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Middle Country Central School District

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Scenes from Centereach High School’s graduation. Photos courtesy MCCSD

Middle Country Central School District celebrates 2024 high school graduates

Newfield High School and Centereach High School, of Middle Country Central School District, hosted respective commencement ceremonies for their 2024 graduating classes Thursday, June 27.

The ceremonies highlighted the achievements of the graduating seniors, while looking forward to their futures.

The event was attended by students, families, faculty and distinguished guests.

“Congratulations to the exceptional Class of 2024. These remarkable young individuals have positively influenced the Middle Country community through their academic and personal accomplishments, excelling in academics, creativity and athletics,” said Scott Graviano, principal of Newfield High School.

During the graduation ceremonies, the Class of 2024’s valedictorian and salutatorian took the podium to reflect on the last four years of their high school journeys, and expressed their gratitude to their teachers, parents and peers. The valedictorians are Michael Cosmo for Centereach and Saitta Roy for Newfield. The salutatorians are Gregory Mears for Centereach and Danica Lyktey for Newfield. 

“I am immensely proud of the Class of 2024, and all they have accomplished,” said Centereach High School principal, Thomas Bell. “I’d like to thank our teachers, staff and families for their relentless support and dedication to our students’ success. We look forward to seeing the amazing futures this class will create.” 

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

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Middle Country Central School District. File photo

The Middle Country Central School District announced that Michael Cosmo from Centereach High School and Saitta Roy from Newfield High School are their schools’ respective Class of 2024 valedictorians, while Gregory Mears from Centereach High School and Danica Lyktey from Newfield High School are the salutatorians.

Throughout their four years in high school, these students excelled academically, were active community members, and participated in various extracurricular activities.

Centereach High School Class of 2024 valedictorian Michael Cosmo achieved outstanding academic success during his high school tenure. His weighted GPA of 103.9 is a testament to his dedication and hard work. Michael’s academic achievements include completing 13 AP classes and two additional college-level courses. He is a member of the National Honor Society, the Spanish Honor Society, and the Tri-M Music Honor Society.

Beyond academics, Michael has made significant contributions to all facets of Centereach High School. He serves as the GO treasurer, demonstrating his leadership and involvement in school activities. Michael’s talents extend to the arts and athletics as well. He excels as a musician, playing the trumpet in the school’s jazz band and pit orchestra, and as a varsity basketball player and captain of the varsity tennis team. He has been recognized as an Academic All-County player by Suffolk County basketball coaches.

Moreover, Michael has shown a commitment to community service, tutoring elementary students, volunteering at basketball camps, and participating in Tri-M Music Honor Society-sponsored events. After graduation, Michael plans to pursue a career in law at Georgetown University, building on his internships with local lawmakers during high school.

Centereach High School Class of 2024 salutatorian Gregory Mears also achieved academic success. His combined SAT score of 1530 places him in the top 1% of all students nationally. Gregory has completed 11 AP classes and four additional college-level courses, earning recognition as an AP Scholar with Distinction and a National Merit Scholarship Commended student. He is a valued member of the National Honor Society, the French Honor Society, and the Tri-M Music Honor Society.

In addition to his academic achievements, Gregory is deeply involved in Centereach High School’s co-curricular activities. He holds the position of vice president of the science club, co-founded the school’s chess club, and actively participates in Tri-M Music Honor Society-sponsored events. Gregory’s commitment to community service is evident through his hours spent with the Avalon Nature Initiative in Stony Brook. As a talented musician, he serves as principal bassist in the Philharmonic and chamber orchestras. Gregory embodies the spirit of the music department and the Tri-M Music Honor Society. After graduation, Gregory plans to pursue English literature at Colby College in Maine.

Newfield High School Class of 2024 valedictorian Saitta Roy boasts a weighted GPA of 102.19 and will have the potential to graduate in June with more than 30 college credits. She keeps herself busy as a member of the school’s mock trial team, the crochet club, the newspaper club, and the pit orchestra. She is also the vice president of the Tri-M Music Honor Society and president of the National Honor Society.

