Deer Park Schools Celebrate, Give Back

DEER PARK, NY — Deer Park students showed off their community and school spirit recently, as a group of high-schoolers organized a Thanksgiving food drive and everyone at John Quincy Adams Primary School celebrated the school's 60th anniversary.

Members of Deer Park High School’s French Honor Society and Cornerstone Club volunteered in November at the Gerald J. Ryan Outreach Center food pantry in Wyandanch.

Providing emergency food assistance to those in need in the Wyandanch area and neighboring communities, GJROC is one of the largest food pantries of its kind on Long Island, assisting an average of 15,000 men, women, and children annually. The Deer Park students helped organize and deliver food to families in need for Thanksgiving.

“Through community service and participation in a Thanksgiving food drive, we not only fill plates but also nourish the soul,” Associate Principal Dr. Dina Pannone said. “Giving back during this season of gratitude connects us, fosters compassion and transforms the act of sharing a meal into a shared commitment to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.”

Then at the beginning of December, John Quincy Adams Primary School celebrated turning 60 this year, with not one but two events.

The school held a Sixties Day on Dec. 8. Students rotated through stations, enjoying some of the sights, sounds and activities that were around in the 1960s such as music, dancing, games and tie-dye crafts before enjoying a classic ’60s-style lunch.

On Dec. 12, JQA invited students, 1963 alumni and district administration to join together for an assembly in the school’s cafeteria to commemorate the milestone anniversary.

The idea for the 60th celebration came when Principal Christopher Molinelli and Associate Principal Lynn Coyle noticed a cornerstone on the building that was dated 1963.

At their request, the buildings and grounds department excavated the cornerstone and uncovered a time capsule, created by the teachers and students in 1963. Artifacts included class lists, the principal’s letterhead, a signed teachers’ proclamation and a 1964 World’s Fair promotional packet. JQA today is a pre-K to grade 2 school, but when the school began 60 years ago, it included kindergarten through sixth grade. The school’s dedication service was held May 17, 1963, and the time capsule installed a month later on June 19.

Before the time capsule was resealed, JQA’s current administration installed a selection of artifacts from 2023 from every class, including instructional items, magazines, fun facts to describe the world of 2023 and letters written from current students to future JQA students.

“Boys and girls, who knows, maybe in 40 years you will be invited to a ceremony right here to celebrate JQA’s 100th year,” Molinelli told his students. “We’re going to hope for the future.”
Next, Babylon Town historian Mary Cascone addressed the assembly, providing a detailed history of the Deer Park School District and John Quincy Adams Primary School.

She revealed that while the school was named after President John Quincy Adams, this was based on an error, confusing a map listing of local minister and property owner Rev. John Quincy Adams, with the former president, who had no connection to Deer Park.

Music teacher Diana Cotrone then led students in joyful renditions of “JQA Song,” “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)” and “Surfin’ U.S.A.”

Another special guest in attendance was Suffolk County Legislator Tom Donnelly, a Deer Park alumnus who attended JQA from 1971 to 1977.

“When I look back to those years, they were the most formative years of my life, and I was really blessed to be part of John Quincy Adams,” Donnelly said. “Several teachers had a profound impact on me, not only as a student but as a human being. It’s a testament to the leadership and all the teachers that we have here at Deer Park. When people ask me where I am from, I always very proudly say that I was born here in Deer Park, I grew up here and I continue to serve here as your representative in government. I’m a proud Deer Park student and this school, for me, really has a lot of memories.”