Sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of Italian, Elwood-John H. Glenn High School Italian teacher Elena Ferriolo recently received a scholarship from the Accademia Italiana Salerno to observe and take education classes in Salerno, Italy this summer.

She was awarded the scholarship as a result of the great achievement of her student, senior Michael Hermanns, who scored first place on the National Italian exam this spring. The scholarship allowed her to visit Italy for two weeks to learn new strategies that she will be able to bring into the classroom. 

“This has been a great experience,” said Ms. Ferriolo. “I am very thankful to Accademia Italian Salerno for giving me this wonderful opportunity to be amongst great educators and I look forward to working with them in the future.” 

The district’s Board of Education held their annual reorganization meeting on July 6 in preparation for the 2017-18 school year. Although unable to attend the meeting, Julia Fried, who was elected to serve on the board for another three-year term, was named president of the board as well in a unanimous vote.

In addition, board trustee James Tomeo was elected to serve as vice president and was sworn in by the newly appointed district clerk, Mary Lou Janelli. New board trustee Becky Marcus was also unable to attend the meeting but was sworn in on July 11 for a three-year term surrounded by proud family members, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kenneth Bossert and vice-president Tomeo. 

Congratulations to Elwood Middle School eighth-grader Rithika Narayan, who was recently recognized for her high score in the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) Talent Search! She attended a special rewards ceremony with her family where she was awarded for her achievement.

Rithika was among approximately 27,000 students from more than 65 countries who participated in the CTY Talent Search between March 2016 and February 2017. The CTY Talent Search allows advanced students in second through eighth grade to take challenging tests to reveal their abilities and true capacity for learning.

Students in seventh and eighth grade take the SAT or ACT, the same tests used for college admissions. Rithika was commended for scoring exceptionally high on the rigorous, above-grade-level test. Only about 25 percent of Talent Search participants earned the High Honors designation.

Congratulations to Elwood-John H. Glenn High School boys soccer coach Lou Hanner, who was recently named a New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s Coach of the Year for the 2016-17 school year!

Hanner, who has coached at the high school for more than 15 years, was nominated by the NYSPHSAA and is now in the running for the Region 1 title of the National Federation High School Coach of the Year Award. 

The new achievement adds to Mr. Hanner’s successful career as he was recognized in the fall as the 2016 New York State Large School Soccer Coach of the Year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. 

"Being named the NYSPHSAA Boys Soccer Coach of the Year is an unexpected honor and extremely humbling,” said Mr. Hanner. “It would not be possible without the efforts of our players, coaches and the support of my family."

The district is pleased to announce that Elwood-John H. Glenn High School was recently named a 2017-18 Reward School from the New York State Education Department. The high school is among 185 schools who received the honor for their high achievements and high progress.

Reward Schools are schools that have made the most progress or those that have the highest achievement in the state and do not have significant gaps in student achievement between subgroups. The high school has previously earned the Reward School distinction for years 12-13, 13-14, 14-15 and 16-17.

“I am very honored to work with such a dedicated team,” said Principal Carisa Burzynski. “The unrelenting support of the board of education, district administrators and parents in the community enable the talented faculty and staff at JGHS to prepare our students to reach such high levels of achievement. I am so proud of our students.”

Elwood-John H. Glenn High School seniors walked the field of the high school for one last time among proud family, friends, faculty, board members and administrators on June 23.

During the ceremony, students heard advice and wisdom from Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kenneth Bossert, High School Principal Carisa Burzynski, Board Vice President Julia Fried, Board member Deborah Weiss, All School President Matthew Weiss, Senior Class President Casey Oualaalou, Salutatorian Samantha Ciappa and lastly, Valedictorian Michael Hermanns.

Congrats, 2017 Graduates!

More information on the graduation ceremony will be featured in the summer edition of the Elwood Highlights.

