BARBARAELLEN KOCH PHOTO | Second grade students from Southold Elementary School had lots of good questions for The Suffolk Times today.

Second grade students from Southold Elementary School visited The Suffolk Times on Thursday to learn about the process of editing and publishing a newspaper.

Suffolk Times publisher Andrew Olsen and executive editor Grant Parpan took the nearly 50 students on a tour around the building, showing them where stories are written, and how they are edited and placed on a page before being delivered to their homes.

The following were among our favorite exchanges with the students:

Q. Did you guys ever write about the Titanic?

A. Yes. We wrote about the Titanic after it sank in 1912 and again on the 100th anniversary this year.

Q. Do you ever fall asleep while writing a story and then it’s gone?

A. Yes. Reporter Tim Gannon falls asleep at work all the time.

Q. How many reporters did you have covering the storm?

A. About 15 reporters, editors and photographers participated in our coverage of Superstorm Sandy.

Q. Was this your favorite class visit to the paper of all-time?

A. Yes, actually, it was.

BARBARAELLEN KOCH PHOTO | Suffolk Times executive editor Grant Parpan in the newsroom in Mattituck with students who were surprised to learn the paper was first printed in 1857.

KATHARINE SCHROEDER PHOTO | Students in Ms. Salmaggi’s class work with iPads Tuesday morning at Southold High School.

Picture a futuristic classroom where students find a word’s definition just by touching it.

A few swipes of the finger and a book report, complete with illustrations, is finished. Homework is simply slid into a digital drop box instead of placed in a basket on the teacher’s desk.

This imaginary classroom setting has become a reality for most North Fork schools now that many districts have launched iPad programs.

The iPad is a trademark for Apple Inc.’s brand of tablet — a touch-screen computer where users can download applications informally known as “apps.” School officials said the new technology engages students because it provides them with software to work collaboratively with others.

Turning homework into games is also a plus.

Brittany Knote, a fifth-grade teacher at the Oyster-ponds elementary school in Orient, said the iPads not only help students with subjects they are struggling in, but also provides instant gratification to feed their inquisitive minds.

“It’s a great tool where students can learn independently at their own pace,” Ms. Knote said.

The school provides iPads to each student in fourth, fifth and sixth grades. The district allows those students to take the iPads home and also provides opportunities for parents to learn how to use the devices. Ten additional iPads have been purchased for other students to use inside the school.

Ms. Knote said students have been having fun using iPads to complete their assignments.

One project at Oysterponds involves turning a book report on Paul Bunyan into a slideshow. For example, one slide deals with the story’s character — students draw a picture of Paul Bunyan and write adjectives like “tall,” “brave,” and “strong” to describe him. Next, students add a picture of a forest in Maine into the slideshow to describe the story’s setting. In subsequent slides, students tackle the problems that arise in the story and analyze solutions.

In social studies, students are learning about state capitals on their iPads with multiple choice quizzes. They are also using digital maps to learn about latitude and longitude. There’s even a fl ashcard program that keeps track of each student’s progress. And each week students input new vocabulary words into a spelling app that generates games and crossword puzzles to help them study.

Ms. Knote said the devices include homework apps that help students with time management. After students log in their assignments, the due dates are synced to a digital calendar. As the due date nears, students receive reminders about how much time they have left to complete them, she said.

Gerri Doherty, technology director at Mattituck-Cutchogue School District, said she likes how the iPads can be tailored to meet students’ individual needs.

Ms. Doherty said she and special education director Tricia Desiderio developed the district’s iPad pilot program with a special education grant. Using the district’s voucher system, through Apple teachers can download apps to the classroom-only devices. Another useful feature on the iPad, Ms. Doherty said, is its text-to-speech option, an audio tool that also reads newspapers and other texts to students.

“This is a great and unique program,” Ms. Doherty said. “Technology is always changing and this meets the needs of students and teachers inside the classroom.”

Greenport and Southold school districts were able to secure grant funding from state Senator Ken LaValle for their iPad programs after developing a shared service agreement.

“I think that any opportunities that we can share services and ideas with Southold — the more that Southold and Greenport work together on this — the better it’s going to be for all of our students,” Greenport school superintendent Michael Comanda said.

In October, Greenport rolled out over 100 iPads, which students can take home.

“We want our students to share them with Mom and Dad,” Mr. Comanda said.

In additions to iPads, some Green-port students received laptops this year through the Comp4Kids grant program, developed by a not-for-profit corporation based in Port Washing-ton. The New Suffolk School District, of which Mr. Comanda is also the superintendent , received laptops this year from the same grant.

In Southold, superintendent Da-vid Gamberg said the district collaborated with Greenport to create a “Bring Your Own Device” program so students can use their own devices inside the classroom instead of borrowing one from school.

Southold has drafted a device user agreement that both parents and secondary students are required to sign. Mr. Gamberg said the agreement was developed in an effort to teach students about how to use electronic devices responsibly, as well as deter cyberbullying.

Since Southold’s iPad program launched this year, Mr. Gamberg said teachers, students and parents have embraced the new technology, which he describes as “secondary to engagement.”

“It’s not designed to replace, it’s designed to supplement,” Mr. Gamberg said. “Engaging kids is still the role of the teacher and the device just supplements that.”

Mr. Gamberg said in the midst of the Internet revolution, teachers need the technology to teach students how to find reliable information online now more than ever.

“Parents know their child is entering a world where they have to know how to use these devices responsibly,” Mr. Gamberg said. “There’s still concern, but the overwhelming sense is gratefulness to the school for staying with the times.”

jennifer@timesreview.com  

GARRET MEADE FILE PHOTO | Southold athletic director, Joe Braico, reflected his team’s defeat in the Suffolk County Class C finals in May.

Just before his second anniversary as Southold’s athletic director, Joe Braico is leaving the district for a job closer to home.

Mr. Braico, who lives in Plainview, will become the athletic director at the Plainview-Old Bethpage School District in January. He’ll be leaving Southold at the end of this month.

“I loved it out here. I was very happy out here. The community has been absolutely fantastic. I loved every moment of my time out here,” Mr. Braico said Monday.

