Eight Locust Valley Middle School students were recognized for their random acts of kindness in January. Students Jason Eisenberg, Hailey Jankowski, Liam McGovern, Joseph Mercario, Timothy Sheehan, Coralinda Sostre, Jasmine Thomas and Simon Zaikowski performed acts of kindness for their classmates that were observed by staff.
Acts of kindness included helping a new student around the school, trying to get a lost school project back to its owner and staying after school to help decorate their classroom door with their teacher.
Due to inclement weather, all LVCSD schools will have a traditional snow day on Tuesday, Feb. 13. There will be no online instruction. Please stay safe and enjoy the day.
Debido al clima inclemente, todas las escuelas de LVCSD tendrán un día tradicional de nieve el martes 13 de febrero. No habrá instrucción en línea. Por favor manténganse a salvo y disfruten del día.
Locust Valley Intermediate School and Bayville Intermediate School student actors will take the stage in the High School/Middle School auditorium on Feb. 12 and 13 to perform Roald Dahl’s “Willy Wonka Jr.” as part of the Mainstages program. Doors open to the public at 5:45 p.m. and the show begins at 6 p.m. Tickets are not required.
Locust Valley High School/Middle School welcomed more than a dozen robotics teams to its school gym for the FIRST Long Island Robotics Competition qualifying tournament on Feb. 3 and 4.
Locust Valley teachers and student volunteers along with FIRST staff helped turn the school gymnasium into an arena with two grids for the robot matches and a pit area for teams to test and adjust their creations as needed.
Two Locust Valley teams, the ninth grade FalconBots and 10-12th grade Team Kuiper, competed against and formed alliances with 14 teams on Feb. 3 and another 21 teams on Feb. 4. Each team spent the last few months of the school year building its bots to navigate obstacle courses, shoot paper planes as far and they can and stack plastic pieces on a board.
The FalconBots and Team Kuiper finished first and second, respectively, in the qualifying rounds on and formed an alliance that won in the finals. As the winning alliance, both teams advanced to the Long Island Championships in Mineola on March 2.
Throughout January, four Locust Valley High School art students held International Baccalaureate Art Talks to showcase their works and inspire their peers.
Seniors Kyle Brown, Ana Cordero, William Koch and Isabella Uber each set up some of their favorite pieces they created for the IB program and explained the inspirations and processes of putting them together to classes throughout the day.
Works varied from drawings and paintings to clay sculptures and clothing items. Each art talk also gave the students an opportunity to prepare for their gallery, which they will prepare the for end of year IB project.
“It is always to wonderful when I see the IB Visual Arts students showcasing their artwork, research and hard work,” art teacher Melanie Mooney said. “The student becomes the teacher and they describe their process, journey and storytelling of their artwork. I am extremely proud of these students who metamorphosized into thought-provoking and forward-thinking artists.”
Thirty-six musicians and vocalists from the Locust Valley Central School District participated in All-County festivals over the first two weekends of January.
Once again, music educators and students in the district showed their incredible dedication and talent. Throughout the school year, the bands, orchestras and singers continually improve through hours and practice and their seasonal concerts.
Students were nominated by their teachers and selected in the fall by the Nassau Music Educators Association to perform in rehearsals at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts on the Long Island University campus with an opportunity to attain All-County status. A committee of music educators selects the students who will perform in the various groups.
“We could not be prouder of these exceptional music students and their talents that were showcased at the NMEA All-County Music Festival,” the district’s Coordinator of Instructional Technology and Fine and Applied Arts AnnMarie Buonaspina said. “Their passion for music will continue to inspire and resonate with all who hear it.”
Locust Valley high school and middle school French students baked crepes and covered them with tasty sides in celebration of the holiday – La Chandeleur – on Feb. 2.
High school teacher Casey Degori and middle school teacher Elizabeth Bressel helped the students spread, bake and flip the crepe with a coin in their left hands for good luck, as is tradition. Students from grades 6-12 brought treats such as bananas, strawberries, ice cream, whipped cream and chocolate syrup to cover their crepes.
The holiday, which is also known as Candlemas, is celebrated 40 days after Christmas and revolves around making crepes because their round shape represents the sun and the circle of life.
Locust Valley High School and Middle School students filled the gymnasium on Jan. 24 to cheer on their administrators, staff and teachers as they competed in the annual Volley in the Valley tournament. The event is organized by the Athletic Council as a way to raise school spirit.
Five teams took to the court coached by student representatives, with the “Serv-ivors” taking home the crown.
Locust Valley High School students Humnaa Abid, Katelyn DiLorenzo and Mateo Santoro and Locust Valley Middle School students Christian DiPaolo and Gabriela Terrones-Abanto were named winners in the visual arts category of the 2023 National Reflections program at the SEPTA level in January.
Judges, art teachers and staff from Nassau County BOCES selected their works for their originality and creativity. The students created their art pieces based on the theme “I am hopeful because…” and expressed themselves in their unique ways. The students have had their pieces entered into the next phase of the program, which is the Nassau County region level.
Robotics teams from Locust Valley Middle School and Locust Valley Intermediate School took home awards from the First Lego League qualifying event at Mineola in January.
Competing with more than 20 teams from across Long Island, the middle school team, “Falconbots,” finished first finalist in the robot design category and the intermediate school team, the “Techno Talons,” won the Rising All-Stars Award. Each team had time in the practice area to work out the kinks with their robot to make sure it ran through the obstacle course as efficiently as possible.
