Perspective April 2012

Perspectives

HALF HOLLOW HILLS HIGH SCHOOL EAST

Volume 1V, Issue 1II

April 3, 2012

A Special Message from Dr. Woodberry

PRINCIPAL’S NEWSLETTER

Hello High School East Community,

The Insider’s View Page 2 2012 Valedictorian and Salutatorian Page 4 The Symphonic Band at Carnegie Hall Page 5 The first annual charity basketball tournament Page 7 What is going on in the Planetarium?

Page 8 Spotlight on two scholar athletes

It’s Fourth Quarter! Our students have been working hard all year to excel in their classes; however, I must emphasize the year is not over yet. With roughly two months and Regents or final exams in some courses, there is still the opportunity to make a significant impact on final grades. Students, keep striving for excellence!

It has been a great year so far at HS East. This issue highlights some of the meaningful accomplishments of our students in various areas. I am extremely proud of all of them. As you read through the pages, you will see that our students are truly benefiting from their experiences here at East with our remarkable faculty and staff!

The Junior class gives us an indication of academic excellence with nearly 192 of them being inducted into the National Honor Society. The class of 2012 also shines here at East and their efforts have been recognized by many of the world’s finest colleges and universities. Remember, whether or not one is accepted to his or her top choice, there is a school out there for everyone. Hopefully everyone will find the perfect fit.

While most are continuing the “Tradition of Excellence” at High School East, it is imperative that we remind students and parents of our expectations. Soon the weather will change and along with it some students’ attitudes and effort. I encourage students to stay focused academically and end the year on a good note all around. I urge all of our students to stay involved in positive activities both in and outside of school.

Remember: Respect, Responsibility and Excellence!

Special Thanks to

Sincerely,

Contributors:

Dr. J. A. Woodberry Principal

Maria Alfano Christina Asare Jason Braun Patrick Breig

And Photographers: Felice Crystal Life Touch Studio Allyson Uttendorfer

The Top Twenty Students of 2012 HS East proudly congratulates our top twenty scholars of 2012. Their enthusiasm, leadership and commitment to excellence contributes to the positive culture we so proudly embrace. For a close up look at our top twenty go to the Awards and Honors tab on the HSE website.

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Perspectives

Spotlight on Excellence perfect balance of school work, sports The Insider View of our Valedictorian and Salutatorian and friends.”

HS East is very proud to introduce this year’s Valedictorian Adam Needelman. Adam truly represents our ideals here at East with his display of strong character and leadership. In addition to his busy schedule of challenging courses, he is the president of Mathletes, has recently made top four and is an international qualifier in DECA. Adam has been accepted to Dartmouth College, Brown University, Duke University, the University of Virginia and the University of Michigan, and will make his choice soon.

He wants to study Math and Business and hopes to apply his talents and scholarship to a career in sports as either a statistician or manager. A true sports fan, he enjoys playing Tennis and was on the Hills team in grades eight through ten. He was also on a crew team with L.I. Rowing and hopes to pursue crew in college.

Adam says HS East afforded him “the

In addition to their numerous accomplishments, Adam and Aaron You may have seen our Salutatorian were both named as Finalists in the Aaron Schwartz perform in concerts, 2012 National Merit Scholarship Proplays and Coffee House Night, or per- gram. They have maximized their full haps you saw him exercising his mental agility on MSG Varsity’s quiz show The Challenge. An accomplished musician and captain of the Quiz Bowl Team, Aaron’s enthusiasm around HS East is contagious. He feels that HS East has given him the opportunities to pursue all his interests. “Anything anyone can do is offered here, and there are so many different people with different interests,” he said.

Aaron may consider pursuing his musical interests as a minor in college, but his main focus will be to pursue a career in mechanical engineering. He also is undecided at this point, but he will choose between the University of Delaware, Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, Cornell University and Princeton University.

Two of the top winners were HS East students Jake Ethe and Kristen The English department was very Shanley, featured here with Language excited to announce four 2012 Scho- Arts Coordinator Love Foy. lastic Art and Writing Award winners.

