Southold High School. (Credit: Katharine Schroeder, file)
Southold school officials are looking into new security features like scanning visitors’ driver’s licenses and installing exterior cameras in an effort to enhance safety throughout the district.
Southold High School students demonstrating their robotics club’s project, Team RICE 870, at Wednesday night’s school board meeting. (Credit: Jennifer Gustavson)
Southold High School students gave a demonstration at Wednesday night’s school board meeting to show how their robot, Team RICE 870, competed at the annual robotics competition at Hofstra University.
Southold technology teacher Phil Caputo said his students started the project in January and had six weeks to complete it. Although the same kit was provided to each school, students had to create the robot on their own through “trial and error,” he said.
The school board also discussed creating a combined robotics team with Greenport High School, which currently doesn’t offer the program.
Scroll down to see a short video of the demonstration and pick up the May 1 issue of The Suffolk Times for more on this story.
Greenport fifth-grade teacher assistant Jeannie Calderale with students Kelly Torres-Rodriguez, left, and Breanna Shelby. (Credit: Jennifer Gustavson)
Greenport Elementary School fifth-grade teachers Stephanie Pawlik and Stacy Woodhull can hardly imagine conducting a lesson without a Google Chromebook.
For the past five months, all 35 fifth-grade students have used the laptops as part of a pilot program the district implemented.
“Having access to technology throughout the day has made a tremendous difference,” Ms. Pawlik said. “Computers have been a natural tool they reach toward, which is just a fact of their lives.”
Southold School District Superintendent David Gamberg, right, and school board president Paulette Ofrias at a budget meeting last year. (Credit: Jennifer Gustavson, file)
The Southold school board adopted Superintendent David Gamberg’s proposed $28.8 million budget on Wednesday night.
The proposal is under the state-mandated allowable tax levy rate of 1.83 percent, or $756,660, which represents the increased amount the school can collect from property taxes with a simple majority vote.
Scroll down for more details and to view a copy of the spending plan. Check back to suffolktimes.com as your source for complete budget and school board election coverage.
Greenport Superintendent Mike Comanda announced Tuesday Greenport High School has ranked as one of the best high schools in the nation for the second year in a row. Mr. Comanda is shown here celebrating the 2010 approval of a school renovation bond. (Credit: Tim Kelly, file)
For the second year in a row, Greenport High School has been ranked as one of the best high schools in the nation, according to a new study released this week.
Eight seats in this year’s local school board elections are up for grabs. The school board election and budget vote is May 20.
Candidate petitions were due Monday.
GREENPORT (1 SEAT, 0 CANDIDATES)
School officials have confirmed no one has petitioned for Lisa Murray’s open seat — again.
Ms. Murray, Greenport school board’s lone incumbent up for re-election, has decided not to seek another term citing personal reasons.
Ms. Murray was appointed to the board last summer to serve out the remaining year of Michael Mazzaferro’s term after he resigned, also due to personal reasons.
Prior to her appointment, the mother of two school-aged children was first elected to the board in 2009 and served until 2012.
After she decided not to seek re-election in 2012, no one petitioned to run for the seat. Babette Cornine then won with 50 write-in votes.
School officials said Ms. Murray’s seat is expected to, once again, go to the district resident that secures the most write-in votes.
SOUTHOLD (2 SEATS, 3 CANDIDATES)
Three residents will be competing for two seats during this year’s school board election.
Southold challenger Brian Tobin will appear on the ballot with incumbents Scott DeSimone, a Southold attorney, and Scott Latham, a Southold police sergeant.
MATTITUCK-CUTCHOGUE (2 SEATS, 2 CANDIDATES)
Two of the seven seats on the Mattituck-Cutchogue board will be up for grabs in May.
Both incumbents — president Jerry Diffley and vice president Charles Anderson — are running unopposed. Mr. Diffley and Mr. Anderson are from Mattituck.
This summer will mark the 12th year Mr. Anderson has served on the school board. The facilities manager at Suffolk County National Bank in Riverhead worked as a junior high school soccer and basketball coach in the district before joining the board and has two grown sons who graduated from Mattituck High School.
Mr. Diffley has served on the board since 1999.
NEW SUFFOLK (1 SEAT, 1 CANDIDATE)
One seat on New Suffolk’s three-member board is up for re-election.
Tony Dill, an architect and current school board president, was first elected in 2002. He was the only resident to petition for the open seat.
OYSTERPONDS (2 SEATS, 2 CANDIDATES)
Orient residents Janice Caufield and Jeff Demarest are running unopposed in this year’s school board race.
Both incumbents were first elected in 2011 to the seven-member board. Ms. Caufield currently serves as vice president.
Check back to suffolktimes.com as your source for complete budget and school board election coverage.
A calendar of events for this week at each of the local schools, as listed on school calendars.
Southold Elementary School sixth-graders came up with this year’s art show theme “Artecs” — an ancient race of people who worshipped art and music instead of the sun. (Credit: Jennifer Gustavson photos and video)
Science projects and artwork by Southold Elementary School students were on display at joint shows held last Wednesday, impressing fellow students and parents.
New Suffolk school board president Tony Dill presenting his preliminary spending plan during Tuesday night’s regular meeting. (Credit: Carrie Miller)
New Suffolk school board president Tony Dill presented his preliminary 2014-15 spending plan Tuesday night, which carries an estimated 1.7 percent, or $13,000, increase to the tax levy.
Bishop McGann-Mercy Diocesan High School. (Credit: Courtesy, file)
The McGann-Mercy Theatre Company is set to perform Elton John and Tim Rice’s Broadway show “Aida” on May 1-3 and host the group’s annual spaghetti dinner May 2. (more…)
