The West Hollow Theater Club stunned two nearly sold-out audiences during their performances of The Lion King Jr. this past weekend. The cast and crew have worked tirelessly since September preparing every costume worn, set built, dance performed and note sung. Congratulations to all!

Under the direction of Ms. Smith, Mr. Gerbino and Ms. Coughlin, the talented cast and stage crew from Candlewood’s Drama Club performed “Sing and Celebrate the 20th Century” for their fall musical production.

Congratulations to our business students from Hills East who placed at the "Ready. Set. Lead." Business Competition hosted by St. Joseph's University!

The Hills West PTA Arts in Education program brought motivational speaker Rohan Murphy back to present his story this year to 9th and 12th graders, sharing his powerful message of resiliency, perseverance and his motto of "no excuses" that resonated with the students.

Paumanok Student Council members presented their annual candy donation to the Gerald J. Ryan Outreach Center last week. They made over 125 bags of candy to donate!

When the Sunquam PTA announced its plan to revamp and beautify the courtyard, Art teacher Mrs. Berke knew she wanted to add something colorful for the students to interact with! She approached the PTA with the idea for an Inspirational Hopscotch and they loved it. With the support of the PTA, the "I Am Hopscotch" was finished this fall and is now available for students to use during their time in the Courtyard.

Congratulations to our students who have been accepted to The Institute of Creative Problem Solving for Gifted and Talented Students at SUNY College at Old Westbury!

The Half Hollow Hills community's generosity made a huge impact on the KiDS NEED MoRE toy donation fundraiser organized by Hills West's Grace Sullivan, Hills East alumna Vanessa Tantillo, and their siblings. This year, they collected over 600 toys and $1,000 in donations, spreading holiday cheer to around 1,000 local children battling cancer through the KiDS NEED MoRE charity.

Otsego's Kindness Club worked hard through the month of November to make posters, read announcements, sort food and pack 23 bags of food for families in need!

Vanderbilt 5th graders recently read a book called "Balloons Over Broadway" that explained how the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade began. The students then designed and created their own balloons and wrote persuasive letters to Macy’s explaining why their design should be included in next year’s parade. Finally, they held a parade throughout the school sharing their imaginative creations!

Congratulations to Hills East Social Studies teacher Gabby Kramer on being selected as the New York State Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages High School ESOL Teacher of the Year!

The Grand Opening of The LOTUS wellness space at Candlewood provided an opportunity for the buildings and district administration to thank the generous donors, Reach CYA and the Candlewood PTA Unit, that made this space possible.

Kindergarteners at Vanderbilt held a lovely "Children Around The World Parade" where each student made a beautiful doll representing their culture which they carried in the parade.

Students at Signal Hill had a great time participating in their annual Friendsgiving Parade!

Student leaders from Hills West and East recently attended a leadership conference called Compassion Without Borders that was sponsored by the Suffolk County Principals Association and hosted at Hills East this year.

In honor of the Half Hollow Hills PTA Bus Driver Appreciation Day, our PTA units generously provided our bus drivers with bagged breakfasts to show gratitude for all they do to keep our students safe! Some of our elementary students also created special cards to thank their wonderful bus drivers.

The Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind and America's VetDogs President and CEO John Miller, a member of the class of 1992 from Hills East, visited students from the Senior Experience classes at Hills West and East to inform them about the life-changing work service dogs provide to people who are blind, have low vision, or have other disabilities, as well as veterans and first responders with disabilities. 

Congratulations to this year's winners of the West Hollow Banner Contest: Callie Dobler (6th grade), Kazi Maqsood (7th grade) and Ava Cannatella (8th grade)! Students designed school-themed banners that were voted on by each grade level.

Physical education teachers Mr. Elflein and Ms. Liebling put together the Paumanok Putt-Putt miniature golf course in the gymnasium for a culminating activity in their golf unit.

Vanderbilt held a Veterans Day parade and luncheon to honor the family members of staff and faculty who have served in the U.S. military.

Hills West's Newspaper and Yearbook clubs participated in their annual trip to the Columbia Scholastic Press Association's Fall Conference where the students were able to participate in sessions covering all aspects of student publishing.

Congratulations to all of our students at Hills East and West who participated in our Fall Athletic Signing Day!

Otsego's Kindness Club collected leftover Halloween candy from their houses to share with our troops overseas. They collected 200 pounds of candy that will be sent to the brave women and men serving our country!

The Vanderbilt Student Council ended their annual Socktober sock drive by counting and sorting nearly 1500 pairs of donated socks and then boxing them up for delivery to four different organizations on Long Island.

During the November Superintendent's Conference Day, our instructional staff participated in many professional development and learning opportunities including a remarkable presentation on innovation by George Couros, a leader in the area of innovative teaching, learning, and leading.