Locust Valley High School

Locust Valley High School Tri-M National Music Honor Society students will showcase their talents for the Spring Coffeehouse on Monday, June 9, at 7 p.m. in the MS/HS courtyard or the auditorium, depending on the weather. Admission is $10 for guests or $5 for performers. All proceeds will go towards supporting Tri-M activities. Come out and support these ambitious young students!

International Baccalaureate World Language students enjoyed a morning of friendly competition, competing in the fourth annual volleyball tournament on June 2. The French, Italian and Spanish classes went head-to-head in a round robin, with Team Spain winning the trophy.

As they head towards the end of their time at Bayville Intermediate School, the building’s fifth graders enjoyed a day at West Harbor Beach. The fun-filled event took place on June 3, and included games, food and desserts provided by the Bayville Elementary Parents Council. The students will celebrate their moving-up ceremony on June 17.

Last week, Locust Valley Middle School students got outside and enjoyed the beautiful gardens on campus during the eighth annual Garden to Table lesson, led by Tina Hament and volunteer high school students. The event focused on teaching students how to grow different types of fruits and vegetables, as well as maintaining the growing flowerbeds. During the lesson, which is part of the nutritional unit of their health classes, students identified types of plants, removed weeds, created compost and went home with a seed of their choosing to grow over the summer.

Last week, Locust Valley Middle School students got outside and enjoyed the beautiful gardens on campus during the eighth annual Garden to Table lesson, led by Tina Hament and volunteer high school students. The event focused on teaching students how to grow different types of fruits and vegetables, as well as maintaining the growing flowerbeds. During the lesson, which is part of the nutritional unit of their health classes, students identified types of plants, removed weeds, created compost and went home with a seed of their choosing to grow over the summer.

This Friday, Locust Valley High School will host military veterans and active servicemembers for the annual Flags for Freedom event in collaboration with local civics organization Operation Democracy. During the ceremony, the Class of 2025 will meet these military heroes on the stage in the auditorium to speak with them about their service. Each student will receive a trifolded American flag and a copy of the U.S. Constitution.

Community members are invited to see talented high school theater students present a musical revue on Friday, June 6, at 6 p.m. in the mini-theater. Enjoy an evening of song, storytelling and student talent. Refreshments will be included. We hope to see you there to support these amazing performers.

Locust Valley High School celebrated student-athletes and IB Diploma candidates at ceremonies last week. At Senior-Athlete Recognition Night on May 28, the athletic department and community organizations presented awards to members of the Class of 2025 for their achievements and hard work on the fields of play. The department also named the late Julie Feltman, a beloved member of the athletic and academic community, as Coach of the Year. On May 29, the 24 International Baccalaureate candidates in the Class of 2025 presented an overview of their final essays, the CAS projects they worked on in the community and how the program has impacted them to a crowd of their family and friends. Each student received a pin, which they will wear on their gowns during graduation.

This spring brought amazing playoff runs and success from young athletes and newcomer coaches. Off the field, the boys varsity tennis and track teams and girls varsity golf, lacrosse, softball and track teams all achieved New York State Scholar Athlete status for maintaining a 90 GPA or higher. The varsity softball team, led by first-year head coach Joseph Migliano and assistant Alexandra Senglaub, won Conference VI. The team put together a 12-6 record, scoring 178 runs and allowing just 88, thanks in part to conference Player of the Year Gwen Velsor and Pitcher of the Year Sofia Baron. The girls varsity lacrosse team finished 12-5, making the playoffs in Conference II and making their way to the Class C county championship game. The young team was led by consistent performances from Tessa Matozzo, Elizabeth Vitale, lone senior Katie Nabet and goaltender Emery deLauzon. The boys lacrosse team posted an 11-6 record on the way to a Conference 2 county finals berth. The team had a great combination of youth and experience with freshman goaltender Grayson Iannotti earning All-County Honorable Mention along with senior Jackson Hoban. Senior Owen Pye and junior William Summers earned All-County honors. Ashton Klar of the boys varsity golf team placed top nine in the county championships and qualified for the New York State championships on June 6. The boys and girls varsity track teams also put together a great season, with India Arrillaga, Emily Martinovich, Delilah Modlin, Lillian Thompson and Peter Vitale qualifying for the county championships. The flag football team continued to grow, nearly upsetting first-seeded Plainedge in the Class C semifinals. Unified basketball went 3-3 and made it to the Division 3 semifinals. The young Falcons baseball team laid the ground work for the future, with a very young roster that included several eighth graders. The boys tennis team qualified for the Division D playoffs, making it into the quarterfinals.

Locust Valley High School seniors Sean Lyons and Dylan Mueller committed to compete collegiately this coming fall during a ceremony surrounded by friends, family and coaches on May 28. Lyons will continue his swimming career at SUNY Maritime College and Mueller will wrestle at St. John Fisher University. Lyons was a member of the varsity boys swimming team in its inaugural season this past winter. He holds the team’s 100-yard backstroke record at 1:17:37 and had an incredible performance as the anchor leg in the 200-yard freestyle relay at the county meet, posting a 26 second 50-yard swim to help secure a program record. Alexandra Senglaub, who took home Coach of the Year in her first season with the team, remarked on Lyons’ confidence in the difficult 100-yard butterfly. “After he swam it for the first time, he came up to me and immediately started talking strategy for the next time he’d swim it paying no mind to the fact that his arms were burning and he was completely out of breath,” Senglaub said. “That was the moment that Sean completely embodied what it means to be a Falcon.” Mueller, a captain over the past two seasons, is a four-year varsity starter, two-time All-County wrestler and state qualifier. He set himself apart with his dedication in the wrestling room for practice and on the mat in every match. In his time in Falcon green, Mueller received the Locust Valley Wrestling Coaches Award four times, and earned the Locust Valley Leadership Award and the Coach Sanzone/Coach Axman Memorial Scholarship at the Senior Athletic Awards. “From my first day at Locust Valley, Dylan stood out for his hard work and dedication to himself, our team and the sport of wrestling,” wrestling coach John Brush said. “His commitment to himself and his team will bring him great success in all that he does in the future.”

