHigh School Class of 2014.

She is headed to CornellUniversity (an Ivy League) inthe fall where she plans onstudying biology.

Throughout her high schoocareer, Emily has excelledin the advanced placement/honors/accelerated track; shegraduated with a weightedGPA of 100.74. She has tak-en 11 advanced placementcourses and has scored a 5on the AP biology and AP en-

vironmental science classesShe also took 10 Regents examinations and nished withan average grade of 97. She also scored a 2130 on her SATexam. Emily has participated in many extra-curricular activitiesincluding serving as president of the National Honor Soci-ety, co-captain of the cross country team, a musician in theHigh School Concert Orchestra and the Symphonic Orches-tra, Youth and Government, a member of the BrookhavenYouth Court and more. She also attended the Harvard Sum-mer School Program and is an AP Scholar who has traveledto Australia, Greece and Italy with People to People Inter-national.Gordon Brosdal, Assistant Superintendent, said, Emily isan outstanding student with a superior academic and co-curricular record that is matched only by her extraordinarycharacter. I am sure there is greatness waiting for her on thecollege level and beyond.

Mallory Nargi is the valedic-torian for the William FloydHigh School Class of 2014.

She is heading to the presti-gious University of Pennsyl-

vania (an Ivy League) in thefall and will study nursing.

Throughout her high schoolcareer, she has taken nineadvanced placement courses,graduated with a weightedGPA of 101.184 and has notscored less than a 90 sinceshe began taking credit-bearing courses in the eighthgrade. She is an AP Scholar

with Honor who scored a2040 on her SAT exam, has been a member of the WF Com-munity Summits Community Theater, the National HonorSociety, the Tri M Music Honor Society, Mock Trial, Youthand Government, Cross Country, Select Choir, ChamberOrchestra and has performed as a member of the Rockettes. Dr. Paul Casciano, Superintendent of Schools, said, Mal-lory is a brilliant young woman with an outstanding workethic and unrelenting desire to succeed. Her exceptionalacademic abilities have been apparent throughout highschool as she immersed herself in the most dicult courses

we oered. She has truly distinguished herself as an ex-

ceptional student. I am proud that she represents our highschool as valedictorian of the Class of 2014.

Sutati

Pictured at left with Principal Barbara Butler are the top11 students in the William Floyd High School Class of 2014As the top students, they are recipients of the PrincipalsAward. Congratulations to the students!

Mallory Nargi......................................University of PennsylvaEmily LaSpisa.......................................Cornell UniversityLani Chau............................................ .Adelphi UniversityIris Santos.............................................St. Josephs CollegeRyuhei (Ron) Koshita.........................Iowa State UniversityBrian Samuelson.................................SUNY OneontaKwasi Enin............................................Yale UniversityMarlene Rodriguez.............................Adelphi UniversityKaterina Grein.....................................SUNY FredoniaVincent Kappel....................................Fordham UniversitySamantha DeStefano........................Stony Brook University

Pnp Awr: T 1 Grauae

With WFHS Principal Barbara Butler (l-r) are: Ron Koshita, Emily LaSpisa, Katerina Grein,Lani Chau, Vincent Kappel, Mallory Nargi, Marlene Rodriguez, Kwasi Enin, Iris Santos,Samantha DeStefano and Brian Samuelson.


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William Floyd Elementary Honors Service Members

To commemorate Armed Forces Day on Saturday, May 17, and to show support for our servicemen and women dur-ing National Military Appreciation Month, William Floyd Elementary School students welcomed members of the UnitedStates Army Reserve 423rd Military Police Company out of Shoreham, NY, who are scheduled for overseas deployment inthe next few months. Soldiers arrived in an M1117 Armored Security Vehicle and Humvee, which the students were ableto get inside and have a look. Students also sang songs for the soldiers and presented them with special thank you cards.

John S. Hobart Students Welcome Police Detective

Suolk County Police Detective Michelle DiMartino vis-ited students in Christine Chieo and Grace Ryans fth-grade classes atJohn S. Hobart Elementary School.Detective DiMartino spoke to the students about waterand bicycle safety for the summer, what to do in case ofan emergency and provided other tips on how to remainsafe and the appropriate actions to take in certain situa-tions. The students asked a number of riveting questionsand at the end of the presentation received a bookletentitled, The Police and You.

