Hello High School East Community, High School East is once again off to a great start! At this time, as the leaves start to fall, our students and staff have ironed out the kinks and are entrenched in the academic process. As always, our staff is working to increase our capacity to engage students in meaningful learning and instruction. Administrators have been participating in workshops intended to strengthen our teacher observation and evaluation skills and we will soon be using this information in work-shops with our teachers. I am sure that our professional collaboration will enhance instruction

for our students. This year we welcomed a new group of teachers who are competent, eager and prepared to make their mark in the field of education. As in years past, these teachers went through a rigor-ous screening process and were selected from a large pool of candidates to become members of the High School East faculty. After spending time in their classes during the first two months of

school I am confident that we chose the best of the best. As our students strive for academic excellence they also take part in a variety of extracurricular activities. Already our sports teams have racked up a number of victories. The Thunderbirds football team, for example, have moved past the point of looking for wins and become a team looking for a playoff spot! Another exciting highlight is the Boy’s Soccer team being undefeated in league play to this point! Our clubs have been very active rehearsing, practicing, planning and

engaging in numerous activities; too much to list in this message. There have been many significant changes at our school over the past few years but our excel-lence in academics, athletics and the arts has remained the same. As you will see in this issue a number of students have already been recognized for their outstanding performance in these areas. This is only the beginning. High School East’s commitment to achievement is never end-

ing. As we move forward through the first part of our year, remember Respect, Responsibility and

Excellence in all that you do. J. A. Woodberry

A Special Message from Dr. Woodberry

HALF HOLLOW

HILLS

HIGH SCHOOL EAST

PRINCIPAL’S

NEWSLETTER

October 21, 2011 Volume 1V, Issue 1

Perspectives

The Insider’s View

Page 3 Creative Scholars

Page 4 Broccoli with a

Punch

Page 5 Football players

with heart

Page 7 A Shrewd Per-

formance

Page 8 Honors and Victo-

ries

Special Thanks to Con-

tributors:

Allyson Uttendorfer

Roberta Berrios

Lauren Destefano

Thomas Ciolfi

And Photographers:

Felice Crystal

Life Touch Studio

Asia Lee Photography

HS East is proud to congratulate our National Merit Scholarship Semi-finalists, Adam Needel-man and Aaron Schwartz, pictured here with Dr. Woodberry and Mr. Catapano. Adam and Aaron are among the highest scoring entrants on the PSAT/NMDQT exam in New York State. To be considered for a National Merit Scholarship, Adam and Aaron must advance to

Finalist standing in the competition. We wish Adam and Aaron continued success in this competition as well in all their academic

pursuits. They truly exemplify our standards of

respect, responsibility and excellence.

Congratulations to HS East National Merit Semi-finalists

Page 2 Perspectives

Excellence in HS East...

Commended for Excellence Our twelve commended students in the Na-tional Merit Scholarship Program also deserve our recognition for their excellent level of achievement. Although they do not continue in the competition, they may become candidates of special scholarships sponsored by corporations and businesses. Pictured right with Dr. Wood-berry and Mr. Catapano, our commended schol-ars are: Hannah Kenagy, Michael Choi, Basant Devjani, Jacob Henner, Jane Hung, Kunal Singh, Shana Dollinger, Jonathan Fine, Moore Chen, and Matthew Henry. Not in the photo are Brian

Dorfman and Mark Lobo. Raymond Oliva, featured right with Mr. Catapano, received the Suffolk County Executive Youth Achievement Award. The honor is be-stowed upon students who have “demonstrated growth and personal achievement, overcome adversity or met challenges in a very extraordi-nary manner.” Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy recently presented Raymond with his award at a celebratory dinner event on Septem-ber 15th at Villa Lombardi. Senior artist, Nikki Horowitz, pictured below with art teacher Kim Norris and Fine Arts Di-rector Sal Randazzo, has been selected from among only twenty students across Long Island for an Award of Merit in the Scholar Artist Pro-gram. In 2007, Long Island districts’ arts adminis-trators launched a collaboration with the Long

Island Arts Alliance, Newsday, and New York Community Bank Foundation, designed to recognize students judged to be “the best of the best” on Long Island. The Scholar-Artist program mirrors the regions’ Scholar-Athlete pro-grams.

Her art teacher, Ms. Norris, nominated Nikki in

her junior year. Nikki had to produce and submit an en-tire portfolio of her artwork in addition to an extensive application with an essay and accomplishments. Nikki took AP Studio Art as a junior and received a five on her AP Portfolio Exam. She is currently in the process of looking at schools that encompass her wide array of arts

interests including fine arts, theater and communications.