The move will give him more time to spend with his 19-month-old daughter Gabriella, Mr. Braico said. He had considered moving his family to Southold, but said the job opening in Plainview was “too much to pass up.”

“I had envisioned I would be in Southold for the rest of my life,” he said. “I’m forever indebted for being allowed the opportunity to work in such a great community.”

Mr. Braico said he informed the school district he was leaving in mid-November. He has been the athletic director in Southold since Dec. 15, 2010.

Southold Superintendent David Gamberg said the school board will likely be ready to appoint a new interim athletic director by its next meeting Dec. 19. He said he expects the interim AD will work through the end of the 2012-13 school year, after which the district will appoint someone on a permanent basis.

Mr. Gamberg described Mr. Braico’s departure as “bittersweet,” adding that he believed the AD had been happy in Southold but was presented with an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.

“He was very supportive of PE teachers who did team-building exercises. He was very much supportive of scholar athletes and the sportsmanship part of the ledger,” added Mr. Gamberg. “Sportsmanship is very important. That’s what we’re looking for in his replacement.”

Mr. Braico’s announcement comes just a week after Greenport athletic director Todd Gulluscio of Shelter Island announced he’s leaving to become Sag Harbor’s athletic director.

Mr. Gamberg said it’s hard to tell whether it’s difficult to find athletic directors willing to work in small North Fork districts, since whether the area is a good fit for a candidate depends on individual circumstances. He said the school is planning to cast a wide net in finding a permanent replacement.

“I like to think this is a very good place to work,” he said. “We’d like stability in this position. That’s very important to our programs.”

byoung@timesreview.com

KATHARINE SCHROEDER FILE PHOTO | Special education students now comprise 13 percent of students at Southold schools.

About 13 percent of the Southold School District’s student body receives some form of special education services, according to a recent report by the district’s director of pupil personnel services, Alyse Middendorf.

Ms. Middendorf told the Southold School Board at its Dec. 5 meeting that 127 of the district’s 954 students were classified as special education students as of Oct. 6, though she said that number is constantly fluctuating as students move in and out of the district and are classified and declassified as needing special services.

“It’s a high number, but in a district this size, two kids can change the statistics,” Ms. Middendorf told the board. “I’d like to see us between 9 and 10 percent, but can I get there? I don’t know. It depends who moves into the district.”

In her presentation, she highlighted the district’s work in “integrated co-teaching,” in which special education teachers partner with general education teachers to teach in an integrated classroom.

“Southold’s ahead of the game on that,” she said.

The district also last year instituted a new class of fourth, fifth and sixth graders who focus on “functional academics with real world activities,” she said. That class also participates in mainstream classes. Ms. Middendorf said the school has started a similar class for first through third graders.

“I would like to open that up to surrounding districts,” she said of the program. Ms. Middendorf said one of her goals for the future is to provide a high school career and vocational program for special education students. Currently, the school has used a federal grant to partner with a company called Community Employment Options, which provides job coaching and training for special education students, but she would like to expand students’ options.

“It’s a way of engaging disengaged students,” she said.

Of the students in the special education program, Ms. Middendorf said 59 have a learning disability, 28 have a medical or health-related impairment, 12 are speech impaired, 14 have autism, eight have an emotional disability, five have multiple disabilities and one has an intellectual disability.

Students who respond well to special education classes can become declassified later in their education if they manage to overcome less severe disabilities, and can then be integrated into regular classrooms.

She said students who are not facing severe learning disabilities can be classified in the school’s “504” program, in which they are given special instructional plans to help them cope with mild learning difficulties. She said 21 students are currently in the 504 program.

“In our preschool population, we have 15 classified preschoolers and five pending,” she said. “More and more youngsters are in fact knocking on our doors. A lot of times the youngsters don’t meet the criteria [for special education classification] but we do offer resources.”

“The ideal scenario is we want to address any of these kinds of things earlier, rather than later,” said Superintendent David Gamberg.

byoung@timesreview.com

Southold Elementary School will install new locking safety doors and the school district will hold both announced and unannounced emergency drills in conjunction with the police department in January, in response to the elementary school massacre earlier this month in Newtown, Conn.

“We know that this can happen anywhere. We can always do better. The system in place needs to be enhanced,” said Superintendent David Gamberg at a school board meeting Dec. 19. “We don’t want to create a state of fear, but there will be a series of drills … This is a very stark reminder that we have to be proactive, not reactive … We’re not going to ignore the subject.”

Mr. Gamberg said that while the district’s students “have presented themselves in a very composed way” since the tragedy, the students can speak to mental health professionals in the school any time they are afraid.

Parent Amy Burns, who has three children in the district, tearfully read a letter to the board, urging them to do more to protect children.

She suggested the school not allow students to carry backpacks, which could conceal weapons, in the hallways, and to not allow high school students to leave the school at lunch time.

Ms. Burns said she also sent a letter this week to her son’s kindergarten teacher thanking her for taking care of her students every day.

“I know she would die getting all those children out of there,” she said. “I’m so blessed to be a part of Southold.”

“We’ve all had sleepless nights this past week,” said board president Paulette Ofrias. “I wish more people would share their thoughts and ideas.”

Ms. Ofrias added that between the hurricane, the death of a Southold student at a recent cross-country meet and the Newtown incident, she’s noticed that students in Southold have seemed heavy-hearted this fall.

“All I can hope for is that 2013 will be better for our students, the community and the nation,” she said.

byoung@timesreview.com

COURTESY PHOTO | Mattituck-Cutchogue High School students last Wednesday at the regional DECA competition at Suffolk County Community College in Selden.

Dozens of high school students won top awards at last Wednesday’s DECA contest at Suffolk County Community College in Selden and are now preparing for the state competition.

Over 1,700 students from 28 high schools competed in the Jan. 9 regional competition. The Distributive Education Club of America, known as DECA, is a national organization that promotes business and marketing skills among high school and college.

The winners now qualify to compete in the State Competitive Conference on March 5 to 8 in Rochester.

