The Spanish Honor Society is delighted to present the latest edition of our quarterly newsletter, packed with insightful articles that celebrate Hispanic culture and community. From a vibrant exploration of traditional attire and festival highlights to a deep dive into the rich history and significance of events like the Carnaval de Río de Janeiro, each article offers a colorful glimpse into cultural traditions and celebrations.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to graduating senior Mohammad Fahad, the dedicated director of our newsletter, whose unwavering commitment and hard work have brought these stories to life. Mo's passion for sharing knowledge and fostering cultural appreciation shines through each edition, enriching our community's understanding of Hispanic heritage. We will miss you next year!

Special recognition goes to Mr. Villalobos and the Robert Frost Middle School Spanish Club for their invaluable contributions and involvement in this edition. Their enthusiasm and dedication have added depth and authenticity to our exploration of Hispanic culture, ensuring that our newsletter continues to educate and inspire readers of all ages.

Date Added: 6/13/2024

Five outstanding Deer Park High School senior athletes committed to continuing their sports careers in college this fall during a June 5 recognition ceremony hosted by District Administrator for Athletics, Physical Education, Health and Recreation Dominick Fontana in the school’s chorus room.

Karen Garcia will play soccer at Queens College. She earned All-Division (2021, 2023) and All-League (2022) honors during her high school career. She plans to major in biochemistry.

“I chose this college because I really loved the campus,” Garcia said. “I also liked the coaching staff and the girls on the team were very welcoming.”

Vincent LaCascia will play baseball at Bridgeport University. He earned All-League honors (2023) and won the team’s MVP (2023) and Coaches Award (2022). He plans to major in physical therapy.

“I liked the academic and baseball programs at Bridgeport when I visited,” LaCascia said.

Hayden Lovinsky will play football at SUNY Cortland. A three-sport athlete, he served as captain of Deer Park’s football team and played for the varsity basketball and lacrosse teams. His high school career accolades include First Team All-State, First Team All-Long Island, All-County, First Team All-Division, 2023 Tom Cassese Award winner (best defensive back in Suffolk County), National Football Foundation Award finalist (best wide receiver in Suffolk), Best Defensive Player Award finalist, Suffolk County Student-Athlete of the Year nominee and team MVP. Lovinsky plans to major in criminology.

“Cortland is a great academic college with amazing sports facilities and teams, and an in-state SUNY school,” Lovinsky said of his choice.

Tyler Romero will join the swimming and diving team at Adelphi University. During his time at Deer Park, he earned numerous accolades including All-County, All-League, All-Long Island, Suffolk County Diver of the Year, Long Island Championship third place, league first place, Suffolk County first place and team MVP. Romero plans to major in physics.

Romero noted that Adelphi not only has a excellent swimming and diving team, but has the engineering program he is interested in. “I also like the coach is the same as my club coach, who I started diving with back in my sophomore year,” he said. “It is also important to me that Adelphi is close to home so that I can stay with my family.”

Brian Ugalde will play baseball at SUNY Cortland. He earned All-League and Scholar-Athlete recognition during his high school career. Ugalde plans to major in physical education.

“I chose Cortland because it has an outstanding physical education program,” Ugalde said. “SUNY Cortland baseball has been nationally ranked in the Top 10 for many years, and I am excited to play at a higher level of competition.”

Date Added: 6/12/2024

Deer Park High School girls track stars Kayla Beaumont and Alex Geosits both had strong finishes to their seasons.

Beaumont won the Suffolk County title in the triple jump and represented Deer Park and Section XI at the New York State Championship on June 7-8 at Cicero-North Syracuse High School, where she was ranked 16th and finished 12th overall. She earned the title of county champ with a jump of 17 feet, 9 inches, which was one foot better than her nearest competitor. Beaumont tallied a season-best jump of 38 feet, 2 inches and broke her own school record.

Geosits claimed All-Section honors in her final race as a Falcon. She ran the preliminary 400-meter intermediate hurdles at the sectional state qualifier meet and then finished fourth in the finals. Geosits finished her final season as No. 2 all-time in school history in the 400-meter hurdles.

Date Added: 6/11/2024

Seven Deer Park students – Deer Park High School juniors Chasity Rolon, Zaara Hossain and Reza Zorakhsh, and Robert Frost Middle School eighth graders Constance Atamanov, Teddy Candelaria, Kesha Elmon and Isabella Sicca – were recently recognized by judges in the national National Council for the Teachers of English (NCTE) writing competition, which awards the top eighth and 11th grade student writers from across the country.

“These young writers are in the top 1% across the country, and we are extremely proud of the talent of these students and look forward to what they write next,” said Justin Uliano, Deer Park’s director of ELA, reading and library.

Date Added: 6/6/2024

At the May 30 Board of Education meeting, Deer Park personnel were honored for their years of dedicated service, and retiring and newly tenured administrators, teachers and staff were recognized.