Nathaniel Woodhull Celebrates 10 Years of ArtNathaniel Woodhull Elemen-

tary School celebrated 10 years ofoutstanding artistry with a specialcelebration and gallery of past andcurrent student artwork. Led byart teacher Eileen Randazzo, onestudent from each grade level (kin-

dergarten through fth grade) in theelementary school was chosen tohave their artwork displayed basedupon their artistic ability and for be-ing a good role model. Each piece of artwork was framed (courtesy of the Nathaniel Woodhull PTO) and displayed ina special gallery in the multipurpose room for parents, teachers and administrators to enjoy.Additionally, some of the older students from across the district who attended Nathaniel Woodhull and have a love

for the arts came back to participate in the celebration and showcase their artwork. The Nathaniel Woodhull ArtGallery is a wonderful way to honor the creativity and hard work of our young artists, said Monica Corona, princi-pal, Nathaniel Woodhull Elementary School.


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Members of the Student Council at Moriches Elemtary Schoolspearheaded a clothing drive to supporSalvation Army Rehabilitation Center which has ve tions in the Greater New York area. With the assist

of fellow students and their families, faculty and staclothing drive resulted in 10 large boxes and 50 largeof clothing to help those in need. Members of the StuCouncil also helped load the truck. I am so proud of all the things that the students acplished this year in supporting our community, saidlie Megna, Moriches Elementary School Student Coadvisor. They really learned the meaning of giving bOther causes that the Moriches Elementary StuCouncil supported or participated in throughout theincluded volunteering at the senior citizens dance, coing toys for children during the holidays and various drives throughout the year.

Moriches Elementary Collects Clothing for Salvation Arm

Before a packed room of guests, Tangier SmithElementary Schoolsecond graders led by teacherAllyson Romero participated in the third annualCharacter Education sing-a-long. In preparation, thestudents studied the traits that make up a person withgood character. The students performed six songsand students read information describing each traitbefore singing. Pictured at right are students MatthewArmstrong and Rachel Fowler reading about beingrespectful to others.

Tangier Smith Elementary Character Education Sing-a-lon

Students enrolled in the Research Program and the

advanced placement Environmental classes at Wil-liam Floyd High Schoolvisited fth-grade students atMoriches Elementary Schoolto lead a series of interac-tive activities focused on determining the health of twolocal bodies of water, the Carmans and the Forge Rivers. In preparation for this day of collaboration and men-

toring, the high school students visited both rivers andcollected various samples; then under the leadershipand supervision of Dr. Amy Meyer, William Floyd HighSchool research teacher and advanced placement Envi-ronmental teachers Dawna Cintron and Anne Ippolito,

worked on developing a series of interactive activities focused on river health, water quality and river life.High school students worked with the fth graders on seven interactive river-based activities, including: a river food

chain, wetland fragmentation, limnology (the study of the biological, chemical and physical features of lakes and otherbodies of fresh water), the eects of oil spills, ecological succession of a wetland, macroinvertebrates (small creatureslacking a backbone) and watershed pollution.

Moriches Students Collaborate with HS Researchers on River Proje


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To commemorate Flag Day,second-grade students atJohnS. Hobart Elementary Schoolperformed patriotic songs for

kindergarten students. Underthe direction of music teachersBarbara Sapanaro, Ralph Guaspand Christine Coll, the studentssang This Land is Your Land,God Bless the USA, America theBeautiful and more! Click this linkfor a brief video clip!

John S. Hobart Elementary School Celebrates Flag Day

Madison Mentz, a fth-grade student at William Floyd ElementarySchooland captain of the schools Safety Patrol, has been named the 2014Patroller of the Year by the AAA Safety Patrol of New York State. Madi-son was selected based upon her leadership qualities, safety skills, schoolinvolvement, citizenship/volunteerism and her essay How participatingin AAA School Safety Patrol helped me become a better leader. She is theonly Patroller selected for this prestigious honor in the AAA New YorkClub area. AAA plans to honor Madison at a luncheon and will present her

with a plaque and a $100 award. Madisons intellect, leadership and concern for her fellow students isextraordinary, said Darryl Wilson (at right), William Floyd ElementarySchool assistant principal and Safety Patrol advisor who nominated her for

this honor. She works cooperatively and productively with students, par-ents and the community at large through her volunteer work with studentgovernment, our parent teacher organization and her charitable eorts.She is quick to oer a positive word of encouragement or brighten yourday with a warm smile. She is a model student and an outstanding citizen.

