On Dec. 1, the Syosset High School central administration, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Tom Rogers and members of the Board of Education honored the school’s faculty, support staff and Blue Ribbon Steering Committee members for their hard work and perseverance toward winning the National Blue Ribbon Award for Excellence.
During a special faculty meeting held in the school’s west cafeteria, Assistant Principal and committee chairperson Raymond Gessner opened the celebration by congratulating the committee for exceeding the criteria and requirements set forth by the Secretary of Education to achieve this distinction. “Syosset High School balances a challenging and intellectual atmosphere with a commitment to character development, where a need to develop the whole child is a priority even with the demanding pressures of modern academia,” said Gessner. “That is who we are and that is why we are a Blue Ribbon School – because we go beyond the expected and exceed at every level. And it is you all [Blue Ribbon Steering Committee] who made this possible.”
Principal Dr. Giovanni Durante thanked the committee members and all of the teachers, faculty and support staff who make Syosset an astonishing place. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Rogers and Board of Education President Dr. Michael Cohen also expressed their gratitude.
“My congratulations to all of you [faculty of the Blue Ribbon Steering Committee] and to your leadership for distinctly defining what it is here that makes Syosset so special,” said Dr. Rogers. “None of this is possible without your dedication and incredible levels of standards that you hold yourselves to as well as your students in academic preparation.”
Board of Education President Dr. Michael Cohen was honored to address the crowd for achieving this prestigious honor.
“You may not always get to see the fruits of your labor from students who leave Syosset and go beyond,” said Dr. Cohen. “They are so well prepared for college and comfortable in their surroundings, and that is a tribute to you all.”
Nominated by the New York State Education Department, Syosset High School is one of just 279 public and 50 private schools in the country to receive this honor. The school received the Exemplary High Performing Honor, which takes into account performance on state assessments and national exams, graduation rates, and school operations such as the use of assessments and assessment data, curricula, professional development, leadership, and community and family involvement.
A special Blue Ribbon ceremony will also be held prior to the Dec. 19 Board of Education meeting at South Woods Middle School. The ceremony will start at 7:30 p.m.
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