Please enjoy this slide show of photos from the commencement exercises and click the following link to view the recorded commencement webcast, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o5T0w0FH6g&feature=youtu.be

 

At the public meeting held on June 29, 2017, the Board of Education unanimously voted in support of Dr. Christina Sapienza as the new Elwood Middle School Principal. Dr. Sapienza joins Elwood after nine successful years of administrative work as a Middle School Assistant Principal in the Commack and Oceanside School Districts. At the beginning of her educational career, Dr. Sapienza was a special educator in the Plainview-Old Bethpage School District. She holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Concordia University, a Master’s Degree in Education with a concentration in Literacy from LIU Post, and she completed her administrative certification program at the College of St. Rose. Her undergraduate work resulted in a Bachelor’s Degree in Child Study from St. Joseph’s College.

Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Bossert stated: “Dr. Sapienza’s understanding of the true Middle School philosophy and her manner of addressing the unique needs of the adolescent learner were very attractive to me, the stakeholder search committee and the Board of Education. She presents as a leader who will always put the needs of the students first.”

Dr. Sapienza’s new role will commence on Monday, July 17, allowing for ample transitional time before students return in September. The district will host a special “Meet the Principal” event during the month of August (date/time TBD). Please join us in welcoming Dr. Sapienza to the Elwood community.

In an effort to educate and prepare the incoming fifth-graders at James H. Boyd Intermediate School, eight current fifth-graders hosted a leadership presentation on June 19 to share information and answer student questions.

The student speakers were part of a leadership committee program whose goal is to help fourth-graders learn from the experiences of fifth-graders to create a smooth transition into next year. Consisting of fifth-graders Ryan Andersen, Jenna Ban, Briana Ebinger, James Froh, Krish Khanna, Meghan McGowan, Sean O’Grady and John Oualaalou, the students had about eight weeks to prepare for the event. They devoted one hour of their time each week to write their speeches, type their speeches and practice their public speaking skills.

Fourth-graders arrived to the presentation with notebooks in hand and took notes on what to expect, including useful tips that the speakers provided. The fifth-graders discussed topics such as how to succeed in school, studying and homework tips, best behavior, time management, how to stay organized and the new experiences that the fourth-graders can expect.

At the conclusion of presentation, the fifth-graders answered questions that the fourth-graders had. They spoke about locker sharing, project difficulties, field trips, subjects taught and offered their best advice to the fourth-graders in hopes that their transition to fifth-grade would be a successful one.

It was a bittersweet day for the graduating seniors of Elwood-John H. Glenn High School as they returned to their old elementary schools on June 19 for the district’s first Senior Walk. The graduates stopped by Harley Avenue Primary School and James H. Boyd Intermediate School to walk the halls in their cap and gowns and say goodbye to the district they grew up in.

Faculty members and students at both schools lined the hallways in anticipation as the seniors arrived. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kenneth Bossert, administrators and board members also joined in the celebration and watched as the graduates walked the buildings. Many embraced their former teachers and high-fived the young students who cheered them on.

The district looks to continue this newly found tradition for years to come to celebrate the growth and the next chapter in the lives of its graduates.

Creativity was celebrated during the district’s second annual Maker Faire at Elwood Middle School on June 16. Open to kindergarten through eighth-grade students and their families, the evening consisted of 45-minute sessions where students could build, tinker and explore through hands on activities.

Prior to the event, students registered for what sessions fit their interests. The sessions took place in classrooms and ranged from creating marble roller coasters and water slides, to experimenting with bubbles. Coordinated by Director of Math, Science and Technology Eileen Kelly-Gorman and teacher Krista Albrecht, the event kicked off with Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kenneth Bossert and Ms. Kelly-Gorman welcoming those in attendance and providing an overview of what to expect.

“We are so excited to have so many of you here to join us today,” said Ms. Kelly-Gorman. “We can’t wait to see your great ideas come to fruition in each of these sessions.”  

Organizations such as the Elwood Harley Avenue School, James H. Boyd Intermediate School and Elwood Middle School PTA’s, as well as the Elwood Booster Club and the Elwood Education Endowment supported the event by donating money to expand on the learning opportunities for students. SEPTA provided food and refreshments throughout the evening while staff members and Elwood-John H. Glenn High School student volunteers helped facilitate the sessions.