William Floyd Elem. Student Named Safety Patroller of the Ye

More than 600 fth-grade students from each el-ementary school participated in the annual WilliamFloyd High SchoolFine Arts Assembly. High schoolmusicians from the symphonic orchestra, concertchoir and wind symphony performed, as well as helda panel discussion to answer questions from their

younger peers. During the panel discussion seniors were asked abotheir role models, time management, successfullybalancing academics with extra-curricular activitiesand more. Pictured at left is music teacher ChristophShaughnessy leading the orchestra during a perfor-mance.

Fifth Grade Fine Arts Assembly Held at William Floyd High School


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William Paca Middle School Meditation Program

The William Paca Middle SchoolTop 10 eighth graders were honoredat William Paca Awards Night. Pic-tured from left to right are: BrookeFernandez, Tara McBride, Julia Mas-trup, Ryan Hunt, Miranda Carolo,Michelle DeLustro, Amanda Cain,Brandon Hesse, Samantha Streeterand Jesse Seyarth. Way to go! Goodluck in high school!

William Paca Middle School foreign languagesteacher Gena Vaccarello hosted optional nonre-ligious meditation sessions to students duringthe second half of this school year as a way to

destress and focus on the positive aspects of theirlives. About 35 students signed up for one of threeafterschool sessions and each session had approxi-mately 10-15 students in attendance. Mrs. Vacca-rello also oered one session each week for facultyand sta. In the program, participants were given a weeklyreection to focus on and a journal to record theirthoughts on various aspects of life. They also wroteabout how they felt before, during and after each meditation session. Students have so much stress today and medita-tion helps them learn a strategy to remain focused and calm, said Mrs. Vaccarello.Mrs. Vaccarello added that participants knew that during meditation only positive energy is encouraged and it is not the

place for feelings of negativity or guilt. Each student knows that no matter what he has done or not done, that he is an

important asset to our world. Meditation helps them to search the goodness that dwells in all of them.

William Paca Honors Top 10 Eighth-Grade Students

Six William Floyd Middle School art students participated in the New York State Art Teachers Association (NYSATA)Portfolio Project adjudication and earned the highest rating on their work distinguished. The students that receivedthis top honor are sixth graders Farihah Chowdhury and Hellen Gonsalez; and seventh graders Vicky Jiang, Jenny Lizama,Taylor Wilson and Eve Zaleski.The NYSATA portfolio project is a valid assessment of student learning in the visual arts, said Stephanie Taisler, William

Floyd Middle School art teacher. This challenging experi-

ence has reinforced their condence in their creativeability. I am excited for these students and their accom-plishments as talented young artists. They should be veryproud of a job well done.The Portfolio Project is an initiative of NYSATA that was

developed in cooperation with the New York State Educa-tion Department. It is an authentic assessment tool that isbased on the New York State Learning Standards and pro-

vides students with an opportunity to present portfoliosof their work at regional adjudication sites. The studentportfolios provide evidence of understanding and

student learning in the visual arts.

Six William Floyd MS Students Earn Top NYSATA Ratings

WFMS Principal Carolyn Schick (left) and WFMS art teacher Stephanie Taisler (right) withstudents (l-r) Vicky Jiang, Eve Zaleski, Jenny Lizama, Taylor Wilson and Farihah Chowd-hury. Not pictured Hellen Gonsalez.


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William Floyd Fine Arts Recognition

Competing against 19 other northeast region school districts and under the direction of music teachers Ryan Feldscher,Amy Sckipp and Michael Cordaro, the William Floyd High School Womens Choir, Concert Orchestra, Full Orchestra andthe Colonial Band nearly swept the Northeast Competition and Adjudication held on the campus of Kutztown University inKutztown, Pennsylvania. William Floyd musicians took home three rst-place nishes, a second-place nish, a superior rat-

ing and three excellent ratings. Congratulations to the students and their teachers!

