District News

George W. Hewlett High School’s Class of 2026 Valedictorian, Shane Zamidar, and Salutatorian, Darren Chen, were recognized for their outstanding academic achievements at the Nassau County Council of School Superintendents’ (NCCSS) annual Celebrating Excellence Breakfast on June 5 at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury.

The annual event honors Nassau County’s valedictorians and salutatorians, bringing together students, families, and school leaders to celebrate academic excellence, dedication, and perseverance. Scholars from public high schools across the county were recognized during the ceremony and presented with commemorative plaques honoring their achievements.

Shane and Darren were joined by their families, Hewlett-Woodmere Superintendent Dr. Dina Anzalone, and George W. Hewlett High School Interim Principal Dr. Al Bauer, as they were recognized among Nassau County’s highest-achieving students.

The program featured student musical performances, remarks from educational leaders, and an inspiring keynote address encouraging graduates to embrace future opportunities while reflecting on the people and experiences that helped shape their success.

The District congratulates Shane and Darren on this well-deserved recognition and applauds their commitment to academic excellence. Their accomplishments reflect the dedication, hard work, and leadership that define George W. Hewlett High School and the District as a whole.

The Woodmere Middle School music program reached a historic milestone as both the 7th and 8th Grade Bands earned top ratings at the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) Majors Evaluation held at Adelphi University.

The 7th Grade Band received a Gold Rating, while the 8th Grade Band earned a Gold with Distinction Rating, marking the first time in Woodmere Middle School history that an ensemble has achieved this prestigious honor.

Unlike a traditional competition, the NYSSMA Majors Evaluation is a rigorous adjudication process in which certified evaluators assess student ensembles using stringent performance standards. Bands are evaluated on a variety of musical criteria, including tone quality, intonation, balance, technique, accuracy, rhythm, interpretation and overall musicianship.

A Gold Rating signifies outstanding technical and artistic achievement across all evaluated categories. The Gold with Distinction Rating represents an even higher level of excellence, awarded only to ensembles that demonstrate exceptional performance throughout all major selections.

This achievement reflects the tremendous dedication, talent and commitment of the student musicians who devoted countless hours to rehearsing and refining their performances. Their success is a testament to their passion for music and their pursuit of excellence.

The accomplishment also highlights the outstanding leadership of Band Directors Jonathan F. Holford and Sophia Randazzo, whose guidance, expertise and encouragement helped prepare students for this challenging evaluation.

The historic achievement is further supported by the families, staff and school community who continue to champion the arts and music education at Woodmere Middle School.

Congratulations to all of the student musicians and their directors on this outstanding accomplishment and memorable milestone in Woodmere Middle School history.

Hewlett High School senior Darsh Chavre has been recognized as a Horatio Alger New York Scholar, a prestigious honor awarded to students who demonstrate academic achievement, leadership, integrity, and perseverance in the pursuit of higher education.

Selected through a highly competitive process from a nationwide pool of applicants, Chavre earned the distinction for his commitment to academic excellence, service to his community, and determination in overcoming challenges.

The Horatio Alger Association, founded in 1947, supports students who exemplify the values of perseverance, hard work, and integrity. Since 1984, the organization has awarded scholarships and support services to students across the United States and Canada who have demonstrated resilience and a strong commitment to achieving their educational goals.

As a Horatio Alger Scholar, Chavre joins a distinguished network of students recognized for their character, leadership, and dedication to success.

The District congratulates Darsh on this outstanding achievement and wishes him continued success in his future endeavors.

Third grade students from Hewlett Elementary School and Ogden Elementary School recently took part in an immersive, hands-on environmental education program at the Outdoor Environmental Center at Woodmere Middle School. The experience gave students the opportunity to learn directly from nature through interactive exploration, collaboration, and discovery.

Throughout the visit, students rotated through three engaging learning stations designed to deepen their understanding of local ecosystems. At the Pond Station, students explored pond ecology and observed the diverse organisms that live within aquatic environments. At the Garden and Greenhouse Station, students participated in planting sweet corn in the school garden and toured the greenhouse to learn how controlled environments support plant growth. At the Bees and Trees Station, students engaged in an interactive activity highlighting the essential role bees play as pollinators and their importance to sustaining healthy ecosystems.

The program was made possible through the leadership and support of Dr. Mossey and Teacher Assistant Mary O’Shea, whose dedication helped create a meaningful and memorable learning experience for students.

This outdoor education initiative continues to strengthen environmental awareness while providing students with authentic, hands-on learning opportunities that connect classroom instruction to the natural world.