Outside of school, Saitta works at the Middle Country Public Library and serves as a tutor, also known as a homework pal, for elementary-age students. Saitta has accumulated over 100 hours of community service as a book buddy, making donations to Stony Brook Hospital through the crochet club, serving food at the New Lane Elementary School MVP dance, and running a station at the Bicycle Path Literacy Expo through the National Honor Society. Saitta will be attending the University of Notre Dame, where she will major in mechanical engineering on her way to law school.

Newfield High School Class of 2024 salutatorian Danica Lyktey earned the number two spot out of 324 seniors, maintaining a 101.68 weighted GPA. She took a total of 15 AP and college-level classes throughout her high school career. Danica has the potential to graduate with more than 40 college credits.

Danica is an active member of the Spanish Honor Society, the National Honor Society, and is part of the school’s varsity kickline. Outside of school, she is a competitive dancer at Inspirations Performing Arts Centre and this year she is teaching a class for 3- to 6-year-old students. Danica will be attending SUNY Binghamton in the fall, majoring in psychology.

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

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Dawnwood Middle School student of the month, My’Kell Durham, with Assistant Principal Bruno Bernardino and teacher Margaret Porcelli, left photo. Selden Middle School student of the month, Logan Haberstroh, with Principal Andrew Bennett, right photo. Photos courtesy MCCSD

The Middle Country Central School District recently named My’Kell Durham and Logan Haberstoh as middle school students of the month for May, honoring the two students at a recent Board of Education meeting. 

Dawnwood Middle School student My’Kell Durham is an energetic student with a vibrant energy, smile and welcoming personality. He is eager to help those around him, listen to his teachers and put in extra effort in all subject areas. 

Throughout his years at Dawnwood Middle School, My’Kell’s growth as a student and individual has been recognized by teachers and peers. My’Kell has blossomed into a youngster exuding self-confidence and congeniality. Recently, My’Kell went around to students in his school to help raise awareness for the school’s dance and yoga fundraising event, culminating in the raising of $800. 

Selden Middle School student Logan Haberstroh excels academically. He has maintained impressive grades throughout middle school, with grades regularly averaging 95 or higher. As a member of the National Junior Honor Society, Logan has done community service at a local home for disabled adults and has worked to improve the gardens at New Lane Elementary School, where he attended elementary school. 

Logan enjoys being involved in the National Junior Honor Society, which provides him skills and knowledge to become a responsible local and global citizen.  

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

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Polling sites for this year’s school budget and BOE elections. Centereach High School, left, and Newfield High School. Left file photo by Julianne Mosher; right from Facebook

Residents of the Middle Country Central School District will go to the polls on Tuesday, May 16, to vote on the district’s proposed annual budget for the 2023‒24 school year and trustees to sit on the district’s Board of Education.

MCCSD is proposing a $285.9 million budget, up nearly $11 million from the previous year, with a 1.6% tax levy increase that is under the tax cap.

District voters will also select three candidates to serve three-year terms on the Board of Education. In this year’s contest, three incumbents will square off against three electoral challengers.

Trustees Doreen Feldmann, Deborah Mann-Rodriguez and Kathleen Walsh are defending their seats against candidates Bruce Bennett, Thomas Bettua and Kimberly Crawford-Arbocus.

A Meet the Candidates forum hosted by the Suffolk Region PTA was held last month and is available on the district’s YouTube channel.

Tuesday’s school budget and trustee vote will occur from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. The new gymnasiums at Centereach High School and Newfield High School will serve as polling locations.

