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A unique aspect of the whale is that the public will be able to step inside to view its internal organs. Photo courtesy of the Whaling Museum

The Whaling Museum & Education Center of Cold Spring Harbor has  announced the new fabrication and acquisition of a life-size inflatable whale, which will travel to locations across Long Island in a new “Whale on Wheels” educational program. 

This will be the only whale of its kind in the state of New York and will serve as a crucial educational tool to address the needs of children from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in the museum’s traveling programs.

Photo courtesy of The Whaling Museum

The inflatable whale is a 45-foot Sperm Whale. A unique aspect of the whale is that the public will be able to step inside to view its internal organs. The inflatable is a custom piece fabricated by the company Landmark Creations in Minnesota, and will use pressurized air with a blower. The whale’s design was modeled utilizing multiple sperm whale images.

Museum educators will use the whale to bring the sperm whale’s story, history, and biology to life. Sperm whales are the largest of the toothed whales, and are found in all deep oceans worldwide. With their massive, square-shaped heads, adult males can weigh 90,000 to 100,000 pounds, which is more than 700 people combined. From the height of Yankee whaling in the 19th century through the 1970’s, sperm whales were heavily targeted by American and international whalers, pushing the whale to the brink of extinction. An international ban on whaling went into effect in 1987.

Today, sperm whale populations are still slow to recover, and are currently listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Sperm whales are threatened by vessel strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, marine debris ingestion, and other threats from human impacts on the ocean environment. 

Similar to real whales, the inflatable whale is designed with realistic scars on its body, such as propeller scars on its tail, to help demonstrate the pressures whales face today.

Main support for this project comes from a $16,050 grant from The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation, which primarily supports the study of Long Island history and its role in the American experience. Robert D. L. Gardiner was the 16th Lord of the Manor of Gardiner’s Island until his death in 2004. The Foundation is inspired by Gardiner’s personal passion for New York history.

“We are very thankful to the Gardiner Foundation for partnering with our Museum to enable our education team to provide schools and libraries with the greatest teaching tool of all — a traveling life-size whale,” noted Nomi Dayan, Executive Director of the museum.

Additional funding for this project comes from an Innovation Grant awarded from the Long Island Library Resources Council, which supports unique and new projects in cultural institutions in the region.

The whale will arrive at the museum at the end of November, and the museum plans to introduce the whale to the public in Spring 2025. 

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Photo courtesy of Councilwoman Bonner's office

On Monday November 18, Councilwoman Jane Bonner (back row, right) visited the Joseph A. Edgar Intermediate School in Rocky Point for the dedication of the Peace Pole, a handcrafted monument that symbolizes peace and the hopes of humanity: The message “May Peace Prevail on Earth” is written in multiple languages on the four sides of the pole. Pictured with Councilwoman Bonner are community members, Joseph A. Edgar Intermediate School academic leaders, school district officials, students and the Peace Pole committee.

Peace poles originated in Japan after World War II and can be found today in many prominent places, including the United Nations, the Pentagon, and the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands. Peace poles are intended to serve as reminders to think, speak, and act in a spirit of peace and harmony in the community.

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Courtesy Syntax
Courtesy Syntax
Courtesy Syntax
Courtesy Syntax

Students in kindergarten through second grade at Shoreham-Wading River’s Miller Avenue School participated in an engaging activity that introduced them to computer science as they collaborated to code Indi robot vehicles.

Working in the school library with Eastern Suffolk BOCES Model Schools coach Carrie McGuire and library media specialist Brittany LaValle, the imaginative play-based learning experience empowered students to brainstorm ways to build their own mazes while enhancing computational thinking skills.

“Educationally, I witnessed the highest levels of student engagement in problem-solving as they learned sequential programming through a fun activity,” said Dr. Joe Paolicelli, Shoreham-Wading River’s director of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

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Board of Education meetings are typically held at William J. Brosnan School. Photo credit GoogleMaps

By Peter Sloniewsky

The Northport-East Northport Union Free School District Board of Education met Nov. 7 at the William J. Brosnan Building to outline goals and review new proposals aimed at enriching student life and academic pathways.

Opening the public session, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Dana Boshnack introduced a series of new course proposals designed to expand student opportunities. Among these were four career/technical education pathways: animation, photography, video/digital film and digital art. She also proposed an advanced engineering “capstone” course for seniors developed in partnership with Project Lead the Way and Rochester Institute of Technology. New social studies options including Humanity in Crisis and Modern Media Savvy aim to address global issues and media literacy skills essential in today’s world.

