With the sun shining brightly, Rocky Point Middle School eighth-grade students marched past proud parents, friends and district administrators to take their prominent seats across the back lawn of the school and signal the start of this year’s moving-up ceremony.

During the event, many students were individually recognized as they were presented with departmental awards of recognition, state honors from the Comptroller’s and Attorney General’s office as well as certificates acknowledging their outstanding character traits and community service efforts.

Graduating eighth-grader Maya Menon was selected as this year’s moving-up day speaker and, in her address, shared memories from the students’ middle school years and a hope for a prosperous future.

Before celebrating their accomplishments at the eighth-grade picnic and yearbook distribution ceremony, each student was called to the front of the podium to receive their official moving up day certificates.

Rocky Point High School is proud to announce that Pooja Deshpande, Nicholas LoCastro and Natalie Bazata have been named the Class of 2017 valedictorian, salutatorian and exhortation speaker, respectfully.

Following graduation, Pooja is bound for the Stony Brook Honors College, where she plans to major in neuroscience/biology with a minor in mathematics. Nicholas will study chemical engineering at the University of Southern California. Natalie is headed to Georgetown University, where she plans to major in Italian and linguistics.

Frank J. Carasiti Elementary School students in JoAnna Fasano’s class completed an end-of-the-year rainforest project.
 
During the study, each student picked a rainforest animal and presented on its features, habitat, diet and an interesting fact they researched. The entire classroom was transformed into a rainforest for the presentation.

Rocky Point Middle School seventh-grade students in John Mauceri’s social studies class put their knowledge of the Civil War on display by creating Civil War dioramas and accompanying informative notecards.

The students’ dioramas focused on a specific battle scene during the Civil War, including pictures and other artifacts representing the battle, while the notecards provided a written summary of the scene they recreated.  
 

Historical lessons came to life before the eyes of Rocky Point Middle School seventh-grade students in Gregory Havranek’s social studies class as they performed a Civil War re-enactment on the battle of Pickett's Charge. 

During the activity, students dressed up in the colors for their sides; those representing the North wore blue and the South wore grey or white. The southern students marched across the battlefield toward the northern line where they demonstrated the proper way of marching in the Civil War while the confederate soldiers recreated the "Rebel Yell" to intimidate the north.
 
The students realized how difficult it would have been for 15,000 confederate soldiers to march with no protection to the northern line and how the failure at Pickett's Charge was a turning point in the Civil War.

Joseph A. Edgar Intermediate School music teacher Craig Knapp is sharing his educational practices and talents as part of a new book he co-authored with four other national educators. 

The book, “First Steps in Music with Orff Schulwerk – Sing, Say, Dance, Play,” is full of strategies and activities that link the Orff Schulwerk approach to John M. Feierabend’s “First Steps in Music” methodology.  The book includes activities pertaining to the eight parts of the approach as well as 12 complete lesson plans, supplemental repertoire and a dedication section on Arioso. 

Mr. Knapp has been teaching general music and chorus at JAE since 1998. 

Rocky Point High School life skills students who are enrolled in Robert Ciaccio’s technology course collaborated with the students in John Schumacher's Principals of Engineering class to construct a lasting legacy for the school. 

Working together, they created a wooden “Up-Standers Tree” completed with 50 leaves that will bear the names of students who are “caught” being good. The students were responsible for many aspects of creating the project, including the design, layout and construction, such as sawing, sanding and painting. 

Beginning next school year, teachers and staff members will be asked to recommend students at the high school who exhibit positive behaviors and go above and beyond what is expected to help others and to help foster a positive school environment. The names of these individuals will be added to the leaves of the tree and remain on display for all to see and celebrate. 
Congratulations to the following students are creating such a meaningful and lasting project: 

Christian Avant
Kyle Cantone
Gabriella D’Andrea
Travis Ferrie
Kathleen Johannesen
Nicholas Martin
Valerie Morton
Joseph Ramos
Tyler Struss
Jeyson Zambrano

Rocky Point Middle School eighth-grade general music classes learned about classic rock and roll artists and the history of the genre as part of their comprehensive curriculum. 

Following the unit on great guitarists, students were assigned a "Guitar Hero" to study and write a paper on.  They then created, using various art media, a replica of their selected artist's guitar and conducted a presentation for their classmates on their artist.  