Hewlett High School senior Julia Igaunis has earned international distinction at the 2026 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), held in Phoenix, Arizona. Julia was awarded Fourth Place in the Category of Plant Sciences at the world’s largest pre-college science competition.

ISEF brings together more than 1,700 young scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and inventors from over 60 countries, regions, and territories. Finalists are selected through a highly competitive process, advancing from 365 affiliated science fairs around the world. Participants present original research projects addressing complex global challenges in science, engineering, and innovation.

Julia’s award-winning research focused on optimizing root hair growth in plants to improve nutrient absorption. Her work has important implications for agriculture, including the potential to enhance crop yields while reducing environmental impacts associated with excess fertilizer use.

Her achievement reflects both her exceptional dedication to scientific inquiry and the strength of research opportunities available to students at Hewlett High School. The District proudly congratulates Julia on this outstanding accomplishment and this well-deserved recognition on the international stage.

George W. Hewlett High School Director of Bands Anthony Santanastaso has been named a quarterfinalist for the 2027 GRAMMY Music Educator Award, presented by the Recording Academy and GRAMMY Museum as part of their shared national program recognizing outstanding music educators.

Mr. Santanastaso is the only music educator from Long Island selected as a quarterfinalist this year. The recognition highlights educators across the country who demonstrate exceptional commitment to music education and meaningful impact on students and school communities.

The Hewlett-Woodmere School District congratulates Mr. Santanastaso on this distinguished honor and thanks him for his continued dedication to students and the District’s music program. As he advances in the selection process, we wish him the best of luck as he is considered for semifinalist recognition.

Eight Hewlett students proudly represented the District at the DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, showcasing professionalism, leadership, and business expertise on the global stage.

Throughout the conference, students participated in competitive events, connected with peers from around the world, and engaged with industry professionals across a variety of career sectors. These experiences provided valuable insight into the global business community while helping students build meaningful professional connections for the future.

A special congratulations goes to Inon Azour and Aidan Khan, who competed in the highly competitive Business Solutions Project Event. The pair advanced to the final round of competition and earned a prestigious Blue Medal, placing them among the top 20 groups in the world.

The achievement reflects the dedication and hard work of Hewlett’s DECA students, as well as the strength of the District’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs.

The District also extends its appreciation to DECA advisors Molly Henck and Susan Hanlon for their continued guidance, mentorship, and support throughout the competition.

Hewlett-Woodmere Public Schools congratulates all eight students on representing the District with excellence at the international level.

Members of Hewlett High School’s Debate Club delivered a strong performance at the 2026 Ronald Reagan Debate Series, held on May 2 at the Collegiate School in New York City.

Representing Hewlett High School were senior Eilon Bober-Tsafrir, junior Raphael Levi, and junior Kayla Simon.

The Ronald Reagan Debate Series challenges students to emulate the style of historic presidential debates, with an emphasis on communication skills such as civility, storytelling, humor, and personality.

Special recognition goes to senior Eilon Bober-Tsafrir, who achieved an impressive 4-1 record and earned Quarterfinalist honors in a highly competitive field featuring students from 14 schools across five states.

The District extends appreciation to Joseph Van Wie and Vivian Irizarry for attending the event and supporting students throughout the competition.

Congratulations to six students from George W. Hewlett High School who have been named State Finalists following their outstanding performance at the 77th Annual Long Island Science Congress, held at the Cradle of Aviation Museum.

After months of intensive research and experimentation, students presented their projects to a panel of judges. Only approximately 3% of projects from the regional competition are selected to advance to the state level, making this recognition a significant achievement.

The following students will represent Long Island at the New York State Science Congress on June 7, 2026, in Syracuse:

Valeria Paez Martinez
Project: Alternative Splicing and Retrotransposon-Linked Intron Expansion in a Ceratopteris richardii Phytochrome Gene Yields a Red Light Induced Truncated Isoform

Sophie Tsoglin, Libby Baigel, Kimberly Lin
Project: Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Induce Oxidative Stress, Suppress Growth, and Compromise Plant Immunity in Ceratopteris richardii

Deniz Verdiev, Nicole Zhang
Project: Conserved Function of the NPC1 Protein in Eukaryotic Development: Insights from the Model Fern Ceratopteris richardii

The State Science Congress, sponsored by the Science Teachers Association of New York State (STANYS), will bring together top student researchers from across the state to compete for high honors and special awards.

Advancing to the state level is a testament to the high caliber of research being conducted in classrooms at George W. Hewlett High School. The District congratulates these students and their teachers on this remarkable achievement and wishes them continued success as they prepare for the state competition in Syracuse.