COLDSPRINGHARBOR

SUMMER 2015VOLUME 38, NUMBER 5 A REPORT ON OUR SCHOOLS

The ExemplaryService Award

The Exemplary Service Awardwas presented toMark Margolies atthe June 9th Board of Education meet-ing. Every year, at this time, the Boardwishes to honor an employee whosupports, with great distinction, ourschool community. The criteria for eli-gibility established in order to be con-sidered for the award includes havingworked in the district for at least fiveyears, have the unanimous recommen-dation of the administration and theBoard, and exemplify leadership andexcellent character among others.Board President, Anthony Paolano,thanked Mark for his many years ofdedication and service as Director ofBuildings and Grounds beginning inMarch 2006. Mr. Paolano shared,“Mark’s motto is ‘Sure we can dothat’ along with ‘Do you want it donenow, or do you want it done right?’”He spoke of Mark as a true gentleman,who takes great pride in his work,with a heart the size of a giant.Superintendent, Judith A. Wilanskysaid, “Every day is a privilege withyou as part of our team.” �

Junior Book AwardsAt the June 9th Board of Education meeting, fourteen students were presented

with the Junior Book Awards by the Director of Guidance, Andrew Rosenberg, des-ignated by colleges to juniors with the highest levels of academic achievement. Thehonors went to: Martine Brechter (Clarkson University), Emily O’Leary (Collegeof the Holy Cross), Christopher Wilcox (Cornell University), Daniel Crosson(Dartmouth College), Dylan Beder (Hamilton College), Michaella Kufner (MiamiUniversity of Ohio), Shayne Cassidy (Northwestern University), Hunter Cohen(Princeton University), Skyler Palatnick (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute), EmilyKrusos (St. Lawrence University), Aidan Coffey (St. Michaels College), SabrinaOdierno (University of Notre Dame), Cailey Brogan (University of Rochester),Timothy Sherlock (Yale University). �

Tenure GrantedCongratulations to the following

teachers who were granted Tenure atthe recommendation of the Super -intendent at the June 9th Board ofEducation meeting: Diego Garcia (inthe tenure area of Science), BrentChiarello (in the tenure area of Music),Kerry O’Brien (in the tenure area ofSpeech & Language), and AshleyDanielski (in the tenure area of Special Education). Various administration spoke ontheir behalf in offering congratulations with the highest of praise and support fortheir tenure recommendations. Superintendent, Judith A. Wilansky shared, “Youhave earned the highest distinction of a faculty member – this community entrustsyou with the education of our children.” Congratulations to all! �

Page 2 Summer 2015

A Day of CelebrationThe musical West Side Story may

have taken Broadway by storm in1957, but our com-munity hails theirown “West SideStory”…datingback to 1790! Howmany schools cantake pride in thefact that GeorgeWashington visited(on April 23rd,1790) on his way

to Squire Young’s house in OysterBay Cove, and assisted in raising oneof the rafters of the new schoolhouse!The festivities began by recreating the1992 school photo of all the studentsand staff that now hangs in the glasshallway. Students then played a West

Side version ofJeopardy ontheSMARTBoardthat challengedtheir knowl-edge of WestSide history.There weretours of thearboretum, adinosaur egghunt (a classicfrom the olddays) and aviewing of thebicentennialtime capsule topresent dayadditions. Theschool dayconcluded with

an assembly in the gym, where theoriginal school bell was rungby former principal of 43years, Mr. Ted Hilton, andstudent council president,Johnny Maccarone. SarahLynch and Paige Thompson,who wrote a letter to the

White Houseabout thismomentous day,shared a letterback fromSecretary ofEducation, Arne Duncan,congratulating them onthis historic event.Former teacher, ScottBowden, was honoredwith the Scott BowdenService Award, for hiscontinued support to theWest Side community,and never-ending devo-

ToursAs part of the 225th Birthday cel-

ebration, the 6th graders gave WestSide tours ofthe buildingto the 2nd –5th graders,pointing outhistory dat-ing back to1790. Thetours high-lighted allthe artifactsaround thebuilding, asstudents took ownership of theirschool, which truly feels like a“museum” at times, sharing theirknowledge of this landmark school’ssignificance.

tion and volunteerism. This award willbe granted every five years to honoreesthat embody the spirit of “Mr. B.” Theassembly concluded with music thatrocked the gym with an infectiousenergy and spirit. The pride and joywas overwhelming, making this cele-bration a day students will never for-get. The festivities continued intonight, with a spectacular Gala at theCSH Library, on the balcony over-looking the harbor sunset. Over theweekend, an Alumni Open House washeld, along with the annual West SideCamp Out. Principal Kurt Simon,shared, “This celebration took over ayear to plan and required the collabo-ration of our faculty and staff, parents,

and studentsto make it areality.While we allknew it wasa specialoccasion,nothingcould haveprepared usfor the over-whelmingsupport wereceived.

