Finding a unique way to give back to their community, several Islip High School students in Jesse Eilbeck’s Design and Drawing for Production, Home Improvement and Wood/Materials classes recently volunteered to combine their skills to craft 50 toy cars. The students cut, sanded, painted and assembled these cars to donate to the Town of Islip Youth Bureau, who added them to baskets for families in need.

Date Added: 2/12/2025

The Islip School District honored numerous elementary and secondary students for their exceptional achievements during fall and winter at the annual Night of Champions event, held on Jan. 30 at the Board of Education meeting. Students demonstrating excellence in academics, athletics, music and leadership earned certificates, with their proud families in attendance.    

Director of Fine and Performing Arts Michael Hershkowitz and the district’s art and music teachers honored students who were selected for the SCMEA PEAK Festival from Commack Road Elementary School (Josephine Bosley, Benjamin Rovery, Madison Sclafani, Brandon Vergara and Julianna Willett) and Maud S. Sherwood Elementary School (Everly Farrell, Julia Haug, Beckett Kelly, Teagan Koller and Olivia Powers); students participating in the Long Island String Festival from Commack Road (Aidan Kelly), Sherwood (Lilah Hirschmann), Islip Middle School (Chelsea Cooper, Malcolm Friedman, Christopher Liang and Dominick Lovo) and Islip High School (Connor Clifford and Emily Flora); students chosen for NYSCAME All-County Band (Sophia Zurbaran) and NYSCAME All-County Chorus (Addison DeFalco, Isabella Dragos, Alexandra Noles, Juliana Sclafani and Aaron Thorn); and Islip High School participants in the Islip Arts Council’s Art of Healthy Eating contest (Camila Granados Godoy, Samantha Krut, Gabrielle Longobardi and Emma Newman) and the New York State Boards Association Student Art Exhibit (Abigail Butler-Lentini, Gianna DeMonte Alexa Diaz, Matthew Levy, Alexandra Mendez Duran and Kathiangelys Rios Cruz).

Islip High School Principal Lara Gonzalez and Assistant Principals Charlie Rizzuto, Meghan Stern and Lisa Ward presented the high school’s academic awards. Advanced Placement awards were recognized, for students earning the AP Seminar and Research Certificate (Jamie Atlas, Ankita Dhar, Layla Quinn), AP Scholar designation (Oliva Auerbach, Melina Bennett, Rafael Bonilla, Juliana Conlon, George DiJulio, Keira Ferrera, Mushfiqa Jahan, Amy Marconi, Melanie Marroquin, James Mugan, Harris Mukhtar, Mia Nano, Malik Nayab, Jake Teuschler, Caden Tierney, Isabela Ulloa, Lauren Wade and Aiden Zaneski), AP Scholar and AP Seminar and Research Certificate (Isabella Dragos, Aliannah Madriz, Nicole Matute, Riley O’Malley and Djimon Senior), AP Scholar with Honor designation (Reese Breslin, Guyveline Jean-Charles, Adrian Pantaleon and Kathryn Quinn), AP Scholar with Honor and AP Seminar and Research Certificate (Kaitlyn Riordan), AP Scholar with Distinction designation (Ryder Miranda), AP Scholar with Distinction and AP Seminar and Research Certificate (Elizabeth Ford), AP Scholar with Distinction and AP Capstone Diploma (Isabella Field, Emily Flora, Jake Mulholland and John Oggeri). Also recognized were the school’s National Merit Commended Students (Ryder Miranda and John Oggeri).

Athletic Director John Sparacio and several of his coaches presented sports recognitions for the fall season, noting that all of Islip’s fall varsity teams achieved New York State Scholar Athlete Team status. Honored high school student-athletes included boys cross-country athletes Ryan Donohue (All-League, All-Division) and Evan Rahner (Second Team All-League); girls cross-country athletes Elizabeth Hamm and Aliannah Madriz (both All-League); football players Jake DeGennaro (All-County), Christian Hall (First Team All-Division), Brady Nash (All-County, Boomer Award finalist, LaBue Award finalist, National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete), Josiah Patterson (First Team All-Division), Robert Rais (First Team All-Division), Jack Rao (Second Team All-Division), Dylan Smith (All-County, Long Island reception leader), Caden Tierney (Second Team All-Division), Louie Tuorto (Second Team All-Division), Michael Vitale (First Team All-Division) and Callahan Zusi (Second Team All-Division); boys golfer Jacob Petelin (All-League); gymnastics athletes Elaine Biscari (All-League, Scholar-Athlete), Emily DeCotis (All-League), Nicolette Ferraro (All-County) and Isabella Field (All County, state qualifier); boys soccer players Gavin Argenziano (All-League), Jamie Atlas (All-Conference, All-County), Jonathan Lovo Lopez (All-Conference) and Jack Whitehouse (All-League, League 7 Goalkeeper of the Year); girls soccer players Julia Dromerhauser (All-County), Shea LaGiglia (All-League), Nicole Matute (All-County, All-State, Newsday Top 100 Players, League 7 Player of the Year), Peighton McKenna (All-County, All-State, Newsday Top 100 Players), Amanda Owen (All-League) and Taylor Unverzagt (All-League); girls tennis players Addison Andria (All-League), Rowan Barry (All-League), Juliana Conlon (All-County), Elizabeth Desrochers (All-League), Isabella Dragos (All-League, Section XI Sportsmanship Award), Alexis Hand (All-County), Alyssa Muschenick  (All-County), Mia Nano (All-League) and Reese Wallace (All-County); and girls volleyball players Cali Addeo (All-Tournament), Riley Haynes (All-League), Ava Maresca (All-League, All-Classification), Arianna Speer (All-League), Jami Sullivan (All-League) and Jane Tierney (All-League, All-County, All-Tournament). Additionally, four coaches – Danielle Martello (girls tennis, Kristie Najdek (JV girls volleyball), Elizabeth Pyz (JV girls soccer) and Mike Reilly (varsity girls soccer) – were recognized for earning Coach of the Year honors in their respective sports.

