The districtwide annual P.A.R.P (Parents as Reading Partners) week is back for Northport-East Northport elementary students! During this annual event, students are encouraged to read to or with others, such as parents and friends, and log their readings. To encourage reading, schools often invite in guest authors either leading into or during P.A.R.P weeks.  

This year, Norwood Avenue students enjoyed hearing from two local authors with a special connection to the school. Bill Kiley, a retired Suffolk County Deputy Police Chief and a resident of East Northport, met with third and fourth grade students to talk about his book, “Hope and Freckles: Fleeing to a Better Forest.”  At age 70, Kiley decided to write a children’s book for the first time.  Inspired by national and international events, the story uses lead characters of a mother deer and her fawn who are forced to flee from their home forest due to danger and hunger.  Bill uses these anthropomorphic figures to inform young minds of the plight of more than 34 million refugees. A second Hope and Freckles book, addressing refugee’s challenge of assimilation in a new land, will be published this summer.  

Local Northport resident and parent of Norwood Avenue students Valerie Goldstein also visited the school, speaking with students in kindergarten, first and second grades about her book, “Violet’s Victory.”  The book is the story of a young girl who uses forearm crutches, dreaming of being able to participate in a track and field race.  The book is somewhat autobiographical as Valerie Goldstein, who at 17 years of age was the captain of her school cross country and track team, was injured in a motor vehicle accident and now walks with the assistance of forearm crutches.  During her presentation, Valerie showcased dolls and examples of other adaptive equipment so students could better understand disabled peers.  

 A special addition to Norwood Avenue school was also unveiled during the assembly, as Norwood Avenue graduate and current Northport Middle School eighth grader Liam Dwyer returned to present Inchy, the book vending machine.  WhenLiamwas in 5thgrade, he kicked off a schoolwide penny war fundraiser in hopes of one day purchasing the vending machine to support reading at his school. Following years of fundraising, Inchy was finally able to be purchased and unveiledon March 23. Each book costs one token, which students earn by displaying positive character traits, putting forth great effort in all they do, trying something new, being a good friend and performing acts of kindness. 


Over at Fifth Avenue School, author and illustrator Laurie Keller visited students to talk about illustrations and bringing characters to life. Her illustrations span many books including “Potato Pants!,” a story about misunderstandings and forgiveness centered around a potato, and “The Adventures of Arnie the Doughnut,” about the adventures of a donut and lessons learned along the way. During her presentation, Laurie also engaged students with an interactive drawing lesson. Each student received a journal book and pencil courtesy of the PTA, and Laurie guided them through bringing characters to life on paper using their imagination.  

The annual FIRST Robotics competition is quickly approaching, and Northport High School’s Team 5099 is feeling ready to go. While the competition, which begins Thursday, March 23 at Hofstra University, is important, students and staff emphasized that the real win comes in the form of friendships, networking and a sense of accomplishment from the entire experience. 
On the final day of the build, members of the team gathered to finish the final touches on their robot. The team is led by advisors and technology teachers Bill Claps, Ed Moloney and Greg Robinson who oversee the students and provide guidance throughout the robotics season. They are joined by mentors which includes parents and local community members with experience in engineering and robotics. In total, the season lasts approximately six to eight weeks, and includes countless hours and Saturday sessions to get competition ready. 
Team captain Todd Petry emphasized that last year’s competition was following a hiatus due to the pandemic, so this year was really about “getting back into pace.” He also shared that fellow team members Carter Mooers and Hunter Rumpel take welding courses, giving them an edge up in the competition. “In terms of the robot, we utilized welding this year. That’s not something many schools can do because not many people know welding,” Todd said. 
Each year, the competitions rules and the robot’s functions change, ensuring students have to consider fresh ideas to meet the challenge. The 2023 challenge is “ENERGIZE”, encouraging students to “reimagine the future of sustainable energy and power their ideas forward.” The robot also has parameters around size and weight that must be taken into consideration. 
Beyond the construction of the robot, students showed a real appreciation for the comradery that being a member of the team brings and the connections made through the contest. Todd added “Number one, it’s going to be a lot of fun. Not only are we with teams from Long Island but around the world, too. Just talking with them, networking, maybe we can make plans with them in the future.”
“Of course, we want to do as best as we can, but it’s also a big learning experience. Just the whole build season in general – it’s all about learning,” he added.
The competition will take place over three days with a series of a competition rounds. The winner will ultimately advance to a regional competition. 
The full team includes Caleb Belanger, William Chambers, Nick Churaman, Veronica Flick, Robert Germani, Brendan Gorman, Tyler Hradek, Ryan Kattau, Peter Kucza, Eduardo Lopez, Carter Mooers, Erik Oderwald, Todd Petry, Cole Rumpel, Hunter Rumpel, Adam Sweeney, and Luke Tuthill. A special thank you to team mentors Craig Moores, John Posillico, John Farrell and Tom Hradek as well for their support and guidance.
The team is sponsored by AriZona Beverage Co., Plastipak Packaging Inc., the Northport-East Northport School District, Bren-Tronics Inc., General Fibre Products Corp., The Sterling Wealth Group LLC, Robert P. Brady Agency, Mario’s Pizzeria East Northport, Animign Productions, Inc., Country Beer and Beverage Barn, Errol & Gaindawatie Churaman, The Claps Family, The Germani Family, Kenneth & Susan Krasniewski, The Gorman Family and The Ed Moloney Family. 

During the March 16 Board of Education meeting, two students were recognized for work in the fields of business and family and consumer sciences. Chairperson for Business Denise Keenan presented Charles Friedman as the Rotary Student of the Month for Business, while Chairperson for Family & Consumer Sciences Terrence Hinson presented Emily Brunkard as the Rotary Student of the Month for her work in the child development program. Both students were presented to the Board and community during the meeting and presented with certificates. 
Charlie’s business teachers applauded his commitment to his academics as well as his extracurricular work in the department. He is an officer in the Academy of Finance, member of international business competition DECA and committed business student as well as a leader in his classrooms. He plans to pursue accounting or finance in the future. 
Emily’s teachers and counselor acknowledging how her bright and endearing demeanor has an impact on the entire class, including in her childhood psychology and child development classes. As the daughter of a pre-school teachers, she said helping kids is “in her blood” and she wants to pursue a career in social work. 
Congratulations to both Charlie and Emily on their recognition!