The students spent months coding and running their robots through obstacle courses to prepare for events like these. Both teams continued to grow in their cooperation and problem-solving skills and are excited to continue their robotics pursuits in the future.
Elementary schools in the Locust Valley Central School District took part in The Great Kindness Challenge from Jan. 22-26 by learning about love and respect inside and outside of the classroom.
The Great Kindness Challenge provides participating schools with a list of small acts of kindness for students to do with their friends and family, including sharing snacks with a friend, volunteering in their communities and complimenting classmates.
On Jan. 22 and 23, each school welcomed award-winning singer/songwriter Jared Campbell to spread his message of treating people with love and respect. Throughout the week, each school also had themed days that gave students a chance to dress up in superhero, sports, crazy socks and tie-dye to give them a chance to express themselves.
Locust Valley Middle School’s talented student actors will take the stage on Jan. 26 and 27 to perform the show “Annie Jr.” Come to the Locust Valley High School/Middle School auditorium to watch this great show, which will begin at 6 p.m. If you are unable to attend in person, you can watch online at https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/79697 l to support the incredible cast of “Annie Jr.”
After weeks of hard work, the middle school cast is ready to take to the stage and show their rendition of this American classic. They will be joined by therapy dog Maggie taking on the role of Annie’s sidekick Sandy. No tickets are required for in-person attendees and online viewers only need to redeem their free tickets.
Learn more about what the budget pays for and relive some of the amazing feats our students have achieved in this winter’s edition of Soundwaves. Students enjoyed incredible events and classes surrounding such things as cultural celebrations, holiday activities and concerts. Go to Newsletters | Locust Valley Central School District (locustvalleyschools.org) to read this edition online.
The Locust Valley High School Animal and Environmental Awareness Club welcomed wildlife expert Ranger Eric Powers and several animals from the Center for Environmental Education and Development on Jan. 18.
To encourage students to conquer any fears about certain animals and possibly work with them someday, Powers brought a corn snake, chinchilla, dove and a black and white tegu lizard. Students got to pet or hold onto the animals and some where even lucky enough to have the dove land on their heads.
“When I bring out something like a tarantula, I get about half the class that runs away and half the class that runs towards me,” Powers said. “So, the reactions are all over the place, but in general people love animals.”
Club advisers Veronica Ciampi and Donna Fredericks have taken several wildlife courses at Molloy University over the years to learn about more ways they can enrich the club in Locust Valley. It was there that Ciampi and Fredericks met Powers, who was their professor and brought the class to several locations on Long Island to learn more about the various ecosystems and animals.
The club teaches students about the beautiful environment and animals of Long Island and supports conservation organizations with fundraisers and volunteer work. The club donated $450 to the Center for Environmental Education and Discovery this year.
The expansive Continuing Education program provided in Locust Valley is set to begin shortly. This year’s offerings include a wide range of activities such as learning how to play fun games like Mah-jongg and canasta, exploring important Social Security benefits, understanding more about will and estate planning, or getting active with volleyball and yoga.
In-person enrollment will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 28, from 6-8 p.m. at the high school. Please note, some classes have limited enrollment. Once class capacity has been reached, a wait list will be created, and individuals will be notified if space becomes available.
Please register before the Wednesday, March 6, deadline by sending in the form attached to the catalogue that was mailed out to residents and is available at the Continuing Education sections of the district website. A valid email is needed to confirm your registration and to notify you of any important class information.
If the registration deadline has passed, please contact Wendy Pierno at 516-277-5541 or wpierno@locustvalleyschools.org to confirm if the class is taking place or has enrollment space before sending in a payment check.
Locust Valley High school students learned about the college admissions process from alumna Zosia Lemaitre on Jan. 17. Lemaitre, a member of the Class of 2021, is a medical student at Johns Hopkins University and also works in the admissions office.
Lemaitre brought admissions literature, talked about her own experiences in applying for college and gave advice on creating a schedule that works best for each student’s study habits. Her advice to students was to be active in their school community and be themselves when going through their college application process.
Save the date and be sure to join us as Locust Valley Middle School student actors perform “Annie Jr.” as this year’s musical. There are two ways to watch: in person at the Locust Valley HS/MS Auditorium or stream from home on Jan. 26 and 27 at 6 p.m. Visit ShowTix4U – Free Online Ticketing – Schools, Community, Regional to redeem your free ticket and watch live. No tickets are needed for either in-person performance.
Students and staff are encouraged to wear green clothes and Falcons gear for Falcon Friday tomorrow.
Locust Valley High School welcomed 94 members into the National Honor Society on Jan. 10.
Through a combination of character, leadership, service and scholarship, these students distinguished themselves as excellent examples for their peers. For these students, years of tireless work to better their schools and communities culminated in this honor in front of friends and families.
Honor Society officers Emma Finn, Mary Fitzgerald, Spiro Lampoutis and Gianna Palleschi lit candles representing the core values and traits inductees demonstrated and led the new members in the Honor Society Pledge.
Locust Valley High School seniors Michael Hancock and Reily Roberts have been named Nassau County Zone Winners as the top male and female physical education students by the physical education staff.
As three sport varsity athletes, Hancock and Roberts bring their competitive edge to their P.E. classes, encouraging classmates to bring their best to the table.
“In P.E. and in athletics, Michael and Reily are the epitome of what it means to be a student-athlete and leader both on the court and off,” Athletic Director Danielle Turner Cosci said.
