All afterschool activities in the Locust Valley Central School District will be cancelled for today, Jan. 9, due to an impending storm. Please stay safe tonight.
The Locust Valley Central School District universal prekindergarten lottery for the 2024-2025 school year will be live streamed on Wednesday, Jan. 10, at 4:30 p.m. on the LV Public Relations YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@lvpublicrelations). The results will then be posted onto the central registration page of the district website. For more information, go to the central registration page here: https://www.locustvalleyschools.org/page/central-registration-office.
Eleven Locust Valley Middle School students were celebrated for acts of kindness in December’s Caught Being Kind program on Dec. 8. Christina Boz, Sophia Capozzi, Nicholas Cayirli, Rashleen Joly, Ethan Rodriguez, Isabella Sansone, Natalie Smith, Jordan Sullivan, Hodavia Tedeschi, Jesalin Velasquez and Angelina Ware were honored with certificates identifying their act and pencils with the phrase “Caught Being Kind” on it.
Bayville Primary School students flocked to the school in their favorite pajamas on the evening of Dec. 20 for the annual winter wonderland event. Principal Allison Wasserman read the students “The Polar Express” in the lobby, before students filed into the cafeteria where they enjoyed milk and cookies and created ornaments with their teachers. The film version of “The Polar Express” played in the background, while students worked from tables made to look like train cars.
Ann MacArthur Primary School students had a cozy Friday as they headed into winter break on Dec. 22. They donned their favorite pajamas, sipped hot chocolate and laughed along to a screening of “The Grinch” during their lunch periods. For the second year in a row, the Locust Valley Elementary Parents Council ran the Hot Cocoa and a Movie event, which gave the students a fantastic last school day of 2023.
One of Locust Valley High School’s most entertaining traditions returned on Dec. 20, as students put on the first Lip Sync night since before the pandemic. The event, which saw seven acts perform choreographed dance routines while lip syncing to songs such as “Crazy in Love,” “Feliz Navidad” and “I Want It That Way,” was revived by senior class advisers Mike Gilbert and Deniz Gumusdere and had incredible support from the students.
Through a 50/50 raffle, the Class of 2024 also raised $2,000 to go towards end-of-year festivities.
As part of their International Baccalaureate program project, Locust Valley High School seniors Ella Crocco and Gianna Palleschi held a food drive on the morning of Dec. 20 where students had the opportunity to take a picture with Santa, Mrs. Claus, elves and others if they donated canned goods.
The donated food items will be delivered to NOSH Food Pantry in Glen Cove for distribution during the holiday season.
As IB diploma candidates, Crocco and Palleschi participate in C.A.S. projects or Creativity, Activity, Service experiences demonstrating their leadership in the community throughout their two years in the program.
Young musicians and singers throughout the district showed off their talents after months of hard work during winter concert season. From Dec. 5-21, students from third to 12th grade took to the stage as members of their school’s chorus, band or orchestra and performed holiday selections such as “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “Siman Tov,” as well as some new pieces like “Light” by Lisa Loeb and “The Mandalorian” by Ludwig Goransson for family and friends.
Thank you to all who came out to support our students.
Ann MacArthur Primary School kindergarten classes visited each other’s classrooms on Dec. 15 to buddy up and read the original short stories they wrote about themselves.
Students wrote books about things they enjoy during their reading and writing unit. They explained subjects including the places they cherish and different personal objects. New friends were made, and new talents were revealed as students bonded through their stories.
Seventh grader Zhuha Abid made her way through 19 grueling rounds to win the Locust Valley Middle School Spelling Bee on Dec. 15.
Thirty-two students spanning from grades six to eight qualified by winning their classroom spelling bees. After two hours, Abid was the final student standing after spelling her championship word “Albuquerque” correctly.
Abid and runner-up Quinn Creedon, a sixth grader, managed to spell challenging words like “meitnerium,” “retinitis pigmentosa” and “tetrazzini” correctly as they advanced through the competition.
The two students will now move on to a written round of the competition to be announced by Scripps at a later date.
Students at Bayville Primary School shared their holiday traditions with classmates in the all-purpose room on Dec. 12, 14 and 15.
Students in Tanya Becker, Lauren Carroll, Nicole Cusano and Victoria Shishkoff’s first grade classes created brochures describing what holiday they celebrate and their favorite holiday activities, movies, meals, treats and traditions. Parents and guardians brought activities and treats and students went around to each table to enjoy each other’s traditions. It was the first time the school held this event, and the staff hopes that it will become an annual tradition itself.
Locust Valley High School students came to the library during their open periods on Dec. 14 to hang out with therapy dogs Maggie the golden retriever and Walty the golden doodle. Therapy dogs come to school every last Thursday of the month to help the students relax and get a serotonin boost between classes.
Locust Valley Middle School students took part in the annual “Hour of Code” computer science initiative during Computer Science Education Week on Dec. 7 and 8.
For the past four years, the middle school has taken part in the program which tasks students with completing coding puzzles with logic and creativity. Students earned a certificate from Code.org for their work.
