Locust Valley Central School District

Before the varsity football team takes to Fred Smith Field for the homecoming game, the parade will make its way through Bayville and Locust Valley. For those taking part in the parade, please arrive at the Centre Island beach parking lot at 11:30 a.m. The parade will depart at 12 p.m., traveling down Bayville Avenue, Bayville Road, Buckram Road, Weir Lane and Horse Hollow Road, finishing at the high school.

We hope to see our students, families and staff lining the streets of our beautiful communities to see the amazing floats each grade has worked so hard on. Senior day activities for the football and cheerleading teams will begin at 1:30 p.m., and the game will kick off at 2 p.m. Please visit the Homecoming section of the Locust Valley High School website for more information!

https://locustvalleycsdny.sites.thrillshare.com/o/lvhs/page/homecoming-2025

The boys varsity soccer team embarks on its playoff journey at Fred Smith Field at 2:30 p.m. today! Come out and support the fourth-ranked team in New York State, which completed an undefeated regular season and conference championship in another incredible year for the program.

In October, the district hosted the first Bilingual Night of the year. This special event, run by district interpreter Cyndy Ergen, gave residents an opportunity to learn more about school and community resources, while also celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. During the event, important information was shared about key digital tools the district uses to keep families informed and connected, including Parent Portal, ParentSquare and PickUp Patrol. Thank you for being part of a night that reflects nine years of continuous support and dedication to our students and families. ¡La Unión Hace La Fuerza Como Familia Falcon! Together We Are Stronger as Falcon Family!

The Locust Valley Central School District celebrated 11 incredible educators for achieving tenure on Oct. 15. Brianna Blake, Casey DeGori, Michelle Esposito, Nicole Kelly, Jessica Kessler, Lauren Levasseur, Charalambros Loizides, Lindsay Morgan, Richard O’Flanagan, Erica Parshley and Louis Puca were recognized by their colleagues as fantastic role models for their peers. This year’s recipients come from many different subject areas, but they all share a tireless work ethic in shaping minds, inspiring growth and creating an environment where all students feel seen and empowered.

“Tenure represents more than job security,” Dr. Turnow said. “It affirms the trust and respect you have earned through your teaching, mentorship and service.”

Come out for an informative evening focused on the district’s implementation of the Leader in Me program from Franklin Covey on Oct. 21, at the Locust Valley Intermediate School auditorium from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Community members will have an opportunity to hear from Leader in Me trainer Gary McGuey.

This October has been a memorable one for Bayville students. Last week, the primary school welcomed the Bayville Fire Department, who taught students about the equipment they use to rescue people every day and helped them into their unique, white fire trucks. Students were excited to meet and talk to their hometown heroes.

This week, the Bayville Intermediate School community gathered to see third, fourth and fifth graders inducted into student council. These students were chosen by their classmates as leaders who touted new school ideas such as pajama days in school, which Principal McElhiney announced would commence this month to thunderous applause. Each inductee took a moment to speak to the crowd of classmates, friends and family, thanking them for their support and discussing their ideas for the school’s future.
Congratulations to the inductees!

Third grade: Albert Doerbecker, Siena Gleason, Charlotte Kuranshi, Sebastian Plunkett, Jack Tucker and Abigail Wood.

Fourth grade: Caroline Dickerson, Julianna Grassi, Elizabeth Kelly and Scarlet Valderrama.

Fifth grade: Matthew Barnes, Kassidy Lorner, Lucija Marinkovic, Jayden O’Connor Nina Orlowsky and Agatha Pileggi.

Every October, National Principals Month gives us a moment to appreciate the hardworking individuals who keep our school buildings going. These dedicated leaders shape the community and pave the way to success for all our students and faculty members.

Our principals devote countless hours to ensure that all our students and staff feel safe, appreciated and supported in their educational and work endeavors. They are also friendly faces for community members to engage with in important discussions. Please take a moment to thank our building principals this month!

Locust Valley High School junior Nina Lemaitre swam her way into the team’s history books and the NYSPHSAA Championships with an incredible performance on Oct. 8.

