At the June 5 Board of Education meeting, Hicksville Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ted Fulton highlighted several Hicksville students for their outstanding achievements and contributions to the Hicksville School Community. Student recognitions included elementary student winners of the Stop World Hunger Essay Contest, a National Merit Scholarship winner, a winner of the Congressional Art Competition for New York District 3 and three student teams of winners who attended a recent Olympics for the Visual Arts event.
Lee Avenue Elementary students Inaaya Fatima Amaan received Honorable Mention for Grades 1-3 Category and Sumaiyah Sartaj received third place in Grades 4-5 Category for the 36 th Annual “World Food Day Essay Contest” sponsored by Stop World Hunger, Inc. The topic this year was, "What Can I Do to Stop World Hunger?" The contest was open to students on Long Island, Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk. Essays were judged on creativity, sensitivity, practicality, clarity, conciseness and neatness. High School senior Jack Beaudette moved from being a finalist to a winner of the National Merit Scholarship. The National Merit Scholarship Program is an annual academic competition for recognition and scholarships that is open to all United States high school students. Over 1.5 million students took the PSAT 2022. Students were tested on their Critical Reading, Mathematics and Writing Skills, and entered the National Merit Program, conducted by National Merit Scholarship Corporation. As part of completing the detailed scholarship application, each student writes an essay and gives information about extracurricular activities, leadership positions, and honors or awards received. Only 1 % of students move on to become finalists in this extremely intense competition.
Hicksville High School junior Kira Crisalli was recently named a Congressional Arts winner for the Congressional Art Competition for New York District 3. Her winning art entitled “Homage” was dedicated to her grandfather who served as a soldier in World War II where he was deployed to Iwo Jima, Japan and when he returned, he continued to help
others and became a firefighter. Since the Artistic Discovery competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated in the visual art competition through the Congressional Institute. Open only to high school students, the goal is to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the nation and in each congressional district.
The Hicksville High School Fine Arts Department recent took four teams to Saratoga Springs to compete in the Olympics for the Visual Arts event hosted by the New York State Art Teachers Association. This annual event is a creative problem-solving event in which student teams of one or more enter a long-term design solution in one of eight categories and participate in an on-demand design prompt. Teams present a portfolio along with their entry to showcase the research, planning and iterations that led to the final design.
The Drawing Team, Brianna Barquero, Estefany Hernandez, Scarlet Kwak, Annabel Miranda, Jaelyn Raspardo, Hailey Treminio Sempe and Aster Yeung under the direction of Ms. Michelle Lesser won a First-Place award and Most Creative in the on-demand on site project. The Sculpture Team, Savannah Anderson, Oscar Duran Pena, Jasmeen Kaur, Mei Lin Jin, Janina Natarajan and Johannie Soriano under the direction of Mrs. Hagedorn won a Second-Place award. The Painting Team, Natalie Barrientos, Brindha Gunasekaran, Brian Jaco, Jessica Janickey, Rutvi Joshi, Miguel Ortiz and Arlene Romero under the direction of Mr. Mateyunas won a Third-Place award.
In addition to student recognitions, Dr. Fulton recognized Hicksville High School Social Studies Teacher Kelly Minot for recently being honored with the Long Island Council for Social Studies Outstanding Untenured High School Teacher Award. Closing the evening, Dr. Fulton and members of the Hicksville Board of Education acknowledged with gratitude Board Trustee Phil Heckler for his twelve years of dedication and commitment to the Hicksville Board of Trustees and Hicksville community as he moves off the board this July.
The district is extremely proud of all the students highlighted and extends best wishes to all for continued future success.
Back Row (L-R): Hicksville Board of Education President Annette Beiner, Lee
Avenue Principal Stephanie Stam, Hicksville teachers Peter Ryan and Nicole
D’Antonio and Hicksville Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ted Fulton. Front Row
(L-R): Lee Avenue students Inaaya Fatima Amaan and Sumaiyah Sartaj were
recognized for their participation in the “World Food Day Essay Contest” sponsored
by Stop World Hunger, Inc.
(L-R): Hicksville Board of Education President Annette Beiner, Hicksville
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ted Fulton, Hicksville High School senior and
National Merit Scholarship winner, Jack Beaudette.
(L-R): Hicksville Supervisor of Fine Arts Chad Wyman, Hicksville Board of
Education Secretary Linda Imbriale, Hicksville junior and Congressional Arts winner
for the Congressional Art Competition for New York District 3, Kira Crisalli and
Hicksville Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ted Fulton.
(L-R): Hicksville Board Trustee Phil Heckler, Hicksville Supervisor of Fine Arts Chad
Wyman, Hicksville students, Annabel Miranda, Brianna Barquero, Hicksville teacher
Michelle Lesser, students Estefany Hernandez, Aster Yeung, Scarlet Kwak, and
Hailey Treminio Sempe won a First-Place award and Most Creative in the on-
demand on site project at the recent Olympics for the Visual Arts event hosted by
the New York State Art Teachers Association. Back Row: Hicksville Superintendent
of Schools Dr. Ted Fulton. Missing from photo: Jaelyn Raspardo
(L-R): Hicksville Supervisor of Fine Arts Chad Wyman, Hicksville students Jasmeen
Kaur, Johannie Soriano, Oscar Duran Pena and Mei Lin Jin won a Second-Place
award, and under the direction of Mrs. Hagedorn won a Second-Place award at the
recent Olympics for the Visual Arts event hosted by the New York State Art Teachers
Association. Back Row (L-R): Hicksville teacher Mrs. Hagedorn, Hicksville Trustee
Irene Carlomusto and Hicksville Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ted Fulton.
Missing from photo: Savannah Anderson and Janina Nataraja
(L-R): Hicksville Supervisor of Fine Arts Chad Wyman, Hicksville Board of
Education Vice President Sunita Manjrekar, Hicksville students Brindha
Gunasekaran, Natalie Barrientos, Brian Jaco, Miguel Ortiz, Arlene Romero, Jessica
Janickey and Rutvi Joshi won a Third-Place award at the recent Olympics for the
Visual Arts event hosted by the New York State Art Teachers Association.
(Back Row): Hicksville Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ted Fulton.
(L-R): Hicksville Supervisor of Social Studies and Home & Careers Dr. Bryan
Sarandrea, Hicksville Trustee Danielle Fotopoulos, Hicksville High School Social
Studies Teacher Kelly Minot and Hicksville Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ted
Fulton.
Members of the Hicksville Board of Trustees and Hicksville Superintendent of
Schools surround fellow Trustee Phil Heckler (center) and his family members as
they wished him well and thanked him for his many years of service to the Board at
the June 5 meeting.