Volume 1V, Issue 1 Page 3

And Beyond

Saving Lives Three Hills East students Jerrika Braddy, Kendall Fowlkes, and Jasmine Anderson (featured below), along with their Hills West teammates Nakiya Jenkins and Tari-

que Rivers, are members of the Wyandanch-Wheatley Heights Ambulance Corps. They recently placed second overall at the NYS Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue As-

sociation’s (NYSVARA) Pulse Check 2011.

Pulse Check is NYSVARA’s highly recognized annual educational conference and trade show open to all (both members and non-members alike), featuring recognized seminar speakers and quality presentations. The Annual EMS Drill Skills Challenge is one of the highlights of Pulse Check. It features EMS teams consisting of both youth and adults from around our State testing their skills in unique EMS scenarios. It’s a great way to demonstrate skills and it’s fun to watch.

Placing second overall is quite an accomplish-ment for these young rescue workers, who dedi-

cate their own personal time to their community.

21st Century Scholars

The institute of Creative Problem Solving for Gifted and Talented Students at SUNY at Old Westbury bestowed the honor of Long Island Young Scholar of Mathematics on two of HS East’s best and brightest: tenth grader Ra-chel Dvoskin and ninth grader Divya Rao. Both students are among the 75 students this year accepted by the In-stitute to pursue mathematics and mathematical science applications in 60 hours of class over the course of 20 Saturday mornings this school year. Included in their studies are problem-solving applied to probability, drawing of ocean bottom profile, theory of finite dif-ferences and mass point geometry, as well as topics

in science. Rachel and Divya will develop their ability to use a variety of problem-solving skills and strategies, in-crease their interest and enthusiasm for problem-solving in mathematics, sharpen their mathematical intuition and develop their “brain power,” become acquainted with interesting and important mathemati-cal ideas, and experience the fun, satisfaction, pleas-ure, and thrill of discovery associated with creative-

problem solving. Our young 21st Century scholars are well on their way toward the high achievement that will surely lead

them to prestigious awards in the coming years. Rachel aspires to excellence with a challenging schedule of hon-ors and AP courses as well as an independent study of American Sign Language. She is also a member of our orchestra. Divya also excels in honors and AP courses and is pursuing Independent Research with Math teacher

Ms. Suarez. We wish both students success in their course of study this year and look forward to hearing about their experi-

ence.

HS East Junior Gives “Veggies” a New Name

Page 4 Perspectives

As obesity becomes a serious threat to our nation’s youth, there has been a growing increase in finding ways to help students make healthier choices without even realizing it. The general idea is to use environmental cues to make the most nutritious decision the most desirable one. Researchers at Cornell Center for Behavioral Eco-nomics in Child Nutrition Programs have dedicated their time to facilitate new and innovative ways to apply be-havioral economic theory to child nu-trition programs that will benefit stu-dent’s diet and health. One area where Cornell researchers focused their attention was on how they can de-stigmatize fruits and vegetables in school cafeterias. They suggest you rename them. When Cornell re-searchers told kindergartners they were eating “X-ray vision carrots” rather than plain old vegetables, the

kids ate 50 percent more. Upon reading about Cornell’s re-search, junior Matthew Klinger de-cided he wanted to implement this research in his community. Matt is a

member of the nutrition committee and is well aware of the importance of developing good eating habits, espe-cially at a young age. Matt con-tacted Cornell Center for behav-ioral economics in Child Nutrition Programs and was fortunate to be able to create a study along with Cornell research-ers, to find out if there would be an increase in student consumption of broccoli when the

name was changed. With the cooperation of the district and the incredible support and direc-tion of the district’s Lunch Director Bonnie Scally, Matt was able to find out if students at Signal Hill Elemen-tary School would consume more broccoli when offered to them by the name “Teeny Tiny Tasty Tree Tops.” In addition to changing the name, ap-

pearance was altered. Fresh broccoli was roasted with garlic allowing the broccoli to obtain a vibrant attractive green color. After compiling and reviewing the data collected. Matthew’s study concluded that there was an increase of 102 percent in the student’s con-sumption of

broccoli during the time the name was changed. Students appeared to enjoy

the taste of the fresh roasted broccoli

called Teeny Tiny Tasty Tree Tops. Bonnie Scally found these results to be encouraging and has decided to change the names of several items available on the elementary school’s lunch menu in hopes that more stu-dents will be “swayed” into trying the healthy foods. Now children may choose Power Punch Broccoli, Super Side Salad, Make Me Strong Spinach, Good 4 U Green, Veggie Dunkers and

Baby Carrot Dippers. Matt claims while these names may appeal to young children, high school students may respond to more sophis-ticated veggie names. He suggests naming veggies after favorite or re-

tired teachers and staff. Matt says his interest in research was inspired by his ninth grade Math teacher Ms. Suarez and the book Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. He hopes to at-tend Cornell University and eventually go on to medical school to become a

doctor.

