In September 2023, a large beech tree, estimated to be more than 100 years old, was removed from the front of West Babylon Senior High School. The tree was a safety concern, as many of the limbs rotted.

The district was able to salvage some of the lumber during the tree removal process. West Babylon Senior High School technology teacher Gene Rogovitz and several students took the salvaged lumber and created two gifts to present to the board of education. The pieces were titled “Art and Artifact.”

The project involved sanding the unfinished cross section of a limb, pouring an epoxy resin and placing a picture of former West Babylon High School students from the class of 1968 inside the epoxy. The piece is titled “The Rings of Time.”

The second piece of the wood was cut, sanded, stained and a piece of laser-engraved plexiglass was mounted on top with the West Babylon phrase “Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve.” The phrase was engraved on top of the doors of the West Babylon Main School, a school originally built in the 1930s.

Date Added: 12/17/2024

Seventh grade life science students in Mrs. Kowalik's classes at West Babylon Junior High School were given a hands-on opportunity to identify and observe living pond water organisms under a microscope. Mrs. Kowalik and her students brought in samples of pond water from local ponds and lakes and then created their own wet-mount slides. They observed the samples under a microscope, drew their findings in their lab packet and identified the organisms using an identification chart.

Click here to view the Young Scientists Study Pond Water Slides slideshow.

Date Added: 12/27/2024

West Babylon Junior High School eighth graders currently have their artwork on display at the West Babylon Public Library. The artwork is featured in the children’s area this month as part of a collaboration between the West Babylon art department and the West Babylon Public Library, helping to promote the arts within the schools and community. The display features compositions created under the direction of art teachers Caitlin Alfano and Jennifer Tomeo. 

Students in Ms. Alfano’s eighth grade classes illustrated creative color wheel drawings, choosing a circular item as the focal point of their artwork. By incorporating a color wheel, the class applied their understanding of primary, secondary and tertiary colors, along with tints and shades. Students also developed a context and narrative for their work by adding details to support the focal point’s environment. They then applied their knowledge of value to create a background using a pencil.

Mrs. Tomeo’s eighth grade classes learned about the famous painter Vincent van Gogh. Students created landscape artwork based on a realistic reference, creating an impressionistic representation of the image. During this project, they learned about the application of color, light, and movement within an art piece. 

Date Added: 12/26/2024

West Babylon Junior High School had three winners selected for the Long Island Herald Newspaper’s “Holiday Wrapping Paper Design Contest.” Students’ artwork was chosen and then compiled into a “holiday gift wrap” double page spread for the Dec. 5 edition of the newspaper. Congratulations to Lauren Giudice, eighth grade, Payton Haines, sixth grade and Jakub Sczymczyk, sixth grade. Pictured from left: West Babylon Junior High School Principal Dr. Carlos Falcón, Payton Haines, Jakub Sczymczyk, Lauren Giudice, K-12 Art Chairperson Caitlin Alfano and West Babylon Junior High School Assistant Principal Alison Somma.

Date Added: 12/20/2024

Second graders at Santapogue Elementary School became budding scientists when they explored the properties of candy canes during a hands-on lesson on Dec. 10.

The three second grade classes joined together to make their hypotheses on what would happen when a candy cane was submerged in three different cups filled with hot water, cold water and vinegar. Students made predictions for each candy cane they tested and were surprised to see the results happen right before their eyes.

Click here to view the Santapogue Students Experiment with Candy Canes slideshow.

Date Added: 12/23/2024