Issue 4 | Volume 8 | 2015-2016
Perspectives The Principal's N ewsletter A Message from Dr. Woodberry Greetings HS East Community, It?s Fourth Quarter! Our students have been working hard all year to excel in their classes; however, I must emphasize the year is not over yet. With roughly two months and Regents or final exams in some courses, there are still opportunities to make a significant impact on final grades. Students, keep striving for excellence! It has been a great year so far at HS East. This issue highlights some of the meaningful accomplishments of our students in various areas. I am extremely proud of all of them. As you read through the pages, you will see that our students are truly benefiting from their experiences here at East with our remarkable faculty and staff! The Junior class gives us an indication of academic excellence with 145 students being inducted into the National Honor Society. The Class of 2016 also shines here at East and their efforts have been recognized by many of the world?s finest colleges and universities. Remember, whether or not one is accepted to his or her top choice, there is a school out there for everyone. Hopefully, everyone will find the perfect fit. While most are continuing the ?Tradition of Excellence? at High School East, it is imperative that we remind students and parents of our expectations. Soon the weather will change and along with it, some students? attitudes and effort. I encourage students to stay focused academically and finish the year on a good note all around. I urge all of our students to stay involved in positive activities both in and outside of school. Remember: Excellence!
Respect,
Responsibility
and
Sincerely, Dr. J. A. Woodberry, Principal
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Issue 4 | Volume 8 | 2015-2016
Perspect ives - The Principal's Newslet t er Half Hollow Hills High School East
Students Earn Top AP Honors Advanced Placement exams are scored on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest score. The College Board identifies students as ?AP Scholars with Distinction" if they have averages of at least 3.5 on all advanced placement exams they have taken and have received scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. The College Board has honored the following students as AP Scholars with Distinction: Brynn April, Casey Barone, Theresa Bitetto, Matthew D'Alessandro, Matthew Dorfman, Brett Dowler, Karena Etwaru, Daniel Giaime, Shelby Gosset, Cassandra Grello, Sarah Haiken, Jennifer Heiko, Mackenzie Kagan, Bailey Kaston, Chad Katzelnick, Dylan Keane, Edward Li, David Morales, Hannah Myers, Shiv Patil, Drew Quinto, Mashell Rahimzadeh, Jason Reiter, Ravjot Sachdev, Joley Schneider, Cole Siegenfeld, Ethan Udell, Jack Wang, Noor-ul-Huda Waseem, Neha Wasil, and Bradley Weltmann. The following students have achieved the status of ?AP National Scholar? by scoring 4 or better on eight or more AP exams and holding an average of at least 4 on all AP exams taken: Zayan Ahmed, Marc Klinger, Cynthia Pang, and Brian Rhee. Great work and congratulations on your honors!
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Issue 4 | Volume 8 | 2015-2016
Perspect ives - The Principal's Newslet t er Half Hollow Hills High School East
DECA Dominates State Competition Hills East DECA once again dominated the DECA NY State Business Competition in Rochester. The team had six International Qualifiers, and 21 Top 10 medal winners! The team competed against every high school in New York State in a variety of business topics. The International Qualifiers will compete against students from all over the world at the DECA International Competition in April. Int ernat ional Qual if iers
Top 10 Winners in New York St at e
Rachel Gassler Matthew Goetz
Natasha Bajaj - 1st Place Leah Pesso - 1st Place
Samta Abrole
Max Goldberg
Matan Baram
Zachary Homler
Skyler Sands - 1st Place
Nolan Berkenfeld
Bailey Kaston
Casey Goldstein - 2nd Place
Jesse Blatt
Chad Katzelnick
Eric Rothman - 4th Place
Andrew Dholakia
Noah Kaufman
Dahlia Koppell - 5th Place
Benjamin Ferbin
Dylan Keane Dean Schmigelski Brandon Sekler Parker Siegel Matthew Shumer Michael Sivin Jacob Tawil Jack Wang -submitted by Mr. Cappiello
April is Autism Awareness Month! Join the staff and students of High School East as we promote autism awareness, increase autism acceptance, and draw attention to the tens of thousands facing an autism diagnosis each year.
