Locust Valley High School seniors Kelsey Neves and Vicente Godoy Moncada have earned 2024 National Merit Scholarship Commended Student and National Hispanic Recognition Scholar status, respectively.
Neves is one of 34,000 commended students out of the approximately 1.5 million entrants who received letters of recognition for their outstanding academic promise. Commended Students do not continue into the competition but are still eligible for special scholarships in March 2024.
“It was cool to be appreciated for my hard work and to have that recognition felt really good,” Neves said.
The commended student is planning to major in English or creative writing in college and was inspired by her past two English teachers Coleen Comerford and Anthony Vitale. She is currently the president of the school’s fashion club, the editor for the art and literature magazine and the mental health awareness club’s newsletter and a member of the Gender-Sexualities Alliance club.
Godoy Moncada is one of 10,000 students nationwide selected by the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, which requires students who are planning to enroll full-time in an accredited four-year university to attain a minimum of a 3.0 grade point average. Vicente and his family moved to the district in 2019, after spending time in Chile, Germany, Austria and St. Kitts and Nevis.
“No place feels the same, even if they are neighboring each other,” Godoy Moncada said. “It makes you appreciative of the world and different cultures.”
Outside of being a Hispanic Scholar, Godoy Moncada is playing volleyball for the first time, is involved in the International Baccalaureate leadership at the school and Odyssey of the Mind. He plans on majoring in architecture in college.
Locust Valley High School will host the first district Bilingual Night of the year in the cafeteria on Oct. 10. Students and parents/guardians will be able to enjoy great food and games and learn more about school activities, parent portal and community events. Please contact Cyndy Ergen at 516-782-6500 or cergen@locustvalleyschools.org if you have any questions.
Five Locust Valley High School students will have their artwork included in the 2024 edition of the Cornell University Cooperative Extension of Nassau County’s annual gardening calendar and guide.
Juniors Molly Bowden, Anhelina Grygoriak, Annemie Germans and Gianna Castiglione and senior Victoria Alesi worked on their bright, fruit-focused pieces for the gardening calendar and guide in Melanie Mooney’s art class throughout the first month of school. Students learned about color theory, color mixing and layering as part of the project.
Ms. Mooney and her students will be in attendance when The Cornell Cooperative Extension displays the selected works as part of its Family Fun Day at East Meadow Farm on Oct. 23 in the “Art in the Garden” exhibit.
“I am honored that their talents are highlighted and celebrated,” Mooney said. “This is an opportunity where the students’ talents can be celebrated in a calendar that is distributed throughout Nassau County.”
Locust Valley High School’s athletic department and booster club Falcon Pride inducted four new members into its hall of fame during a ceremony at the gymnasium on Sept. 22. Local wrestling legends and brothers Alfred and Robert DeStefanis and multisport athletes Rob McGrorty and John Salvi had their plaques added to the gym walls.
Alfred DeStefanis managed records of 17-4-1, 32-3, 27-0 and 20-1 in his four years on the mat for the Falcons, also helping the team to two state titles and its first Nassau County dual meet championship in 1979.
Alfred’s older brother Robert DeStefanis had an incredible junior year, putting together a 34-0-1 record and six individual championships, including a New York State one. As a senior, Robert captured Nassau County and New York State championships and led the team in pins, points and record again.
Rob McGrorty was an accomplished member of the Falcons’ football and baseball teams, attaining three varsity letters and co-captaining for both. In football, he was named All-Division and Most Valuable Lineman in 1977, and on the diamond McGrorty was All-Division in 1975 and 1977 and All-County and Co-MVP in 1977.
John Salvi represented the Falcons in football, wrestling and track and field from 1971 to 1974. Salvi captained the football team from 1972-1974, earning All-Division, All-County and Coaches’ Nassau County team honors. On the wrestling mat, Salvi was the All-Northshore champion with 23 wins in his junior year in 1973. Salvi was also a state champion and double county champion in discus and double county champion in shotput.
Locust Valley High School students got a visit from two therapy dogs on Sept. 28 for a chance to relax in between classes. Luna the chocolate Labrador from Therapy Dogs of Long Island and Walty the Golden-doodle spent time in the library where students came to pet them during their open periods. Therapy dogs have been coming to the school every last Thursday of the month for two years.
“It allows our students a moment of relaxation and a guaranteed serotonin boost,” school social worker Bidania Criscuolo said. “I’m always trying to find different ways to give our students a brain break.”
