On the 16th anniversary of a day that changed his life, John Halligan told students in the district a powerful story about his son, Ryan, who was bullied in school and took his own life. He spoke to sixth graders at Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School and seventh, eighth and ninth graders at Edmund W. Miles Middle School on Oct. 7.

“Ryan’s Story,” which has been presented at more than 2,000 schools across the country including the middle school three years ago, began with Mr. Halligan introducing students to Ryan through photos and videos. He then went on to tell the story of how Ryan was bullied in his Vermont middle school and the tragic consequences that resulted. Ryan was 13 when he died. Within a year, Mr. Halligan’s efforts resulted in a Vermont law establishing bullying prevention programs in schools. Many states, including New York, have followed suit.

His presentation had several core messages including suicide prevention, forgiveness and the role of bystanders in allowing bullying to happen. He encourages students to examine how they treat each other and apologize to someone they may have wrongly treated, and also reminds them that they are loved dearly. 

Middle school Principal Earl Mitchell explained that Mr. Halligan has taken a painful and tragic experience and turned it into a learning experience for others. He thanked Mr. Halligan for sharing his personal story with Amityville students.  

Middle school social worker Beatriz Offitto added that October is National Bullying Prevention Month and Mr. Halligan’s presentation is one of several character education initiatives, including unity day and mix-it-up day. She said the goal of these different activities are to encourage students to talk to others outside of their normal social circles, make new friends and foster a bully-free culture.   

Park Avenue sixth graders said the emotional presentation shined a light on bullying, and how it can manifest itself in several ways, including in person and over the computer. Jeffrey Lopez said he learned not to get involved in cyberbullying, while Ryan Daly said she hopes that Mr. Halligan’s words inspire her classmates to take action if they notice someone being bullied.

Nicholas Leon noted that Ryan was bullied a lot in middle school, and felt this presentation was important because he and his classmates are on the cusp of middle school. He said he expects Mr. Halligan’s messages to stick with him for years to come. Nasir Grant added that small insults can become bigger over time and a situation can get out of hand. He said no student should ever strive to make others miserable, but instead should treat his or her peers with kindness and respect.

Students got a look at jobs opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics as the district and New York State Assemblywoman Kimberly Jean-Pierre hosted a STEM and Tech Fair at Edmund W. Miles Middle School on Sept. 18. It was open to middle and high school students as well as their families and community members. 

Several science- and technology-based institutions were on hand to showcase products that would excite students about careers in STEM fields. Farmingdale State College highlighted its nursing program while Wilson Tech, which offers 30 programs for high school sophomores and juniors, showcased its aviation program and allowed students to use a computer flight simulator. Brookhaven National Laboratories had a hands-on gravity and surface tension experiment. 

The New York Institute of Technology, Microsoft and the Long Island Gaming League partnered to showcase several technology initiatives including Xbox video games, Sphero robots and virtual reality headsets. In one activity, students were asked to use an iPad and control the Sphero robot and roll over numbers in a grid, finding a path that added up to exactly 24. 

The event also provided an opportunity for the district to show how science and technology are infused into the elementary, middle and high school curriculum. Northwest Elementary School Principal Kathleen Hyland, Assistant Principal Sonia Rodrigo and teachers Jenny Smith and Kerrin Faulker set up laptops that allowed guests to try their hands at coding using KidOYO, or view projects made by students using iMovie or Flipgrid.

Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School librarian Tim Quinn showed several of the items using the Makerspace program including green screen technology. He set up an interactive station for the circuitry invention kit Makey Makey. By holding a piece of foil connected to a wire and tapping on bananas, visitors could play the bongos.

Amityville Memorial High School social studies teacher Matthew Tomasi had a presentation on Brain Pop and Flocabulary, two programs filled with interactive content in all subject areas. The middle school had display boards filled with photos from activities that students have done in STEAM classes.

The fair was held to mark STEM and Tech Week in New York from Sept. 16-22. Dr. Thomas DeNicola, the assistant superintendent for technology and administrative services, said that it was an opportunity for the community to learn about technology integration in Amityville schools and throughout the region by seeing it and experiencing it for themselves. He noted that the fair was a collaborative effort among the district’s administration and faculty, Assemblywoman Jean-Pierre’s office, technology companies and Long Island science institutions.

Boxes and boxes of school supplies were delivered to Edmund W. Miles Middle School on Sept. 11 thanks to the United Way’s Stuff-A-Bus program. United Way chose the date to coincide with the National Day of Service.

Shortly after 10:30 a.m., a big yellow school bus pulled up, provided by Educational Bus Transportation, one of the district’s transportation providers. United Way volunteers emerged and unloaded dozens of boxes. Members of the middle school’s Students Against Destructive Decisions club also helped out.

Jeannine Darcy, a member of United Way’s Resource Development Department, said the Stuff-A-Bus program is in its 11th year and has helped thousands of children at multiple Long Island school districts. She said this year United Way collected and distributed approximately 185,000 school supplies including backpacks, notebooks, binders, rulers, pens, pencils and more. 

“We want children to have the best start to the school year so they can be successful,” she said.

Middle school social worker Beatriz Offitto said that this year was the first time Amityville participated in Stuff-A-Bus. She said that the donations will be provided to any child in need of supplies, and also will be given out to new students enrolling at the school. After the items were sorted by students from the SADD club, supplies more appropriate for younger students were delivered to Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School.

“I’m excited that we are able to help students by giving them supplies, to make their learning easier,” Ms. Offitto said. “Having good school supplies makes their educational experiences better.”

Two veteran administrators in the district have moved into new roles. Edward Plaia has been named the principal of Amityville Memorial High School and Earl Mitchell has assumed the role of principal at Edmund W. Miles Middle School.

Mr. Plaia taught social studies at Amityville Memorial High School from 2000 to 2007. After a stint as an assistant principal and principal in the William Floyd School District, he rejoined Amityville as middle school principal in 2014, serving in that role for five years. 

“The high school is where I spent half my career teaching, before going into the leadership ranks,” Mr. Plaia said. “It's where I learned about kids, community, teaching and learning. The high school shaped me as an educator, as a leader, as a human being. Aside from my family, I am who I am because of Amityville Memorial High School.”

Mr. Mitchell, an educator for 20 years, came to the district in 2015 after working as a social studies teacher and department chairman at Baldwin Middle School. He was the dean of students at Edmund W. Miles Middle School for three years and last year served as assistant principal.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve the Edmund W. Miles Middle School and Amityville community,” Mr. Mitchell said. “To serve and to teach are gifts, and my challenge is to both with excellence and consistency every day.”

The local, national and global impacts of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks were the focal points of discussions in social studies classes at Edmund W. Miles Middle School as people across the nation marked the 18th anniversary.

Ninth grade social studies teacher Jack Zider recalled how the attacks occurred during his first week as a freshman in high school. Now, he teaches September 11 as a historical event to students who were born several years after the attacks. He showed students video clips from the day and asked them to discuss their reactions with each other. Additionally, because of Amityville’s proximity to New York City, he talked to students about the impact it had on people in the community. 

In 2001, Frank O’Brien worked for the MTA and was just a half-mile away from the World Trade Center. Now a social studies teacher at the middle school, he shared his personal experiences from the day. 

Mr. O’Brien emphasized the importance of being thankful to and showing respect for the people who fight to preserve freedom. He works with an organization, Operation Gratitude, which sends care packages to members of the armed forces overseas. His students wrote thank-you letters to be including in those packages. 

Since the attacks, Sept. 11 has become known as Patriot Day, and students and staff at the middle school were encouraged to wear red, white and blue.