001To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Please remain standing for a moment of silent reflection. Thank you. The board will hold a regular meeting on Tuesday, June 17th, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. here in the intermediate school library. The high school senior awards night will be held on Wednesday, June 4th at 6:00 p.m. in the high school auditorium. The high school props concert will be held on Monday, June 9th at 700 p.m. at the Parish Art Museum. The senior athletic awards dinner will be held on Tuesday, June 10th at 6:00 p.m. in the high school cafeteria. PreK graduation will be held on Wednesday, June 11th at 9:30 a.m. The fourth grade moving up ceremony will be
002held on Thursday, June 12th at 9:30 a.m. The elementary school will hold a flag day ceremony on Friday, June 13th at 9:00 a.m. Friday, June 13th is the end of the of the quarter 4 marking period and the last day of classes at the high school. That went fast, didn't it? Dr. Moral, would you like to introduce our program presentations? Yes. At this time, I would like to introduce Dr. Sorry. Good evening everyone. At this time, I would like to introduce Dr. Roger for our 10 tenure candidates and celebrations. Okay. Good evening. Thank you for having me. I'm here um in place of Dr. Fernandez. Uh she couldn't be here tonight, so she asked me to step in and um I'm more than happy to because I feel like I got the opportunity to hire
003the people that are getting ten here tonight as the building principal. So I'm very excited. Um so Dr. Fernandez wrote a few words and I'll add lib some things that um I think are important to add as well. So uh the first tenure candidate is Jennifer Gray. [Applause] Uh today um I'll be recommending Dr. Panz and I Jennifer Gray for tenure. Jennifer Gray started as a reading teacher in the 27 2018 school year and she received actually first grade 10. She received tenure as a first grade teacher at SCS in the school year 2122. Um, but she was a reading teacher prior to coming to Southampton. As a first grade teacher, she was welcoming, eager, and loved her first grade students. However, because of her love for reading, she quickly applied for open reading teaching
004position and transition back to being a reading specialist in 22 23. She has consistently demonstrated exceptional qualities that I believe make her an exceptional candidate for tenure this evening. Jennifer has shown a remarkable passion for education and a commitment to personal growth that mirrors the qualities of our most dedicated teachers. Much like a teacher who transitioned from a reading specialist to a first grade teacher and back again, Jen has demonstrated exceptional adaptability and willingness to take on new challenges. In the classroom, Mrs. Gray exhibits a level of engagement and curiosity that is truly inspiring. She approaches each subject with enthusiasm and dedication. She makes an effort to know her students and make connections with her students on a personal level. Her ability to collaborate with peers and seek out additional resources is refreshing and helps
005to build positive relationships and community at Southampton Elementary School. We have seen her approach her studies while completing Wilson certification with the same datadriven focus that exemplary teachers do exemplary teachers use to inform their instruction. This mindset combined with her natural curiosity has made her an exceptional teacher. Additionally, Jen has shown a commitment to our community. She has attended PTO movie nights, literacy nights, volunteered for many other events at SCES, such as our academy literacy night. She communicates with parents and her colleagues, and consistently reflects on new approaches to help our students at SCES. She's open to new ideas and willingness and willing to take on any challenge that we may ask of her. At this time, it's my honor to recommend Jennifer Gray for tenure for the second time at Southampton Union Free School
006District. Her passion for learning, dedication to personal growth, and ability to collaborate effectively with others make her an exceptional candidate. I'm confident that she will continue to be a vital part of the Southampton community, both inside and outside of the classroom. [Music] [Applause] [Laughter] [Applause] So, I now have the pleasure of speaking about an extremely dedicated teacher, Christine Benedict. [Applause] Christine's journey in education is a testament to her adaptability and commitment to growth. She came to us from New York City public schools as a fifth grade teacher a few years ago. She began her career as a first grade teacher in South in Southampton. She began her career as a first grade teacher quickly mastering strategies to build decoding and fluency skills with her young students. Most recently, she has transitioned to teaching fourth grade,
007showcasing her vers versatility in the classroom. Christine's dedication to professional development is truly commendable. She has actively participated participated in various training programs including foundations. I already math, bilingual professional development, trans languaging strategies, and her commitment to expanding educational perspective is evident in her observation of the Duluente School in Harlem with Dr. Martinez Fuentes. What sets Christine apart is her unwavering commitment to embedding embedding language and vocabulary enrichment in her classes. She understands the value of bilingualism and actively supports our dual language program, continuously improving her teaching practice to benefit all her students. Christine's commitment to professional growth is exemplary. She attends weekly coaching sessions with our principles Karen Rener and Miss McCoy. Her openness to feedback and enthusiasm for learning new skills, strategies, and interventions is truly inspiring. Beyond the classroom, Christine is an
