Perspectives2

The Principal’s Newsletter December 19, 2014

Volume VII, Issue II

A Message From Dr. Woodberry Hello High School East Community,

Principal’s Message.....Page 1

The beginning of this year has been like no other for us here at High School East. Outside incidents beyond our control have been testing the strength of our students, staff and the community. I can confidently say that we are growing from the experiences. We will continue to explore ways to improve everything that we do here at our school.

Despite the circumstances, the tradition of excellence continues at High School East! As you will read in this edition, we have had a significant number of accomplishments in academics, athletics and extracurricular activities. The majority of our students are on either High Honor Roll or Honor Roll. As in the past, a number of our seniors have already secured admission to some of the finest institutions in the nation. During this cold winter season our students showed school and holiday spirit in various ways including cheering at the winter sports pep rally, putting on a holiday show for the James E. Allen Alternative School and engaging in numerous community service activities. We witnessed two fantastic winter concerts. The winter sports teams are also making their presence felt around the area. We take great pride in all that the students do to maintain the image of High School East!

The High School East staff is working hard as always to ensure that our students receive high quality instruction. We have continued with staff development to strengthen our knowledge of key skills that students need to be competitive in today’s world. Our work is translating into unique, authentic, meaningful and enjoyable learning experiences for our students.

Peer Alliance................Page 2 Safe Halloween............Page 3 “The Arts” News.....Pages 4-5 PTA Reflections............Page 5 Virtual Business...........Page 6 H&R Challenge...........Page 6 Exploring Teaching.....Page 7 Senior Experience.......Page 8 Tennis Champion.........Page 9 Coach Award................Page 9 Swimming America....Page 10

I wish everyone a happy, healthy holiday season!

Remember Respect, Responsibility and Excellence in all you do!

Dr. J. A. Woodberry Principal

Page 1

Perspectives: The Principal’s Newsletter

Volume VII, Issue II

Hills East Students Help Build a Wall of Support

On Wednesday, November 19th, the Hills East Peer Ambassadors sponsored the school’s fourth annual Peer Alliance Day. The Peer Ambassadors are a group of students that were nominated by faculty to help create a school culture unwilling to tolerate bullying of any kind. The program is organized by Mr. Miracolo, Dr. Nickel, Mr. Hinchman, and Mr. Murphy with the help and support of our school social worker, Ms. Gallo.

Throughout the day the ambassadors were working a table where fellow Hills East students and staff were asked to come and sign the Wall of Support. By signing the wall, students pledged to help create a positive and safe environment for all students to grow and learn without the fear of being bullied. Blue lollipops were given out to each student who signed the wall as a token of appreciation for commitment to such a worthy cause. By the end of the day the students had handed out over 1900 lollipops. The lollipops were donated by Reach CYA who has been a loyal sponsor of this program since its inception. Thank you to all those faculty and staff who helped throughout the day. The Peer Ambassadors and our team would like to give a special thanks to Mrs. Norris and her art classes who helped create our Wall of Support. Keep an eye out for the wall which will be displayed above the stairway by the main office in the near future. With the commitment of the students, faculty, and staff here at Hills East we can all continue to make a difference.

- Article submitted by Mr. Dennis Murphy

#PeerAllianceDay2014

Page 2

Perspectives: The Principal’s Newsletter

Volume VII, Issue II

SAFE HALLOWEEN 2014

A Fun Filled Night For All

On October 31st, student organizations once again came together for another successful Safe Halloween here at High School East.

The annual event brought in many of the young children of our community to enjoy candy, shows, and fun games. Many High School East extracurricular clubs and activity groups excitedly greeted young super heros, princesses, clowns, and Disney characters in the hallways. The night’s largest attraction was our own Haunted House, created by the wonderful students of the Art Club and National Art Honor Society. A special thanks to the following clubs, advisors, and extra-curricular activities, for making the night a great success: Robotics Club, Film Club, Thunder Brains, Key Club, Expressive Movement Crew, Kickline (Dixettes), Future Business Leaders of America, Business Honor Society, Future Educators Club, Indian American Society, National Honor Society, Asian Club, Amnesty International, Law Team, DECA, Model UN, Thespian Society, Italian Club, Peer Aids Educators, Speech and Debate Team, French Culture Club, African American Student Organization, Architecture Club, Fashion Club, Tri-M Honor Society, Students Against Distructive Decisions, Interact, National Art Honor Society, and Art Club

