(Credit: Courtesy)
Twenty juniors and seniors from Greenport High School’s DECA Club traveled to ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., March 20 to visit with Greenport graduate Lee Fitting, a senior producer on ‘College Game Day’ and other shows.
Mr. Fitting has been at ESPN since 1996 and spoke to students about his work and answered their questions about colleges and careers. The students also took a behind-the-scenes tour to learn about the many different jobs at ESPN.
Five Southold High School orchestral students will join four Juilliard School musicians in a ‘Great Music Sunday’ concert presented by the cultural arts committee of Congregation Tifereth Israel Synagogue in Greenport. The concert will start at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 6, in the Southold school district auditorium. The Southold musicians are Julia Daddona, Kenji Fujita, Julia Schade, Michael Schade and Aidan Walker.
On the program: Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 5 in A Major, Janacek’s String Quartet No. 2, Mozart’s Serenade No. 3 in D Major and Bach’s Variations on a Cello Suite.
Tickets are available at The Market and JET’s Dream in Greenport; Southold Pharmacy and Rothman’s Department Store in Southold; Peconic Liquors in Cutchogue; Paul Izak Salon and Village Cheese Shop in Mattituck; Jewelry Clinic in Riverhead; and Shelter Island Pharmacy. Call 765-3504 or 734-6952.
Oysterponds Superintendent Richard Malone, left, and school board president Dorothy-Dean Thomas, right, at a recent school board meeting. (Credit: Rachel Young, file)
The Oysterponds Elementary School District has maintained an excessive fund balance not allowed by law over the last four fiscal years and has failed to develop a policy to protect the school’s electronic data, according to an audit released Friday by the New York State Comptroller’s Office.
The pre-K through sixth-grade district in Orient has experienced surpluses totaling about $164,000 between the 2009-10 and 2012-13 school years, the report states. Although auditors say Oysterponds moved nearly $1.3 million of surplus funds into its operating budget during those four years, nearly $1 million of the district’s fund balance during that time period went unused — resulting in the accumulation of 11 percent of the ensuing years’ budget, or about three times the amount by law.
“These ongoing budgeting practices resulted in taxpayers paying more than necessary to sustain district operations,” the audit read.
The report also described the amount of money Oysterponds has maintained in its retirement contribution reserve as “excessive” and stated the district made retirement payments out of the general fund instead of the reserve fund.
In addition, the report found the school board improperly appointed its president as the sole signatory on district checks under $5,000.
Current board president Dorothy-Dean Thomas replaced Deborah Dumont in 2013.
“This board action allowed one of its members to, in effect, also act as treasurer for the purpose of disbursing district funds, which is prohibited by education law,” the audit reads. “By usurping the treasurer’s disbursement functions, the board has diminished an important segregation of functions and compromised the checks and balances that are designed to help ensure that district moneys are properly expended.”
The audit also found the district’s IT system and electronic data are at risk because the school board has failed to adopt a disaster recovery plan and a breach notification policy.
In a letter from Ms. Thomas and Superintendent Richard Malone dated March 18 attached to the state report, the district agrees to follow through with the audit’s recommendations of adopting those electronic data policies and having the district treasurer sign checks under $5,000.
As for the district’s budgeting practices, Ms. Thomas and Mr. Malone said budgeting tuition for its secondary students over the last two years has resulted in an unexpected operating surplus.
In order to reduce the district’s fund balance, the school board developed a plan to establish a capital reserve fund.
“[The capital reserve fund will] help future building improvements, renovations to the facilities health and safety concerns, and on-going technology upgrades for educational programs,” the letter reads. “Unfortunately, the proposition to adopt the fund has been voted down during the last two annual budget votes.”
The school board has approved putting the capital fund proposition for another vote May 20.
Scroll down to view the complete report.