Frank J. Carasiti Elementary School kindergarten students in Karen Nicholson’s class put a new spin on a few familiar stories when they performed the original play “Wolf and the Little Red Hen.”

The play, which was written by Ms. Nicholson, followed the Big Bad Wolf as he journeyed through Fairy Tale Land and met several iconic children’s storybook characters, including the Three Little Pigs, Peter and Little Red Riding Hood. The play’s song and comedic dialogue followed the Wolf’s journey through his quest from being “big and bad” to kind and helpful.

This spring, the literary and artistic talents of Rocky Point High School and Rocky Point Middle School were celebrated and honored during two annual competitions.

Nearly 40 high school students earned high praise during this year’s Mark Twain Contest in the category of writing or art. For writing, students are awarded by grade level and in the categories of prose and poetry. For art, students are also awarded by grade level as well as in the categories of photography and digital imaging. Students who are selected as winners were invited to the awards ceremony at the Meadow Club and received a medal as well as a booklet published with all of the winning entries.

At the middle school, close to 70 students were named winners in the Lois Lowry literary and art contest. The event, which was started in the middle school in 2003, is similar to the Mark Twain literary and art contest in the high school as students are honored for written and artistic pieces. Those winners were honored at an ice cream social event in June and had their work published in a commemorative book. 

Rocky Point Middle School’s sixth-grade GATES students were honored by Brookhaven National Laboratory for their participation in the Open Space Stewardship Program.  

Throughout the year, the students worked on various projects relating to the Rocky Point Pine Barrens, including gathering weather data, collecting and analyzing soil samples and collecting plant specimens and sequencing their DNA. Additionally, they learned about how Long Island was formed, about its geology and aquifers, and even built their own “aquifers in a cup.” They also modeled how kettle holes form when glaciers melt.

Before sequencing the DNA of the plants they collected, the students learned how DNA replicates itself and how Polymerase Chain Reaction works to amplify DNA for analysis. They learned the proper micropipetting technique and completed their own procedures to prepare their specimens for sequencing. The techniques and equipment used are truly cutting edge and these students were exceptional at learning and utilizing these difficult procedures.

The students collaboratively presented their work during a celebration this spring at BNL, where they detailed their results using a poster they had created. 

Rocky Point High School science research students recently took part in an exploration lab at Brookhaven National Laboratory thanks to a field trip grant provided by Target and secured by teacher Nancy Hunter. 

During the visit, the students learned about the history of the lab and the research being conducted at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and the National Synchrotron Light Source II, and heard about summer research opportunities for students. Additionally, the students were able to model a BNL developed non-toxic technique for removal of toxic metals from soil.

In preparation for the experiment, they learned how spectrophotometers work and some of the issues around heavy metal contamination in soil. They examined iron content in soils used to illustrate how metals might be removed from a soil sample. The technique used citric acid, a non-toxic substance, to chemically bind with the metal, and the combination can then be washed out of the soil and recovered.  

Students used soil samples that had previously been collected from behind the high school, and learned how to calculate the amount of iron in the samples. They prepared samples with known amounts of iron and produced a standard curve using a spectrophotometer, which shines light of a given wavelength through samples and reads both the amount of light absorbed and/or transmitted, allowing the concentration of a substance to be quantified. They could then quantify the amount of iron in soil samples before and after removing the iron. 

Joseph A. Edgar Intermediate School third-graders in Becky Pagnotta’s class had their lessons on biographies come to life as they took part in an interactive human wax museum.

Leading up to the event, the students spent four weeks studying an individual of their choosing, constructing costumes and composing original biographical reports based on their research.

On the day of the museum, the students dressed as their chosen figure and delivered a brief history of the individual and explained why they are important icons. The class’ wax museum featured such iconic figures as founding father George Washington, pop sensation Taylor Swift, Yankee’s baseball player Derek Jeter, Elvis Presley and accomplished scientist Madame Curie. 

The cross-curricular project enriched the students’ study of the subject matter with impressive public speaking, research and report composition skills. 

