To celebrate READ Month at Deer Park’s May Moore Primary School, district administrators, Board of Education members and high schoolers were invited to visit classrooms over five days in early March to read picture books to students ranging from prekindergartners to second graders.

These guest READers included Board of Education President Donna Marie Elliott, Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations Marguerite Jimenez, Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Personnel Services Alicia Konecny, Executive Director of Secondary Education and Human Resources Jeanne Koslowsky, Social Studies and FACS Director Vanessa Langdon, Deer Park High School Associate Principal Dr. Dina Pannone, Robert Frost Middle School Associate Principal Richard Santoro, Districtwide Elementary Associate Principal Matthew Comiskey and Deer Park High School’s public speaking students.   
 
“READ Month is one of our most exciting traditions,” May Moore Principal Tammy Alcalde said. “With this year’s theme, ‘The Greatest Readers on Earth,’ we are celebrating the joy of reading in a fun and engaging way. Our students are tracking their reading and working together toward a collective schoolwide goal, while the guest readers helped to bring stories to life. It’s a wonderful reminder that reading truly is the greatest show of all.”

“Sharing a love for reading with our youngest learners is one of the most meaningful ways we can inspire curiosity and imagination,” said Konecny, a former principal of May Moore. “When we model a love for reading, we help inspire a lifelong passion for learning.”

Click here to view the May Moore’s Guest READers Share the Joy of Reading slideshow.

Date Added: 3/11/2026

Deer Park High School junior Talon Silverstein had an outstanding weekend representing Suffolk County and Deer Park High School at the New York State Public High School Swimming Championships, held at Ithaca College. Silverstein competed in the 100-yard butterfly and the 100-yard backstroke, delivering remarkable performances in both events. He broke two Deer Park High School records and placed among the best swimmers in New York State.

Silverstein finished sixth in the 100 butterfly with a time of 50.74 and eighth in the 100 backstroke with a time of 51.57, competing against the top public high school swimmers in the state. His sixth-place finish in the butterfly was the highest placement of any swimmer from Suffolk County, and he also finished third among Suffolk swimmers in the backstroke.

In recognition of his accomplishments, Silverstein will receive the prestigious All-State award next week at the Suffolk County Awards Dinner.

Date Added: 3/10/2026

Deer Park High School seniors Aimen Khan and Charles Offiah recently attended the 2026 Long Island Regional Student Forum, held at St Joseph’s University in Patchogue. The pair were among students from over 53 Long Island school districts participating in the annual event, discussing four different issues – mental health, academic pressure, school environments and career planning – with their peers.

“I think it was good to meet with kids from other schools, and see how their schools compare to ours,” Offiah said. “It felt very informative to learn how we could adopt things that they have in their schools that we don’t.”

“I agree and really enjoyed talking to other students and exploring those differences,” Khan said. “It made it seem like Deer Park is very open to a lot of different things compared to other schools, especially regarding mental health and academic pressure.”

At the conclusion of the event, students made presentations about their ideas on the four topics.

“This provided the teachers and staff in attendance a sense of what students’ ideas are, and it really gave us a voice to talk about things we believe should be acknowledged,” Khan said.

“From a teacher’s perspective, it was beneficial to hear what students need more of, and what we need to pay more attention to,” teacher Teresa Greco said.

Date Added: 3/9/2026

John F. Kennedy Intermediate School recently hosted a blood drive, bringing together staff members and community volunteers in support of the New York Blood Center. Through their generosity and commitment to helping others, participants donated a total of 50 pints of blood.

The successful drive highlights the school community’s dedication to service.

Date Added: 3/9/2026

Once again, the Deer Park community came together for a great cause. John F. Kennedy Intermediate School’s student government joined forces with John Quincy Adams Primary School to support childhood cancer awareness – and one of Deer Park’s very own, student Vincent Pulciani – through a Play-Doh collection.

“The donation will help bring comfort and smiles to so many children at Cohen Children's Medical Center,” student government adviser Darlene Matulich said. “Thank you to everyone for helping us with this amazing cause.”

Date Added: 3/4/2026