Date Added: 2/11/2025

Islip High School’s Teacher Prep and College and Career Planning students recently took a field trip to Farmingdale State University. During the visit, the Islip students toured the campus with a Farmingdale senior, providing them a unique perspective on college life. They had the opportunity to explore the campus, including the dorms, and learn about the various programs offered. The trip highlighted Farmingdale as a local, affordable college with many majors to choose from. The visit concluded with a lunch on campus, providing students with a chance to further experience the college environment.

“Taking our high school students to Farmingdale State College was an invaluable experience,” teacher Alexandra Catalano said. “It allowed them to see firsthand what a college campus is like and to explore the many opportunities available right here on Long Island. Visiting local schools is essential because it empowers students to make informed decisions about their futures. When they can connect with the environment and resources offered nearby, it gives them a clearer sense of what will best support their academic and career goals.”

“Our field trip to Farmingdale College was an incredibly informative experience that provided important insights into various academic programs and campus life,” senior Sarah Ryan said. “We had the opportunity to explore all the buildings and dorms, learn about different career pathways, and interact with faculty and students. The visit gave us a better understanding of the resources available at the college and inspired us to consider future educational opportunities.”

Date Added: 2/7/2025
 

Two seniors from Islip High School’s varsity football team – quarterback Brady Nash and offensive back Dylan Smith – were recently named to the New York State Sportswriters Association’s 2024 All-State 3rd team offense.

Islip had a memorable 2024 season, finishing 6-2 and earning the third seed in the playoffs. Led by Nash and Smith, the Bucs defeated the sixth-seeded Hauppauge Eagles in the Conference III quarterfinal before their season ended in the semifinals against Half Hollow Hills West.

Nash’s senior year highlights included 33 touchdowns, 3,259 total yards, 2,362 passing yards, 897 rushing yards and a 65% completion rate. For Long Island football players, he finished third overall for passing yards, second for total yards and second for touchdowns.

Smith notched 255 rushing yards during the 2024 season, tallying 69 receptions for 1,047 total yards.

Date Added: 1/30/2025

Islip High School sponsored its second annual overnight college tour in mid-November, with 50 students and five adult chaperones traveling for three days and two nights to the Mid-Atlantic region. Students in grades 9-12 were encouraged to attend, with priority registration offered to upperclassmen.

Students visited seven universities over three days, including Johns Hopkins University and Loyola University in Baltimore, Maryland; University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland; United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland; University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware; George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia; and Howard University in Washington, DC.

Meetings with student groups at Howard University and JHU were among the many highlights of the trip. At the Naval Academy, the men’s lacrosse coach, along with several players, hosted the Islip group for a private information session as well as a special tour of the academy buildings, grounds and athletic facilities. The group was also delighted to meet with two recent Islip High School alumni, one at the University of Delaware and the other at Howard University. In addition to college visits, students attended a live performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and a basketball game at the University of Maryland.

“This trip has definitely made me think more about what I like and dislike in a campus when it comes time to apply,” junior Emma Jones said.

“I now have some ideas of where I may want to apply next year,” junior Carlos Henriquez said.

“We are very proud of our unique program that offers students exposure to a wide array of colleges,” Principal Dr. Lara Gonzalez said. “We are committed at Islip High School to helping students forge life trajectories that offer them a world of possibility after high school. Getting to set foot on a college campus for the first time and interacting with college students and admissions officers at a variety of universities can open students’ eyes to options that they had not previously considered.”

“Our recent college tour gave students an invaluable opportunity to experience campus life firsthand, engage with current students, and explore the diverse offerings of both large and small schools, helping them envision future opportunities,” Assistant Principal Meghan Stern said.

Last school year, 95 Islip High School students toured seven universities in the Boston and Connecticut areas.

These overnight college tours are part of a larger college awareness program for high school students that include onsite visits with college admissions representatives, school day and evening college fairs, school day visits to local universities, and full day trips to colleges within and out of state. Islip High School’s goal is to offer students at all grade levels multiple opportunities to learn about post-high school options, to experience a college campus firsthand, and to interact with college students and representatives from a wide variety of higher education institutions so that students can make informed decisions after graduation from high school.

Date Added: 1/27/2025