From left, Southold High School treasurer Zach Elillis, vice president Thomas Messana, secretary Jack Dunne, and president Christopher Buono in a photo booth picture taken at a semi-formal dance that included seniors from neighboring districts. (Credit: Christopher Buono courtesy photos)

Following the success of the annual semi-formal dance at Southold High School, to which seniors from Mattituck and Greenport were invited, local students and school officials hope to organize more events next year that include teenagers from all North Fork districts.

Southold student council president Christopher Buono said his group’s goal was to provide lots of entertainment opportunities for students. A decision was made to open the school’s Jan. 30 semi-formal, which is traditionally for Southold students only, to all North Fork seniors and allow them to meet new people and have fun during their final year of high school.

“Students like different things — they like to be entertained in ways that they haven’t been entertained before,” he said. “Creativity is the key.”

Christopher said students had fun planning the event, which included a photo booth, lounge area and bar serving non-alcoholic beverages like virgin piña coladas.

Mattituck school board president Jerry Diffley described those activities as “all good things.”

“We live in small community and it’s important to give the kids somewhere to go and something to do,” he said, adding that Mattituck is interested in chaperoning future shared dances.

Greenport principal Gary Kalish agreed that organizing events jointly is beneficial for all students.

“Providing social events for students of the North Fork and providing them with safe and fun activities gives them a chance to get to know one another and to broaden their horizons, especially during quiet winters,” he said.

In addition to this year’s shared semi-formal dance, Christopher and student council vice president Thomas Messana said they had fun planning other new events for their classmates, including ones where they donned bubble suits for some Sumo wrestling and played volleyball dressed as gym teachers from decades past.

As for organizing future events, Southold High School principal William Galati said this year’s graduating class set the bar high and described this year’s semi-formal as a great experience.

“We have shared sporting events and this year’s class did a great job putting together a dance open to Greenport and Mattituck,” he said. “It was well organized, very positive and a lot of fun.”

In order for incoming seniors to build on this year’s success, Christopher and Thomas said they believe students should research their proposals thoroughly before setting up an appointment with the principal.

“You need to work as a team in order to accomplish your goals,” Christopher said. “It’s all about knowing how you speak to the administration and how to be constructive.”

“Talk to everyone for ideas — you can’t just limit it to your friends,” Thomas added. “You have to expand to all students to come up with events that everyone will enjoy.”

jnuzzo@timesreview.com

Photos by Katharine Schroeder

Southold High School graduated its 109th class on Saturday, with 94 percent of this year’s grads going on to further education.

Valedictorian Julia Saccamano and salutatorian Emily Pressler both spoke to the crowd at the high school.

For a complete list of graduates and bios on the valedictorian and salutatorian, pick up a copy of the July 2 The Suffolk Times for the special graduation section.

Scroll through for more photos of the graduates.

Photos by Katharine Schroeder

A group of friends pose just before the ceremony.

Sean Moran with his “lovely ladies.”

Jasmie Clasing, Will Tondo, Morgan Walter.

Graduates pose in the hallway on their way to the ceremony.

Jonna Franke and Jennifer Membreno.

Lexi Leonard, Thomas Messana, Grace O’Donnell.

Heading up the hall toward graduation.

Juliane Van Gorden, Will Tondo, Nick VanMater.

Jenna Standish, Ida Mollica, Winter Wilcenski.

Ryan DiGregorio gives Will Tondo a hand.

Graduates on their way to the ceremony.

Graduates on their way to the ceremony.

Julia Saccamano, Valedictorian.

Emily Pressler, Salutatorian.

Students during the ceremony.

William R. Galati, Principal.

David Gamberg, Superintendent of Schools.

Kaitlyn Kettenbeil receives a $330,000 scholarship to the US Merchant Marine Academy.

Paulette Ofrias, president of the Board of Education, hands out diplomas.

Judi Fouchet, vice president of the Board of Education, hands out one of dozens of awards and scholarships.

The Choral Ensemble sings.

Principal William R. Galati addresses the graduates.

Megan Van Bourgondien was the recipient of the Jimmy Koslosky Memorial Scholarship. Here she is shown with Jimmy’s parents, Jim and Tina.

A hug between friends.

Saying goodbye.

The tossing of the hats.

They’re Southold High School’s top achievers. Now find out more about Julia Saccamano and Emily Presser, the Class of 2015’s Valedictorian and Salutatorian.

JULIA SACCAMANO

VALEDICTORIAN

GPA: 97.94 (unweighted)

College plans: CUNY/Macaulay Honors College

Major: chemical engineering

Math matters: Julia cited math as playing an integral role in her academic career. She joined the Math Olympians as a child and has since received numerous awards in the subject, including the National Mathematics Award.

“Well, I like solving puzzles. Everything seems like a puzzle, so everything kind of then becomes math,” she said.

Academic accomplishments: Julia was on the High Honor Roll all four years of high school; was the Southold High School Student of the Month numerous times — in trigonometry, chemistry, business, orchestra and AP calculus; was a marine science class spokesperson; a Commended National Merit Scholar; in the Academic Achievement Academy; is a member of National Honor Society; and has been a recipient of numerous awards, including the Rotary Youth Leadership Award and the Music Boosters’ Orchestra Spirit Award.

A little bit of everything: Julia was a member of the school’s Distributive Education Club of America; a participant in the New York Stock Market Game; a member of the Interact and Environmental clubs; a peer tutor; and an editor of The Sentinel, the school newspaper.

She said working on the newspaper was her favorite activity “because I like organizing things, so this gave me the power to organize things and I could also help out my school by doing that.”

Musically inclined: Julia has played the cello for nine years and performed with numerous orchestras. She credits her teacher, Audrey Grathwohl, with providing her with stability and helping her improve.

“I can constantly be improving on [the cello],” she said. “Rather than a class, like history, where it’s world history one year and U.S. history one year — you’re not really building on anything. With the cello, playing music, I can keep growing and help my talent and I love that.”