Following the course proposals, Boshnack and Assistant Superintendent for Special Education and Student Support Services Louis Bonadonna provided a “comprehensive review” of student performance and improvement strategies. They outlined a framework for setting board priorities based on student success indicators and announced teams dedicated to supporting school improvement efforts. Their analysis included math and reading benchmarks tracked by the iReady program, state-standardized testing data for grades 3-8 and New York State Regents Exams. Collectively, the data confirmed that the district is effectively meeting state performance standards.

To conclude the meeting, the board addressed a state regionalization proposal. In New York, regionalization promotes collaboration among local superintendents to identify district strengths and needs with the goal of establishing advocacy priorities for state aid. This approach encourages resource sharing among districts, especially in areas with limited access to educational funding.

The Northport-East Northport BOE will meet again Nov. 21 at 6 p.m. with a public comment period at 7 p.m. at the William J. Brosnan Building.

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Elwood-John H. Glenn High School sophomores and Social Justice Ambassadors Kasey Alfaro Contreras and Christine Felix.

Elwood-John H. Glenn High School sophomores and Social Justice Ambassadors Kasey Alfaro Contreras and Christine Felix were honored at the Huntington Human Services Institute and Town of Huntington’s 19th annual Women’s Award Ceremony Breakfast and Networking Day, held at the town’s Flanagan Center Gym on Oct. 29. 

These two exceptional and service-oriented Elwood students were among just five high schoolers in the town of Huntington to receive this proclamation and a $250 scholarship award presented by the Huntington Human Services Institute, recognizing their contributions to their schools or communities through the Social Justice Ambassadors program.

Photos courtesy of Elwood School District

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Selden Middle School student, Jeanlee Marcano Robles
Newfield High School student, Diya John
Dawnwood Middle School student, Adam Khazanovich
Centereach High School student, Alexa Carmody

The Middle Country Central School District is proud to announce its Students of the Month for October: Jeanlee Marcano Robles from Selden Middle School, Adam Khazanovich from Dawnwood Middle School, Diya John from Newfield High School, and Alexa Carmody from Centereach High School. These remarkable students have demonstrated exceptional academic achievements, leadership skills, and commitment to their school communities.

Jeanlee is celebrated by her teachers for her respectful and polite demeanor. Despite balancing a busy schedule filled with sports and extracurricular activities, she remains dedicated to her studies, consistently earning honor roll status. Throughout her middle school career, Jeanlee has maintained excellent grades, and achieved honor roll recognition in six of her first eight quarters. She is well on her way to continuing this success in her eighth-grade year.

A vibrant and energetic presence in the classroom, Adam has been a member of the Board Game Club for three years and currently serves as its president. With an impressive overall average of 98.8 in his previous grades and a 99.7 for the first quarter of this year, Adam’s academic excellence is matched by his involvement in multiple activities, including the 8th-grade orchestra, soccer, and various music lessons. Adam aspires to be a doctor or lawyer and dreams of giving tours in Iceland after a recent visit that he found truly spectacular.

Diya is an exceptional student, currently holding the top position in her class with a 103.1 weighted GPA. By the end of this school year, she will have completed 17 advanced placement and college-level classes, potentially graduating with over 50 college credits. Outside the classroom, Diya actively participates in various clubs and community service initiatives, including the National Honor Society, Mock Trial Team, and youth volunteer work with the American Red Cross. She plans to major in psychology, aspiring to become a psychiatrist and follow in her mother’s footsteps in the mental health field.An academically outstanding student, Alexa is set to graduate having taken five AP courses and six additional college courses. She serves as president of the National Honor Society, leading initiatives that benefit the community. In addition to her academic achievements, Alexa has excelled in athletics as captain of the basketball team and showcases her musical talent as a member of the Select Vocal Ensemble. She is currently exploring colleges with a focus on forensic psychology and pre-law.

For more information regarding the Middle Country Central School District and its students’ many achievements, please visit the District’s website: https://www.mccsd.net/.

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Ward Melville High School. File photo

By Mallie Jane Kim

Three Village Central School District is weighing options for enhanced security in the wake of an incident where a student accidentally brought a parent’s law enforcement gun into a classroom at Ward Melville High School Oct. 10. 

The student immediately surrendered the weapon, and a subsequent investigation found there had been no threat, but many parents were disconcerted that a gun could enter the school so easily.

Some parents see armed guards as the solution, and several have publicly advocated for immediate implementation through public comments at board meetings and through a new Facebook group on the matter, which currently has about 200 members.

“Inaction on this issue is negligence,” parent Michael Corbisiero told the school board at a Nov. 6 meeting. Corbisiero, who identified himself as a retired chief of police and U.S. Navy veteran, pointed out that some neighboring school districts, for example, Smithtown Central School District and Miller Place Union Free School District, have voted to include armed guards in their security protocols, and he expressed frustration that he hadn’t seen the board make any changes over the month since the incident.

