The Babylon School District Board of Education recognized several student accomplishments during their meeting on June 24.

To begin the evening’s recognitions, the board congratulated Babylon Junior-Senior High School students Madison Baudille and Evan Parise, who recently represented the district in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s 2019 Outdoor Track and Field Championships. 

The board also recognized three junior-senior high school students who were met with praise at this year’s Babylon Citizens Council on the Arts Awards Ceremony for their talents in the fine arts. The district congratulates Sydney Altbacker (Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical), Emily Lulley (Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Play) and Dominic Trivigno (Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play). 

The sun was shining bright over the Coach Walter F. Williams Football Field at Babylon Junior-Senior High School on June 27, as 147 members of the Class of 2019 transitioned from students to graduates in front of families, friends board of education members, administrators and teachers. 

The ceremony kicked off with Senior Class Vice President Sydney Altbacker and Student Council Vice President Katherine Bencivenga leading the crowd in “The Pledge of Allegiance.” Everyone was also treated to beautiful performances by the Babylon High School band, orchestra and concert chorus throughout the evening. 

Several students and district staff members delivered moving speeches and provided words of advice to the graduating class.

High school Principal Al Cirone said the Class of 2019 is one he will never forget, as they have achieved many accomplishments in academics, community service, athletics and more. “For me, it’s about the type of people you are. I find you to be truly inclusive and humanistic. Everyone is willing to lend a hand,” he continued. “I’m going to bank on the hopes, the ideals and the positive qualities that I see in the Class of 2019 to make positive changes in this global community. The future is not some place you are going to but one you’re creating. Class of 2019, best of luck and stay gritty. I will miss you.”

Salutatorian Pavani Kumar took the stage and highlighted that change is inevitable in the new journey they’re about to enter. “Though we can’t control whether change will be positive or not, we can control how that change affects us,” she said. “We should allow change to lead us to wisdom and strength, as it is during those difficult times we discover who we truly are. Our time together has prepared us to embrace that change and to celebrate the new opportunities that come with it.”
In his valedictorian speech, Dylan Pane reflected on his time growing up in Babylon Village and said the surrounding community helped him become the person he is today. “All of us will be going on to do bigger and better things and as important as it is to look toward the future, it is also important to remember the past and where you come from,” he said. “To everyone who has worked hard to help us while we’ve been here, I want to extent my gratitude as none of us would be the people we are today without you.” 

Prior to the distribution of the diplomas, Superintendent of Schools Linda Rozzi encouraged students to remember the love and support of those who molded them, for the memories of home will bring peace and strength when needed. “Now it’s your time to follow your dreams, build upon your talents and most importantly, do what you love,” she said. “It makes me happy to know that Babylon High School Class of 2019 will be well represented at universities throughout our nation, in the armed forces and in the career world.”

One-by-one, students stepped on the stage to receive their diplomas and then joined together in the ceremonial cap toss. 

The Babylon School District commends Babylon Junior-Senior High School students Erin Corcoran and Kate Hannon for participating in the DECA International Career Development Conference, held in Orlando, Florida. 

Due to their resounding success in the New York DECA State Career Conference held in Rochester earlier this year, the students, along with adviser and business teacher Claire Reilly, were invited to take part in this year’s prestigious international event. 

In Orlando, Erin competed in the Hotel and Lodging competitive event, while Kate took part in Restaurant Management. Both students were required to take an exam and participate in two role plays before judges in their respective categories. 

Reilly and the students also participated in leadership events and attended opening ceremonies with inspirational guest speakers, a concert featuring Blue Man Group and corporate sponsorship events for internship opportunities.  

“This was an incredible learning opportunity for our students,” said Reilly. 

Third and fourth grade students from the Babylon Memorial Grade School recently paid a visit to the Babylon Junior-Senior High School to engage in a pet-portrait painting session with assistance from student-artists of the National Art Honor Society. Students were invited to bring in photographs of their dogs, cats, lizards and hamsters, which would in turn blossom into a gorgeous painting once splashes of color were applied to the supplied canvases. The district would like to thank Babylon Junior-Senior High School art teachers Cheryl Schweider and Patricia Stork for assisting the students throughout the activity, and providing tasty snacks for all to enjoy.

As a means of showcasing all of the wonderful things happening in science, technology, art, mathematics and engineering, the Babylon Elementary School recently hosted its inaugural STEAM Night, inviting students and their families to the school for an evening of fun and learning.

Thanks to the efforts of Babylon Elementary School STEAM instructor Emily Moran and the Babylon Elementary School Parent-Teacher Association, the school’s gymnasium and cafeteria were transformed into a number of STEAM-oriented activity stations for all to enjoy. Included were challenges such as “Build Your Own Parachute,” where students were given a number of common household items to build a parachute which could be gently thrown off the gym bleachers, along with a creation station which allowed them to build their very own lava lamps and create massive balloon towers. 

