At the May 22 board of education meeting, district honored its dedicated faculty and staff who will be retiring at the end of the 2017-18 school year. Superintendent of Schools Dr. James Grossane announced the names of each retiree before presenting those in attendance with Certificates of Recognition on behalf of the board of education, honoring their years of service to the district’s students. A brief reception was also held at district offices prior to the board meeting to celebrate the retirees.

The district congratulates the following retirees: 
Elizabeth Braunreuther 
Debra Canning
Georgianna Colino
Paul Cornwell
Barbara Delach
Helene Suarez Doheny 
Kim Emery
Ingrid Hrvatin
Jane Jordan
Hester Kanakaris
Elaine Kruk
Rosanne Lazarus
Amy Mannarino
James Markey
Vincent Mazza
Diane McGuire
Claire Heatley Mueller
Jeffrey Netter
Joan Pisano
Louise Prescott
Debra Pymm 
Gregory Rivera Jr.
Ann Marie Scholz
Alice Serio 
Dolores Seyffert
Ellen Smith
Linda Stackow
William Stockman
Laurie Sweeney
Antonio Tardio
Margaret Wilkey
Debra Zaleski

The select chorus from Great Hollow Middle School, under the direction of teacher Tara Putnam, participated in the New York State School Music Association’s Majors Festival at Centereach High School on May 25. The group, comprised of student-musicians in grades 6-8, practiced before and after school for the festival and received a gold rating. 

Two students from Great Hollow Middle School received honors for their participation in the Scholastic Challenge. Sixth-grader Hatim Husainy scored 86 percent, earning him the New York State Champion title. Eighth-grader Madeline Raeihle received the highest score in her grade. 

The Scholastic Challenge is an annual national contest in which students are challenged to demonstrate a variety of problem-solving skills and knowledge in many academic areas. The online competition consisted of 100 questions covering a range of subjects, including language and literature, geography, history, science, mathematics and general knowledge. 

The competition is open sixth- and eighth-grade students; this year approximately 5,000 students participated in the academic challenge.

To address the safety and security of students and staff throughout the district, the Smithtown Central School District invited parents and community members to its spring Parent University School Safety Forum on May 7 at Smithtown High School West.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. James Grossane spoke about the safety and security practices in place including the visitor management system, security entrances and vestibules, security cameras and routine evacuation/fire/lockdown drills. 

District, county and law enforcement representatives were on hand to discuss the district’s emergency planning and responses in the event of a threat to school safety. Jack Blaum, the district’s security consultant, and Joe Rizzo, chief of security, spoke about the district’s safety measures, practices and procedures. They addressed concerns about keeping buildings secure, preventative measures, fire evacuation procedures and ongoing security upgrades.

Assistant Superintendent of Pupil Personnel Services Mona Tobin addressed the audience regarding communication with parents and community members and reunification plans in the event of an emergency.