After a 5 year drought, the girls track team is back on top as they capture the league championship going undefeated for the season and on their SENIOR DAY!

Not since 2019 has this program had such a dominating season in almost all events.
The league dual meet season opened up against the defending league and county champions West Babylon who was also in the midst of an 8-year winning streak. In an instant classic, the girls were able to pull out an impressive victory that saw the meet come down to the last events.

They kept that momentum going and never looked back, finishing the regular season with a convincing win over Smithtown West.

The girls were lead by 6 incredible team captains Kaliyah Hull(distance), Alex Geosits(400 hurdles/400), Veronica Laguerre(High Jump/triple jump), Denise Brown(Throws), Dru Tulloch(hurdles and sprints) and Andrea Cayea(pentathlon).
Freshman Chelsea Cornelia was the leading point scorer with 65 points remaining undefeated in the 1500, 800 and 3000 meter races. Chelsea also owns the school record in the 3k and 800 meter. Sophomore, Kayla Beaumont went undefeated in the triple jump and is ranked number 1 in Suffolk County and top 15 in the state. Alex remained undefeated in the 400 hurdles and 400 meter and is also ranked number 1 in Suffolk County. Sophomore Vanessa Cayea was a huge part in scoring points as she scored in every meet in the high jump and triple jump, also contributing in the pole vault and long jump. Freshman Ama Asare is second only to her teammate Chelsea for the freshman county lead in the 800.
Dru Tulloch lead the team in the 100, 100 hurdles and 200.

Coach Jim Petti and assistant Coach Burke Tomaselli said:
This is a special group of girls. We knew a lot was riding on that first meet against West Babylon considering how strong they were coming off the indoor season. The girls showed true grit in that meet and from that point on we knew we were not losing. We couldn’t have done it without these younger girls coming up and pushing our juniors and seniors to be their best. We decided to spread the girls out and train in different events. We knew we had to make each event a hard out against us. Alex in the 400 and 400 hurdles was our biggest move. For a girl that used to run the 1500 and 800 at such a high level, we were pleasantly surprised that she’d be such a force in the 400. Having Chelsea lock down the distance events and knowing Kayla can out jump an girl, Veronica and Vanessa can out jump any team in the high jump and Denise out throw any opponent, we knew we had all the tools to win.

We broke North Babylon’s 9 years winning streak en route to our league title in 2019. So repeating that through breaking West Babylon’s streak was special. We coined ourselves the “Dream Killers." You don’t see this much talent on one team very often. We worked hard to bring this program up, but without these girls, none of us would be here”.

The girl now go into the county championship on May 23rd as one of the favorites among county powerhouses.

Date Added: 5/13/2024

Deer Park High School recently honored the March and April 2024 Students of the Month: Alisha Ahasan was named March Scholar of the Month, Mateo Hernandez Gomez was named March Citizen of the Month, Reza Zorakhsh was named April Scholar of the Month and Chelsea Washington was named April Citizen of the Month.

For the 2023-2024 Student of the Month program, in addition to recognizing outstanding students with the traditional Student of the Month title, Deer Park introduced two distinct categories: Scholar of the Month and Citizen of the Month.

Scholar of the Month honors students who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement, a strong commitment to their studies and a passion for learning. It is an opportunity to celebrate the academic excellence of our students.

Citizen of the Month recognizes students who exhibit outstanding character, leadership qualities and a commitment to making a positive impact on our school community and beyond. It is a chance to highlight the remarkable citizenship and contributions of our students.

Date Added: 5/9/2024

The top 10 academically ranked students of Deer Park High School’s Class of 2024 were recognized at the district’s April 30 Board of Education meeting. With their proud families in attendance, guidance staff and administrators honored valedictorian Jordan Trojan, salutatorian Calvin Nguyen and the remaining top 10 ranked seniors: Eadie Liu (third), Kathy Lin (fourth), Stephanie Sheeler (fifth), Evan Attrino (sixth), Fatima Nawaz (seventh), Alexis Lazarte (eighth), Shirley Bhuiyan (ninth) and Kaliya Hull (10th).