Light It UpBlue! 3
Issue 4 | Volume 8 | 2015-2016
Perspect ives - The Principal's Newslet t er Half Hollow Hills High School East
Mathletes Win Big at Counties Congratulations to our Suffolk County Math League top scorers: Anton Wu (tied for 1st place with an impressive 28 correctly answered questions out of 30), Rinni Bhansali (3rd place), David Morales (7th place), Ray Chang and Raymond Weisbrot (tied for 9th place), and Cory Levin (12th place). These individuals are responsible for our team that placed 2nd in the division and 3rd in the county and will have their accomplishments recognized at the annual awards dinner at the Watermill Inn in Smithtown on Monday, May 23rd. The team consisting of Ryan Li, Cynthia Pang, Paul Levy, Brian Rhee, Miaowen Zeng, and Bailey Kaston placed 5th in the division and 9th in the league. Additionally, Ravjot Sachdev played a key role in the scores of both teams. With a large number of our top scorers returning in September, we're looking forward to see what the next school year brings!
Mathletes Add More Honors Congratulations to the following top scorers in the New York Math League, appearing left to right in the accompanying picture: David Morales, Anton Wu, Ravjot Sachdev, Rinni Bhansali, Raymond Weisbrot, and Cory Levin. These individuals' scores contributed to our school ranking 3rd in Suffolk County and 13th in the state. Rinni Bhansali is also recognized as having the 4th highest score in the state. -submitted by Ms. Suarez
In a League of His Own As a freshman, Cory Levin joined the Chess Team and immediately made an impression. He played his way onto varsity that first year. His team finished 2nd in both the League's regular season and the Championship tournament. In his sophomore year, Cory was placed at first board (the best player) and he led the team to first place in the regular season, and second (just points away from first) in the Championship tournament. Cory finished the regular season undefeated, and was the League and Tournament MVP. Last year, Cory led the team to a second place finish in the regular season, and third at the Championship tournament. This was despite not having 2 out of 5 of our varsity players at the tournament. Cory was undefeated again for the regular season, and was once again the League MVP. This year Cory once again led the team to a first place finish in the League. With 3 Varsity members missing the Championship Tournament, Cory still led the team to a third place finish, and earned both League and Tournament MVP. Cory finished undefeated for every League match... for all four years! It will be very hard to replace Cory now that he is graduating. but he has left his mark on the team, and trained them well. Congratulations, Cory! -submitted by Mr. Del Giudice 4
Issue 4 | Volume 8 | 2015-2016
Perspect ives - The Principal's Newslet t er Half Hollow Hills High School East
4th Graders Explore Digital Art and Photography - 4H Collaboration HHH has partnered with the Heckscher Museum of Art for an annual art and community collaboration. If you add the H from Heckscher to HHH you get 4H! This year HSE recruited Otsego Elementary School?s 4th grade to be a part of the excitement. The project began as a STEAM investigation of the word 'reflection' but became so much more. Mrs. Uttendorfer?s AP 2-D Photography class and Ms. Nelkin?s Media Arts class visited the Heckscher Museum of Art to find inspiration in the work on display in the galleries. While on the trip, one 4th grade class joined the high school students who mentored them on the word reflection and how it is used in art. All students were working independently on reflection projects with their teachers. The 4th graders discovered how reflection can be a part of every subject such as literature, math, science, etc. Ms. Nekin and Mrs. Uttendorfer?s 6th period classes met several times and helped each other with photography and computer skills. Following that, HSE hosted the 4th graders to meet again with their mentors to create reflective art in the darkroom, using scanners and to create a digital kaleidoscope in the computer lab. The elementary students loved coming to the high school and learning three different art mediums. On March 8th, the Museum hosted an exhibition and reception for all of the students involved and their families. This year-long collaboration was a wonderful experience and something we will continue in the future.
Art History Students are "Book Fairies" Matthew Gillam, a 2016 AP Art History students, had the idea to do a book drive in connection with "Cover to Cover," this year's AP Art Installation. Since the 10 year anniversary installation was inspired by books, the meaning of the written word, and the library was the backdrop, it seemed like an excellent way to bring the project to our community. Matthew wanted to involve the Robotics Club and his Team Vega too. Mrs. Miceli, HSE Librarian, contacted Bookfairies, a Long Island-based company that collects new and used books and donates them to local libraries and schools in need. They agreed to pick up the books after we completed the collection. Book deposit bins were placed in the library, Room 541, and the two main offices. Mrs. Uttendorfer also recruited National Art Honor Society members to help bring in books. It was a perfect collaboration and everyone came together for this great cause. In total, we collected over 15 boxes full of books that will change the lives of children on Long Island. 5
Issue 4 | Volume 8 | 2015-2016
Perspect ives - The Principal's Newslet t er Half Hollow Hills High School East
Sydney Levine Marches Into Kidney Disease Awareness Month Suffolk County Legislator Steve Stern welcomed Half Hollow Hills High School East student Sydney Levine to the legislature to help raise awareness of chronic kidney disease, which affects millions of Americans, including Sydney?s younger brother Matthew. Sydney has teamed up with Nephcure to start a campaign called ?MARCHing Into Awareness,? to educate people about kidney disease and help those who are suffering. Legislator Stern has introduced legislation declaring March ?Kidney Disease Awareness Month? in Suffolk County. ?I thank Sydney and her family for their tireless efforts and encourage my neighbors to visit www.nephcure.org to learn more about kidney disease and ways that you can help in the fight for a cure," Legislator Stern said. For 31 days in March, Sydney posted different awareness activities on social media to share with the world the importance of finding a cure. Some posts included: promoting an event she hosted at Orangetheory Fitness in Melville, a 5K she ran, encouragement for college students to raise awareness through Facebook posts, speaking to a renal nurse on Nurse Appreciation Day, delivering gifts to patients who suffer from kidney disease, sharing patient?s stories and struggles with the disease, hosting an event at Ask Alice in Syosset, having celebrities tweet and more. Sydney was also given the honor of ringing the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on March 4th, kicking off Kidney Awareness Month.