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William Floyd Middle School musicians performed atthe Long Island Music Festival in Brentwood and receivedthe highest ratings during their adjudication. Congratula-tions to all the students and their teachers Dawn ConefryRichard Harris and Donia Rivera!

William Floyd High School students Re-becca Engel and Nick Terlato were among only25 students selected for All County Jazz (chorus)in Suolk County. They represented WilliamFloyd and performed in Albany for Music in OurSchools Month. Congratulations to them andtheir teacher, Barbara DOrio!

William FloydHigh Schoolartstudents, Reh-numa Khan andSharon Mon-tanez, receiveda second- andthird place rib-bon at the BayArea Friends ofthe Fine ArtsAnnual High School Invitational Juried Exhibition held at theGillette House in Sayville, NY. Khan, a junior, received secondplace for her still life done with oil; and Montanez, a senior,received third place for her mixed media piece based on immi-gration. Congratulations to both students and their teachers,Susan Plunket and Theresa Bianco!


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Students in William Centos piano and ne arts classperformed their 6th bi-annual concert at the high schoofront of more than 50 family members and friends. Great job by the students: Gerritson Alker, Reynaldo Ari

Isaiah Alicia, Mary Jo Aram, Matthew Borelli, Alex CookJamie Cruz, Shelby Chillingririan, Hung Chang, Kevin Dehanty, Alyssa DeOlivera, Jackie DelValle, Elizabeth FerreSteven Garcia, John Horvath, Jason Januszkiewicz, CalvLawson, Alijah Ledee, Elaide Michel, Virgin Perez, RachRainone, Marquis Russell, Camden Sumners, Gina Sladand Erica Vidal. The performers were also students of Christine InzeriMichele Dixon, Stephanie Paprocki, and Carmella Crao. Together the students performed more than 20 son

which they practiced for 10 weeks! Great job!

WFHS Students Participate in Mr. Centos Bi-Annual Concer

William Floyd Middle School students from SharonSmiths and Amy Doukass classes worked hard to pre-pare the Manor of St. George for the 2014 season. Ac-cording to the teachers, the students absolutely lovedcommunity outings where they worked on vocationalskills, work ethic, independence and the importance ofhelping others. Some of the horticultural and land-scaping tasks that they completed there are: removingleaves from the extensive driveways; cleaning up theentrance; weeding; mulching; planting; hanging bird

houses; and cleaning the beach. Mrs. Smith and Ms.Doukas hope that a lot of people stop by the Manor ofSt. George this summer to see the incredible job thatthese hard working students did!

William Floyd Middle School Students Beautify Local Landma

Students in JoAnne DeSantiss class

at William Floyd Middle School

completed a unit on herb gardens andplanting seeds (carrots and lettuce) andcuttings from existing plants. In a relatecooking lesson, the students used someof the fresh herbs that they had previ-ously grown oregano, parsley, basiland fresh mint to make English mupizza. Special thanks to the classroomaides, Elaine Cornacchio and NancyHoward, for their assistance!

William Floyd Middle School Students Plant Garden


William Floyd High School teacher William Cento coaches a student on the drums.


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Three students enrolled in the William Floyd High SchoolBusi-ness Academy received accolades at the Long Island Business Teach -ers Association annual Business Education Contest held at CommackHigh School. The students competed against more than 240 of theirpeers from 19 other schools in such competitions as accounting, busi-

ness communications, business law, career and nancial management,computer applications, keyboarding, math applications, sports mar-keting, web design and more. The three students placed as follows: (l-r) Patrick Moloney, 1st place, accounting; Kayla Heernan, 3rd place,business law; and Matthew Carroll, 5th place, math applications. Con-gratulations to the students and their teachers Karen Poidomani, KorinCloghessy and James Rugolo!

Three WFHS Students Honored by LI Business Teachers

Future Administrators Academy Scholarship Recipients In addition to creating the William Floyd Future TeachersAcademy for high school students through a New York StatSTLE (Strengthening Teacher and Leader Eectiveness)

grant, which provided William Floyd teachers with the op-portunity to learn about school leadership. The Future Admiistrators Academy consisted of a series of seminars focusingon leadership in a variety of categories including: elementaryeducation, secondary education, special education, districtwprograms and district administration. Participants also had topportunity to apply for one of four $5,000 SuperintendentScholarships paid for through the STLE grant. The scholarshmust be used to pursue a certication program in educationleadership. Congratulations to the recipients!

