The Locust Valley Central School District is now hiring for both instructional and non-instructional roles. These roles include certified teacher assistant, teacher aide, school monitor, substitute bus driver, school nurse, certified substitute teacher, food service helper and more.
You can apply now by emailing a resume and cover letter to hr@locustvalleyschools.org. Jobs are also posted on www.olasjobs.org.
Tickets are now on sale for the Locust Valley High School Jesters’ production of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” on Nov. 22 and 23 at 7 p.m. each night. Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased online at https://cur8.com/schedule/item/39980/337486?event=126203&date=337486 or by scanning the QR code on the poster.
The District hosted its ninth annual Bilingual Night on Wednesday, Oct. 16. Dozens of families filled the middle/high school cafeteria to get reacquainted with friends and colleagues, eat incredible meals and desserts that represent each culture, and learn important new information about the district. Parents heard about the exciting things happening in Locust Valley from Superintendent of Schools Kristen Turnow and were taught how to navigate Parent Portal and the district website by student representatives. K-12 students had the chance to see their favorite teachers and principals from throughout the district. District interpreter Cyndy Ergen once again brought several community organizations together to partake in the event and provide raffle baskets.
Locust Valley High School’s Interact Club and student government sent several boxes of aid items to those affected by Hurricane Helene on Oct. 11.
Middle and high school families came together to provide important supplies, such as clothes, diapers and formula for those in dire need after the devastating storm.
“I am so proud to be part of a school community that so clearly cares for those in need,” Locust Valley High School Principal Patrick DiClemente said. “An act of kindness like this again demonstrates the huge hearts among our students, staff and families.”
The district will host the first Bilingual Night of the year tomorrow, Oct. 15, at 7 p.m. in the high school cafeteria. All district families are invited to celebrate Hispanic cultures, learn about school resources such as parent portal and our new communication platform Parent-Square, wear your Falcon green and enjoy food and desserts from each of the unique cultures represented in our community. Together we are stronger as a Falcon Family.
Locust Valley Middle and High School students used their artistic abilities to depict their Italian American heritage as part of a poster contest. Middle schoolers Hudson DiMasi-Costaldo, Eva Jaszczuk and Quinn VanderMass and high schoolers Toby Lamb, Vito Ricciardi and Cristina Villella were named winners of their respective contests for their incredible works, which utilized famous Italian icons, expressions and landmarks.
Many Locust Valley Middle School students started off the year right by performing random acts of kindness for classmates and staff. Sophia Acosta, Kawaun Adams, Giavanna Ballato, Sarah Calo, Jack Capobianco, Michael Grella, Jayson Harrison, Micaela Mejia, Jayden Nicoleau, Christos Pappas, Jack Pouey, Matteo Santoro, Anderson Soto Castro, Eloise Spruchise, Zakary Szerlip and Jesalin Velasquez were recognized as part of the first edition of the Caught Being Kind program for the 2024-25 school year. The students were noticed by staff for acts such as helping students pick up their belongings, making new classmates feel welcomed, helping students better understand assignments and cleaning up classrooms for their teachers.
Join the Locust Valley Central School District team, and you can gain valuable experience while creating a positive atmosphere for our amazing students. We are now hiring for a wide array of positions. Applicants can apply online www.olasjobs.org and send a cover letter, resume and two professional references to HR@locustvalleyschools.org.
After a few weeks of school, Locust Valley Central School District students from grades pre-K to 5 learned more about their classmates with themed days during Start with Hello Week from Sept. 23-27.
Throughout the week, students showcased their individuality and discovered common ground to make new friends. On Monday, students wore name tags around their schools and were encouraged to say hello to as many people as possible. Students wore rainbow colors and tie-dye on Tuesday to represent the gamut of emotions we experience throughout life. For Mix It Up Wednesday, students wore mismatched, backward or inside-out clothing. Thursday was Jersey Day where students wore the jerseys of their favorite teams to represent teamwork and cooperation. To close out the week, students celebrated Falcon Friday by wearing green or Locust Valley gear to show off their school pride.
The Locust Valley Central School District may not be hosting the Remembrance Bowl, a game meant to commemorate paratroopers who fought to liberate France during World War II, again this year, but it is still keeping the mission on passing the history of those soldiers to the next generation.
Through the week of Sept. 23, Locust Valley educators continued to build on last year’s lessons with presentations from war re-enactors from France and class activities to help students understand the bravery of the men who liberated Europe.
At the elementary school level, students learned about the meaning behind symbols such as the poppy flower. Christine Arthur and Margaret McDermott’s fifth grade class at Bayville Intermediate School created parachutes and attached them to action figures to try to simulate the airborne units that played a huge role in the liberation of Europe. Middle and high schoolers attended assemblies during which Helen Patton of the Patton Foundation, Jeff Wells of the veteran organization Walk Among Heroes, Cathy Souref of Operation Democracy and French representative of the group Friends of the American Veterans screened “The Sixth of June,” and answered questions about the struggles Allied troops encountered on D-Day. High school art students met and discussed their storytelling projects with Korean artist Jeongmin Kim, who attended the 80th D-Day commemoration in France and created illustrations for Walk Among Heroes. Film students met with filmmaker Doug Stapleton and writer Jeff Stoffer, who created the book and film “The Mother of Normandy: The Story of Simone Renaud.”
