Showcasing the district’s many unique and innovative offerings, West Islip School District hosted a tour with Sen. Alexis Weik and Bob Vecchio, executive director of Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association on Sept. 15. Led by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Paul Romanelli, the West Islip administrative team and board of education members visited with teachers and students at West Islip High School during the morning tour.
Dr. Romanelli spoke about the shift in the future of education and how West Islip’s programs are a true reflection of the recently developed profile of a graduate. The tour began with Dennis Pope, CTE teacher, and Brian Buonomo, lead teacher for engineering technology, who spoke about the many STEM offerings at the high school level including architecture/CAD, robotics, the automotive program, manufacturing partnerships and a state-of-the-art manufacturing lab on site.
The Little Lions preschool program was the next stop on the tour. Different from the district’s universal pre-kindergarten program, the purpose of Little Lions is to provide a well-rounded educational experience for children to learn, grow and form friendships while affording an opportunity for high school students enrolled in child study classes to work directly with young children. This program is open to 3- and 4-year-olds in the West Islip School District and is led by Nancy Silvestrini.
Teacher Tom Vitti showed off the high school’s planetarium, which has served students throughout the district as well as community members since it opened its doors in 1966. Guests had the opportunity to see some of the many exciting features of the space. To close out the tour, teacher Ron Weber opened up the news studio to show off the many different opportunities students have to work the camera, audio, editing, photography and broadcasting via the daily announcements. West Islip focuses on teaching its students the many hands-on skills they need to set them up for success in their future career paths.
Click here to view the photo slideshow.
Date Added: 9/20/2023