“I see no armed guards, I see no security upgrades, I see no additional staff,” Corbisiero said. “I see nothing different.”

According to Jack Blaum, the district’s safety and security coordinator, who provided an update at the board meeting, not all security upgrades will be visible to the public. Blaum touted an AI weapons detection technology that would integrate with existing security cameras as a best first step and said the district is close to choosing one. Implementing the technology would take about a month, he said.

Any security solution needs to be part of a robust system, according to Blaum, even the AI technology he prefers. “It’s one tool of many tools that we need to put in place,” Blaum said. “Nothing is the end-all.”

Blaum said he does not support metal detectors since, in his view, the usefulness of those systems does not outweigh the logistical hurdles or the impact on students’ sense of well-being walking through them every day.

“It creates an anxious society for us,” Blaum said. “The goal of the projects and surveys I’m working on currently is to strike that balance between weapon detection and creating a safe environment here.” 

Placing armed security guards in schools has been a fraught issue across the nation, with some parents concerned about creating an atmosphere of fear as well as the potential for accidents or misuse. Others support the idea as a quicker way to stop would-be school shooters.

If Three Village opted to implement an armed security guard program, Blaum would prefer arming existing employees who are familiar with the buildings and the students, as opposed to contracting with an outside vendor. 

“If we determine there’s somebody with a weapon outside room 220 at Ward Melville, our people are going to know that,” Blaum said. “Arriving police? They’re not going to be that familiar with it. Vendors? Not that familiar with it.”

Vice President Karen Roughley emphasized that even in districts where armed guards or metal detectors are voted in, implementation doesn’t happen overnight — and she added that the board is charged with considering viewpoints from all stakeholders before making a policy change like this.

“Everything is on the table for discussion and how we do it, but it needs to be done right,” Roughley said. “Not fast — right.”

The next BOE meeting will be held on Dec. 11, at 7 p.m. 

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Photos courtesy Miller Place UFSD

By Katherine Kelton

The Miller Place Union Free School District Board of Education met on Oct. 30 and discussed the many approved constructions of the schools, ranging from elementary to high school. They also addressed school changes following a threat against the high school. 

Superintendent Seth Lipshie shared safety plans for the school district, including using explosion detection canine searches at the high school and North Country Road Middle School. The searches will be unannounced.

Additionally, the district has employed armed guards at stations outside of each school. To enter any building, a person must have administrative permission and identification. 

All staff will complete two tutorials: School Safety for New York and Student Mental Health. During the year, each school will have four lockdown drills. 

For the Be Heard portion of the meeting, three concerned parents spoke about the threat against the school a week before the meeting, yet parents were not notified for days following. One parent said, “There’s really no excuse, in my opinion, for the fact that we were not notified last week.”

Another parent proposed that a committee review the Code of Conduct, including the word “threat,” as a violation against the school. She also wanted to develop a crisis management plan. 

President Lisa Reitan also addressed a Be Heard from the last meeting, where a parent spoke about the summer assignments for AP and Honors classes. Reitan stated, “The district is compiling data about assigning summer projects for AP and Honors classes.” Many other high schools around Long Island, including Ward Melville, have been doing away with summer assignments due to parental complaints. 

Trustee John Galligan attended the New York State Department of Education online meeting where regionalization was introduced. The department hopes to incentivize interdistrict cooperation over sharing education resources, such as the BOCES  program. Although BOCES is already a shared resource for many Long Island schools, regionalization would provide subsidies for such schools.

Regionalization plans are to be created every five years. The first draft of the school planning process was due Nov. 1 and will be implemented in the 2026-2027 school year. The Department of Education also stated that there would be no attempt to consolidate school districts, something Reitan is concerned about. She said, “The biggest con is local control. We are Miller Place, y’know.”

School Business Official Colleen Card spoke about the recently approved revitalizations of the district’s schools. Most significant are the plans for Miller Place High School: a ventilation system, a new art room and showers for the boys’ locker room. Andrew Muller Primary School is wrapping up construction on the gymnasium with an upcoming fire marshal inspection. Andrew Muller also finished building a kindergarten playground. Laddie A. Decker Sound Beach School recently installed a ventilation system as well.   

Lipshie also recapped the district’s celebrations and news. The Safe Halloween event, held at the high school, was a great success at raising funds for the Miller Place UFSD. Boy’s varsity soccer earned a play-off qualification. Girls field hockey won the Division 2 Regular Season Championship and is now 16-2. 

In upcoming events, Lipshie highlighted the sixth- and seventh-grade dance, the Miller Place Driver’s Safety Program, winter sports starting on Nov. 18 for the high school and Nov. 4 for the middle school and college admissions workshops. More information about the events can be found on the Miller Place School District website (www,millerplace.k12.ny.us).