The school’s cafeteria featured stations with more activities for students and their families to enjoy. A popular station for many was the Google Expeditions area. Here, students had the opportunity to test out the newest educational technology tool in the district that will be used in 2017-18 school year. The viewers allow students to immerse themselves in virtual tours of places around the world and were bought for the district with the help of the James H. Boyd PTA and the Elwood Education Endowment.

Congratulations to the Elwood-John H. Glenn High School Music Department who participated in the NYSSMA Major Organization 2017 Assessments!

Orchestra received the Level 6 Silver Award, concert choir received the Level 6 Gold Award, ninth and tenth grade band earned the Level 4 Silver Award and eleventh and twelfth grade band received the Level 5 Gold Award.

Music teachers Mrs. Gellert, Ms. Henson and Mrs. Nagle are extremely proud of the work put forth by their ensembles this year.

Students and community members recently banded together for a worthy cause on the field of Northport High School for their annual Relay For Life event. Coordinated by Kris Kalinowski, Elena Ferriolo Christina Kerensky and Marisa Jensen, the event raised over $15,000 for the American Cancer Society. Over the past seven years, the Elwood community has raised well over $250,000 in the search for a cure.

This year, the Elwood community had two students suffering from cancer. In light of this, the district decided to combine their efforts with the Northport-East Northport School District to help fight for a cure against cancer.

Elwood's Relay For Life is a student based event in addition to the participation of community members. Additionally, students from Harley Avenue Primary School and James H. Boyd Intermediate School decorated Luminaria Bags which were placed around the Northport High School track around the football field. The students decorated over 500 bags in memory of, in honor of and celebrating those touched by cancer.

The Knights for Hope at the Elwood Middle School sold Lap Beads for those who wanted to keep track of their laps with beads and donated everything to Relay For Life. Each bead represented the color of a particular type of cancer. The Elwood-John H. Glenn High School students also had a Volleyball-a-thon this past March, which a portion of their proceeds went to Relay for Life.

Elwood’s own Mr. Solomon Buchman sang the traditional song entitled "You Raise Me Up." Mr. Buchman has performed this song at every one of the district’s Relay For Life events and this year was no different.

Thank you to all who made the event such a success!

Congratulations to Elwood-John H. Glenn High School seniors Maggie McGuckin and Damien Caffrey who received the 2017 Butch Dellecave Award at the 17th annual awards night on June 11!

Damien, a star football player and Maggie a talented volleyball and basketball player, were presented with the award from Guy and Mark Dellecave for being top female and male Suffolk County student-athletes who demonstrate excellence in athletics, academics and community service.

Congratulations to Elwood-John H. Glenn High School seniors Anthony Aromolo and Samantha Ciappa for recently receiving the 2017 Town of Huntington Scholar Athlete Award! 

To be selected, one boy and one girl are chosen from their high school. The students were among 20 student-athletes from across Huntington who were honored with plaques for their academic and athletic excellence.

During the district’s Board of Education meeting on June 15, the Board recognized 14 staff members who were awarded tenure, while also honoring the 2016-17 retirees and 25 year employees.

Administrators, faculty members and their families attended the commendations in the Elwood Middle School auditorium. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kenneth Bossert opened the meeting by congratulating those being honored that evening for their dedication and service to the district and introduced the first tenure recipients who are administrators in the district. Those that received tenure included Assistant Superintendent for Business Keri Loughlin, Harley Avenue Primary School principal Elissa Millan, James H. Boyd Intermediate School principal Dr. Denise Toscano and Elwood Middle School Assistant Principal Dawn Valle.

The principals of each school then presented a plaque to their teachers and teaching assistants who also received tenure. These included teachers Moiro Citko, Jessica Hasday, Shanna LaBarbera, Sima Lis, Megan Riley, Lisa Rosenthal, Danielle Sullivan, Jennifer Vacchio and teaching assistants Maria Gagliardi and Kelsie Wilkinson.

