District Announcements
District News
The Half Hollow Hills community had a great time coming together for the 24th annual PTA Council Diversity Committee Unity Fair with the theme of "Welcome to the Neighborhood." The Unity Fair is an inspiring event that celebrates our diverse community for both our common ground and the many things that make us unique.
The Half Hollow Hills FRC Robotics Team 3624 was recently visited by executives from one of their major sponsors, Optimum, who came to present the team with a banner that they won for the Innovators Award Honorable Mention in 2023.
Congratulations to our Science Research students from Hills West who participated and received awards in the 2024 American Chemical Society Chemagination Competition at St. John’s University! The competition required students to imagine how current science and technology will be advanced in 25 years, and to design an innovation rooted in current scientific knowledge and technology that would improve the quality of our lives.
Talk about team spirit! At the Suffolk County Track and Field Coaches Association Dinner awards ceremony, Hills West pole vaulters Jacob Park and Suki Dong were receiving awards and opted to select members of their team as their plus-ones to attend the dinner, which is usually reserved for parents.
Congratulations to our Hills East Boys Basketball team on winning the Class AA Suffolk County Championship in a 43-40 win over top-seeded Smithtown West Saturday at Longwood High School! Next up is the AA Long Island championship matchup against Elmont at Farmingdale State this Saturday at 3 p.m. Good luck!
It is never too early to learn about giving back and volunteering! Chase, a 3rd grader at Vanderbilt, wanted to help give back to the community so he started a service learning project where he collected food from neighbors that he donated to Blessings in a Backpack.
Congratulations to the Top 20 students from each of our graduating classes at Hills West and East! The 2024 Hills West valedictorian is Isaac Kim and the salutatorian is Jacob Goldbaum. The 2024 Hills East valedictorian is Jayden Neidell and the salutatorian is Jaimie Mohiuddin.
Members of Hills East Amnesty International and National Art Honor Society (NAHS) recently hosted their annual Students Rebuild Challenge where social studies classes brought their students to the gym to learn about our Extraordinary Earth and the negative impacts of humans on the environment.
7th graders at Candlewood recently celebrated the halfway point of their journey through middle school during the Middle of the Middle Day!
Students at Sunquam gathered for their annual Multicultural Day, where they grabbed their “passports” and took a trip around the world to learn about the many diverse cultures that make up their school community.
The 2nd graders at Paumanok celebrated the 101st day of school by dressing up as Dalmatians and listening to guest reader Cruella (Reading Teacher Mrs Schutte) read the story of 101 Dalmatians to the entire grade level.
To kick off their multicultural celebration, the Signal Hill PTA brought in the Calpulli Mexican Dance Company to perform their electrifying folkloric dances from their "Viva Mexico" program. This dynamic group of performers presented a colorfully costumed, engaging and passionate presentation of Aztec Purepecha and Hispanic dances.
Vanderbilt Student Council recently had a visit by Charlotte from Breathe Strength Wellness for a special workout during Heart Health Awareness Month.
Congratulations to Hills West's Maia Schnaider on winning Best in Show at the annual Suffolk County Art Leaders Association All-County Art and Senior Scholarship Show, and an All-County Award for her outstanding colored pencil drawing!
Engineers are soaring to new heights at Otsego! Students in Mrs. Stuart and Mrs. Paroly’s Engineering Club built rockets and experimented with ideas to modify them for a higher and further launch.
Half Hollow Hills is very proud of our ten students who have been named Finalists in the prestigious 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program academic competition: Hills West's Rayan Afzal, Daniel Dobin, Justin Florian, Isaac Kim, Jordyn Morris and Hayley Morris, and Hills East's Aidan Joseph, Jayden Neidell, Stasya Selizhuk and Arnav Singh!
Students and staff members across the district came together to support P.S. I Love You Day by wearing purple and spreading love to help raise awareness about bullying, mental health and suicide. This special day helps show support to others in the community who are fighting their own battles and lets them know that they are not alone.
The Hills West African-American Student Organization (AASO) and Step Team performed their annual Black History Month show during the day for students and at night for the community.
The Half Hollow Hills PTA Legislation Committee, which is comprised of students from both Hills East and West, school board trustees, teachers, administrators and members of the PTA, recently hosted their annual Legislative Breakfast.
Congratulations to Michelle Aguilar, Brody Oldham and Woodly Jean on winning the first-ever Sunquam Fantasy Football Super Bowl!
Hills West students enjoyed their annual Art Day where the work of students in the arts classes was displayed, the arts electives were showcased, and prospective art students could learn how they could work with different media.
Members of West Hollow's One World Club, Jewish Heritage Club and Muslim Students Association recently had a shared experience at the Holocaust Museum and Tolerance Center where they took a thorough docent-led tour, and then heard from the daughter of two Holocaust survivors to learn about their experiences and her family.
Congratulations to Hills East's Brielle Marcus & Ari Gluck and Hills West's Ava Blasi & Matteo Valente for being selected to receive Suffolk Zone Senior Awards!
Congratulations to our teachers who recently achieved their National Board Certification: Kerry Guarriello and Natasha Kubicsko!
January was a busy month of rehearsals for the Otsego chorus as they prepared for two special performances! 5th grade chorus members collaborated with the High School West Blue Notes at their Night of Jazz Concert singing two selections together. 4th and 5th grade chorus members wrapped up the month performing "God Bless America" under the direction of Mrs. Lucie at the start of a NY Riptide professional lacrosse game!
9
New York State Master Teachers
2,500+
Students In Music Performance Ensembles
55
Varsity Athletic Teams
1:1
Every Student Has Their Own Mobile Device
40
Home Languages Represent Our Diverse Population
2
National Merit Scholarship Winners in 2022-2023
8,200
Daily Bus Stops
300+
Acres Of Property Maintained By The District