008active participant in our school community. She contributes to schoolwide and PTO events such as literacy night, the trunk or treat, and our movie nights. Her colleagues know her as a kind and thoughtful teacher who collaborates well and puts in extra time to support all students at our school. Christine exemplifies the qualities of a dedicated educator and a lifelong learner. She continuously strives to improve her skills and support her students growth. We are fortunate to have her as part of our SCS family to keep. Thank you, Christine, for your outstanding contributions to our school and our students lives. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for you. Congratulations. [Applause] I just want to add um she had my daughter Hay this year and I want to apologize for thank you had a wonderful year
009and the stride she made with reading this year was unbelievable. So thank you so much All right. And finally for SES tenure candidates this evening is Alysa Jerry. Um tonight we wholeheartedly recommend Alyssa for tenure. Since joining us in 2022 as a librarian, Alyssa has consistently demonstrated exceptional dedication, creativity, and collaboration. She comes she came to us with a degree in one to six and has extensive classroom experience. She also holds several uh several certifications in information science, childhood ed, and um I think childhood, am I right? Okay. And and a degree in psychology. Alyssa has excelled at collaborating with teachers on projects and ensuring that her lessons in the library coincide with the skills that students are learning in the classroom. Miss Gary is creative, collaborative, and kind. She plans literacy night and helps
010to support March Madness with a book challenge and most recently the mass greeter. At the end of the year, she often puts together a slideshow of all the lessons she has taught throughout the year and shares it with parents. I am impressed with how she incorporates not only reading and writing into her lessons, but hands-on learning experiences to keep students engaged. She is well organized, has a great has great time management, and is always thinking of new ways to inspire the students to love reading. She creates a warm and inviting library space for all the students. Alyssa makes connections with her students and exemplifies excellent classroom management and procedures. The last two years, she has co-f facilitated the performance club with Miss Mackoy and put together amazing shows. um Annie and Frozen. Alyssa's strengths include
011collaboration with teachers to integrate library lessons, creative designs, kindness, and ability to connect with everyone, students and staff, um and creating a warm and inviting library space for all students, which is very difficult to do in this day and age, and she does a great job at it. Alyssa's commitment to professional growth is evident of her ongoing education and attendance at conferences. We highly recommend Alyssa Gary for tenure. She is an invaluable asset to our school community and I am confident she will continue to make a positive impact on all of our readers. Congratulations. I just have a few words I want. Thank you to the board of education and administrators for inviting me here tonight. Um, thank you to my colleagues for your support. I'm honored and grateful to earn tenure in the Southampton
012School District. It is quite the unique experience to find what you feel is your true calling in life and I am incredibly lucky that I have found that in the library at SCS. The best part of my job is seeing the spark on little faces when they find a book that they love and then they keep coming back for more because that love for reading turns into lifelong learning. To know that I have a hand in shaping these brilliant little minds, that I get the amazing opportunity to offer them experiences that they may not get elsewhere is incredibly fulfilling. A library is more than a room of books. At SCS, it is a place of imagination, exploration, risk-taking, problem solving, researching, digital literacy, quiet reading, and a place where students can find their voices. In
013our beautifully diverse community, nothing is more heartwarming than hearing a student tell me that someone in their book looks just like them. I'm excited for the future at SCS where students will continue to have a safe and inclusive place to discover new worlds and feel empowered to be who they are. Thank you again for this incredible honor and for welcoming me into the community. And finally, I'd like to personally thank Dr. Fernandez, Miss McCoy, Dr. Botcher, and Dr. Morell for your dedicated support. Thank you. I've been so lucky to have found them, but I feel lucky that Dr. Fernandez got to work with you these last couple of years. Uh, now Mr. Benson will be coming up to present his candidates. Good evening. Um, actually my candidate was awarded back in January. So I'm actually
