001I'm sorry. >> [laughter] >> I'm sorry. >> Mhm. >> Welcome. Here we go. The next board meeting of the school year. Let's hope. Okay. So, we have a couple of recognitions to make. Hey, Tom. How are you? I haven't seen you in a while. We're doing the retirees, but you were retired from about 10 years ago, Tom. 10 years, 11 years. Where does the time go? Yeah. I'll talk to you after the meeting. All right. It's exciting stuff. So, we're going to start with the first recognition. So, we have people who are going to be saying goodbye to us, but we're also going to meet someone new tonight for one of our recognitions. So, I'm just going to say hello as she's going up to the to the high school next year. So, I'm going
002to ask if Mr. Keegan is here and Miss Steel to help us with this junior volunteer of the year recognition. Mr. Keegan, come on down. >> Oh, thank you. Thank you. Yeah, good evening, everyone. Good evening. Thank you for having me. Uh our first honor of the evening is an eighth-grade student, a wonderful, wonderful young lady who has left an indelible mark on our middle school in all different areas. Uh from community service to our clubs to athletics, even just this spring with um they needed we needed a goalkeeper, right, for the uh women's uh middle school lacrosse team, and this young lady uh stepped up and said, "I got you." But, in so many ways uh this student has demonstrated commitment to the community, and just 2 weeks ago the Levittown Community Action Coalition
003honored this young young lady for her contributions to the community, taking special note of the fact that so much of what she does is under the radar, is when no one is watching. And the teachers were watching. We've been watching for 4 years and truly going back to Dr. Fischer at Spar. Everybody's been watching. She doesn't try to shoot fireworks in the sky to say, "Look at me." She just does because she really wants to represent her community well and make her school and community a better place. So, our nominee and the limit LCAC recognized her as the volunteer of the year from Island Trees Memorial Middle School. Please join me in celebrating Olivia Monroe. >> [applause] [applause] >> Uh Dr. Fischer, Mrs. Ackerman, Mr. Keegan, and Dr. Sarantaridis, and Mr. Gibbons, And as I
004said, going to say farewell to some people today and we have our Island Trees retirees who have 25.6 school years. And I'll start with Dr. Fischer. >> All right. Good evening, everyone. Our first retiree, I'm pleased to recognize Dede Chatzky. Island Trees graduate, resident, parent, PTA leader, organized many events with one goal in mind to support the children and the adults who supported them. She We were lucky enough to work with her as a special education aid where she was a child whisperer with unwavering compassion, patience, and love. Which then I was so lucky and happy and Colleen were so lucky that she brought that compassion, patience, and love to the Spark main office as our secretary. Dee doesn't just live in Island Trees, she truly cares about the district and everyone in it. She's
005one of those people who leaves every person and every place better than she found it. We will miss you and we are so excited for this next chapter and I know you've already started the next chapter and that's why you have that big smile on your face. Well, come on. Can be recognized. >> [applause] >> All right. And next from Spark is Carmen Garcia. I have such deep admiration for Carmen. Her hard work ethic, her dedication, her compassion, her as a part of who Carmen is and what she's meant to our school for many years. She is a special education aid with an amazing ability to connect with students. Skillfully managing challenges with patience and grace. She's also bilingual, so she translates for our Spanish-speaking families and in doing so, she makes them feel welcome,
006valued, and heard. She is generous with her many talents because outside school, Carmen runs her own catering business, which really ups the game at the Spark party news. And she generously donates to families in need time and again. So, we've been blessed to have Carmen on our staff and Carmen, we wish you all the best. Happy retirement. >> [applause] >> Good evening. I'm Allison Ackerman from Old Town School and I am honored tonight to first recognize Maureen and Maureen. Nice Maureen. Who is filled with patience and kindness. She has supported our special needs students throughout her career in Island Dreams. Her heart of gold contributed to each student's small and big proud moments. The difference she made cannot be measured. Thank you for your extraordinary service. We're so excited to recognize you. >> [applause] [applause]