Parting words: “I can give you my favorite quote: ‘Always go the extra mile; it’s never crowded.’ ”

EMILY PRESSLER

SALUTATORIAN

GPA: 95.63 (unweighted)

College plans: Georgia Southern University

Major: Spanish

Musically gifted: Music has been a large part of Emily’s life. She primarily plays the clarinet, but has also played the bass clarinet, flute, tenor saxophone and piano. Throughout high school she participated in the Hampton Music Educators Association, Suffolk County Music Educators Association and New York State School Music Association festivals. Additionally, she played in the annual Music in the Parks competition and received the Spirit Award from the music department last year.

Community involvement: “I’ve lived in Southold my entire life; it’s my home,” Emily said. “I like to see that what I’m doing can directly benefit everyone else and make it better for everyone else. These people are basically my extended family. I like to put my efforts into something larger than benefiting myself.”

It was this concept that led Emily to be a Girl Scout for 10 years; volunteer with Community Action of Southold Town and at Eastern Long Island Hospital’s annual donor-appreciation event; tutor through National Honor Society; serve as treasurer of the Interact Club; and participate in Relay for Life.

High honors: Emily was on the High Honor Roll throughout high school; a member of the National Honor Society; Student of the Month for Spanish; and a recipient of the Music Boosters’ Spirit Award. She also received the Most Valuable Player Award for varsity bowling.

Team player: Besides writing for The Sentinel, Emily participated in numerous school clubs, including the varsity bowling team, DECA and the Yearbook Club.

Parting words: “Southold’s not that big, so I would say take advantage of our teachers and all the resources they can give to you and definitely don’t not join a club because your friends are not doing it. Join clubs because it helps you and gives you something to do.”

Scott DePetris and Larry McGonegal have known each other since they were 2 years old. They grew up in Southold together, went to Southold High School and graduated together in 1995. When the boys were teenagers, both their fathers died and the friends mourned together.

Today, despite living nearly an hour apart — Mr. DePetris in New Canaan, Conn., and Mr. McGonegal on City Island — they work just 10 blocks from each other in New York City.

“It’s pretty amazing, actually,” Mr. DePetris said.

This weekend, the lifelong friends are returning to their hometown to celebrate their 20th high school reunion at First and South in Greenport at 4 p.m. Saturday. And they’ll commemorate the occasion in a special way: by creating a scholarship for next year’s graduating seniors in memory of their fathers.

Mr. McGonegal said the $2,500 scholarship will be awarded to a student athlete chosen by teachers and coaches.

The men’s fathers both preached the importance of “not only [being successful] but the hard work and dedication that it takes to be an athlete and a student and the balance between the two,” he said. “We want it to be a joint scholarship between coaches and teachers.”

Mr. DePetris and Mr. McGonegal came up with the idea while preparing for the New York City Panasonic Triathlon, in which they competed on Sunday. Mr. DePetris said the timing of the race and the reunion inspired them to create the scholarship, designed to give back to the town that gave them so much.

Their fathers, Wayne DePetris and William McGonegal, both died young — at 50 and 48, respectively. The sons described their fathers as very active members of the Southold community, especially when it came to athletics.

Both dads coached basketball, baseball and soccer teams. Mr. McGonegal said his father started Catholic Youth Organization basketball teams in Southold in the late 1980s and coached the women’s varsity team. Wayne DePetris was instrumental in getting people to play in the Long Island Junior Soccer League and loved to play baseball, he said.

“Every game I remember playing, Scott’s dad was the umpire,” Mr. McGonegal said.

Their fathers’ deaths strengthened an already close relationship, the men agreed.

“We were close at that point anyway,” Mr. McGonegal said. “We had a lifetime of memories and commonalities, but anytime you go through something like that it strengthens a bond.”

The lessons about community involvement and staying driven have remained with the sons long after.

“It is just a really great thing for kids to strive for,” Mr. DePetris said.

The scholarship will be awarded to one member of Southold High School’s Class of 2016. Mr. McGonegal and Mr. DePetris said the amount could increase if they decide to ask others to contribute.

Courtesy photo: Larry McGonegal and Scott DePetris

Southold High School senior Aidan Walker’s résumé lists activities typical for any high achiever: varsity soccer, basketball and tennis. Senior class president. Quiz Bowl team, National Honor Society and DECA.

But now, Aidan has added another accomplishment to that list that is unique in Southold school district history.

The 17-year-old, who has played cello since fourth grade, is the first student in the school’s relatively young strings program to participate in the highly competitive New York State School Music Association’s All-State Festival. He will perform in Rochester Dec. 9 with New York State’s best 11th- and 12th-grade musicians.

“It was a huge sigh of relief,” Aidan said when asked how he felt when music teacher Audrey Grathwohl gave him the good news.

Ms. Grathwohl, who has taught music since 1982 and launched Southold’s strings program about 13 years ago, has been part of Aidan’s journey from the very beginning.

“He’s a remarkable musician — the best I’ve ever taught,” she said. “He has a lot of enthusiasm for his instrument and never says no to an opportunity. Most students get burned-out by high school, but he’s never bailed.”

To be considered for the All-State Festival, students must first earn a perfect score at the New York State School Music Association’s Solo Festival. Aidan has nailed a 100 every year since seventh grade. Last year, he was selected as an alternate for the All-State Festival.

When asked how he snagged a spot this year, Aidan essentially attributed his success to having no downtime.

That may not make sense at first, but hear Aidan out: His jam-packed schedule forces him to stay super-focused during cello practice because he doesn’t have a lot of time to dawdle.

“It’s hard to find time to practice, but when you sit down for at least an hour and you make real progress, it’s really satisfying,” he said.

Aidan said he appreciates all the opportunities Southold has given him, especially since he believes he wouldn’t be able to juggle athletics and music at a larger school. He also said his three years with the New York State Summer School of the Arts has been a great experience. Each summer, Aidan travels to Saratoga to study with members of the Philadelphia Philharmonic. This year, he was the group’s principal cellist.

Aidan doesn’t come from a family of musicians. His mother, Deanna, is office manager at the Southold Historical Society; his father, Brian, is a manager at Southold Pharmacy; and his brother, Liam, is a freshman at the University of Hartford and a former standout basketball player for the First Settlers.

Ms. Walker played some viola in high school and taught Aidan a little piano. In third grade, he became interested in classical music.

Aidan can remember the moment he knew he wanted to play cello. A few high school students had visited his elementary class and played their instruments, and the sound of the cello literally struck a chord with him.

