Dear Rocky Point Community, It gives me great pride to announce that Jonathan Hart has been selected to serve as the new principal of Rocky Point High School, effective immediately. Mr. Hart replaces Susann Crossan, who was announced as the district’s new assistant superintendent earlier this summer.

Since the spring of 2018, Mr. Hart has been a valued member of our leadership team, serving as an assistant principal at the high school. Prior to his work in the district, Mr. Hart worked in the Connetquot Central School District as a teacher and in various leadership capacities.

During his time in Rocky Point, he has been an integral part of the operations at the secondary level and has overseen a number of district initiatives, including spearheading a task force to enhance school safety and coordinating the socially and emotionally driven Challenge Day event. Additionally, he serves on several building and district committees as part of the district’s commitment to reach long-range strategic planning goals.

Throughout his work in the district, Mr. Hart has strived to make a positive impact on both students and staff members, building and sustaining robust relationships. We are confident that his solid leadership skills, passion for cultivating a positive school culture and many years of experience in education will be strong assets to our schools, students, staff and community.

Mr. Hart holds both a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts from the University of New Hampshire and an advanced graduate certificate in educational leadership from Stony Brook University. Please join me in congratulating Mr. Hart on this much-deserved appointment and wishing him well in his new professional venture. Sincerely, Dr. Scott O’Brien Superintendent of Schools

Rocky Point Middle School celebrated the eighth-grade class during a special moving-up ceremony this past June.

In celebration of their accomplishments, students were presented with more than 20 academic and character awards, including the New York State Comptroller’s Achievement Award, the Triple “C” Award, and the Presidential Outstanding Academic Achievement and Academic Excellence awards as well as department and awards. Then, each student was called to the podium to receive their official promotion certificates. 

The Rocky Point High School Class of 2019 began the next stage of their lives on Friday, June 28, as they officially celebrated their successes at the district’s annual Commencement Ceremony. The ceremony was laced with a number of special presentations to the graduates, as well as a number of poignant speeches.

In his final address to the graduates before retiring, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Michael Ring said, “Now is the time to step up and step out. Do
the things you felt insecure doing in the past, and get out of your comfort zone, for if you spend your life inside your comfort zone, you will miss so very much. Outside of your comfort zone is where you will be more likely to attempt to achieve things you are certain you cannot.”

Valedictorian Bryant Liu, Salutatorian Joshua Vogel and Exhortation Speaker Michael Gunning each had an opportunity to address their peers, sharing words of remembrance from their time in spent in Rocky Point, as well as encouragement for the graduates’ new journey ahead.

A number of awards and scholarships were presented to members of the senior class before Rocky Point High School Principal Susann Crossan officially presented the candidates for graduation to all those in attendance. 

The members of the Class of 2019 proudly crossed the graduation stage and received their diplomas, officially becoming alumni of the Rocky Point School District. The district extends its best wishes to the graduating seniors and wishes them much success in the years ahead.

Joseph A. Edgar Intermediate School fifth-graders celebrated their promotion to middle school during a special ceremony at the end of June. During the event, members of the Select Chorus “High Notes” performed several songs and each student was called to the stage to receive their moving up certificates.

Surrounded by proud family members, teachers and friends, this year’s Frank J. Carasiti Elementary School second-grade class marked an impressive milestone this June and stepped up to third-grade.

During the moving-up ceremony, several students shared their ‘moving up day’ essays and members of the second-grade service squad were commended for their dedication. Then, one by one each student processed to the front of the celebration to receive their moving up day sashes and a dictionary courtesy of the Rocky Point Rotary Club. 

Joseph A. Edgar Intermediate School’s fifth grade Select Chorus "High Notes" wowed judges when they participated in the NYSSMA Major Organization Evaluation Festival earlier this June.

The talented group of singers performed a Level 2 program as they sang three songs and were evaluated by two certified NYSSMA Major Organization adjudicators. The students were evaluated on eight categories, including tone, intonation, balance, technique, accuracy/execution, diction, interpretation and influencing factors. The adjudicators provided written and oral feedback on these categories, informing the chorus what they did well and offered a few tips for improving their performance.

