Nassau School Notebook: Jonas E. Salk named School of Character
Jonas E. Salk Middle School in Levittown is among 84 schools and seven districts nationwide named 2020 Schools of Character by the nonprofit Character.org. Credit: Levittown School District
A Levittown middle school has been recognized nationally for its dedication to character development.
Jonas E. Salk Middle School is among 84 schools and seven districts nationwide named 2020 Schools of Character by the nonprofit Character.org. The school, which also earned the distinction in 2016, was the only one to receive the designation on Long Island.
To be selected, schools met standards that are articulated in Character.org's 11 Principles Framework for Schools, which range from providing students with opportunities for moral action to engaging families as partners in the character-building effort. They also underwent on-site visits and interviews.
Jonas E. Salk's character education efforts are highlighted by a R.I.S.E. (Respect and Responsibility, Integrity, Safety and Staying Healthy, and Empathy) program that is committed to fostering social-emotional development and creating opportunities for academic excellence and civic education. The school also hosted a quarterly R.I.S.E. Day that consisted of team-building and problem-solving activities.
"Our R.I.S.E. program continues to flourish as seen by the continuous growth of our social-emotional learning programs and student and community involvement," said Jonas E. Salk school psychologist Barbara Monteiro-Grady.
In addition, Brookside and Plaza elementary schools in Baldwin, Lawrence Elementary School, and the Bellmore School District were among 264 organizations and schools nationwide with initiatives certified this year by the nonprofit as Promising Practices.
"Each of these programs and initiatives have demonstrated significant impact and strongly align with the principles that help schools and organizations cultivate a culture of character," Character.org president Arthur Schwartz said of those designees.
In Massapequa, Alfred G. Berner Middle School hosted orientation sessions and self-guided tours earlier this month for incoming sixth-graders. Pictured here, students Lauren Levy and Connor Reilly visited a classroom equipped with desk barriers designed to help keep them healthy during the coronavirus pandemic. Credit: Massapequa School District
FARMINGDALE
New principal
Michael Gavalas has been named principal of Weldon E. Howitt Middle School. He replaced Luis Pena, who retired.
Gavalas previously had served as the assistant principal of Sanford H. Calhoun High School in Merrick since 2017, and before that served five years as assistant principal of Hauppauge High School, where he also taught social studies for 12 years.
"There's a certain safety that exists in elementary school, but when you leave and enter the middle school, you leave that safety," Gavalas said. "I see this time as an opportunity to build resiliency and make students focus on the here and now. I want them to find joy in this growth period of their education."
ROSLYN
New principal
Sherry Ma is the new principal of East Hills Elementary School in the Roslyn School District. She replaced Melissa Krieger, who retired.
In Glen Head, North Shore High School freshman returned to school equipped with face masks during an orientation session that included building tours, schedule discussions and ice-breaker games. Credit: Shelly Newman
Ma was previously principal of Centre Avenue School in East Rockaway and before that was assistant principal of the Birch School in Merrick. She began her career as an elementary teacher in the Kings Park school district and later in the Merrick school district.
"Sherry's exemplary background, leadership qualities, and knowledge of all facets of elementary education are qualities very much in demand in the rapidly changing educational environment we find ourselves in today," said Roslyn Superintendent Allison Brown.
ISLANDWIDE
Recognition Schools
Eighty-three Long Island schools were among 582 statewide named 2019-20 Recognition Schools by the New York State Education Department for their "high academic achievement and strong progress" during the 2018-19 school year, the organization said.
The Commack and Garden City school districts had four schools earn the designation, the most on Long Island, while the Bellmore-Merrick and Great Neck school districts had three designated schools. Ten districts — East Islip, East Meadow, Elwood, Half Hollow Hills, Herricks, Hewlett-Woodmere, Island Trees, Levittown, Roslyn, Sachem and Smithtown — had two designated schools, while 49 districts each had one designated school.
The Academy Charter School in Hempstead was also among this year's designees.
— MICHAEL R. EBERT
Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.