“It’s the closest-sounding instrument to the human voice,” he said. “There’s also a big range, so you can have low, deep notes but can also go up in register. Also, playing in orchestra, the cello gets the melody few and far between, so when you finally do get it that’s a great feeling.”

Ms. Walker said Aidan’s musical gift was discovered when he was in fifth grade. But at that point, he also wanted to quit because carrying the cello around had become cumbersome.

Ms. Walker talked to Ms. Grathwohl about Aidan’s decision. The music teacher not only wanted him to reconsider, but suggested that he begin private lessons with Annette Perry of Brookhaven to nurture his talent.

Happily, Aidan didn’t quit and has been studying with Ms. Perry ever since.

“He’s a leader — he can lead an ensemble to do anything,” Ms. Grathwohl said. “He just makes everyone sound better.”

Over the years, Aidan has participated in several music festivals, including the New York State Council of Administrators of Music Education, Suffolk County Music Educators Association, Long Island String Festival Association and Hampton Music Educators Association, an organization that’s also provided him with scholarships.

He has also played twice with the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.

And now for the bad news, Ms. Grathwohl: Although Aidan hasn’t settled on a career choice, music isn’t on his list of possibilities.

“I don’t plan on majoring in music, but I definitely want to continue playing in groups at college,” he said. “I love music, but not as a job.”

Ms. Grathwohl isn’t taking the news too badly, though; she’s known for a while that Aidan has been on the fence.

“He’s the one student I know could go pro,” she said. “But he also has so many other things in his favor — he’s extremely smart and I know music will always be a part of his life.

“Most musicians enjoy playing more than people who do it as a career,” she added.

Photo Caption: Aidan Walker will be Southold’s first strings student to play in NYSSMA’s All-State music festival. (Credit: Jen Nuzzo)

Jen Nuzzo is Times Review Media Group’s associate editor. She can be reached at 631-354-8033 or jnuzzo@timesreview.com.

Southold Town’s historic stone mile markers along Route 25 and Route 48 are getting a facelift thanks to a pair of Southold High School seniors.

Aidan Vandenburgh and Sam Basel are working to restore the mile markers as part of their Eagle Scout project.

“We’re both big into history,” Sam said Monday morning, as the two boys used brushes to clean off the first mile marker at Laurel resident Althea Travis’ property.

Aidan and Sam have spent the past four months surveying the set of markers and determining how much work is needed to restore each one. They’ve also been trying to get permission from markers placed on private land; they don’t need the state’s OK to work on the markers on public property.

“We’re going to work on all of those,” Aidan said.

Cutchogue-New Suffolk Historical Council president and local historian Zachary Studenroth has been working with Aidan and Sam to provide historical context for the project.

The mile markers, long thought to have been placed along Southold’s two main roads by Founding Father Ben Franklin, have been a part of local legend for decades.

But a recent investigation by historian Amy Folk intended for Southold Town’s 375th anniversary celebrations revealed the stone markers were actually placed by the Town itself 75 years after Mr. Franklin supposedly laid them down.

The markers were installed due to an obscure New York State edict from 1829 — Mr. Studenroth joked it was an “unfunded mandate” — that required towns to set up wooden or stone mile markers along postal routes.

Based on Mr. Franklin’s correspondences from the 1700s, historians say Mr. Franklin certainly visited the North Fork, though he didn’t place the mile markers themselves. But while many now side with Ms. Folk’s assessment that the stones had nothing to do with Mr. Franklin, Mr. Studenroth isn’t ready to separate the stones from the Founding Father.

He claims the mile marker stones may be replacements for markers set by Franklin, which he says may have all degraded by now. At the very least, Mr. Studenroth said Monday, the legend of Mr. Franklin’s visits remains.

“We’re not throwing Ben under the bus here,” he said.

“A lot of people associate these with Benjamin Franklin, whether or not he actually did it,” Sam added.

The two teens are trying to get historic designation for the stones as well as a New York State historic blue sign to mark the end of the route in Orient.

For their project, Aidan and Sam brought in Joel Snodgrass, a Huntington-based expert in material conservation, through a grant from the Robert D.L. Gardiner Foundation.

On Monday, Mr. Snodgrass showed the teens how to spray down, scrub and clean Laurel’s mile marker. The pair used a solution called “D2,” which won’t kill the surrounding grass but — if left on the stone — will eliminate mold and lichen.

The students will also reset stones that are tilting, and pour gravel around the base.

As the two brushed the dark grey stone, the etched words which had been hidden behind years of dirt became clearer to read: “7 MI TO SUFFOLK.”

The students left the first stone by mid-morning, ready to move onto the next one. Ms. Travis said the stone is looking cleaner as the restoration work by the teens takes hold.

“It’s amazing,” she said. “It’s getting better and better.”

psquire@timesreview.com

Photo Caption: Aidan Vandenburgh (left) and Sam Basel (right) clean off the mile marker stone in Laurel Monday morning as restoration expert Joel Snodgrass (center) oversees. (Credit: Paul Squire).

The 13 members of the Southold High School Class of 1955 walked around the restaurant Wednesday afternoon with nametags sporting pictures of themselves from senior year, sharing memories and learning what’s changed in town over the past 60 years.

Yearbooks spanning the group’s four years at Southold High School were fanned out over a nearby table. One woman, in true high school spirit, mentioned how she wanted everyone to sign her yearbook before the lunch was over.

“We were a very close class and we enjoy seeing each other,” said attendee Sandy Berry.

Alumni and their spouses traveled from places all across the country — including Florida, Texas and Massachusetts — to Soundview Restaurant in Greenport Wednesday afternoon for the reunion, the first meet-up held in a decade.

The classmates swapped stories from their youth; they remembered the class elections, the school parties and dances, the sporting events, the senior class visit to Washington D.C. and, of course, graduation.

A large photograph of the class on that senior trip was displayed on one of the tables, next to a photograph of the alumni from the fourth grade. Nine of the people at Wednesday’s reunion were in that photo.

Bob Diefenbacher and Swede Boergesson joked about not recognizing themselves as nine-year-olds, especially without their beards. Mr. Boergesson marveled about how much he looked just like his grandson.

Mr. Diefenbacher, who organized the event, found that between the 28 living classmates, the group had 76 children and 119 grandchildren, and 15 great grandchildren.

