Families of the Islip School District attended the annual Festival of the Arts at Islip High School on May 20, an event that celebrates the district’s outstanding art and music programs. A walkable art exhibition showcased hundreds of student artwork from grades K-12 displayed in the school’s auditorium, hallways and cafeteria, including paintings, drawings, sculptures and mixed media pieces. Musical performances in the cafeteria featured the Islip Middle School Chamber Orchestra and Show Choir, as well as the high school and middle school jazz bands. Visiting families were entertained with an art scavenger hunt, and a special instrument petting zoo gave younger students from prekindergarten to third grade the chance to try out string, brass and woodwind instruments for their upcoming instrument choice in fourth grade. 
 
“The Festival of the Arts is my favorite event of the year,” Director of Fine and Performing Arts Michael Hershkowitz said. “Our community has the chance to experience what the students of Islip experience everyday – absolutely top-notch art and music education. The creativity on display speaks for itself, and I am grateful for the hard work of our Fine and Performing Arts team.”

Date Added: 5/29/2025

Commack Road Elementary School third grader Lennox Villanueva-Chicas recently won third place in the Town of Islip’s Earth Day Poster Contest, in the grades 1-4 category. The contest promotes the town’s goal of encouraging recycling and the proper environmental ideals, and each entry had to depict a recycling theme such as reduce, reuse, composting, recycling electronics or waste to energy conversion. Villanueva-Chicas received his certificate and a prize of a $50 Barnes & Noble gift certificates in a May 8 ceremony at Islip Town Hall.

“We are so proud of Lennox’s accomplishment,” Principal Jackie Beckmann said.

Date Added: 5/28/2025

The Islip 2025-2026 budget has passed. Thank you!
Yes – 1,141
No – 380

Proposition 2: Capital Reserve Fund:
Yes – 1,209
No – 294

Congratulations to Matthew Clareen and Kristin Presti on winning the Board election.
Matthew Clareen – 1,009*
Kristin Presti – 770*
Hilary Crowe Breig – 682

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El presupuesto ha sido aprobado. ¡Gracias!
Sí – 1,141
No – 380
 
Propuesta 2: Reserva de Capital
Sí – 1,209
No – 294

Felicitaciones Matthew Clareen y Kristin Presti, por ganar la elección de la Junta.
Matthew Clareen – 1,009*
Kristin Presti – 770*
Hilary Crowe Breig – 682

Seven Islip High School students – Tiana Arroyo, Thalia Elie, Katerina Mennecke, Ava Mirenda, Olivia Conlon, Madelyn Smith and Jadyn Zink – were selected to participate in the weekly Women in Science & Engineering (WISE) program at Stony Brook University during the fall and spring semesters. The students worked with astrophysicist graduate student Ian Johnson, who instructed them on how to use Python coding software for computational astrophysics and how to estimate the mass of black holes. The Islip students also had the opportunity to tour the telescope at Stony Brook and learn about the types of courses and extracurricular activities provided through the university’s Astronomy Club.  

Date Added: 5/15/2025

Islip High School students enrolled in Preston Hulse’s Baking Level 2 class recently learned about the remarkable success story of Crumbl Cookie, a company that began with two friends in a Logan, Utah apartment and has since grown into a major player in the cookie industry. Inspired by this entrepreneurial journey, the class created their own Crumbl-inspired cookies. In a bold move, the class reached out to Crumbl Cookie via Instagram, sharing their learning experience and photos of the students’ creations. 

“Despite Crumbl's immense popularity, we were absolutely thrilled when they responded,” Hulse said. “Not only did Crumbl provide positive feedback to our students, but they also generously gifted the class with two free 12-packs of their delicious, shareable cookies. This gesture allowed our students to sample authentic Crumbl cookies, further inspiring their baking endeavors. This experience has been invaluable for our students, reinforcing the idea that with hard work, belief in oneself and determination, no dream is impossible, no matter how big or small. It has truly been a motivational and educational moment for our class.”

Date Added: 5/14/2025