The Miller Place High School Mock Trial Team recently celebrated its victory over Huntington in the first round of playoffs. To prepare for the first round, students conducted extensive research on legal precedent with the guidance of Miller Place instructors, as part of the Miller Place School District’s dedication to helping students excel both inside and outside the classroom. Led by club advisor Tom Moran, the team was congratulated for its display of jurisprudence competence at the Suffolk County Courthouse in Central Islip.

Participating students included: Ricky Abreu, Jonathan Beers, Ryan Holownia, Justin O’Connor, Kristen Nappi, Sean Reagan, Lori Beth Sussman, and Kristen Taylor

Andrew Muller Primary School recently participated in a week-long literacy celebration, Parents as Reading Partners (PARP), as part of the District’s commitment to promoting a love of reading. This year’s PARP theme was “Parpical,” and every lesson was created with a Dr. Seuss theme in mind.

On the first day of the celebration, Principal Laura Gewurz dressed as The Cat in the Hat. Throughout the week, five faculty members from the Andrew Muller Primary School were SMART Board Mystery readers and read Dr. Seuss books to the students, including “The Cat in the Hat,” “Horton Hears a Who,” “Green Eggs and Ham,” “Yertle the Turtle,” and “The Sneetches.” At the end of the week, students joined musical performer Lee Knight during an assembly to sing original Dr. Seuss-inspired songs.

Students at the Laddie A. Decker Sound Beach School also participated in this event by reading age-appropriate books to Andrew Muller Primary School students over Skype. The third-to-fifth-grade students shared their passion for reading with kindergarten through second-grade students, and they recommended some of their favorite books when they were younger. North Country Road Middle School students—grades six, seven and eight—visited Andrew Muller Primary School and read to the students as well. The collaboration between schools was part of the District’s mission to inspire students and foster intra-district collaboration.

As part of the Miller Place School District’s ongoing Character Education initiatives, students at the Laddie A. Decker Sound Beach School recently created a wall of positivity outside the school’s cafeteria. The wall features a collage of colorful paper, each of which has a different positive message written by every teacher and student in the school. In addition, more than 600 students signed a pledge to “Start with Hello” and promote a positive culture of kindness. A full week of daily activities were planned around these important, simple, yet powerful messages.

The purpose of this project was to bring smiles to the faces of students, teachers and staff members throughout the school. Not only did each student receive his or her own Post-It note to contribute to the wall, many students also shared their positive messages with their friends.

Examples of the positive Post-Its include:  Make Everyone Smile; Everyone has something nice to do or say; If you can’t be a pencil to write someone’s happiness then be a nice eraser to remove their sadness; The word ‘impossible’ is really I’m possible and Never give up.

The Miller Place School District recently celebrated Read Across America Day with a Districtwide event to help students share their love of reading. Students at Miller Place High School used Skype, an online video communications service, to read age-appropriate books to elementary school students at the Laddie A. Decker Sound Beach School. After reading the books, the high school students asked their elementary school audience what they thought about the stories. Laddie A. Decker Sound Beach School students then asked the high school students about the books they used to read when they were younger and what kinds of books they enjoy reading now.

This program was part of an ongoing Miller Place School District initiative intended to help students connect with their peers and develop high-level literacy skills from an early age.

The Miller Place School District recently held an event at Laddie A. Decker Sound Beach School, giving third grade students an opportunity to show their appreciation for members of the United States Military, both veteran and serving active duty. As part of the program, students in Ms. Brenner’s class created a care package for the teacher’s brother-in-law, U.S. Navy Petty Officer Joseph Monaco, who is currently deployed overseas in Mahe, Seychelles on the USS Comstock LSD-45. Ms. Brenner’s class wrote thoughtful letters about the importance of servicemen and women and created a huge ‘Thank You’ poster. After receiving the package, Monaco thanked the class sent the students a picture of himself holding the poster.

Students at Andrew Muller Primary School had some sizzling excitement as Mad Science presented an assembly called Fire and Ice.  Students witnessed and learned about the amazing properties of fire. Then, the show cooled off with a spectacular demonstration involving dry ice.  During the presentation students also experienced how inhaling CO2 will make you burp.  The event was part of a Miller Place School District initiative to inspire students to develop an interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Miller Place High School seniors Joe Filippetti and Jillian Spreckels were recently recognized by the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (NYSAPHRED) as the top performers in the District’s physical education program. Both students were honored at the organization’s Suffolk County Zone awards banquet. During the banquet 114 students from 57 high schools throughout the county were honored.

The students were chosen for their effort and compassion in physical education class, as well as their understanding of the role physical education programs play in building relationships and inspiring a life-long commitment to health. To qualify, students had to maintain an “A” average in physical education throughout their high school careers, have an overall grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, demonstrate outstanding character and leadership and be a recognized role model for living a healthy lifestyle.

The Miller Place School District has a robust physical education program, which reflects the emphasis the District places on the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. Miller Place High School Physical Education Teacher Mr. Tom Veryzer and Director of Physical Education for the Miller Place School District Ronald J. Petrie joined the students’ families in celebrating Filippetti’s and Spreckels accomplishment.

Students at Miller Place High School recently came together during to discuss the importance of mental health in adolescence and share tips on how to support their friends and peers. Student Assistance Counselor Lisa Aitken coordinated a panel of students to meet with the student body in smaller groups and share a presentation, “How to Help a Friend.” Following the panel, students discussed critical mental health aspects, including suicide awareness and prevention. This program is part of a District initiative to raise mental health awareness and support District students.

 The Miller Place School District recently celebrated the athletic and academic accomplishments of 14 students from Miller Place High School as they signed National Letters of Intent, identifying the college they will be attending and playing sports on the collegiate level.

Athletic coaches from throughout the District joined the student-athletes, who were wearing shirts emblazoned with their respective colleges’ logos, as they officially made their individual college decision. The schools students will be attending include Stony Brook University, University of Pittsburgh, Lehigh University, Mercy College and Arizona State University, as well as several others.