“We have had lots and lots of times together as a class when we were together,” Mr. Diefenbacher said. “We all went to the same building, well most of us, to the same building for the whole 12 years … everybody partied together, we had good times together.”

There wasn’t drinking at those parties, he notes. It “wasn’t that sort of thing.”

“We had picnics on the sound,” he said. “We would go up to a beach and have a picnic. Horton’s Point, often, is where we would go.”

Mr. Diefenbacher said he was happy to reconnect with the people he wasn’t able to keep in touch with in between reunions.

“I think all of us are happy to be out here,” he said.

nsmith@timesreview.com

By the time winter rolls in, there’s some produce farmers just don’t get around to picking and vegetables are typically left on the fields to rot and be used as mulch.

But over at Wesnofske Farm on a chilly Tuesday afternoon, Southold High School teachers James Stahl and Jason Wesnofske, the son of the Peconic farm’s owner, met their students there to pick Brussels sprouts and other produce in order to donate the would-be wasted vegetables to local charities.

The process, known as “gleaning,” is referred to in the Old Testament as having farmers leave produce on their vines along the edge of their fields for the poor.

This is the second time Southold National Honor Society students have gleaned a field as part of their community service requirement.

Last year, their adviser, Mr. Stahl, had reached out to Mr. Wesnofske to see if his family would be willing to donate to the cause. They described the arrangement as a win-win situation.

“This way of leaving some for the poor has been going on since biblical times,” Mr. Stahl explained. “Gleaning is a great way for our students to help out families in need, especially during the holidays.”

Emma Alvarez, a junior, said she decided to participate in the community service project after her friends who completed it last year described it as a great experience.

“If we didn’t do this, then all of this would go to waste,” Emma said as she picked Brussels sprouts. “It makes you feel good to help make a difference.”

Junior Evelyn Cummings, who picked vegetables for the first time Tuesday, said she enjoyed the opportunity to learn about agriculture.

“It’s a really cool way to learn outside the classroom,” she added.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has promoted gleaning in recent years and has helped coordinate different groups — including community organizations, gardeners, farmers and agencies that serve the hungry — to establish local food systems throughout the country, especially charity groups that have experienced severe cutbacks.

Meg Pickerell, also a junior, said she enjoyed participating in the volunteer effort and believes gleaning is a good opportunity to not only help those less fortunate, but to also learn about the local farming community.

“It’s important to know where your food comes from,” she said. “This makes you appreciate it even more.”

All the vegetables will be dropped off at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Aquebogue, and St. Agnes R.C. Church and Community Action of Southold Town, both in Greenport.

Mr. Wesnofske’s father, Gene, who runs the farm, said he also added bags of red potatoes to the donation pile and said he’s grateful for the students’ help.

“For this many to come out on a cold day like this is great,” he said. “Everyone has a good time, and it’s all for a good cause.”

jnuzzo@timesreview.com

Top: Southold High School National Honors Society member Evelyn Cummings ‘gleaning’ a field Tuesday at Wesnofske Farm in Peconic. She and a group of students picked vegetables that would normally go to waste and donated the produce to charity groups. (Credit: Jen Nuzzo photos)

Farmer Gene Wesnofske (left) collaborated with his son, Jason (right), and James Stahl, both Southold High School teachers, on the community service project.

Suleima Campos was cleaning up at La Cascada in Southold after a busy summer night when she noticed a ring on a table.

The ring had a blue stone with the zodiac sign Sagittarius. “Daniel” and “1999” were imprinted on each side along with the Southold Clipper ship and Settlers logo.

It was a class ring from Southold High School where Suleima is a senior. She thought someone would eventually come back to the Spanish restaurant where she works and pick it up.

Several months later, the ring remained unclaimed.

On Wednesday, La Cascada owner Jorge Torrento decided to take a picture of the class ring and share it with The Suffolk Times in hopes of locating its owner. He kept the graduation year a secret to help ensure he could match the ring with its rightful owner.

When the newspaper posted the image Wednesday night on its Facebook page, Southold resident Jai Jacobs was one of more than 400 people to share it.

Unbeknownst to Mr. Jacobs, a classmate of his from Southold High School has been without the ring for 15 years.

When Dan Olsen logged into Facebook Thursday morning, he noticed the picture Mr. Jacobs and his other high school friend Daria Okrasinski posted.

“I was absolutely shocked because as soon as I saw it I thought ‘This looks a lot like my ring,’” Mr. Olsen recalled in a telephone interview Thursday. “I really never thought I would see it again.”

About 15 years ago, he had a birthday party for his toddler son and invited about 35 people over to his house in Flanders. When Mr. Olsen went to wash dishes, he took off his wedding ring and placed it in his bedroom. After he was done cleaning, he found that not only was his wedding ring missing, but also his class ring and his grandfather’s watch.

“To this day I still don’t know who it was,” he said. “I’m just happy to get the ring back at this point. It was 15 years ago and whoever stole it, for whatever reason, must have needed it more than me at the time.”

Mr. Olsen said he didn’t file a police report at the time because he didn’t want anyone to get in trouble and was hoping someone would return it, especially his grandfather’s watch.

“He passed before I was born and it was all I had of his,” Mr. Olsen said.

On Thursday afternoon, Mr. Jacobs volunteered to pick up the ring at the restaurant and mail it to Mr. Olsen, who now lives in Virginia.

From left: Jai Jacobs, Suleima Campos and Jorge Torrento at the table where Suleima found the ring. (Credit: Jen Nuzzo)

When Mr. Jacobs met Suleima and Mr. Torrento, he thanked them for their kindness and offered Suleima a cash reward on Mr. Olsen’s behalf, which Suleima respectfully declined.

“I’m just very happy for him,” she said.

Mr. Olsen said he found it odd that the ring was found in a restaurant located across from the former Front Row Video store where he used to work.

Also, the timing couldn’t be more perfect.

“My oldest son is a sophomore this year in high school and they were just asking for school rings for them,” he said. “Now I can show him mine.”

jnuzzo@timesreview.com

Picture the typical librarian: someone standing behind a counter checking out books and helping people find research material via the Dewey Decimal System.

Now, imagine the 21st-century librarian.

Mira Johnson, head librarian at Southold High School, represents a new generation of library professionals whose goal is to help students integrate technology into their research projects and become more engaged in learning.