Page 3

Perspectives: The Principal’s Newsletter

“THE ARTS” NEWS

Volume VII, Issue II

Staying Warm with the H.S.E. Fashion Club

The Fashion Club worked together to create ten fleece tied blankets for The Bethany House, a local shelter that helps homeless women and children. Fashion club members measured, cut and tied two pieces of fleece fabric together to create warm and cozy blankets. The blankets are bright with images of frogs and flowers for both boys and girls to enjoy. Club officers, Kelli Jablon, Fizzah Munawar, Nicole Tubman and Rebecca DeBiase organized and managed the project, helping the groups to succeed at their goals of cutting rows of 3” x 1 1/2” tabs. A few club members, Rachel Kang, Ashlee Hubbard, Francesca Cortese, Halle Nahoum, Madalina Borkan, Sabrina Goldman, Mary Bekheet, & Amman Malik really stood out during this process and worked to make sure that their tied knots were perfect and even helped to complete several unfinished blankets. Ilana Sherman said that “Being able to help other women and children has been a wonderful opportunity” and Halle Nahoum felt that “The best thing about making the blankets was knowing they are going to a good cause”.

The girls were surprised when they received recognition from Senator John Flanagan, thanking them for their selfless act of kindness, stating that they have “distinguished themselves as young ladies of action and compassion”. Bethany house director Heidi Seeling also reached out to let the girls know how thoughtful and appreciative the children at the Bethany House will be when they receive their blankets. She said that the handmade blankets are extra special and will bring a sense of comfort to the children in a time of uncertainty calling it “a double blessing”. I am so proud of their efforts and dedication for this community service project. Making the blankets helped to bring the girls together as a group and to establish a club environment where we use our gifts to help others in need.

- Article submitted by Ms. Marianne Mead

N.A.H.S. Visits West Hollow

High School East’s chapter of the National Art Honor Society recently visited West Hollow Middle School to collaborate on an art project. Each year, Mrs. Uttendorfer’s AP Art History class at HSE creates a building wide ‘art installation’ to raise awareness of art and this year the class wanted to share the inspiration video with Mrs. Roberts’ and Mrs. Brosnan’s 8th grade Studio Art classes. Dove’s Real Beauty campaign is the inspirational video behind the 2015 installation Mirror, Mirror. Students watched the video, discussed its meaning and collaborated on creating hand-cut mirrored frames to be included as part of the project. Middle School students will be visiting HSE in January as part of Art Day and they will get to see their artistic contribution on display.

- Article submitted by Ms. Allyson Uttendorfer

Page 4

Volume VII, Issue II

Perspectives: The Principal’s Newsletter

Fall Drama a Huge Success

On November 14th and 15th, the Hills East Players put on an excellent performance of, Is He Dead? Written by Mark Twain in 1898, the play was lost until 2003 when Shelley Fisher Fishkin found the manuscript in the archives of the Mark Twain Papers at the University of California at Berkeley. Is He Dead? follows a fictional version of the great French painter Jean-Francois Millet (Michael Worshoufsky) as he fakes his own death in order to increase the value of his works. Along the way, he’s helped by his friends Chicago (Brandon Kaplan), Dutchy (Nicholas Farrauto), and O’Shaughnessy (Aidan Mallon).

Also featured are Millet’s girlfriend Marie Leroux (Katherine Thompson) and Chicago’s on-and-off lover Cecile Leroux (Elizabeth Thompson). Combining elements of burlesque, farce, and social satire, the comedy relies on such devices as cross-dressing, mistaken identities, and romantic deceptions to tell its story, which raises questions about fame, greed, and the value of art.

Congratulations to the cast and crew. As always, it was a production to remember.

- Article submitted by Brandon Kaplan

2014 PTA Reflections Winners This year, High School East had six winners from the annual PTA Reflections Contest!

VISUAL ARTS Nicole Frieder Emily Rosenberg PHOTOGRAPHY Hayley Cohen Christopher Weller (not pictured) LITERATURE Avi Anand Sophia Lettieri

Congratulations to all!

Page 5

Perspectives: The Principal’s Newsletter

Volume VII, Issue II

H.S.E. Business Students Sweep the State Students in Mr. Cappiello’s College Marketing class recently competed in a Virtual Business Challenge through www.knowledgematters.com, where competitors have to run a virtual restaurant for a simulated full year period. Students had the ability to control pricing, promotions, menus, staffing, etc, and used knowledge from classroom lessons to make the restaurant a success.

