Current News

Winning projects for future scientists

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Students at Westhampton Beach Elementary School displayed their knowledge of science at the school’s 25th annual Math, Science and Technology Fair.

The event showcased a variety of science projects by students in grades 1-5, with topics ranging from dog anatomy and beach erosion to screen time and cleaner water.

This year’s fair winners were Sophie Dwyer and Elizabeth Williams, kindergarten; Kenley Montpetit, first grade; Ben Williams, second grade; Max Searles, third grade; Cora Montpetit, fourth grade; and Xavier Kalisak, fifth grade.

The winning students are now eligible to compete in Brookhaven National Laboratory’s annual Elementary Science Fair Competition.

Date Added: 3/27/2024

Westhampton Beach VE students Help Protect Seniors Against Cybercrimes

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In recognizing that senior citizens are a targeted population for fraud and cybercrimes, Westhampton Beach High School Virtual Enterprise students decided to act. The students collaborated to create an informative presentation about cybersecurity and online fraud and volunteered to share it with residents of the Villa at Westhampton to help protect them against identity theft, hacking and more.

Date Added: 3/25/2024

Westhampton Beach Middle School community read and cultural fair unites students, teachers and families

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Each year, the Westhampton Beach Middle School hosts an outstanding community read program where students, teachers, community members and families unite to read the same book and collectively experience how the power of storytelling brings people together. This year, the event expanded to include an impressive cultural fair.

The cultural fair was spearheaded by community read advisers Kelly Massaro and Yvonne Perez, who wanted to showcase how unique and varied their students’ experiences, backgrounds and cultures are following the collective reading of “Libertad” by Alma Fullerton. The book illustrates the harrowing journey that two young boys take to find their father in America after losing their mother in Guatemala. It resonates with themes of love, perseverance and hope.

As part of the cultural fair and community read night, families created tables to represent their country of origin, and parents and grandparents who had immigrated to America shared their immigration stories. Families cooked food, shared music, and displayed traditional clothing and artifacts from their countries. Attendees received a passport to have stamped as they visited each of the tables. Additionally, high school students performed a traditional Dance of the Deer from Guatemala with their family members during the evening.

In the weeks leading up to the event, students assisted in the planning, created poster boards and videos, and built a giant Guatemalan kite that honored the traditional Guatemalan Kite Festival. They also created an authentic El Salvadorian dish with the assistance of the middle school’s chef and tried a variety of foods from around the world as part of the school’s lunch menu.

Further assisting with the event was Nicole Spatz and Lauren O'Hearn, who were instrumental in bringing the English as a new language community together to get involved.

“The evening was one of the most powerful that I have ever participated in in my 20 years of working at Westhampton Beach,” said Massaro. “I felt so honored to stand witness to the power of our students’ and families’ ‘Community Hurricane.’ What a generous and beautiful display of love, acceptance, understanding, diversity, family and friendship. We all left with our hearts and our stomachs full.”

Date Added: 3/19/2024

Learning about disabilities

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Westhampton Beach Elementary School students recently participated in an annual sensory evening and day where they learned about disabilities through interactive stations. Students learned about sensory challenges such as noise and touch, attempted to wheel a wheelchair through an obstacle course, and learned about the many devices available to students who are unable to communicate through speech.

Date Added: 3/14/2024

Westhampton Beach valedictorian and salutatorian named

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Westhampton Beach High School has announced Meghan Kelly and Jessica Curran as its Class of 2024 valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively. The two seniors earned the top spots in their class through their outstanding commitment to academics.

Kelly has achieved numerous academic accomplishments during her tenure at Westhampton Beach High School. She is a member of her school’s National, Math and Science honor societies, was named a Commended Student in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program and is an AP Scholar with Distinction. She also received a perfect score on her AP Research exam and is a semifinalist in the Junior Sciences and Humanities Symposium.

When not studying, Kelly is an active member of her school’s varsity track team, pep band, Spanish Club and Interact Club. She is also a volunteer member of the Westhampton Junior Ambulance.

She plans to study biochemistry at Duke University in the fall.

Curran has an equally impressive academic record. She has been named a prestigious Regeneron Scholar and earned a perfect score on her AP Research exam. She is also an AP Scholar with Distinction, a Commended Student in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program and vice president of her school’s National Honor Society.

Additionally, Curran serves as vice president of her school’s Environmental Cure Club, vice president of the robotics team and captain of Quiz Bowl. Outside of school, she volunteers with the Westhampton Junior Ambulance and is a Girl Scout who earned her Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouting.

Curran will be attending Princeton University to study environmental engineering.


Date Added: 3/13/2024