014honored tonight just to celebrate the tenure of Miss Elizabeth Turnbull. Liz Turn is Miss Turnbo is a graduate of Southampton schools. Not only was she in the top 10% of her graduating class, she's also a proud multisport athlete and a member of the 1999 state champion field hockey team. In Southampton, uh she participated in student council and peer assisted leadership and that instilled in her a desire to give back. She's also the proud daughter of a microbiologist and her current SHSSIS biology teacher, Miss Guita. That passion to follow in her mom's footsteps coupled with her sense of service would fuel her through her undergraduate at Penn State and then her graduate degree in education from LIU. Her career trajectory did not land her immediately on the doors of the intermediate school. For seven years prior
015to her appointment, she did teach at her other alma mater, OH, and we stole from her sister. She's come a long way since that appointment in 2021, uh, where she was strictly a fifth grade special education teacher. Since that year, Miss Temple's become a bit of a Swiss Army knife at the intermediate school. Her array of certifications, I'll list them for you. Childhood education 1 through six, T-OLE, students with disabilities 1 all the way through 12, biology 7 through 12, and there's one more in there, but it was too much. All that means is that every day, Miss Turbo's very, very busy. Uh, she has an opportunity to impact so many students. That's what I tell her. Um, she's taught fifth grade, she's taught eighth grade special class, seventh grade special class, regent living environment,
016plus seventh and eighth grade science just for students that are English language learners. And that was just her schedule yesterday. So, um, to teach in all these classes comes with the ability to plan and prep. It comes with the ability to collaborate and advocate. It comes with the ability to adapt and be flexible, especially with the principal who's always coming up with new classes that she could teach. Um, Miss Turbo is deserving of tenure because she's gone out of her way to help students access content that's vocabulary rich and at times intimidating. She makes herself available to her students. She's tutored our students after hours to the library. She's tutored our students on Saturday getting them ready for the readings exam our eighth graders taking environment. She's worked with her colleagues to ensure that students
017have access to all their lab requirements. She's kept her door open and she's always available to listen and to counsel her students. Miss Turnal joining the ranks of tenure staff at Southampton helps bring her journey full circle. I know her family and her wonderful children are very proud of their mom. I know her own mom is beyond proud of her daughter and co-eing partner in the classroom. I mean, how cool you get to co teach with your mom. Uh Miss Turbo gets to continue that family legacy. She and it's a legacy of impactful, empathic teachers who love their community and love their students. I know Miss Turnle will continue doing her mom and all of us very proudly. Congratulations, Miss [Applause] All right, good evening everyone. Okay, so before I begin celebrating our adults, I
018have to do a little bit of an impromptu here because I couldn't let this opportunity pass. Uh, we celebrated Alyssa. Um, phenomenal job. But there's also someone else in her family here that I just want to point out. As many of you know, I'm a scout leader back in town. And my buddy Caleb is here. Caleb, wave to everyone for a second. I want to tell you about Oh, you're now just just wait. So, Caleb, I wanted to point out this past weekend, uh, Caleb along with my son and a few others had to complete a community service project back in town. And what they did is it was all on their own. And Caleb and a couple of the other guys decided they wanted to help sick children at Stony Brook Children's Hospital. So,
019they went back to their schools and solicited donations for coloring books, crayons, and doctors need bubbles for kids um to practice breathing exercises. Well, this past Saturday, because of their efforts, we brought a truckload, like we filled our whole truck up with all of these supplies and Caleb helped us deliver them to Stony Brook Children's Hospital. So, keep up the work. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] All right. So, um it is my honor to celebrate two uh two just phenomenal staff members and faculty members here at Southampton High School. So, it is my pleasure to first welcome up Mr. Bernardo. We call him Benny. Mr. Diaz. Come on [Applause] up. So, um Mr. DS who serves as Southampton High School carpentry teacher uh began his work here about five years ago when we were developing our in
020district Bosey's carpentry program and revitalizing our trades courses. Prior to Mr. Diaz's start here in Southampton, he was self-employed and running a carpentry business here on Long Island. It was at that first interview with Mr. Diaz where we realized that he had a very special interest in helping to cultivate the next generation of young people who will become our skilled carpenters and tradesmen. Here we are 5 years later and Mr. Diaz is full-fledged Southampton school employee and has earned his New York State teaching certificate over the past several years as part of that transitional certification process all while teaching which is just amazing. And I have to tell you the impact that Mr. Diaz has had here in our school is undeniable. Currently, Mr. Diaz runs our two-year Boseis carpentry program, which provides students with
