The Natural Helpers Club is tackling the issues of suicide prevention and mental health by creating lessons specifically designed for middle school students.

The club recently shared these lessons with middle school students, peers who are likely facing tremendous physical and emotional growth, social and academic pressures and feelings of isolation. The Natural Helpers Club hopes, by addressing these issued head-on, that they can equip the younger students with the knowledge to navigate these challenges and build resilience.

The Natural Helpers designed age-appropriate lessons that assisted in the younger students’ understanding mental health (emotions, coping mechanisms and self-care), identifying signs of emotional stress in themselves and others, the importance of seeking help and ways in which to build a caring community.

“We are incredibly proud of the Natural Helpers Club for taking this proactive approach towards mental health awareness,” school social worker Lori Franchi said. “Their dedication to supporting their peers demonstrates the incredible leadership qualities they possess. Together we can create a supportive environment where all students feel valued and empowered to reach out for help when needed.”

Date Added: 4/19/2024

Eastport-South Manor Jr.-Sr. High School 10th grade students in Melissa Martin’s class were winners in the best class anthology category of the 38th annual Walt Whitman Student Poetry Contest for grades 9 and 10 for their work titled, “Vastness.”

More than 3,000 students from around the world entered the contest which honors the famous poet, whose birthplace was in Huntington Station.

“I am very proud of the work my students did to emulate the Walt Whitman poetry style to create a book that will be featured at his birthplace in Huntington Station,” Ms. Martin said.

Date Added: 4/18/2024

The Jr.-Sr. High School’s 2023 yearbook, “Stargazer” was recognized with an honorable mention in Jostens’ “Look Book,” 2024 edition. The annual “Look Book” highlights award-winning layouts and yearbook designs from across the country and internationally.

The “Stargazer” staff who worked on the winning design are 2023 graduates Riley Bivona, Kim Cotrel and Fiona Schlegel and current Eastport-South Manor students Alexandra Fay, Morgan Lally, Liliana Recine, Seleme Reyyan Gulbahce, Yevheniya Rozmarynovych, Bianca Snow and Kalei Strelecki.

As advisers, Stacy Albert and Melissa Martin continue to grow interest in the yearbook club, they hope that students will want to be more creative and innovative in making the history of Eastport-South Manor come alive in their annual keepsake yearbook.

“We work very hard with our students, talented photographers at Lors Photography and our Jostens representative on creating a modern, interesting and memorable book for our students,” Martin said. “We are very proud of the work the club members have put into this year’s yearbook.”

Ms. Albert further acknowledged that the club’s goal was to transform Eastport-South Manor Jr.-Sr. High School’s yearbook into a coffee table book that families would be proud to display, while also creating a book that was a true testament to the wonderful, talented students in the district.

“We hope our yearbook captures the true essence of what it means to be an Eastport-South Manor student,” Ms. Albert said.

Date Added: 4/17/2024

Jr.-Sr. High School eighth grade students had a rare opportunity to attend an assembly with guest speaker, author and Holocaust survivor Marion Blumenthal Lazan. The students are currently reading her book, “Four Perfect Pebbles,” about Mrs. Blumenthal Lazan’s experience in a concentration camp when she was only 9 years old.

Prior to the special event, the students researched Holocaust survivors and heroes in Europe’s concentration camps. Paper butterflies were decorated in remembrance of the survivors and placed as a memorial of hope on boards situated in the auditorium where Mrs. Blumenthal Lazan spoke, representing hope and remembrance.

Mrs. Blumenthal Lazan spoke about the Nuremburg Laws, Kristallnacht (The Night of Broken Glass) and her trip to and incarceration in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp at the height of World War II. She also explained the true story behind her book: If she collected four perfect pebbles, all family members would survive.

Mrs. Blumenthal Lazan told the students she has separated herself from what happened but realizes the importance of sharing her experiences. She also appealed to the students to share her story with others.

“You are the last generation to hear our stories firsthand,” she noted. “It is you who will have to bear witness of the Holocaust, which must be studied and kept alive for generations to come.”

The assembly commenced with Mrs. Blumenthal Lazan asking students to practice love, respect and tolerance toward one another, to look for similarities, respect differences and to never generalize a group by the actions of others.

Date Added: 4/12/2024 

The Jr.-Sr. High School art department is pleased to announce that seniors Daniella Dolce, Hailey Grieco and Heather Moran were granted Awards of Excellence for artwork exhibited in The Parrish Museum’s annual student exhibition. Museum curators Kaitlin Halloran and Brianna L. Hernandez recognized the artists for their dedication and passion for the arts, having judged their works based on composition, technique and creativity.

The Parrish Museum’s juried exhibit, held from March 2 through April 7, is a 70-year-old tradition where students express their creativity, enthusiasm and technical skill in media ranging from painting to sculpture and graphite to pastel. This year, 15 Eastport-South Manor students were selected to exhibit their artwork in this prestigious venue and used the mediums of ceramics, colored pencil, conte, watercolor, marker and oil pastel.

The Eastport-South Manor Central School District congratulates the students on their outstanding accomplishment.

Date Added: 4/11/2024