Dear Syosset Community:

I hope everyone is enjoying this weekend’s beautiful fall weather. What a break from the seven straight weekends of rain earlier this year!

Publishing on Saturday gives us the chance to officially celebrate Veterans Day today! There were Districtwide celebrations of our heroes. I appreciated seeing some pictures from Robbins Lane, South Grove, and Village, who celebrated our veterans by introducing them to our students and explaining the important role they play. Thank you ALL for your service!

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Robbins Lane

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Village

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South Grove

Last week...

We closed out last Friday with the High School’s Multicultural Luncheon, which is thoughtfully planned and executed by the PTA each year. It’s thrilling to see all of Syosset’s rich cultural tapestry on display in one place – there were 23 different countries represented! From cultural artifacts like art, clothes, or games to (my favorite part) foods from around the world, everyone gets to learn a little more about one another and be a world traveler without ever leaving Syosset. As I do every year, I left full: full of pride, full of new knowledge, and full, full, full of food. (A special thank you to our PTA for ensuring that those with food allergies, including myself, have extra options - and a special table dedicated to being allergy friendly!)

Halloweek Roundup 🎃

I also can’t resist sharing some Halloween photos – even though it’s a week late! The spirit of Halloween is tangible for our littlest learners all the way up to our seniors. After speaking with some superintendent colleagues, I’ve concluded no one takes clever costumes more seriously than Syo. During my many stops, I saw so many – Taylor Swifts from every era, imaginative Barbies (my favorite being the pop-culture mash-up “Pickleball Barbie”), dinosaurs, and group costumes. A special shout out to the faculty and staff, who also raise the bar (and the fun) for our students.

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Freshman Yuxin Cai, along with 30 other Syosset students, submitted her work for the Huntington Arts Council “Nightmare on Main Street” competition. The Council’s annual exhibit invites students to respond to a spooky prompt. This year, students were asked to submit work inspired by fear, which can be either an exhilarating and unexplainable thrill or a harmful and harrowing experience. Yuxin’s work, titled “Under Masks,” explored how people often disguise themselves to fit in wearing many masks that they create. Congrats Yuxin for being named best-in-show!

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The New York Library Association has named Kristina Holzweiss “School Librarian of the Year.” The award is given to a librarian who has demonstrated extraordinary leadership within their community. As our Educational Technology Enrichment Specialist, Ms. Holzweiss is on the cutting edge of new technologies to help our students become avid readers and media publishers. Some examples include creating “digital book vending machines” where students can “shop” for their next read at the library, and “library lockers,” a modern way to create a book report. Ms. Holzweiss is also a public advocate for libraries and librarians. Congratulations, Ms. Holzweiss! We are so lucky to have you.

#SyoSports

Our Fall sports season is not quite wrapped up – we have more playoff games on the docket this weekend and next week. But, I have to brag about four of our teams who have brought home the championship title.

For the first time in the program’s history, our boys volleyball team is Nassau County champion after defeating East Meadow! I know they’re disappointed their Cinderella season ended this afternoon in the Long Island Championship against Ward Melville. But tomorrow, with a little perspective, they’ll realize that they’re the first boys from Syosset to ever be County Champs. I am so proud of them for this amazing achievement. Bravo, boys!

Our Girls Swimming and Diving team is Nassau County champ for the second year in a row! They finished in first place with 437.5 points – with the runner up scoring 310.5 points. Wow!

This is only the second time in our school’s history that we’ve won this title. Some of our swimmers will now head to the state championship. Way to go Syo Swimming and Diving!

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Our Girls Tennis team defeated Hills East High School at Hofstra University last week to bring home the title of Long Island Champions! This after an undefeated season that also led to a Nassau County Championship title. Syosset made it all the way to the finals in the state championship, finishing second. All that practice on our new tennis courts has paid off – congratulations girls on this amazing accomplishment!

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Our Girl’s Cross Country team is also Nassau County Class A champion for the 12th consecutive year! As I write this, they are competing in the New York State team qualifier, this weekend, so there may be even more good news on the horizon.

Also this week – we had 12 athletes join the NCAA by committing to play their respective sport in college. Congratulations to these dedicated athletes. We know that as they continue on their educational journey, they will continue to represent our District well, and with pride.

Steven Klein (Baseball, St. Michaels College), Vincent Favata (Baseball, Mount St. Mary’s University), Will Kleinberg (Soccer, Merrimack University), Katelyn Lee (Lacrosse, Columbia University), Ava Ceglia (Lacrosse, Lynn University), Leah Kaufer (Lacrosse, Binghamton University), David Disque (Lacrosse, John Hopkins University), Marley Altarac (Soccer, Emory University), Mikayla Camp (Soccer, Emory University), Samantha Goldberg (Soccer, St. John’s University), Alexa Plevrites (Softball, SUNY New Paltz), and Nicole Wang (Track & Field, Marist College)

In Memoriam

Last Friday, we celebrated the life of Ben Daggett, a beloved Syosset High School student who was tragically killed last year. Though the Daggett family had only recently arrived in Syosset, Ben had already made a big impression on the high school community and his loss remains palpable.

Two of Ben’s close friends, Gabriel Leone and Drew Tendler, worked closely with the Daggett family to raise funds and coordinate the placement of a memorial bench in Ben’s honor in the high school courtyard. During the dedication ceremony, I was struck by how many of Ben’s peers attended to console his family and celebrate his life.

This memorial will ensure Ben’s memory will not only remain in our hearts, but also in our school.