Retirees were praised by their fellow administrators for their positive impact on the students and school community. Those recognized were Lee Anderson, Nancy Barkocy, Noreen Driscoll, Ann Gengenbach, Christine Graber, David Heiss, Susan Masserwick, Denise Preto, Cynthia Smith, Donna Verton, Linda Wilson, Carol Yamond and Marcia Zatulskis.  

Faculty members Jan Fairchild, Anthony Gallo, Michael Marino, Darren Szokoli and David Trabulsi were presented with trophies for their 25 years of service in the district. Each were congratulated by the Board and administrators for their hard work and dedication for so many years.

In addition, Elwood Middle School principal Dr. Hugh Gigante was commended for his leadership at the school as he will leave to take on his new position at Western Suffolk BOCES.

“We congratulate you on your new position, as we know it is a career aspiration for you,” said Dr. Bossert. “But we are saddened of your departure because of your profound positive impact on Elwood Middle School over the last seven years.”

Board of Education president Michael LaMena was also recognized as it was his last meeting serving on the Board. Board vice president Julia Fried thanked Mr. LaMena for his dedication to the district.

“He is committed to a focused process which has proven to unite the Board this year and has made for a very successful transition for our new superintendent,” said Mrs. Fried. “Mike, we will miss your calm leadership but we are grateful for the time you served on the Board. We are all better for it.”

The final two recognitions were for district clerk Nancy Mancini, who will retire from her role with the Board and transition into her new role in transportation and technology, as well as incoming Elwood-John H. Glenn High School senior Joseph Pacifico, who was commended for his assistance with the webcast broadcasting of the Board of Education meetings throughout the school year.

Congratulations to all and thank you for your outstanding service to the district!  

The Elwood-John H. Glenn High School varsity girls lacrosse team recently partnered with the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation to clean up Crab Meadow Beach in Northport.

The student-athletes worked together and collected a record 97 pounds of garbage from the beach and surrounding area in an effort to help the environment. 

“They did an excellent job,” said coach Janine Bright. “They were proud to be a part of it.” 

James H. Boyd Intermediate School has recently been selected to receive a 2017 Lowe’s Toolbox for Education Grant from The Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation. The $5,000 grant will allow the school to begin building a Makerspace to enhance learning opportunities for students.

The foundation offers the grant each year to K-12 public schools across the nation to provide community support for basic educational needs. The grant application, submitted by teachers Liz Held and Krista Albrecht, was for their project idea, “If You Build it, They Will Come.” 

The project focuses on creating a space where students can learn through hands on activities and building. The mission of the makerspace will be to encourage curiosity, tinkering and learning, while inspiring students to invent new things, continually question how processes happen and how inventions can be improved. Ms. Albrecht and Ms. Held plan to purchase items such as Lego kits, tablets, a green screen studio, and storage containers for student projects to incorporate into the space.
 
“We were thrilled to learn that we won the Lowe’s Toolbox for Education Grant to begin creating a Makerspace at Boyd,” said Ms. Albrecht. “We are always looking for innovative ways to fund ideas for our students. Incorporating science and technology, and discovering ways to solve problems is so important. If this Makerspace at Boyd can help students become better thinkers, then we are on the right track!” 

Seniors from the Elwood-H. John Glenn High School Chamber Choir were invited to sing at the June 6 Legislature meeting by Legislature Steve Stern. Under the direction of music teacher Rachel Nagle, the students performed the National Anthem at the beginning of the meeting and were commended for their contribution to the Arts.  

Congratulations to Ms. Nagle and the following students!

Kaleigh Liebler
Kristofer Kwan
Kyle Morlock
Kevin Amir
David Hermanns
Kimberly Fried
Eva Sheldon
Cecelia Polvere
Amanda Keane
Alyssa Lampros

Elwood-John H. Glenn High School students recently participated in the Sean Urda Memorial Scholarship Pickleball Fundraiser with all proceeds going towards the Sean Urda Memorial Soccer Scholarship Fund.

The doubles tournament allowed students to pay a fee of $20 and play against their fellow classmates for a good cause.