William Floyd High Schoolwelcomed local chef, Linda Slezak, an advocatof the Slow Food movement to demonstrate to the Research and Life Skills

students how to prepare a meal using organic eggs and fresh greens (broccoand herbs) from William Floyds sustainable garden. Slow Food, the antithesof fast food, is an international movement which strives to promote sustain-ability through farming, shopping locally and in-season and utilizing livestocfor organic products. The project was a culmination of the rst year of sustainable gardening atWilliam Floyd High School and a collaboration of many of the schools depaments including the research students who designed and managed the gardthe life skills students who helped with garden maintenance and learnedabout sustainability; the Regents chemistry class which tested the soil and thcarpentry students who built the physical garden structures. The garden was

constructed with assistance from Je Negron, a garden mentor from the Joshua Levine Memorial Foundation, an organization that works to establish and promote sustainable gardening practices with students in more than 25 east end schooldistricts. The purpose of the sustainable garden is to promote sustainable living and responsible citizenship, said Dr. Amy MeyeWilliam Floyd STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Educator and Research Program teacher. Stu-dents learned a lot about farming organically and preparing fresh food. She added that students also learned variousgardening techniques and technology to help plants grow (rain barrels, aquaponics, etc.).

WFHS Students Learn about Sustainable Meal Preparatio

Pictured from left to right with Superintendent Dr. Paul Casciano (cen-ter) are the four STLE Grant Scholarship recipients: Erin Hansen, HondoHumberstone, Dr. Casciano, Lisa Scott and Nick Taylor.


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Congratulations to the William FloydColonials junior varsity softball team(right) and the William Floyd Colonialsboys varsity tennis team (below) on be-ing selected for the Section XI Sportsman-ship Awards for the Spring 2014 athleticseason! Great job to all of the players andtheir coaches, Christina McMahon (JVsoftball) and Dave Pia (tennis)!


The William Floyd girls and boys varsity lacrosteams were named New York State All-Academteams for having a collective team grade point aveage of 90 or higher. According to William Floyd At

letic Director Mark Mensch, this is the 10th straigyear that the girls program has achieved this feat. Hadded that the boys team is celebrating reaching thmilestone for the rst time in the programs histoCongratulations to all the players and their coachDesmond Megna (boys) and Brian Midwinter (girls

Girls & Boys Lacrosse Named NYS All-Academic Teams

Boys Tennis & JV Girls Softball Win Sportsmanship Award


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WF Scholarship Golf Tournament - August 25, 2014The 18th annual William Floyd Scholarship Fund Golf Tourna-ment hosted by Century 21 Cor-Ace Realty and ACE Builders isscheduled for Monday, August 25, 2014 at the Bellport CountryClub. To date and with the support of the William Floyd com -munity, this golf tournament and dinner has resulted in morethan $409,000 in scholarships for deserving William Floydgraduates. A round of golf is followed by a dinner and you canattend both or purchase a ticket to the dinner only. Follow thislink for more details! Pictured at right are the hosts (left to right)Anthony Alfano, Jeananne Dawson, tournament coordinator(Vice President, William Floyd Board of Education), AnthonyCoraci and Anthony Liberti.


Moriches Elementary Partners with Brookhaven on Recycling Moriches Elementary Schoolwelcomed BrookhavenTown Supervisor Edward Romaine who met with and

congratulated the student Green Team, who has beeninstrumental in the schools recycling eorts.Earlier this school year, Moriches started their green

project, a schoolwide recycling program for students andsta to help educate them about the environment, stewardship of our natural resources, personal responsibilitycommunity action, solid waste management and more. Asa Recyclebank Green Schools partner, the school had anopportunity to raise funds for their project, which culminated in a nal tally of $1,068.93, which will be used tofurther fund green eorts.

