Seventh-graders at Accompsett Middle School participated in a hands-on lesson as part of their Flight and Space Project Lead the Way class. After learning about the Wright brothers and the first inventions to get man off the ground, the students constructed hot air balloons with tissue paper, construction paper and glue. The culmination of the project involved testing their designs both inside and outside. The flight times ranged from a few seconds to nearly half a minute. 

Accompsett Middle School sixth-grade science teacher Amy Olander was recently accepted into the New York State Master Teacher Program. 

To be eligible for admission, Olander must have displayed knowledge of STEM content, pedagogy and involvement in the community. She also completed an entrance exam, interview and demo lesson. Olander will complete her program at SUNY Stony Brook during the course of the next four years, beginning in November. 

Only 275 teachers in New York State are chosen for the Master Teacher Program. “I look forward to taking what I learn in the program and sharing it with my students and colleagues,” Olander said.  

Olander has been a teacher for the past 23 years, 17 of which she has been with the Smithtown Central School District. She also currently serves as the science instructional specialist at Accompsett Middle. “The whole science department will benefit from the information she gleans from this program” said Principal Paul McNeil. “Because of her efforts, all of the students and teachers here will be rewarded with knowledge.”

National Junior Honor Society students from Accompsett Middle School recently held a pet drive for animals affected during and after Hurricane Florence. North Shore Animal League in Port Washington took in more than 100 animals displaced by the storm. The members of the honor society collected donations, food and other supplies, valued at more than $400. 

Students at Accompsett Middle School honored and remembered the 17th anniversary of Sept. 11 during the morning of Sept. 12. Members of Ms. Collins’ chorus performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” during morning announcements. Students also placed 17 flags outside of the building in memory of the attacks. Throughout the day, lessons about Sept. 11 were weaved into the social studies curriculum in the different grade levels. 

Prior to the start of the 2018-2019 school year, Smithtown Central School District’s three middle schools – Accompsett, Great Hollow and Nesaquake – held orientations for their incoming sixth-grade class.

During the last week of August, all of the schools welcomed students to the buildings for orientation to meet with their teachers and explore their new surroundings. Administrators and faculty members were on hand to answer questions and help ease the transition to their new school. After a brief presentation, students were given their schedules and locker information. 

Following the orientations, students were able to walk through their schedule, find their lockers, meet their new classmates and reconnect with friends.