In January, Locust Valley High School announced Inshaal Abid and Abigail Maselli as the valedictorian and salutatorian of the Class of 2025, respectively. These standout scholars have been incredible role models for their classmates and the next generation of Falcons in the classroom and in their extracurricular interests.
Valedictorian Inshaal Abid achieved a cumulative weighted average of 108.50 across her four years. Through her hard work, Abid earned her place as a member of the AP Scholars, Foreign Language Honor Society for Italian and National Honor Society and achieved numerous commendations such as Advanced Regents Diploma with Honors, IB Diploma Candidate, LVCSD Diploma with Distinction, Mastery in March, Mastery in Science, NYS Seal of Biliteracy and National Merit Commended Student.
Abid singled out her art teacher Melanie Mooney as one of her biggest inspirations in the building. The class isn’t one of her 13 IB courses, but Abid feels it is an important chance for her to express herself.
“It is kind of shocking for people that my favorite subject is art,” Abid said. “Ms. Mooney has been so supportive throughout high school, and she’s helped me be brave enough to pursue what I am passionate about. Art is a place where I can relax from what’s going on in school and my personal life.”
Abid plans to major in psychology after unexpectedly falling in love with the subject during her IB class with John Canavan last year. “He made it a subject that I wanted to know more about,” Abid said. “It was a difficult class, but I never felt burdened by it and it made me want to know why people do the things they do.”
Salutatorian Abigail Maselli accumulated a weighted average of 108.22. Maselli is a member of the Foreign Language Honor Society for Italian, the National Art Honor Society and the National Honor Society. She is also an AP Scholar, an IB Diploma Candidate, a NYS Seal of Biliteracy Candidate, a Scholar Athlete for both the field hockey and track teams, and has earned an Advanced Regents Diploma with Honors, an LVCSD Diploma with Distinction, Mastery in Math and Mastery in Science.
“I’ve had to balance commitments to sports and theater with my academics, so there have been many late nights of coming back from practices, games or rehearsals and having to go right into studying,” Maselli said. “So, finding out I’d achieved this was a really nice moment to recognize that all the can’t stop, won’t stop work was worth it.”
On top of her studies and sports, Maselli is a dedicated writer, director and sometimes actress in film projects with her friends. She plans to go to film school next year, which is not a surprise to any of her classmates or teachers as her works have been huge hits at the high school’s annual festival and have earned her spots in the Long Island International Film Festival and the Long Island Media Arts Festival and the All-American High School Film Festival.
Her love of film and theater goes back to elementary school plays and the film club, which she has been a part of since sixth grade. Her dream career is to work in both film and theater as a director or stage manager. She credits her teacher Roger Boucher and drama department mainstay Nicole Stiegelbauer-Montenegro with growing her love for film and theater.
“He (Mr. Boucher) has really shown me how to be a critic of my own work in a supportive way,” Maselli said. “He’s also given me that belief and trust in myself that I will bring to college with me.”
Forty-eight Locust Valley High School students and staff members took part in the blood drive for New York Blood Center on Feb. 26. Donators gave 34 pints of blood to New York Blood Center, which estimates that each pint can save up to three lives.
Thank you to all who gave, and those who volunteered to run the event. There will be one more blood drive on May 23.
In one week, the district will celebrate the unique traditions of the many cultures that make up our community with International Night. Join us for a night of activities, food and performances for the whole family at the MS/HS cafeteria on March 5, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. You can sign up to register to represent your country, set up a table and share your heritage and culture by visiting the link below or scanning the QR code found on the attached flyer.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdZD2btMl7_A2TQOOTr__hk2ZHPf6RK7o1O2E1DwRveqJtQQQ/viewform?pli=1
Student volunteers are also needed to help on International Night as well as our upcoming Bilingual Night on May 1. Please see the link below to register and contact Cyndy Ergen at cergen@locustvalleyschools.org if you have any questions.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf5nibvqbs_rLS-rKX_qrD1dGUl6uQkrz-Wu6OoHZDXPPgl-A/viewform?pli=1
Continuing Education course offerings are now open for enrollment for the spring. You can be active with volleyball and yoga, play games such as mahjongg and canasta, or learn important tips and tricks in elder law, estates and trusts and Social Security.