007>> Mrs. Alablan is also retiring, who has dedicated her life and career to helping children grow, learn, and believe in themselves. She has touched countless lives her kind heart and created a legacy that will not be forgotten. We will miss you so much. Congratulations on your well-deserved retirement. >> [applause] [applause] >> GOOD EVENING AGAIN. UM IT'S WITH GREAT EXCITEMENT that we congratulate all of you. It's with a degree of sadness that we bid you adieu. Um but we're really excited for what's what's ahead for you. Tonight, I um I don't introduce, I I I share with you Sam Bonster. Sam Bonster started in Island Trees in 1995 and has served this community and the children of Island Trees for 31 years with such great distinction, with joy in our heart, and in love with love
008with in everything that she's done. I have notes here, but I really just come back to to two big things, one of which was just last week. We know that 13- and 14-year-olds just love singing. They love being silly, right? They love They really don't. They don't They don't often want to be in front of a group. They don't want to do these super silly things, certainly not in front of their peers. But I think there's one person in our school that they would do that for, and it is Sam Bonster. And just last week, 175 of her closest friends, former students, students right now, came together to sing a rendition of Justin Bie- Bieber's Baby Baby to Bonster Bonster Bonster. And it was just a beautiful thing, but they wouldn't do that for just
009anyone. They do that for people like Sam Bonster who give everything of themselves to the students. And then there's just one quick note about Sam. One of her greatest legacies is the message of resilience and optimism that she shares with her students through the book The Coffee Bean which she reads to her classes and has done it for years. In a touching tribute students recently filled the lunch room as I said sharing that they understand that they are the bean, that life will throw curveballs at them, that things will get challenging, but how they respond is the difference in what makes a great life. You send that message to our kids, Sam, and we thank you for that. And on behalf of the community, please come up here to be recognized. >> [applause] >> Kelly
010Zito worked at the high school for many years. She was always a friendly face to the students and staff. Everybody enjoyed working inside her. Kelly was always reliable and good with all of our students. And even when I was asking a couple people today about Kelly, um one of the first thing that everybody said was that you were always first to offer your help when we were short-handed and you stepped up. And everybody has missed you because you left already this year. Um but we wish you the best in your retirement. >> [applause] [applause] >> We're going to do two pictures. We're going to do one picture with the retirees and then we'll do one picture with uh the whole group. >> And then we'll do the same. >> Here we go. >> Okay, now
011we'll have the big one. Big one. >> [applause] >> And the next next set of recognition that we're going to have today which we do every year is our Island Trees top 10. And we'll start with Dr. arthritis and after giving we'll have the Island Trees top 10. >> Uh this is always one of the most exciting awards for us. It's always one of the nicest to see our top 10 recognized. We're so proud of them this year. Um all of these students have worked really hard and they're going to be great citizens. We really don't miss them next year. I'm going to start with number 10. Katie Shacks who'll be going to Fort Ann. >> [applause] >> I mean Andrew will be going to Baruch. >> [applause] >> I'm playing basketball. >> Victor Montalvo
012will be going to Binghamton. >> [applause] >> Alexander Ponce will be going to Stony Brook. >> [applause] >> John Paul McDonnelli will be going to Bucknell. >> [applause] >> Mekhi Campbell will be going to Stony Brook. >> [applause] [applause] >> Payton Louie was not able to be with us. I'll see you this evening, but he'll be attending Binghamton next year. >> [applause] >> VINCENT PISCITELLO WILL BE ATTENDING DREW. >> [applause] >> OUR SALUTATORIAN, Juliana Valtieri, will be at >> [applause] [applause] >> And our Valedictorian, Matthew Saikou, will be >> [applause] [laughter] >> We'll get a picture of just the top 10 first, and then we'll get the the board and everyone. >> We'll get a Let's get the cooking day over with. This will apply on the same problem. >> [applause] >> So that was
013the top three top 10 and uh Not only they top 10 academic students, but many of them have been recognized for their different co-curricular activities. You have athletic superstar, music superstar, music and athletic superstar, artist, scientist. I know Vincent Frascino has been recognized here a couple of times. He's done some uh he's some science recognitions down in Philadelphia where he's done some work on cadavers. I mean, we've had some really bizarre things, but these guys are super smart in everything they do. And we wish him the best in the future and I know it's going to be Dr. Messina down the Delaware so we look forward to him taking care of me in my old age. >> [laughter] >> And we do want to before we finish with our recognitions, we we did have Mac
