On Nov. 4, the Madrigal Choir from Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School, under choral director Gina Occhiogrosso, performed at the Veterans Day Remembrance held at the U.S. Postal facility in Melville. The group sang several patriotic selections. 

The Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School student council and the Zumba Club partnered together to host a Pinktober Zumbathon to raise money for breast cancer research on Oct. 23.

The two clubs had six certified Zumba instructors – including Spanish teacher and club adviser Gabrielle Romanelli – who danced the evening away with many students and community members. Baskets were donated and raffled off and pink cotton candy was served.
 
“It was great to raise awareness for an amazing cause,” said student council advisers Cheryl Feldman and Neil Schweitzer. “It was a feel good evening knowing we are bringing awareness and ensuring that all people suffering with this disease receive the care they need.” 

Their joint efforts raised $1,000 for the Susan G. Komen organization to help save lives by finding research breakthroughs for breast cancer. 

On Oct. 19, members of the Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School senior class visited Molloy College for the National Hispanic College Fair. Colleges from around the country were represented at the fair.

Copiague School District recognized its alumni who have made a difference in their community and had a positive impact during the Hall of Achievement induction ceremony following homecoming festivities on Oct. 13 at Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School.

The four new inductees – which bring the total number to 100 – are: Dawn Michelle Hardy, Class of 1992; Scott Kuhn, Class of 1990; Dagmar Groy Marino, Class of 1970; and Viscel Welch Moore, Class of 1988.

“Tonight’s inductees carry on the tradition of giving back whenever and wherever they are,” said Copiague Board of Education Vice President Doris Fischer. “It is due to their efforts and the combined efforts of the administration, staff and everyone associated with the Copiague School District that Copiague is a great place to live and learn.”

“In honoring successful past graduates of Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School, the Hall of Achievement’s primary purpose is to introduce these alumni as positive and motivating role models to our entire school community and to keep those role models connected to our school and students,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kathleen Bannon. “By the nature of their accomplishments and service, inductees in the Hall of Achievement inspire our students to reach high goals.”

Ms. Hardy is an award-winning publicist and publishing consultant who graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology. She formed Dream Relations PR and Literacy Consulting agency, where she aids authors in promoting their books. She serves as the executive director of public relations for the Love Fellowship Tabernacle and completed the NYC Marathon as part of Team of Kids.

Mr. Kuhn holds a bachelor’s degree from Bucknell University and began working at a small insurance agency in Manhattan. In 2001, he left his investment job and decided to pursue a career in teaching, enrolling in graduate classes at Dowling College. A year later, he was hired as a math teacher at Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School, where he remains today. 

Ms. Marino came to Copiague School at the age of 10 from Vienna, Austria, unable to speak English. After quickly learning the language, she graduated high school in three years and went on to attend beauty school. Shortly after, she opened her first hair salon in the community. She is an active member and has served on the Board of Directors for the Copiague Chamber of Commerce. After losing her son tragically in 2012, Ms. Marino co-founded the Copiague Community Cares organization to support and assist those who have lost loved ones or are struggling with substance abuse.

Ms. Moore earned a bachelor’s degree in business management and economic from SUNY Empire. For the past 30 years, she has worked for ADP. She has been recognized as a Woman of Distinction, is a trustee at Bethel AME Church, serves as director of Bethel’s Young People’s Division, volunteers for the Youth Night program and conducts workshops on the importance of voting and civic engagement. She is a member of several PTAs, booster club, director of community relations for the Family & Community Media Group, serves on the executive committee for the central Long Island branch of the NAACP and is a member of the Copiague Chamber of Commerce. 

Walter. G. O’Connell Copiague High School students Oktay Yildiz (10th grade), Cecilia Libertella (11th grade), Jessica Chochorek (10th grade), Samantha Sattler and Kyree Scott (12th grade) auditioned for the Suffolk County Music Educators Association High School Showcase “A Cappella Ensemble” at Centereach High School. “It was an amazing experience for the students and we’re excited to see if we make it,” said choral director Gina Occhiogrosso, who accompanied the students on the audition. 

Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School’s girls junior varsity and varsity volleyball teams, along with the Varsity Club, teamed up to raise money for breast cancer awareness during their annual Dig Pink game for the Side-Out Foundation on Oct. 3. The teams held a bake sale and Varsity Club members sold their pink pumpkins and together they raised $550.

Ten student-musicians from Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School have been chosen to participate in the Suffolk County Music Educators’ Association’s Division IV All-County performing ensembles. The concert will take place on Nov. 17 at Half Hollow Hills East High School.

The district congratulates the following student-musicians: Ladrea Buffaloe (mixed chorus); Aaron Eng (mixed chorus and orchestra); Jaime Kister (band); Christopher Lam (mixed chorus); Jonah Ramdas (mixed chorus); Allison Reyes (treble chorus); Kyree Scott (mixed chorus); Darley Senat (treble chorus); Taylor Sharpe-Adams (mixed chorus); and Andrew Szabo (mixed chorus). 

On Oct. 1, the Varsity Club at Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School painted pumpkins pink for its annual breast cancer awareness fundraiser. The pumpkins were donated by Hick’s Nursery in Westbury. This is the third year the Varsity Club has joined together with the girls volleyball teams to raise money for breast cancer awareness.

The community, students, staff, administration and board of education joined together to celebrate the Copiague School District’s homecoming on Oct. 13.