The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers identifies teenagers with exceptional artistic and literary talent and brings their remarkable work to a national audience through these awards. Submissions are juried by luminaries in the visual and literary arts and panelists look for works that best exemplify originality, technical skill and the emergence of a personal voice or vision. Jake Ethe won a Gold Key, the highest level of

Exceptional Literary Talent

potential here at East and are ready to take on the next challenge of higher education. We wish them much success and look forward to hearing about their future endeavors. achievement for his work of fiction “Three Points.” As a result, he will be considered for national-level recognition. He also received a Silver Key for his poem “Pain and Other Tales.”

Kristen Shanley was honored with a Silver Key for her poem “The Reaper’s Tainted Roses” and an Honorable Mention for her short story “A Hummingbird’s Touch.”

Only 7-10% of all regional submissions are recognized with Gold Key Awards and 10-15% with Silver Key Awards. Congratulations Jake and Kristen!

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Volume 1V, Issue 1II

State and National Competitors Students of Speech and Debate Reach New Heights

Varsity Extemporaneous Miranda Lupion Jake Ethé Congratulations and Good Luck to Shreyas Havaldar the Hills East Speech and Debate Puja Bansal Team!

JV Extemporaneous The High School East Speech and Shantanu Havaldar Debate Team is one of the school’s Rachel Stern most active clubs. With the help of Zachary Goldstein their coach, English teacher Melinda McCormack, and her assistant, Hills Original Oratory East graduate Jennifer Signet, these Zakiya Williams Wells students work late hours after school on a daily basis to prepare for compe- JV Public Forum Debate titions in a variety of categories. Eric Gesuale Whether it is the Long Island Foren- Cole Mantell sic Association, the Catholic Forensic League, or even the National Forensic Novice Public Forum Debate League, Hills East speech and debat- Neilofar Rahimzada ers perform at the highest level. A Melanie Spiegel total of eighteen students have qualified to advance to state and national JV Lincoln-Douglas Debate tournaments.

Rachel Maiman Abhinav Patil To qualify to compete in the New York State Forensic League Champi- Novice Lincoln-Douglas Debate onship, students must finish in the top Akash Wasil five in at least two regular season Kevin Bennet Long Island Forensic Association tournaments. The following Hills East Student Congress qualifiers will compete at the State Matthew Sokol Championship tournament at Shaker Gabrielle Persichilli High School in Albany (pictured beIn addition to the NYSFL, Hills East low left): Students compete in the Catholic Forensic League.

Once again, Hills East’s team did exceedingly well in the recent qualifying tournaments. Because of their successes, the following students earned the chance to compete in the CFL National Championship Tournament (pictured above right):

Public Forum Eric Gesuale Neilofar Rahimzada Paired Dramatic Interpretations Brian Dorfman Jacob Lefkowitz Extemporaneous Speech Shreyas Havaldar Jake Ethé Dramatic Performance Brian Dorfman Lincoln-Douglas Debate Abhinav Patil Zachary Goldstein Hills East can even boast a national qualifier to the prestigious National Forensic League tournament. Sophomore Jake Ethé qualified in Extemporaneous Speech.

Regardless of the league or event in which they compete, these national and state qualifiers are sure to be a competitive force at the upcoming tournaments. With the hard work and dedication they have demonstrated all year long, they are likely to meet continued success in the future.

- article by Patrick Breig

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Perspectives

Academics and the Arts Ready for The Challenge On March 7th, members of the Academic Team returned to NEP Studios in Manhattan to compete in round two of MSG Varsity’s televised quiz show The Challenge. The team consisted of seniors Aaron Schwartz, Isaac Vingan, and Harshil Mattoo, and juniors Abhinav Patil and Puja Bansal. Although the team was defeated by a strong North Babylon team, that did not stop them from having a great time. They competed at a high level, met new people, and experienced the excitement of filming a television show.

one of the main draws of the club.

