Coming out of spring break, it was a week of celebrations at Locust Valley Middle and High School.
On Tuesday, the middle school chapter of the National Junior Honor Society inducted 77 new members, celebrating students for maintaining high grades and demonstrating character, citizenship, leadership, scholarship and service that the entire community can be proud of. The beautiful ceremony saw students light electronic candles and recite the introduction pledge. Eighth grader Jack Kelly serenaded the crowd with Impromptu No. 2 in AB Major by Franz Schubert.
“Admission into the National Junior Honor Society is not solely based on academic achievement,” Principal Michael Cestaro said. “It is your strength of character and sense of responsibility that defines you and will lead you to greater success in the years to come.”
On Wednesday, the high school honored the top 15 seniors by GPA and the faculty members who have inspired them throughout their years as Falcons.
"To these 15 remarkable young adults, you haven't just naviagted your high school years, you have mastered them," Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kristen Turnow said. "You have shown an unrelenting drive, brilliantly balancing rigorous academic workloads with leadership in clubs, demanding internships, part-time jobs and athletics."
Congratulations to Liam Baker, Eunseo Choi, Gianna Craft, Grant Creedon, Ryann Croke, Mirabelle Del Giudice, Justin Kwok, Sofia Lampoutis, Elizabeth Madden, Delilah Modlin, Kaitlyn O’Brien, Angel Sierra, Adhvaith Sreenivas, Gewndalyn Velsor and Abigail Vuong on this achievement and for being incredible role models for the entire student body.
On Thursday evening, the high school welcomed 66 new members to the World Language Honor Society for their mastery of French, Italian and Spanish. Inductees processed into the auditorium to the music of our High School Chamber Orchestra and were also treated to poetry recitations in each honor society language, as well as musical performances by Evie Bergman, Stella Fraser and Grace Araoz in French, Italian and Spanish, respectively.
Congratulations to all these students on their accomplishments this school year!
I trust that you had a productive and rejuvenating spring break. As we return, we are entering a significant phase of the budget process, including the anticipated adoption of the 2026-2027 budget at the April 21 Board of Education meeting. This will be followed by a budget hearing on May 6, leading up to the annual budget vote and Board of Education election on May 19. Residents are encouraged to visit the budget information section of the district website for comprehensive voter details and to review the presentations delivered since the December Board of Education meeting.
In addition to these important dates, there will also be two parent and community budget presentations, where our residents can learn more about the proposed budget.
Joint Parent Council Presentation: April 23, from 10-11 a.m. in the MS/HS Mini-theater. Open to all Parent Councils and their members.
Community Presentation: May 4, from 6-7 p.m. in the MS/HS Mini-theater. Open to all residents of the Locust Valley Central School District. This presentation will also be livestreamed to the Locust Valley Board of Education YouTube Channel.
By offering both morning and evening sessions, we aim to ensure that all families can hear directly from district administration about the proposed budget and its impact on our students, staff, and taxpayers. I am pleased to share that the proposal remains below the tax cap, allowing us to maintain our robust academic programming and well-kept facilities even in the face of inflationary pressures.
We are excited to meet with residents to share more about the proposed budget. Thank you for your ongoing involvement and support.
Sincerely,
Kristen Turnow, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Go to the link below to see the film archive today!
https://nyheritage.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15281coll38/search/searchterm/Locust%20Valley%20High%20School%20Sports%20Films/field/relatig/mode/exact/conn/and/order//ad/asc/page/1
Team Kuiper, and 22 other teams from the Long Island and metro areas, spent each day showing guests their robots design and demonstrating how they completed their tasks at this year’s competitions. Kuiper is coming off a season in which they earned the Control, Innovate, Inspire and Reach Awards, hosted regional qualifiers and competed in the county championships.
It was an exciting opportunity for the team to share their knowledge with others and to help guests discover a love for working together to turn their ideas into tangible machines.
Tessa Matozzo, a junior, was named one of the top 100 players on Long Island for the spring 2026 season. Matozzo led the team with 58 goals and 84 points last season, adding 44 draw controls and 30 ground balls. She is off to a great start again this year, with the team standing at 4-2, and is committed to D1 East Carolina University for fall 2027.
Fellow junior Morgan Sullivan was named one of Newsday’s top 50 flag football players on Long Island for the spring 2026 season. Sullivan, a quarterback and defensive back, amassed 725 rushing yards and over 400 passing yards to go along with 12 touchdowns last season. Sullivan has helped the team to a 5-2 start with playoffs in their sights.
During the winter season, freshman Grace McDonald was named one of Newsday’s Top 100 girls basketball players, coming off an eighth grade season where she led the team in scoring with 10.8 points per game, 3.3 rebounds per game and 3.8 steals per game. The girls basketball team made it to the playoffs yet again this year.
Boys basketball team guard Kyle Demosthene, made it onto Newsday’s Top 100 boys basketball players list as a second year starter who averaged 15.2 points per game, 4.8 assists per game and 2.9 steals per game.