Rocky Point High School Class of 2017 valedictorian, Pooja Deshpande,was honored during the annual Suffolk County School Superintendents Association Valedictorians Luncheon, held at the Hyatt Regency in Hauppauge on June 1, 2017.  During the luncheon, Pooja and the other valedictorians in attendance were honored for their achievements, dedication and commitment. Also honored at the luncheon was High School senior, Jennifer Wheeler, who was the recipient of a $500 college scholarship from CORE BTS, Inc. Both students were joined by their parents, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Michael Ring, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Deborah De Luca, Executive Director for Educational Services Susan Wilson, Principal Susann Crossan and guidance counselor James Jordan. John Kanas, former North Fork Bank president, was also in attendance to serve as keynote speaker and extend his congratulations to the soon-to-be graduates.

In honor of Military Appreciation Month, Frank J. Carasiti Elementary School first-graders in Stacy Iberger’s class helped to bring the comforts of home to those serving the nation. The students created 20 shipping boxes full of care packages for soldiers serving oversees – including the son of a school employee serving in South Korea and the sister of a student who is serving stateside.

Surrounded by local veterans, family members and officials, the students penned original messages of thanks before filling colorfully decorated brown paper lunch bags with non-perishable food items, personal care packages and playing cards.

Rocky Point High School senior Bridgette Meruelo was named the first place winner in the Fashion Design category at this spring’s statewide Skills USA competition.

For the event, Bridgette was required to design and create three clothing items based on the theme of recycled material. For the project, Bridgette had to hand make patterns and turn those patterns into sample garments. She used unconventional materials – including plastic vinyl, part of sneakers and blue prints – to create two dresses and a cape.

Bridgette plans to continue to further her design skills at the Fashion Institute of Technology in the fall, where she will major in female fashion design.

Rocky Point High School senior Brittany Reh has won one of four National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association’s Scholarships provided to Suffolk County athletes.

Brittany is described by her coaches and peers as an exceptional talent, amazing student-athlete with an incredible work ethic and a true leader with an inspiring “need to succeed” attitude.

Brittany is a five-year varsity cheerleader named captain for the last two years and has been recognized twice by Newsday with All-Long Island honors. During those five years, her team has won two county championships and a UCA national championship title.

Brittany has a 97 GPA and scored a 29 on the ACT. She is a member of the National Honor Society, a math tutor, a volunteer for the Suffolk County Cheering for Charity group, helps out with various Rocky Point Kiddie Cheer Clinics and recently received the Officials Scholarship Award.

Brittany will be attending and cheering at Adelphi University this fall majoring in Elementary Education.

Joseph A. Edgar Intermediate School fourth-graders in Joanne Craig’s and Jessica Stalters’ class took a look inside the STEM field during a visit with Peter Maritato, Mrs. Craig’s brother and academic chair and professor of engineering science and electrical engineering at Suffolk Community College.  

During the visit, the students had the chance to view a 3-D printer and learn how the device can be used to print just about anything, including replica food items, medical supplies and even part of a house. Additionally, the students listened as Mr. Maritato’s robot “Tyler” read “The Night before Christmas,” altering its voice based on the characters in the story.

Throughout his presentation, Mr. Maritato encouraged the students to always use their imagination and stressed the importance of studying the STEM subjects.  

As a result of their scholastic commitments and leadership skills, 68 Rocky Point High School students were recently inducted into the Rocky Point Chapter of the National Honor Society.

During the ceremony, English teacher James Parker served as the evening’s guest speaker and the Honor Society President Nicholas Volpe, Vice President Brianna Distler, Treasurer Briana Florio, and Co-secretaries Cailey McBryne and Kayleigh Keane spoke about the four pillars of the National Honor Society: scholarship, leadership, service and character. Nicholas also led the current members as well as the new inductees in reciting the National Honor Society Pledge, formally inducting them into the chapter.

The Honor Society Induction Ceremony is a time-honored tradition that allows the district to recognize the dedication and character of student leaders who are positively impacting the entire Rocky Point community through their service to others.

Surrounded by proud family members, friends and coaches, 18 Rocky Point High School student-athletes recently put pen to paper and celebrated their college commitments during a commemorative ceremony at the school.

Rocky Point Director of Health, Physical Education, Athletics, and Intramurals Charles Delargy spoke eloquently about each of the students, providing information about their athletic careers and their post-graduation plans before inviting them to sign a pledge to continue to be stellar representatives of the school community. Additionally, each of the students’ coaches provided some parting words of advice for them and their best wishes for continued success in college.