“I think it’s really, really changed,” Ms. Johnson said of her work, noting that a large part of the job now is collaborating with teachers to instruct students in properly locating scholarly articles, making presentations and developing project ideas.

Ms. Johnson meets with teachers in all grades and subject fields within the high school, most frequently humanities-based subjects, and discusses material to teach the students. She said teachers sometimes approach her with topic ideas and other times she’ll seek out teachers with hers. Then, Ms. Johnson creates a lesson to teach the students.

Last Friday Ms. Johnson taught seniors the difference between a periodical and a scholarly journal that can be cited in academic work, such as research papers. During the first half of the class she showed examples of each, pointing out that periodicals contained many pictures and advertisements as compared to scholarly journals, which had virtually none.

For the rest of the period, students used computers to find sources online while Ms. Johnson circulated, offering advice when needed.

“Knowing how to search is a whole new literacy,” Ms. Johnson said. “There is so much information, but it’s only useful if you know how to access it, use it and engage with it.”

Ms. Johnson, who has a master’s degree in library science from the University of Iowa and a certificate in school library media studies from Syracuse University, said she always “knew she needed to be surrounded by books.” While pursuing her master’s she was also a graduate instructor of rhetoric.

“A big lightbulb went off for me because I was learning library science but I was also teaching undergrads how to think critically, research and how to write,” she said. “So those things have always been connected for me.”

The goal of the Southold program, said high school principal William Galati, is to start students off with the kind of library classes Ms. Johnson runs while they’re in elementary school and continue to expand on their research knowledge as they enter the middle and high school.

Ms. Johnson asks middle school students to expand their independent reading assignments by learning about the authors’ lives and how that affects their storytelling.

As students enter high school, what they learn in the library progresses to research papers and citations.

“From the beginning [Ms. Johnson] taught us the simplest way to start a citations page, which is through Easybib,” senior Ethan Sisson said. “And then as the years went on we learned new tools other than Easybib. The most recent was an analyze button to show you how well you’re doing with your bibliography … So really, she’s been showing us what’s there and how we can use it, so it’s pretty helpful.”

Mr. Galati explained the importance of having librarians instill these lessons in students and build upon them from a young age.

“What we’re doing is instilling the college readiness component,” Mr. Galati said. “So at least, upon graduating from high school here, they have their set goals and objectives and really have a true understanding of how to conduct accurate research and cite appropriately.”

Rarely can Ms. Johnson use exactly the same lesson each year, she said, since technology is constantly changing.

Years ago, for example, she used to just ask students to create PowerPoint presentations as projects. Now students can use any number of other programs, such as Prezi or Google Slides, to do that.

Ms. Johnson, who has worked at Southold for about five years, recently returned to the district after spending 18 months in Germany. She became familiar with that country’s public library system, which she said is like “America’s system 25 years ago,” focused more on helping students locate books and rarely incorporating technology.

She said the “old model” tells students one standard way to do everything, whereas what she’s teaching at Southold now allows students to interpret things, ask questions and become more engaged with their learning.

Southold senior Walter Sutton said he was talking recently with his sister, who’s a freshman at Ohio State, about the things they were doing in school.

“She said that will really help us prepare for what she’s in right now,” he said. “It’s wrapping up to help propel us in the future.”

Top Caption: Southold High School librarian Mira Johnson helps senior Michael Dolan search for scholarly articles. (Credit: Nicole Smith)

nsmith@timesreview.com

Congratulations to the following students!

HIGH HONOR ROLL

Grade 12: Gina Anasagasti, Samuel Basel, Raeann Berry, Angela Bucci, William Bucci, Theresa Connolly, Ryan Costello, Julia Daddona, Jacqueline Davey, Michael Dolan, Peter Fouchet, Kimiko Fujita, Julia Girzadas, Katherine Hunstein, Alexander Lincoln, Maxwell Mastrangelo, Paige Messana, Noah Mina, Alexa Palumbo, Dominick Panetta, Leah Passanant, Bryan Patchell, Jennifer Pressler, Bayron Rivas, Lily Saeli, Julia Schade, Andrew Seifert, Gabrielle Showalter, Ethan Sisson, Cora Small, Monique Smith, Albert (Aidan) Vandenburgh, Aidan Walker, Brendan Walker, Mariya Winkler.

Grade 11: Emma Alvarez, Jessie Bakanic, Samantha Baldwin, Garrison Bennett, Evelyn Cummings, Douglas Fiedler, Miguel Gomez, Stephen Hocker, Owen Klipstein, Robert Kruszeski, Jake McCarthy, Patrick McFarland, Julia Mele, Jamie Molnar, Mark Moran, Sean Okula, Quinn Osmer, Meg Pickerell, Charles Poliwoda, Daisy Rymer, Joseph Saporita, Robert VanMater Jr., Edwin Ward IV, Willow Wilcenski, Shane Zimmer.

Grade 10: Harry Antonucci, Brooke Averette, Katie Baumann, Hayley Brigham, William Burns, Carlos Campos-Chavez, Alexandra Cardi, Mario Contreras, Rebecca Dickerson, Jacob Dominy, Ashley Hilary, Katherine Jarvis, Kathryn Jernick, Ann Lincoln, Kai Obinata, Jared Palumbo, Kyra Panetta, Lucie Showalter, Justin Tobin.

Grade 9: Sabrina Basel, Jonathan Baumann, Ally Boyle, Eric Connolly, Patrick Connolly, Tyler DeFrese, Samantha Dunne, Robert Elliston, Max Kruszeski, Juan Martinez Flores, Marie Mullen, Jake Okula, Emiliann Palermo, Olivia Saccamano, Dante Tramontana, Michael Wineberger.

Grade 8: Walter (Cole) Brigham IV, Jacquelyn Constantine, Jack Cosmadelis, Matthew Crean, William Dickerson, Justin Eckhardt, Nicholas Eckhardt, Elizabeth Jernick, Felecia Kayel, Kathryn Kilcommons, Kenneth Latham, Olivia Lynch, Julia Mejsak, Jessica Mele, Simon Mraz, Ella Neese, Maximilian Pasko, Elizabeth Quinones, Anna Yao Reilly, Steven Russell, Stephen Schill, Kaitlin Tobin, Rhian Tramontana, Nicholas Vicinanza, Emma Whittington-Quarty.