021the opportunity to not only earn several industry certificates upon completion, but also provides students with several opportunities. To start, he created a relationship with the Suffach County Local Carpenters Union where students who successfully complete our program are given direct access into the apprenticeship, which means they are skipping what could be a multipleyear line trying to get into that uh apprenticeship and that was because of his efforts uh and the relationships that he built. Additionally, in partnership with our counseling office, um students who complete the program are eligible for the Ed Bulgian employment opportunity where if not going into the local union, they can earn direct employment and signing bonuses here on the east end of Long Island. So, that's not all. You see, Mr. Diaz is very involved in the overall school community and often
022supports events that are happening in and around our schools. Mr. Diaz and students uh have built our theatrical sets. They constructed props for the performances, decorations for our graduations and awards events. Um also during the after school carpentry club uh and over the summer they built dugouts, Zach, for uh that baseball team, right? So uh those dugouts came at the efforts of Mr. Diaz. He's worked on storage sheds for other teams and other groups um to support our students across the district. The one piece that resonates so loudly to me is that students often tell me how much they love Mr. Diaz because they know how much and how deeply he cares for them. In addition to teaching our students the necessary skills to be an effective carpenter, Mr. Diaz is often working with our
023students on life lessons, on how to be models for others and more importantly how to help others in need. I cannot understate the impact that Mr. Diaz has had on our students and our school. And if you don't believe me, one of his students are behind us here also. So you can hear it from uh from the the mouths of our students as well. So it's because of this Dr. Morell that I would like to present uh Mr. Diaz to you and the board of education for tenure consideration here at Southampton. [Applause] Congratulations about I do love to speak and I I love to talk. I love the same among other things. So, good evening, Superintendent Dr. Morell, President Robinson, board members, Dr. Z, administrators, my amazing wife, colleagues, friends, and of course, incredible students
024and community of Southampton. Wow. I'm honestly blown away to be standing here. Getting tenure feels like a big old hug from all of you, and I'm beyond grateful. I'd like to thank a few people here, but first and foremost, I got to thank God. Matthew 7:78 says, "Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and it will be given to you. For everyone who asks receives and he who seeks finds and to him who knocks it will be open." Through many prayers, God has opened this opportunity to me and has showed me my purpose and my my why. There were moments I wondered if I was on the right path. But in those quiet times, God made it very clear teaching is my calling. Every day I come to
025work, I come ready to pour my heart out into helping our students find their purpose and their why. To my amazing wife, Jenny of 22 years. Yes, we are Jenny and Benny. Thank you. You're my hero. You put up my crazy early mornings getting up with me to make my coffee, my lunch for many years. You have sacrificed so much for me and our three girls, Sophia, Landra, and Daniela, for of course our first purpose, which is the best job ever. Jenny, your love and support makes this all possible. And I'm so blessed to be your husband. I can't thank you enough for always being my biggest cheerleader, no matter what. And uh whatever the th the world throws at us and whatever I throw at you, really appreciate you. Love you, Dr. Zan. Thank
026you so much for believing in me. Your leadership makes SAS SHs feel like one big family. You've always given me the space to grow as a teacher. I'm so grateful to be part of your team and working under your vision to make a difference. I will absolutely miss our non-tenure meetings where we spend at least 45 minutes talking about different things going on in the buildings, talking about different students and things that was going on. To the SDA and my colleagues, you guys are the best. Thank you for always supporting me and having my back. To my work family, you know who you are. You guys are truly the best. From sharing ideas and sometimes emergency deodorant and having some quick laughs, our picking each other up after a tough day makes this job a
027joy. To our students, you are the heartbeat of this work and the reason I'm here. Your courage to try new things and to witness the way you and for me to witness the way you light light up when something clicks is truly magic. Every question you ask, every story you share, every time you push through a challenge, you inspire me. You make me a better teacher and I'm so honored to be part of your journey to this community. Your support wraps around our kids like a warm black and I'm thankful for your trust. I would also like to congratulate one of my own, like you just mentioned, Noah, Noah Kent, for the new position here on the board to represent the students. And it's been an honor, Noah, to watch you grow throughout the years.