From curriculum meetings in July to the memorable Remembrance Bowl game, experience the sights and sounds of the Remembrance Project.
Locust Valley High School students got a visit from two therapy dogs on Sept. 28 for a chance to relax in between classes. Luna the chocolate Labrador from Therapy Dogs of Long Island and Walty the golden doodle spent time in the library where students came to pet them during their open periods. Therapy dogs have been coming to the school every last Thursday of the month for two years.
“It allows our students a moment of relaxation and a guaranteed serotonin boost,” school social worker Bidania Criscuolo said. “I’m always trying to find different ways to give our students a brain break.”
Ahead of the Remembrance Bowl, a game meant to honor soldiers who gave their lives in the D-Day invasions at Normandy, the Locust Valley High School Falcons and Cold Spring Harbor High School Seahawks varsity football teams met to sign each other’s gameday jerseys on Sept. 21.
Football players and cheerleaders from each team came to the Locust Valley High School cafeteria for team dinners, then headed to the auditorium where Helen Patton, the daughter of General George Patton, spoke to students about the bravery of Allied troops who liberated Europe.
Patton and the teams then headed to the gymnasium to sign the gameday jerseys that were made specifically for the Remembrance Bowl. Each player from both teams signed every jersey, as well as two jerseys to be sent over to Locust Valley’s sister city, Sainte-Mere-Eglise, France to be displayed at the site where the Remembrance Bowl began in 2018 as a flag football game between the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions.
Locust Valley High School students continued to plan their academic future on Sept. 18, as 65 colleges and universities came to the gymnasium for the first college fair of the year. Students walked up and down the rows of tables speaking to representatives of each post-secondary school to get a better idea of what they want in their next school experience.
“We have strong relationships with the college admissions representatives who evaluate our students’ college applications,” Director of Guidance and School Counseling Michelle Villa said. “The benefit to our students is a personal one, where they are given the opportunity to make a first impression and engage in a conversation before their college applications is evaluated.”
Educators in the Locust Valley Central School District spent the week of the Remembrance Bowl teaching age-appropriate lessons on World War II to students from kindergarten to 12th grade.
District teachers worked throughout the summer to prepare a wide array of lessons focusing on the bravery of Allied soldiers who liberated Locust Valley’s sister city Sainte-Mere-Eglise, France nearly 80 years ago. The Remembrance Bowl is a flag football game played between the 101st and 82nd Airborne units in Sainte-Mere-Eglise to honor the Allied soldiers who fought to liberate Europe. The game came to the Locust Valley district through a partnership between Locust Valley’s own Operation Democracy and the Patton Legacy Sports organization.
At Bayville Primary School, Victoria Shishkoff’s first graders learned about paratroopers and got their own paratrooper toys to test out on the playground on Sept. 20.
On the same afternoon over at Locust Valley Intermediate, third, fourth and fifth grade students learned about the evolution of the United States flag, flag code and how to fold a flag during an assembly.
On Sept. 21, Locust Valley Middle School students filled the auditorium to watch a documentary called “Mother of Normandy” about the beloved wife of Sainte-Mere-Eglise’s mayor Simone Renaud. After the film, students participated in a question-and-answer session with director Doug Stebleton and the author of the book of the same name, Jeff Stoffer. Maurice Renaud, the son of Simone, came from France to participate in the week’s events and spoke to students after the film, as well.
Locust Valley staff and students throughout the district wore green on Sept. 26 to show their support for the Farmingdale school community after the tragic bus crash in upstate New York.
Locust Valley staff and students throughout the district wore green on Sept. 26 to show their support for the Farmingdale school community after the tragic bus crash in upstate New York.
The Locust Valley Middle School Parents Council is inviting students to enjoy the night at Adventureland on Oct. 7 from 5:30-9:30 p.m. The park will only be open to our Falcon Family. Food and beverages will be available for purchase at the park.
Register for your spot here: https://my.cheddarup.com/c/lvcsd-takes-over-adventurelandb. The deadline to purchase tickets is Saturday, Sept. 30, at 1 p.m. If you have any questions, please call or text Lorie Minicozzi at 516-448-7872 or email at lvmspcpresident@gmail.com. Tickets are limited, so get yours today.
After a week of learning about the heroic sacrifices of Allied soldiers at Normandy, the Locust Valley High School Falcons and Cold Spring Harbor High School Seahawks team took to the gridiron on Sept. 23 in similar weather conditions to those on D-Day.