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Middle Country midfielder Jacob Zorcik grabs a loose ball. Photo by Bill Landon
Middle Country attack Joseph Grattola pushes past a defender. Photo by Bill Landon
Middle Country attack Joseph Grattola fires at the cage. Photo by Bill Landon
Middle Country long stickman Aaron Smith clears the ball. Photo by Bill Landon
Middle Country scores. Photo by Bill Landon
Middle Country senior attack Charles Cavalieri pushes toward the crease. Photo by Bill Landon
Middle Country defender Christian Smith clears the ball. Photo by Bill Landon
Middle Country defender Christian Smith looks upfield. Photo by Bill Landon
Middle Country senior attack Charles Cavalieri looks upfield. Photo by Bill Landon
Middle Country senior attack Charles Cavalieri fires at the cage. Photo by Bill Landon
Middle Country attack Joseph Grattola pushes upfield. Photo by Bill Landon
Loose ball. Photo by Bill Landon
Middle Country midfielder Aidan Eck pushes upfield. Photo by Bill Landon
Middle Country senior attack Charles Cavalieri passes to a cutter. Photo by Bill Landon
Middle Country senior attack Charles Cavalieri uncorks one. Photo by Bill Landon
Middle Country senior attack Charles Cavalieri scores. Photo by Bill Landon
Middle Country goalie Logan Hoenig makes the save. Photo by Bill Landon
Middle Country defender Christian Smith grabs a loose ball. Photo by Bill Landon
Middle Country sophomore attack Jack Cavalieri fires at the cage. Photo by Bill Landon
Mad Dogs score. Photo by Bill Landon
Middle Country midfielder Aidan Eck looks for a cutter. Photo by Bill Landon

Not having won since their opening game of the season against Mattituck back in March, the Mad Dogs of Middle Country desperately needed a win to snap a seven-game losing streak. Opportunity knocked when the Riverhead Blue Waves came calling on Saturday, April 22.

Protecting a one-goal lead at the halftime break, senior attack Charles Cavalieri split the pipes in the opening minute of the second half to put his team out front 4-2. But the Blue Waves countered with a pair of goals halfway through the third quarter to make it a new game at four-all.

Cavalieri’s stick spoke again to put the Mad Dogs back out front when his younger brother, Jack, buried his shot to push ahead 6-4. But the Blue Waves answered with a goal near the finish to trail by just one. Middle Country held on, though, edging the Blue Waves 8-6 in the Div. I contest.

Charles Cavalieri topped the scoring chart for the Mad Dogs with two goals and two assists. Aidan Eck had one goal and two assists. Jack Cavalieri and Andrew DiMondo scored two goals each, and Joseph Grottola scored. Goalie Logan Hoenig had 11 saves in net.

— Photos by Bill Landon

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Newfield High School held an induction ceremony for 18 new members of its National Art Honor Society. The purpose of this organization at Newfield High School is to inspire and recognize students who have shown outstanding ability in art and support students’ creative abilities and talents. 

The Art Honor Society advised by Sal Berretta, besides supporting its membership, looks to promote the love of the arts in the greater Newfield High School student body. 

“Our goal is to foster excellence and a dedicated spirit among our Art Honor Society members as well as bringing awareness of art to our community, our high school and other areas of the school curriculum,” said Scott Graviano, principal of Newfield High School. “Welcome to our new inductees, and we are confident our existing members will give them support and resources to thrive.”

During the ceremony, guest speaker Shay Steuart, a senior at SUNY New Paltz majoring in Art Education and Art History and minoring in Evolutionary Studies and Social Justice Educational Studies, spoke to the Art Honor Society members. 

She is a visual artist, primarily working in acrylic and oil paint and just finished her student teaching at New Lane Elementary School. She will begin student teaching at Newfield High School.

New inductees include the following:

  • Shariq Ahmad
  • Tahsina Akbar
  • Anjali Alexis
  • Mya Barry
  • Faith Burns
  • Devi Das
  • Vicky Das
  • Abigail Daniels
  • Phenisha Dulnuun
  • James Keenan
  • Payton Martin
  • Jessica Mcllree
  • Amtul Naqvi
  • Daiana Ramirez
  • Samantha Sayers
  • Caralena Schwartz
  • Ella Sharrock
  • Isabella Warner 

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

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Middle Country Central School District’s eighth grade students during their shadow job day. Photo courtesy MCCSD
Middle Country Central School District’s eighth grade students during their shadow job day. Photo courtesy MCCSD
Middle Country Central School District’s eighth grade students during their shadow job day. Photo courtesy MCCSD
Middle Country Central School District’s eighth grade students during their shadow job day. Photo courtesy MCCSD

Approximately 75 eighth grade students at Dawnwood Middle School and Selden Middle School in the Family and Consumer Science and Technology classes participated in the annual Shadow Day event, sponsored by the Middle Country Business Advisory Board. This was the first such event after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Students worked alongside or shadowed a family member or friend of the family and had an opportunity for a behind-the-scenes look at an average workday in a variety of careers, including paralegal, teaching, nursing, small business owner and corporate executive. 