Juniors Tori Cacioppa and Katie Brown and seniors Joe Muchniki and Greg Thorhill were named pickleball champions at the conclusion of the tournament.

Congratulations to Elwood-John H. Glenn High School students Katie Browne, Emily Goetz and Nicole Hugelmeyer, who recently received Honorable Mention at the New York State Science and Engineering Fair! Under the guidance of their science teacher Dr. Arnold Kamhi, the students produced an experiment in which they used Cacti on disinfecting water in areas of need in third world countries.

“I am truly proud of the three of them,” said Dr. Kamhi. “Great work and research by all.”

Congratulations to Elwood Middle School eighth-grader Rithika Narayan, who was recently selected to receive the Long Island String Festival Association Studio Award! She was presented with a $500 scholarship to further her study of the viola. 

The award is offered each year to deserving students who participate in the LISFA festival. The students who are considered for the award were already selected to LISFA based on their NYSSMA score, which is highly competitive. Out of those students, Rithika was selected based on an essay that she wrote and a recommendation letter from her music teacher Diana Gotzen-Berg.  

Only one student is chosen per age group and Rithika was picked out of the eighth and ninth grade students who participated in the festival. 

“Rithika is an incredibly dedicated student,” said Ms. Gotzen-Berg. “I could not be prouder of her accomplishments both in music and beyond.” 

The Elwood-John H. Glenn High School Mock Trial team and the Elwood Middle School Life Skills class recently did their part to help the environment by recycling cans to support the Mock Trial team’s philanthropy CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children). The high school students worked with the middle school students, helping them recycle at the Stop and Shop Recycling Center, as well as helping them interact with the cashier and customer service clerk. In addition, the high school students also assisted in ordering lunch at Panera, paying for the food, counting out change and showing proper etiquette.

“They had a wonderful time and both groups ended the day with a fulfilling experience,” said Mock Trial Team Advisor Megan Gieser.

 

Elwood-John H. Glenn High School students involved in the district’s Freshmen Buddies Program prepared incoming freshmen on June 1 for what to expect when they enter the high school next year.

The 75 juniors and seniors who have been selected to serve as mentors in the program, visited Elwood Middle School to introduce themselves to their group of incoming freshmen. This allowed the students to get acquainted before their next meet-up, which will be Freshmen Orientation at the end of August.

Guidance counselor and Freshmen Buddy advisor Adrienne Nasser welcomed all the students and explained a little more about the program.  

“As you are ending the eighth-grade year, I’m sure you are all thinking about what high school is going to be like,” she said. “It is always nice to know people in a new school and today we are hoping that by meeting your mentors who will work with you all of next year, it will ease that transition for you.” 

The groups made their way outside where they sat in circles and discussed the upcoming school year. The high school students encouraged the eighth-graders to ask any questions that they had about the high school and even shared their own experiences with their groups. 

Orchestra students from Elwood Middle School attended the Long Island Music Festival on May 19 at L.I.U. Post to perform their spring concert pieces for two judges. After the performance, the students had the opportunity to work with one of the judges on an aspect of their performance. The students performed well and received a score of 97 and a "Superior" rating, which is the highest rating that one can receive. After the performance, the students headed to Adventureland for some well-deserved fun.

“The students were so excited to share their music and represent Elwood,” said orchestra teacher Diana Gotzen-Berg. “They were beaming with pride over their performance and had a wonderful experience!”

 

Harley Avenue Primary School students in the Elwood Union Free School District recently participated in a day of STEM enrichment made possible by teacher Renee Spanos’s ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) Teacher Impact Grant. 

Through a number of appropriate grade-level STEM activities, students had the opportunity to explore their creativity and challenge themselves inside the classroom.

Kindergarten students tested out catapults and built straw, stick and brick houses for the three little pigs while first-graders learned about bridges and then constructed their own. They also completed engineering challenges with a partner. 

In addition, second-grade students built and floated junk boats and worked with their peers to engineer a device to send Principal Elissa Millan a secret message atop a tower. 

