School Notebook: Scholarship Fundraiser, Pajama Drive, and More

Three Village Teachers' Association Fundraiser a Success

More than 80 current and former Three Village teachers, administrators and staff members took to the stage for a production of The Wizard of Oz as a scholarship fundraiser for the Three Village Teachers Association.

More than two months of rehearsing led up to the November performances, which starred Jackie Stiegart of Murphy JHS starred as Dorothy, Mike DeRosa of Gelinas JHS as the Scarecrow, Eric Gustaveson of Setauket Elementary as the Cowardly Lion, and Paul Wilgencamp of Minnesauket Elementary as the Tin Man.

Students Donate Pajamas and Books to Children in Need

Students across the district participated in the Scholastic Book Club’s Great Bedtime Story Pajama Drive, which provides new pajamas and books for children in need.

Students from Minnesauke Elementary, Setauket Elementary, Murphy Junior High and Ward Melville High School chipped in to collect almost 300 sets of pajamas and 300 new books to donate.

Day of Writing Brings Out Students' Creativity

Students at Ward Melville participated in the National Day on Writing in November by writing responses to a given prompt and displaying them on the walls in the halls of the school. More than 1,800 responses were collected.

"It was amazing to see how differently each person reacted to the same prompt," said Rachel Tiedemann, a Ward Melville senior and contributor to Cinnabar, the school’s literary and art magazine. "This was a wonderful way for students to experience writing and get creative."

Third graders at Mount Elementary participated by holding their annual Poetry Frolic, in which students combined their efforts to write autumn-themed poetry to be performed for an audience of parents.