Wantagh Union Free School District

Eighth graders were measuring, mixing and decorating in Ultimate Chef classes at Wantagh Middle School for the annual Cupcake Wars competition. Students worked in teams to create elaborate displays for the year-end challenge that tests their culinary knowledge from the year.

Dozens of students from the Wantagh High School Class of 2023 were recognized for their accomplishments over the last four years during the annual Senior Awards Night on May 30. More than 50 awards and scholarships were presented during the festive ceremony, which brings the school and community together.

Three Wantagh students were recognized for their achievement on the National Italian Exam, an annual contest offered by the American Association of Teachers of Italian. Students took the exam in April and results were recently announced.

A significant part of the middle school experience for students is developing social skills and positive relationships with others. Wantagh Middle School’s new recess program aims to do just that.

Parents, grandparents, siblings and even babysitters were among the special guests at Forest Lake Elementary School on May 19 for VIP Day. The annual event allows students to invite in a special adult for a shared learning experience.

The end of the school year is near, as evidenced by the annual ABC countdown at Mandalay Elementary School in the Wantagh School District. Every day for the last 26 days of school before summer vacation features a theme for each letter of the alphabet.

Audience members were in for a treat when they attended Wantagh High School’s spring concert on May 18. They enjoyed a performance by the Wind Ensemble, which included a song composed by renowned musician Erik Morales to premier at the show.

Ten prestigious high school science scholars were inducted into The Science National Honor Society which is a prominent scientific organization that engenders a new group of young thinkers who will be the future of industry, research, and scientific exploration for America. Those selected demonstrated achievement in science learning, are service minded, and present excellent personal character.

Fifth graders at Wantagh Elementary School got a glimpse of the future on May 8 when they met with student ambassadors from Wantagh Middle School. As the transition to middle school nears, fifth graders received advice and guidance from those who best know what the student experience is like there.

For his research work and overall passion for science, Wantagh High School senior Evan Thole will be honored by the Nassau County chapter of the Science Teachers Association of New York State. He will receive the Outstanding Science Student award at the upcoming recognition dinner on May 16.

A dozen educators from the Wantagh School District received tenure at the May 4 board of education meeting, a testament to their hard work over the past four years as well as their bright futures.

For 20 Wantagh High School students, accompanying their country’s greatest heroes to the National World War II Museum was the honor of a lifetime. Juniors and seniors were paired with World War II veterans for a trip to New Orleans from April 19-21, and it was an experience they will never forget.

The Wantagh High School National English Honor Society Alchemist Chapter held its 4th Annual Induction Ceremony on April 25 where 27 students were welcomed as its newest members in front of a backdrop of the library’s fiction and non-fiction literature befitting an occasion such as this.

To celebrate Earth Day, students at Mandalay Elementary School explored different ways they could help the environment.

Wantagh Elementary School fifth graders became the designers for a game they are likely familiar with from their family vacations. In the collaborative physical education and STEAM class project, students created a miniature golf course, then invited their families to come play.

The word on the street was that if you went to Wantagh Middle School on April 4, you would catch some amazing poems. That was in fact the case as the English department hosted its eighth celebration for National Poetry Month.

A musical based on the books of noted children’s author Dr. Seuss was the premier production for Wantagh Elementary School’s Musical Theater Club. The cast of 42 students showcased their talents during four performances of “Seussical Kids” on March 28 and 30.

When they graduate in June, 20 Wantagh High School seniors will have the Seal of Biliteracy affixed to their diplomas, a sign that they are highly skilled in two or more languages. Wantagh High School has been awarding the Seal of Biliteracy since 2018, and students get their names added to a plaque that hangs on the second floor.

The Harvard Club of Long Island has announced Salvatore Mulé, science teacher at Wantagh Middle School as one of 12 Long Island teachers receiving the “Distinguished Teacher Award for 2023” at the club's award ceremony on Saturday, March 18, 2023 at the Heritage Club in Bethpage State Park.

A group of Wantagh Middle School students learned a dual lesson about entrepreneurship and community service. They used their profits from running the school store to donate to the John Theissen Children’s Foundation.

Broadway hit “The SpongeBob Musical” makes its way to Wantagh High School, where the drama club will tell the tale of the fictional character who lives in a pineapple under the sea. There are four performances from March 31 through April 2.