Mattituck High School students rehearse ’13 Ways to Screw Up Your
College Interview,’ which opens Wednesday. (Credit: Katharine Schroeder photo)
Zombies and college interviews — two things that threaten the pysches of today’s teenagers. Mattituck High School students will confront both when they present two short plays, “13 Ways to Screw Up Your College Interview” and “10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse,” this week.
Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in the high school auditorium.
Tickets, sold at the door, are $7 for general admission and $5 for students and senior citizens.
The Oysterponds school board held its regular meeting Tuesday night. (Credit: Jennifer Gustavson, file)
Oysterponds Elementary School officials are describing a recent state audit of the district’s finances as a positive experience. The new report found the district has maintained an excessive fund balance over the last four fiscal years.
During the school board’s regular meeting Tuesday, Superintendent Richard Malone said he feels good about the audit, adding the issues brought up in the report are being addressed.
“I’m very happy for you as a board that we’re in this financial situation at this time,” he said. “I think we’re in good shape.”
The pre-K through sixth-grade district in Orient has experienced surpluses totaling about $164,000 between the 2009-10 and 2012-13 school years, the report states. Although auditors say Oysterponds moved nearly $1.3 million of surplus funds into its operating budget during those four years, nearly $1 million of the district’s fund balance during that time period went unused —
resulting in the accumulation of 11 percent of the ensuing years’ budget, or about three times the amount by law.
“These ongoing budgeting practices resulted in taxpayers paying more than necessary to sustain district operations,” the audit read.
Board president Dorothy-Dean Thomas said in an interview prior to the meeting she believed the findings aren’t as serious as they appear.
“There wasn’t anything that was surprising really,” she said. “They were very fair. They were very thorough.”
Ms. Thomas said the district’s budget surplus began nearly a decade ago and was caused by a “miscalculation” in the school budget due to an unexpected drop in costs. Rather than reduce taxes, the school board at the time built the surplus into the budget to give the district extra flexibility, she said.
The 4 percent excess in fund balance allowed by state law doesn’t allow Oysterponds to keep enough in its general reserves to deal with unexpected costs like damages or increased costs with special education, Ms. Thomas said.
The report also found the school board improperly appointed its president as the sole signatory on district checks under $5,000.
Current board president Dorothy-Dean Thomas replaced Deborah Dumont in 2013.
“This board action allowed one of its members to, in effect, also act as treasurer for the purpose of disbursing district funds, which is prohibited by education law,” the audit reads. “By usurping the treasurer’s disbursement functions, the board has diminished an important segregation of functions and compromised the checks and balances that are designed to help ensure that district moneys are properly expended.”
Ms. Thomas said the check decision was suggested to the board in a previous audit. In a letter from Ms. Thomas and Mr. Malone dated March 18 attached to the state report, the district has agreed to follow through with the audit’s recommendations of having the district treasurer sign checks under $5,000.
The audit also found the district’s IT system and electronic data are at risk because the school board has failed to adopt a disaster recovery plan and a breach notification policy.
Ms. Thomas said those concerns have been addressed in the district’s recent technology upgrade plan.
As for the district’s budgeting practices, Ms. Thomas and Mr. Malone wrote in the letter budgeting tuition for its secondary students over the last two years has also resulted in an unexpected operating surplus.
In order to reduce the district’s fund balance, the school board developed a plan to establish a capital reserve fund. The proposition to adopt the fund has been voted down during the last two annual budget votes.
The school board has approved putting the capital fund proposition for another vote May 20.
“I certainly think we did the best with the tools that were given,” Ms. Thomas said in an interview. “It was actually an extremely good audit,” she said.
Superintendent Michael Comanda presents to the Greenport school board at its meeting Tuesday night. (Credit: Paul Squire)
The Greenport school board unanimously approved a proposed $16.39 million budget for next school year, which comes in exactly $1 under the allowable state tax levy cap, at its meeting Wednesday night.
The budget includes roughly $180,000 to establish a pre-kindergarten program at the school and will go to a public vote on May 20, said Greenport Superintendent Michael Comanda.
