Happening at the Great Neck School District

The Island Now

North High students honored as finalists for Roger Rees Awards

Two North High School students have been honored by The Broadway Education Alliance as finalists for the first annual New Faces Award, part of the Roger Rees Awards for Excellence in Student Performance.

Senior Ashley Schlusselberg and sophomore Maverick Williams were nominated by their school and advanced as finalists in the vocal performance category of the competition. Ashley and Maverick are both active in vocal music programs and theatre productions at North High.

Each nominee submitted a three-minute vocal performance audition video that was reviewed by a panel of professional Broadway casting directors, and a total of 24 high school students from the Greater New York area were announced as finalists. Finalists were invited to participate in virtual pre-award program activities in May, including coaching sessions and panel discussions with professionals from various areas of the performing arts industry.

The New Faces Award is a new program that recognizes excellence in solo student performance in vocal, acting, and/or dance performance. The Broadway Education Alliance, presenter of the Roger Rees Awards for Excellence in Student Performance, is a non-profit organization that supports theatre arts education and enrichment programs.

NCTE Promising Young Writers

Six eighth graders from North Middle and South Middle schools have been honored in the 2021 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Promising Young Writers program.

Certificates of Recognition were awarded to Aybriel Schnatz, Kattie Huang, and Jacob Levine at North Middle; and Adreen Hossain and Laura Zhang at South Middle. Only nine students in New York State earned this honor. Additionally, a Certificate of Participation was presented to Evelyn Won at South Middle.

Each student submitted two pieces of writing—best and themed—that were evaluated by national judges. Papers were judged on content, purpose, audience, tone, word choice, organization, development, and style.

Students worked with their English teachers and department heads to review and prepare their submissions. Their English teachers are Daniel Del Ferraro and Joseph O’Connor at North Middle, and Kristin Klein and Joanne Kostopoulos at South Middle. English department heads are Dr. Theresa Walter at North Middle and Gabe Carras at South Middle.

The Promising Young Writers Competition is a premiere creative writing contest that emphasizes the importance of writing skills and recognizes the talents of eighth-grade students across the country.

North High artist featured in county display

Ava Muntner, a sophomore at North High School, is one of 35 students across Nassau County whose artwork was selected for display as part of the Nassau County Youth Council Mental Health Awareness Month Arts Contest. The Youth Council conducted this art contest in recognition of the mental health challenges youth face, particularly during the 2020 and 2021 pandemic years. Student artwork was on display at the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building in Mineola for a culminating ceremony on May 28.

Baker fifth-graders plant Legacy Garden

The entrance at E.M. Baker School features a new 3D-printed Legacy Garden, designed and “planted” by the Baker Class of 2021. Fifth-grade students worked collaboratively to create flowers with embedded messages to inspire student growth at Baker. The flowers were printed in the school’s technology lab with assistance from Lisa Malfi, technology staff developer, and Nicholas Letterel, technology teaching assistant

GNPS/TV June programs

Current programming on Great Neck Public Schools Television (GNPS/TV) includes recent musical productions and cultural celebrations from North High School and South High School.

GNPS/TV programs are available on demand, 24/7, on the school district website at www.greatneck.k12.ny.us/tv. Programs can also be viewed in the incorporated villages of Great Neck on Optimum Channel 75 and on Verizon Fios Channel 32. Airing times in program descriptions below are for Optimum and Verizon viewing.

South High Musical, A Chorus Line: High School Edition

Tune in to GNPS/TV to watch behind-the-scenes footage and highlights from South High’s musical production, A Chorus Line: High School Edition. This virtual musical performance was a mammoth collaboration between Theatre South and GNPS/TV. Each cast member recorded their own part for each song and scene from September 2020 through January 2021, and the video footage was edited together to present a cohesive virtual production that was presented to an online audience in April.

A Chorus Line: High School Edition airs at 8 a.m., 1 and 6 p.m.

North High International Night

International Night is an annual event sponsored by the North High Multicultural Club that celebrates the diverse cultures of the school community. This year’s event was presented as a recorded video hosted by the Multicultural Club co-presidents, featuring music performances, dances, and cooking demonstrations by individual students and various school clubs. As part of the virtual celebration, the Multicultural Club also collected recipes and compiled a digital cookbook of international dishes that was shared with faculty and students.

North High International Night airs 9 a.m., 2 and 7 p.m.

North High Musical, The Pirates of Penzance

This spring, the North High Junior Players presented a virtual performance of The Pirates of Penzance, a comic operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan. The musical production was rehearsed and recorded over Zoom, and the students’ individual performances were edited together for an online audience. Tune in to GNPS/TV to enjoy the full-length presentation of this musical production.

The Pirates of Penzance airs at 10 a.m., 3 and 8 p.m.

South High Cultural Heritage Celebration

South High’s annual Cultural Heritage Celebration was presented as a virtual event organized by the school’s International Club. The program features informative and entertaining presentations by students representing the Asian Culture Club, Hebrew Culture Club, and South Asian Culture Club. Performances include the Chinese Lion Dance, Chinese Ribbon Dance, Chinese YoYo, Korean Fan, Korean Drums, Korean Techno, J-Dance, Martial Arts, and more.

South High Cultural Heritage Celebration airs at 11:30, 4:30 and 9:30 p.m.

GNPS/TV Programming

GNPS/TV programming reflects the offerings of the Great Neck Public Schools and the achievements of its students and staff. Programs are student-produced.

For further information, please contact Robert Zahn, director of educational television and broadcast media, by e-mail at rzahn@greatneck.k12.ny.us, and by phone at (516) 441-4676.

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