At the Dec. 18 Board of Education meeting, Hicksville Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ted Fulton began his report by highlighting six outstanding students including New York State PTA Contest Winner Insiya Ali, four NYSSMA All-State participants Owen Chan, Matthew Kilfeather-Bonello, Lauren Mason and John Ryan Chaplin, and the 2024 District Holiday Card Winner, Julian Gandolfo.
Dutch Lane Elementary student Insiya Ali was one of 12 recent winners of the New York State PTA contest. The third grader entered the contest with a video submission about “Why reading is important for your health and wellness.” Four Hicksville High school students were selected to participate in the NYSSMA All-State Festival that took place in Rochester, New York this past December. Owen Chan was selected to perform in the All-State Piano Showcase, Matthew Kilfeather-Bonello was selected to be an alternate for the All-State Choir, Lauren Mason was selected to be a member in the All-State Wind Ensemble and John Ryan Chaplin was selected to be a member in the All-State Symphonic Orchestra. These students were chosen to participate, or assigned as an alternate, through their exemplary solo performances during the Spring 2024 NYSSMA Solo Festivals.
The District Holiday Card Winner for 2024 was Hicksville High School eleventh grader Julian Gandolfo. Julian designed the winning card in the school’s Advanced Graphic Design Class using the Adobe Photoshop software on Macintosh computers and a pen tablet. His thought process behind designing the card was a calm, serene landscape with the focus being these two subjects: the polar bear and the penguin. The idea was to create a feeling of soft texture, even though it was made digitally. Additionally, he added the northern lights in the background to add a whimsical warm winter feeling.
Additionally, Assemblymember Charles Lavine (D-North Shore) was at the meeting where members formally accepted $500,000 in special funding he secured as part of the 2024-2025 state budget. The money will be used to enhance programs and facilities within the district.
The district extends congratulations to Insiya, Owen, Matthew, Lauren, John Ryan and Julian for their outstanding accomplishments and special thanks to Assemblymember Lavine.
(L-R) Back Row: Assemblymember Charles Lavine, Hicksville Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ted Fulton, Hicksville High School NYSSMA All-State participants Owen Chan, John Ryan Chaplin and Lauren Mason, 2024 District Holiday Card Winner, Julian Gandolfo and Hicksville Board of Education President Annette Beiner. Front Row: Dutch Lane third grader and New York State PTA Contest Winner Insiya Ali. Absent from photo: Matthew Kilfeather-Bonello.