A full line-by-line copy of the budget showing revenues and costs — including salaries and program payments — was not provided by the board. It will be made public by May 6, district officials said.
The proposed budget would keep the increase of the tax levy — the total amount collected from taxpayers — just under under the state-mandated limit of 2.87 percent. Mr. Comanda said the district estimates taxpayers will see a 2.63 percent increase in their taxes compared to last year’s rate.
“This is the lowest we’ve put out in the last four years,” he said of the tax levy increase. “The number one priority was to get under the allowable cap.”
Last year, taxpayers passed a $15.5 million budget, which carried a tax levy increase of 3.93 percent, which was still under the state’s cap due to exemptions like pensions and capital costs. Two years ago, Greenport pierced the tax cap with a supermajority of voters approving a $14.9 million budget.
Board president Heather Wolf said at the board meeting that this budget season was the “second-most scary” she’s had to deal with while on the board in terms of bringing the budget in under the cap.
“But it has a happy ending,” she added.
Mr. Comanda said “strategic” cost-saving measures at the school, such as salary freezes and shared services with the Southold School District, combined with the use of reserve funds and money given to the school by State Senator Ken LaValle have allowed the district to keep its budget “lean.”
The board had held discussions about adding a proposition to the May vote to set up a pre-K in Greenport, but strong community support lead the board to include it in the budget, Mr. Comanda said.
The pre-K would be made up of two classes of 18 children each, with a new teacher and teacher’s aide in each classroom, the superintendent said.
Though Greenport’s school would need some modifications to accommodate the children if the budget passes and the pre-K is set up. Sinks and toilets in the bathrooms near the classrooms would need to be lowered, but Mr. Comanda said there are no concerns over lack of space.
“We’ve got plenty of room,” he said.
Mattituck-Cutchogue School District assistant superintendent Anne Smith, center, at Thursday’s budget adoption meeting. (Credit: Jennifer Gustavson)
The Mattituck-Cutchogue school board adopted Superintendent James McKenna’s proposed $39.67 million spending plan Thursday night, which carries an estimated 1.8 percent increase to next year’s tax levy.
The district was able to close a looming $200,000 budget gap while finalizing a budget under the state-mandated allowable tax levy rate — which represents the increased amount the school can collect from property taxes with a simple majority vote — through a combination of delaying a capital improvement project and securing additional state aid from the Legislature.
Mattituck is expected to receive about $2.67 million in total state aid next fiscal year, which represents a 6.36 percent increase.
During the school board’s regular meeting Thursday night, district business administrator Michael Engelhardt said the additional state aid also allows the district to move forward with a $25,000 renovation project for the high school’s computer lab.
Although all current programing is maintained in the 2014-15 spending plan, Mr. Engelhardt said a $40,000 roof project for the Laurel Annex wasn’t put back into the 2014-15 tentative budget.
School board member Doug Cooper — who chairs the school board’s buildings, safety and grounds committee — said the Laurel project has been put off for several years and must be addressed at some point in the near future.
“Its not leaking yet,” he said. “We should get by another year.”
The district is expected to publish the adopted budget on May 6. A public hearing to discuss the tentative spending plan is set for May 13.
Our Lady of Mercy sixth-graders (from left) Lilly Kneidl, Katie Bohner, Molly Tuthill and Haylie Tierney. (Credit: David Benthal)
Our Lady of Mercy Regional School in Cutchogue held its annual fashion fundraiser last Thursday at The All Star in Riverhead. Upon arrival, guests had their photos taken by local photographer David Benthal at the Step & Repeat red carpet area.
The photos were then streamed onto a 15-foot high video wall by the in-house DJ throughout the evening.
(Credit: David Benthal)
A group of Cutchogue East Elementary School students have submitted a petition to the school board requesting a reduction in the temperature requirement for outdoor recess. (Credit: Katharine Schroeder, file)
A group of Cutchogue East Elementary School students have petitioned the Mattituck-Cutchogue school board to reduce the temperature requirement for outdoor recess.