On April 25, 2023, Mandalay Elementary School will be hosting a Mental Health Summit for all Wantagh parents at the Elementary level. Our program will feature a keynote speaker, information tables, and an additional session of your choice.

The Wantagh High School Business Education Department held its National Business Honor Society (NBHS) Induction and Awards Ceremony March 15th in front of an audience of parents, friends, faculty, staff, school administrators, and Board members.

High academic achievement, a positive school climate and a commitment to growth are a few of the reasons why Wantagh Middle School was recently named an Essential Elements School to Watch, an initiative of the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform. Following an extensive application process and a two-day site visit by experienced educators, the school was granted the prestigious designation.

Where else besides Wantagh Elementary School can you find the first, 16th, 18th and 35th presidents of the United States at the same time? Together, they stood, along with dozens of other famous figures at the fifth grade’s annual living wax museum on March 10.

Wantagh Middle School students want everyone to have a healthy heart. That’s why they collectively raised more than $9,000 for the American Heart Association in the annual Hoops for Heart competition.

World Compliment Day was celebrated on March 1, and at Mandalay Elementary School in the Wantagh School District it served as a reminder about the kindness that should spread year-round.

Fourth graders have a unique way of storing all of their work in Michele Anszelowicz’s class at Forest Lake Elementary School in the Wantagh School District. Their pizza box portfolios are filled with classwork and projects that reflect the vast amount of knowledge they have gained this year.

The Harvard Club of Long Island recognized two Wantagh High School educators with the Distinguished Teacher award. Math teacher Jason Apfelbaum and art teacher Natalie Douglas were nominated by a Wantagh graduate from the Class of 2021, who now attends Harvard University.

Based on the popular Disney Channel Original Movies, the Wantagh Middle School Drama Club will present “Descendants: The Musical” from March 3-5. A cast of 50 students will delight the audience with comedy, adventure and hit songs during four shows.

Whether they were preparing for a future career or just looking to take a trip down memory lane, it was a successful day for Wantagh High School students who participated in Shadow Day on Feb. 2.

It was a special day for kindergarten and first grade students at Mandalay Elementary School on Feb. 9. They reached the 100th day of the school year, making them that much smarter.

A celebration of reading spanned all ages in the Wantagh School District on Feb. 1, as students and teachers from all five schools took part in World Read Aloud Day. The district participated in the 14th annual event, which featured connections between the elementary and secondary schools.

They may have been taking part in the Hour of Code initiative, but students at Wantagh Elementary School have been doing way more than an hour of computer programming. STEAM teacher Kaitlin Humphrey said students in kindergarten through fifth grade are doing coding activities throughout January and February.

It’s hard to stump Wantagh Middle School sixth grader Max Mihalik about his knowledge of the world, and that’s why he emerged as the winner of the school’s annual Geography Bee on Jan. 12.

Whether it’s having her students construct and destroy gingerbread houses to test the forces of wind or do scavenger hunts around the school, Wantagh High School science teacher Samantha Gordon is known for her exciting, hands-on projects.

If there’s a concert happening in the Wantagh School District, Matthew Lin is probably there tickling the ivories. It is unique for a student to serve as a piano accompanist for school concerts, but the Wantagh High School senior has leant his talents for more than a dozen elementary, middle school and high school performances for the past four years.

The Kindness Squad at Forest Lake Elementary School has some words of encouragement for their peers. The group of fourth graders recently created inspirational posters to hang around the school.

They may still be pretty young, but fifth graders at Mandalay Elementary School have lots of stories to tell. They recently wrapped up their memoir writing unit by publishing personal narrative pieces.

The most anticipated moment of the week for kindergartners and fifth graders at Wantagh Elementary School is the time they get to spend together. Students in Patricia Magoloff’s class are regularly visited by their older peers from Traci Weiss’s class.

Trial and error was a practice used by many famous inventors, so that’s the model that students are following at Wantagh Elementary School. Children in grades 3-5 are immersed in an inventions unit in STEAM classes with teacher Kaitlin Humphrey.

Wantagh High School’s boys volleyball players set the bar high for good sportsmanship, and that did not go unnoticed this past season. The team received the Sportsmanship Award from the Nassau County Volleyball Officials Association and were presented with their trophy at an end-of-season dinner.

Creative Minds, a sixth grade elective at Wantagh Middle School, is filled with hands-on challenges that teach students about the engineering design process. Recently, students had to build a car that could keep on egg from breaking as it traveled down a ramp.