“It is with immense pride that I stand before you today to commend these remarkable students for their exceptional academic achievements,” Principal Charles Cobb said. “Each of you is demonstrated not only intellectual proudness, but also remarkable dedication and resilience in your pursuit of excellence. Your hard work and commitment have set a high bar at Deer Park High School, inspiring your peers and the entire school community. Today, we celebrate not just the outcome of your efforts, but the journey that brought you here, a journey marked by late nights, rigorous challenges and an unwavering pursuit of knowledge. As we acknowledge your success, it’s important to recognize that your achievements are a testament to the supportive network around you. Our teachers who guided you, families who stood by you and friends who walked alongside you. As you move forward, carry forward this legacy of excellence and the understanding that with great knowledge, comes the great responsibility to lead, inspire and contribute positively to society. Your futures are undoubtedly bright, and I'm eager to see where your talents and determination will take you next.”

Addressing the students, Board of Education President Donna Marie Elliott said, “What a privilege it is to sit in this auditorium and hear about all your academic and personal successes. God bless you all. Congratulations, and we’re looking forward to celebrating you on graduation day.”

“Congratulations to the top 10 students and their families,” Superintendent James Cummings said. “It is really an honor to recognize them and we are looking forward to all that they’re going to accomplish. I know they are going to make their families, their parents, their friends and Deer Park proud in the future.”

Date Added: 5/6/2024

As their proud families watched with pride, Deer Park High School recognized the achievements of 17 remarkable students at the annual spring Breakfast for Champions on April 17. The dedicated and determined students were honored by administrators and teachers in categories corresponding to school departments as well as principal’s and teacher’s awards. Held in the school’s library, the event featured music from a high school string quintet consisting of Jayme Lipiec (viola), Eadie Liu (violin), Liana Luc (violin), Lorelai Silverstein (bass) and John Susana-Mendez (cello).

Students were honored in the 15 school department categories of athletics (Sophie Joseph), business (Summer Eisenberg), English (Muntazir Mehdi), English as a new language (Maria Tojin Uz), family and consumer science (Nadia Elsergany), fine arts (Kasumi Dennis), guidance (Anaelle Beauchamp), health (Ubaid Iqbal), mathematics (Louis DeAngelis), performing arts (Jaden Carbajal), physical education (Nathaniel Ciuffo), science (Daniel Aguilar), social studies (Sara Garcia), technology (Christopher Pittas) and world languages (Saamir Alfred), as well as the Principal’s Award (Dimaunte’ Gardner) and Teacher’s Award (Georgios Kagiannis-Juliano).

“The students seen here show exceptional conduct and character on a daily basis,” Associate Principal Garret Noblett said. “The stories that we will hear today recognize students for all of their achievement, hard work and accomplishments, and determination to overcome obstacles. We have students who have either worked on achieving their personal best inside and outside the classroom, demonstrate good citizenship or show compassion to help others. Thank you to the parents and families of our champions who play a key role in helping them get to where they are today.”
 
“This is one of those days that really leaves a memorable mark here for us here at Deer Park High School and puts a smile on our faces every year, because it allows us to acknowledge students for a multitude of reasons,” Principal Charles Cobb said. “We have students from varied backgrounds and interests here, and I think this brings everybody together.”

Date Added: 5/1/2024

Deer Park High School and librarian Evan DeNaro welcomed Holocaust survivor Jeannie Parnes Wechsler to the high school library on March 7 and 8. Social studies classes taught by Joe Alo, Marissa Caruso, Hunter Hayes and Kerry Walsh, along with many high school staff members, sat down with Wechsler as she shared her stories and experiences from those horrific years. Over the course of World War II, the Parnes family of two parents and seven children experienced many miracles that resulted in all nine members surviving the war and remaining together.

“Jeannie’s story is one to remind the people of today that events such as the Holocaust must never again come to pass,” Alo said. “It reminds us that we must remain vigilant in taking a stand against the hate and intolerance against people of other religions, races, and ethnicities so that no one experiences an event like this. Jeannie expressed that it was always her mother’s wish that she tell the story of her family during the Holocaust, and by being with students and staff at Deer Park High School, Jeannie was able to continue to fulfill the wishes of her mother.”

At the conclusion of her visit, Wechsler was asked if she had any lasting messages for those in attendance.

“I look out at all of your beautiful faces and I see people of different races and religions all together and learning as one,” Wechsler said with a smile. “This is the way things should be. The similarities in our lives must outweigh the differences and by working together, we can make a better world, a world that we will all be blessed to live in.”

Date Added: 4/25/2024