A study of history also became an exercise in good first aid practices during an interdisciplinary lesson at Amityville Memorial High School. Social studies teacher Matthew Tomasi and physical education/health teacher Tom Maloney came together for a lesson that looked back more than 200 years.

In Mr. Tomasi’s 10th grade global history class, students learned about the Industrial Revolution in Britain. One of the topics was the health and safety issues that workers faced, both in the factories and through their poor living conditions. 

These challenges became the premise for a lesson in Mr. Maloney’s first aid class, a health education elective. His students are sophomores and juniors who are either learning about Britain’s Industrial Revolution this year or did last year. They were given different scenarios, such as a worker being injured on a machine, and looked at it from a first aid perspective. Using their background knowledge from class, they discussed and debated how they would have responded to that emergency. 

Mr. Tomasi and Mr. Maloney said that students were very engaged in the lesson because they enjoyed the problem-solving challenge. The teachers explained that these scenarios presented health and history through a different lens and promoted outside-of-the-box thinking. There was also a technology component as students used Jamboard, a collaboration and presentation tool through G Suite for Education, to showcase their scenario responses. 

“It makes the experience authentic,” Mr. Tomasi said. “They can remember the information in a different way.”

The teachers added that the idea for the lesson came about following an after-school professional development session led by Mr. Tomasi, the Innovator’s Mindset, about finding new and creative ways to teach lessons.

Several students from the Amityville Union Free School District were selected to All-County Music Ensembles by the Suffolk County chapter of the New York State Council of Administrators of Music Education and the Suffolk County Music Educators Association. Although all of the festivals for the 2020-2021 season have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these students have achieved this honor through their hard work and dedication to their music studies.  

NYSCAME All-County Ensembles:

Amityville Memorial High School – Yaneli Amaya, flute, Division 4 Band; Alexander Diaz, viola, Division 4 Orchestra; Keiry Martinez, vocals, Division 4 Chorus

SCMEA All-County Ensembles:

Amityville Memorial High School – Aysia Francis, trumpet, Division 2 Band; Destiny Harding, vocals, Division 2 Chorus; Katya Ramos-Rojas, baritone horn, Division 2 Band; Madeline Shingleton, cello, Division 2 Orchestra; Melissa Fearrington, vocals, Division 3 Chorus; Kenneth Garcia, clarinet, Division 3 Band; Daniella Henriquez, vocals, Division 3 Chorus; Messiah Marshall, flute, Division 3 Band; Justin Mohan, alto saxophone, Division 3 Band; Kemar Porche, vocals, Division 3 Chorus; Aaliyah Precil, vocals, Division 3 Chorus; Bryant Rivas, vocals, Division 3 Chorus.

Edmund W. Miles Middle School – Kaleb Rivera, vocals, Division 1 Chorus; Aurora Morales, vocals, Division 1 Chorus.

Amityville Memorial High School seniors Bryanna Leguizamon and Genesis Perez joined aspiring leaders from across the region at the Junior Achievement New York Summit from Dec. 7-9. The virtual program featured numerous speakers, panel discussions, award presentations and student town hall sessions.

Bryanna and Genesis were both selected as student ambassadors for the 2020-2021 school year. They have worked extensively with Junior Achievement’s High School Heroes program, teaching lessons about careers, community, family and finance to students in Amityville’s elementary schools. They also took part in the Finance Park program which included a financial literacy simulation with students from other Long Island high schools. 

As student ambassadors, Bryanna and Genesis were invited to the three-day Inspiring Tomorrows Virtual Summit. They attended panel discussions on multiple topics including diversity, equity and inclusion in business, the impact of COVID-19 on New York’s economic prospects and the future of entrepreneurship in New York. Panelists included local elected officials and business leaders. During student town hall sessions, they connected with other students who participate in Junior Achievement programs to share their experiences and discuss trending topics.  

Before the summit began, Bryanna and Genesis had to submit short videos introducing themselves, their involvement with Junior Achievement and how it has impacted their lives. Although the summit couldn’t be held in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they both said they appreciated that the organization hosted an online event so they still had the opportunity to connect with other students and business professionals, and hear about important issues. 

“We represented our community and I was very proud about that,” Genesis said. “It was a nice experience and it opened my eyes to a lot of new things.”

Bryanna added that being a Junior Achievement student ambassador has her prepared to take on greater leadership roles and has given her the confidence to achieve anything she wants. 

Amityville Memorial High School business educator Dr. Diane Impagliazzo said that the virtual summit was a very valuable experience for the two students because they got to learn about a wide variety of topics and connect with a wide range of people. 

Although they won’t be able to visit elementary classrooms this year, Bryanna and Genesis are still planning to do the High School Heroes program virtually with third graders at Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School. They have been training with Junior Achievement representative, Linda Furey. Bryanna and Genesis said that they believe in the value of the program, which is why they wanted it to continue. 

Please enjoy our districtwide virtual art show and our winter concert performances from Amityville Memorial High School, Edmund W. Miles Middle School and Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School. 

"The students have worked extremely hard under very difficult and different circumstances and, as you will see, they continue to thrive within the arts," said Director of Fine Arts and Music Dr. Fran Fernandez. "Special thanks goes out to all of our district’s art and music teachers for putting all of these presentations together."

Districtwide Winter Art Show

High School Orchestra

High School Chorus

High School Band

Park Avenue and Middle School Chorus

6th Grade Orchestra

7th and 8th Grade Orchestra

E.W. Miles Middle School 6th Grade Band and 7th/8th Grade Band