During the school board’s regular meeting Thursday night, second-grade teacher Lisa Salvatore presented an audio slideshow created by students explaining why they believed the current temperature requirement of 32 degrees is too high.
The presentation included students explaining why they don’t mind the cold and included a slideshow of pictures they drew of student having fun during outdoor recess.
After board members said they were under the impression the 32-degree limit was a state mandate, assistant superintendent Anne Smith said the district is in charge of setting temperature restrictions for outdoor recess — not the state.
She later suggested the board consider lowering it to 30 degrees.
The school board’s wellness committee is expected to review the students’ request.
North Fork school districts have tallied the number of students who declined to participate in last week’s state English Language Arts assessments and expect at least the same volume of refusals — or more — for the upcoming math version of the exams, which are scheduled for April 30–May 2.
Mattituck-Cutchogue School District assistant superintendent Anne Smith said 43 students didn’t take the ELA assessments in the district. There were 592 students in grades 3-8 eligible to take those exams, she said.
“We were expecting fewer based on conversations and inquiries,” Ms. Smith wrote in an email. “The numbers went up on Friday and Monday prior to the Tuesday start date. All parents communicated a positive relationship with their children’s teachers and many let us know that they felt after parent conferences that they had enough information to determine that their child is making progress from classroom and district assessments.”
Ms. Smith said her district expects at least the same amount of students, or slightly more, to opt out of the upcoming math assessments because parents indicated as such on refusal letters. North Fork parents and students have also been more vocal at various public meetings this school year about their concerns over the new math standards due to rigorous new curriculum.
In Greenport, 35 of 269 students refused to sit for the exams, or 13 percent of students, officials there said.
Southold School District David Gamberg said Tuesday he also anticipates that at least the same amount of students in his district will refuse to take the math assessments. As for last week’s ELA tests, Mr. Gamberg said 101 of 361 eligible students, or 28 percent, opted out.
Mr. Gamberg, one of the more outspoken high-stakes testing critics among superintendents in the region, said he believes the restoration of trust in public education needs to be the new focus and that efforts to collaborate among teachers should be encouraged, as opposed to creating a competitive atmosphere.
“It is not your grandmother’s test,” he said, referring to state-mandated testing tied to teacher evaluations. “We have to build relations and learn from one another.”
Oysterponds and New Suffolk school district officials reported that none of their students opted out of the ELA assessments.
Students planning to study veterinary medicine or animal-related care can apply for a scholarship from the East End Livestock and Horseman’s Association. (Credit: Dianne Booth, file)
The East End Livestock and Horseman’s Association is offering two $800 scholarships in memory of John M. Appelt to graduating high school seniors from the five East End towns. The group is also offering one $800 scholarship in memory of Robert Krudop to a student currently in college. Applicants must be planning to study or currently be studying veterinary medicine or an animal-related care or management program.
Applications are available at area high schools and can be downloaded at eelha.org or obtained from Carol Losquadro, 298-4747, ext. 105, cal@BSIins.com.
Monday, May 19, is the deadline for filing applications, which must be mailed to P.O. Box 102, Peconic, NY, 11958. Winners will be announced at the June 26 EELHA dinner meeting.
Bishop McGann-Mercy Diocesan High School. (Credit: Courtesy, file)
The McGann-Mercy Theatre Company is set to perform Elton John and Tim Rice’s Broadway show “Aida” on May 1-3 and host the group’s annual spaghetti dinner May 2.
The musical opens in the Egyptian wing of a modern day museum, where two strangers meet and are “transported” back to ancient Egypt.
More than 50 Bishop McGann-Mercy Diocesan High School students have signed on to produce the show, officials said.
The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and will take place in the school’s auditorium. Tickets costs $10.