Additionally, Moriches Elementary School is participating in the Town of Brookhavens pilot program that promotesingle-stream recycling in schools. The Town provided a large container and Curby Cans to Moriches Elementary tha

students use to deposit their recyclables. Once a week, the Town collects them at no charge to the school district.

Thanks to the generosity of the William Floyd SchoolDistrict and community, graduating seniors received 208scholarships totaling approximately $200,000! Board of

Education President Robert Vecchio has often noted thatthe William Floyd community is one of the most generousaround. The number of organizations - community, school-based and individual - sponsoring scholarships is amazing to

witness! - Robert Vecchio,via Voices for Floyd (Facebook)Scholarships include: Alma S. Castillo Memorial; American Legion ArthurH. Clune; Art Honor Society; ASSET; Astoria Federal Savings; Brian BalzerMemorial; Cachia Family Memorial (Coach Tony Cachia); Cachia Family Me-morial (Thomas Cachia); Carpet Express; Century 21 Cor-Ace Realty & ACEBuilders; Chamber of Commerce of the Mastics & Shirley; Charles & EmiliaPosanti Shirley Auto Body Memorial; Chris Clay Memorial; Colonial Fund;Community Family Literacy Project (5K Run); Community Library Friendsof the Arts; Community Service Project (Thrift Store); Corey Stark Memorial

(Interact/Rotary); CSEA Oce Sta Memorial; Culinary; Cultural Arts Guildof Mastic & Shirley; Dawn Iacobelli Memorial; District Oce Administra-tors; Don Wycko Memorial; Empire National Bank; First Student (DorisMetz); Floyds Future Leaders of Tomorrow; Frank LaBianca; FBLA; GabbyYglesias Scholarship for Peace; Greater Mastic Beach Chamber of Commerce;Gregory Redmond Memorial; James V. Kavanaugh Columbiettes; James V.Kavanaugh Knights of Columbus Council 5293; Joanna DeSilva BerggrenMemorial; John Pidgeon Memorial Athletic Director; Joseph Lombardo;Joseph Randazzo Memorial; Kaiya Kukura Memorial; Karas Hope Founda-

tion: Community Service, Early Childhood Education and PerformingArts; Karen DEsposito Memorial; King Kullen Grocery; Kiwanis Club of theMastics; Kujan Brothers Memorial; LGBT; Lillian Castellano; Lynvet :Cheer-

leading and Football; Mastic Beach Fire Department; Mastic Beach HebrewCenter (Louis & Helen Rosen Memorial); Mastic Beach Homemakers Unit#33; Mastic Beach Property Owners Association; Mastic Beach VolunteerAmbulance Company; Mastic Beach Yacht Club; Mastic Fire Department;Mastic Department Ladies Auxiliary Community Service; Mastic Park CivicAssociation; Mastic Shirley Lions Club; Mastic Sports Club - East End SoccerMichael Figluizzi Memorial (YUMA); Michael Long Memorial; Michael Me-rolla Music Educators Award; Modern Music Masters Tri-M Honor Society;Munistat Services; Music Department; National Honor Society; Ng Family;Nicholas Poulos Memorial; Patrick Rooney Memorial; Pattersquash CreekCivic Association: Community, Erika Hughes, Aiden Tarbell; Rico MemorialFoundation; Right Reason Technologies; Robert C. Brandis Music; RobertHodgson Sr. Memorial; Robert King et al.; Rotary Club Scholarship (DeaconTom Gross); Senior Class; Shrine of St . Jude Knights of Columbus 15446;

Stephen G. Ezzo Jr.; Student Government; Suolk Association of School Busness Ocials; Tara E. Castillo Alumni; Ultimate Mower Tools and HardwareVincent Nasta Foundation; William Floyd Alumni Association; WilliamFloyd Community Summit; William Floyd Council of Administrators andSupervisors; WF Districtwide Football Concession Stand; WF DistrictwidePTO; WFHS PTSO; WF SEPTO (Michael Sochacki); WFSD Paraprofessional& Teaching Assistant; William Floyd United Teachers; William Floyd UnitedTeachers Retired Chapter; William Floyd United Teachers Retired Chapter(Evelyn Harper); and the Yearbook Committee.

William Floyd Scholarship Night Provides $200,000 to Grads

floyd features - summer 2014

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