The next BOE meeting will be Nov. 20, at approximately 8 p.m., at the Miller Place High School. —  Photos courtesy Miller Place UFSD

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2024 Stony Brook University iGEM team. Photo by Ethan Kim

For the third time ever, Stony Brook University’s International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) team brought home the gold medal from the iGEM Giant Jamboree.

Held in Paris, France from October 23-26, the iGEM Giant Jamboree is a world expo for synthetic biology. This year’s competition featured 438 teams from 45+ countries, competing for medals and awards by designing, building, and testing projects using cutting edge synthetic biology.  Stony Brook University was one of 16 U.S. collegiate teams to earn a gold medal.

Stony Brook University’s project focused on developing a less invasive, more cost effective way to diagnose B-cell lymphoma. The team focused on equipping E.coli with a genetically engineered gene circuit to detect microRNAs as biomarkers for this disease.

“Stony Brook’s participation in iGEM continues to have a profound impact on our students,” said Peter Gergen, SUNY distinguished service professor, Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences. “This year’s team was extremely cohesive and benefited greatly from the advice and assistance provided by former iGEM team members Chris Helenek, AJ Sillato, Abhishek Cherath, Michelle Yang, Bushra Islam and Zach Don as well as input from Dr. Joshua Rest (Ecology and Evolution) and Melanie Cragan (Biochemistry and Cell Biology).”

This year’s interdisciplinary iGEM team, comprising three juniors, four sophomores, and eight first-year students when they started last January, included those with majors in biochemistry, biology, chemistry, computer science, electrical and computer engineering, information systems, and political science. The team was co-advised by faculty members Peter Gergen and Kathryn Gunn in the Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, and Gabor Balazsi, in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and received support from the staff in Undergraduate Biology.

For more information on Stony Brook’s iGEM team and this year’s project, visit https://2024.igem.wiki/stony-brook/index.html

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Photo courtesy of Syntax
Photo courtesy of Syntax
Photo courtesy of Syntax
Photo courtesy of Syntax
Photo courtesy of Syntax

The Comsewogue School District is excited to announce that Boyle Road Elementary School has been named a 2023-2025 School of Excellence by the National Parent-Teacher Association. Boyle Road is one of 10 schools on Long Island, 19 in New York and 319 nationwide to earn this designation, which spans two years. The School of Excellence program awards school PTAs that foster strong relationships within their communities to strengthen the educational experience and well-being of students and their families.

The Comsewogue community celebrated this achievement with a banner unveiling ceremony on Friday, Oct. 25, to kick off homecoming weekend. The event included a performance from a student orchestral quartet and speeches about the importance of the recognition. The district also received proclamations and words of congratulations from distinguished guests, including New York State Assemblyman Ed Flood (R-Port Jefferson), Town of Brookhaven Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Setauket), New York State Senator Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk) and Suffolk County Legislator Nick Caracappa (R-Selden).

“The Boyle Road community represents Comsewogue with pride in everything they do,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jennifer Quinn. “Earning this designation is a testament to the determination and passion of the Boyle Road PTA members and the work they put into bolstering their role and relationships in the community.”

The first step toward qualifying as a School of Excellence is to survey all parents/guardians and staff members for feedback on areas they feel the PTA and school could improve their child’s educational experience. The survey seeks to gauge satisfaction with topics including communication, cooperation, educational input, diversity and equity.

Responses revealed positive experiences from family members and faculty who saw Boyle Road as a welcoming, friendly environment. However, many responses also asked for the PTA to increase its communications about the services it offers to Comsewogue and Boyle Road.

“As the president of the Boyle Road PTA, I am committed to examining and boosting our PTA, and the relationship with our school and the overall community,” said Boyle Road PTA President Diane Enright. “These relationships are vital to the strength of our PTA and our community. We are excited to continue building these positive relationships within our school and the community to bring our students even more experiences to enrich their education and overall well-being.”

The PTA assessed its responses to develop action plans aimed at building positive relationships with the diverse families and local businesses that make up the Comsewogue community. One of the first steps the PTA took was to create a monthly newsletter in both English and Spanish, which highlights the PTA’s events, goals and efforts. The PTA is also rolling out its own website this year to expand its online presence beyond social media and the school’s website.

Another important component of the community-building effort involves establishing partnerships, sponsorships and programs between the school and local businesses, nonprofits and universities. This year, the PTA has built partnerships and began working with 4-Corners Produce, Zara’s Deli, Chick-fil-A, Duck Donuts, Comsewogue Public Library and Stony Brook University.

For more information about the Comsewogue School District, please visit the district’s website at www.comsewogue.k12.ny.us. Happenings in the district can also be followed on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ComsewogueSD.

 

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