Here’s a rundown the top awards:

Mattituck-Cutchogue High School

DECA advisor: Lu Anne Nappe

Winners:
- Meghan Daly and Clay Davis, Marketing Communications, 1st place.
-Steven Baird, Automotive Services Marketing, 1st place.
-Mally Fogarty, Quick Serve Restaurant Management, 1st place.
-Emily Ciamaricone, Public Service Broadcast Advertising (TV ad), 1st place.
-Brette Rosen, Public Speaking (prepared), 2nd place.
-Abigail Terry, Job Interview, 3rd place.
-Nick Vitolano, Principles of Hospitality & Tourism.
-Sarah Fogarty, Principles of Marketing.
-Jake Nolan and Christian Montgomery, Business Law & Ethics.
-Riley Savercool and Jacob Branker    , Buying & Merchandising.
-Kaylee Bergen and Courtney Murphy, Travel & Tourism.
-Madison Kent, Apparel & Accessories Marketing.
-James Nish, Business Services.
-Amanda Gatz and Caitlin Penny, Food Marketing.
-Thomas Behr and Kevin Schwartz, Hotel & Lodging Management.
-Tristan Keil, Human Resources Management.
-Kyle Freudenberg, Marketing Management.
-Katherine Freudenberg and Christopher Mauceri, Restaurant & Food Services Management.
-Caroline Keil, Retail Merchandising.
-Maisy Claudio, Job Interview.
-Tori Ireland, Sales Demonstration.
-Kevin Williams, Wholesale Selling.
-Natasha Vande Wetering, Visual Advertising.

Greenport High School

DECA advisors: Yvonne Lieblein and Martha Tuthill

-Irene Raptopoulous, Public Service Visual Advertising (billboard ad), 1st place.
-Dory Lieblein, Principles of Hospitality & Tourism, 2nd place.
-Daniel Bunchuck, Automotive Services Marketing.
-Gavin Dibble, Automotive Services Marketing.
-Megan Demarest, Business Services Marketing.
-Cole Mezynieski, Retail Merchandising.
-Brandi Gonzalez, Decision Making Human Resources.
-Brian Tuthill, Job Interview.
-Catie Creedon, Public Speaking Extemporaneous.
-Elizabeth Powe, Public Speaking Extemporaneous.
-Schuyler Gillispie, Public Speaking (prepared).
-Jasmine Fell, Sales Demonstration.
-Alexis Wachtel, Broadcast Advertising (radio).
-Samantha  Henry, Principles of Hospitality & Tourism.
-Emma Marshall, Principles of Marketing.

Southold High School

DECA advisor: Kathy Williams

-Will Tondo, Wholesale Selling, 1st place.
-William, Bucci, Principles of Finance, 1st place.
-Jackie Davey, Sales Demonstration, 2nd place.
-Sean O’Donnell, Wholesale Selling, 2nd place.
-Greg Quist, Business Management & Administration.
-Jack Dunne, Business Management & Administration.
-Aidan Walker, Business Management & Administration.
-Julia Saccamano, Principles of Marketing.
-Emily Pressler, Principles of Marketing.
-Justina  Babcock, Buying & Merchandising (team).
-Abby Sharadin, Buying & Merchandising (team).
-Sydney Campbell, Apparel & Accessories.
-Brian Hallock, Business Services Marketing.
-Reese Dunne, Hotel & Lodging Management.
-Jessica Rizzo, Quick Serve Restaurant.
-Christian Winkler, Restaurant & Food Service Management.
-Hannah Matthaei, Decision Making (Human Resources).
-Erica Bufkins, Decision Making (Human Resources).
-Jackie Ruggles, Decision Making (Marketing).
-Halle Murphy, Job Interview.
-Preston Jolliver, Public Speaking (extemporaneous).
-Garrett  DeFriest, Public Speaking (extemporaneous).
-Leah  Lafreniere, Public Speaking (prepared).
-David  O’Day, Public Speaking (prepared).
-Melissa Rogers, Sales Demonstration
-Evan  Miller, Broadcast Advertising
-Rob Melly, Broadcast Advertising
-Grace O’Donnell, Public Service (broadcast advertising).
-Shannon Quinn, Public Service (visual advertising).
-Carley Staples, Visual Advertising.

JENNIFER GUSTAVSON PHOTO | Southold English as a Second Language teacher John Myers (center) with ESL students (from left) Jonathan Escobar, 17; Muhammet Ilgin, 17; Southold graduate Jorge Sandoval, 22, Tatiana Amador, 14; and Kevin Escobar, 16.

Four years ago, when Turkish immigrant John Ilgin enrolled for eighth grade in the Southold School District, he didn’t speak English fluently.

Not only that, but his English as a Second Language teacher, John Myers, didn’t speak Turkish.

“I don’t know how he taught me English,” Mr. Ilgin said. “I just got accepted into my first-choice school, St. John’s, and it’s all because of Mr. Myers.”

Mr. Ilgin joined dozens of community members in praising the district’s ESL program at last Wednesday’s regular Board of Education meeting, where Mr. Myers gave a presentation.

When Mr. Myers was hired by the district 10 years ago, there were only two ESL students. Since then, the district has hired another ESL teacher, Karen Quinones, to work in the elementary school to handle swelling enrollment. Currently, over 50 students are enrolled the ESL program, Mr. Myers said.

Immigrants, mostly from Guatemala and El Salvador, are moving into the district because Southold’s rural character reminds them of their home countries and the reputation of the school’s ESL program has made it desirable, he said. Of the 145 students who have taken the ESL course, only five have dropped out of school, Mr. Myers said.

“Connections are established and, little by little, families are reunited here,” he said. “My goal is to be able to have these kids leave this building with a diploma in hand.”

Although dozens of parents and students praised the district’s ESL program, one parent criticized the school board for not hiring an additional ESL teacher.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Xavier Amador, a psychologist and parent of an ESL student, said he believes the district needs to hire another ESL teacher to ensure that each student receives enough individual instruction in a mixed class comprising beginner, intermediate and advanced students.

“I’m very pleased with the initial response from the superintendent and the school board,” Dr. Amador said after the meeting. “It’s the follow-through I’m concerned about.”

Another parent, a Salvadoran immigrant whose children are enrolled in the district’s ESL program, said he would like to help his children with their homework, but struggles with English himself.

Superintendent David Gamberg said the district is in the process of hiring an additional ESL teacher and is working to develop a shared service agreement with Greenport and Mattituck schools to provide ESL workshops for parents.