Grade 7: Grace Brodarick, Andrew Clausen, Gabriela Contreras, Isabella DeMaio, Hanna DeSimone, Jack Giovanniello, Carlos Gomez, James Hayes, Danielle Henry, Miles Hoffman, Julia Jaklevic, Caroline Koslosky, Ethan Magnuson, Jenna McFarland, Kelli McHugh, Matthew Mullen, Annamaria Napolitano, Stephen Palermo, Juliet Rand, Kaia Rothman, Aidan Russell, Bianca Secaida, Sophia Small, Reese Thompson, Samantha Tondo, Benjamin Ward.

HONOR ROLL

Grade 12: Mert Altintoprak, Abigail Bolliver, Keaton Comiskey, Michael DiCandia, Michael Gensler, Christopher Hanold Jr., Esther Jeffrey, Ewa Mejsak, Emily Portillo, Aidan Toy, Dylan VanGorden.

Grade 11: Adam Baldwin, Charlie Bonilla, Grace Bruer, Abagail Cacovic, Mathew Cardi, Michael Christman, Nicole Christman, Dylan Clausen, Rachel Field-Hornstein, Angelica Klavas, Anthony Klavas, Gus Klavas, Alexander Krukowski, Althea Mignone, Emily Perry, Wendy Santos, Connor Vaccariello.

Grade 10: Monika Abram, Charlotte Allen, Alexandra Apadula, Charles Campbell, Zachary Grathwohl, Jack Koslosky, Michael Krause, Julia Kujawski, Heather MacArthur, Edwin Martinez Javier, Matthew McAllister, Anthony Monzon, William (Liam) Mullen, Hannah Sutton, Victoria Tondo.

Grade 9: Jack Antonucci, Bryanna Bay, Michael Chacon Munoz, Michael Daddona, Olivia Daddona, Carlos DeLeon Campos, Justin Hanold, Van Karsten, Courtney Kruk, Anakin Mignone, Rosanna Mollica, Brizeida Palacios-Campos, Marissa Rackwitz, Emily Russell, Nicolas Siguenza Torres, Casie Vaccariello.

Grade 8: Elizabeth Garcia Palencia, Nicholas Grathwohl, James Hoyt, John Judge, Edy Nazario Valdez, Emily Newman, Joseph Silvestro, Julia Vicinanza.

Grade 7: Patrick Allen, Ryan Deerkoski, Matthew Garms, Daniel Garrido, Kateri Gensler, Cole Hilary, Brook Howard, Saylor Hughes, John Kaelin, Daniel Krause, Matthew Messana, Rhian O’Neil, Silvia Rackwitz, Magda Rodriguez, Justin Uguna.

Southold High School Drama Club presents Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s ‘Mary Poppins’ this week in the district auditorium.

Performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 17; Friday, March 18; and Saturday March 19. There’s also a performance scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 20.

Tickets are on sale at Southold Free Library and cost $12 adults, $8 students and seniors.

Please arrive 20 to 30 minutes prior to curtain if purchasing tickets at the door.

For more information, call 631-765-5081.

Click on the images below to see more photos by Katharine Schroeder.

At first glance Saturday, it appeared the Southold High School robotics team had come up just short of reaching the 2016 FIRST Robotics World Championship.

Despite possessing one of the top robots during the two-day regional competition at Hofstra University, the team lost in the third match of the best-of-three finals.

What the team and its supporters might not have recognized at first, however, is that sometimes it’s better to come in second. 

Southold Team Rice 870 was awarded the Engineering Inspiration Award at the end of the event, which brings with it an invitation to the world championships in St. Louis, Mo. and financial assistance from NASA covering the event’s $5,000 entry fee.

“The team was absolutely thrilled,” said team mentor Christine Schade, a math teacher at the school. “The team competed so hard and it was a little disappointing to fall in the finals. When we found out we won the Engineering Inspiration Award we were overjoyed.”

Southold now has the opportunity to join hundreds of teams from across the U.S. and the world in the finals April 27-30 at The Dome at America’s Center, which until recently was home to the NFL’s former St. Louis Rams franchise.

Southold Robotics, a team of about 30 students in grades nine through 12, has limited time to accept the invitation and would then need to raise funds for travel expenses, Ms. Schade said. An official decision is expected Monday, but Ms. Schade is optimistic the team will receive the support to compete in nationals.

“I can’t say enough about how supportive our administrators are,” she said. “We’re so incredibly lucky that our administration, including high school principal [William Galati] and superintendent [David Gamberg] believe in what we do, because that’s not always the case at other schools.”

That’s primarily because robotics is an expensive endeavor that requires a great deal of financial support from the community. Robotics programs typically spend about $40,000 a year just to get to regionals, Ms. Schade estimated.

Southold raises funds from parents and local businesses, including its primary corporate sponsor, Miller Environmental Group of Calverton.

“We were even fortunate enough to have one of their engineers help us with our build,” Ms. Schade said.

If money is one obstacle to succeed in robotics, time is the other. Teams are given just six weeks to create and practice with their robot, which is built to fit specific parameters that change each year before the regional competition.

Team members then dedicate about eight hours a night, seven days per week to prepare. Parents also help out every step of the way, including this year’s non-faculty mentor, Bob Gammon.

“There are many long nights for these students and parents,” Ms. Schade said.

On Saturday, the teens learned it was all worth it. Competing in a three-team alliance, Southold was paired with teams from Patchogue-Medford and Cold Spring Harbor high schools. In all, 51 teams competed in the event, mostly from Suffolk and Nassau counties.

The top team at regionals, however, was Marista Pio from Hamburgo, Brazil, which competed in an alliance with Sachem and William Floyd high schools.

This year’s challenge, First Stronghold, was based on a popular medieval castle-conquering and battle-strategy game. Robots gained points by incapacitating defenses and scoring boulders through goals in the opposition’s tower.

The Long Island regionals are organized by School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc., which was founded more than 30 years ago with the goal of developing partnerships between local high schools and businesses that would provide students with practical experience and curriculum development and help the business community develop its future workforce, according to the organization.

Check back Monday for official word on the world championships and more information on how to support the team.