Additionally, the night featured engineering-oriented KEVA Planks, and a large coloring wall in the cafeteria made generously by Ms. Moran herself. 

The district would also like to thank community parent Mrs. Griffin for creating the beautiful lobby display which read “Full STEAM Ahead,” along with the hundreds of students and families who attended throughout the course of the evening’s two sessions. 

Due to their commitment to learning foreign languages, several students from the Babylon Junior-Senior High School successfully completed the requirements toward earning the New York State Seal of Biliteracy, and were treated to a ceremony held in the Babylon Junior-Senior High School library.

In order to qualify for this prestigious award, students had to complete their ELA Regents with an 80 or better, complete their 11th and 12th grade ELA classes with an 85 or better and achieve a 3 or higher on their English AP Exam in Language and Composition. Their requirements for World Language (either Spanish or French) included an 85 or better in a Checkpoint C level language course (College Spanish or French), along with a project which included a scholarly essay at the ACTFL Intermediate High Level that they presented and defended to the foreign languages committee. 

The Babylon School District congratulates the following Babylon Junior-Senior High School students for earning their Seal of Biliteracy – Sydney Altbacker, Katherine Bencivenga, Olivia Berry, Joseph Conti, Julia Drake, Lauren Grabow, Agnes Goldin, Catherine Hernandez, Pavani Kumar, Ryan Marrone, Dylan Pané, Allison Wexler and Hira Yousuf. 

During the Babylon School District Board of Education meeting held on June 10, several staff members and students were recognized for their efforts.

To begin the night’s recognitions, Babylon Junior-Senior High School student Tara O’Rourke was presented with a token of appreciation in honor of being awarded the Long Island Special Education Administrator Association Jodi Shapiro Memorial Scholarship. Additionally, Babylon Junior-Senior High School student Sonja Boyko was recognized for receiving the Long Island Special Education Administrator Association Student of the Year Award. 

A number of Babylon Junior-Senior High School student-delegates dedicated their time toward reporting on school news during the Board of Education meetings which took place throughout the 2018-19 school year. For their efforts, they were presented with tokens of appreciation courtesy of the Board of Education. 

Babylon Junior-Senior High School Class of 2019 valedictorian Dylan Pané and salutatorian Pavani Kumar were recognized for their accomplishments. Both students obtained this high honor for their exceptional academic record, commitment to success and diligent learning throughout their careers at the Babylon Junior-Senior High School.

Babylon Junior-Senior High School mathematics teacher Robert Richardelli, who received the New York State Senate District 4 Teacher of the Year Award, was presented with a token of appreciation in recognition of his excellent teaching methods. 

Babylon School District Board of Education trustee Dominic P. Bencivenga, who recently concluded his tenure as a member the board, was presented with an engraved plaque commemorating his nine years of service. 

Additionally, a number of staff members spanning all district buildings were presented as candidates for tenure, and were congratulated by all in attendance for their stunning accomplishment.  

Ninth-grade students in Claire Birone’s science classes from the Babylon Junior-Senior High School recently spent time alongside the Babylon Breast Cancer Coalition as they toured the new Stony Brook University Cancer Center and MART facility. 

During their visit, the students met with Christopher Clarke, Ph.D., assistant professor of research in medicine, who did a presentation on sphingolipids and cancer.

“Our students had a wonderful day, and definitely got a lot out of the experience,” said Mrs. Birone. “The researchers were really impressed by the knowledge and passion of our students, and some of them have even signed up as hospital volunteers this summer as a result of their day there.”

Babylon had the pleasure of being the first group of high school students to be invited into the new MART facility, which is the result of a long-standing relationship with the Babylon Breast Cancer Coalition and the Stony Brook Cancer Center staff. 

Due to staff and student efforts, the Babylon Junior-Senior High School’s American Sign Language Club has expanded its reach by creating their own chapter of the American Sign Language Honor Society. In mid-May, the first members of the Babylon Junior-Senior High School’s chapter of the American Sign Language Honor Society were inducted into the society and pledged their oath to continue their studies of ASL and the Deaf Community. The district would like to thank ASL instructor Dr. Alesia Olsen for working all year to establish this chapter and welcoming students into this distinguished society. 

More than 40 students from Babylon Junior-Senior High School’s Science National Honor Society recently participated in a beach cleanup at Gilgo Beach, under the supervision of adviser Andrew Sheltz and STEAM instructor Mary Beth Schappert. 