Lemaitre, a five-year veteran of the varsity swimming team, qualified in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 59.84 seconds. Every stride counted as she beat the state standards by under a second. Lematire became the first Locust Valley swimmer to qualify for the tournament and the second in the Locust Valley-Carle Place joint program.

Lemaitre has had a great season across the board, qualifying for the Nassau County championships in the 200-yard individual medley, 50, 100 and 500-yard freestyle and the 100-yard butterfly. The work is not yet done for Lemaitre, as she still hopes to make the state cut for backstroke before the end of the season.

Thank you to LV parent Michael McCloy for the amazing photos!

As part of Italian American Heritage Month, middle and high school students created posters celebrating the incredible achievements of both cultures. First-place winner Tobias Lamb created a beautiful picture of the Mona Lisa draped in the American flag. Eva and Joseph Jaszczuk won second and third place, respectively. Eva drew a striking image of the Statue of Liberty with both the American and Italian flags, while Joseph depicted the Empire State Building with American and Italian scarves.

Thank you to all who submitted a poster! They are all being displayed outside the auditorium throughout October.

This fall, the Locust Valley High School welcomed new assistant principal Daniel Cava into the Falcon family.

Cava is looking forward to establishing and building personal relationships with the students and faculty. While in Island Trees, Cava was an active leader in the school community. He taught middle school technology and high school AP computer science and robotics and coached junior varsity baseball and middle school soccer.

“Being able to support student passions is what I’d like to do,” Cava said. “Anytime a student has an interest, I ask how can I best help them to explore that interest and make them feel like they belong and have a place that they look forward to coming to every day.”

Cava returns to a traditional district setting after serving as an assistant principal at Nassau BOCES for the past three years. Prior to that, Cava worked as the coordinator of instructional technology in the Glen Cove City School District for two years and as a technology teacher in the Island Trees Union Free School District from 2013 to 2020.

Cava also remarked about the incredible talent he has heard coming from the chorus and orchestra rooms. Cava grew up playing the trumpet and now plays the ukulele in his free time and is excited to see the incredible instrumental talent on display at the winter and spring concerts. Additionally, he is excited to see the robotics teams at work, as he helped start the program in Island Trees.

Locust Valley Middle School faculty and administrators have spent the past two years spreading positivity through the ‘Caught Being Kind’ program by highlighting random acts of kindness done by students. This year got off a fantastic start, as a school record 40 students were recognized for their model behavior.

Each month for the past two years, students have learned that a staff member saw them commit a generous or thoughtful act such as helping classmates carry their binders, holding doors open for classmates and staff members, going out of their way to include others at lunch tables and helping other students understand class lessons and concepts.

“I think highlighting students as leaders and role models in the building has helped us to spread positivity,” Principal Michael Cestaro said. “I’m so proud of the students and faculty for buying in and doing what they can to make this a place people are excited to come back to every day.”

Congratulations to the following students on their achievement: Maria Abbondandolo, Shelly Abrams, Giselle Alsayedi, Sienna Barba, Sophia Capozzi, Parker Charon, Dylan Cobas, Luca Cosimo, Paige Dannan, Richard Fajardo Romero, Fallyn Gorham, Aidan Gallagher, Francesco Gallina, Makayla George, Katie Granados Canales, Emma Grodstein, Khadin Hazratalie, George Hoffman, Gibson Larice, Christina Lazarus, Cecilia Liu, Eamonn McGovern, Seamus McLoughlin, AnnaMarie Megerian, Dylan Mejia, Eric Mohan, Luigi Passalacqua, Kyle Pouey, Eric Rajkowski, Dylan Reinecke, Eliza Reyes, Ryder Riso, Damien Rojas, Jack Schneider, Jackson Shapses, Tapasya Sreenivas, Yhara Talla, Tea Witzenburg and Alexa Wood.

The district invites all to an exciting celebration of the different cultures that make up our special community. Come to the middle/high school mini-theater on Thursday, Oct. 9, at 6:45 p.m. to enjoy unique treats, dances and music. Learn more about staying up to date with district news through ParentSquare, communicating with building principals regarding student drop off and pick up with Parent Patrol and monitoring your child’s grades on the Parent Portal.