Kicking off with a pep rally at Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School the day before, the weekend activities began with a homecoming parade starting at Great Neck Road Elementary School. Members of sports teams, school clubs, youth organizations and the homecoming court gathered for the march to the high school. Senior class king and queen Owen Rosenberg and Kembalee Rolle waved to the crowd down the parade route. The homecoming floats – themed board games – showed off the students’ creativity and featured members of the freshman, sophomore, junior and senior classes.

Prior to the start of the football game against Newfield High School, Sen. John Brooks and Leg. DuWayne Gregory offered their best wishes for the Copiague Eagles. Despite their best efforts, the Eagles were unable to come out on top against the Newfield Wolverines.

The halftime show featured performances from the award-winning Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School marching band, varsity cheerleaders and step team. The evening concluded with the Hall of Achievement induction ceremony, honoring four Copiague alumni who have made a difference. 

Two students from Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School were recently recognized for their academic performance. Abigail Romero was named a National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholar and Julia Brzozka was recognized as a Commended Student. 

To be eligible as a National Hispanic Scholar, Abigail was one of approximately 5,000 of the highest-scoring students from a nationwide total of 250,000 high school juniors who took the PSAT exam and designated themselves as Hispanic. 

Julia was named a Commended Student in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program. Commended Students are recognized for their exceptional performance on the 2017 PSAT exam. Approximately 1.5 million high school students take the PSAT each year. Of those, 50,000 are Commended Students and 16,000 are chosen as National Merit Scholar Semifinalists.

In late September, a representative from Montserrat College of Art in Massachusetts visited with students in Damin Gomes’ drawing and painting II class at Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School. Portfolio development and programming was discussed. “It was really beneficial for our students to hear about college expectations, see the application process and view the expected levels of work,” Mr. Gomes said.

During the summer recess, Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School underwent quite a transformation. Both interior and exterior construction has given the building a facelift, in addition to many new amenities including a ceramics room, renovated auditorium and electronics computer lab.

However, one of the most colorful renovations is a new flooring design in the main hallway of the building. Thanks to the work of Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School art teachers Christie Layden and Lorraine Ciccotto, the hall’s terrazzo inlay features a unique design for passersby to enjoy whether they are coming or going.

Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School Principal Joseph Agosta asked the art teachers to create a design for the floor that had a Long Island theme. The two teachers brainstormed and did sketches simultaneously and then combined them to come up with the finished design. 

The new design is representative of Montauk to Manhattan and features the Montauk lighthouse on one side and the New York City skyline and bridge on the other. The different colors of the terrazzo design were mixed and individually poured to create the one-of-a-kind custom look. 

For successfully completing the requirements of Advanced Placement courses and excelling on the exams, a total of 64 students from Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School – current and Class of 2018 graduates – have received AP Scholar Awards. 

Two students – Nayeli Pena and Alexandra Saczawa – were recognized as National AP Scholars. This honor is granted to students who receive an average score of at least 4 on all Advanced Placement exams taken and scores of 4 of higher on eight or more exams. 

Thirteen students were named AP Scholars with Distinction, an honor granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.5 or higher on all Advanced Placement exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on five or more exams. The following students received AP Scholar with Distinction recognition: Aleksandra Bugajczyk; Kelly Cheung; Osazuwa Eghafona; Aaron Eng; Ivan Gonzales; Jennifer Lopez-Fernandez; Nayeli Pena; Abigail Romero; Owen Rosenberg; Freddy Ruiz; Alexandra Saczawa; Samantha Sanchez; and Davina Smith. 

Thirteen students were named AP Scholars with Honor which are granted to students who receive a score of at least 3.25 on all Advanced Placement exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on four or more exams. The following students were named AP Scholars with Honor: Julia Brzozka; Jocelyn Fernandez; Melanie Garcia; Dan Gradica; Jordy Hernandez; Nokib Matubber; Belen Morote; Marvin Pineda-Lobo; Wiktoria Portka; Samantha Sloane; Kailee Stangelo; Adrian Tavarez; and Justin Taveras. 

Thirty-six students have been named AP Scholars. AP Scholar Awards are granted to students who receive a score of 3 or higher on three or more Advanced Placement exams. The following students were named AP Scholars: Shane Abney; Alfred Barredo; Jackson Bright; Kevin Buffolino; Christopher Canenguez; Joseph Cipriani; Ashley Collado; Michelle Cox; Jahnay Cuffy; Giuseppe Dattolo; Jarrett David; Andy DeJesus; Rebecca Demonaco; Erhumwunse Eghafona; Elsy Escobar; Mariana Espinoza; Nicholas Favichia; Elisa Gaudino; Sierra Lenee Gaul; Isabella Gilbert; Spencer Hodges; Shari Jackson; Austin Loo; Naryman Lounici; Marynee Mendez; Melina Mercedes; Peter Milillo; Henry Molina; Kyria Moore; Brian Oszkinis; Allison Reyes; Iris Romero; Argeny Tavarez; Nathanya Thelusma; Telisa Washington; and Claudia Zieba.

Students in Colleen Gurtner’s leadership class at Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School recently received a 2018-2019 Silver Partner Award from Junior Achievement of New York based on their work with the program last year. 

Junior Achievement of New York partners with schools to help teach financial literacy, entrepreneurship and work readiness programs.