Based on their performance, the group received a “Gold” rating. A "Gold Rating" is defined by NYSSMA as, "will be awarded to organizations that have demonstrated an outstanding level of technical and artistic skill in each of the evaluative categories, including tone, intonation, balance, technique, accuracy/execution, diction, interpretation and influencing factors, for all three song selections.”

The NYSSMA Major Organization Evaluation Festival is the culmination of the music learning process as well as the hard work, dedication, commitment, process and progress the students have made and exhibited throughout the school year. The students performed extremely difficult music for their age level and I'm very proud of their accomplishments.

As a result of exceptional performance, Rocky Point High School has been identified by the New York State Education Department as a Recognition School. Only 562 schools from 211 districts across New York State have received this honor. 

Recognition Schools are considered high-performing or rapidly improving schools.

To be recognized, high schools must have high academic achievement and graduation rates. The school must also perform well on other accountability indicators for all student groups and not be at risk of identification as a Targeted Support and Improvement school for the performance of any subgroup. This year’s honor was based on the district’s 2017-18 data.  

In celebration of this honor, the Rocky Point High School received a special certificate of recognition from New York State Commissioner of Education Mary Ellen Elia. 

Rocky Point High School varsity baseball team once again hosted its annual Live Like Susie Scholarship fundraiser earlier this spring, an event that has become tradition since 2014.

During a game against Mount Sinai, both baseball teams not only competed on the field, but in true sportsmanship manner dedicated the game to support the scholarship for a graduating Rocky Point student. This year’s event raised over $1,200 for the Live Like Susie Scholarship and Mr. and Mrs. Facini, and Andrew Facini were present at the game played in honor of their Susie.

Only a few more days left in the school year and some of our first graders recently talked about their plans with News 12! Click here to check out the piece.

As a result of 13 years of hard work, determination and scholastic commitment, Rocky Point High School seniors Bryant Liu and Josh Vogel have been named the Class of 2019 valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively. 

Bryant is an exceptional student whose character, leadership and service experiences set him apart from his peers. He has taken 11 Advanced Placement courses and was recognized as an AP Scholar with Distinction as well as named a Commended Student in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program for exceptional academic promise.  

Bryant is an accomplished, talented musician and has received many honors. He plays bass clarinet and trombone, is a section leader in the marching band and is a talented NYSSMA Level 6 pianist and the first student from Rocky Point to be named an All-State Pianist, one of only 12 in the state during his sophomore year. He received the National Piano Guild Supreme Pupil Award, placed second at the American Fine Arts Festival at Carnegie Hall and received honorable mention at the American Protégé International Competition of Romantic Music. In his free time, he also served as the accompanist for the seventh grade chorus, participated in the Steinway Performers Showcase and represented Steinway & Sons at the Smith Haven Mall. In addition, he participated in the pit orchestra for the high school musical.  

Bryant finds time to balance his studies with many additional extracurricular activities. He is a member of the Math Honor Society, Math Team, National Honor Society and Robotics Team. He also participated on the varsity tennis and winter track teams.  

Outside of school, Bryant worked as an intern at Brookhaven National Laboratory and participated in the Summer Research Program at Stony Brook University. He also works at the Center for Chinese Learning at Stony Brook, where he teaches language and culture to younger students.
Bryant will graduate with a weighted average of 104.69 and is bound for the University of Southern California, where he will pursue a career in economics and mathematics.  

Josh is a dedicated scholar, athlete, actor and a very talented musician. He was named a Commended Student in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship program and an Advanced Placement Scholar with Honors, and will be graduating with a grade point average of 104.51.  

A gifted singer, Josh has been acknowledged with many honors and awards throughout his four years of high school, including being invited to perform at the SCMEA All-County Music Festival in the Mixed Chorus, the NYSCAME All-County Music Festival, Mixed Chorus and the NYSSMA All-State Conference, Mixed Chorus. This year Josh was selected to participate in NAfME All-National Honor Ensembles Mixed Choir that took place in Orlando, Florida, making Rocky Point history as the first district student to participate at this level. Josh was the co-section leader of the French horns and bass clarinets in the marching band and participated in the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra and the Suffolk Symphonic Choir.  