A day before the big balloons and floats traveled through the streets of Manhattan, students at Mandalay Elementary School put on their own Thanksgiving display. The morning kicked off with a float parade outside of the school. Each class built a float for the special event.

The new Video Game Club at Forest Lake Elementary School in the Wantagh School District is the quintessential way for students to develop 21st century skills. They learn how to work as a team, to display good sportsmanship, to solve problems and to understand modern technology.

Wantagh High School celebrated National Signing Day with a celebration for 16 college-bound athletes on Nov. 9. They were joined by administrators, coaches and family members who proudly watched as the seniors signed their letters of intent.

Parachutes were falling at Wantagh Middle School on Nov. 1 as seventh graders explored the principles of aerodynamics. As the culminating activity in the forces and interactions unit, students in Ashley Azzata’s and Elyse Longo’s science classes built parachutes.

The fall drama production will be a new show on the Wantagh High School stage, as student-actors are getting ready for the upcoming production of “Radium Girls,” which will feature four performances from Nov. 18 to 20.

The school day ended at Wantagh High School on Oct. 27 and students immediately began transforming the building into a spooky Halloween destination. Then, the clock struck 5 and elementary-age children came inside for an evening of crafts, games and trick-or-treating at the inaugural Spooktacular.

Wantagh High School sophomores Jayla George and Kayla Spisto wanted to do something to help others, so they partnered with the Crayon Initiative to provide coloring supplies to children in hospitals. Jayla and Kayla first reached out to Principal Dr. Paul Guzzone, who was thrilled to support their project so they could begin collecting crayons at school.

The Wantagh School District showcased two newly renovated art rooms at its middle school during a visit by New York State Sen. John Brooks on Oct. 4. Sen. Brooks secured $684,000 in state municipal grant funding for the district.

The Helping Hands food pantry at Mandalay Elementary School in the Wantagh School District has been freshly stocked thanks to the generosity of students. The first food drive of the year was held from Oct. 3-14, with students donating non-perishable items.

Under bright sunshine, the Wantagh homecoming parade glided triumphantly past thousands of supporters on Oct. 15. Led by a color guard and the Wantagh Pipe Band, the parade featured the Wantagh High School marching band, cheerleading squads and the creative floats designed by each class based on this year’s theme: music genres. The juniors took first place with their country music design.

In September 2010, Katherine Killian and Nora Toscano entered the same kindergarten classroom at Forest Lake Elementary School. Nearly 13 years later, they will graduate together as the top-ranked students in Wantagh High School’s Class of 2023. It’s been a long journey for the two friends since they met on the other side of the pedestrian bridge that crosses the Wantagh Parkway to link the schools.

Every year, two Wantagh High School students get the privilege of sitting up on the stage during board of education meetings, tasked with informing the community about the school’s vast array of programs, events and accomplishments. This year, that honor has gone to general organization co-presidents Sean Browne and Nyla Lester.

Wantagh High School ninth graders took a short break from their studies to get some exercise and fresh air, bond with their classmates and enhance their teamwork abilities during Freshmen Field Day on Sept. 23. The turf field inside the track was the center of the action, in which the high school’s newest students rotated through 10 stations.

International Dot Day is a celebration of creativity, and students at Mandalay Elementary Schools showed just how powerful their imaginations can be. To kick off the school year, students in kindergarten through fifth grade worked on dot-themed projects during STEAM classes with teacher Alexa Del Piano

Five Wantagh High School seniors were honored in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program, including one semifinalist and four commended students. Natasha Meagher was named a semifinalist for her outstanding academic achievements. She was one of approximately 16,000 students nationwide to be selected as a semifinalist by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

Wantagh High School’s graduating Class of 2022 included 25 recipients of the Advanced Placement Capstone diploma, which acknowledges their success in challenging college-level courses. Nine students in the current senior class have also qualified for the diploma when they graduate in June 2023.

The Wantagh School District welcomes Christopher Kozak as the new director of STEM. He replaces Carol-Ann Winans, who was promoted to executive director of curriculum and instruction.

Schools in Wantagh opened for the start of the 2022-2023 school year on Sept. 1 with a renewed sense of optimism, as students arrived on buses, in cars and even by bike with smiles on their faces.