The district is excited to continue this tradition of World War II education and to be a part of living history with involvement in the Remembrance Project as it spreads throughout Long Island and beyond.
Families flocked to Bayville Primary School to celebrate the annual Fall Fair on Sept. 27. Children partook in games and activities such as basketball shooting, scarecrow building and pumpkin decorating and enjoyed tasty candy and treats provided by the Bayville Elementary Parents’ Council.
Locust Valley High School welcomed guest speaker and author Ed Gerety on Sept. 26 to impart his wisdom and life lessons to students. During the assembly, Gerety spoke about how we never fully know what our peers are going through and to be kind to one another both in our personal and online interactions.
“There are consequences that come with certain choices that don’t just last a week, a month or a year, but forever,” Gerety said. “As John Austin once said, ‘We have the freedom to choose, but we do not have the freedom of consequence.’”
The Locust Valley Central School District community is mourning the loss of retired teacher, administrator and legendary wrestling coach Doug Axman, who passed away on Sept. 14.
During his time as a teacher and administrator, Axman had a positive impact on the lives of his students and founded Nassau County’s first-ever Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) chapter in 1976.
Axman was a part of the Locust Valley High School wrestling program from 1974-2006, collecting an incredible number of accolades and just as importantly, molding generations of people who came through the district.
During his 19 seasons as the head coach of the high school wrestling team, Axman compiled a 140-125-3 overall duel meet record and coached four all-state wrestlers, 17 individual county champions and 30 all-county wrestlers.
In his 14 seasons as an assistant coach, Axman worked with fellow hall of fame coach Matt Sanzone, and the two coached five all-state wrestlers, 17 individual county champions and 30 all-county wrestlers. Axman and Sanzone oversaw the 1979 Falcons team who was Nassau County Dual Meet champions, Nassau County Tournament champions and New York State champions and the 1985 team who was Nassau County Tournament champions.
Axman received the Lifetime Service Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and was inducted into the district’s athletic hall of fame in 2017 for his outstanding commitment to the sport. He was honored by the Nassau County Wrestling Coaches Association (NCWCA)as the conference’s coach of the year in 1994, 1995 and 1997 and the assistant coach of the year in 2010 and 2012.
“The impact that Coach Axman leaves on not only our wrestling program, but on the sport across Nassau County, New York State and the country is immeasurable,” Athletic Director Danielle Turner Cosci said. “The sport has lost a giant, and his presence will forever be felt in our wrestling room. We are so fortunate to be able to say he was one of our and he is a forever Falcon.”
Thank you to all who brought the noise at the first game under the new lights at Fred Smith Field on Friday, Sept. 20. We cannot wait to see our community members at future night games!
Three Locust Valley Falcons have been named to Newsday’s Top 100 player lists in their respective sports.
Junior Stefano Linardos earned his way onto the boys soccer list after posting six goals and eight assists on a Falcons side that went undefeated in the regular season and appeared in the Nassau County Class A title game in 2023. Coach Joseph Lee describes the forward as a “dynamic scorer with a powerful shot.”
Midfielders Tessa Matozzo and Alyssa Ciminello were recognized on the field hockey list. Matozzo, a sophomore, was highlighted for her athleticism, intelligence and strength, while Ciminello, a junior, is known for her incredible stickwork, leadership and two-way game.
Congratulations to these Falcons on this distinction!
It’s never too early to plan for the future and Locust Valley High School students took to the gymnasium to do just that at the first college mini-fair of the year on Sept. 16. Students spoke with representatives and took home admissions materials from over 60 schools to get a better idea of where they see themselves continuing on when their time in Locust Valley ends.
Second graders at Bayville Primary School painted rocks with messages and red, white and blue coloring as part of Patriot Day on Sept. 11. After reading the book “Fireboat” in their classes, Ms. Coules’, Mrs. Morales and Ms. Sivacek’s, Mrs. Pagan’s and Mrs. Parshley’s students gathered in the all-purpose room to add words such as “hope,” “calm,” “bravery” that described the first responders who rushed to lower Manhattan to save lives on Sept. 11, 2001. Students discussed why they chose the words and went outside the front entrance of the building with their classes to make new additions to the school rock garden.
Ms. Monsees’s sixth grade class took to the middle school lab on Sept. 16 to investigate their hypothesis that a penny could hold twice as many water droplets as a dime. Students paired off into teams and used droppers while recording their data. The young scientists had a great time learning about the scientific method with this hands-on lesson.
Locust Valley Middle School sixth grade students celebrated the end of their first week of classes with the annual Falcon Fest event. The school’s newest students took to the upper fields and played capture the flag, cornhole, kickball and spike ball with their new and old friends. In between stations, students cooled down and fueled back up with snacks and drinks provided by school administration and the Falcon Pride Booster Club.
In their first week of classes, fourth and fifth grade students at Bayville and Locust Valley intermediate schools worked on their problem-solving skills in teams to set the tone for a great school year. At Bayville Intermediate, students in Ms. Arthur and Ms. McDermott’s fifth grade class gathered into teams and grabbed ribbons attached to a rubber band to expand and contract the contraption to pick up and stack cups.
As part of their annual Save Fred! project, the fourth grade students at Locust Valley Intermediate School participated in team building exercises, including one where students had to place their gummy worms on top of a Life Saver using paper clips. The project aims to get students working together in friendly competition to start the year off right.