Caption: Robotics team members prepare for regionals. (Credit: rice870.com)

gparpan@timesreview.com

Southold Robotics celebrates its invitation to the FIRST Robotics world championship later this month. (Credit: PRMG New York)

Sitting inside the conference room at Southold High School’s main office Tuesday, four members of the school’s robotics program and a pair of advisers attempted to explain the club’s success.

Bob Gammon, the father of one robotics team member and an adviser the past two seasons, said the best formula to describe it is E=R.

“Effort equals results,” he explained.

That type of wisdom might seem like common sense on most teams, but this is robotics, where every bit of information must be questioned and broken down to its core.

“[E=R] has actually been disproved,” said David Gammon, his son, a senior at the school who has competed in robotics since junior high.

“For example,” added classmate Peter Fouchet, also a senior and in his sixth year with the program, “if you’re manually
turning a screw, that’s going to take more effort, but will it …”

“I meant mental effort,” Mr. Gammon interjected before the teens could shoot down his statement completely.

That sort of hairsplitting conversation is the type of engagement Southold High School principal William Galati said the robotics program encourages in its students. And that’s exactly why school administrators stand firmly behind the program, known as Team R.I.C.E. 870.

“Robotics teaches critical thinking, collaboration, communication, leadership and ownership skills,” said the principal, who previously served as science director in another district. “Those are skills you take with you in life.”

In Southold, those five skills have led the robotics program to a level of success rarely achieved by schools of a similar size. On Saturday, the program was awarded the Engineering Inspiration Award at the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Long Island Regional Competition at Hofstra University. The prestigious honor includes an invitation to the FIRST world championships in St. Louis, Mo., later this month and financial assistance from NASA covering the event’s $5,000 entry fee.

The world championships will be held April 27-30 at The Dome at America’s Center, which until recently was home to the NFL’s former St. Louis Rams franchise.

Want to help?

If you’d like to help defray the cost of sending 30 students to the world championships in St. Louis, mail a check payable to SHS Robotics to P.O. Box 470, Southold, NY 11971.

Team R.I.C.E. 870’s robot in action at a packed Hofstra University arena Saturday. (Credit: PRMG New York)

This marks the third time in seven years Southold has reached the competition’s highest level, but the first time the team has won this particular award.

“It’s quite an honor,” said program adviser Christine Schade, a math teacher at the high school and the mother of a team member. “The team was absolutely thrilled.”

“Southold Robotics is on the map,” she said.

Judges choose the Engineering Inspiration Award winner after inspecting all the teams’ robots and asking questions of team members. Because so many of Southold’s team members participated in the build and knew every facet of the team’s responsibilities, the judges were impressed with the program, Mr. Gammon said.

“These kids were able to answer every question the judges had, even providing explanations for all the follow-up questions,” he said.

Team R.I.C.E. 870 entered the finals of the regional competition ranked third out of 51 teams, but finished just short in the end. Competing in the best-of-three finals in an alliance with Patchogue-Medford and Cold Spring Harbor high schools, team members said they believed they had a great shot at winning it all.

The alliance dropped the first round of the finals and needed to come from behind in the second. But it ultimately fell in the last round to an alliance consisting of Marista Pio — from Novo Hamburgo, Brazil — Sachem and William Floyd high schools.

“We were so bummed,” said drive team member Alex Lincoln, a senior in his second year with the Southold robotics program.

But news of the Engineering Inspiration Award turned that bitter feeling into a celebration. Team safety captain Julia Schade, also a senior in her second year with the program, said the invitation to St. Louis moved her to tears.

“It was just so great,” she said. “We all have become very close and we work so well together.”

The Long Island regionals are organized by School-Business Partnerships of Long Island Inc., which was founded more than 30 years ago with the goal of cultivating partnerships between local high schools and businesses that would provide students with practical experience and curriculum development and help the business community mentor and grow its future workforce, according to the organization.

Before the regional contest, teams are given just six weeks to create and practice with their robots, which are built to fit specific parameters and suit the type of competition, which changes each year.

Sometimes a silver medal is best, like when you still win an invitation to the world championships and have your entry fee paid for you. (Credit: Grant Parpan)

Build team members — Southold has about eight — then dedicate roughly seven hours a night, even on weekends, to construct the robot. This year, they even built a second robot to practice with between competitions, Mr. Gammon said.

This year’s challenge, First Stronghold, is based on a popular medieval castle-conquering and battle-strategy game. Robots gain points by incapacitating defenses and scoring boulders through goals in the opposition’s tower.

Southold said its robot had success this year because it was built with defensive capabilities and not just to be on the attack. That said, it is still quite the scoring machine, netting the fourth-highest score in a single round of any FIRST robotics competition in the world this year, Ms. Schade said.

“These kids built one of, if not the best robot in the [Long Island] competition this year,” Mr. Gammon said.

Before competing at Hofstra, Southold took its robot on the road to the Buckeye Regional in Cleveland last month, where it also performed at a high level, winning six of 11 matches and reaching the quarterfinals. David Gammon said the team was ranked 65th out of more than 6,000 teams in the world following the trip to Ohio.

To put the success of the Southold High School robotics program fully into perspective, one must consider the many obstacles a small school faces in the world of robotics, team members said.

With a graduating class of fewer than 80 students, the population from which the Southold club can draw is sparse — though it has expanded somewhat now that Greenport students are eligible to join the program. Other schools at competitions might have more than 1,000 students per grade. While Southold has about 30 team members, other schools have more than 75. That can be an advantage for a larger school — not just in building and programming a robot, but in raising money supporting the program.

Funding for a program that costs an estimated $40,000 each school year can be limited in a small town, team members explained. Other districts have major engineering and technology firms nearby that can serve as corporate sponsors and mentors.

For a program in a rural community like Southold to compete at a high level, support from the business community — as well as school administrators, who are adding a coding course to the curriculum next year — is essential. To that end, students were able to secure funding from more than 25 local businesses this year, including its primary corporate sponsor, Miller Environmental Group of Calverton.

Even the owners of North Fork Shack, a Route 48 restaurant that hasn’t even opened yet, stepped up and provided the program with a check.

