School Days

Riverhead Central School District

Elementary students at Roanoke Avenue Elementary School were rewarded with a chance to throw pies in their principal’s face after triumphantly meeting a challenge to read for 100,000 minutes during their school’s annual Reading Week.

The students not only conquered the challenge, but went above the goal set by their principal by reading 141,000 minutes in total, the most minutes logged to date.

During a celebratory assembly on March 9, Principal Thomas Payton praised the students and then readied himself as representatives from each grade took turns coating his face in pie, to the cheers of fellow classmates.

This is not the first time that students at Roanoke have risen to a reading challenge set by Payton. In the past, students have won the chance to pour ice and slime on their principal, duct tape him to a wall, and shave his head with the word “read” tagged into it.

In other school news, members of the Riverhead High School Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps energized and roused Aquebogue Elementary School students during an annual demonstration on March 15. The NJROTC cadets performed two military drills, spoke about the NJROTC program and interacted with the students by answering individual questions.

Westhampton Beach School District

The Westhampton Beach School District will be accepting kindergarten registration for the 2018-19 school year for children who will turn five years of age by December 1.

To register, parents or guardians must bring a photo ID, child’s proof of birth (e.g., original birth certificate, passport or baptismal certificate), immunization record, a copy of a current physical examination, and custody and/or guardianship documents. Additionally, proof of residency is required. Residency proof includes one of the following: a deed, mortgage statement, current tax bill, current utility bill, notarized original lease or, if sharing a residence, notarized registration affidavit (form provided by the school district) or a copy of the homeowner’s deed or tax bill.

Registration packets are available at Westhampton Beach Elementary School, 397 Mill Road in Westhampton Beach, or online at www.westhamptonbeach.k12.ny.us.

Registration is Tuesday, April 17, from 9 to 11 AM, 1:30 to 2:30 PM and 6:30 to 7:30 PM.

For questions, contact 631-288-3800, ext. 231.

In other news, members of the Westhampton Beach High School Cure Club recently participated in a 30-hour famine with a goal to raise awareness about world hunger. The event procured $2031 in donations that were used to purchase basic hygiene items for those in need at the Riverhead-based homeless outreach center, Maureen’s Haven.

Hampton Bays School District

Hampton Bays High School senior Michelle Moreno Mendoza has earned the prestigious 2018 Angelo Del Toro Scholarship Award.

Mendoza received the recognition for displaying leadership, civic activism, and passion at the Angelo Del Toro Leadership Institute held recently in Albany. She was also required to pen an essay on the topic of artistic expression.

As part of the leadership institute, Mendoza took part in a mock assembly session in which she collaborated with 40 students from across Long Island to argue the pros and cons of four legislative bills. The bills were related to excessive force by law enforcement, the DREAM Fund, immigration, and fair pay.

Mendoza said she will be studying political science in college in the fall and would like to become a lawyer.

In other school news, members of Hampton Bays Elementary School’s service club, K-Kids, recently raised $300 for Camp Flying Point Foundation in Southampton and for the Special Olympics as part of an annual autism awareness fundraiser.

To garner the funds, the students sold bubbles and paper puzzle pieces that they constructed. All puzzle pieces sold were displayed in the school’s main hallway.