“I hope the students leave with a deeper appreciation for what they are studying in our class and are motivated to be challenged even further,” Locust Valley Middle School math teacher Joseph Lee said. “Most of all, I want each student to enjoy the experience of working collaboratively to solve new problems which is an essential skill in our lives.”
Last week students holiday shopped for their families and friends as the Bayville and Locust Valley Elementary Parents Councils hosted their annual holiday boutiques. Classes came down to the multipurpose rooms at Bayville Primary School and Ann MacArthur Primary School and purchased items like jewelry, pennants, stuffed animals and more.
Fourth grade students at Locust Valley Intermediate School learned more about Native American culture as part of the “Journeys Into American Indian Territory” program on Dec. 4. Students learned about how natives hunted deer to provide food, clothes and tools for their families and tribes, and also how to play games like Atenaha and Ring and Pin.
Bayville Primary School students gathered at the Bavyille Intermediate School auditorium on Dec. 5 for a visit from author Amy McCoy. McCoy authored the children’s book “Little Big Sister” to explain to students what it is like to know someone with autism. Students learned about the behavior patterns of people with autism and how they can be a good friend to them.
Thirty Ann MacArthur Primary School families spent the night of Dec. 1 ringing in the holiday season by constructing gingerbread houses. The Locust Valley Elementary Parents Council provided gingerbread houses, icing, candy and hot chocolate for the students, who created incredibly ornate designs using gum balls, candy canes, M&M’s and more. Locust Valley High School students also volunteered to help students with their houses, as well.
Students were honored for their acts of compassion in the hallways and classrooms of Locust Valley Middle School in the first edition of a new monthly initiative called “Caught Being Kind.” Dila Agir, Theodore Anastasakis, Steven Gomez, Luke Minicozzi, Penelope Novack, Isabella Sansone, Anderson Soto Castro and Alessandra Stanco were commended for actions like guiding a new student through the school, helping another student who dropped a project and returning a bag of books and money that was dropped to the main office.
On Dec. 1, high school Italian students and teachers hosted fifth graders from Locust Valley and Bayville Intermediate schools for the third annual cultural event “Italiamo.” Fifth graders came to the high school library and journeyed through seven stations where they learned how to speak Italian phrases, learned about Italian history and architecture, played Italian card games, sculpted clay into famous Italian icons, used stickers of toppings to create their dream pizza, drew upside down like Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel and danced “la torretta.” Students also got to enjoy cannolis and Italian cookies catered by St. Rocco’s Bakery during their stations.
After months of preparation, Locust Valley and Bayville students are ready to perform holiday favorites at this year’s winter concerts. The sixth-grade rings in the season on Tuesday, Dec. 5, with the seventh and eighth grades performing on Tuesday, Dec. 12 and the high school taking the stage on Thursday, Dec. 14, all at 7 p.m. in the MS/HS auditorium.
Locust Valley Intermediate students will welcome family and friends to the school auditorium on Tuesday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. Finally, Bayville Intermediate students lead us into the break with their performance on Thursday, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. in their school auditorium.
Please come to support the incredibly talented students and teachers in our fine arts department. If you cannot attend, you can still live-stream the concert at the LVTV YouTube channel here: https://youtube.com/@locustvalleyhsfilmandtv7373?feature=shared.
Locust Valley High School junior Sara Nearenberg will perform in front of thousands of people at Radio City Music Hall on Dec. 8 ahead of the Rockettes’ Christmas Spectacular.
Nearenberg, 16, will be performing with their classmates at Long Island High School for the Arts in Syosset, where they travel to halfway through the school day to hone their performing skills. The exclusive ensemble will be singing acapella versions of “Carol of the Bells” and “We Need a Little Christmas" before the Rockettes take to the stage.
Nearenberg made the last-minute decision to submit and audition tape and sang the Star-Spangled Banner as part of the audition process.
“The idea of being on that stage is so surreal to me,” Nearenberg said. “When I saw myself on the cast list, I was so excited.”
An Upper Brookville native, Nearenberg has always been encouraged to explore their passion for theater and performing by parents. When they were eight years old, Nearenberg attended Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts in Wheatley Heights, New York and fell in love with the stage.
Nearenberg has been a constant for the Locust Valley High School chamber singers, concert chorale, Jesters and playing the trumpet in the jazz and symphonic bands throughout their first three years there. They often play the trumpet at school concerts and assemblies and take lead parts in the dramas and musicals.
Nearenberg has been inspired in Locust Valley by their music teachers Mr. Vincent Guerra and Ms. Brianna Brickman. “They are so helpful and encouraging,” Nearenberg said. “Teachers matter. So many people who have gone into the industry would not be there if it wasn’t for teachers who kept them going.”
“Witnessing Sara’s journey in the performing arts has been nothing short of extraordinary,” Locust Valley’s Coordinator of Instructional Technology and the Fine and Applied Arts AnnMarie Buonaspina said. “We are incredibly proud of their accomplishments, and them performing at Radio City Music Hall is a true testament to their dedication to their craft.”