Kaston Clenches Art Honor This year, High School East's Bailey Kaston was one of just twelve students from around the Town of Huntington to be honored as a winner of the town's Poetry for the HART teen poetry program. The contest is part of the Town of Huntington's Public Art Initiative, presented in cooperation with Teenspeak and other community agencies. Submitted poems were reviewed by a panel composed of area poets, community youth group leaders, and representatives of the Town's Public Art Advisory Committee. The winning poems are displayed on 11x24" placards in the interior advertising spaces of buses in the Town's HART (Huntington Area Rapid Transit) system for a minimum of one year. - submitted by Mr. Beatty 6
Issue 4 | Volume 8 | 2015-2016
Perspect ives - The Principal's Newslet t er Half Hollow Hills High School East
Crafts for a Cause On Friday March 18th, Social Studies classes went to the East Gym to create pinwheels as part of the Students Rebuild Campaign to support the International Refugee Organization and its Healing Classrooms Program which is helping Syrian Refugee Children. Last year the school took part in a similar service learning project: each class (and all students K ? 12) made bookmarks that resulted in approximately $16,000 worth of HHH donations to the World Literacy campaign! The Bezos Foundation has backed the efforts of students around the world to show their concern for global issues. Each pinwheel our students created earned a $2.50 donation to refugee programs. Classes visited the East Gym for approximately 15 minutes. Just five of those minutes were used to show students how to design the pinwheels. The remaining 10 minutes was a competition as to how many pinwheels a class can make in the designated 10 minutes. Students from Amnesty International Club, AP Human Geography, and the National Art Honor Society timed each group individually. Rewards were distributed to the classes that made the most pinwheels each period the following Monday. The gym was filled with information and powerful images on global refugee crises. Students also watched a brief video in their classes. This video helped strengthen the connection between service and learning. It is not often that students have the opportunity to do something so simple that will produce a significant impact. - submitted by Ms. Lupinskie
Trivia Teams Take In Thousands The students of Half Hollow Hills High School East came together on February 26, 2016 to raise money for a great cause, United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Suffolk. This contest, organized by Ms. Lykos, with the help of Ms. Constantinou and Mr. Goldman, was a major success. On that Friday afternoon, around 150 students participated in a Trivia Challenge, racking their brains over facts about social studies, sports, and many other categories. The students formed teams of up to 4 members, and each member donated $15 to the cause, along with completing an hour-long test made up of 100 questions. It was a wonderful time with the students, challenging them in ways very different from those of a usual school day. These students competed, worked with friends, ate candy, and helped a great cause. Students also had their eyes on the grand-prize: a $100 award for the entire team. This year's winning team was juniors Justin Lee, Paul Levy, Adarsh Rajeev, and Dillon Studdert. However, the greatest victory of the afternoon was raising $2,820 for charity. This money will strengthen residential programs at this charity and enable UCPGS to provide vital health care and therapeutic services to individuals with disabilities. ?It was great to have fun while also supporting such an amazing cause. It also tested my knowledge in a wide range of areas, so it was entertaining to see how much I knew,? said Michael Weisman. -submitted by Ms. Lykos 7
Issue 4 | Volume 8 | 2015-2016
Perspect ives - The Principal's Newslet t er Half Hollow Hills High School East
Strong Showing at State Science Meet The Hills East Science Olympiad team placed 11th in a field of 54 teams at the Olympiads State Tournament. The dominant outing was capped off by a 1st place win for Rinni Bhansali and Cynthia Pang. Rinni Bhansali Joshua Feig: Daniel Giaime
Cassandra Grello Jiachen Lee David Morales Cynthia Pang
Ravjot Sachdev
8th - Hydrogeology 10th - Geologic Mapping 10th - Green Generation Hyunsu Shin 8th - Hydrogeology Michael Wolf-Sonkin 5th - Robot Arm 6th - Electric Vehicle Nathan Wolf-Sonkin 5th - Robot Arm 6th - Electric Vehicle Anton Wu 2nd - Astronomy 8th - It?s About Time - submitted by Mr. Page