Pizza Sticks w/ Marinara Sauce

Grilled Chicken Caesar Wrap

Chicken Caesar Salad Power-Punch Broccoli Fresh Raw Veggies Juicy Orange Slices

Popcorn Chicken Turkey Vegetable Soup Wheat Bagel Platter Chicken Caesar Salad Veggie Dunkers Chilled Pears

Assorted Fresh Fruit

Spaghetti & Meatballs Meatball Hero

Boars Head Turkey Sand. Veggie Salad w/ BH Turkey

Wheat French Bread Good 4 u Green Beans

Banana

Personal Pan Pizza Chicken Teriyaki Wrap

Teriyaki Chicken Mandarin Salad

Baby Carrot Dippers Mini Salad Cups

NY State Grown Apples Assorted Fresh Fruit

Excerpt from the Elementary Lunch Menu

Page 5 Volume 1V, Issue 1

Artists and Athletes with Heart

Building Community Spirit This September, Art teacher Allyson Uttendorfer and three National Art Honor Society students participated in Suffolk County’s Habitat for Humanity's Woman's Build. Seniors Nikki Fasciglione, Lindsay Herman and Ricki Berkenfeld joined Mrs. Uttendorfer in Bellport to

apply roofing and insulation to a new home for the de-serving Deacon family. A local community boutique, Ooh la la, donated $5000 to sponsor the two-day build. Last October Mrs. Uttendorfer went to Baton Rouge to work on a home in the area damaged by hur-ricane Katrina. This year she and her students wanted to help locally. The home will be dedicated to the fam-

ily this spring.

Football Players Bring Joy to a Young Fan Players on the Varsity Football Team have been dem-onstrating excellence lately both on the field and in the community. Recently, several team members attended a fundraiser for a charity called “The Friends of Kenny Warren” sponsored by the company of one of our HS East parents John Albanese. The money raised at the charity event goes to families on Long Island that have children with

cancer. At the event, several football players, Ryan Coyle, R.J. Nitti, Justin Ashley, Rash-eed Williams, Brandon Brightman and David Albanese, presented a signed foot-ball from the entire team to James Stanton, a nine year old boy who has had brain cancer since he was two. The older boys spent some time with the energetic and active nine-year-old throughout the day, hanging out and taking pictures. Mr. Albanese commented, “You should be proud to know how professional, well be-

haved and compassionate these young men were at the

event. They are truly outstanding young men.” Additionally, Coach Patrovich made James the team’s honorary captain for our first home game on Septem-ber 16th, putting a smile on the face of a child who

needs some joy in his life right now.

Page 6 Perspectives

Performing with All Their

Heart Members of The HS East Choir and Band received accolades of praise from the Melville Fire Department for participating in their 9/11 Memo-rial Service. Chief Robert Warren had this to say: “The service, at-tended by approximately 350 people, would not have been the success it was without the students’ participa-tion. The rendering of Taps by the bugler, played twice during the ceremony at the moments the tow-ers were struck, was both heart-rending and poignant. The cadence of the snare drummer during the exiting of our personnel from the memorial was done with military precision. The angelic voices of the choir members when they sang “God Bless the USA” at the conclu-sion of the service made it nothing less than heartfelt and truly memo-

rable.”

Chief Warren extended a special thank you to the following: Choir members Julia Alford, Beth Archer, Jen Bender, Nichole Doran, Emily Frank, Lauren Hauptman, Ashley Johnson, Breanna Kretzer, Bryce McDonough, Oliva Patronis Sophia Pavlatos, Gabrielle Persichilli, Sarah Sampino, Sam Seleznow, Jessica Schwab, Luke Shin, and Brian Tolep;

Band members Matt Borkan (drum player) and Brandon Odze (trumpet player); Choir teacher Danielle McRoy; and Band Director Robert

Belanich. We at HS East thank Chief Warren and the Melville Fire Department for allowing our students to be a part of

this momentous event.

