Burkel’s Brew Club recently opened for business on Fridays at Robert Frost, offering coffee and smiles. Students in Rachel Burkel’s class collaborated with teachers in both technology and art classes on the design of the cup holders and design of the logo for the aprons.  Every week the students work on a variety of functional skills including stuffing mailboxes with order forms, organizing forms by team period, socializing appropriately with adults, using the cash register, making change and taking inventory.

“The first week was a big success and the children are looking forward to serving more coffee throughout the year,” said Burkel.

Deer Park’s English language arts department celebrated the National Day on Writing on Oct. 19 by asking students at the high school and Robert Frost to reflect on why they write. The National Day on Writing, an initiative of the National Council of Teachers of English, uses the theme and hashtag of #WhyIWrite to garner attention for the idea of writing as critical to literacy.

Students in each ELA class at both Deer Park schools were able to create their own hashtags or comment on what motivates them to write, using yellow chart paper as well as chalk.

“This activity provided our students a moment to think and to reflect on why they write, which is something they do every day,” said Michelle Kwon, the district’s curriculum associate for ELA, reading and library.

Gray skies could not deter a proud Deer Park community from showing its pride with a terrific parade, marching with gusto on Oct. 20 from JFK to Al Centamore Football Field. Leading the revelers was Superintendent of Schools Eva Demyen, the parade’s grand marshal. Demyen, who has led the district since 2009, will be retiring after this school year.

A highlight of the parade was a fantastic float foursome based on the theme of superheroes. The sophomore class took first place with their Batman float, the juniors came in second with a Spider-Man effort, the freshmen took third with a Hulk creation, and the seniors’ Superman float finished fourth. The sophomores also won the Spirit Week competition and a class fundraiser competition, earning them the chance to hit Principal Charles Cobb in the face with a pie at the homecoming kickoff party.

Student Council President Katherine Cho, the high school’s upcoming valedictorian, led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. Guest speakers included Suffolk County Legislator Tom Donnelly, a graduate of Deer Park’s Class of 1984, and retired Babylon Town Clerk Carol Quirk.
After demanding some “real Falcon cheering” from the crowd, Quirk recognized Demyen and presented the superintendent with a certificate of appreciation. 

“I’m truly honored to have been appointed as grand marshal, but I am more honored to have served this awesome community,” said Demyen. “I love this place so much. Where else can you find such an outpouring of people who are so zestful for life and committed to the children of this district? Thank you for your support.”

Performers for the afternoon included the high school’s marching band and women’s choir, the high school and middle school kickline teams, and a talented array of cheerleading squads including the high school’s varsity and junior varsity as well as younger Robert Frost Middle School, competition and PAL teams.

Before the start of the varsity football game, Sammy Ahmed was named homecoming king and Gianna Minerva as homecoming queen. The homecoming court was rounded out by Ryan Hegney, Charlie Jacob, Joe Leon, Alyssa Shindel, Isabella Vene and DeAnna Vento.

In the football contest, a valiant effort by the football Falcons fell short, with the team falling to Newfield, 49-38.

Sixth-grade scientists in Carey Okurowski’s class at Robert Frost recently designed a controlled experiment to find out which side of a penny could hold more drops of water before it spilled over the edge. After designing the experiment, the students had to follow their plan to test their hypothesis. They counted drops of water as they were placed on their penny and recorded their data in a data table.