As the district continues to expand its ESL program, Mr. Myers said he’s looking forward to creating lifelong friendships.

“Every student that I’ve taught is still in my life,” he said.

jennifer@timesreview.com

SUFFOLK TIMES FILE PHOTO | Tonight’s Southold Board of Education meeting is at 7:30 p.m.

Southold School District Superintendent David Gamberg is expected to give a presentation on his 2013-14 preliminary spending plan at tonight’s 7:30 p.m. school board meeting.

According to the agenda, Mr. Gamberg will go over the district’s budget process, revenue, expenditures and give a review about the state-mandated tax levy cap.

Under Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year, Southold would receive about $1.4 million in state aid, down nearly 12 percent compared to the current school year.

During last month’s Longwood Regional Legislative Breakfast in Middle Island, local elected officials told a group of Long Island educators they believe the majority of cuts in the governor’s preliminary spending plan will be restored.

The state Legislature is expected to approve its budget by April 1.

In May, the district’s $27 million budget carrying a 2.93 percent increase in the tax levy passed by a 534 to 289 vote.

Scroll down to view the complete agenda.

Southold school board meeting agenda, March 13, 2013

JENNIFER GUSTAVSON PHOTO | Southold school board president Paulette Ofrias, left, and Superintendent David Gamberg at Wednesday night’s budget workshop.

When Southold High School business teacher Kathy Williams arrived at her job Monday, she was feeling pretty good. The DECA club she advises received several awards last week during a three-day state competition in Rochester.

Monday was also her birthday.

What started out as a good day took a downturn after she received notification from the district that the position she’s held for the past 24 years could be reduced to part-time or eliminated due to budget constraints the district is grappling with as it prepares next year’s spending plan, she said.

Ms. Williams’ name was on a list distributed by PTA president Angela Tondo to members of the community this week that named other positions and programs rumored to be on the chopping block.

Superintendent David Gamberg described the list as “inaccurate.” After the two-hour meeting, he declined to say how many employees received similar notifications as Ms. Williams did because it is a personnel matter.

During the school board’s first 2013-14 budget workshop Wednesday night, Ms. Tondo apologized for her actions and thanked the audience for participating in the budget talks.

“It was not my intention to give misinformation to anyone,” she said. “When I shared the information I was given, I believed it to be true. The job of the PTA is to keep its members informed and by inviting them here tonight I hope that we were able to do that.”

About 70 parents, district employees, students and graduates attended the meeting with over a dozen of them applauding Ms. Williams’ hard work and asked the school board to find a way to keep her full-time.

Many graduates said they attribute their success in college to Ms. Williams’ guidance and praised her business courses and DECA club because they feel those programs prepared them for the real world.

Blaise Linn, who graduated in 2011, said Ms. Williams has been a mentor and friend to many students and believes they’ve counted on her for instruction and advice.

“For years, Ms. Williams has stood as a beacon for confused juniors and seniors as they stumble through the college selection and application process,” he said. “ On behalf of myself and the many students who could not be here because they are away at the college Ms. Williams helped get them admitted into … I implore you to make sure Southold High School does not lose an asset as valuable as Ms. Williams.”

Student school board member and senior class president Preston Jolliver described Ms. Williams as his “second mom.”

“Compared to other schools, we don’t have a lot, but what we do have is the best,” he said. “Ms. Williams will tell you when you’re doing something wrong so you can get it right the next time … To lose her would be a great disappointment.”

Following the meeting, a teary-eyed Ms. Williams was surrounded by her students who told her they weren’t going to let her go “without a fight.”

Ms. Williams said it was “wonderful” to hear the outpouring of support from parents and students and said she believes the evening validated her career.

“The school board doesn’t have an easy job right now,” she said. “It’s stressful for them as well. My feeling is they should do everything they can to keep me because I make a difference. Not to sound conceited, but I do [make a difference].”

Other parents and students said they were concerned about rumors of eliminating music, art, foreign language and the Robotics program next year.

Mr. Gamberg stressed nothing has been decided yet and said he and the school board are looking into a variety of ways to maintain current programs.

Some preliminary cost-saving ideas Mr. Gamberg said the district is considering include a referendum to scale back transportation costs by increasing the walking distance radius for students and reducing salary-rate increases for all district employees.

When parents asked if the district is in contract talks with its employees, Mr. Gamberg said discussions have taken place. He didn’t elaborate because the negotiations are ongoing.

Prior to the public comment portion of the meeting, Mr. Gamberg painted a gloomy picture of the district’s current financial situation.

In order to roll over the current budget, Mr. Gamberg said the 2013-14 spending plan would need to increase to $28.6 million, up nearly 6 percent. The bulk of rising costs is caused by contractual salary increases and benefits, he said.

While a state law passed in 2010 caps year-to-year increases in the tax levy — the total amount the district collects from taxpayers — at 2 percent, the district is allowed to exceed the state’s mandate because expenses such as pensions and capital costs are exempt.

Mr. Gamberg said Southold is allowed to raise the tax levy to 4.01 percent without obtaining 60 percent voter approval. If the school board decided to pierce the tax cap beyond that allowable limit, Mr. Gamberg questioned if the community would approve it in May, given recent voter turnout. He said twice in the past six years the budget passed with only 59 percent approval.

“I don’t like those odds,” he said, adding that if the district was forced to go on contingency, it would face an additional $900,000 gap and would have to cut a total of $1.6 million from the budget. “You don’t want to know what that could look like.”

Mr. Gamberg also discussed the district’s decline in revenue. Since the 2008-09 school year, he said Southold’s state aid has reduced by 20 percent. Under Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year, Southold would receive about $1.4 million in state aid, down nearly 12 percent compared to the current school year.

Mr. Gamberg also said student enrollment has dropped from 1,019 students in 2005 to 867 in the current school year. He added that enrollment has reduced by 11 percent over the past five years.

“We may need to scale back,” Mr. Gamberg said. “We want to preserve opportunities not just for the next year or two, but for many years. That is a challenge.”

School board president Paulette Ofrias stressed that Wednesday night’s budget workshop was the first step in preparing next year’s spending plan and said the district is struggling with the tax levy cap and reductions in both state and federal aid.

