Community Update

March 15, 2024

Dear Syosset Community:

It’s always nice to begin your day in an elementary classroom, and there’s a special charm to kindergarten students. During a delightful math lesson on measurement this morning, one young lady came over to me and said, “I like your ribbon.” I paused, puzzled, until I realized she was complimenting my green necktie. I thanked her and politely returned the compliment by admiring her Irish-themed green shirt, whereupon (beaming) she scampered off to work on the next task.

Kind kindergarteners grow up to be caring leaders. Over at Robbins Lane, the Student Council, led by Dr. Catherine da Silva, put boots on the ground to gather over 100 pairs of boots, shoes, and sneakers to give to those in need. Steve Muir, the leader of The Heeling Soles, an organization that serves people in need around the world, stopped by to thank our students for helping advance this important mission.

That student altruism continues right into Middle School. This week, 45 students in HBT’s Mural Club spent three days creating a beautiful piece that will soon grace the outside of our local VFW. The club, led by teachers Kristin Peterson and Michael Murray, partnered with BOCES artist in residence and Vietnam Veteran John Dinaro to design and paint the patriotic mural. Retired Army Commander Mitch Furman stopped by HBT to inspect the completed piece, and was so inspired by the thought our students put into the project. He is planning an unveiling soon, so stay tuned for updated photos of this piece hanging in town! Thank you students for honoring our Veterans!

Board Meeting Recap

This past Monday, the Board of Education held its monthly meeting – as well as a Budget Information Meeting. Syosset’s four Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholars synopsized their research to the Board. Almost as impressive as their research was their ability to summarize their years of work and make it digestible for everyone. As proud as we are of the winners, I am equally proud of our science research program for having 27(!) students produce research worthy of being entered into this prestigious program. Prizes are nice, but the real “win” is providing so many students with the skills to do research at this extraordinary level.

Student Alex Chen, whose project evaluated the effects of spearmint oil on Alzheimer’s disease, said in his presentation: “Perhaps in the future, when looking for treatment for aging-related conditions, we can turn towards the farm, instead of the pharmacy.” As an individual who loves science, alliteration, and a clever pun, Alex earned my “sound bite of the night.”

The work to prepare our budget for the 2024-2025 school year is ongoing, and comes with similar challenges to last year: health insurance costs rising, inflation, and cuts in state aid. You can see the latest presentation at this page on our website.

Spotlight on Instruction 🔦

In December, I was a PARP reader for Ms. Rigert’s 4th graders at Walt Whitman. I chose the whimsical book If I Built A School, by Chris Van Dusen. As we finished, I tried to contextualize the imaginary book through our real life work on a facilities project for Syosset’s schools, and asked the students to imagine how they might recreate their school, given the chance. I expected a brief discussion, but what actually happened blew me away. I was invited back three months later to explore the imaginary school/theme park the students had created: Whitmanland. Students wrote vivid descriptions with figurative language and accompanying illustrations in “Book Creator,” then practiced their public speaking skills by presenting their projects to me and their classmates. As if that weren’t enough, they also produced vibrant advertisements for their attractions in “Canva” (and assigned me to the role of personal trainer in one!). Finally, the students collaborated to create a 3-D model of the entire park from recycled materials. Syosset has a reputation for being a little “extra,” but this project really blew me away.

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#SyoStars ⭐

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We are #SyoStrong thanks to Coach Chris Gagstetter… literally!! The National High School Strength Coaches Association has named Coach Gagstetter New York’s 2024 Coach of the Year. In his role as a strength and conditioning coach, he designs developmentally appropriate training programs to improve the athleticism of our students. I’ve written about the explosive enrollment growth of this program and the benefits to our students - athletes and others alike. Students vote with their feet, and now Chris’ colleagues have voted for him too!

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Fifth grader Bella Leogas will spend her summer in the dance studio! She was recently accepted into the prestigious American Ballet Theatre Summer Intensive Program. ABT hosts a grueling 20-city audition process, but that means Bella will be able practice and perform alongside dancers from around the world. Congratulations, Bella – we are excited to see you shine!

The Young Musicians Program is a competition for High School students through the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. This program provides an opportunity for advanced instrumentalists to work with professional chamber musicians, and perform in a professionally produced regional concert. Three of our chamber groups have been selected to perform in the regional concert next week! As if this weren’t an impressive enough achievement, there may still be more… Some groups will be selected to move on to another performance at Lincoln Center later this year. Congratulations!! No guarantees, but I have a feeling I'll be writing about these students again soon…

Oboe and Bassoon Duo: Nicole Christy, Ayan Khazanchi

Piano, Flute, Viola Trio: Aiden Chantemsin, Daniel Ming, Angela Zhang

Piano Trio: Emma Hong, Auston Li, Xinyi Zhang

Bright Spot

Here in Syosset, we foster student agency by encouraging our students to make their own luck.

Sixth graders Livia Feusi, Nathan Hasselbring, Samuel Peng, and Amanda Present are all talented musicians who wanted to create a wind ensemble at South Woods. So, the students approached their music teacher, Ms. Boonshaft, and asked her if she would conduct their new group. With her blessing, the students then worked diligently on a presentation (view it here), and pitched their club “Shark Tank” style to their principals (Ms. Burget and Ms. Berke), and the Coordinator of Fine and Performing Arts (Dr. Hale). No surprise, administrators were all IN on the idea, and now the group is 52 members strong!

The ensemble provides a challenging outlet for students to rehearse and perform advanced repertoire with like-minded musicians from grades six through eight. They rehearse before school weekly, and are working hard towards their premier performance, which will take place on Monday, May 20th.

Thank you Livia, Nathan, Samuel, and Amanda, for using your advocacy skills to create an opportunity that sparks joy for everyone, and Ms. Boonshaft for helping their dreams come true.

Before you watch this awesome video – the students wanted me to share that this was taken after only their fourth rehearsal. Hard to believe they will sound even more amazing than this by show time!

Last night’s opening night performance of Chicago at Syosset High School blew the curtains off the auditorium! It was amazing – you know, the singing, the acting, the sets, the music and all that jazz! If you missed it, you can still rush there tonight or see it this weekend!

#ExtraSyo

#Light&Love

Tom Rogers

Community Update

March 15, 2024

Dear Syosset Community:

Board Meeting Recap

Spotlight on Instruction 🔦

#SyoStars ⭐ #SyoStars ⭐

Bright Spot

#SyoStars ⭐