You can register in person on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at Locust Valley High School, by registering online at the link below by Feb. 25, or by mailing to the district (must be received before Tues.., March 4).
https://www.locustvalleyschools.org/page/continuing-education
If you have any questions, please call 516-277-5541 or email Wendy Pierno at wpierno@locustvalleyschools.org.
Join members of our school community in sharing in rich cultural traditions at International Night on March 5 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the MS/HS cafeteria. Our Falcon Family will showcase incredible food and desserts, as well as games and activities unique to their backgrounds.
Go to the link below to register to represent your country and set up a table to share your heritage and culture with the community.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdZD2btMl7_A2TQOOTr__hk2ZHPf6RK7o1O2E1DwRveqJtQQQ/viewform?pli=1
Student volunteers are also needed to help on International Night on March 5 and Bilingual Night on May 1. Please see the link below to register and contact cergen@locustvalleyschools.org if you have any questions.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf5nibvqbs_rLS-rKX_qrD1dGUl6uQkrz-Wu6OoHZDXPPgl-A/viewform?pli=1
Locust Valley students showed their compassion for each other leading up to Valentine’s Day. On Feb. 10, high school student government members and life skills students held a Valentine’s activity that saw students create art projects and dance together after school. Students at Bayville Intermediate spent the past few weeks writing Valentine’s Day cards for veterans to show their appreciation for their brave sacrifices.
On Feb. 14, the district celebrated the mental health awareness event, P.S. I Love You Day, which was themed “A brighter tomorrow begins today,” this year. At the middle school, students wrote positive messages on purple hearts placed along the hallways, and teachers left each other kind messages on their classroom doors.
Students and faculty showed their love for their classmates and colleagues by requesting music department singers to deliver heartwarming messages and songs throughout the day.
Locust Valley High School art students have continued to inspire their classmates by showcasing their works and themes during the IB Art Talks series throughout January and February.
IB Art students Molly Bowden, Olivia Wilde, Millie Bonterre and Annemie Germans each had their day to speak to their fellow students about their inspirations and the demands of the two-year course, while also preparing to present their gallery for the end of the year.
These seniors were excited to show their peers and underclassmen how much their art has grown over time and encouraged them to find their own voices through the many mediums available within the course.
Art students, filmmakers, musicians and vocalists from Locust Valley High School traveled to Disney World to showcase and sharpen their talents and learn from leading industry professionals during an unforgettable trip from Jan. 30 to Feb. 2.
The school’s thriving arts programs and performing groups were selected after submitting audition videos earlier in the school year. The 77 students had opportunities to perform and watch other incredible high school acts from across the country at Animal Kingdom, Disney Springs, EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. Students also enjoyed the thrilling rides and incredible weather while enjoying the company of their best friends in the department’s first trip to Disney since 1998.
“This experience really can’t be replicated in the classroom, and it takes that classroom learning to the next level,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kristen Turnow said.
Come out to Locust Valley Middle/High School on Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 12 and 13, at 6 p.m. to see the elementary school production of “101 Dalmatians.” The young performers have spent months preparing an amazing show for the community.
Tickets are not required. If you cannot attend, you can watch from home using the link below and in our bio.
You can also help the cast and crew support The Cove Animal Shelter by bringing items such as food, toys and treats for cats and dogs at the donation table at the middle/high school before the performances.
https://cur8.com/39980/project/128730
Last week, several Locust Valley High School groups paid a visit to the elementary schools to read children’s books to students. On Feb. 4, members of the World Language Honor Society read stories such as “Goodnight Moon” in French, Italian and Spanish to students at Ann MacArthur Primary and Locust Valley Intermediate to show them the exciting options they will have in middle and high school.
For World Read Aloud Day on Feb. 5, members of student government and the varsity girls basketball team read for students at Bayville Primary and Bayville Intermediate, encouraging them to take an interest in literature and talking to them about the amazing things to look forward to as they grow into the future leaders of the district.
Sixty-nine Locust Valley High Schoolers were inducted into the National Honor Society on Feb. 4. Students were recognized for their incredible academic efforts, as their loved ones and supporters watched on with pride. The attendees and inductees were treated to wonderful piano and vocal performances by Ryan Raichoudhury and Evie Bergman.