“None of those are things we can control as a board member,” she said. “We’re not the bad guys here. We’re caught in the middle of this perfect storm.”

Although the school board has its regular meeting scheduled for next Wednesday, Ms. Ofrias said the second budget workshop will be held on April 3.

jennifer@timesreview.com

JENNIFER GUSTAVSON PHOTO | Southold Superintendent David Gamberg, shown at last week’s budget meeting, said Tuesday he plans to use YouTube to post videos about budget information.

After discovering a stream of misinformation through social media leading up to Southold School District’s budget workshop last week, Superintendent David Gamberg decided to embrace the platform to better educate the community.

“You realize that people are gaining knowledge and inside information through that mechanism, so why not embrace it, and travel down that path,” Mr. Gamberg said at Tuesday night’s school board meeting.

Last Wednesday about 70 parents, district employees, students and graduates assembled in the high school auditorium to voice concerns over rumored budget cuts. Many of them had heard what turned out to be missinformation thorough social media.

The superintendent said he plans to post informative videos on YouTube about various aspects of the school budget.

“The whole idea is access to anyone,” Mr. Gamberg said. “Giving people opportunities to learn, and not just have to be here [at board meetings], to learn about the budget.”

The videos will be answering questions in terms of the budget process, the tax cap, and future projections, “where we see it’s going and why were doing certain things with our budget,” Mr. Gamberg said.

He expects to have the videos available sometime in early April.

“I will try to make it a little entertaining, not too dry,” Mr. Gamberg laughed. “It strikes me as the right time to be doing it, it’s timely.”

The board took the time to compliment the student body for its “poise and compassion” during last weeks budget meeting.

“Input is always huge,” said Judi Fouchet, school board vice president. “We love to hear from the students.”

The school board also changed the date of a required board meeting from May 1 to May 8 due to scheduling conflicts.

cmiller@timesreview.com

FILE PHOTO | Tonight’s Greenport school board budget workshop is at 5 p.m. The Southold School district is also hosting a budget workshop tonight. It starts at 7:30 p.m. at Southold High School.

Two local school districts will hold budget workshops tonight to discuss their 2013-14 preliminary spending plans.

The Greenport school board will host its second budget workshop of the school year at 5 p.m. A third workshop has been tentatively scheduled for the next school board meeting on April 10.

The Southold school board will host its final budget workshop at 7:30 p.m. tonight. They are expected to adopt the budget at their next board meeting on April 17.

[Related: North Fork state aid rising]

Read more in Thursday’s issue of The Suffolk Times in both our print and electronic editions.

JENNIFER GUSTAVSON PHOTO | Danielle Pagano at her mother’s salon in Southold, working on the mannequin head she’s had since she was a child.

When the judges of a recent cosmetology competition in Farmingdale announced the third-place winner, Riverhead BOCES student Danielle Pagano became slightly disappointed.

That feeling became more unpleasant after they called the second-place winner. She believed all hope of going home with an award to honor the evening hairstyle she completed on her long, dark-haired mannequin was lost.

“I thought to myself, ‘Yeah, I didn’t make it,’ ” Danielle recalled during an interview last week. “After that, they called my name.”

Danielle, a Southold High School junior who has studied cosmetology at the H.B. Ward Career and Technical Center of Eastern Suffolk BOCES for the past year, won first place in the March 1 Skills USA competition at SUNY/Farmingdale.

When her teacher, Vinnie Catenacci, asked her to compete after a fellow classmate dropped out about two weeks prior to the contest, Danielle agreed because she believed it would be a good experience.

“I’ve always wanted to be a cosmetologist,” she said. “It’s my dream. I like making people feel beautiful.”

Danielle described her first competition, in which she and about a dozen regional students were given one hour to complete their evening hairdos, as “nerve-wracking.” Typically created through the use of curling irons, bobby pins and hairspray, these types of hairstyles are usually meant for special occasions, such as weddings or proms.

The beginning was troublesome, Danielle later recalled, because she had difficulty creating a perfectly smooth ponytail. But once she got it taut enough, Danielle said she finished the updo with about eight minutes to spare.

Her mother, Theresa, a veteran cosmetologist who has owned Village Hair Studio in Southold for the past six years, helped her practice for the competition. Danielle said she picked one of the sleekest updo styles because she liked its smoothness, as if it was chiseled out of stone, and believes she won because of her mother’s guidance.

“She showed me how to place the curls,” Danielle said. “It had a clean look — no loose tendrils. I liked the bunch of swirls and braided curls.”

Ms. Pagano said she was excited when her daughter took home the top prize and later laminated the letter the school sent home congratulating her daughter.

“I want her to keep it forever,” Ms. Pagano said. “Danielle has goals. Danielle is going to fulfill those goals.”

After she completes 1,000 classroom hours during her senior year, Danielle will take the state board written and practical exams in order to obtain a cosmetology license from the state. Although she plans to start her professional career behind the chair at her mother’s salon, Danielle said she believes her destiny is offshore and wants to work as a cosmetologist aboard cruise ships.

“I’ve always enjoyed spending time with my family on cruises or on our boat,” she said. “I love being on the water.”

As she continues with her studies, Danielle said she’d like to participate in future competitions because she believes it has helped her build confidence.

“My mom gave me a big hug and everyone was smiling at me,” she said about winning. “I’ll remember it forever.”

jennifer@timesreview.com

SOUTHOLD SCHOOLS COURTESY PHOTO | Southold technology teacher Phil Caputo (left) works with robotics club members Chris Reilly and Caroline Liegey on a robot they named for Ronan Guyer.

More than three dozen remote-controlled robots will navigate the arena floor at Hofstra University this weekend in a competition challenging high school students’ technology and communication skills.

GUYER FAMILY COURTESY PHOTO | Ronan Guyer was just 14 years old when he died.

The machines, each 100-plus pounds, are built from scratch and operated by students using funds they helped raise themselves.

Among this year’s crop of robots will be one designed by Southold High School students and named for the one robotics club member who won’t be able to attend the competition.

Its name is Ronan.

“Doesn’t that make the perfect name for a robot?” asked Lori Guyer, mother of the machine’s namesake. “Ronan the Robot. Just perfect.

