Locust Valley Central School District

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.

Students throughout the Locust Valley Central School District held Patriot Day ceremonies in remembrance of the lives lost in the Sept. 11 attacks 23 years ago. At the middle and high school, the Back the Blue Club and social studies department commemorated the solemn occasion with readings of patriotic poems and beautiful renditions of Taps and The Star-Spangled Banner by juniors Sara Nearenberg and Sarah Paulus, respectively. Bayville and Locust Valley elementary schoolers gathered at events at Bayville Primary School and Ann MacArthur Primary School where students read about heroes in their lives and placed small American flags into the ground to honor those lives lost two decades ago.

As a reminder, the District will be hosting a presentation of our Districtwide Safety Plan and other security precautions tonight at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium. If you cannot attend, the meeting will also be livestreamed on the Locust Valley Board of Education YouTube channel. We hope that this presentation will answer many of your questions and reassure you of the seriousness with which we take safety and security.

Four Locust Valley High School students were recognized by state and Long Island organizations for their incredible achievements in music and media and overall academic excellence. The Long Island Arts Alliance named seniors Abigail Maselli and Sara Nearenberg Long Island Scholar-Artists for the media arts and theater categories, respectively. Maselli is a consistent fixture in the Locust Valley High School Film Festival and was invited to the Long Island International Film Festival in 2024. Nearenberg consistently takes the stage for the Locust Valley High School Jesters’ drama productions and performed at Radio City Music Hall in December 2023. Juniors Grace Araoz and Abigail Vuong were recently invited to be participants for the 2024 New York State School Music Association’s All-State Performing Ensemble in Rochester from Dec. 5-8. Araoz (chorus) and Vuong (symphonic band) were among the thousands of students throughout the state who auditioned for this honor last spring. “It is incredibly rewarding to see our students receive prestigious accolades such as these,” Coordinator of Instructional Technology and Fine and Applied Arts AnnMarie Buonaspina said. “These achievements reflect their hard work, talent and the strong support from our teachers and community.” Locust Valley Central School District was honored as one of the Best Communities for Music Education from the National Association for Music Merchants Foundation once again in 2024.

The Board of Education is asking for community feedback on future facilities projects. Parents/guardians with students in the district received an email this week with a link to the survey. All residents can access the link on the homepage of the district website at locustvalleyschools.org.

Locust Valley Central School District welcomed over 1,800 students back for the first day of classes on Sept. 4. Students from pre-K to grade 12 excitedly returned to see their friends and teachers and embark on another year of growth on their academic journey. “We’ve been so excited to be reunited with our Falcon Family once again,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kristen Turnow said. “I cannot wait to see how our students, staff and teachers continue to progress as people throughout the school year.”

Teachers and staff returned to the halls of our schools on Tuesday to reconnect after the summer and get ready for the new school year at Superintendent’s Conference Day. After a breakfast in the middle/high school cafeteria, the educators congregated in the auditorium for Dr. Turnow’s general session before heading over to their schools for trainings and meetings to help set our students up for success this year. We will see our wonderful students tomorrow for a fun-filled first day.

The Locust Valley Central School District community provided over 100 local students with backpacks loaded with school supplies ahead of the 2024-2025 school year. Headed by district interpreter Cyndy Ergen and community member Paola Diaz, the program Give Backpacks has been a successful venture in the district for 13 years. This year, students from grades K-12 and their parents and guardians picked up their backpacks and a free water bottle at the Bayville Free Library. Supplies were collected at the Bayville Library and Locust Valley Library throughout the summer with the generous support of the school community. “This is all about teamwork from our patrons in our amazing community and district and the support of our local library directors,” Ergen said. “We will keep helping our students and make sure all their dreams come true.”

Fred Smith Field at Locust Valley Middle/High School has gotten several new upgrades this week with more on the way. New bleachers and a large press box have been installed to provide an amazing gameday atmosphere for fans. Once again, thank you to the community for enabling these improvements through capital projects in last year’s budget vote. Keep an eye on our social media for more project updates in the coming weeks.

The girls varsity tennis team has spent the first few days of the fall sports season breaking in the brand-new turf courts. Thank you to our community for approving this capital project. Keep an eye out for other exciting updates in the coming weeks.

The district’s newest teachers took part in their first orientation on Monday. We look forward to seeing them work with students throughout our schools. Please join us in welcoming Andy Bhasin, Jennifer Bluestein, Elizabeth Byrne, Daniella Castellanos, Jessica Coules, Stacey Langer, Tina Messina, Joseph Migliano, John Pawluk, Michaela Pawluk, Dr. Jane Shnayder and Taylor Sivacek.

While classes have not started yet, our schools were abuzz over the past few days with meet and greet events for each elementary school. Students reconnected with old friends and made new ones while playing on the playgrounds. Bayville Primary School students also met their new principal, Ross Cohen, for the first time while enjoying bagels and arts and crafts.

Bayville Primary School families are invited to a meet and greet with new principal Ross Cohen on Saturday, Aug. 24, from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Please use the main entrance. There will be bagels and arts and crafts! The Locust Valley Central School District is thrilled to welcome Ross Cohen into our Falcon Family as the new principal of Bayville Primary School for the 2024-2025 school year. Mr. Cohen brings strong leadership qualities from his time as a program administrator, assistant principal and principal in New York City and Nassau and Suffolk counties. In his 20 years in education, Mr. Cohen has fostered partnerships with families, parent-teacher associations and communities with a diverse range of backgrounds. Additionally, Mr. Cohen brings unique teaching experiences working as a special education teacher in a variety of settings, including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s hospital school in New York City, where he developed curricula and delivered instruction to in and outpatient school-age children and facilitated communication between families, the school and the medical team. Mr. Cohen has worked also as a building and district-level administrator with a focus on special education and elementary curriculum. Most recently, Mr. Cohen served as the assistant principal at Hewlett Elementary School in Hewlett- Woodmere, a position he held since 2019. Mr. Cohen was inspired to become an educator by helping his sister during her middle school writing assignments. “Supporting her in articulating her voice and nourishing her confidence to share ideas passionately helped lay the foundation for my two-decade journey as a teacher and administrator,” Mr. Cohen said. “To this day, guiding and protecting the voices of our children and staff, while actively learning from their unique perspectives remains at the core of my work.” Mr. Cohen attained his Bachelor of Science in communications at Boston University, his Masters of Science in secondary English education from New York University and certifications in English language arts education and educational leadership from CUNY Queens College and CUNY Hunter College, respectively. “I am honored to step into the role of principal at Bayville Primary and excited to partner with our exceptional staff, students, families and neighborhood partners to carry on the extraordinary work in our classrooms and throughout our dynamic and treasured Bayville community,” Mr. Cohen said. “I am eager to bring our team together as we continue to nourish the well-being and development of our children, fostering a school environment that they consider home and where all children may thrive socially, emotionally and academically.” Please join the district in welcoming Ross Cohen into our community.