Islip High School honored 13 seniors for earning the New York State Seal of Biliteracy during a ceremony held in the middle school cafeteria on June 1. This was the fifth year that Islip has bestowed this prestigious honor, which recognizes high school graduates who have attained a high level of proficiency in listening, speaking, reading and writing in one or more languages in addition to English. The Seal will be affixed to each student’s diploma and high school transcript.

Richard Castronova, Carolyn Do and Angela Padilla Crespo earned the Seal of Biliteracy in Italian, while Sarah Alvarez, Lilian Arriaza Alonzo, Stephanie Castro, Joyce Johnson, Anthony Lopez, Juliana Marconi, Adriana Montecinos, Desiree Pagan, Justin Rhodes and Brianna Zavala earned the Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish. In addition, juniors Daiana Fuentes Velasquez and Juan Pantaleon were recognized as Seal of Biliteracy candidates demonstrating proficiency in Spanish.

The ceremony was led by Seal of Biliteracy advisers Sarah Ito, Karen Maisano and Giuseppa Prainito. Certificates were awarded by Board of Education President Philip Dineen and Superintendent Dr. Dennis O’Hara, who praised the students as role models for the entire district.

“Our students have completed rigorous work requirements in English and a world language,” World Language and ENL Coordinator Rabia Hirji said. “They have also successfully presented culminating projects in Spanish or Italian, demonstrating proficiency. The Seal of Biliteracy acknowledges their hard work and determination to learn another language and become bilingual and biliterate is today’s global society. What our students have earned today is not only an award, but to truly communicate and connect with other people who speak the same language. Learning a new language immerses you into a new way of life, new culture and new human connection. Today, some of our students will share with you what being biliterate means to them and the value it represents in their education and future. All of the students’ culminating projects represented a combination of heritage, culture and language of that particular society. I had the privilege to see some of the presentations and witnessed the hard work, effort and courage our students showed during the presentations to the Biliteracy Committee.”

Date Added: 6/24/2022

Dozens of deserving students from Islip High School’s Class of 2022 were honored with recognitions and scholarships at the school’s senior award ceremony on June 8.

“It is the steps that you took during your lives and your academic path, for 13 years through a school district, that define the moment that you’re at now,” Principal Jon LaRochester told the seniors. “I didn't understand that as a student, but as a parent of a teenager, I see it now and I’m so proud to see what you’ve achieved. It sounds so cliched, but it really is exciting for us as educators to see and hope and dream about what you’re going to do. I look forward to what you’re going to do to make the world a better place.”

Date Added: 6/24/2022

Students enrolled in Islip High School’s video production class garnered major attention during the annual Long Island Media Arts Festival and accompanying Luminaries Awards ceremony, held on May 14 at Five Towns College in Dix Hills, with two of their self-produced and self-edited original films nominated and showcased during the festival, one of which took home a top prize.

The selected works were chosen from a large pool of contenders submitted by over 40 high schools. Only four films in each of four categories were nominated to be screened for consideration for awards. The Best Documentary category featured the two Islip pieces – a short documentary, “Islip Cosmetology Program Spotlight,” filmed, edited, and produced by Katelyn Wallace, and the category winner, “Online Awareness,” a public service announcement by Mackenna Eastwood, Carley Mullins and Wallace.

The Long Island Media Arts Festival invites students from across Long Island to showcase their talents in the areas of film, photography, 2D art and animation in a juried exhibition. The Luminaries celebrate the accomplishments of these artists, who are encouraged to push their creativity and skills to new levels. Family, friends, educators and patrons of the arts were invited to attend not only the May awards ceremony, but also other events throughout the festival, including an opening reception.

Date Added: 6/22/2022

Islip High School’s Keep Islip Clean Club celebrated Pond Day on May 26 for the first time since 2019, traveling with adviser Wayne Mennecke to the Seatuck Environmental Association’s South Shore Nature Center. During their visit, Islip students assisted volunteers in the removal of yellow flag iris, an invasive swamp plant that crowds out native wetlands plants and provides very little nutritional or habitat value to indigenous animals and insects. 

Islip’s KIC Club has worked with Seatuck many times in the past decade, offering students a chance to immerse themselves in nature, volunteer their time and cultivate environmental stewardship.

Date Added: 6/21/2022
 

Three outstanding Islip High School varsity baseball players – freshman Collin Haug and juniors Ethan Ferrara and Dylan McKenna – recently earned All-League designations from the Suffolk County Baseball Coaches Association. The trio were honored at the organization’s awards dinner, held June 13 at Villa Lombardi’s in Holbrook.

“We were very fortunate to have three student-athletes receive All-League honors,” Athletic Director John Sparacio said. “It was also the first time that the Suffolk Baseball Association had an awards dinner since 2019, so being able to attend with the athletes and their families made it a little more special, being that there hadn’t been one since pre-COVID.”

Date Added: 6/20/2022