Back in the fall season, senior Stefano Linardos was named one of Newsday’s Top 100 boys soccer players and went on to post 21 goals and nine assists, tying at the top of the county’s points leaderboards. Linardos and the Falcons put together an undefeated regular season.
Junior Marcus Houghtaling was named to the Newsday Top 100 football players list coming off a season where he amassed 87 tackles, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries, all while making way for the Falcons’ rushing attack as the starting full back. This season, he was a huge contributor again, helping the team to a playoff berth.
The students, who created 45 projects ranging from building the most aerodynamic paper airplanes to creating biological batteries, demonstrated their experiments and findings to a team of high school judges from Mr. Lou DeRose’s science research class.
Thank you to all the student participants, judges, principals, Mr. DeRose, Ms. Dana Schultz and our parent councils for making this event so successful. Congratulations to all our participants and this year’s winners.
BI Third Grade:
1st Place: Siena Gleason and Lily Terrana; 2nd Place: Christopher Hanna, Alexander Mihaltses and Jack Musynske; 3rd Place: Brinley Lorner and Gabriella Querni
LVI Third Grade:
1st Place: Aidan Budinich; 2nd Place: Vetri Arcot; 3rd Place: Aria Bellew and Skylar Montenegro
BI Fourth Grade:
1st Place: Elisabeth Casey and Alivia Chi; 2nd Place: Habin Cheon and Scarlet Valderrama; 3rd Place: Elizabeth Kelly
LVI Fourth Grade:
1st Place: Penelope Karagiannakis and Cassidy Kim; 2nd Place: Shannon Moran and Giuliana Sicuranza; 3rd Place: Olivia Contois
BI Fifth Grade:
1st Place: Kassidy Lorner and Agatha Pileggi; 2nd Place: Emily Chirichella, Lucija Marinkovic and Mary Wendel; 3rd Place: Nina Orlowsky
LVI Fifth Grade:
1st Place: Hadley Austin, Mackenzie Greavette and Louise Vaughn; 2nd Place: Jianna Gadh; 3rd Place: Nimrit Bedi and McKenzie Thomas
The competition saw over 2,000 athletes from 50 different countries swim at the outdoor pool in 28-degree waters. The weather was cold enough that the lanes had to be cut out of ice at the start of each day, but the conditions did not deter Agir.
“It feels terrible at first, then you start swimming and it’s alright because in that environment you don’t feel that cold because you are excited,” Agir said.
Agir, 16, plans to compete in the next Winter Swimming World Championship in Argentina in 2028. He was the youngest member of the age 16-19 heat, earning fifth place in the 25-meter freestyle and 50-meter breast stroke and sixth place in the 25-meter breast stroke. In the breast stroke relay, Agir’s team, “Ice Swimmers” finished in fourth place.
Agir has dreams of completing the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming by navigating the 20-mile Catalina Channel swim and 21-mile English Channel Relay this summer after finishing the first leg, the 20 Bridges Swim around Manhattan in July 2025. Over the past two years, he has prepared through long-distance events such as the 4.3-mile Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swim off the coast of Istanbul in August 2024 and the two-mile Swim Across America event at Pryibil Beach in Glen Cove in August 2025. Between these globe-trotting adventures, Agir competes as a member of the Locust Valley High School varsity swim team and trains six days a week with his Long Island Express swim team.
Dr. Turner Cosci joins a membership of 12,000 professionals across the nation dedicated to advocating ethics, developing leaders and fostering community through athletic involvement.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Turner Cosci on her entry into this elite group of athletic administrators!
Dear School Community,
After some severe winter weather, it’s a joy for me to see our students outside taking advantage of our beautiful grounds, enjoying lunch, recess and athletic activities. After months of hard work, I am excited that our students, staff and faculty will have time to relax and recharge. You have all certainly earned it!
We have the home stretch of the school year coming up, and so many achievements and traditions to celebrate. We’ll soon celebrate the top 15 students in the high school’s Class of 2026 and the staff that inspired them in their years as Falcons. In the middle school, we will induct a new group of National Junior Honor Society members. And before you know it, it will be time for our spring concerts and field days.
We are also in the midst of budget season, and I would like to remind everyone to visit the Business Office page on our district website. There, you can find the budget presentations and voter information, including which location you can vote from, ahead of the Budget Vote and Board of Education Election from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19.
Sincerely,
Kristen Turnow, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Immediately following the ceremony, the varsity softball team will host the North Shore High School Vikings in a special home game honoring Coach Tobin’s legacy.
For additional information, please contact the athletic office at (516) 277-5175.
The big winner of the festival was the music video, “Money Game,” by Raffaele Gianattasio, Justin Kwok and Dean Wolfe, which took home the best overall award, first place in the music video, directing and editing categories and entry into the Long Island International Film Expo and the High School All-American Film Festival. Locust Valley students showed their range of talents, earning first place in the horror, commercial and documentary categories for the projects “Carne,” “Wall Street Barber” and “UNCONVENTIONAL,” respectively. The horror entry “Carne” came from filmmakers Justin Kwok and John Zatwarnicki. “Wall Street Barber” was created by Joseph Esposito, who also took second place in the commercial category for “BMW.” “UNCONVENTIONAL” was produced by Justin Kwok.
