Locust Valley High School girls junior varsity lacrosse and field hockey coach Carolyn Collins spent her last afternoon on the sidelines during her team’s final season competition against East Meadow on May 10, but not before the team, fellow coaches and the community came to bid her farewell. Coach Collins has coached and been a member of the physical education department’s faculty for 25 years and will retire in June.
          
Prior to the start of the game, the team presented flowers to Coach Collins and lined up and clapped as she told each of them farewell. 

Varsity lacrosse coach Carolyn Morales described Coach Collins as “a coach that has gone above and beyond for her players, treating every single one of them like they were her daughters. She is truly the unsung hero for Locust Valley Athletics.”

Coach Collins said she is not sure what her next step will be after retirement. She did say, however, that she hopes her team members have learned the definition of good sportsmanship, the ability to display camaraderie and have acquired a love of the game. “Through coaching, I have wanted my students to become good citizens and learn leadership skills by playing the game,” she said.

Coach Collins left an indelible mark on those students who were lucky to play on her teams. Sophomore Ashley Grella described Coach Collins as someone who “cares about the girls, all of us,” while Kate French, who was on her team freshman year, described Coach Collins as “welcoming, kind and encouraging.”

“She pushed me to be better and believed in me more than I did,” Kate said.

Junior Olivia Deltatto works on the Athletic Council with Coach Collins and said she [Collins] wants nothing but the best for Locust Valley and the community and is a strong advocate for females in the district. “She gave me strong building blocks, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without her.”

Date Added: 5/12/2022

 

Locust Valley High School and Locust Valley Middle School is hosting Mental Health Awareness Month throughout the month of May. This year’s theme is “Together for Mental Health” as students work to continue to fight the stigma, provide support and educate staff, students and families on mental health issues.

K-!2 Director of Guidance and School Counseling Michelle Villa said, “We will use this time to bring our voices together to advocate for mental health and access to care and work together to support one another.”

Student clubs and social worker Bidania Criscuolo are hosting sponsored activities to spread awareness and engage students in the process of recognizing the importance of mental health in our daily lives. Spirit Week, held May 2-6, encouraged students and faculty to wear pajamas to relieve stress and reduce cortisol levels on Mellow Monday, to dress like a friend on Twin Tuesday, to wear the color green for mental health awareness, to wear tie dye clothing to symbolize a wide range of emotions that are typically felt and to wear spirit gear to demonstrate support of the Falcon family.

Throughout the month, students will have the opportunity the participate in National Smile Day (May 31), play Coping Skills Bingo (May 26), celebrate gratitude on Gratitude Day (May 25), participate in a Drum Circle (May 23), play self-care Bingo (May 19), and show acceptance of others on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (Nay 17). Students also will enjoy National Chocolate Chip Day (May 16) and represent their cultural background on Represent Your Culture Day (May 12).

On May 3, students had the opportunity to snuggle and enjoy certified therapy dog Maggie, owned by Kelly Rogers. The students gathered in the library by appointment, where they filled out a questionnaire asking them to rate their level of stress before and after being with the therapy dog. Most of the students said they felt calmer and more relaxed after meeting the golden retriever who took hold of their hearts.

Date Added: 5/11/2022

Pride and excitement were the predominant emotions for seniors who congregated at the front entrance to Locust Valley High School on May 3 as they officially declared future plans upon graduation.

A rite of passage, “Up and Away Day” was sponsored by the high school guidance department as an opportunity for seniors to wear college T-shirts and sweatshirts representing the colleges and universities they will attend this coming fall, as well as clothing announcing their acceptance into the military or trade school or business. The seniors were accepted to national academic institutions which included Tulane University, Notre Dame University, Florida Atlantic University, Clemson University, Boston College, Penn State University and more. Some of the local colleges and universities included NYU, Hofstra University, SUNY Oneonta, Sacred Heart University and others in the tri-state region.

Locust Valley K-12 Director of Guidance and School Counseling Michelle Villa explained that “Up and Away Day” is a first step in gathering information about the Class of 2022’s plans upon graduation. The students were handed a placard with their name, and each senior filled out the school they were accepted to or their plans for the military or a trade school. These placards will be flashed on the school jumbotron at a future date, alongside their graduation photos, for the entire school to see.

Date Added: 5/6/2022

 

Check out the latest edition of the Locust Valley High School student newspaper!

Locust Valley High School’s Pre-Health Club, under the direction of Veronica Ciampi, raised $1,000, which will purchase a brick on the 2023 Inspirational Pathway of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Members raised funds through the selling of World Cancer Day shirts on Feb. 4, combined with monies raised during a bake sale.

The Pre-Health Club is a new organization whose mission is to help support, inform and inspire tomorrow's physicians and healthcare workers.The Pre-Health Club meets once a month to discuss fundraisingideas and plan guest speaker days, as well as volunteer opportunities at local hospitals.On April 1, several medical professionals spoke with the high school’s IB Science class and club members about careers within the medical field. The guest speakers were specialists in the fields of internal medicine, emergency room medicine, ophthalmology, radiation therapy, nursing, hematology and oncology.

Date Added: 4/27/2022