“Ronan wanted to be in the club,” Ms. Guyer said. “He was in the Lego club in seventh and eighth grade, which sort of leads into it. He had a scheduling conflict while he was running cross country. He had one more race to go and then he was going to commit full-time to robotics.”

Ronan never did run in that final race. He died Nov. 14 after suffering cardiac arrest earlier that week during a practice for the state cross country championships outside Buffalo.

The high school freshman had been in a coma and on a ventilator in a Buffalo hospital for five days before he was taken off life support. He was 14 years old.

“I know other people who have lost their children,” Ms. Guyer said. “You always say, ‘I can never imagine what that would be like.’ I now know it’s a million times worse than I ever would have thought.”

But a funny thing has happened in the five months since Lori and Stephen Guyer said goodbye to the youngest of their three children. His unusual first name has taken on a life of its own.

The name Ronan has been printed on T-shirts for charity and iced onto cupcakes sold in a fundraiser. His name was also used to help raise money through a community race in the days after his death, a Thanksgiving turkey trot re-dubbed the “Run for Ronan.” His family has planned a similarly named event for May 19.

And how many folk can say they’ve had a robot named for them?

“The robot is a nice tribute to him,” said Southold technology teacher Phil Caputo. “It’s sad he isn’t here, but it’s a good thing we can carry on his name.”

Ronan the Robot arrives at Hofstra yesterday, Thursday, for a practice session before the two-day competition this weekend. The 24-x-30-inch robot can shoot four frisbees in less than five seconds, with the object of the game revolving around the discs accurately striking targets.

The machine is sturdy, fast and mechanical, much like the 6-foot-2 teenager it was named after.

From an early age, Ronan knew he wanted to be a naval architect, his mother says. A sailor with the Southold Yacht Club from the time he was 7, Ronan enjoyed being out on the water. And he loved to build. Joining robotics was his next step toward one day reaching his career goal.

“He would have flourished in the robotics club,” Ms. Guyer said.

Since their son’s passing, the Guyers have been overwhelmed by the number of neighbors, even strangers, who have come forward to tell them stories of how young Ronan touched their lives.

One afternoon, Ms. Guyer received a letter from another mother in the community, who shared how much it meant to her when Ronan helped her son, who was younger and whom the Guyers had never met, get acclimated when he first joined Boy Scouts.

Compassion is a trait Ronan developed at an early age, something Ms. Guyer believes grew from how he handled living with his special needs brother, Colin, who is autistic.

Ronan exhibited patience in teaching his older brother, who is now 18, how to throw a ball or how to build with Legos.

“He’d take his brother to the beach and they’d catch crabs,” Ms. Guyer said.

When Ronan was old enough to realize that Colin’s disability made it difficult for him to meet friends, he shared his own pals with his brother.

“In some ways he was the most mature of my children, even though he was the youngest,” Ms. Guyer said.

When Mr. Guyer, a detective in the Suffolk County Police Department, was out of town for training as Hurricane Sandy struck in October, Ronan sprang into action as the man of the house. He got the generator going and made sure the family had extra gasoline on hand. When his father called, Ronan assured him he was “running a tight ship.”

Just two weeks later, Mr. Guyer rushed up from training in Virginia to visit his son in the hospital. As Ronan’s condition failed to improve over several days, the Guyers were forced to make the difficult decision to take him off life support.

But even in death, there’s yet another way Ronan has lived on. His parents made the decision to donate his tissue.

“We couldn’t donate organs like his liver and his kidneys because we wouldn’t be able to be in the room with him,” Ms. Guyer said. “Because they bring them into the operating room, you don’t get to be with them that way. You don’t get to hold them.”

Today, two young children see through Ronan’s corneas. Another young man received one of Ronan’s heart valves.

“They all went to young people,” Ms. Guyer said. “Ronan would have liked it that way. That’s the kind of kid he was.”

Ronan would have turned 15 on April 24. To honor her caring son, his mother is collecting items to donate to Community Action Southold Town. She’s asking local residents to share food, clothing, good used blankets, bedding, towels and kitchen items.

“Anything clean and in good condition that can be used by families in need in our community,” she said.

She’ll be collecting the goods between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. on April 20 and 21 at her business, White Flower Farmhouse, on Main Road in Southold. She’ll store the items in her garage and deliver them on Ronan’s birthday that Wednesday.

It’s just one small way she can honor a son she says was “too good to be true.”

Each day since his passing, Ms. Guyer said she is reminded of Ronan whenever she looks out the window at a tree she planted for him more than a decade ago. The Guyers had just built their home in Southold and she asked each of her children to pick out a tree to be planted in the garden. Ronan picked a weeping cherry.

“I thought it would be nice if I placed a bird feeder in Ronan’s tree [after his death],” she said. “I cannot believe how many birds visit that tree every day. Every time I look out the window there are so many birds. I fill up the feeder every day.”

gparpan@timesreview.com

KATHARINE SCHROEDER PHOTO | Southold Elementary School students fired off two-liter soda bottles Tuesday morning as part of a science project.

Two-litter soda bottles filled with water and air pressure soared above Southold Elementary School Tuesday morning as part of a science project for sixth-grade teacher Jean Dempsey’s class.
Ms. Dempsey and math specialist Sam Wertheim said their students split into groups, were given a “$1 million” budget to create the bottle rockets and learned how to write checks to purchase the rocket materials, consultant fees, fuel and other expenses. The project is part of the district’s science, technology, engineering and math program known as STEM.

“Project-based learning helps students develop everyday skills,” Ms. Dempsey said. “We want to provide them with hands-on projects because they learn by doing.”

Pick up Thursday’s paper to read more about this story.

jennifer@timesreview.com

JENNIFER GUSTAVSON FILE PHOTO | Tonight’s Southold school board meeting is at 7:30 p.m.

The Southold Board of Education is expected to adopt Superintendent David Gamberg’s proposed $28 million budget at tonight’s 7:30 p.m. meeting.

His spending plan is about a $1 million increase compared to the current school year’s budget.

The school board has also reached a tentative retirement incentive agreement with the Southold Faculty Association not to exceed $580,000, according to tonight’s agenda. Many school districts strapped for cash have offered retirement incentives because replacing employees with new hires is a cost-effective move.

