During the May 27 Connetquot Board of Education meeting, the trustees and administration recognized exemplary students and faculty for leadership and academic honors.

Helen B. Duffield Elementary School lunch aide Diane Rambold was recognized for her quick decision-making. She performed abdominal thrusts on a second grade student, dislodging a piece of a bagel and potentially saving her life.

Adrianna Clarelli and CJ Connolly from Ronkonkoma Middle School and Maeve Boland from Oakdale-Bohemia Middle School were also honored with the National Junior Honor Society’s Outstanding Achievement Award. This prestigious recognition celebrates the students’ exceptional dedication to scholarship, service, leadership, character and citizenship. Adrianna, CJ and Maeve are three of the 500 students nationwide to receive this honor, along with a college scholarship to support their educational goals.

Nicolas Dilorio, a sixth grade student at Ronkonkoma Middle School, was recognized for being a 2025 Scholastic Storyworks National Contest winner. In his award-winning entry, Nicolas chose the animal superpower of night vision and explained how he would use it. His writing was chosen over entries from across the nation.

Connetquot supports student growth through emotional awareness and social learning, helping students build self-awareness, manage emotions and strengthen relationships. Each month, the district highlights an EASL theme such as collaboration and teamwork, responsibility, gratitude, citizenship and acceptance. Schools nominate standout students to be recognized as Connetquot’s Caring Leaders for their leadership in those areas. The following students were recognized as Caring Leaders: 

Roman Bradley (grade 8) – Ronkonkoma Middle School – responsibility

Aubrey Dean (grade 5) – Cherokee Street Elementary – grit

Emelia D’Antonio (grade 7) – Oakdale-Bohemia Middle School – collaboration and teamwork

Makayla Dowd (kindergarten) – Helen B. Duffield  Elementary – responsibility

Dylan Getty (grade 5) – Idle Hour Elementary – responsibility

Casey Mammolito (grade 4) – Edith L. Slocum Elementary – collaboration and teamwork

Vince Neckin (grade 5) – Idle Hour Elementary – acceptance

Peter Nicpon (grade 8) – Ronkonkoma Middle School – grit

Evangelos Paravalos (grade 4) – John Pearl Elementary – collaboration and teamwork

Francis Pipino (kindergarten)  – Edward J. Bosti Elementary – citizenship

Parissa Rana (grade 10) – Connetquot High School – responsibility

Gabrielle Takacs (grade 4) – Sycamore Avenue Elementary – citizenship

Alesa Wilson (grade 8) – Ronkonkoma Middle School – gratitude

 

Congratulations to this year’s sixth, seventh and eighth grade recipients of Ronkonkoma Middle School’s Shout Outs!

 

Date Added: 5/28/2025

Last week, students and staff members at Ronkonkoma Middle School participated in an orange versus blue Dezy Strong volleyball tournament fundraiser in their PE classes. Students had the opportunity to learn about the Dezy Strong Foundation and the story of Matthew Dezy DiStefano. The experience emphasized Dezy's message that every day is a great day, and that every day, we get to”. The fundraiser brought in $5,560, bringing the event’s four-year total to $23,017!

Click here to view the RMS Students Serve Up Positivity with Dezy Strong Volleyball Fundraiser slideshow.

Date Added: 5/15/2025

Connetquot is proud to recognize and congratulate several Ronkonkoma Middle School students for their recent remarkable accomplishments.

Congratulations to CJ Connolly and Adrianna Clarelli, who were honored with the National Junior Honor Society's Outstanding Achievement Award. This prestigious recognition celebrates their exceptional dedication to scholarship, service, leadership, character and citizenship. CJ and Adrianna are two of just 500 students nationwide to receive this honor, along with a college scholarship to support their educational goals.

A huge congratulations as well to Valentina Fabbri, who was presented with the AATI-LI Mario Mignone Award for Middle School Students of Italian! This award recognizes students who exemplify the spirit of a dynamic and passionate learner of Italian, those who enrich class discussions, bring energy and enthusiasm to the classroom and embody the qualities of a lifelong learner.

 

 

Date Added: 5/14/2025