It was college night Wednesday at Syosset High School for our Junior class as many students begin to think about “what’s next.” Our Guidance department facilitates this event – which hosts an astonishing number of over 105 colleges and universities – to give students the opportunity to explore the many paths they can take after high school. In engaging with these college representatives, students and families are able to gain insights into the application process, campus culture, and unique programs offered. This year's College Night was one of our biggest ever, and drew a crowd of over 800 parents and students to the High School gymnasium. For the first time, we utilized “Strive Scan,” which is an easy way for students to electronically send their information to institutions that catch their eye!

Our Unified Basketball team had their first home game of the season and I caught the first half before heading to the Board meeting. The energy in the gym was contagious and the stands were packed on both sides! Syosset came up a few points short in their game against Manhasset – but this program has been an absolute winner for creating more inclusive opportunities and for how it has brought our whole learning community together in support of these teammates.

Our community also came together as our South Woods and HBT Softball teams faced off against each other for the first time this year. The friendly cross-town rivalry always spices up these games, but the girls know that in a few short months they’ll all be teammates. So, I’m sure everyone will appreciate this poetic twist – the game ended with a tie! #TeamSyo is united, even when they compete.

Board of Education Recap

This month’s Budget Information and Board of Education Meeting kicked off with a remarkable piano performance by Aaron Liu. It was the perfect reminder of who the Board works so hard to serve. Thank you, Aaron, for representing our students and programs so well.

Our Board of Education approved the proposed budget for the 2024-2025 school year. This year’s budget did not come without challenges – for Syosset, our recent growth added to the inflationary costs all other districts are facing. New York State has yet to complete its portion of our budget, leaving us with some question marks. But we’re proud we’ve devised a budget proposal that maintains all student programs, allows us to tackle some maintenance on our aging facilities, and expand where we need to accommodate enrollment. The Budget Hearing will be at 8pm on May 13th – where you can learn specifics about the school budget. The budget vote will be on May 21st.

The Board also discussed Syosset’s new elementary World Language program, the breadth of languages that now allow a full middle school–high school sequence, and our plans to increase the already remarkable number of students who the State has deemed “bi-literate.”

The Anti-Bias Task Force also presented its recommendations to the Board for addressing bias-related incidents in our District. Both the Board and I expressed gratitude for the time the task force spent researching and crafting their recommendations, and the urgency to address these pernicious issues. As an attendee of the task force meetings, I saw how the group modeled cooperation and respect, despite contrasting fundamental identities. The Board tasked me with developing a plan to operationalize the Task Force’s recommendations. The group’s recommendations and presentation from the Board meeting can be found at this link.

Spotlight on Instruction

Robbins Lane fourth graders took a trip back in time (but really, only 10 minutes away!). During a field trip to the Brookville Environmental Center, students learned what it was like to live in Colonial Times. Their day began making corn husk dolls, a favorite toy for colonial children, followed by a tour of a log cabin home, and a lesson in how wood is prepared to build a home. Children had the opportunity to use tools needed to cut down trees and strip the tree bark.., What a historic and informative adventure right in our backyard!

Baylis first graders also took a historic trip – studying both the Syosset of today and long ago. Students have been busy constructing different buildings and attractions in our community: a hospital, bakery, airport, store, house, grocery store, etc. They built these structures using recyclable materials like shoe boxes, tissue boxes, and milk containers to teach an additional lesson about sustainability ahead of Earth Day. Next, students will label their structures using new vocabulary related to community structures. Once all is complete, the buildings will be assembled in “Vowel Town,” their own special version of Syosset.

Rounding out this season of holidays celebrated in our community, the library at Willits School hosted a Passover-themed book display ranging from children's stories to informational texts to cookbooks and more. This comprehensive approach nurtures a supportive environment where everyone learns about and appreciates the cultural significance of important events in the lives of their peers and neighbors, promoting cross-cultural understanding and respect within the school community.

As we know – Syosset’s Got Talent! Well, more specifically, South Woods Got Talent – and put on a spectacular event this Wednesday. There were 20 different acts - from singing and dancing, to magic and stand up. I stopped by in the middle of a performance of Taylor Swift’s “22,” with a twist – the chorus lyrics now say, “I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling Middle School!” Money from ticket sales went to the charity Corey’s Promise, an organization that supports families facing pediatric cancer. Using talents to make a difference is #SoSyo.

Syosset High School served as the host of an Invitational Science Fair. The WAC Lighting FAIR was created to launch the education and career paths of young scientists in high school. Organized by a consortium of twelve schools’ science and research teachers, more than 400 students come together each year to present their research to a panel of volunteer judges from institutions including Columbia University, New York University, Cold Spring Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratories, and many others. Despite having over 400 students and 130 judges in attendance, the day was a smooth success. In addition to hosting the events, 18 Syosset students presented projects - and a majority of them were recognized. Congratulations, students, and a special thank you to all of the volunteers – and our building faculty and staff – for making sure the event went off without a hitch!

Our Virtual Enterprise classes enjoyed some great success at the International Youth Business Summit last week. All five of our VE firms worked hard to perfect their pitches to qualify for the opportunity to show off their business acumen at the Javits Center.

This year’s five businesses are: Dried Delights, Esscentials Aromatherapy, Impact Sustainable Living, Smart Scents, and Stage Stream.

Smart Scents qualified for the National Business Plan Competition and advanced to the semi-final round – making them one of the top 20 teams in the world! Dried Delights, Esscentials Aromatherapy, and Smart Scents were all recognized as a top 30 team in the world in the National Finance Competition. Dried Delights was also recognized as top 30 in the National Human Resources competition, and received Bronze in the sales pitch and booth design competitions.

Our students were put into groups for a Global Innovation Challenge – where they worked with and competed against participants from around the world to solve a case study about how to make IKEA a more sustainable company. Three of our students took home awards – Ryan Mehta, Jenna Kurmemaj, and Max Musnik. Congrats all!

Bright Spot

As I’ve previously mentioned – our elementary students signed a kindness pledge this year – committing to a 100-day kindness streak. But, long before this pledge was taken, our students were exploring ways to build community within their school buildings. Across all of our elementary schools, there is a peer mediator program, where older students learn leadership skills by facilitating crucial peer conversations.

At Baylis Elementary, there was so much interest in being peer mediators, school psychologist Dr. Taryn Wood, created a second program: the Baylis Mentor Program. Six of our eager fifth graders now volunteer their recess time once a week to spend time with their kindergarten classmates. These mentors – Afaan Jalil, Brandon Saranik, Lana Dou, Aubrey Schlan, Valentina Pinhas, and Mia Stenzler – complete a variety of tasks while on their class visits, including reading books, supporting STEM activities, and helping with select lessons. Like the peer mediators, who wear special vests, the mentors proudly don badges.

I heard from Aubrey’s mom last week – who told me for her, it is a “bright spot” when Aubrey comes home speaking about the meaningful experience she has bonding with younger peers she likely wouldn’t have met another way. This cross-grade level connection is another way for us to build a strong building community. Thank you students for setting such a proud example.