He has also held a number of leadership roles in the school community, including serving as the president of his class for three years and as a member in our Athletes Helping Athletes, Compassion Without Borders and Human Rights clubs, as well as the National Honor Society and Thespian Honor Society.

Josh will be attending Dartmouth College in the fall, where he will be studying government.  

Rocky Point High School varsity athletes have experienced a winning season this year, and for 25 seniors that athletic journey will continue this fall at some of the nation’s top colleges. 

During a special recognition ceremony, the district honored those students who have made the commitment to compete on the collegiate level. Each student was honored individually, as Director of Health, Physical Education, Athletics and Intramurals Charles Delargy read prepared remarks about their accomplishments both on and off the athletic field.  

Theodore Accardi Lacrosse Air Force Academy
Justin Amendola Wrestling Nassau Community College
Alexander Bonacci Baseball SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Kyle Bonesteel Lacrosse SUNY Plattsburgh
Lucas Brown Track & Field Suffolk Community College
Kimberley Casey Cheer Hofstra University
Corey Connolly Wrestling Rider University
Joseph Costa Soccer Wilkes University
Ethan Curreri Lacrosse Sage College of Albany
Emma DeMottie Diving Stony Brook University
Sabrina Duenas Track & Field SUNY Cortland
Samantha Ferrara Cheer Hofstra University
Austin Garske Track & Field Suffolk Community College
Christian Gordon Football Hartwick College
Michael Gunning Baseball Lafayette College
Kristopher Ketchum Wrestling Ohio State University
Trey Miller Baseball Herkimer County Community College
Hayley Nofi Cheer Villanova University
Domenick Nunberg Lacrosse St. Leo University
Gina Odierno Cheer LIU Post
William Smith Lacrosse Western Connecticut 
Zachary Steets Lacrosse Trinity College
Nicole Trude Soccer & Basketball St. Joseph’s College
Delaney Vu Lacrosse Yale University 

Frank J. Carasiti Elementary School second grade students in Stacy Iberger’s class helped to show gratitude for the troops serving overseas in honor of Memorial Day and Military Appreciation Month this May.

Through the generosity of the class’s families, the students collected hundreds of toiletry items, snacks and a variety of games and used those donations to create care packages for soldiers. With the help of local veterans, Councilwoman Jane Bonner, district administrators and volunteers, the students made enough care packages to fill 22 large boxes of packages. Each package included a mixture of the donated items as well as a hand-written thank-you letter from the students. 

The care packages were sent to the soldiers in honor of Staff Sgt. Louis Bonacasa, who was killed in action several years ago and is the father of a current student in Ms. Iberger’s class.

Following a comprehensive search process, the Rocky Point School District Board of Education has selected Dr. Scott T. O’Brien to serve as the next superintendent of schools. Dr. O’Brien succeeds Dr. Michael F. Ring, who is set to retire this summer after 11 years of service to the Rocky Point Union Free School District, the last nine years as Superintendent of Schools.

“During the application process, it became evident that the candidate best suited and qualified to lead our schools into the future was already part of our administrative team,” said Board President Susan Y. Sullivan. “In his many years working in our district, Dr. O’Brien has cultivated strong connections with parents, students and residents alike. This, combined with his passion for education, convinced the Board that he will continue to serve our district well in this new role.”

Dr. O’Brien, who currently serves as the district’s interim assistant superintendent, has nearly two decades of educational experience in the Rocky Point School District alone. He served as a principal in the district prior to his current administrative position, most recently for Rocky Point Middle School and previously for Frank J. Carasiti Elementary School. The district amassed a number of accomplishments and honors under his leadership in both schools.

“Rocky Point has always felt like home away from home for me, and I am honored and humbled to begin this new professional journey here,” said Dr. O’Brien. “This district is well-regarded for the robust educational offerings we provide to students at all levels, and it possesses an educational philosophy that is aligned with my professional beliefs. I look forward to working collaboratively with the staff, students and community to take our district to the next level of excellence.”

Dr. O’Brien earned his Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Accountability at St. John’s University, Professional Diploma in Educational Administration at SUNY Stony Brook, Masters in Literacy from Dowling College, and Bachelor of Science in psychology and special education from LeMoyne College.