Thousands of students from across the country participated in this challenge. Five teams from Hills East finished in the Top 10 in New York State!

4th Place in NYS (26th place in the COUNTRY) Matthew Tisch Lee Hochheiser 5th Place in NYS Matthew Taylor Zachary Franco Joseph Valla

6th Place in NYS Nolan Berkenfeld Chad Katzelnick

8th Place in NYS Hunter Berman Noah Kaufman Nicholas DiPietro

10th Place in NYS Samuel Ferbin Jake Gross Nabil Zakir

H&R Block Budget Challenge a Success

Recently, Hills East students participated in the H&R Block Budget Challenge. During this event, Mrs. Cappiello’s and Mrs. Southard’s classes learned and practiced many real-world money management skills such as paying bills, managing expenses, saving money, investing for retirement, and more. As part of the simulation the students also had to learn how to balance accounts and maximize tax-deferred savings, while maintaining enough money in a checking account to pay for bills. In this game, like in real life, timing is at the heart of putting all of these skills together in real time to balance your budget and save for the future.

The Top 3 students in the class were: Michael Tsoi Wesley Chin Albert Milano

Page 6

Perspectives: The Principal’s Newsletter

Volume VII, Issue II

Exploring Teaching Class Talks Special Education

The Exploring Teaching class at High School East taught by Mrs. Nolan is a class designed for students who may be interested in going into the field of education. A variety of topics are covered which expose students to the many different aspects of teaching including lesson planning, multiple intelligences, classroom management techniques, and professional responsibilities. Another topic covered is special education and how it applies to all teachers in today’s schools.

This fall, students were very lucky to have three wonderful guest speakers to help explain the realities of working with special education students. Mrs. Guarriello, the special education teacher in charge of the IPC classroom at High School East, spoke to students about working with children with autism. She introduced the class to some of her students and provided the class with a wealth of information about Autism. Ms. Zarkadas, a speech therapist who works with the IPC students, also spoke to the class about communication devices for non-verbal students and passed around the different devices and ipad applications for the class to see. One of the most memorable messages of the presentation was that all kids with Autism are not the same, Mrs. Guarriello told students “if you know one person with Autism, you know one person with Autism”. The following day after the presentation, the Exploring Teaching class visited the IPC classroom and learned all about the daily activities of students and the close relationship between the teachers, staff and students. After hearing all about Autism and visiting the classroom, the Exploring Teaching students were still eager to learn more. With the help of Mrs. Guarriello, each week students in the Exploring Teaching class attend trips to Home Depot, Walmart or Stop and Shop with the IPC students, where the autistic students learn how to do jobs within the community. These experiences are wonderful opportunities for these “future teachers” to learn about the real world of teaching special education.

In addition to learning specifically about Autism, Mrs.Melfi, the Coordinator of High School Special Education, spoke to the class about the guidelines of working with special education students and stressed that the accommodations students receive give these students a level playing field with other students.

Mrs. Melfi also led the class in activities which gave them insight into what learning disabled students may experience. Mrs. Melfi’s knowledge about special education services, IEP’s and student accommodations was extremely appreciated. In the next month, Exploring Teaching students will be shadowing teachers at the middle school level, creating their own full period lessons and learning about the newest trends in education.

- Article submitted by Ms. Jessica Nolan

Page 7

Perspectives: The Principal’s Newsletter

Volume VII, Issue II

THE SENIOR EXPERIENCE CORNER

Written for the students, by the students...

On Wednesday, November 5th, the Senior Experience class went on a field trip to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. We were able to see first hand what thousands of immigrants experienced as they entered New York Harbor and became Americans.

Our first visit was to the Statue of Liberty. The Statue of Liberty is a large copper statue on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, depicting a woman holding a burning torch, designed by F. A. Bartholdi and presented to the U.S. by France in 1886. Not only did we see the Statue of Liberty, but we were allowed to go to the top of the pedestal, which was a first for everyone. The views of New York harbor and the Manhattan skyline were breathtaking, and students took many wonderful pictures that will serve as great memories in the future. The students learned about the history of the statue and how it was financed and constructed. At the museum exhibit, students were able to touch replicas of Lady Liberty’s face and foot. The replicas and the models were a good way of learning and experiencing the statue in a more hands-on way. It was neat seeing pictures of both the building process and the statue when it was first completed.