The district takes great pride in congratulating the following students:

Vanessa Costa – Rhode Island College, Soccer
Justin Curreri – Hartwick College, Lacrosse
Victor Davila – St. Joseph’s College, Soccer
Kristin Flatley – Adelphi University, Cheer
Jessica Friedman – Molloy College, Cross Country
Robert Grady – Roger Williams University, Lacrosse
Meagan Haviland – St. Joseph’s College, Track and Field
Brendan Heggers – Georgian Court University, Lacrosse
Bailey Klein – Misericordia University, Cheer
Anthony Lucia – St. John’s University, Lacrosse
Jaime Maggio – Sacred Heart University, Track and Field
Morganne Nofi – Villanova University, Cheer
Brittany Reh – Adelphi University, Cheer
Alexandra Salamone – St. Mary’s College, Soccer
William Smith – Suffolk Community College, Lacrosse
Kamdyn Steets – Delaware Valley University, Volleyball
Dylan Trude – St. Joseph’s College, Soccer
Christopher Valleau – Ursinus College, Track and Field

Congratulations to the Rocky Point JV Baseball team for completing an undefeated 2017 season with 18 wins and 0 losses! The team, coached by Anthony Anzalone, is made up of exceptional athletes who are perfect examples of what it means to have good sportsmanship! Go Eagles!

Rocky Point High School Be A Nicer Neighbor Club members had the opportunity to learn about several landmarks and cultural sites during a recent visit to New York City.

During the event, the students walked the famous and historic Brooklyn Bridge, visited the Central Park Zoo, and enjoyed the Broadway production of Disney's "Aladdin."

Rocky Point High School’s varsity baseball team recently held its fourth annual Live Like Susie scholarship fundraising game, which is played in memory of Rocky Point alumna Susie Facini.  

The team played the early May game against Mount Sinai after working for weeks under the direction of coach Andrew Aschettino gathering donations and creating commemorative T-shirts, all in support of the annual scholarship. This year, thanks to the generosity of both teams, Rocky Point baseball raised over $600 in a matter of hours for the worthy cause.

That same week was made even sweeter for Rocky Point baseball, as coach Aschettino reached a professional milestone – his 200th career game win. To help recognize the achievement, the team surprised him with a celebration during the Live Like Susie game, complete with a commemorative cake made by Mrs. Facini.

Rocky Point High School’s Virtual Enterprise firm, OmniStreem, received a gold award for salesmanship during the New York City Tradeshow held this spring.  

Of the more than 200 firms that attended, Virtual Enterprise chose 30 top firms to win the gold award, based on their sales pitch used during the tradeshow. Pitches were judged on the greeting, knowledge of the product, persuasiveness of the pitch, ability to close a sale, after sale procedures, ability to process paperwork, and overall professionalism.

As part of their mission to encourage safe and healthy behaviors, Rocky Point High School Students Against Destructive Decision club members recently visited Frank J. Carasiti Elementary School second-grade students in Christina Capaldi and Erin Glennon’s class to speak about being an upstanding member of society.

With the help of SADD club advisor, Serina Werthner, the high school students discussed ways to build friendships and cultivate positive outcomes and connections with all they encounter. At the end of the meeting, they worked collaboratively to complete a special craft outlining their hands to create a symbol of unity and friendship.

Rocky Point High School senior and Class of 2017 valedictorian Pooja Deshpande was named one of eight Suffolk County Principals Leadership award winners.

These awards are presented to extraordinary scholars in recognition of their outstanding leadership contributions to their schools. Pooja was honored for her character, leadership and service to Rocky Point High School.
 
“Pooja has boundless energy, which she funnels into many activities,” said Susann Crossan, Rocky Point High School principal. “She has earned the respect and admiration of both the students and will certainly be leaving a legacy of leadership for others to follow.”

Rocky Point School District’s Athletic Program has been awarded the Scholar-Athlete School Award of Distinction from the New York State Public High School Athletic Association.  

The award was presented to the district as all 23 Rocky Point varsity teams were recognized as NYSPHSAA Scholar-Athlete teams this school year. To receive the award, the team is required to have 75 percent or more of their members with a GPA above 90 percent.

“This award is a great honor for our district and congratulations go out to the student-athletes, coaches, teachers and parents on this incredible accomplishment,” said Charles Delargy, Rocky Point Director of Health, Physical Education, Intramurals and Athletics. “Thank you so much for your time, dedication and hard work in helping the students achieve this honor.”

In 2016, only 32 schools throughout the state received the honor, seven of which were in Suffolk County.