Deer Park Schools: DPHS In Science Olympiad, 100th Day Celebrated

DEER PARK, NY — Special occasions are fantastic for learning in the Deer Park schools.

Deer Park secondary schools celebrate Black literature

Students and teachers at Deer Park High School and Robert Frost Middle School celebrated Black History Month with readings from contemporary and historical Black writers. Students in ELA classes at both schools connected past and present issues on Feb. 8, discussing how ideas from historical writers continue into today. Jazz, hip hop, slam poetry and spoken word were all included as ways to show these contemporary connections. Lessons included station activities and book tastings from Black authors to encourage interactivity.

“Students love when they get to read stories and writers who reflect experiences and issues that they recognize,” said Justin Uliano, Deer Park’s director of ELA, Reading and Library. “It is always so important to us that students see how writers of the past relate to what students experience in the modern world.”

Wonderful 100th day of school at Deer Park’s elementaries

Deer Park’s John Quincy Adams Primary School and May Moore Primary School celebrated the 100th day of school on Feb. 8, dressing the part with enthusiasm. May Moore’s annual tradition is for the school’s second-graders to dress as if they are 100 years old. The students also celebrated 100 days of learning by participating in activities in which they count to 100, collecting 100 words and creating projects with 100 items.

At JQA, each grade level celebrated the day in a different way. Kindergarteners brought in 100th day projects that contained 100 items of their choosing, first graders dressed up like centenarians and second graders participated in 100th day rotating centers.

“We love to celebrate this day every year at JQA, and we all had a wonderful time,” JQA Principal Christopher Molinelli said.

“Our students had a fantastic time celebrating the 100th day of school,” May Moore Principal Tammy Alcalde said. “It is a fun day of learning and celebrating!”

Deer Park high schoolers find success at Science Olympiad

Deer Park High School recently competed in the Eastern Long Island Regional Science Olympiad Competition for the fifth year in a row.

Ten students attended the event, which featured 60 teams competing from across Suffolk County. Four Deer Park students were awarded medals for their expertise in various areas of science. Reza Zorakhsh placed second in the Ecology event, Nobin Nath came in fifth in Anatomy, Kimberly Cho finished ninth in Forensics and Vincent Cacciola came in ninth in the Chemistry Lab event.

“We are incredibly proud of our Science Olympiad students and the hard work of their advisers, Kevin Richards and Diana Rispoli,” said Deer Park Science Director Alison Branca-Peterson.