For the 11 Islip Middle School eighth graders in the district’s EXCEL gifted and talented program, June 15 marked the end of one era in their educational journey as they received certificates of completion at the program’s first Eclosion Celebration. Students Connor Ancipink, William Cheung, Kieran Freelin, Fiona Hamilton, Richie Lin, Nelysa Petersen, Wesley Plotke, Eve Schnatz, Aisha Shrivardhankar, Vincent Tyre and Jadyn Zink were officially recognized as program graduates in front of their proud parents during the event.

The informal celebration highlighted the endeavors, adventures and accolades the students have experienced since they began the program in fourth grade. EXCEL Coordinator Julia Johnson spoke about the varying disciplines studied in the EXCEL room, such as flying drones, writing poetry, debating philosophy, creating documentaries, and exploring global citizenship and neuroscience. 

“What’s awesome is that I got to watch the growth of your children throughout this,” Johnson told the parents. “I’ve watched them grow as writers, watched them engage in all these hands-on opportunities to figure out who they are as individuals, how they work with others, and slowly they are becoming themselves. We know that this is only the beginning, so tonight is our chance to honor them on that journey. It has truly been my honor to guide them through this experience of self-discovery, of self-creation, of emergence, and to witness them connect to the highest versions of themselves right now.”

Date Added: 8/1/2022

Islip Middle School’s eighth-grade class visited the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island on May 25 as an extension of the school’s social studies curriculum. This trip allowed students to appreciate the immigrant experience more fully, as they explored the stories of those who migrated to our country and gained a deeper understanding of their reasons for making the journey to the United States to start a new life.

“Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty are dual symbols of the freedom and hope that immigrants had when migrating to the United States,” said Dr. Robert Drysielski, the district’s social studies and business coordinator. “The museums give proof to the story of immigration and recognize the human spirit of our nation's ideals.”

Date Added: 6/17/2022

Islip Middle School students in the district’s EXCEL program recently gave an exceptional presentation of their Future City project to a panel of judges consisting of school and district administrators.

DiscoverE’s national, project-based engineering program Future City enables students in grades 6-8 to imagine, research, design and build cities of the future using “SimCity” software. Islip EXCEL students have been competing in the annual regional Future City competition in New York City for over a dozen years, winning first place in 2014, 2016 and 2019 and representing New York at the Future City National Finals in Washington, D.C.

This year, their planned participation in the regional tristate event did not occur due to the pandemic, but EXCEL coordinator Julia Johnson and her students decided to go ahead with their project, presenting it within the district. Their planned city of Sedari, set in 2172 on the formerly polluted Citarum River in West Java, Indonesia, utilizes their “ACE” system of advanced hydroelectric power. It also features personal and mass transportation powered by solar energy, environmentally friendly “eco-pod” homes, and the elimination of plastics and paper through the use and marketing of “sedarite” made from the wax of native bees.

After their presentation, this year’s Future City team – including seventh graders Hannah Dolan, Lily Dolan, Sofia Marra and Ava Mirenda, and eighth graders Nelysa Petersen and Jadyn Zink – answered detailed questions from the educators regarding their city’s financing, housing, citizenship, defense and leisure activities.

“My favorite part of Future City was being able to collaborate as a team to learn and create a beautiful project at the same time,” Mirenda said. 

“The Future City experience combines the greatest level of depth and breadth of so much that I strive to teach, not merely because the students become so well-versed in engineering, science, math and ELA skills, but because of the interpersonal skills, the communication, organization, work ethic and life skills that will help them moving forward in whatever field they choose to pursue in life,” Johnson said. 

Date Added: 6/16/2022