Congratulations to the newest NHS members for this achievement!
Locust Valley Middle School sixth graders spent the day in the school library on Jan. 28, participating in summer camp-themed stations that tested their reading, writing, math and teamwork skills.
Teachers Jodi Irizarry, Ann Monsees, Meredith Prohens, Valerie Russo and librarians Romy Bennett and Deb McKillen created fast-paced lessons that kept students engaged with their regular coursework. Students caught up on their reading of Ulysses in tents by the campfire, created postcards, built forts for shelter, solved math challenges, fished for different parts of speech to write a story and more. After all their hard work, students finished and enjoyed S’mores.
Middle and high school French students celebrated La Chandeleur by baking crepes with their teachers Elizabeth Bressel and Casey DeGori on Feb. 3.
Under the guidance of Bressel and DeGori, each student got the chance to spread the batter, and flip and bake their crepe on stove tops before covering them with bananas, Nutella, whipped cream and more.
La Chandeleur is celebrated 40 days after Christmas and revolves around making crepes because their shape and color represents the sun and the circle of life.
There will be a two-hour delay for all LVCSD schools tomorrow, Feb. 6. Morning SCOPE programs are cancelled. Stay safe!
On Feb. 5, middle school students Dila Agir, Jesus Ceja, Kody Guzman and Jasmine Thomas were highlighted for sharing kindness and charitability with their classmates during January.
From Jan. 27-31, the Bayville and Locust Valley elementary schools participated in The Great Kindness Challenge, a global campaign that encourages students, teachers and families to perform acts of kindness.
In Locust Valley, students completed a kindness checklist and wrote positive letters to their classmates, teachers and school staff. Students also rocked out with award-winning children’s music singer Jared Campbell, who performed his original songs to teach students how to be kind and respectful.
Bayville Intermediate and Bayville Primary School spent the week celebrating their similarities and differences. Both school communities dressed up as their favorite superheroes and athletes and wore workout gear and tie-dye to showcase their diverse interests and learn more about each other.
On Jan. 30, Bayville Primary teachers Michelle Esposito and Brittany Fassari did their part to help students appreciate each other’s interests with a class titled “Together We Learn.” Each grade read “What If We Were All The Same!” by C.M. Harris in class this week and congregated in the multipurpose room. There, they were instructed to congregate by posters of their favorite candy or tape outlines of their favorite colors and shapes to see the differing likes of their classmates.
Get ready to see future Locust Valley Jesters take on Cruella de Vil and her minions in their performances of the Disney classic “101 Dalmatians” at the middle/high school auditorium on Feb. 12 and 13 at 6 p.m. No tickets are required. If you cannot attend, you can watch from home at the link below and in our bio.
https://cur8.com/39980/project/128730
Locust Valley Middle/High School welcomed fifth graders from Bayville Intermediate and Locust Valley Intermediate to the mini-theater for a showcase of Italian culture in the annual “Italiamo” festival on Jan. 24.
The visiting intermediate schoolers molded clay into Italian icons, learned to converse in Italian, created their dream pizza pies with stickers, drew upside down like Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel and performed the traditional dance “La Tarantella,” under the guidance of the high school volunteers and teachers Eleonora Aiello, Mariatonia Angelo and Melissa Caravello.
The event gave fifth graders a chance to understand a different culture, familiarize themselves with the building they will move to next year and talk with high school students about the amazing things to look forward to in the next step in their educational journey.
Locust Valley High School Model U.N. students achieved incredible successes at the historic METMUNC 53 conference at Plainview-Old Bethpage High School on Jan. 25 and 26.
The 29 students showcased leadership traits and enjoyed working together with other model U.N. councils to research, debate and resolve some of the most precarious international situations from around the globe. Senior John Hartnett, junior Wyatt Thorgramson and freshman Thomas Simon each earned special recognition for their work.
These successes come on the heels of the team’s participation at United Nations International School’s Model U.N. conference in December, where Thorgramson and Oliver Dostalek won awards.
On Jan. 28, second graders in Jessica Coules’, Carolyn Morales/Taylor Sivacek’s and Jennifer Pagan’s classes spent the day creating dragon puppets and lanterns and writing stories to ring in the year of the snake for Lunar New Year.