This week, Locust Valley Intermediate School fifth graders learned about space exploration from NASA engineer and brother of science teacher Caroline McBride, Justin Cassidy. Cassidy made the trip up from Maryland’s Goddard Space Flight Center, where he helps develop tools for astronauts to use during missions, to share his expertise and inspire students with stories of his work in space flight. He answered students’ questions about astronaut training and the intricacies of space travel.

Bayville Primary School second graders in Ms. Fassari’s class strode down the red carpet and put on an incredible show for their family and friends on May 22. This year’s show, called “The Weather Boys,” gave students a chance to showcase their interest in different weather phenomena and their incredible public speaking and performing ability to the rest of the school.

Locust Valley High School and local organizations honored seniors at the Academic and Community Awards. Students were honored with scholarships and department awards for the hard work they have done to better their communities.

Members of the Locust Valley Central School District and Locust Valley School Employees Association honored 16 retiring faculty and staff members at the Crescent Club in Bayville on May 21. Friends, family, coworkers and community members praised Anne Craven, Annette Dippolito, Stacey Eno, Janet Genossa, Eva Geyer, Tina Hament, Rachel Levy, Pamela Loher, Caroline McBride, Toni Meliambro, Marie Mills, Lori Sperandeo, Leslie Stein, Sharon Steele, Donna West and Diane Yanez for their years of hard work. “It warmed my heart to hear about the love and care our retirees have provided to our students and community,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kristen Turnow said. “As they move forward into a new journey, we hope they know the incredible impact they have had in our beautiful district.”

Congratulations to Locust Valley High School senior Ashton Klar for finishing in the top nine in the Nassau County golf championships. Klar will represent Locust Valley in the state championships in June.

Locust Valley and Bayville primary and intermediate schools honored the memories of military heroes of the nation’s past with ceremonies on May 23. During the morning ceremony at Ann MacArthur Primary School and the afternoon ceremony at Bayville Intermediate School, students performed patriotic tunes, thanked veterans and honored those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Locust Valley High School’s Model UN class and club members earned nine awards, including eight Best Delegate designations, at the Herricks High School conference on May 17. The 19-student team participated in nine committees, tackling historical and contemporary real-world issues and working together with their peers to find solutions to help their causes. Gregor Blaise, Sarang Chen, Oliver Dostalek, Katie Kuebler, Lola Raneri, Thomas Simon, Durand Tchanga-Mangwa and Wyatt Thorgramson all won Best Delegate awards and C.J. McKenzie took home an honorable mention.

May 23, 2025 Dear Locust Valley community, On behalf of the entire Locust Valley Central School District, I wish to thank the community for their participation in this year’s budget vote and trustee election. Your support of the proposed budget and capital work reflects our community’s shared commitment to the future of our schools. Your vote of confidence ensures that we will continue to maintain high-quality educational programs and a supportive learning environment for all students. Your approval of Proposition 2 has cleared the path for a beautiful new middle and high school cafeteria – where students will create memories and enjoy their friends’ company – as well as a state-of-the-art library and research center that will help our students learn and collaborate in a way that will prepare them for their future careers. It has been an exciting, multiyear process planning for these spaces, and I cannot wait to see students enjoying the lecture rooms, digital media labs, study rooms and the art gallery together. I also wish to congratulate Krystina Tomlinson on her reelection to the Board of Education and welcome Lindsay Fox, who will join us as a new trustee on July 1. I am confident that both will provide great support and leadership for our district, as we continue to plan for a bright future in Locust Valley. As we head into Memorial Day weekend, I want to thank all our military heroes who gave their lives to preserve our freedoms. Today, each of our schools will honor the fallen in their own ways, and our high school and middle school marching bands will take part in the Locust Valley and Bayville parades on Monday. I am thankful that we have such a supportive community. In closing, as we are nearing the end of the year, I look forward to all the celebrations to come in June and hope to see you all in the days and weeks ahead. Thank you again for your support and partnerships. Sincerely, Dr. Kristen Turnow Superintendent of Schools

Several members of the Locust Valley Middle School Mathletes team won medals from various competitions this school year. Team members Jaime DeNatale, Jack Kelly, Alexander Krauter, Christos Pappas, Jackson Shapses and Chloe Shen spent the year solving difficult equations and problem sets in competitions and online exams. American Mathematics Competition (AMC 8): Gold: Chloe Shen, Silver: Jack Kelly, Bronze: Jamie DeNatale. Math Olympiads: Gold: Christos Pappas; Silver: Alexander Krauter; Bronze: Jackson Shapses Fall Noetic Learning Challenge: Gold: Christos Pappas; Silver: Alexander Krauter Spring Noetic Learning Challenge: Gold: Christos Pappas; Silver: Jackson Shapses Congratulations to the team and coach Joseph Lee on these incredible accomplishments!

The six members of the Locust Valley High School history bowl team traveled down to Arlington, Virginia, recently for the International Academic Competitions’ National History Bowl Competition and returned with a bronze medal in the small schools division. Team members Grace Choi, John Hartnett, Jacob Jankowski, Toby Lamb, Dominic Spina and Abigail Vuong worked their way through group play, qualifying for the small school divisional playoffs and making it into the semifinals. The team placed 28th out of 96 schools from across the country, third of six for small public schools and fifth out of 23 overall in open small schools, which includes private schools.