Beyond the Walls of HS East

Virtual Heckscher Ms. Uttendorfer’s art history class participated in a “distance learning” experience with the Heckscher Mu-seum of Art. They used Google Plus to have a guided tour of the exhibi-tion Earth Matters. Google Plus al-lows us to see and hear the tour in real time. Students were able to in-teract with the educators and their peers, ask questions and respond through chatting and the micro-phone. The exhibition features in-stallation art and will be a wonderful introduction for the art department’s installation project. The class will use the information that they learned to individually develop an idea for the school installation and they will

collaboratively decide on one or two

ideas to refine. The Heckscher Museum of Art is always looking to connect 21st cen-tury learning with those that cannot visit the museum in per-son for financial reasons or time c o n s t r a i n t s . With this pro-ject, museum educators will follow up with p a r t i c i p a t i n g schools that visit and can rein-force learning

that took place during a trip. Addi-tionally, they can serve under-served school districts that cannot attend a museum. HS East is honored to be

the pilot school.

Page 7 Volume 1V, Issue 1

A Shakespearean Revival

It’s a new school year, and the students performing in this year’s Fall Drama are ready to spark a Shakespearean revival at High School East! Students, faculty, and community members alike are in-vited to take witness, as our all-star cast rocks the McCaffrey Lecture Hall with a stunning performance of The Taming of the Shrew on Friday, November 4th and Saturday, No-vember 5th at 7:30 pm. Rave re-views are anticipated as, under the Shrewd direction of Hills East Eng-lish teachers Mr. Kenneth Smyrk and Mrs. Lauren DeStefano, re-hearsal performances have already proven richly inventive and wholly

hilarious. Featured players who are sure to do the bawdy old Bard proud in-clude Aaron Schwartz as the love-

struck Lucentio, Nikki Horowitz as the much-coveted Bianca, Josh Rosenbaum as the decaying para-mour Gremio, Brandon Kaplan as the defeated suitor Hortensio,

Sophia Pavlatos as the ruffian jester Grumio, Nathaniel Bear as the wise and conspiring Tra-nio, Basant Devjani as the burdened father Bap-tista, Josh Estes as the undaunted Petruchio, and Veronica Fox as the

brawling Shrew.

The cast will perform this quintes-sential battle of the sexes in authen-tic Elizabethan garb, courtesy of expert costumer and High School East graduate Inger Reres. In addi-tion, the performance will take place against the back drop of a stunning interior reconstruction of Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, as High School East graduate Giovanni Reres and former PTA president Victoria Reres promise to deliver their best set yet! Don’t miss this spectacular fall event! Tickets are available in advance in rooms 201

and 215 or at the door.

High School East 50 Vanderbilt Parkway Dix Hills, NY 11746

Produced by: Darlene Lilla

Assistant Principal Phone: 631-592-3128 Fax: 631-592-3121

E-mail: dlilla@hhh.k12.ny.us

HALF HOLLOW HILLS

HIGH SCHOOL EAST

PRINCIPAL’S

NEWSLETTER

High School East

Visit Our Website: www.halfhollowhills.k12.ny.us

Honors and Victories in Athletics

Sportsmanship Honors

Once again, HS East spring season teams have received sportsmanship honors for the year 2010-11. The following teams were commended by New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA)

for having best exemplified the spirit of sportsmanship in their respective leagues: Varsity Boys’ Tennis, Varsity Girls’ Golf,

Varsity Baseball and Junior Varsity Baseball. Congratulations to the players and their

coaches for bringing honor to Hills East!

A Strong Season for Hills East

Hills East athletes spend countless hours in the gym and on the fields practicing and honing their skills. Whether they win or lose, all the hard work and sweat is well worth the team spirit they build. Three fall teams in particular have outstanding re-

cords. Congratulations are in or-der this season to the young women of the Girls’ Tennis Team who are League Champions. Additionally, Football is having its most successful season with a re-

cord three wins. Especially noteworthy is the Boys’ Varsity Soccer team with the most success-ful season in years. In first place, they are now 11-0-1, with a 9-0-1 league record. Jordan Gross is playing fan-tastic in net, keeping their opponents from scoring. Jake Freeman is leading the team and the league in scor-ing. Robby Reiser, Tyler Kirschner, Ryan Gebhardt, Jeremy Leder, Sam Wasser, Kris Ruiz, Jeremy Manus, and all the rest are playing great this year. The team is headed towards playoffs and their first league champion-ship. We wish the team

further success and extend a special thank you to Coach Tiziano Carcone for all he has done to get the Boys’ Soccer program

back on top. Watch for more photos of HS East ath-letes and highlights from Homecoming weekend on the HS East Website Media

Gallery.