Directions

A desire to create and pass legislation brought 45 Locust Valley High School students to the Washington Area Model United Nations Conference, hosted by George Washington University from March 21-24.

The attendees, members of the high school’s Model United Nations Club, enjoyed discussing historical and current issues with their peers from around the world. They prepared for months, researching their assigned nations and characters in depth to participate in committees with 1,300 student delegates.  A joint session of the 91st U.S. Congress, a historic Congress of Vienna, a futuristic Arctic Task force in 2025, and the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development were some of the committees they took part in. They learned about diplomacy, debated various topics and compromised on a variety of resolutions. 

To make the most of the trip, the group also explored sites in Washington, D.C., including the United States Institute of Peace, where they learned about the purpose of the organization and how members worked around the world to defuse conflict through diplomacy and negotiation. They also visited the National Museum of American History and the Lincoln Memorial. Some students went to see the White House. 

The trip was chaperoned by club advisers Ashley Gruter and Stephanie Scavelli, along with faculty member Alexandra Cannone and high school principal Patrick DiClemente. They not only enjoyed seeing the success the students were having with this experience, but they also learned alongside them. 

“We were impressed with the professionalism and maturity with which the students presented themselves and represented Locust Valley,” Mr. DiClemente said. “The advisers also did an outstanding job mentoring the group in preparation for the event.

Congratulations to all of the participants and to the Model UN officers for their excellent leadership. The officers are Kat Berritto, Danielle Caso, Seamus Fallon, Sarah Lubow, Joseph McNamara and Mikey Porco. 

On a stage adorned with the brightly colored flags of France, Italy and Spain, the Locust Valley High School Foreign Language Honor Society inducted its newest members. Nearly 80 students proved that their foreign language skills were worthy of entrance into the elite club.

The ceremony was dripping with cultural touches, including poems read in French, Italian and Spanish, as well as musical performances that represented each language. The officers of the French, Italian and Spanish honor societies led the ceremony, administered the oaths to each group and introduced each speaker.

Amy Watson, K-12 World Language Coordinator, shared that she first fell in love with foreign language as a student at Locust Valley High School. Other speakers included Locust Valley High School Principal Patrick DiClemente, Board of Education President Brian T. Nolan and Acting Superintendent of Schools Dr. Carl Bonuso. Each shared their pride in the inductees for their accomplishments and all agreed that speaking a foreign language opens the door for many opportunities, professionally and socially. 

Congratulations to the inductees on this outstanding achievement! 

The Locust Valley High School Odyssey of the Mind team earned second place in the Spontaneous category at the state level of competition on March 24 in Binghamton, New York. The team placed eighth overall in a field of 16 teams.

The long-term performance was a classic called Leonardo’s Workshop. 

Coach Alan Stella said the team’s creativity and witty performance captured praise from the judges and audience alike. 

Congratulations to team members Catherine Almonte, Nicholas Chiu, Nicole Dressler, Jack Manning, Olivia Olynciw, Takara Perkins and Joanna Yu.

Locust Valley High School IB art students learned just what their IB art classes can do for them when they visited the exhibit of a Locust Valley High School alumna. 

High school art teachers Donna Chaplin and Linda DeFeo led their students on a trip to Manhattan to see the art exhibit of their former student Julia Ryan, Class of 2013.

Julia told the current IB students that taking IB courses benefited her greatly in college. She explained that the program prepares artists to take their work and themselves seriously. She also said it was helpful that friends she met in college from other countries such as India and Brazil had taken some of the same courses that she took. 

Ms. Chaplin said it is important that students experience art outside of their screens. “Our IB students are going through the process of developing and presenting a body of work,” she explained. “Seeing how Julia sets up her collection for view and listening to how she gets inspired to create her different series of works helps our students make the mental connection with what they are currently trying to achieve in their classes.”

Learning various methods and practices that instill wellness and mental health was the goal of a recent field trip taken by six high school students. The group attended the Nassau County Youth Wellness Summit in Merrick on March 19. The event, sponsored by the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide and the Long Island Youth Wellness Summit Committee, offered workshops intended to empower teens with preventative measures and coping skills that they could bring back to the school and share with their peers.

Sophomores Emerson Banos-Ronquillo, Julia Czerwonka and Kaitlyn Ward joined juniors Nina Rose Cialone, Anthony Scicutella and Matthew Scicutella at the conference with high school psychologist Kristen Sylvan and individual needs teacher Kristy Kinsley. The students were chosen for their leadership skills and ability to share the information with others in the school community.

One workshop taught participants how to use yoga poses to incorporate more calm into one’s life. Other workshops addressed the importance of self-worth and emphasized that it is OK to talk about suicidal feelings and to reach out for help. Messages throughout the day focused on helping one another and helping oneself.  Recent high school graduates shared advice on transitioning to college and managing various challenges that the students will face. 

Ms. Sylvan said that the summit provided students with an opportunity to hear from experts in the field, collaborate with students from districts across Nassau County to raise awareness and offer resources for mental health issues.   

“We are proud that our students were part of Nassau County’s first Youth Wellness Summit. The students were active participants in the day’s activities and feel empowered to bring these lessons back to their school community,” Ms. Sylvan said. “These student leaders will be able to use the strategies in their own lives and will also be able to advocate for the well-being of their friends, classmates and community.”