Elwood-John H. Glenn High School students involved in SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions), Natural Helpers and Freshman Buddies recently banded together to encourage their fellow students to make good decisions. The clubs created a wall with a card for each student to remind them of why they are important to others. The cards are currently displayed for all to see in the high school’s guidance hallway.

Students throughout Elwood Middle School and Elwood-John H. Glenn High School recently received top scores on the 2017 National Spanish Examinations. Five eighth-graders, four freshmen and three sophomores attained national recognition by earning a gold medal for their excellent performance.

At the middle school level, seventh and eighth-graders prepared for the exam with the help of Spanish teachers Jennifer Vacchio and Valentina Parisi. Gold medal winners included eighth-graders Lizbeth Almendarez, Andrew Mullan, Daniel Mullan, Rithika Narayan and Daniel Rourke. Between both grades, students earned a total of five gold, four silver and six bronze medals along with 17 honorable mentions. A number of students also received a certificate of participation for their effort on the exam.

At the high school level, freshmen Ivan Andrade, Kerri Rhatigan, Elena Somoza, Ava Wilkinson and sophomores Bailey Leunig, Jaida Morgan and Meaghan Rivardo received a gold medal for placing in the 95th percentile or higher nationwide.

Under the guidance of their Spanish teachers Sheri Davis, Nicole Gendjoian and Diane Warren, the high school earned a total of seven gold, 22 silver and 23 bronze medals along with 43 honorable mentions.

The National Spanish Examinations are administered each year in grades seven through 12 and are sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese.

“Attaining a medal or honorable mention for any student on the National Spanish Examinations is very prestigious,” said National Director of the Exams Kevin Cessna-Buscemi. “The exams are the largest of their kind in the United States with over 157,000 students participating in 2017.”

Congratulations to the Elwood-John H. Glenn High School Boys Varsity tennis team for winning the League II Tennis Championship! For the first time in John Glenn tennis history, the team finished the regular season undefeated with an 11-0 record. They are the only team in all of Suffolk County to go undefeated in the regular season. In addition, congratulations to Zak Siddiqui for being the first player from John Glenn to reach the Suffolk County Quarterfinal round at this year’s Suffolk County Individual Tennis Championship since 2004! The district is so proud of these talented student-athletes for their hard work and dedication!

Elwood-John H. Glenn High School students from Diane Locascio's AP Psychology classes visited the Pilgrim Psychiatric Center on May 24, to further their studies on mental illness. They toured the museum and met with an outpatient that discussed his experience with Bipolar Depression, along with his treatment program. Students were also provided with the opportunity to work with animals as part of the animal assisted therapy program.

“It was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity and provided a hands on educational experience as to the mental health system in New York State,” said Ms. Locascio.

Students, family members, faculty, administrators and Board members gathered at Elwood-John H. Glenn High School on May 23 for the high school’s fifty-fifth annual Awards Presentation. The evening consisted of administrators and faculty recognizing students in the Class of 2017 for their high school success in the areas of academics, service and leadership.

Principal Carisa Burzynski and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kenneth Bossert kicked off the ceremony by welcoming those in attendance and congratulating the students for their achievements.

“Each of you are here tonight because you have gone above and beyond during your years at Elwood-John H. Glenn High School,” said Mrs. Burzynski. “We are so proud of all that you have accomplished.” 

In addition, Dr. Bossert encouraged the students to express their gratitude to their families and those who have helped them and supported them along their journey.  

Students who maintained an outstanding GPA throughout their high school career were honored with the President’s Award for Educational Excellence. Mrs. Burzynski and Assistant Principal Leroy Cole recognized the National Merit Scholarship Commended Students Derek Lee, Kristofer Kwan and Katherine McPherson. They also presented certificates to National Merit Scholarship Finalists David and Michael Hermanns and students who received the New York State Scholarship for Academic Excellence.

Furthermore, seniors were awarded Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA) gold and silver medals based on their academic success in different subject areas and scholarship awards, including those from the PTA and PTSA.