Three of the five members of this year’s team got that chance twice. On last year’s show, they advanced to the second round but suffered a heartbreaking defeat to West Islip. Luckily, they were randomly chosen in a lottery last June to return again for another shot at the prize. Their The loss, however, did not dampen the experience for the massive red-clad group of cheering Hills East students, parents, and grandparents in the studio audience.

They supported their team with choruses of applause and spirited posters. Even the T-Bird was there to demonstrate some Hills East pride.

The studio staff played games with the audience, handed out t-shirts and back packs, and kept the students thrilling first round victory in Octo- laughing and smiling throughout. ber 2011 over Eastport-South Manor Overall, it was a great day. had their confidence soaring and they approached this year’s round two The Challenge aired on MSG Varsity match with high hopes of advancing (Channel 14 on Cablevision) March 26th at 5:30 p.m. even further.

This group has been gearing up for this year’s Challenge for some time. Since they were freshman, they have been active in the Academic Team, an extracurricular club focused on interscholastic trivia competitions. The club practices weekly, participates in monthly Regional Quiz bowl tournaments, and competes in various weekend invitational tournaments. The chance to one day repre- After going neck and neck with sent their school on The Challenge is North Babylon in the first multiple

gie Hall with their commanding presence and brilliant performance on the The HS East Symphonic Band, under evening of February 29, 2012. The the direction of Robert Belanich, filled students’ inspired renditions of Giathe world renowned stage at Carne- como Puccini’s Scossa Elettrica (Marcetta Brillante), Clilfton Williams’ Symphonic Dances No. 3 (Fiesta), and Dimitri Shostakovich’s Finale, from Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47 earned them a standing ovation!

Carnegie Hall Concert

choice round, the team was looking primed for a victory. However, the team hit a stumbling block when they were assigned a 60-second lightning round category asking them to match actors to movie roles. They lost ground and were not able to overcome the deficit.

- article by Patrick Breig

In the past 21 years the Symphonic Band has performed all over the East Coast and Canada. During this time the group has also received five Silver Awards, eleven Gold Awards and three Gold Awards with Distinction from the New York State School Music Association. We are particularly proud of this year’s group and look forward to their performance at the Spring Concert here at Hills East in May.

Our symphonic band is comprised of 128 students dedi- For more photos of the event at Carnegie cated to the study and perform- Hall, see the HS East Media Gallery on the ance of world class repertoire. website.

Volume 1V, Issue 1II

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Hoops for a Cause Hoops for Charity On February 28th, The First Annual Hills East Charity Basketball Tournament was held in the Albert Kindelmann Gymnasium. Hills East students formed teams to battle it out

for supremacy in four-on-four half court play. The event also featured a team three-point shooting contest.

Seniors Andrew Weintraub and Lyle Siegall organized the event alongside junior James Kuo. Each team contributed $25 dollars to play, and the proceeds were split between three charities: Team Reeve of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation for Spinal Chord Research, Little Flower, and The Wyandanch Outreach Center. The event raised a total of $300 and was a huge success.

‘league-type games’ with refs and fouls,” says Weintraub, who first conceived the idea at lunch last year.

After he and Siegall successfully organized a tournament at a local park this summer, the two teamed up with Kuo and decided to give it a try at school. Once they received approval, they met with Assistant Principal Mike Bongino once or twice a month for help with organization and they enlisted teacher volunteers to assist as referees, timers, and chaperones.

They made flyers, put up posters, and used Facebook and Twitter to help generate publicity for the event. Over several months the trio worked tirelessly and according to Weintraub, “it was a tough and stressful process at times.” In the end, however, their efforts paid off. They learned some valuable event planning skills, became good friends, and were able to help people in need.

chael Chemtob, Jordan Gross, Erick Zakarin, Jake Freeman and Robby Reiser. The winner of the Three Point Shootout was a team made up of Andrew Weintraub, Nicholas Castillo, and Nicholas Di Costanzo.

Prizes for the victors included free meals and gift certificates courtesy of Chipotle, California Pizza Kitchen, and Panera.