The spaghetti dinner will take place between 5 and 7 p.m. on May 2. Tickets cost $15, which includes admission to the show. Proceeds from the dinner will benefit the McGann-Mercy Theatre Company.
For more details and ticket information, call 631-727-5900, ext. 310.
New Suffolk school board president Tony Dill presenting his preliminary spending plan during Tuesday night’s regular meeting. (Credit: Carrie Miller)
New Suffolk school board president Tony Dill presented his preliminary 2014-15 spending plan Tuesday night, which carries an estimated 1.7 percent, or $13,000, increase to the tax levy.
During the school board’s regular meeting, Mr. Dill said the $1.2 million budget comes under the state-mandated allowable tax levy rate of 1.86 percent — which represents the increased amount the school can collect from property taxes with a simple majority vote.
Although a quarter of the spending plan has gone toward secondary school tuition costs in recent years, Mr. Dill said the pre-K through sixth-grade district is anticipating significant savings next year due to a decline in secondary student enrollment, including four students graduating and one student moving out of the district.
New Suffolk currently sends the majority of its secondary students to Southold School District.
“It’s the first time in a very long time we’ve seen a significant drop in high school students,” he said. “This is a window to do the things we’ve been wanting to do.”
Mr. Dill outlined his proposal on how the district should take advantage of the savings from secondary tuition expenses.
One idea is extending the school day by 45 minutes.
The district currently dismisses its students at 2:30 p.m. and is considering extending the school day to 3:15 p.m., he said.
Mr. Dill said extending the school day will provide students remedial help, a two-day per week foreign language class, and a new “applied learning program,” which he said will offer students “real world” learning opportunities.
The proposed budget also includes hiring a full-time teaching assistant for the primary grades and a part-time lunch monitor to give teachers additional prep-time during lunch hours, Mr. Dill said.
Investments in technology are also included in next year’s spending plan, including renting iPads for each student.
In other district news, the school board unanimously approved granting tenure to English and social studies teacher Nicole Pollina.
“She has made a great improvement to the staff,” Mr. Dill said. “She has allowed us to change a great deal, and improved our ability to do special things for the kids.”
The school board also discussed a new enhancement to its security system. A camera and monitor was installed last Wednesday that allows administrators to see who’s entering and exiting the building during school hours.
Southold Elementary School sixth-graders came up with this year’s art show theme “Artecs” — an ancient race of people who worshipped art and music instead of the sun. (Credit: Jennifer Gustavson photos and video)
Science projects and artwork by Southold Elementary School students were on display at joint shows held last Wednesday, impressing fellow students and parents.
Art teacher Ken Maier and science teacher Russ Karsten organized the events, which were held at the school.
This year’s art show theme transformed Mr. Maier’s classroom into an Amazon rainforest and put a creative twist on the history of the Aztecs, who lived in Central Mexico and dominated large parts of the region between the 14th and 16th centuries.
His sixth-graders came up with the storyline of the “Artecs” — an ancient race of people who worshipped art and music instead of the sun.
The room’s mystical mood was set with the help of jungle sounds and the use of black lights bouncing off neon-colored artwork. Many of the works incorporated pens, pencils and paintbrushes, and a lot of creatures were depicted as being artists themselves, Mr. Maier said. One project was reminiscent of a member of the legendary rock group Kiss.
“The goal of our art show is to be completely opposite of what a traditional art show is,” he said. “We try to make it an experience.”
At the neighboring science fair, nearly 120 projects by 150 students were on display.
Mr. Karsten said it was the most impressive science fair in recent years, resulting from collaborative STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) lesson planning across subjects. In addition, the school provided each student with a Chromebook computer, enabling them to instantly create graphs and slideshows while working on projects.
“There’s a lot of fun projects — from the classic volcano and lemon battery to some great engineering projects, aero rockets and bridge buildings,” Mr. Karsten said. “A lot of time, it’s just a board with pictures. Now [with the Chromebooks] we get to actually watch the rocket take off or the bridge crack and fall apart.”
