Mr. John C. McNamara
As shoppers perused the Westfield Sunrise Mall in Massapequa on March 18, they also enjoyed the artwork of the district’s finest student-artists displayed in the annual Art In HeArt exhibit. Sponsored by the Long Island Art Teachers Association, the exhibit celebrates Youth Art Month. Exhibitors in grades K-12 were selected by their teachers for this community exhibit.
The acoustics of more than 100 string instruments resonated throughout the high school gymnasium on March 15 as elementary, middle and high school students collectively played for administrators, faculty and parents during the second annual All-District String Festival.
A 15-pound lion with bulging eyes, a bright red tongue and a long, wispy tail thrilled Wantagh Elementary School second-grade students as they learned about the lion dance, a Chinese New Year custom to scare away evil spirits. On loan from the Chinese Center of Long Island, the handmade piece of cultural history entertained the students as they watched teacher Henry Chiu manipulate its expressions during a presentation on traditional lion dancing and his family’s traditions during this holiday, which is also known as the Lunar New Year.
Horizons Program students in grades 3-6 attended Horizons Conference Day at Mandalay Elementary School on March 3, an annual enrichment day that allows gifted and talented program students to partner with their parents in hands-on activities. During the rigorous workshop offerings, participants were challenged to think and perform at a high level while exploring technology, physics, engineering, anthropology, hydraulics and art.
Throughout the District, elementary students celebrated the writings of Dr. Seuss and his March 2 birthday as part of the Read Across America initiative, the world’s largest reading celebration. In Elizabeth Shevlin’s first-grade class at Wantagh Elementary, students immersed themselves in Dr. Seuss books throughout the week. Dressed in green, they read “Green Eggs and Ham” and tasted a snack of green pudding and vanilla wafers.
During the Feb. 15 Board of Education meeting, New York State Sen. John Brooks presented a proclamation to members of the varsity wrestling team, congratulating the student-athletes for having been named the first New York State Division I Dual Meet Champions.
Eight of the District’s finest and long-standing teachers officially announced their retirement during the board of education meeting on Feb. 15, marking a collective 261 years of service to the district. Superintendent of Schools John McNamara thanked the teachers on behalf of the district’s students for their “service and all the lives they have touched.”
Elementary school students throughout the District celebrated their first 100 days of school with English language arts, mathematics and art activities. Many of the students at Forest Lake, Mandalay and Wantagh elementary schools showed their enthsiasm for this momentous occasion by decorating their T-shirts with 100 items, and some of the younger kindergarten students dressed as 100-year-olds.
Nine of the District’s top string musicians in grades 5-12 were selected to participate in the Long Island String Festival Association concerts held on Nov. 17-19 (secondary division) and March 2-4 (intermediate division). The students were selected based on last year’s New York State School Music Association scores and teacher recommendations.
The Jerusalem Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution recognized Wantagh High School junior Megan Fehling as a first-place winner in the New York State Christopher Columbus Essay Contest. In addition, Wantagh Middle School eighth-grader Juliana Rose and seventh-grader Jason LaPadula are winners in the regional 2017-2018 DAR American History Essay Contest.
