Smithtown showed off the talent of its student body and recognized the accomplishments of students and staff during its Feb. 26 board of education meeting.

The meeting was held at Smithtown Elementary School, as the board of education is moving its meetings to different locations this school year in an effort to connect with the community. Smithtown Elementary fifth-graders showed off their performing skills with a sneak peek of a few songs from their upcoming presentation of “The Lion King” to start the meeting.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. James Grossane honored and recognized several teachers and a student. High School West senior Matthew Bizzaro was recognized for receiving first place in the Long Island round of the National Automotive Technology Competition. Four Smithtown teachers – David Junz, Kelly Bigliani, Glenn Rogers and Brian Cusati – were honored for being chosen as Project Lead the Way Master Teachers. Lastly, High School East math teacher Marianne Schoepflin was honored for achieving National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certification. 

During their physical education classes throughout the week of Feb. 11, students at Tackan Elementary School got interactive with video games courtesy of iGame4.

iGame4 fitness program uses active video games to improve endurance, flexibility, balance and overall health. The program, designed by education and fitness professionals, creates excitement using innovative and fun technology that is proven to be effective at burning calories. 

Students rotated through three different gaming stations featuring National Geographic, where they were transformed into different animals; River Rush, where they have to work with a partner to get their raft down a river; and Just Dance, a dance video where they had to match the moves of the dancer on the screen. “Students are getting interactive and having fun at the same time,” said physical education teacher Jason Lambert. 

Doing their part in and around their school community to spread kindness, members of the Character Education and Citizenship Club at Tackan Elementary School braved the cold weather to share treats with their bus drivers and crossing guards upon their arrival on Jan. 23. With notes of thanks for their hard work in keeping Tackan students safe, the club members delivered hot chocolate and donuts to these unsung heroes. The club is advised by Tackan teachers Ms. Anderson and Ms. Mrose.

First-grade students at Tackan Elementary School participated in hands-on lessons on the forces of attraction during a magnet program presented by the Long Island Center for Arts and Sciences on Jan. 16.

During the workshop, students learned about the properties of magnets, the different polarizations and why objects have magnetic attraction and their different strengths. They theorized about whether or not certain objects would be attracted to the magnet and why. 

After the demonstration, the first-graders conducted their own experiments. Each student was given a bag full of objects and then had to guess which objects would be attracted to their magnet. They tested their theories by choosing which objects would stick to their magnets. They concluded the workshop by making their own whale magnets to hang on their refrigerators at home.