We headed to Ellis Island next. Ellis Island is an island in the upper New York Bay, a former U.S. immigrant examination station. We learned that when immigrants first came to Ellis Island, there were chalk markings that were drawn on their coats to reflect their medical status. Immigrants marked with an ‘X’ could be detained for having mental defects after only a cursory examination. Simple language barriers sometimes even lead medical examiners to label someone as having a mental defect. One exhibit told the story of an immigrant helping another by turning her coat inside out. Another exhibit taught us about the pogroms in Russia, showcasing the number of individuals and families that were affected by financial loss, violence, and even murder. We learned that pogroms were organized massacres of people, especially those of Jewish decent.

Overall the trip was educational and fun. On the bus ride back to school, our class was exited about where we were going to go next. We can’t wait for our next field trip!

- Written by Rachel Gerson

High School East’s Senior Experience class held a food festival in the cafeteria, November 23rd. Class members prepared dishes representing their ethnic heritages. The event was the culmination of the “Immigration: Then and Now” unit. Staff and faculty attended, as well as some friends of Senior Experience students. The students did a wonderful job presenting the story of their dish and explaining the cultural heritage behind it. They prepared foods ranging from Jamaican beef patties and Brazilian chocolates, to Irish soda bread and flan. The food was delicious and everyone enjoyed the good company and music.

The festival was held the day before Thanksgiving, making it a great opportunity for reflection. At the end of the party, The Senior Experience students took turns saying things they were thankful for while gathered at a banquet table.

In the end, the day was a great success. Students learned about immigration through food and came together as a family. Most importantly, everyone had a lot of fun.

- Written by Edward Calvet

Page 8

Perspectives: The Principal’s Newsletter

Volume VII, Issue II

New York State Tennis Champion We are proud to announce that one of our own, Ester Chikvashvili is the New York State Girls Tennis Singles Champion. Ester competed in not only the Suffolk county playoffs, but also in the prestigious New York State tournament held in Albany.

While there, Ester swept through the single elimination tournament, defeating five top-level components from across the State to bring home the title. Congratulations to Ester, on all that she has accomplished!

Football Honors

This Fall, the New York Giants selected Mr. Mike Maratto as “The Lou Rettino High School Football Coach of the Week” presented by Chase Bank. This season, coach Maratto and the Thunderbirds advanced to the playoffs for the first time in twenty years this season, when they defeated the West Babylon Eagles 40-0.

In recognition of Coach Maratto’s success and commitment, he received a certificate of recognition signed

by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin, as well as a $1,000 check for the Thunderbirds football program. The Lou Rettino High School Football Coach of the Week Award is part of the Giants’ continuing effort to promote youth football. The Giants elected to name the award in memory of former Union High School coach, Lou Rettino, for his commitment to the game of football, his community, and the betterment of his athletes’ lives.

Coach Maratto began his coaching career in 1999 at Huntington before becoming the defensive coordinator there in 2002. He became the Junior Varsity head coach in 2004 at John Glenn High School.

In 2006, he moved on to St. Anthony’s High School where he was the Junior Varsity offensive coordinator until becoming the offensive coordinator at Sachem North High School in 2006. Coach Maratto took the head coach position at Half Hollow Hills High School

Page 9

Perspectives: The Principal’s Newsletter

Volume VII, Issue II

H.S.E. Student “Swims Across America”

Half Hollow Hills High School East 50 Vanderbilt Parkway Dix Hills, NY 11746 Principal’s Newsletter Volume VII, Issue II Produced by: Mr. Ben Wiley Assistant Principal High School East bwiley@hhh.k12.ny.us Phone: 631.592.3115 Fax: 631.592.3454

Kelly Lennon, a tenth grade student here at High School East, has been swimming competitively for eight years. She is a competitive swimmer on both the Half Hollow Hills team, as well as Team Suffolk. This Fall, Kelly has taken her work ethic outside the pool, and raised money for Cancer research through the Swim Across America program. Personally, Kelly has raised over $40,000 the past four years, helping her team raise $53,000 this year alone. Kelly’s philanthropic endeavors stem from losing a friend’s mother to Breast Cancer and seeing another family member’s strength as she battles the same illness.

We are all very proud of Kelly here at High School East, and want to congratulate her on a job well done for an amazing cause. Keep up the great work!

Interested in submitting an article to Perspectives?

Want to share wonderful news about High School East?

Go to the High School East website, click on the Newsletter Tab found in the left column, and follow the link to submit.

You can also email Mr. Wiley directly.

All prospective articles and ideas will be reviewed, but not all submissions will be published.

Page 10