Scroll down for more photos and a list of the science fair winners
Student Travis Sepenoski and his mother, Cindy, view Justin McGreevy’s science project. Justin won first place among third-graders for his project, ‘Which Toilet Paper Is Best for Your Cesspool?’ The answer: Scott brand.
THIS YEAR’S SCIENCE FAIR WINNERS:
Kindergarten
First place: Erin Quarty – What Type of Home do Worms Like Best?
Second place: Audrey Chapman – Six Ways to Clean a Penny.
Third place: Ethan Rebentisch – Magnetic Forces
First grade
First place: Kai Cichanowicz – How Much Grease is in Your Potato Chips?
Second place: Henry Burns – Do Different Types of Wood Burn Differently?
Third place: Alexander Kennedy – How Much Sugar is in Our Food and Drink?
Second grade
First place: Tristan Zugmeyer – The Effect of Temperature on Crystals.
Second place: Nicole Corazzini – Is My Yogurt Alive?
Third place: James Treharne – Tasty or Not?
Third grade
First place: Justin McGreevy – Which Toilet Paper is Best for Your Cesspool?
Second place: Brendan Kilcommons – Which Contains More Water, Orange or a Lemon?
Third place: Violet Rand – Igneous Fudge
Fourth grade
First place: Belle Penny – Nature’s Wildest Storm
Second place: Naomi Cichanowicz – Why So Certain Liquids Mix and Some Don’t?
Third place: Landon Bennett – Do Different Types of wood Burn at the Same Rate?
Fifth grade
First place: Kaia Rothman – Vitamins, Really?
Second place: Juliet Rand – Warm Feet
Third place: Jackson Volosik – Finding Tardigrades
Sixth grade
First place: Jessica Mele – Which Grows Faster?
Second place: Nicholas Vicinanza – Yawning Games
Third place: Emma Quarty – Which Household Items Make Good Ant Repellents?
A calendar of events for this week at each of the local schools, as listed on school calendars.
MATTITUCK-CUTCHOGUE SCHOOL DISTRICT
Friday, April 25
• High school grades posted
SOUTHOLD SCHOOL DISTRICT
Wednesday, April 23
• 7:30 p.m. — Board of Education meeting, high school auditorium
Thursday, April 24
• 11:30 a.m. — Elementary school early dismissal, parent-teacher conferences
Friday, April 25
• Elementary school closed, parent-teacher conferences
• Third-quarter report cards sent home
• 2:30 p.m. — 4th annual fundraiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation honoring Camryn Koke. The final “Cure for Cammy” event, high school
GREENPORT SCHOOL DISTRICT
Tuesday, April 22
• 7 p.m. — Math SAT review, room 209
Thursday, April 24
• 7 p.m. — English SAT review, room 210
OYSTERPONDS SCHOOL DISTRICT
• No events posted online
NEW SUFFOLK SCHOOL DISTRICT
April 21-25
• 9 a.m. — Audubon Society piping plover study
Friday, April 25
• 11 a.m. — Arbor Day guest speaker
BISHOP MCGANN-MERCY HIGH SCHOOL
April 21-25
• School closed — Easter recess
PECONIC COMMUNITY SCHOOL
Thursday, April 24
• 7 p.m. — Open house
OUR LADY OF MERCY REGIONAL SCHOOL
April 21-25
• School closed — Easter recess
Our Lady of Mercy Regional School in Cutchogue. (Credit: Courtesy, file)
Southold School District Superintendent David Gamberg, right, and school board president Paulette Ofrias at a budget meeting last year. (Credit: Jennifer Gustavson, file)
The Southold school board is set to adopt Superintendent David Gamberg’s proposed $28.8 million budget on Wednesday night, which represents a nearly 2.7 percent spending increase.
Mr. Gamberg said his tentative 2014-15 budget is under the state-mandated allowable tax levy rate of 1.83 percent, or $756,660, which represents the increased amount the school can collect from property taxes with a simple majority vote.