The students also showcased their technical craftwork with six awards in the cinematography, directing, editing and sound design categories. Esposito’s “Wall Street Barber” and “BMW” won first and third place for cinematography, respectively, with the latter also winning third place for editing. The horror film “Carne,” won second place in the directing category and third place in sound design category. And drama film “Your Love,” from students Justin Kwok, Grace Araoz and Skylar Seele earned second place in the sound design category. Long Beach High School students Jake Haft, Noam Borenstein, Summer Millares, Maurice Dupree, Cole Linares and Sage Muckle won the audience choice award for the comedy “THE R6SOLUT7ON.”
Students visited government buildings, museums and national memorials such as Arlington National Cemetery; the Capitol Building; the International Spy Museum; the National Air and Space Museum; The Jefferson, Lincoln and Washington Memorials; the Supreme Court and the White House, among others.
At the highly engaging meeting with Rep. Suozzi, he tested the students’ knowledge of local, state and federal government systems. After sharing insights into his personal and political background, the Congressman opened the floor to a lively question-and-answer session.
To highlight the students’ civic expertise, Rep. Suozzi awarded official Congressional Challenge Coins to those who correctly answered his policy and history questions. This year’s recipients included Liam McGovern, Kosly Ronquillo and Juliana Spad-Drimmer, who were recognized for their exceptional participation during the visit.
A former college basketball player and a current cross fit coach, Castellanos imparts her wisdom on our athletes and helps them understand how to treat their bodies and rest and recuperate as needed. During the regular school day, Castellanos works in our district as a physical education teacher at Ann MacArthur Primary School. She is a believer that movement is medicine and that students are at their happiest when they are up and about.
As National Athletic Training Month ends, Castellanos’ spring work is just beginning. Please join us in thanking Ms. Castellanos!
After months of preparation, building unique products, business and marketing plans and presentations, 11 members of the Locust Valley high School DECA Club recently returned from the New York State Career Conference with several accolades and a new piece of history.
Senior Vito Ricciardi earned a medal for being one of the top 10 in his presentation in one of his role plays, while junior Chelsy Arrata became the first member in the club’s history to qualify for the DECA International Career Development Conference for placing fifth in Professional Selling. Club members Ann McAree and Mia Lu won their seminar, an event where students had to come up with a product to solve a consumer issue on the spot.
Team members competed in a mix of roleplays and presentations, working with teammates on the fly for some events and reciting carefully prepared product launches by themselves for others.
“It’s very nerve-racking,” Arrata said of the presentations. “But once you get going in the middle of your presentation, you feel a lot better about it.”
“It made it a little less nervy to have a partner because you know you have each other,” McAree said of the roleplays.
Upon their return, the team members have been excited to embrace the last few months of the school year as they continue to build and fundraise towards further successes next year.
The endorsement, which was bestowed upon only 26 schools and districts in New York, recognizes schools and districts that embrace and support visual arts instruction using a sequential, standards-based curriculum while increasing inclusivity, equity and accessibility in arts education. The recognition celebrates programs that are shaping the future of creative learning; inspiring innovation, preparing students for a rapidly changing world and ensuring that every learner has access to high-quality visual arts experiences.
This achievement is a testament to the high standards the district’s arts educators have built together. Congratulations to teachers Tom Camilleri, Jessica Cestaro, Donna Chaplin, Dana Ettinger and Melanie Mooney.
“This recognition reflects the incredible collaboration, creativity and commitment to our art teachers, who work every day to ensure that all students have meaningful access to the visual arts,” Coordinator of Instructional Technology and the Fine and Applied Arts, AnnMarie Buonaspina said. “We are proud of the work happening across our schools and grateful to be recognized as a model program in New York State.”
The winter may have been cold and snowy, but it didn’t stop Falcons athletes from soaring to success. Fourteen varsity athletes earned All-Class, All-Conference, All-County and County Champions during the winter season. The boys swimming team, bowling team, girls basketball and indoor track and field teams were each named Scholar-Athlete teams for achieving a GPA of 90 or higher.
The varsity cross-country team earned its first-ever conference championship in the fall, and the winter track and field team took the baton and continued that momentum. The 4x8 relay team finished top three in the conference championships, and Lillian Thompson set a new school record in the 3000-meter event.
Marcus Houghtaling, Declan Mueller and Liam Roberts competed in the New York State championships in February. Houghtaling and Mueller punched their tickets as county champions, while Roberts earned second place. Senior Aidan Russo qualified for the Nassau County championships, finishing in fifth place.
Seven members of the boys varsity swim team achieved All-Conference honors in just the second year of the growing program.
On the courts, the varsity girls basketball team made it to the playoffs, and head coach Mike Guidone reached 200 wins. Boys basketball rallied around their teammate, Francesco Allocca, giving him an amazing career send-off with two more points on senior night.