The energy in our building over thelast few days was remarkable. I am sovery proud of our community!” �

West Side 225th Anniversary Celebration

Summer 2015 Page 3

poetry into a contest sponsored bythe Lloyd Harbor Historical Society.Lloyd Harbor School had four win-ners: First place: “Slaves” by AnaMaria Fernandez, Second place:“Love Is Everything” by BrookAntolin, Third place: “Stuck in aTime of Slavery” by AnnabelleBryant, Fourth place: MadisonPorcelain. Final Judging was madeby Dr. Cedrick May, AssociateProfessor English Department, TexasChristian University, who said “Itwas the 4th grade poems that stoodout overall as superior in their con-struction and thoughtfulness. Theirteachers ought to be proud of them-selves for producing such wonderfulpoets!” A reception was held in Mayat the Henry Lloyd Manor House tohonor Ms. Caputo. Congratulationsto all our students and teachers fortheir contributions!•West Side teacher, Ms. LindaGerver, was honored at the North

Ritz Club on May20th as the NassauCounty TeachersAssociation“Elementary MathTeacher of theYear” acknowledg-ing her dedication,professionalism andactive role in the

educational community.Congratulations!• 2015 US News & World Reportcame out with its rankings of the besthigh schools in thecountry, placing CSH#218 out of 21,000high schools nationally(top 1%), and #33 outof 1,259 state-wide (top3%), with a Gold Rating as a top 500school based on highest college

readiness. Mr. Matuk expressed,“Congratula tions, and thank you fora job well done to our entire staff!”• Earth Day Poster Contest:Congratulations to West Side secondgrader, Clara Masata, who was rec-ognized for winning the 2015 EarthDay Poster Contest. Clara received acertificate and letter from SenatorCarl Marcellino.

• 2015 National SpanishExamination Recognition’s: ¡FELI-CIDADES! to Profesora Perissi’sSpanish 4 Honors students at thehigh school who won national recog-nition for their excellent performanceon the 2015 National SpanishExamination given in April.“Attaining a medal or honorablemention for any student on theNational Spanish Examinations isvery prestigious,” said KevinCessna-Buscemi, National Directorof the Exams, “because the examsare the largest of their kind in theUnited States with over 157,000 stu-dents participating in 2015.”Congratulations to the following CSHstudents who placed nationally:Silver Medals awarded to Ezra Brodyand Anand Subudhi (10th grade),and Honorable mentions awarded toDaniel Crosson, Michaella Kufner,and Christopher Wilcox (11thgrade), Owen Toomey (10th grade).

Honors . . . Honors . . . Honors . . . Honors . . . Honors . . . Honors . . . Honors . . . Honors . . .

• Lloyd Harbor Physical EducationTeachers, Mr. Toscano and Mr.Lynch won third place for a videosubmission of the “Road TripChallenge” byNYSAHPERD;What We Do To GetKids Moving con-test. The New YorkState Associationfor Health, PhysicalEducation,Recreation, andDance held the contest during thewinter of 2015. Votes were cast bypeople who could go on line andvote for their favorite video. Theschool received a monetary prize thatwill be used to buy equipment.• Brent Chiarello was selected as aQuarterfinalist for The MusicEducator Award by The RecordingAcademy and the GRAMMYFoundation. A total of 213 music

teachers from 194cities across 42states were chosenfrom more than4,500 initial nomi-nations submittedfrom all 50 states.The MusicEducator Award

was established to recognize currenteducators (K through college, publicand private schools) who have madea significant and lasting contributionto the field of music education andwho demonstrate a commitment tothe broader cause of maintainingmusic education in the schools. Mr.Chiarello is the seventh grade BandDirector, co-teacher for the eighthgrade band, conductor of the highschool musical pit orchestra, andteaches brass lessons at Lloyd Harbor.• Lloyd Harbor teacher, Ms. Caputo,recognized as “OutstandingTeacher of Poetry.” The fourthgrade students atLHS visited LloydManor House wherethe poet, JupiterHammon, lived andworked as a slave.The students wereinspired to writepoetry after viewingMr. Hammon’s living quarters andlearning about his lifestyle. Studentshad the opportunity to enter their

StateChampions!