Mr. Gamberg said next year’s expenditures include about $14.3 million for salaries, which represents a 4.6 percent increase over the current school year, and $7.8 million for benefits — a nearly 9.7 percent hike.
The proposed spending plan maintains current student programing and services, the superintendent said, and includes hiring an athletic trainer.
Shared-services, transportation, and refinancing debt are among the reductions Mr. Gamberg attributed to preparing a budget under the tax cap.
Mr. Gamberg said both districts are in the process of finalizing a shared-superintendent contract, in which he’ll serve as superintendent for both districts over the next two school years. The tentative agreement was reached after Greenport Superintendent Michael Comanda announced he’ll retire this summer.
Southold’s transportation costs are expected to decrease by 10.3 percent, or $122,861, Mr. Gamberg said, as a result of a recent district-wide survey that determined the most efficient bus routes. He estimates transportation expenses will total about $1 million next year.
The district is also in the process of refinancing a bond issued in 2005.
Munistat Services, the district’s consultant that’s handling the refinance, has said the outstanding principal amount on the bond is about $4.1 million.
On April 11, Moody’s assigned the district a bond credit rating of Aa2, a designation the financial company considers “very strong.”
Southold’s 2014-15 budget adoption is scheduled for the school board’s regular meeting on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the high school auditorium.
Eight seats in this year’s local school board elections are up for grabs. The school board election and budget vote is May 20.
Candidate petitions were due Monday.
GREENPORT (1 SEAT, 0 CANDIDATES)
School officials have confirmed no one has petitioned for Lisa Murray’s open seat — again.
Ms. Murray, Greenport school board’s lone incumbent up for re-election, has decided not to seek another term citing personal reasons.
Ms. Murray was appointed to the board last summer to serve out the remaining year of Michael Mazzaferro’s term after he resigned, also due to personal reasons.
Prior to her appointment, the mother of two school-aged children was first elected to the board in 2009 and served until 2012.
After she decided not to seek re-election in 2012, no one petitioned to run for the seat. Babette Cornine then won with 50 write-in votes.
School officials said Ms. Murray’s seat is expected to, once again, go to the district resident that secures the most write-in votes.
SOUTHOLD (2 SEATS, 3 CANDIDATES)
Three residents will be competing for two seats during this year’s school board election.
Southold challenger Brian Tobin will appear on the ballot with incumbents Scott DeSimone, a Southold attorney, and Scott Latham, a Southold police sergeant.
MATTITUCK-CUTCHOGUE (2 SEATS, 2 CANDIDATES)
Two of the seven seats on the Mattituck-Cutchogue board will be up for grabs in May.
Both incumbents — president Jerry Diffley and vice president Charles Anderson — are running unopposed. Mr. Diffley and Mr. Anderson are from Mattituck.
This summer will mark the 12th year Mr. Anderson has served on the school board. The facilities manager at Suffolk County National Bank in Riverhead worked as a junior high school soccer and basketball coach in the district before joining the board and has two grown sons who graduated from Mattituck High School.
Mr. Diffley has served on the board since 1999.
NEW SUFFOLK (1 SEAT, 1 CANDIDATE)
One seat on New Suffolk’s three-member board is up for re-election.
Tony Dill, an architect and current school board president, was first elected in 2002. He was the only resident to petition for the open seat.
OYSTERPONDS (2 SEATS, 2 CANDIDATES)
Orient residents Janice Caufield and Jeff Demarest are running unopposed in this year’s school board race.
Both incumbents were first elected in 2011 to the seven-member board. Ms. Caufield currently serves as vice president.
Check back to suffolktimes.com as your source for complete budget and school board election coverage.