“This is the time that we recognize people who define why Deer Park is the best place to be,” Board of Education President Donna Marie Elliott said. “Tonight, we will be honoring not only our retirees, but also honoring staff members serving 25 years, 30 years and 35 years. No matter what has gone on around us in this crazy world that we live in, we have a certain gift here in Deer Park. We support, we champion and we concentrate on what is good for our students, our staff and our entire community. We stay in our lane doing what is best for Deer Park, and we continue to be successful. Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall, because we do things together as a Deer Park family. Deer Park is a special place to be, as we all know, and we want to thank all of you for making that way.”

“We have people that hit milestones for their service to the district, teachers who have spent the last four years working really hard to get tenure and spend their careers with Deer Park, and we have some people in the audience who are just starting their careers and are going to be appointed tonight,” Superintendent James Cummings said. “So, we’re kind of hitting all spectrums of the staff today.”

“When people retire, I think it’s a really good opportunity to say, thank you for your service and for what you’ve done for the children of Deer Park,” Cummings said. “Thank you for making Deer Park the best school district around. We are going to miss all of you. I know that your friends in the audience and the buildings are going to miss you, but the impact that you made will last. You’ve had an impact on your colleagues, and you’ve certainly had an impact on kids, and they will take that with them forever.”

Regarding the newly tenured staff, Cummings said, “I think it’s really important to know that for those that reach this point in the tenure process, it’s not a rubber stamp in this district. These teachers really do work hard. They get feedback, they make changes, they grow. For those of you getting tenure, I want to thank you for accepting feedback and putting time into your craft. You know, we can teach people how to be good teachers and we can teach people how to ask better questions and write better lesson plans, but what I’m looking for is good people. That’s really the number one thing that I look for when we decide to tenure people. When you are committing to a 30-year career of standing in front of kids that we love so much, you want to make sure that these are the right people, and I would say that without a doubt, the people that are getting tenure tonight passed that most important test. These are good people, they have become really good teachers and they are going to have a wonderful career here. I feel really confident that the teachers that we are leaving behind are going to continue this legacy of great education in Deer Park.”

The following were recognized for their service to the district:

35 YEARS
Jack Lovascio

30 YEARS
Steven Jaklitsch
Deanna LaPlaca
Frank Piazza
Rosanna Shooshtary

25 YEARS
John Andria
Ryan Argenziano
David Arkow
Steven Borkofsky
Barbara Colby
Philip Cortese
Christine Curran
Vivian D’Agostaro
Melisssa Gieck Hayes
Susan Grabhorn
Dana Grafstein
Dana Hagan
Diana Lang
Emilia Napolitano
Stanley Patch
Edward Phelan
Keri Schumacher
Kimberly Shea
Marie Valerio


The following were recognized for their retirement and service to the district:

35 YEARS
Laurie Schwartz

30 YEARS
Krista Militello

25 YEARS
Nancy Connolly
Linda Esposito


The following were recognized for their retirement from the district:

INSTRUCTIONAL – TEACHERS
Lauren Corcoran
Tammy Cotrone
Christine Garcett
Maria Giglio
Caryn Kaplan
Salvatore Mascolo
Susan Mehr
Krista Militello
Louis Nicolosi
Laurie Schwartz
Phyllis Senia
Patricia Skjoldahl

INSTRUCTIONAL – TEACHING ASSISTANTS
Angela Baker
Nancy Connolly
Linda Esposito
Gina Vogler
Maryann Zeblisky

NON-INSTRUCTIONAL – BUILDINGS & GROUNDS
Andre Vitucci

NON-INSTRUCTIONAL – CLERICAL
Theresa Sepe
Darlene Signa

NON-INSTRUCTIONAL – NURSE
Eilis Savettiere

NON-INSTRUCTIONAL – TEACHER AIDE
Lisa Depre
Tammie Negri

NON-INSTRUCTIONAL – TRANSPORTATION
James Shinnick


This year’s tenure recipients are:

MAY MOORE PRIMARY SCHOOL            
Melissa Greenfield (elementary teacher)
Alexandra Tucholski (elementary teacher)    

JOHN QUINCY ADAMS PRIMARY SCHOOL            
Marcella Biordi (elementary teacher)
Heather Cirola (ENL teacher)
Kasey Kephart (elementary teacher)

JOHN F. KENNEDY INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL        
Ricardo Carter (ENL teacher)
Ashley Maune (elementary teacher)

ROBERT FROST MIDDLE SCHOOL        
Anne Lotito-Schuh (librarian)
Kevin Quirk (associate principal)
Angeline Ramos (guidance)

DEER PARK HIGH SCHOOL            
Michael Chin (social studies teacher)
Aleisha Forbes (social studies teacher)    
Nicole Passaretti (science teacher)
Derek Schmelter (music teacher)