Mattituck: Orientation for students entering junior high

April ends and May begins with lots of birthdays. Happy birthday wishes go to Wally Bunker and Aylin Unsal today, April 28; Johnny Cushman on the 30th; Cindy Pumillo, Jim Christy and Nicole Ann Krupski on May 1; Abby Pacholk and Owen Finnegan on the 2nd; Dennis and Donald Deerkoski along with Sandy Gannon and James Burns on the 3rd; and Ted Richert and Nolan Heintz on the 4th.

The transition from sixth grade to seventh often causes some anxiety for parents and students. To alleviate some of their concerns, there will be a sixth-grade orientation on Monday, May 2, at 7 p.m. in the Mattituck High School auditorium. Come and familiarize yourself with the junior high and get answers to your questions.

“Dancing with the Staff” has become an annual event at Mattituck High School, and one alumna recently brought it to the Connecticut school where she teaches math. Laura Young, Class of 2004, reached out to her Mattituck roots to get ideas for what became a successful fundraiser for her school. Congratulations!

Reconnecting with family is one benefit of the spring season. Karen Letteriello told me her daughter, Brittany, came home for Easter after giving a tour on campus, while her son, Danny, was picking up his truck to return to school for the next few weeks. Addie Feiler took time off from her job in NYC to enjoy some time with her parents, and Dana Kowalsik took time out from her studies to enjoy her mom’s cooking. Danielle Pfaff also came home to visit her parents and brother Joe and headed to see her grandmother in New Jersey for Easter. Virginia Hoffman visited the North Fork for the annual tradition of an Armenian Easter dinner with college roommate Vanessa Arslanian, and Jacqueline and Chris Papadopoulos enjoyed Greek traditions with their family while taking a brief break from their medical studies. Brandon Gholson was taking a trip down memory lane by enjoying a movie at Mattituck Cinemas while visiting from Maryland, and Matt Cortese took a break from his studies at Yale to spend Easter with his parents.

Belated happy Earth Day and 21st birthday wishes to Case Hamilton! Case is a junior at Keuka College in Keuka Park, N.Y., where he is the audiovisual specialist on the school’s Students In Free Enterprise team. The team just won the regional competition in Cleveland, where the judges were reportedly wowed by a multimedia presentation of seven major projects completed in the last year. Congratulations and good luck at the nationals!

Happy birthday wishes go to Grandma Pileski, who celebrates on May 2, and Joshua Pileski, who cuts his cake on May 4.