Siegall and Weintraub are off to college next year but Kuo plans on continuing the tradition with a Second Annual Tournament next year.

After this year’s efforts, it is sure to continue to be successful in the future. The boys “would like to thank Mr. Bongino, the entire administrative staff, and all the teachers who helped the tournament run smoothly.”

- article by Patrick Breig

“We all love basketball… and wanted it to be different from just The winning congoing to the park and playing pick up team sisted of Migames.

We wanted organized, jump rope activities to raise money for a good cause.

The American Heart Association raises money to supThe Physical Education Department hosted their annual port those in need who are affected by cardiovascular Hoops for Heart Fundraiser. Student’s participated in a disease. The PE department is very proud of the stu3pt shooting contest, small sided basketball games and dents at High School East.

Hoops for Heart

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Perspectives

Celebration of Culture Multicultural and MultiGenerational Every February Sunquam Elementary School hosts its Multicultural Unity Day. A collaboration between the school administration and PTA parents, the goal of this event is to introduce the students of every grade level to a multitude of countries abroad and all that encompasses each of their cultures.

Each year, High School East World Language teachers are also invited to participate with their students to represent their country of study.

This year, Rebecca Rosenberg, Milena Restrepo and Maria Alfano brought some of their students to highlight the cultures of Italy, Mexico and France.

Mrs. Rosenberg and her students taught the children some Italian phrases, such as Come stai? They also chose an Italian name and were able to write it on a nametag with the expression “Io mi chiamo”, meaning “my name is”. In addition, the children were given pictures of famous Italian paintings to take home and color. Ms. Restrepo and her students donned sombreros and Mexican sports shirts.

They also gave maracas as prizes and taught simple Spanish words such as hola, adios and bienvenidos. Ms. Alfano and her students wore the colors of the French flag and berets.

They tested the children on basic French trivia such as

African-American Culture Display In celebration of Black History Month, the African American Student Organization decorated the display case near the main office for all of February.

The students chose a fashion theme using clothing made from Kente Cloth, a type of cloth common in West Africa. There were also books and props to reinforce the theme of African American culture. AASO is very proud of this year’s display case design and hopes that everyone else appreciated the cultural aspect of the display as well.

- Thank you to Christina Asare for her contribution to this article

the capital of France and the Eiffel Tower. The children were taught a song in French and tasted French

baguette. They also learned vocabulary related to fruits and vegetables and left with a sticker containing a French phrase.

This was an enriching experience for our students. They truly enjoyed working with the elementary school children and generated a mutual excitement between them and the children from Sunquam.

- article by Maria Alfano

Volume 1V, Issue 1II

Page 7

Adventures in Science with an Episode of French Science Rules!

Throughout the year, the teachers and students of the science department have had major accomplishments and are also preparing for upcoming events that will further define our nation’s science and math initiative. First, in an effort to give back to the community, many science teachers in the district, including our own Mrs. Barlow, have volunteered to go to Otsego Elementary School to conduct brief lessons to the various grade levels. These teachers will be doing experiments and conducting minilessons to get elementary teachers and students excited about science and looking forward to their future here at Half Hollow Hills.

Second, the HSE Science Olympiad team, under the direction of Mr. Page and Mr. Cochrane, placed second overall in the Long Island

Regional competition, and this past weekend, placed fifth in NY State breaking a school record with a total of nine medals and three gold medals. In addition, Mr. Grunbeck brought a team of five students to the LI Physics Olympics at Farmingdale State College to compete in this prestigious competition. They earned a second place trophy in the “Sensing the Fundamentals” event.

Additionally, The Robotics team competed in the Regional Competition at Hofstra University last week. They finished 33rd out of 53 teams in only their second year competing. Mr. Mirchel and Mr. Aptowitz (HSW) have led the development of a 100+lb robot that is capable of shooting basketballs into a basket.

ties for our students. Their goals of keeping students engaged in multifaceted learning environments, emphasizing interdisciplinary learning and conducting up-to-date research have proven to be a successful recipe. East students now have the ability to study Exobiology (Biology), Spectroscopy & Nucleosynthetics (Chemistry), Ancient Ideas of the Cosmos (Global Studies), Symbolism of the Stars in Classic Literature (English), The Physics of Planetary Motion (Physics), Cosmology (Physics), Mythology (English), Renaissance Perspective and Science (Art), Following the Drinking Gourd (American History) and Ellipses and Paralax (Math).