The Locust Valley Central School District is seeking passionate and dedicated individuals to join the team in both instructional and noninstructional roles. In-demand positions include substitute special education teacher, NYS-certified teacher assistants, elementary and secondary teacher aides, bus drivers and bus attendants. Whether you are an experienced educator or someone who enjoys supporting our young learners, we would love to hear from you.

Additional openings are available on the Human Resources and Personnel page on the district website.

https://locustvalleycsdny.sites.thrillshare.com/page/human-resources-appr

This October, community members are invited to two events focused on the ‘Leader in Me’ program. This Thursday, Oct. 9, parents/guardians are invited to the first Coffee with the Superintendent meeting with Dr. Turnow. The district will also host a parent information session about the PK-12 educational framework ‘Leader in Me’ on Oct. 21, from 6:30-7:30 p.m., at the Locust Valley Intermediate School auditorium. Community members will have an opportunity to hear from the Leader in Me trainer, Gary McGuey.

The varsity football team will wear new uniforms at the homecoming game this season, and your student can win a field-level game day experience! Any district student from grades K-8 is eligible to submit their own jersey design to their building’s main office by Friday, Oct. 17. The most creative designers will join the team on the sidelines ahead of the game and accompany the captains out to midfield for the coin toss at the homecoming game on Saturday, Oct. 25, at 2 p.m.

Locust Valley High School was well represented on the 71st Annual National Merit Scholarship Competition, with five students named semi-finalists and two earning commended student status.

Seniors Evie Bergman, Eunseo Choi, Grant Creedon, Justin Kwok and Abigail Vuong are among 16,000 semi-finalists of the over 1.3 million students who entered the scholarship program by excelling on the PSAT/NMSQT exams. These students have the opportunity to continue in the competition for 6,930 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million. Fellow seniors Evan Rafiy and Adhvaith Sreenivas were recognized as commended students for their academic promise.

Eager to gain information that will help them plan their futures, Locust Valley High School students flocked to the gym on Tuesday for the first college fair this school year. The fair was abuzz with excitement as students interacted with over 75 college admissions counselors, international study abroad program representatives and the military services representatives, gaining insight and learning about their post-secondary options.

The Locust Valley Falcons are off to a successful start to the fall seasons, aided by the hirings of accomplished coaches Joe Knoll and Rob Perpall for varsity football and Phil Goldberg for the middle school girls soccer team.

Knoll is recognized as one of Long Island’s most successful football coaches, with time spent as the head coach at Sewanhaka, Lynbrook, Locust Valley and Oyster Bay high schools. In Locust Valley, Knoll built one of the top programs in Conference IV history, making the playoffs in four of five seasons, winning the conference three years in a row and an appearance in a conference championship game.

Knoll’s players earned numerous individual honors, including all-conference and all-county selections, one player participating in the high-profile Boomer Esiason Game and several going on to compete at the collegiate level.

Perpall’s led the Seaford High School football program for 21 seasons, amassing a record of 149-59-1 and guiding the Vikings to eight county championships and tow Long Island championships. He earned personal accolades such as Long Island Coach of the Year and New York Jets High School Coach of the Week. He comes to Locust Valley ending his retirement from 2018.

Phil Goldberg brings varsity level coaching to the middle school team, having coached girls soccer at Plainview High School (1988-1989), Island Trees High School (1990-2009) and Oyster Bay High School (2010-2014). During his tenure at Island Trees, his teams made seven Nassau County finals appearances and secured a county championship in 1993. Goldberg earned Coach of the Year honors and sportsmanship awards from the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association for his positive demeanor on and off the field. Goldberg was inducted into the New York State High School Girls Soccer Hall of Fame as a Coach/Contributor in 2020.

With a stacked roster of coaches, the Falcons are ready to fly to new heights this season.

The Board of Education welcomed this year’s student ex-officio members, Grant Creedon and Christian Ciccone, at last night’s meeting. As the high school’s student government president and vice president, Grant and Christian will provide student voices at every public board meeting this school year.

“As we begin the school year, we are excited not just about homecoming and senior year traditions, but also college applications, learning and making an impact on our community,” Creedon said in his first student report to the board. “As student leaders, we hope to improve involvement, increase school spirit and make sure every voice is heard.”