Fifteen Deer Park high school and middle school students were named winners in the 2017 edition of the Grand Concours National French Contest. Recognized were high school students Dana Berhalter, Rebecca Fox, James Raymond, Sameer Riaz and Catherine Taipe, and Robert Frost students Stanley Desir, Saima Hoque, Annie Jeanite, Deborah Oke, Kelissa Rendell, Katrina Rivera, Salar Saeed, Catarina Silva, Adam Stevens and Esteysey Yanes Amaya.

Le Grand Concours is an annual competition sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French. French students in grades 1-12, in all 50 states and abroad, take a written test and compete against students with similar educational background for prizes.

Accompanied by French teacher Kimberly Lecamus, the students attended the Le Grand Concours awards ceremony. They were also honored by Deer Park’s Board of Education at a June business meeting, and presented with certificates by Ashley Rosenberg, the district’s curriculum associate for world languages.

Uniting two Deer Park schools, the JFK Fun Club, organized by teacher Marie Tortorici, recently attended a Frost softball game to show their support for the team and coach Keri Schumacher.

“Their presence brought the Falcons some good luck to get the win that day,” said Schumacher.

After seeing the hard work and dedication displayed by the cast and crew of “Once Upon a High School,” this year’s seventh-grade play at Robert Frost, the school’s seventh-graders made themed “fairy tale” cupcakes as a special treat for their classmates to celebrate opening night and as a way to recognize the extraordinary effort involved in making the production a success.

Working under the direction of Frost FACS teachers Cindy Adriaenssens and Paula Behrens, the students baked cupcakes, made buttercream frosting and decorated the treats using piping, displaying their creativity and skillful technique.

“This student-to-student community service was an essential way for our students to show empathy and appreciation by devising a way to give back to their peers,” said Behrens.

Under the deluge of a sudden rainshower, the excited eighth-graders of Robert Frost filed into the school gymnasium on June 21 for their moving up ceremony. By the time they emerged more than an hour later, certificates in hand, as proud incoming high schoolers, the bright sun had reemerged and they were ready to celebrate with their families.

The event began with the Pledge of Allegiance, led by National Junior Honor Society President Kathleen Pitt, followed by a greeting from Principal Eliana Levey.

“Today is the day we look back and celebrate our successes and our self-discipline that helped us achieve these past three years,” said Student Council President Logan Eisenberg, addressing his fellow eighth-graders. “The middle school chapter of your lives has come to an end. It’s time to start fresh at high school. So thank you, middle school, for all the laughs, the smiles and all the memories we will never forget.”

Two Deer Park schools – Robert Frost and JFK – were recognized for their exemplary work in boosting the achievement of economically disadvantaged students. The Better Outcomes organization presented certificates to the two principals, Dr. Eliana Levey of Robert Frost and Susan Bonner of JFK, as part of the “Beating the Odds and Building Opportunities” study, based on New York State demographic data and ELA assessments. The study’s results were shared by Better Outcomes Executive Director Manya C. Bouteneff at a SUNY New Paltz conference on June 8.

“Robert Frost Middle School is incredibly honored to be recognized for the hard work our teachers and students put in everyday toward success,” said Levey. “Our school community is dedicated to excellence and committed to providing a quality education to all of our students, regardless of any disadvantages and challenges they are faced with. It’s wonderful to receive accolades for our efforts.”

“I can't say that we even knew we'd be getting such an award, so it is an honored surprise,” said Levey, who cited numerous programs that assist Frost students in need, including the school’s free or reduced cost breakfasts and lunches , extra help, and holiday food drives.

“One of the biggest things is that there’s a lot of open communication between families, administration and teachers,” Levey said. “We often hear from families that are in need, and as a building, we pull together to give support. As long as we have students who can come to school socially and emotionally ready to learn by leaving family problems behind them, we hope to be able to make a difference.”