In addition to the benefit of accruing community service hours, the students eliminated a large portion of broken glass fragments from the bay side beach - enough to fill two water cooler jugs - days before the ninth and 10th grade STEAM students and eighth grade Project Based Learning classes’ Carboard Boat Regatta.  

According to Mr. Sheltz, the broken glass which was collected will be polished and recycled into artwork by future STEAM classes. In addition to perusing the water for debris, students also combed the beach for various pieces of garbage to be collected and properly discarded.

“This is just another example of students in the Babylon community making the effort and taking the initiative to ensure a clean local ecosystem,” Sheltz said.

The Babylon School District would like to congratulate Babylon Junior-Senior High School student-artists Alexandra Cornejo, Anna Schipf and Allesandra Van Rossem for being awarded with an honorable mention designation in the fourth annual eSchoolData Login Page Art Contest.

In order to participate, contestants are required to submit works of art that focused on a specific theme relative to current educational topics. This year’s theme was “Art in STEM,” and challenged students to illustrate how art is integral to the STEM subjects such as science, technology, engineering and math. 

eSchoolData created the art contest as a unique way to give back to school districts and the surrounding community by promoting local art and providing monetary awards for the winning entries. Additionally, it helps students build up their art portfolio, and allows the winners to claim publishing credit for their work when applying to art schools after graduation.

In accordance with their literary studies, students enrolled in Stacey Aprea’s and Alyssa Freeman’s second grade classes at Babylon Elementary School recently displayed their knowledge of nonfiction works by portraying storylines through means of humorous theatrical performances. Split into small groups, the students put on a series of skits, displaying their acting capabilities for “One Tiny Turtle,” “The Emperor’s Egg” and “Chameleons Are Cool,” among others. At the conclusion of the performances, the students showcased their nonfiction literary work, which served as the basis of the performances, to their attending family members.

Staff and students from the Babylon Memorial Grade School recently showed their full support for ALS Ride for Life, as founder Chris Pendergast and his team paraded down the front of the school building to waves of cheers and rounds of applause.

As Mr. Pendergast and his team made their way toward the front circle of the school, students held up posters and signs they made in class. Additionally, student-musicians representing the school’s band and orchestra filled the air with sweet sounds of music to serve as a welcoming introduction. 

In order to further support ALS research, the school held fundraisers earlier this year such as Pajama Day, along with a highly successful Walk-A-Thon which raised ALS awareness and collected donations for additional research funding.

The district would like to thank Linda McGarvey, the secretary at the main office, for coordinating this wonderful event which allowed ALS Ride for Life to safely pass through the Babylon School District.  

ALS Ride for Life was founded in 1997 by Chris Pendergast and his supporters. Each May, during ALS Awareness Month, those diagnosed with ALS ride their powered wheelchairs across Long Island to Manhattan in order to raise awareness of the disease, which currently has no cure. 

Eleven Babylon Memorial Grade School student-musicians recently raised more than $1,000 for Long Island Cares – The Harry Chapin Food Bank, after a monthlong participation in the Harry Chapin Practice-A-Thon. The fundraiser supported New York State local food banks and helped students improve their practice habits. 

Student participants included Jack Carnese, Katie Channing, Jamisyn Cerny, Michael Garret, Olivia Gavin, Cory Keith, Sara Mandell, Alison Maurino, Marena Onishi, Krittika Pal and Dilan Vergano. They marked down their daily practice schedules on their calendar, and accepted donations from sponsors based on the number of minutes that he/she practiced for the day.

This past May, Babylon Memorial Grade School faculty, staff, students and their families came together to celebrate achievements in science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics during the school’s inaugural “STEAM Night.”

Held in both the school’s gymnasium and cafeteria, attendees were introduced to a world of boundless STEAM-oriented opportunities, including, but not limited to, Ozobot stations, Lego building stations, book and plastic cup tower building, creating launchable paper rockets and designing “pom pom poppers.”  

Throughout the hallways, student work from the school year was on full display, highlighting the excellent work produced both in the classroom setting and in the after-school STEAM Club. 

Within the school’s computer lab, stations were set up as students were able to engage in collaborative computer coding activities on the Smart Board and create their very own interactive videos on iPads utilizing green screen technology. 

Additionally, student-volunteers from Babylon-Junior Senior High School showcased their achievements in robotics, and were even able to grant the younger students the opportunity to maneuver the robots themselves via wireless remote controls.

Sixth grade student Amiram Cameau is credited with designing the excellent STEAM Night Logo, which was featured on posters, flyers, along with the official STEAM Night T-shirts that teachers wore throughout the course of the night. 

The district would like to the thank the multitude of community members, district faculty and staff members, West Babylon High School students, Babylon Junior-Senior High School students and the volunteers from the Babylon K-6 Parent-Teacher Association for all of their efforts toward making the evening such a resounding success.