The game, the first of its kind played in the United States, kicked off with a ceremonial coin toss performed by Helen Patton, the daughter of General George Patton, as players donned red, white and blue jerseys. Both teams’ jerseys were signed by each Falcon and Seahawk during a ceremony on Sept. 21. The Falcons scored two late touchdowns on a Connor Geertgens strike to Michael Hancock and a fumble recovery by Michael DiLorenzo to win 20-8.
The Falcons and coach Michael Gilbert returned to the school gymnasium after the game in their waterlogged gear to receive the trophy from Ms. Patton.
The Remembrance Bowl is a flag football game played between the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions in Sainte-Mere-Eglise, France, the first community recaptured by the Allies on D-Day, to commemorate a game that was supposed to be played by American soldiers in December 1944, but was cancelled when the troops were redeployed to Belgium for the Battle of the Bulge. Helen Patton and Michelle Strauss of Patton Legacy Sports brought “The Game That Never Happened” to life in 2018.
The Locust Valley-based organization Operation Democracy helped form a bond between the hamlet and Sainte-Mere-Eglise after the war and the two communities became sister cities. Thankful for the aid, the mayor’s wife Simone Renaud wrote a poem entitled “Locust Valley” to mark the bond.
Locust Valley Central School District educators spent the summer tailoring a unit of World War II history to students from kindergarten to 12th grade, culminating in lessons the week of the Remembrance Bowl.
Locust Valley Middle School and High School students and staff celebrated spirit week from Sept. 18 to 22 by dressing up for themed days in Hawaiian luau attire, stars and stripes and green for Falcon Friday. On Friday, students also got ready for the Remembrance Bowl homecoming game with a pep rally on Fred Smith Field.
Locust Valley Middle School and High School students and staff celebrated spirit week from Sept. 18 to 22 by dressing up for themed days in Hawaiian luau attire, stars and stripes and green for Falcon Friday. On Friday, students also got ready for the Remembrance Bowl homecoming game with a pep rally on Fred Smith Field.
The homecoming parade will continue as planned, meeting at the Centre Island Beach parking lot at 10:30 a.m. and starting at 11 a.m.
All pregame and halftime activities will be moved into the gymnasium on Saturday, starting at 12:15 p.m. with a screening of “The Sixth of June” in the mini theater. The student performances will all take place after 1 p.m. in the gymnasium. The game will still begin at 2 p.m.
Before the Falcons and Cold Spring Harbor Seahawks take to Fred Smith Field on Sept. 23, at 2 p.m., you can learn more about the rich history of the Remembrance Bowl in the new edition of Soundwaves. Go to Newsletters | Locust Valley Central School District (locustvalleyschools.org) to read the newsletter online.
When the first Remembrance Bowl in the United States begins at Fred Smith Field at Locust Valley High School on Sept. 22, students from kindergarten to 12th grade in attendance will have a better appreciation for the bravery of Allied soldiers at D-Day nearly 80 years ago. History teachers in the Locust Valley Central School District worked all summer to prepare an age-appropriate unit for each grade level to be taught the week before the game. That unit will focus on the World War II, events of D-Day and how the Allies liberated Europe and Locust Valley’s sister city of Sainte-Mere-Eglise, France.
“It is with great pride that I am able to be part of the collaborative efforts of Locust Valley teachers and the community with developing and aligning curriculum to assist our students to understand the historical significance surrounding the events that took place on D-Day,” Superintendent of Schools Kristen Turnow said. “I believe that we are paving the way for other school districts throughout the country to follow in our footsteps to remember how the brave soldiers of our great nation have defended the very freedom that we are blessed with today.”
The unit will be the starting point for school districts throughout the country to build off of when they decide to bring the Remembrance Bowl to their communities.
“The Remembrance Project curriculum project has been such a rewarding experience, as it allowed for a great deal of cross-curricular collaboration,” Interim Coordinator of Social Studies and Business, Joe Enea said. “Having the curriculum reach a national audience helps to ensure that both the impact of the Normandy invasion and the stories of the men and women who dedicated their lives to our freedom will never be forgotten.”
The new school year brought exciting new activities for recess on Sept. 8 at Ann MacArthur Primary School, as the students finally explored the new playground. Constructed over the past few weeks as a part of the district’s capital project, the playground consists of two main play areas tailored to student grade levels, eight sets of swings, kaleidoscopes, noise-making boxes and benches.
