Port Jefferson High School To Introduce Sports History Class: NPR

PORT JEFFERSON, NY — In a joint venture, Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame President Chris Vaccaro and his brother, Bryan Vaccaro, a social studies teacher and sports coach at Port Jefferson High School, have teamed up to create a local sports history program at the school, reported NPR.

The program is the first of its kind from the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame, a non-profit that was established 32-years ago.

“I’ve really developed new pillars,” Chris Vaccar said to NPRi. “One of them being to use the Hall of Fame to help inspire the next generation and to inform people about the significance of sports in Suffolk County from a historic perspective.

Bryan, a multi-sport coach, told NPR that there is a misconception that history or social studies is boring.

“What I try to do with my classes is to make it as real as possible for my students. I think one of the greatest unifying forces for high school kids or for people in general in this country or the world is sports,” said Bryan to the outlet.

The course will feature appearances from guest speakers in the sports industry, which may include inductees of the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame, like ESPN’s Linda Cohn and actor Ralph Macchio, who is best known for his work in the “Karate Kid” film series, added the NPR report.

The high school is located at 350 Old Post Rd.