Huntington School Briefs
Huntington School Board members have approved the appointment of John Okula to work as a long-term substitute teacher at Southdown Primary School. He will be filling in for tenured special education teacher Hildi Green-Stanford from March 8 through June 24.
Mr. Okula is a 2010 graduate of SUNY College at Old Westbury (BA in special education/childhood education, 1-6). He completed his student teaching requirements in the Hempstead School District.
Mr. Okula worked as a 1-on-1 fourth grade special education aide at Huntington Intermediate School in 2007. He has worked in the district's Saturday Academy program this year.
District officials reviewed five applications and interviewed two candidates before recommending Mr. Okula for appointment.
Teacher to Sing at Ballgame
Nicole Parrett, a fourth grade teacher at Jefferson Primary School on Oakwood Road, will sing the Star Spangled Banner prior to the Long Island Ducks game at Bethpage Ballpark in Central Islip on Sunday, July 16 at 5:05 p.m. She will also be on call throughout the season whenever the Ducks require the services of someone to sing the national anthem.
Ms. Parrett has reserved 250 tickets for friends, faculty colleagues and family members.
Jammin' in Washington's Gym
Third grade teacher/DJ Debbie Quiles recently spun tunes at Washington Primary School's annual Jammin' in the Gym. Ms. Quiles organizes the event every winter. Over the course of the day students filed into the gym, two or three classes at a time, for 40-minute sessions of dance music that had the youngsters moving, individually, sometimes with a partner or even as part of a large group.
Students had an opportunity to express themselves freely and creatively. It's a great workout, too. Parents stopped by to snap photos and participate. Principal Marsha Neville has also been known to make a few appearances throughout the day.
Ms. Quiles set up her DJ equipment on the stage along with speakers to boom out the music. Music teacher Susan Graber helped lead students on the dance floor.
The event is both fun and educational. "It introduces them to different cultures through song and dance," Ms. Quiles said.
Scholarship Accounts
The latest Huntington School District financial report shows the Robert K. Toaz Memorial Scholarship fund contains $5,048.21. A scholarship from the fund is awarded annually to the Huntington High School valedictorian. Mr. Toaz was the district's superintendent from 1906 to 1933.
The William H. Higbie Memorial Scholarship Fund now stands at $773,718.28. Mr. Higbie was a high school business teacher in the district for 41 years. He passed away in 1968. His estate distributed $710,862.91 to the district in October 2006 for the establishment of the scholarship fund, as his will stipulated. Until then income from his estate was used by his wife and relatives. When they passed away, the estate was settled.
The Higbie Scholarship has never been awarded and the principal has grown significantly over the past three years.
Flower Hill PTA
The Flower Hill School PTA meeting originally scheduled for March 17 has been moved to Tuesday, March 22 at 9:30 a.m. The earlier meeting date conflicted with kindergarten registration at the school, according to Flower Hill PTA co-President Susan Lyons.
Jump for Hearts at Washington School
The Washington Primary School PTA will sponsor its 4th annual Jump Rope for Heart event on Friday, April 1 in the school gym. According to the American Heart Association, "Jump Rope for Heart teaches students how physical fitness benefits the heart and shows them that volunteering can be a fun and positive experience for the whole community. The need to educate children about the importance of physical activity couldn't be timelier. According to recent students, about one-third of children ages 2-19 are overweight or obese."
Over the past 32 years Jump Rope for Heart has raised more than $810 million for the fight against heart disease and stoke.
School Board Meeting
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Huntington Board of Education will be held on Monday, March 28 at 7:30 p.m. in the Jack Abrams School auditorium. The main topic of discussion is expected to be the 2011/12 school budget.