The students saw firsthand how the education they are receiving at school, including 21st century skills such as time management, communication, teamwork and problem-solving, are directly connected to future employment.

“I observed in person and through participation in virtual meetings how a cohesive team works,” said Angela Patalano, an eighth grade student at Selden Middle School who shadowed a senior vice president of data and systems integration at Lifetime Brands. “I took a showroom tour and learned a great deal  about product categories and branding.”

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New Lane Elementary students enjoy therapy dog program

New Lane Elementary students enjoy a visit from Love on a Leash therapy dogs and their owners. Photo courtesy MCCSD

Middle Country Central School District’s New Lane Elementary School students recently had the opportunity to learn about and benefit from the Love on a Leash therapy dog program during a visit to the school by several of the organization’s therapy dogs and their owners.  

“We know that school can be stressful for some students, they can get overwhelmed due to various factors, so we wanted to provide a healthy outlet for our students to release their stress and wind down,” said Phyllis L. Saltz, principal of New Lane Elementary School. “Our students find comfort and a way to de-stress around these specially trained dogs. The sessions also allow our students to learn new social skills while interacting with the therapy pets.”

Love on a Leash is a not-for-profit organization that provides a platform to encourage volunteers to engage in a meaningful and productive therapy dog program. The organization’s mission is “to bring comfort, happiness, and healing to more people nationwide by increasing public awareness of pet therapy.” The organization provides its volunteers with an accessible certification process that qualifies them to provide pet therapy in their community as part of a qualified therapy team.

For more information about the Middle Country School District and the latest District news, visit www.mccsd.net.

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Newfield High School senior Raiyah Reid with her teammates. Photo courtesy MCCSD

On Friday, Jan. 27th, Newfield High School student Raiyah Reid became only the third female in Newfield High School varsity basketball history to reach the 1,000-point milestone. Raiyah is currently a junior at Newfield High School and has been a part of the Newfield High School varsity girls’ basketball program since the eighth grade.

“To score 1,000 points in your varsity basketball career is truly unique. You simply don’t see many players – female or male – achieving this laudatory milestone on varsity public school basketball teams,”  said Joseph Mercado, director of physical education, health, and athletics. “We are incredibly proud of Raiyah.  The fact that she is the third female to achieve this momentous accomplishment speaks volumes about the Newfield High School basketball program and our coaches. Congratulations to Raiyah Reid.”

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

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Eugene Auer Elementary School students sharing their dreams for the future. Photo courtesy MCCSD
Principal Kenneth Gutmann speaking at Eugene Auer Elementary School’s assembly. Photo courtesy MCCSD
Teachers read to the audience. Photo courtesy MCCSD
Students’ “I Have a Dream” worksheet. Photo courtesy MCCSD

In honor of Dr. Martin King, Jr. Day and to kick off Black History Month, Eugene Auer Elementary School hosted an assembly organized by fourth-grade teacher Jeanine Buttino, with the help of principal Kenneth Gutmann.

“Educating our students about Dr. King’s leadership and legacy is a great way to teach our learners about equality and the civil rights movement,” said Gutmann. “We are also looking forward to honoring Black History Month with the many classroom activities and lessons planned for the month of February that will be highlighting the countless African Americans who have contributed so richly and heroically to our country’s history and culture.”

During the assembly, selected students from each grade level shared with their fellow classmates what dreams they had envisioned for the future. After, students listened to Dr. King’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech as well as listened to teachers read various books in honor of Dr. King and Black History Month.

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

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