028And I'm so happy that we've been able to work together these past few years. With God's guidance and all your support, I am more committed than ever to this calling. I promise to keep showing up with all my heart, ready to learn from our students and to grow in this community. Thank you for this incredible honor. It means the world to me and my family. All right. Um, at this time it is my pleasure to welcome Mr. Thomas Little, Southampton High School counselor. [Music] [Applause] All right. So, Mr. a little please know that the words expressed this evening are not just from me but also on behalf of Mrs. Toddill who unfortunately was unable to join us this evening but certainly um echoes everything that I'm saying because we all feel the same way about
029you um about three years ago Mr. Little came to Southampton High School in an effort to join the counseling team here prior to that Mr. Little served as a high school counselor for many years at Hampton Bay High School where he had great success with his students and in the field of college and career counseling. It did not take long for the hiring committee to realize that we had someone very special that was looking to help and support our community all while being closer to his own wife and children. Mr. Little currently serves as school counselor for students in grades 10 through 12. In a very short time, Mr. Little has made a very big impact on his students, their parents and guardians, his counseling colleagues, and the clerical team in the office. That is
030because Mr. Little is an out ofthebox thinker who is always looking for ways to help his students and put them in the best position possible for their college and career searches. There is not one board of education policy or not one New York State education regulation that Mr. little will not research and find and use if he determines that it will benefit our students. He's often on the phone with colleges and universities, mostly with their admissions counselors, um talking about the programs and admission guidelines for specific students or sometimes simply building those relationships that are going to assist our students with the application and admissions process. And it's not just the students that benefit. You see, Mr. often makes it a point to pick up the phone and speak with parents about their children, specifically
031ways to help them navigate high school and achieve their goals and dreams. He also brings this talent to our building support committee known as our MTSS team where he devises intervention plans for students in need. Mr. Little has gained the trust of our teachers, our support staff, community groups, and all many stakeholders because of his efforts and his commitment to ensure the success of every child. Additionally, Mr. Little serves as our work-based learning program coordinator and is single-handedly responsible for ensuring that our students are placed in internships within local businesses and organizations all while they earn high school credit for it. In doing so, he has helped our school develop uh deep partnerships and relationships with surrounding businesses, organizations, and Stony Brook Hospital. These partnerships have provided our students opportunities such as lunch with an
032expert where they can meet and learn from people directly in the field uh that they would like to pursue. Mr. Little also serves as a counselor for our alternative school program where he delivers the same level of service and support to our students who need to complete their education in the evening. Once again, I cannot understate the impact that Mr. Little has had on our students, our school, and our community. It's because of this, Dr. Morell, that I would like to present Mr. Thomas Little to you and the board of education for tenure consideration here at Southampton. Congratulations, [Music] Mr. Everybody. Thanks for coming on out tonight. I'll make this brief. Uh, thank you for inviting me to be here tonight and for the tenure you granted me. My family cannot join us tonight because
033my youngest son, Henry, has a band concert tonight where he'll be playing his trumpet. Of course, that is much cooler than dad wearing a tie and talking too much. More than anything, I'd like you to know that my professional frame of reference and general philosophy is what would I want to see happen if this was my kid. That simple statement has carried me through 18 years as a school counselor. I want to thank the families of Southampton for the opportunity to help your kids each day. To help a child is a noble cause. To be able to feed my own family with such a career is a true blessing. I believe that God resides within all of us regardless of what we look like or where we come from. Just as my son may sound
034a wrong note in his effort to get tonight's song right, so may I be imperfect in my attempt to be great as a counselor. However, there is beauty and imperfection if the effort is righteous. Thank you, Southampton, for accepting me. I'm truly grateful. I'm truly home. [Applause] I just wanted to say that I appreciate Dr. what you said about Mr. Little. um he does go above and beyond and uh we're very grateful for what you've done for our kids and I know firsthand because in terms of the counseling but also the social emotional health um we really appreciate it. So thank you very much. May I have a motion to move personnel items 1402, 11,17, 21, 26, 27, and 40. The granting of tenure to Christine M. Benedict, Dr. Jamie Botcher, Bernardo Bernardo Diaz. Sorry
035about J. Gary, yes, Jerry. Gary, Gary, Jennifer A. Gray, and Thomas J. little ahead on the agenda and approve as presented in the agenda. So we got Monique and Ruth. Sorry. Everybody's so anxious to approve all of them. Usually we wait. Uh all in favor. The motion is carried. Congratulations. [Applause] you down, but um Benny, Mr. Little, and all of you, I remember you coming in as new teachers. So, congratulations and everybody with the um faces back there. We did this for my husband's 50th birthday, and they hide them around the house on me. So, please family at least get one to hide in the closet and scare me. Yes, Dr. Um I would just like to say to the teachers that returned tonight, it has been um my pleasure to walk in your classrooms
036this year and see the magic happen. I am so humbled and proud by your uh your dedication, commitment, and graciousness to the students of Southampton. And it's just been an amazing uh uh opportunity for me to serve you, but to also see how you serve our students. I would have to say without a doubt, Southampton has the best teachers that this state, this country has to offer. Thank you. I'd like to ask for a motion to take a short recess, maybe 15, 20 minutes to celebrate the newly tenured faculty members. Second. All in favor? I. So carried. So we'll take a break. We have some snacks over here. Thank you. Thank