Varsity Boys Lacrossewins NY State Champion -ship on June 6th, with a 9-8victory over Cazenovia at theNYSPHSAA Class C final inVestal, NY. Congratulationsto Head Coach Dennis Bonnand all the boys.

Page 4 Summer 2015

• High School Robotics Team:Congratulations to the CyberHawksand advisor, Mr. Jon Salvia, forbeing invited to compete at theWorld Championship RoboticsCompetition in Saint Louis. TheCyberHawks competed on April 24-25 and at the end of the qualifyingmatches they were ranked 7th intheir division of 76 teams. TheCyberHawks had high hopes, how-ever, due to some technical difficul-ties, were unable to make it into theirdivisional playoffs, and ended upwith an overall ranking of 43rd intheir division and ranking 312th outof 607 teams overall. Principal JayMatuk also accompanied the team inSt. Louis, along with team mentorsKevin Merola, Stephen Jay, andSenora Segura. (team mentor, HansNordemann, could not make thetrip.) This is Mr. Salvia’s first yearas team Advisor; he is the NetworkAdministrator for the School District,with a background in ComputerScience and Applied Mathematics.Mr. Salvia took his team of approxi-mately 30 members to the HofstraFIRST competition earlier in theyear, placing 27th out of 50 teams

making the qualifying round for thenational championship.• Elementary FLES StudentHonors: This year, several talentedFLES (Foreign Language inElementary Schools) students partici-pated in a pilot contest through theNYC-LI FLES Collegial Circle cur-rently being considered as a state-wide contest. If approved, thewinners will set the standard forentries state-wide this coming fall.FLES students from all over LongIsland participated in this competi-tion. The CSH Award recipients intheir age groups were: “PoetryRecitation” Josh Novick (1stplace), Matthew Ross (2nd place)and Brielle Amadeo (3rd place);“Vocal Music” Karoline Milhilm(1st place); “Tongue TwisterRecitation” Ava Coco (1st place),Haley Mitchel (2nd place); “Dance”Julia Bruzzese, Alexandra Church -land, Annie Celestino, CarolineDiMaio, Kyrié Gagnon, andIsabelle Henick (all 1st place!);“Authentic Speaking” GabrielleGarra (1st place) and Sara Lynch(2nd place). Bravo to all of our par-ticipants for a job well done!

HuntingTONYAwards

5th Annual Huntington TonyAwards Winners for CSH were:Emily Gallagher; for Best Leadactress in a Drama (Our Town), andTimothy Sherlock for Best MaleVocalist in a Musical (How ToSucceed In Business). The Hunting-TONY Awards night is sponsored byThe John Engeman Theater inNorthport, and the Town of Huntingtonhonoring exceptional performing artstudents at nine local high schools,hosted by Town Councilman, MarkCuthbertson, and Councilwoman,Susan Berland. These talented anddedicated students walked the red car-pet in gowns and tuxedos on June 2ndfor their outstanding achievements intheater. The CSHHS nominees for theDrama production of Our Town were:Supporting actress-Sadie Kalinowska-Werter, Best costumes, and Best stagecrew. For the Musical production ofHow to Succeed in Business theCSHHS nominees were: Lead actor-Joseph Ball, Featured actress-JillianSchlesinger, Best female vocalist-Emily Gallagher, Best stage crew,Best technical production, Best danceperformances, and Best musical.Bravo to all! �

Honors . . . Honors . . . Honors . . . Honors . . . Honors . . . Honors . . . Honors . . . Honors . . .