Scroll down to view the complete agenda. Check back later for an update.

Southold school board meeting agenda, April 17, 2013

JENNIFER GUSTAVSON PHOTO | The Southold school board adopted Superintendent David Gamberg’s $28 million proposed budget Wednesday night.

The Southold Board of Education adopted Superintendent David Gamberg’s tentative $28 million spending plan Wednesday night, which carries an estimated 4.01 percent increase to next year’s tax levy.

The proposed budget represents a roughly 3.82 percent spending increase from this year’s plan that’s mostly caused by rising pension and health care costs, Mr. Gamberg said. It doesn’t include layoffs and preserves classroom and extracurricular programs, he said, except the amount of time kindergarteners and first graders have for art weekly will be reduced.

While a state law passed in 2011 caps year-to-year increases in the tax levy — the total amount the district collects from taxpayers — at 2 percent, the district is allowed to exceed the mandate because some expenses, such as pensions and capital costs, are exempt.

By calculating in those exemptions, Mr. Gamberg said Southold is allowed to raise the tax levy by as much as 4.01 percent without needing to obtain 60 percent voter approval.

“I’m pleased to recommend a budget I think is responsible to the taxpayers, particularly when you take the long view that the average levy over six years has been less than 2.5 percent is very modest, very responsible,” he said. “The fact that we preserved the programs that makes Southold what Southold is I think is an important thing to hold on to.”

The school board approved the tentative plan and a retirement incentive agreement with district employees by a 4-0 vote. School board member John Crean was absent from the meeting.

At the start of this year’s budget process, the district was contemplating layoffs to help close its budget deficit.

But with the addition of unanticipated state aid recently secured, coupled with a more than $400,000 savings from five district employees accepting the retirement incentive, Mr. Gamberg said the district was able to gain enough revenue to maintain staff and programs without piercing the tax levy cap.

The result of the retirement incentive, he said, reduces the amount the district has to pay into the teachers retirement contributions account. The agreement is a combination of allowing employees to recapture the amount of sick days they had accrued but didn’t use and a $25,000 cash payout, Mr. Gamberg said.

The district also received word last month that they would be expecting additional revenue next year.

The extra state aid wasn’t anticipated when Governor Andrew Cuomo released his tentative state budget in January in Albany.

Mr. Cuomo’s proposed spending plan had earmarked about $1.39 million in state aid for the Southold district for the 2013-14 school year, which would have been an 11.99 percent decrease over the current school year. Two months later, the state Legislature secured a 6.55 percent boost, totaling nearly $1.68 million.

Other cost-saving moves the district is looking into is sharing a technology specialist with Greenport schools and reducing expenditures for supplies.

PTA president Angela Tondo thanked Mr. Gamberg and the school board during the meeting for their work on next year’s spending plan.

Outside the meeting, she had set up a table with information on how to register to vote and how to submit an absentee ballot.

Ms. Tondo said she’s promoting absentee ballots because she believes voter turnout for parents has been low because of their busy schedules.

She’s also using Facebook and other online sources to encourage Southold High School grads away at college to vote this year.

“We’re trying to get parents to understand that every vote counts,” Ms. Tondo said. “If more parents voted, then it will help support future budgets.”

The proposed spending plan will go before voters May 21.

jennifer@timesreview.com

CARRIE MILLER PHOTO |  Luke Gustafson, a Hampton Bays senior, prepares his prize-winning dish at Suffolk Community College’s Culinary Arts and Hospitality Center.

The kitchen was heating up at Suffolk County Community College’s Culinary Arts and Hospitality Center in Riverhead Tuesday afternoon, where four high school student chefs were competing for a $1,500 scholarship to the culinary program.

Hampton Bays High School senior Luke Gustafson, 18, cooked the prize-winning dish: sliced chicken breast in a tomato-mushroom sauce served with garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed French green beans.

To make it to the competition, he and the other aspiring chefs had to compete against culinary students from their own high schools. The winner from each participating school then moved on to the SCCC competition.

Now in its fifth year, the contest was created to support student learning and encourage promising students. It’s also a way to show off the culinary talent Long Island has to offer.

Similar to the Food Network’s cooking competition show “Chopped,” the students were given a mystery basket full of ingredients — and 90 minutes to turn them into a delectable dish.

College instructors kept a watchful eye on the students from start to finish, judging them on cooking techniques, use of ingredients, cleanliness, presentation, taste and creativity. The secret ingredients: chicken, potatoes and fresh green beans.

“They are the most common. If they can take these items and make something good out of them, they’ve accomplished the task,” said Richard Freilich, director of SCCC’s culinary arts program. “We don’t want to make it too difficult; we really just want to see their skill level.”

Other competitors were Daniel Insoyna, 17, a Southold High School junior; Ruben Bernacet, 19, a senior at Bellport High School; and Charles Alifano, 17, a senior at Floral Park Memorial High School.

Each student was accompanied by a culinary teacher from his high school, who came along for support.

Luke and Daniel are both enrolled in the Eastern Suffolk BOCES culinary program in Riverhead, spending 2 1/2 hours per day, five days a week learning different aspects of cooking.

“We’ve used all of the ingredients before,” said BOCES culinary teacher Tom Hashagen, a resident of Shelter Island. “We do a lot of instruction with chicken because it’s the cheapest thing to use. I told the kids it’s what they would probably have.”

Mr. Hashagen described Daniel, who took second place in the competition, as a quick learner. “He’s one of those kids that, once he comes in, you know he’s going to be good,” he said.

“Luke is sort of intense,” Mr. Hashagen continued. “He finds out what he needs to do and attacks it fairly well. He also shows some good leadership qualities we are trying to work on and foster.”

cmiller@timesreview.com

RACHEL YOUNG PHOTO | From left to right: Southold superintendent David Gamberg, Southold school board president Paulette Ofrias, educational technology director Ryan Case, Greenport school board president Heather Wolf and Greenport superintendent Mike Comanda.

Greenport and Southold schools will share a new technology director for at least the next three years now that the two districts have entered into a shared-services agreement.

The Greenport Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the appointment of Ryan Case for the job, which takes effect July 1.

