The Farmingdale School District is proud to announce that two of its high school students were honored on Monday, December 9, at the Nassau Zone 2025-2026 Outstanding Physical Education Student of the Year Awards ceremony.

The award, presented by the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (NYSAHPERD), recognizes students who exemplify leadership, sportsmanship, and outstanding achievement in physical education.

The two students, Gianna Recine and William Herbert, were selected by the physical education department at Farmingdale High School for their exceptional dedication to fitness, health, and wellness.

“We are immensely proud of Gianna and William,” shared Farmingdale Director of Physical Education and Athletics Don Herr. “This recognition is a testament to their commitment to a healthy, active lifestyle and their leadership among their peers. They truly embody the spirit of our physical education program.”

The award recipients were recognized in front of their families, physical education teachers, and administrators from across the Nassau Zone.

Students from Northside recently visited St. Joseph’s Community Hospital for their annual community event. Teachers Ms. Wozny, Mrs. Cupolo, and Ms. Nappi accompanied 13 of our amazing fifth-grade musicians and artists to share holiday cheer.

This touching tradition began three years ago, inspired by the joy a simple handmade card once brought to Ms. Wozny’s mother while she was a patient. That simple act of kindness has grown to include the beautiful sounds of our School Chorus.

We are so proud of our students for brightening the days of patients and staff!

The district's winter concert series continued on Thursday, December 11, with two spectacular band performances at Howitt Middle School.

The evening began with the talented 6th Grade Band, which performed under the direction of Mrs. ToniAnn Taibi, with the assistance of Ms. Elena Scarano. Following the younger students, the Symphonic Band took the stage, directed by Mr. Philip Scanze. Finishing the night with outstanding precision and musicianship was the Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Mrs. Erica Hartmann.

We congratulate all of our student musicians and their dedicated directors for presenting an outstanding and memorable evening of music for the community.

New Year, New Resources!

The Farmingdale School District is thrilled to announce its 1st Annual Resource Fair! We're bringing invaluable resources directly to our students and families.

Join us to connect with key partners and organizations dedicated to supporting the success of our community. All are welcome!

• Date: Wednesday, January 28, 2026
• Time: 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• Location: The Commons at Farmingdale High School

A huge thank you to all the amazing organizations participating! We look forward to seeing you there!

The district held its second Celebrating Excellence ceremony for the 2025-2026 school year, spotlighting some truly outstanding Dalers

Tonight, we celebrate all of our students’ accomplishments—academic, artistic, and beyond—and honor the excellence that makes Farmingdale such a truly special community. Congratulations to each and every one of our outstanding Dalers!

Celebrating Excellence: Studio Art Achievements: We are thrilled tonight to recognize a group of our talented students for their outstanding accomplishments in the arts. These eight students, now in the 9th grade, were part of the accelerated, high school-accredited 8th-grade Studio Art course. Their hard work and creativity were showcased at the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County’s Art competition. This juried competition, evaluated by professional artists on criteria including craftsmanship, design, and imagination, saw a remarkably strong showing from our students, resulting in one Gold Winner, two Silver Winners, and five Bronze Winners. This collective success means that the work of all eight students is featured in the prestigious 2025-26 Cornell University Gardening Calendar and Guide, with the Gold-winning piece prominently featured for the month of September. This recognition not only highlights the students' exceptional talent but also the dedication of our art educators and the rigor of the district's program. Please join me in congratulating these exemplary artists!

• Sabrina Badalamenti
• Emma Eng
• Chiara Elise Langkay
• Gabriella Agrillo
• Bridget Daniels
• Alexander Kost
• Yaison Maldonado
• Samantha White

Celebrating Excellence: New York State Archives Research Awards: We are delighted this evening to celebrate two of our current high school seniors, Lily DeSalvo and Emily Meyer, for their exceptional historical research. These students have been awarded a Certificate of Merit in the Grades 9-12 Division of the prestigious New York State Archives Student Research Awards competition. This competition is designed to encourage students to explore and utilize the valuable historical records housed in repositories across New York State. Their winning submission is a traditional research paper titled, "Central Park: Social Interaction, Place of Diversity, and Improvement of Public Health." This excellent work was completed last year under the guidance of social studies teacher, Mrs. Jaimee Samuelson. This recognition underscores the rigorous academic standards of our social studies program and the depth of historical inquiry our students are capable of achieving. Please join me in congratulating Lily and Emily on this outstanding accomplishment!

