School News, February 15, Sag Harbor & East Hampton Town

Sag Harbor Students Shine at Hamptons Music Festival

Pierson Middle and High School students recently participated in the 2024 Hamptons Music Educators Association festival. The program ran over three days at Eastport-South Manor High School. This year, 18 Pierson students were selected to participate.

“Eighteen students is a great achievement for Pierson,” said Sag Harbor District Music Coordinator Deanna Locascio.

Of the HMEA Middle School chorus program, Sofia Fausto, Lilian DeKlava Hawker and Ammiel Sobey of grade six; Evelyn Berkoski, Gabriella Hugo, Sophia Perri and Stella Fisher of grade seven; and Shoshana Sobey of grade eight represented Pierson Middle School. From the high school chorus program, Ashley Buestan Perez, grade 10; and Wyeth Zeff, grade 11 were selected from Pierson High School.

Within the band program, Kate Deleski and Emily Drohan of grade seven; and Olivia Quinn of grade nine were selected. Sebastian Corson of grade eight represented Pierson for orchestra. Before the HMEA concert performances, all students participated in the HMEA rehearsals to prepare for the event.

Pierson High School Students Volunteer With SAFE in Sag Harbor

Students from Pierson High School recently banded together to take on a leadership role in SAFE in Sag Harbor’s Project Sticker Shock. SAFE, which is a program of HUGS, is a substance-abuse-free environment consisting of Sag Harbor educators, representatives of law enforcement, students, members of the business community, local media, community organizations and others dedicated to educating the youth on various fun and exciting things to do without the use alcohol and drugs.

For Project Sticker Shock, the students, along with SAFE members, applied stickers and hung fliers in local Sag Harbor establishments that sell alcohol. The stickers and flyers encouraged readers to take a “Time Out” and informed them about the fines and jail time one would receive for selling alcohol to minors in Suffolk County and New York State. “The message quickly lets patrons know not to serve alcohol to minors,” said Terri Federico, Pierson reading teacher.

The Pierson students who participated included Chad Federico, Milla Campomar, and Grace Gomolka. Pierson students have been working with SAFE for over a decade.

Ross School Hosts Panel Discussion

The Ross School Business and Entrepreneurship Club organized a panel discussion on nonprofit support in the East End community on January 29.

Founded by junior Alex Frohlich, the club is dedicated to fostering innovation, collaboration, and community engagement among students. “The club’s mission revolves around instilling a spirit of entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship through various initiatives, including panel discussions. These events serve as platforms to spark meaningful conversations and support local businesses and nonprofits,” said Frohlich.

The January 29 nonprofit panel included Minerva Perez, executive director of OLA of Eastern Long Island; Theresa Rhoden, founder of i-tri; Amalie Bandelier, board president of CTREE; and Loretta Davis, executive director of The Retreat. Panelists shared their experiences, challenges, and successes in leading and supporting nonprofits on the East End. Following the event, the club organized a schoolwide “Dress Down Day,” during which students were allowed to skip the dress code for a day in exchange for a small donation. The funds raised from this initiative were donated to the four nonprofits that participated in the panel discussion, as an immediate way for the student community to show their support.

The Business and Entrepreneurship Club hosted a discussion with Michael Kontokosta of Kontokosta Winery in October 2023, and looks forward to hosting Andrew Saunders of Saunders Realty in the spring of 2024. By bringing in speakers from different industries, the club learns from inspiring professionals and broadens their perspectives on entrepreneurship.

College News

The University at Buffalo has named 4,017 students to the fall 2023 dean’s list. Raymond Chan, Col Freedman, Andrew Nieto and Rickles Orellano, all of East Hampton were named to the dean’s list at the University of Buffalo for the fall 2023 semester.

Olivia Armon and Han Le, both of East Hampton, and Brooke Canavan, Jeter Fedi, and Hudson Galardi-Troy, all of Sag Harbor, were named to the dean’s list for the fall semester at Purchase College.

Abby Johnson of East Hampton and Laina Lomont of Sag Harbor were named to the dean’s list at the College of William & Mary for the fall 2023 semester

Jackie Quinn of East Hampton earned dean’s list honors at the University of Tampa for the fall 2023 semester. Quinn is a freshman majoring in criminology and criminal justice.