1st - Disease Detectives 8th - Experimental Design 10th - Green Generation 5th - Game On 8th - It?s About Time 8th - Experimental Design 8th - Experimental Design 10th - Geomapping 5th - Game On 1st - Disease Detectives 2nd - Astronomy
Spiking Childhood Cancers The High School East Interact Club hosted a volleyball tournament to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The event was open to the entire student body, and participants formed their own teams. Numerous groups even created team names and coordinated outfits. The event raised over $500! - submitted by Ms. Zarkadas
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Issue 4 | Volume 8 | 2015-2016
Perspect ives - The Principal's Newslet t er Half Hollow Hills High School East
Spring Sports Are Off to a Hot Start in Cold Weather The Spring season is up and running here at HSE, and all Thunderbird teams are looking forward to making playoff runs as the season progresses. The Girls and Boys Badminton teams have both started the season 5-0 and will be heavy favorites to bring home another pair of Suffolk County championships. The Boys Lacrosse team is 6-1 and are among the best teams on Long Island with their only loss to one of the nation?s best teams in Smithtown East. Girls Lacrosse is 5-2 and have outscored their opponents 62-35 in their five wins. Baseball has started hot, and the team is sitting in first place with a 7-1 record following two sweeps over Riverhead and Copiague. Girls Golf opened the season with a win against Northport. Softball has played a competitive schedule highlighted by a 10-0 win over Central Islip. They are 4-4 in league play. Boys Tennis has opened the season with an 8-0 record and, as always, will be in the mix for Suffolk County and Long Island championships. Girls Track has beaten Copiague, Walt Whitman and Riverhead on their way to a 3-1 record. Finally, Boys Track won their season opener against Copiague in convincing fashion 83-58 and hold a 2-2 record.
Winter Post-Season Report The HSE Thunderbirds closed out the Winter Season with some impressive individual performances. Gymnast Nicole Jackson won the state championship on the vault at the NYS Gymnastic Championships. Philip Spadafora returned to the NYS Wrestling Championships and place 6th in the 132 pound weight class. Mary Chimezie defended her Long Island Championship in the 300m to qualify for the state championships where she placed 2nd in the state. In swimming, Alexander Park captured his second straight NYS championship in the 200 yard individual medley.
- submitted by Mr. Kindelmann
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Issue 4 | Volume 8 | 2015-2016
Perspect ives - The Principal's Newslet t er Half Hollow Hills High School East
Emily Altchiler Swimming ? Ithaca College
Griffin Arcuri Track and Field ? SUNY at Oneonta
Si gni ng Day A pri l 13, 2016 Alexa M. Califano Softball ? Roger Williams University
Anthony Diasparra Football - Hartwick College
Brian Dice Football ? Misericordia University 10
Issue 4 | Volume 8 | 2015-2016
Perspect ives - The Principal's Newslet t er Half Hollow Hills High School East
Seth Garvin Football ? Sacred Heart University
Gabriella Fielding Softball ? St. Joseph?s College-Brooklyn
Amanda Lentz Soccer - Long Island University
Julia Stewart Volleyball ? Merrimack College
Christopher Ramaizel Lacrosse ? Misericordia University 11
Issue 4 | Volume 8 | 2015-2016
Perspect ives - The Principal's Newslet t er Half Hollow Hills High School East
Congratulations to High School East seniors Mackenzie Kagan and Ethan Udell! Their science projects have advanced to the International Sustainable World Energy, Engineering, Environment Project Olympiad in Houston, TX.
Congratulations to Tali Atias and Steven Estes on being named February's Students of the Month!
As a result of a strong performance on the American Math Contest Anton Wu, Cory Levin, Rinni Bhansali qualified for the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME) contest.
Jade Long, Jared Bank, Raymond Weisbrot, Brandon Baraban (not pictured), and David Morales were top scorers in this year?s Suffolk County Math Contest.
Hills East is proud of its Science Research students who medaled at the Long Island Science and Engineering Fair: Karena Etwaru, Mackenzie Kagan, Edward Li, Brian Rhee, and Ethan Udell.
Congratulations to Rachael Newman and James Funk on being selected as March's Students of the Month!
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