014here today. She was our News 12 scholar. Apple Valley >> [applause] >> Yeah, and congratulations. So before before we finish all of our recognitions today, we have one recognition left and I think the board wants to um give it. >> I'd like to give this to Max Seiken who's the ex officio ex officio this year and did a fantastic job this year. >> And Max has done it all this year and we appreciate >> [applause] >> the local year of the ex officio student board member. We couldn't have a better candidate to represent the board and the district in Max Seiken. Uh Max just does it all and he's going to be he's going to go to Florida State on a full scholarship and he hopes to be an attorney one day and uh I
015have doctor over here, I have an attorney over here. We're we're going to be great. So we're real proud of Max and all of his accomplishments and just another token of our appreciation. So thank you Max so much. >> [applause] >> We do have our agenda to go through, but we will we say this we give everyone a few minutes to take the social media battle back there if you want to take some pictures. If you want to take some pictures with Mr. Ridge and Mr. Papandreou, you're more than welcome. And then we'll get on to the the agenda. So, we wish the kids, the retirees, and our student volunteer our student volunteer best wishes for a wonderful summer. So, thank you and we'll take a 5-minute break before we go to our agenda. Great
016job, Danny. >> [applause] >> Mhm. >> So, we have two visitors for the agenda items. >> So, uh These rules are only on the agenda items, only for the agenda items. Okay. >> I don't think Max has anything left to say. >> Max has said it all after his four years here. I don't think there's anything else to say. What else is there to say? He's said everything. >> Do you have something more? Oh, he's gone. >> Max is all right. Lift it up. You sit it up? So, uh We finished your app and then we got our finals going on right now. We got a new water fountain. I don't think I got it. I don't know I don't think I was able to stop like that. In the cafeteria, so your cafeteria's really
017nice. I'll go there quick to show you. Really good. But, uh I don't I don't know than that, you know, that's it. Thank you guys for this electric. Thank you guys for agreeing to work with me on this today. >> Are you going to go next, man? >> Yeah, let's go next. It's good. >> [laughter] >> I think everyone will need you. >> We can do something. >> Yeah. Go through the Rangers fans. We'll see. But, uh thank you guys so much. >> [applause] >> Nice. Move to approve the minutes as presented. >> Second. >> Any questions on the minutes? All those in favor? >> Aye. >> Opposed? Motion carried. I have against no more action items. Action item number one. Move to adopt final minutes. >> Second. >> Any questions? All those in favor?
018>> Aye. >> Opposed? Motion carried. Action item number two. Approval to authorize >> Second. >> Any questions? All those in favor? >> Aye. >> Opposed? Motion carried. Action item number three. >> Approval of the consent agenda for action item four for 19 and financial report for April of 2026. >> Second. >> Any questions? All those in favor? >> Aye. >> Opposed? Motion carried. >> Well, with that, on the agenda on the personnel report on one of the lines going through there is buried in with all the other staff members that are there. We have a recommendation for the elementary school for elementary teacher replacement. This is a walk-in and that's Kristy Eager and Kristy is here today. And I just want to recognize Kristy for coming to the board meeting. Now she's appointed to the
019elementary school district board for the next four years. Welcome to Kristy. >> [applause] >> I saw you taking advantage of our social media banner already, so you'll feel very welcomed and at home here, so. Good luck at at Stokes and uh you're stepping in the footsteps of a legend of the great Mr. Lawton. No pressure. >> I know I have big shoes to >> Okay. Okay. Now we're going to move on to the visitors portion of the meeting. Uh our first visitor is Gloria. >> I am actually a letter of recommendation board member. And we're going to have a meeting so do you have any questions for me? And how does your you know, your children and then the board and with the board and And we do we recommend that the board really consider
020And we have voted in favor of that. Thank you. We want to tell you that at at 7:00. We will be having a We might see people there. Okay. So thank you for the >> [applause] >> Excuse me. Thank you for that. Are any other business to come before the board? Any new business? All right, let's move it. Thank you very much.