Elwood Middle School seventh-graders recently learned about how to analyze and identify DNA with the help of the Cold Spring Harbor DNA Learning Center. Over the course of two days, the classes conducted an experiment with an educator from the DNA Center.

The in-class forensic lab allowed students to look at chromosomes and sequencing DNA to gain a better understanding of how DNA works. They also learned about the scientists that made strides in the research world of genetics.

The classes were introduced to SYBR Green, a special gel that dyes the DNA, allowing it to be seen and glow under an ultraviolet light. Students took turns analyzing the DNA under the light with their peers and recording their results.

During the district’s Board of Education meeting on May 18, twenty-one Harley Avenue Primary School students who were named Harley Knights of the Month from December through June were presented with a certificate for being a positive role model in the school community and living up the Harley Promise.

“These children have been responsible, respectful, helpful, patient, friendly and honest,” said Principal Elissa Millan. “We are very proud of them. They are all of the qualities of a Harley Knight.”

One student from each grade level is named a Harley Knight of the Month throughout the year. Each celebrated their achievement at a schoolwide pep rally that is held on a monthly basis.  

The students were called up by grade level where Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kenneth Bossert and Board members Julia Fried, James Tomeo and Deborah Weiss complimented them on their job well done.

Congratulations to the following students who recognized as Harley Knights of the Month!

Kindergarten
Dylan Jhaveri
Miles Boremski
Fatima Aguilar
Sloane Hinke
Chloe Kougemitros
Matias Lopez
Dahlia Elie-Pierre

Grade 1
Joseph Meyer
Georgia Creter
Giavonna Sofield
Meesum Abbas
Nicole Popp
Christopher Monterroso-Alvizures
Emily Gerbe

Grade 2
Ella Mulé
David Palencia
Kaylee Mossey
Giselle Palacios
Livia Yeisley
Olivia White
Damian Canela

Four Elwood-John H. Glenn High School Italian students recently placed in the top spots on the 2017 American Association of Teachers of Italian (AATI) National Italian Exam, with senior Michael Hermanns winning first place in the nation for the level five exam.

The three sophomores that obtained top spots for the level three exam included first place winner Ivan Andrade, second place winner Makenzy Chaikin and third place winner Samantha Rivera. All the students took the exams in March to test their skills in the Italian language. They began taking these tests in eighth grade to test their knowledge while competing to place nationally.

As a result of their top scores on the exams, Michael and Ivan have been awarded a two week all expenses paid trip to Italy this summer to immerse themselves in Italian culture.

“We both are very proud of our students and their achievements on this test,” said Italian teacher Elena Ferriolo. “This year we are proud to announce that we collectively had 34 students that received honorable mention for scoring above average nationally. We are also extremely proud of our students that placed at the top percentile nationally.”

 

Eleven Elwood-John H. Glenn High School student-athletes signed their National Letter of Intent on May 19 to play their sport of choice in college. Surrounded by administrators, coaches, family members and teammates, the ceremony took place in the high school gymnasium where the seniors dressed in their new school attire.

Director of Athletics and Physical Education David Shanahan and Principal Carisa Burzynski began the ceremony by praising the students on their achievement of moving onto the collegiate level.

“As you go on to play in college, continue to make us proud,” said Mrs. Burzynski. “The leadership that you display on the field and in the classroom are great qualities that will help you assume leadership positions later in life.”

Six of the student-athletes made their commitment to play lacrosse at several different schools. Cameron Chiodo and Jimmy McGrath will play at SUNY Geneseo, Nick Torzilli and TJ Zenobio will play at Misericordia University, while Mark Andreacchi will play at Mount Saint Mary’s College and Connor Mayette at Western Connecticut State University.

Football player Peter Noonan will be joining the SUNY Cortland team in the fall, while his teammate Anthony Tesi will be playing for Ithaca College. Soccer player Luke Karen will also be playing at Ithaca College and his teammate Andrew Lule will play at the College of Saint Rose. Senior Isabella Sansanelli will join the volleyball team at Washington College in the fall.

Congratulations to each of these talented student-athletes and best of luck in this next chapter!