• Lily DeSalvo
• Emily Meyer

Celebrating Excellence: Strong Fall Athletics Success: Tonight, we celebrate a truly outstanding Fall sports season by recognizing a group of our accomplished student-athletes and their dedicated coaches. This past season was incredibly successful for our district, highlighted by students who earned prestigious honors at every level. We are proud to recognize multiple athletes who achieved All-County and All-Long Island honors, as well as those student-athletes who earned Honorable Mention, showing the depth of talent across our teams. Beyond these recognitions, we are proud to celebrate the following highest individual and program achievements:

We are celebrating the tremendous achievements of Avery Schumacher, who earned the highest distinction of All-State honors, in addition to All-Long Island and All-County recognition. In the Diving Championships, she advanced to the final for the second straight year, finishing in 12th place with a score of 433—an impressive three spots and over 20 points higher than her performance last year!

We are thrilled to celebrate Lyla Atlas, who was selected by all Section 8 coaches as the Class A Game Day Athlete of the Year in Cheerleading. This prestigious Nassau County award recognizes the top athlete who exemplifies outstanding skills, strong motions, high energy, great crowd appeal, and character, all while creating an exceptional atmosphere of support.

We recognize Ilan Gornstein, the highly successful Lady Dalers Varsity Soccer Coach, who earned the Coach of the Year award. Under his guidance, the team secured the title of Conference Champions and was honored with the County Sportsmanship Award—selected by officials for their exemplary conduct and respect. Furthermore, his emphasis on mentorship and community service led the team to launch a new tradition with their first annual soccer clinic for the Howitt Middle School girls' teams.

Finally, we congratulate our Varsity Football Coach, Buddy Krumenacker, who regrettably cannot be here tonight as he is at the County Football Dinner. Last month, his win against Freeport secured the program record for career victories, surpassing the legendary Coach Don Snyder. This historic milestone is a testament to two decades of dedication, passion, and sheer winning spirit within our football program. These awards reflect the commitment, discipline, and teamwork of our student-athletes, as well as the exceptional guidance and mentorship provided by our coaches. Please join me in congratulating all of our Fall sports honorees!

• Honorable Mention Soccer: Christian Graziano, Jonathan Buonomo
• Honorable Mention Volleyball: Gabriella McGuinnes 
• Honorable Mention Golf:  Michael Biscardi 
• Honorable Mention Cheer: Jasmin Lawrence , Juliana Shelley, Lyla Atlas—Class A Game Day Athlete of the Year 
• All County Cross Country: Frank Delguercio, Olivia Grassi, Sarah Sohl, Kailee Smith, Aliya Sabatella, Haley Kegel
• All County Soccer: Annalise Ferraro, Emma Ferraro, Gianna Recine, Kelsey Brosnan, Lily Cartagena, Nico Ditroia, Anthony Prici 
• All County Swim: Julia Busch, Anna Carle, Annika Hogger, Kaylee Jean Baptiste, Maggie Kelly, Jessica Reo, Nicollete Trobiano, Avery Schumacher—All Long Island and All State
• Coach of the Year: Ilan Gornstein

Celebrating Excellence: Farmingdale Playcrafters: We are delighted this evening to welcome the Farmingdale Playcrafters for their outstanding recent production of The SpongeBob Musical. We recognize this group tonight for three compelling achievements:

Exceptional Dedication: The cast and crew, spanning all grade levels, showcased remarkable talent and technical skill, successfully mounting this spectacular musical in a highly challenging, two-month timeline.

Program Strength: This performance highlighted the exceptional depth, talent, and leadership thriving within our performing arts program, from our seniors to our entire ensemble and Pit Orchestra.

Community Outreach: The students demonstrated tremendous commitment to service by hosting a special matinee for our middle school drama students, the local AHRC group, and our town’s senior citizens, emphasizing the inclusive spirit of the program. The Playcrafters' efforts are a vivid display of the exceptional teamwork and commitment to community we cherish in this district. We are honored to have them here tonight, and before we present their recognition, they will perform a selection from the show.

This concludes our Celebrating Excellence ceremony. Thank you for joining us in honoring the incredible achievements of our students and the pride they bring to the Farmingdale community.