“That kind of support is incredible,” Ms. Schade said. “This is a true community victory. From the students to the administrators to local businesses, when this team wins, the community wins, because the community supports us.”

gparpan@timesreview.com

One team is preparing for next week, while the other is planning for next year.

It showed in the Suffolk County League VIII finale for both teams, as Southold High School recorded a 12-2 victory over Bishop McGann-Mercy in Riverhead Saturday afternoon.

The First Settlers (16-4, 16-4) combined an early barrage of runs and some outstanding relief pitching to snap a four-game losing streak just as they are to enter the Class C playoffs. They last won against Port Jefferson, 6-2, on April 29. Barring a major surprise, they are expected to face Pierson/Bridgehampton (11-7, 11-7) in a best-of-three series beginning in Southold Thursday at 4 p.m. The official brackets will be posted on Monday.

The Monarchs (3-15, 3-15) will have to wait until next year to turn their postseason dreams into reality.

Left fielder Doug Fieldler led the Settlers with three hits, including a double and a home run and three runs batted in. Third baseman Greg Gehring contributed a double and two RBI and Luke Hansen added two RBI.

Three starting pitchers combined to shutdown the Monarchs. Pat McFarland, who hurled back-to-back one-hitters earlier this season, gave up two runs and four hits in his two-inning stint. Hansen allowed only one base runner — via a walk — while striking out three in his two innings and Dylan Clausen was perfect over the final three innings, recording three strikeouts. Noah Mina and McFarland each scored three runs.

Southold took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on Gehring’s one-run double to left another run scoring on a wild pitch.

Mercy came back with two of its own in the bottom of the inning on center fielder Sean Tuthill’s single to center — one of three consecutive hits for the Monarchs.

The Settlers erupted for five runs in the second as they chased starting pitcher Matt Gambino. Gehring singled in one run, bases-loaded walks by reliever Mike Chilicki to Shane Zimmer and Fieldler forced in two and a dropped ball by right fielder Andrew Waski brought home two more.

Southold added four runs in the top of the third and another in the seventh on Fieldler’s second homer of the season, to right field.

Mercy freshman Matt Chilicki was outstanding in his 3 2/3 innings of relief, allowing two hits.

Photo caption: Southold starting pitcher Pat McFarland winds up. (Credit: Garrett Meade)

Greenport and Southold high school students performed in a special presentation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest at Greenport School auditorium Thursday morning.

An encore performance will be held at the Southold School amphitheater on Friday, June 3, at 5 p.m.

[Related: East End students to perform in first-ever Spring Festival of Shakespeare]

The play is part of a popular Shakespeare festival from Massachusetts and is co-directed by A.D. Newcomer and John Tramontana.

Click on the photos below to enlarge images.

On Friday evening, Southold High School unveiled a new display decades in the making.

After months of research, teacher Mike Carver’s Advanced Placement Government and Politics class, partnering with the Southold Historical Society, created “The History of Us,” a display highlighting the district’s past.  

Students sifted through hundreds of documents, journals, artifacts, yearbooks and correspondences to piece together the more than 75-piece display, which contains artifacts that date as far back as 1889.

One of the most notable discoveries is that Beatles member Paul McCartney and Broadway composer Andrew Lloyd Webber attended the high school drama club’s performance of “Jesus Christ Superstar” — a play Mr. Webber originally composed — in 1971, according to a district press release.

Some of the displays in the ‘museum.’ (Courtesy: Southold Schools)

“Anyone who visits the gallery can readily see that this type of work could serve as a model for how we can engage students throughout our schools in real-world projects and assignments,” Superintendent David Gamberg said. “The display is breathtaking.”

The artifacts will be showcased in mahogany display cases — engraved with the Southold School Educational Foundation logo — created by English Language Learner (ELL) students under the supervision of technology teacher Matthew Pfister.

The project was made possible through funding from the Southold School Educational Foundation, which is dedicated to providing support to students and teachers within the district, as well as Senator Ken LaValle’s office and the Southold Faculty Association.

“The collaborative effort to fund and support such an authentic and purposeful project is exactly what the Southold School Educational Foundation was set up to do,” foundation president Robert Boergesson said in a statement.

Top Caption: (Left to right) Carlos Campos, Esvin Sicajau and Mario Menjivar were among the students who helped build the display cases. (Courtesy: Southold Schools)

nsmith@timesreview.com

Here’s an up-close and personal look at this year’s valedictorians and salutatorians. 

Congratulations to the following top achievers at Greenport, Mattituck and Southold high schools.

The 110th commencement ceremony took place at Southold High School Saturday afternoon as the class of 2016 bid farewell to the school many of them had attended since kindergarten. 

The ceremony began with a poignant moment of silence in memory of Ronan Guyer, their classmate who died in 2012.  An empty chair on stage held flowers in remembrance of Ronan. The audience was also asked to remember boys basketball coach Phil Reed, who died earlier this year.

Dozens of awards, scholarships and bonds totaling over one million dollars were handed out and the choir sang for the attendees.

Finally, after students received their diplomas they met on the front steps of the school for the traditional mortar board toss.

(Credit: Katharine Schroeder)

The choir sings. (Credit: Katharine Schroeder)

(Credit: Katharine Schroeder)

Valedictorian Aidan Walker gives his speech. (Credit: Katharine Schroeder)

Valedictorian Aidan Walker. (Credit: Katharine Schroeder)

(Credit: Katharine Schroeder)

Salutatorian Noah Mina. (Credit: Katharine Schroeder)

An empty chair covered with flowers in memory of Ronan Guyer, who died during a cross country practice in 2012. (Credit: Katharine Schroeder)

(Credit: Katharine Schroeder)

Valedictorian Aidan Walker, left, with salutatorian Noah Mina. (Credit: Katharine Schroeder)

(Credit: Katharine Schroeder)

From left: Maya Jackowski, Myles Williams and Vivienne Glasser. (Credit: Katharine Schroeder)

(Credit: Katharine Schroeder)

Southold High School principal Bill Galati with valedictorian Aidan Walker. (Credit: Katharine Schroeder)

Waiting to enter the auditorium are, from left, Julia Schade, Kimiko Jujita, Paige Messana. (Credit: Katharine Schroeder)

Check out the 2016 summer issue of Southold High School’s student newspaper, The Sentinel.

Top photo credit: Viv Glasser / The Sentinel