Greenport Superintendent Mike Comanda announced Tuesday Greenport High School has ranked as one of the best high schools in the nation for the second year in a row. Mr. Comanda is shown here celebrating the 2010 approval of a school renovation bond. (Credit: Tim Kelly, file)
For the second year in a row, Greenport High School has been ranked as one of the best high schools in the nation, according to a new study released this week.
U.S. News & World Report’s 2014 Best High Schools report analyzed more than 19,400 public high schools across the country to find out which ones are successfully educating their student bodies. The rankings were determined by student performance on state proficiency tests and schools were evaluated on how well they prepare students for college-level work. The economics of a district are also a factor.
Greenport’s national ranking is 1,525. Last year, it ranked 2,109 out of 21,035 public high schools.
No other North Fork high school was ranked in the report.
Greenport school board president Heather Wolf said Tuesday she believes the district’s success is from a cumulative effort over five years to increase rigor and improve test scores. The district will also add pre-K classes next year, a program she said will continue to strengthen Greenport’s academic success.
Ms. Wolf added that she’s excited the district has an opportunity to breakout its banner proclaiming the high school’s achievement from last year.
“We’ll add another year with great pleasure,” she said. “The community should be very proud.”
Greenport fifth-grade teacher assistant Jeannie Calderale with students Kelly Torres-Rodriguez, left, and Breanna Shelby. (Credit: Jennifer Gustavson)
Greenport Elementary School fifth-grade teachers Stephanie Pawlik and Stacy Woodhull can hardly imagine conducting a lesson without a Google Chromebook.
For the past five months, all 35 fifth-grade students have used the laptops as part of a pilot program the district implemented.
“Having access to technology throughout the day has made a tremendous difference,” Ms. Pawlik said. “Computers have been a natural tool they reach toward, which is just a fact of their lives.”
Ms. Woodhull said she’s excited to teach her students how to blog about books they’re reading. Ms. Pawlik enjoys teaching students math through counting games like “Sumdog,” which functions like a video game and teaches math with step-by-step help.
[Visit Ms. Pawlik's fifth-grade class website]
[Scroll down for more photos and a student presentation]
Both teachers also use Google Docs for lesson plans. The free software allows students to share their work with classmates and work collaboratively. Teachers also monitor students’ work remotely and offer help in real time through a “chat” function.
Fifth-graders Ella Mazzaferro, 11, and Ava Torres, 10, said they enjoy having Chromebooks because the devices make learning fun.
“I love writing,” Ava said, “and using the Chromebook makes it easier because my hand doesn’t get tired from writing on paper.”
Since the devices are designed to be used while connected to the Internet, the school first reached out to parents to find out if they had Internet access at home. Each family had home Internet, so the district moved forward with the pilot program.
Elementary school principal Joseph Tsaveras said he met with the district’s technology director Ryan Case and technology coordinator Joe Capuano to create the pilot program. Mr. Tsaveras said the Chromebooks are desirable because the laptops function like iPads.
He also said the technology investment is needed in order to prepare students for the future, which is moving more toward reading digital texts and taking notes electronically.
“It’s a different learning way and style than most people are used to,” Mr. Tsaveras said. “It’s the world students are growing up in. Why wouldn’t we give them the opportunity?”
For the 2014-15 school year, the district is planning to purchase enough Chromebooks for fourth and sixth-graders. Students in grades 7-12 will receive iPads, he said.
Southold High School students demonstrating their robotics club’s project, Team RICE 870, at Wednesday night’s school board meeting. (Credit: Jennifer Gustavson)
Southold High School students gave a demonstration at Wednesday night’s school board meeting to show how their robot, Team RICE 870, competed at the annual robotics competition at Hofstra University.
Southold technology teacher Phil Caputo said his students started the project in January and had six weeks to complete it. Although the same kit was provided to each school, students had to create the robot on their own through “trial and error,” he said.
The school board also discussed creating a combined robotics team with Greenport High School, which currently doesn’t offer the program.
Scroll down to see a short video of the demonstration and pick up the May 1 issue of The Suffolk Times for more on this story.