Greenport and Southold have approved several shared-service agreements in recent years to cut costs and offer more programs for students.

“It’s another example of the things we can do together and how much better we are when we work together,” Mr. Comanda said.

Mr. Case’s position is instructional and not related to infrastructure, Mr. Comanda said. Part of his job duties will include providing increased faculty training regarding the further integration of technology like iPads and Smart Boards into the classroom.

“This isn’t a hard-wired job,” Mr. Comanda said. “He’s working on staff development and instructional design using technology. He can observe teachers and infuse more technology into their lessons.”

“Teachers almost have to accept, if you will, that they’re really co-learners with the students,” board president Heather Wolf said. “In many cases the students will be more tech savvy than they are. That’s an unnatural thing for a teacher. You really almost have to go into discovery mode. I hope that [Mr. Case] will make them comfortable with that new mode of teaching.”

Mr. Case, 37, lives in Cutchogue with his wife, Jennifer, and their 4-year-old son, Jackson. He currently works in the West Babylon school district as its coordinator of technology. Previously, he spent two years working as a data expert at Eastern Suffolk BOCES. He has also taught computer lab for elementary school students in the Connetquot school district.

“I’m a strong proponent of web-based technology and social media use,” Mr. Case said. “We’re moving away from having specific software for teachers. I see my job as helping teachers make their own lives better and making their curriculum more exciting.”

The Greenport school board said they don’t anticipate that Mr. Case will encounter any major challenges as the shared technology director with the Southold school district.

“I think the greatest challenge for him is going to be able to learn the culture of both schools because they are uniquely different,” Mr. Comanda said of Mr. Case. “He’ll need to look at the curriculum and what each school has in terms of equipment and programs and then start to weave those together in terms of staff development.”

Mr. Case said he’s up for the task.

“I think it’s more of an opportunity,” he said. “These two districts have been working together more and more. I think it’s going to be very interesting.”

ryoung@timesreview.com

JENNIFER GUSTAVSON PHOTO | Southold students and community members gathered Thursday for the district’s first garden expo.

Southold students and community members gathered Thursday morning for the district’s first garden expo featuring vegetables they’ve grown and displaying information about environmental sustainability practices.

New York State Board of Regents member Roger Tilles visited the expo to learn about how the garden teaches students about math, science and arts.

Mr. Tilles, who lives in Great Neck, said he is the only member of the Board of Regents who currently has children attending public schools. He’s also retired from his former profession as a lawyer and said he spends a lot of time in the field meeting with educators and finding out how the Regents’ decisions affect them.

The Network of Edible School Gardens, which represents more than 20 East End school gardens, local farmers and neighboring school officials also attended the event.

Pick up the May 23 issue of The Suffolk Times for more on this story.

JENNIFER GUSTAVSON PHOTO | State Board of Regents member Roger Tilles (third from left) tours the Southold school garden with Superintendent David Gamberg and students Emiliann Palermo (left) and Bryanna Bay during last Thursday’s School Garden Expo.

Ask Southold Elementary School student Emiliann Palermo what she wants to be when she grows up, and she’ll say a lawyer.

The 11-year-old is getting a taste of the professional world, without litigation and the like for now, not in a traditional classroom setting but alongside the plants sprouting in her school’s garden.

Emiliann helps grow and harvest the school’s organically grown and hand-picked veggies, and she volunteers to sell them at the Greenport Farmers’ Market. She also makes graphs displaying how many vegetables were sold, detailing their varieties and pricing.

“It has taught me how to be organized,” Emiliann said about her involvement with the garden. “I think it’s fun having your own place to get your own food. It’s all fresh.”

Her friend, Gabriella Drumm, 11, also enjoys participating in the garden and the farmers market.

“My favorite part about the garden is planting seeds and seeing how they grow,” Gabriella said. “My father was a potato farmer and my mother farmed upstate. It’s in my genes.”

The girls’ experiences are common among students whose school has planted a garden, the trend toward which has grown in recent years through first lady Michelle Obama’s efforts to promote programs encouraging healthier lifestyles for children.

Southold School District’s 100-foot by 120-foot organic garden — enclosed with an untreated, cedar fence adorned with student artwork — was the site and main attraction of the area’s first School Garden Expo last Thursday.

Organizations such as Slow Food East End, Edible School Gardens, Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Josh Levine Foundation had tables with information supporting school garden efforts. Some Southold students displayed irrigation and composting projects that they developed and that are now implemented at the school. Other students provided entertainment, such as musical performances and poetry readings. Greenport and Oysterponds school officials also took part in the event.

About two years ago, Southold biodynamic farmers K.K. and Ira Haspel helped the district construct the 12,000-square foot garden. It now has more than 36 beds containing a mixture of greens, such as lettuce, arugula, cabbage and romaine. Other vegetables include broccoli, radishes, shallots and red potatoes. Additional areas around the garden’s perimeter will grow pumpkins, squash, cucumbers and tomatoes.

After the vegetables are harvested, students and staff enjoy freshly prepared salads in the cafeteria.

Southold Elementary School principal Ellen O’Neill said the expo showcased how gardens can provide students with real life learning opportunities in the midst of a “high stakes” educational environment, with rigorous student assessments tied to a new teacher/principal evaluation system.

Ms. O’Neill said she believes the garden teaches students social skills and provides learning opportunities in science, math, history and art.

“We didn’t stop great teaching just to do workbooks and worksheets to get ready for the tests,” she said. “If you provide students with great opportunities, they’re going to do just fine on the assessments and, more importantly, they’re going to be able to take this into their real life.”

New York State Board of Regents member Roger Tilles also attended the expo and described Southold’s school garden as the most elaborate he’s visited.

Mr. Tilles, of Great Neck, is the only Board of Regents member with children currently attending public schools. He said he doesn’t believe the high stakes testing model and its cookie-cutter approach is necessary for most Long Island schools because their students score higher on exams than those in other districts across the state.

He said with so many schools now “teaching to the test,” he’s found it refreshing to see school districts embracing new methods where students learn through experience.

“When I see projects like these, schools are going to do better on the testing,” Mr. Tilles said. “This is part of a comprehensive program that has all of their students deal with math, science, arts, and business. It’s a great way to learn.”

jennifer@timesreview.com