Wantagh Middle School welcomes Rachel Quattrocchi as the new assistant principal, who assumed the role on Aug. 29. She replaces Dr. Stephanie Scolieri, who held the position for eight years before becoming the district’s director of human resources.

Two administrators from the Wantagh School District will be moving into new roles in the central office for the 2022-2023 school year. Carol-Ann Winans has taken on the position of executive director for curriculum and instruction K-12 while Dr. Stephanie Scolieri is the new director of human resources.

Wantagh High School Principal Dr. Paul Guzzone was recognized with the Administrator of the Year award by the Nassau Counselors’ Association for his support of the guidance program. He was nominated by Wantagh’s director of guidance, Frank Muzio, and was honored at the association’s end-of-the-year dinner on June 6.

The Wantagh School District welcomes veteran educator Alison Hazut as its new director of elementary curriculum and instruction, effective July 1. She was appointed to the position at the Board of Education’s June business meeting.

Kindness is a valued virtue at Mandalay Elementary School and 17 students were recognized for being kind and considerate throughout the 2021-2022 school year. Near the end of the school day on June 2, Principal Marie Pisicchio announced the winners of this year’s kindness awards.

Perseverance was a major theme at Wantagh Middle School’s crossing-over ceremony on June 10, which celebrated the hard work of the district’s 209 eighth graders. When they start high school in September, they’ll just be on the other side of the connecting overpass, and will have to get up a little earlier each morning. Middle School Principal Anthony Ciuffo is confident that they will succeed.

The 189 graduates of Wantagh High School’s Class of 2022 will be remembered for their many achievements, their perseverance in the face of adversity and, most importantly, their value. As the sun slowly made its descent behind the stage, the senior class was celebrated for the last time as a group during the graduation ceremony on June 24 on Wantagh’s turf field. The scoreboard was lit up with “2022.”

More than 70 seniors were recognized at Wantagh High School’s senior awards night on May 31, with school and community leaders coming together to celebrate the Class of 2022. The soon-to-be graduates earned awards for their academic successes and community service, along with dozens of scholarships.

Some very important people made their way to Forest Lake Elementary School on May 20, and it brought a smile to face of every student. VIP Day returned as an in-person event for the first time since 2019, with parents, grandparents and other special guests invited to get a taste of life at the school.

Young artists are adding their creative touch to Wantagh’s schools with the addition of new several new murals. Wantagh Elementary School and Wantagh Middle School are both being beautified with student masterpieces.

Two students from Wantagh High School were recently recognized for their successes in business education classes. Senior Jennifer Rosen received a scholarship, while junior Ashlee Favata earned an award for a video submission.

Third graders got to explore their roots at Mandalay Elementary School while also improving their technology skills. Each student selected a country reflecting his or her ancestry and created a digital book using Google Slides.

The microphone was on, and more than 30 Wantagh Middle School students and staff stepped in front of it on the evening of April 12 for the seventh annual Word on the Street literacy celebration.

The Wantagh School District Board of Education celebrated the hard work, dedication and promising futures of 10 administrators and teachers who were granted tenure on May 5. During a tenure reception, Superintendent John McNamara and Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Dr. Marc Ferris talked about the accomplishments of the tenure recipients. They noted that this is a significant milestone in their careers and wished them much success is the years ahead.

A study on the memory of fruit flies earned Wantagh High School senior Julia Froese recognition from the Nassau County chapter of the Science Teachers Association of New York State. She will accept her award at a dinner on May 17.

Acceptance is the theme for Autism Awareness Month at Wantagh High School, with an educational campaign spearheaded by the general organization. The morning announcements every Monday and Friday in April include facts and myths about autism spectrum disorder. Additionally, students and staff learn about the accomplishments of different celebrities who are on the autism spectrum.

About three dozen environmentally conscious students arrived early at Forest Lake Elementary School in the Wantagh School District on April 8 for some good old fashioned spring cleaning. By the time classes started, they had filled several bags with litter found around the back of the school.

The winter 2022 sports season at Wantagh High School featured some of the best individual athletic performances in school history, including its first individual Nassau County champion bowler, Seth Braum. It capped an undefeated season for the senior.

Treating others with kindness is an important lesson, and at Mandalay Elementary School, students also learned to treat themselves kindly. Mirror Talk Mondays is a new initiative to help children build confidence, be proud of who they are and understand all that they can offer.