National Letters of IntentThe following student-athletes signed their National Letters of Intent (NLI) this

spring, which is a binding agreement between the student and the Division I college.This is quite an honor, and CSHHS had five (5) athletes this season who earned thisrecognition: Joined by their coaches, and Administration (left to right) Ryan Winkoff,Lacrosse (Binghamton Univ.), Colin Burke, Lacrosse (Fairfield Univ.), John Shea,Lacrosse (Hartford University), Alicia Roy, Soccer (Sacred Heart Univ.), IsabelleHarouche, Track and Field (Wake Forest Univ.). Congratulations on many years ofdedication to your sport! �

• The Early Language LearningPoster Contest sponsored by theAATSP (American Association ofTeachers of Spanish and Portuguese)was held this spring for the fourthgrade FLES, students. In the K-5 agegroup, Lloyd Harbor student, AnnaMaria Fernandez, placed second inthis “national” contest.

Summer 2015 Page 5

Miss USAA Life of Drug Abuse

On May 4th, former Miss USA, TaraConner, (center) spoke to several of Mr.Chris Homer’s Health classes. She sharedher history of drinking and drug abuse prob-lems for many years as a teenager and dur-ing her reign as Miss USA, which she keptsecret for many years. She revealed theshame she endured during her youth experi-encing her parent’s alcoholism and divorce.By the age of 14, not having the tools to cope, she turned to drinking to deal withthe pain and to “fit in.” Not realizing she was playing Russian roulette with her life,by 15 she was hooked on morphine, and by age 20 she was a full blown addict. “AllI know is it made me feel better,” she admitted. She duped everyone around her intobelieving she was doing great, by retaining a 4.0 average, becoming a varsity cheer-leader, entering beauty pageants, and all the while suffering in silence. After win-ning the Miss USA title in 2006, and moving to NYC at the invitation of DonaldTrump, she failed a drug test 9 months into her reign. She sought treatment, andlearned about recovery. “I wasn’t a bad person, I was a sick person,” she realized.Finding a trusted friend, and realizing you can’t fake your way through life, helpedlead her to a healthy and safe lifestyle. Ms. Conner continues to do motivationalspeaking regarding the dangers of abuse. There were 144 deaths related to Heroinoverdoses alone in Long Island in 2013. It’s an epidemic, and we thank Ms. Connerfor her candid talk and advice to our students. �

Technology FairThe EdTech Showcase: Methods

of teaching and learning are rapidlyevolving, and so are we! On May 19thparents and students had an opportu-nity to stop in and see how the schooldistrict is preparing our students forcollege and beyond. This year’s focuswas on some of the tools we use tobuild 21st Century skills, with mostdemonstrations conducted by students.This is the second year the district has held such an event to the delight of the entirecommunity, students and staff. It was a wonderful opportunity for students to dis-play and teach, firsthand, current technology uses in the K-12 classrooms. Some ofthe exhibits included Robotics (elementary through high school), 3D Printing andEngineering CAD Software, Virtual Enterprise, 3D animation, and many exhibitsshowing the uses of iPads and technology in the classroom at all levels. The eveningwas spearheaded by our Director of Technology, John Contess, and supported bythe CSH Educational Foundation. �

The SWWAT Team (Students Waging WarAgainst Tobacco) comprised of Cold SpringHarbor Jr./Sr. High School students ranlessons with the fifth and sixth graders thisspring. Thank you to Mr. Homer and Ms.Parent for their collaboration and “team”lessons to the elementary students each year,all of whom were intrigued and had lots ofquestions answered by student SWWAT mem-bers. The presentations were meaningful,informative, and very well received.

Honors . . . Honors . . .

ASSET AwardMeredith Martino wins ASSET

Award: Ms. Martino (center right)was selected as a Teacher Honoree bythe Association of Suffolk Supervisorsfor Educational Technology (ASSET).Teacher honorees are selected due totheir exemplary integration of technol-ogy into their educational environ-ment. She was honored at the ASSETluncheon on June 3, 2015 and wasaccompanied by Superintendent, Dr.Judith A. Wilansky (far left), Directorof Technology, John Contess, andAssistant Superintendent of Curriculum& Instruction, Lydia Bellino. Ms.Martino is a recent graduate of LIUC.W. Post’s Educational TechnologyMaster’s program, and has been anEnglish teacher at Cold Spring HarborJunior Senior High School for 13years. She used technology exten-sively this school year to promoteindependent reading with her English8 classes. Ms. Martino believes stu-dents graduating high school in 2019will need the skills necessary tomanipulate and adapt to various pre-sentation mediums and eventuallyshare their information with a globalaudience. She also utilized Instagramto share homework, due dates, andnotes from lessons. �

The Graduates of

2015The fifty-second commencement was held on June 14th as the graduates

marched to the stage for their final farewell. Principal, Jay Matuk, congratu-lated the class of 2015 on this crowning achievement in their academic

careers, as they look forward to their future hopes and dreams. Senior, ChristineCollins, joined the wind ensemble for a magnificent performance on the flute, whilesenior Emily Gallagher led the audience in the National Anthem. Following tradi-tion in CSH, there were three Reflection Speakers this year. The first, David May,shared, “An open heart allows us to deepen our connection to ourselves and eachother….do not fear the unknown, but rather strive to live for the moment.” GabrielleBailenson said CSH has taught her to push herself, and she wished to express hergratitude to “this school” for so many meaningful memories, amazing teachers,staff, and administration, that have all been here “for us seniors” every step of theway. “I will look back with pride,” she shared, “Cold Spring Harbor allowed me tofind my inner voice….and I’ve learned it doesn’t take the voice of a lion to roar likeone!” The last Reflection Speaker was Allison Grey, who took seniors down mem-ory lane back to Kindergarten when they learned to write in cursive and open milkcartons. “Twelve years later, CSH became our home. We have made our mark here,our memories are numerous, and we discovered the meaning of ‘CSH Roots’ and wecan be sure…they will always be here to welcome us home.” Superintendent, JudithA. Wilansky said, “We live in a culture that loves to rate everything… how manylikes you get on facebook, rating Uber, the best vintage, the best team – so it was nosurprise the this year’s class of 2015 was rated by the faculty as among the best ofgraduating classes in the history of CSH!” It was a common theme expressedthroughout the day by so many. “So, what is it? What attribute earned you this rat-ing?” she wondered. “It’s the fine character traits that I speak of and see in all ofyou…it’s the core of your values.” And finally, in the words of Board President,Anthony Paolano, “The strength of your character will see you through.” He leftthem all with a quote to ponder by Jim Henson, “When I was young, my ambitionwas to be one of the people who made a difference in this world. My hope still is toleave the world a little bit better for my having been here.” The class of 2015, itseems, is one of those classes that will surely leave their mark. �

Reflection Speakers: David May, Gabrielle Bailenson, and Allison Grey

Saying Goodbyes

Here we go!

The caps of their future….

Page 8 Summer 2015

Artist VisitGrace DeGennaro

Lloyd Harbor: On May 18thMaine artist, Grace DeGennaro, (auntof 5th grader Aidan DeGennaro), vis-ited Ms. McLam’s art classes to teachabout her abstract paintings and workson paper that make use of pattern andgeometry. She brought a portfolio ofstriking water colors for the kids tolook at initially, along with booksillustrating historical uses of pattern,(for example, as used on Navajo blan-kets, or ancient Aboriginal paintings).She challenged the students to make ageometric shape using rulers and cups,(similar to Spirograph images), andthen drawing an overlay of coloredpatterns on the design. The studentscreated amazing works of art underher tutelage, surprising themselves athow a simple concept can blossominto a masterpiece! �

Stories & Songs of Latin America

Lloyd Harbor school was pleasedto host, Mr. Felix Pitre, who sharedmany of the Hispanic traditions thatwere passed down to him from hisown family, bringing to life the cultureof Latin America with puppetry, sto-ries, songs, instruments and dance,performed in English interwoven withSpanish words and phrases. FLESteacher, Jennifer Coniglio, thanked theCultural Arts Committee for sponsor-ing this event for her Spanish students.

InsideEdition

LloydHarbor: 5th &6th grade stu-dent council rep-resentatives andofficers werespecial guests atCBS Studiosthanks to LloydHarbor parent,and InsideEdition host,Ms. McInerney.This wonderfulexperience,enabled studentsto see firsthand,a televisionnews show production, by taking tours of the internal workings of the soundboardsystems, recording studio, green screen, and camera crew operations. Some weregiven the opportunity to practice giving an introduction on camera and record shortvideo clips. Principal, Mrs. Massimo, was grateful for both the warm welcome byMs. McInerney and her crew, and for organizing such a wonderful experience foreveryone. �

BrainChallengeFun

LloydHarbor: Due to alarge fundraisingeffort of Box Topscollections by thestudent council,Principal, ValerieMassimo, and stu-dent council advi-sors (Mr.Chiarello and Ms.Coniglio) wereable to organize aspring surprise forthe entire studentbody. Hollyrock Entertainment “Brain Challenge” Game Show proved to be educa-tional and packed with excitement and high-level energy for all. In the spirit of a tra-ditional TV Game Show, students were divided up into red and blue teams andcompeted against each other in two large groups. Students had a chance to ‘hit thebuzzer’ and answer trivia questions, participate in dance-offs, play Simon Says, andengage in a math relay with giant number cards! Even the teachers had a chance toscore points for their teams. The noise level and excitement was deafening, yet theemcee/host controlled the gymnasium crowd with lightning speed and skillful calm.Needless to say, it was an amazing event! �

Lloyd Harbor . . . Lloyd Harbor . . . Lloyd Harbor . . . Lloyd Harbor . . . Lloyd Harbor . . .

Summer 2015 Page 9

Eagle Dock ScienceDiscovery

West Side 6th grade scienceclasses went on a field trip to theNature Preserve at Eagle Dock onMay 12th to study the effects ofpollution on our aquifer. TheNorth Shore Land Alliancefunded and presented a programfor both elementary schools’ sci-ence classes to teach about LongIsland’s aquifer and where ourdrinking water comes from. They are volunteering their time to educate the students,so they will in turn, educate others. Students were delighted to discover the grass-land, shoreline, and life buried in the sand and under the rocks, while testing waterquality and soil permeability. A highlight was discovering the abundance of AsianShore Crab species that have inhabited our earth, virtually unchanged, for over a bil-lion years…and the impact that invasive species have on our ecosystems. �

All Aboard!West Side School Ellis Island Simulation: This long standing tradition took

place on June 3rd where 4th and 5th graders are taken back in time, with mock ferryships carrying them over the ocean to the land of America. Students embarked ontheir journey from foreign lands navigating immigration stations at Ellis Island withtheir assigned families through the infirmary, currency exchange, and detained pas-senger areas, suffering through the maze of confusion and exhaustion immigrantfamilies faced upon arrival in New York. The costumes, suitcases, parent volunteersspeaking in foreign languages, guards yelling…all contributed to the true spirit ofthis journey endured by so many. It is a learning experience these students are sureto never forget. �

The West Side “Oscar Night”Talent Show was celebrated inHollywood style on May 8th with 90student participants and crew show-casing their talents at the PAC demon-strating the meaning of “It’sShowtime!” Performances includeddance, piano, singers, basketballtricks, magic and more. Principal, Mr.Kurt Simon, expressed, “Thank you toMrs. Weiss and Mrs. Genser foranother incredible Talent Show! Yourenthusiasm and creativity continues toinspire students of all ages.”

West Side Run: The school car-ried on its tradition with the 23rdAnnual West Side Run on May 3rd.The 5K and one mile run were enjoyedby all, attracting a wide cross sectionof runners from children and familiesto the serious runner through thescenic rolling hills of Laurel Hollow.Thank you to Mrs. Bauer and the WestSide Run Committee, and congratula-tions to all the runners.

West Side . . . West Side . . . West Side . . . West Side . . . West Side . . . West Side . . . West Side . . .

Page 10 Summer 2015

Goosehill Science Fair

As part of the school district’scollaboration with Cold Spring HarborLaboratory, first graders were invitedto take part in an annual “ScienceFair” designed to help them learnabout the work of scientists. On theirvisit, students participated in stationswhere they learned about solids, liq-uids, gases, the brain, seaweed,genomes, and their own fingerprints.They even got to see the effects of liq-uid nitrogen! This was a wonderfulopportunity for students and their par-ents to learn about the Cold SpringHarbor Laboratory and the importantwork of scientists in our area. �

Write me a Letter

At GoosehillPrimary School, thechildren write every-day in a variety ofgenres. During arecent unit of studyon persuasive writ-ing, students wroteletters to Mrs.Herschlein on topicsand concerns (seri-ous or just for fun)to improve theschool or add schoolspirit. She receiveda persuasive letterfrom Edgar Reyesand ConnorChomyonk, fromMrs. Gonzales-Condell’s class, asking for a “Super Hero Day” where studentscould wear tee shirts depicting their favorite Super Heroes. Mrs. Herschlein decidedthat since some students may not be “into” Super Heroes, why not expand the ideato include “Favorite Characters” from books or movies. So, on May 15th the entireschool participated in Super Character Day! The kids also decorated the hallwayswith posters and drawings, while donning great T’s from Superman, to Elsa fromFrozen, Snow White, Captain America and more… �

Reading with my Buddy

Goosehill students carried on thetradition of the “buddy-up” with apartner morning, when the kinder-garteners spend time in first gradeclassrooms to help with their transi-tion to first grade next year. Each stu-dent is given a partner, and they find aquiet spot to read a book to eachother, as well as get a private class-room tour of the first grade class-rooms and teachers. �

Goosehill . . . Goosehill . . . Goosehill . . . Goosehill . . . Goosehill . . . Goosehill . . . Goosehill . . .

BuriedTreasure

At Goosehill,first grader, DylanSavarese, was out-side enjoying theplayground andexploring thegrounds with herfriends when shecame upon some-thing that lookedodd. She began todig around whatappeared to be arock peeking out ofthe grass, andnoticed the shape ofa heart begin to appear. She wondered what it could be? It was a mystery Dylanwanted to solve. She brought it to the attention of Mrs. Herschlein, who suggestedthat she write a letter to head custodian, Mr. Paul Smith, to ask for his help. Lo andbehold, a hidden secret lay beneath the earth. Dylan guessed it may have once beenpart of a special bench. Mrs. Herschlein promised to find a spot for the heart rock inthe courtyard gardens. Quite a discovery, Dylan! An archaeologist is born! �

Summer 2015 Page 11

Aspiring JournalistsAt West Side School, fourth

grade teacher, Ms. Dudek, explored ajournalism unit of study by sendingout student reporters to local events,clipboard in hand, to try their hand atinterviewing and reporting. Studentscovered events including Field Day,Teacher’s College Workshop, theCloisters field trip, a PTG meeting, thetalent show, and more. During theLincoln Center workshop on SleepingBeauty, student, Peter Ryan, pulled upa chair and did just that, asking rele-vant questions to teaching artist, SusanWillerman. Peter asked, “What wouldyou like the kids to learn?” Whereby,Ms. Willerman responded, “To beable to see theater in a different waythan just being entertained.” Greatquestion, Peter! �

Fashion & Film EventIt was yet another fabulous night

of entertainment as Fashion ArtTeacher, Bailey Whitney, and MediaArts Teacher, Christine Oswald, tookus down the runway on April 24th.Student film makers along with stu-dent fashion designers previewed theirmasterpieces for the audience. Senior,Jonathan Harouche, was the emceeintroducing fashion, live performancesand 7 film screenings. Ms. AmandaMunz was the guest speaker, bringingawareness to The Fashion Foundation,a nonprofit organization with the mis-sion to provide school supplies to stu-dents in need. A graduate of FIT inManhattan, she also earned a Mastersin Public Administration, and pursuedher passion for philanthropy, combin-ing fashion and giving “one designerhandbag at a time.” Teachers alsojoined in on the fun for the Super-Model Challenge, while the designersshared other themes which includedDisney, Dark Poetry, Animal, andTime-Period projects. Bravo! �

LAX Out ALSCSH Jr./Sr. high school raised money and awareness for ALS partnering with

the Robert Packard center in Baltimore and Northport high school. The event wasone of the biggest Varsity Boys Lacrosse games of the season, sponsoring the goalLAX Out ALS! Keeping the momentum going from the social media phenome-non of the “ice-bucket” challenges for ALS, the organization asked volunteercommunities to empower students and make a difference by joining “TeamPackard.” The Packard center sent a representative (Milan Karol) to come to thegame on April 29th and speak during the halftime ceremony. It was a nationalfundraising effort spearheaded by teachers Jamie Cherkis and Allison Halloran.Thank you to the community, students, and lacrosse players for making this such asuccessful event.! �

The Graduates of

2015The fifty-second commencement was held on June 14th as the graduates

marched to the stage for their final farewell. Principal, Jay Matuk, congratu-lated the class of 2015 on this crowning achievement in their academic

careers, as they look forward to their future hopes and dreams. Senior, ChristineCollins, joined the wind ensemble for a magnificent performance on the flute, whilesenior Emily Gallagher led the audience in the National Anthem. Following tradi-tion in CSH, there were three Reflection Speakers this year. The first, David May,shared, “An open heart allows us to deepen our connection to ourselves and eachother….do not fear the unknown, but rather strive to live for the moment.” GabrielleBailenson said CSH has taught her to push herself, and she wished to express hergratitude to “this school” for so many meaningful memories, amazing teachers,staff, and administration, that have all been here “for us seniors” every step of theway. “I will look back with pride,” she shared, “Cold Spring Harbor allowed me tofind my inner voice….and I’ve learned it doesn’t take the voice of a lion to roar likeone!” The last Reflection Speaker was Allison Grey, who took seniors down mem-ory lane back to Kindergarten when they learned to write in cursive and open milkcartons. “Twelve years later, CSH became our home. We have made our mark here,our memories are numerous, and we discovered the meaning of ‘CSH Roots’ and wecan be sure…they will always be here to welcome us home.” Superintendent, JudithA. Wilansky said, “We live in a culture that loves to rate everything… how manylikes you get on facebook, rating Uber, the best vintage, the best team – so it was nosurprise the this year’s class of 2015 was rated by the faculty as among the best ofgraduating classes in the history of CSH!” It was a common theme expressedthroughout the day by so many. “So, what is it? What attribute earned you this rat-ing?” she wondered. “It’s the fine character traits that I speak of and see in all ofyou…it’s the core of your values.” And finally, in the words of Board President,Anthony Paolano, “The strength of your character will see you through.” He leftthem all with a quote to ponder by Jim Henson, “When I was young, my ambitionwas to be one of the people who made a difference in this world. My hope still is toleave the world a little bit better for my having been here.” The class of 2015, itseems, is one of those classes that will surely leave their mark. �

Reflection Speakers: David May, Gabrielle Bailenson, and Allison Grey

Saying Goodbyes

Here we go!

The caps of their future….

NON PROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE PAID

PERMIT NO.4Cold Spring Harbor, New York

COLD SPRING HARBOR CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT75 Goose Hill RoadCold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 11724

www.csh.k12.ny.us

BOARD OF EDUCATIONAnthony Paolano, PresidentRobert C. Hughes, Vice PresidentAmelia BroganJanice ElkinMark FreidbergMark McAteerIngrid Wright

Judith A. Wilansky, Ed. D.Superintendent of Schools

Karen L. Spehler, EditorSchool Tax Code 123

ECRWSS

POSTAL CUSTOMER

POSTMASTER:

DATED MATERIAL

DO NOT DELAY

Read-to-Write Common Core Prep Foreign Language

At CSH High School, LOTE (for-eign Language Other Than English)classes embraced the Common CoreAgenda by hosting its first annualRead-to Write Extravaganza. TeachersSihsknel, Wilkens and Monck-Rowleypaired the level 3 students (Honors andRegents Level) in the junior highlibrary on June 4th in order to preparethem for the new writing task on thisyear’s FLACS exam. This writing taskwill now incorporate a “DBQ” (docu-ment based question) approach wherestudents will have to use facts from anarticle in order to complete a writingtask of persuasion. �

Lincoln Center Sleeping BeautyElementary students in grades two through four attended a Lincoln Center

Institute (LCI) for the Arts in Education performance of Sleeping Beauty in April per-formed by actor /musician/storyteller, David Gonzalez and pianist/composer, DanielKelly. The students were captivated with storytelling set to the music of J.S. Bach’sGoldberg Variations. If you’ve ever thought of rhymed verse as unimaginative,you’ll have to think again. Dressed as a footman, David Gonzalez tells the story notjust of the beautiful princess Talia, but also of the thirteenth fairy – the one who wasnot honored by the king and queen with an invitation to the princess’s christeningcelebration. What happens to the one who is ignored? And is true love’s kiss reallythe way to happiness? Assisting David in spinning this multimedia fairy tale is long-time collaborator, pianist, rhyme-finisher and composer, Daniel Kelly. Musicteacher, Heather Daniels, also held workshops throughout the year for the students,with LCI Education teaching artists, continuing this unique partnership with CSHschool district. Teaching Artist, Susan Willerman, had the students draw “picturemoments” bringing to life moments from the Sleeping Beauty performance. Theyalso wrote “rhyming couplets” captions to match the images. Then, during the work-shop, students dramatized their images by bringing them to life. Working in groups,they each had a turn at acting out their own performances. Well done! �