Celebrating student excellence, district achievements at Middle Country BOE meeting
By Dylan Friedman
The Middle Country Central School District Board of Education meeting Oct. 16 was a night to celebrate students’ outstanding achievements and the district’s continued progress in academics and technology. The meeting opened with the recognition of four Students of the Month, beginning with Diya John, a senior at Newfield High School.
John, described as a considerate and mature young lady beyond her years, is the president of the National Honor Society, where she was praised for her leadership, diligence and commitment to helping her peers succeed.
The board also recognized Jeanlee Marcano Robles, an eighth grader at Selden Middle School, and Adam Khazanovich, an eighth grader at Dawnwood Middle School.
According to Brad Smith, Jeanlee’s soccer coach, she is a “diligent student who is focused on hard work and positivity.” Meanwhile, Adam was praised for his academic excellence, leadership in extracurricular activities and kind, friendly demeanor.
Alexa Carmody, of Centereach High School, was also honored as a student of the month.
Celebrating athletic achievements
In addition to the student accolades, the meeting highlighted the district’s athletic achievements. Meaghan Grieco, a four-year varsity starter and captain of the Centereach volleyball team, was named the district’s female Athlete of the Month.
“Megan will be sorely missed next season, but we know she is looking forward to continuing her playing career at Farmingdale State College,” said head coach Mike Weaver.
The board also recognized Matt Evers, a senior quarterback on the Newfield varsity football team, as the district’s male Athlete of the Month. Assistant coach Nick Adler commended Evers’ character, positive attitude and exceptional performance on the field, which led the team to a 3-0 record in September.
PTA community engagement
The meeting also featured an update from the Bicycle Path PTA, highlighting the group’s efforts to support the district’s youngest students and their families.
According to PTA president, Rose Noonan, and first vice president, Nicole Esposito, the PTA has already hosted several successful events, including a membership drive that surpassed expectations, a book fair and a welcome-back picnic with over 330 attendees. Upcoming events include a trick-or-treat street, a pumpkin patch and a frozen pie fundraiser.
Fiscal responsibility and technological advancements
The district’s auditor, Chris Schneider, delivered good news, reporting that the district received “unmodified opinions,” the highest level of audit opinion, on both the district’s financials and the extracurricular activity funds. “For a district of this size, to have no comments is a great thing,” Schneider said.
Finally, the district’s technology director, Vincent Raicovi, provided an overview of the district’s robust technology infrastructure, including a high-availability data network, virtualized servers and a growing number of devices and digital whiteboards deployed across the schools.
“When we started this, we had a little over 3,000 devices on our network. And now, many moons later, we are up to 18,000 devices,” Raicovi reported, highlighting the district’s commitment to supporting student learning with the latest technology.
The next BOE meeting is Oct. 30 at Centereach High School at 7 p.m.