Once again, congratulations to all teachers and students involved in Lastly, Mr. Clare and Mr. Affati- many of these great accomplishgato from the Planetarium have ments. redesigned the Discovery Center - article by Jason Braun and created many new opportuni-

Le Petit Prince Among the Stars Ms. Alfano’s French IV Honors classes had the fortunate opportunity to experience an adventure in the planetarium hosted by Mr. Affatigato discussing the book Le Petit Prince and many of its philosophical, metaphorical and astronomical interpretations. The beauty of this timeless classic was brought to life in a

truly unique, interdisciplinary way.

Students traveled through space to witness how asteroids have multiplied over the past thirty years and were even given a tour of the night’s sky. Mr. Affatigato is a master storyteller and he shared his knowledge of mythology in relation to the stars. He flawlessly encapsulated the essential elements of the book that French writer Antoine de St. Exupery had intended for his audience to interpret.

Undoubtedly, the students of these classes will always remember this experience.

- article by Maria Alfano

HALF HOLLOW HILLS

Scholarship and Sportsmanship

HIGH SCHOOL EAST

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Produced by: Darlene Lilla Assistant Principal Phone: 631-592-3128 Fax: 631-592-3121 E-mail: dlilla@hhh.k12.ny.us

Jessika Kagan is a ray of sunshine in the halls of HS East with her enthusiasm and infectious smile. That energy can also be seen on the soccer field and on the track, as well as in the myriad sporting events throughout the year. Jessika signed this year with LaSalle for soccer, but she is also an avid runner and is thinking about running in college as well. She broke the school record in the 200 meter and went to states in ninth grade for winter track.

In addition to her busy sports schedule in school, Jessika keeps up with soccer with the Alberton Fury, a league competition team that Inspired Excellence

Visit Our Website: www.halfhollowhills.k12.ny.us

High School East

Jake Freeman strives for excellence in sports and academics. He will continue his education at Harvard in the fall where he has signed to play soccer. He plans to study business and pursue a career in Sports Marketing.

practices three to four times counselor Ms. Grant and per week with games on Sat- biology teacher Dr. Stabile as urday. She was ranked num- always being there for her. ber one in her age group in that league.

Jessika will never forget the positive experiences she had here at Hills East. She said her senior class is very connected and they have enjoyed participating together in many extracurricular events.

When asked about the greatest influences in her high school years, Jessika said, “the teachers here are so caring.

They want you to succeed.”

She credits her guidance Most recently, he was seen on the basketball court as a player on the Varsity Basketball Team, and he is an active member of D.E.C.A. and National Honor Society; however, soccer is his passion.

Among his many soccer accomplishments, Jake was AllLeague in ‘09, All-County in ‘10, and All-State and All-Region in ‘11.

Jake was a member of the AllLong Island Team in ‘11. He seemed to have a hand in every goal for Hills East with 19 goals and 17 assists. He helped his team win its first league title since ‘96.

Furthermore, Jake received the prestig-

Most of all, she thanks her dad, who supported her throughout the process of applying to college. “He was hard on me,” she says, “but now I appreciate it.” Jessika plans to study criminal or adolescent psychology or perhaps nursing in college. ious honor of receiving the High School Scholar Athlete of the Year award from the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Jake thanks his ninth and tenth grade Global History teacher Ms. Rubin for helping him to adapt to high school and Assistant Principal Mr. Trigosso, who was his Spanish teacher and a great friend. Jake says his inspiration for excellence comes from his coaches Mr. Carcone and Mr. Ciolfi. Above all, his dad is credited with pushing him to do the best he could. Jake said, “He always told me to think about who I am playing for: family, team, coaches, school.”