Sophomore students at Mattituck High School may have the option to elevate their diploma under a new program pitched to the Board of Education last week.
The district is planning to begin offering a rigorous Advanced Placement Capstone Diploma program, which officials said will focus on college-level research and collaboration skills.
“This is a game changer for our students,” Superintendent Jill Gierasch said Monday.
According to high school principal Shawn Petretti and instructional support administrator Ilana Finnegan, who are spearheading the initiative, the program would consist of two AP courses taken sequentially.
According to Ms. Finnegan, students would first take an AP seminar course in 10th grade followed by an AP research course as either a junior or senior to earn a distinctive certificate in addition to their diploma.
Students who complete the program while also receiving a score of 3 or higher on four additional AP exams could also earn an advanced AP Capstone Diploma.
Ms. Finnegan noted that the program has been endorsed by more than 140 colleges and over 150 schools in New York are already offering the program.
Throughout the course, students learn how to research interdisciplinary topics of their own choosing and analyze information while working on both individual and group presentations.
“Whatever your passion is, you can become a bigger expert on it,” Ms. Finnegan said.
District officials said they plan to begin recruiting freshman students who are already on an honors and AP track to participate in the program next year in addition to holding parent information sessions.
“You don’t have to be on an AP track or honors English [to participate], but for our first year we are recommending that we use that cohort,” Ms. Gierasch explained. “It’s not an easy class.”
Board of Education member Patricia Arslanian said she was impressed by the program’s merits.
“The skillset … is so relevant, because in college, right away you’re given research projects and many colleges and universities, in order to graduate with an honors degree, you have to do a thesis, you have to collaborate with others,” she said. “[The course] creates the skill set that you need to be successful.”
In addition to the capstone program, Mr. Petretti said five additional courses may be added next year, including an AP Computer Science course and AP European History course after a group of 12 students petitioned for its return.
Two new culinary classes and a new acting class are also proposed.
“I’ve lived through times when we were on austerity budgets and we were dismantling programs and that was awful,” Mr. Petretti said. “So it’s great to move forward and bring things in for the kids, especially when it’s their interests that are driving [the growth].”
A familiar theme began to emerge in the stories students shared as they remembered their friend, classmate and teammate.
Ryan Oliver, who stood about 6-foot-2 and carried himself as if he were older than a high school sophomore, was a young man so many looked up to at Mattituck High School.
“People at the services kept coming up to us and saying Ryan was their protector,” said Ryan’s father, Michael Oliver, in an interview Tuesday. “He was a shoulder for his friends. … Friends kind of gravitated toward him.”
Ryan was remembered Saturday at a Celebration of Life in Southold as a standout athlete and tremendous friend who was polite, caring and funny and who brought joy to the lives of everyone he met. Ryan died suddenly on Jan. 28. He was 16.
“He had a big heart,” Mr. Oliver said. “He was friends with everybody.”
When he wasn’t racing up and down the lacrosse or soccer fields, Ryan enjoyed playing video games with friends, spending time with his girlfriend and enjoying the outdoors on family trips. His passing sent a school community and beyond into mourning. The Mattituck-Cutchogue School District collaborated with the Community Crisis Action Team from the Family Service League to provide support for grieving students.
In a Jan. 29 letter to parents, district Superintendent Jill Gierasch, principal Shawn Petretti and director of pupil personnel services Meredythe Alliegro provided a list of resources to help families through the unexpected tragedy.
They said students had met that day with the crisis team and “shared their fears, concerns and sympathy toward the Oliver family. Many children began sharing the need for continued support along with speaking about Ryan and his wonderful and caring qualities.”
As an outpouring of support began to come in to the Oliver family, who had lived in Aquebogue for about 18 years until Ryan finished elementary school, Mr. Oliver kept hearing from people asking what they could do. So on Jan. 30, he created a GoFundMe page where he set a $5,000 goal for people to donate to local charities that support children and their families. The donations, he wrote, would be in Ryan’s memory “to spread love all around.”
“The $5,000 was a legitimate goal,” Mr. Oliver said, adding that he was “blown away” by what happened next.
Within minutes, the GoFundMe hit its goal. Gary Lukachinski, executive vice president of the The Simmons Point Group — a financial adviser firm based in Riverhead — matched the goal with a $5,000 donation. Mr. Oliver works alongside Mr. Lukachinski as associate vice president.
An anonymous donor contributed an additional $5,000. As of Wednesday morning, with more than 750 contributors, $77,322 had been raised.
Many of the donors were people Mr. Oliver said he didn’t even know. What really struck him were some of the smaller donations — $5 and $10 gifts from people, including some teenagers, who wanted to help, however small the contribution.
Ryan Oliver pictured with his travel lacrosse team. (Courtesy photo)
Mr. Oliver said he knows some of those people may not be in a position to donate a lot of money, yet they’re still doing it “to honor [Ryan].”
“That kind of gets me,” he said.
The past 10 days had been such a whirlwind, Mr. Oliver said, that he hadn’t begun to sort through how the money will be donated. The family is considering starting a scholarship fund or foundation, but no formal plans have been made yet.
“It would be local, impacting the community,” he said.
Mr. Oliver said the community’s support for his family, including his wife, Kristen, and their 13-year-old daughter, Kate, has been overwhelming.
He said the school officials have been in constant contact and have been “fantastic” in supporting students with the Family Service League and that Joe Grattan, funeral director at DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home, has been “beyond.”
“He has made this process, as difficult as it is, as easy as possible,” Mr. Oliver said. “Ryan was friends with his son and my daughter is friends with his daughter, so I know it’s tough on them.”
The support from the community — whether it be prayers, thoughts or comfort food — has been nonstop, he said.
“It’s amazing,” he said.
Ryan grew up playing lacrosse and participated on travel teams and traveled all over for tournaments. Mr. Oliver played lacrosse himself at Wittenberg University and loved to watch his son play the game. When he wasn’t coaching himself, he would be on the sidelines snapping photos of Ryan and his teammates.
This past spring would have likely been Ryan’s first on the varsity at Mattituck. But the pandemic forced the season to be canceled. He had played junior varsity lacrosse as an eighth-grader.
“Lacrosse was a big part of him,” said Mr. Oliver, who is the founder of Mattituck/Cutchogue Athletic Booster club. “He was a big kid who could run.”
At the services Saturday at True Light Church, photos of Ryan filled the large room as mourners gathered to remember him. A large board with “#3,” Ryan’s jersey number, was placed next to the casket. Teammates sat together, all wearing white jerseys. A livestream of the service was broadcast via Zoom, allowing an additional 175 or more people to watch safely from home.
Alyson Wood, Ms. Oliver’s sister and Ryan’s aunt, spoke at the service, saying, “the love and grief in this room is palpable.”
She recalled how Ryan was the oldest grandchild on her sister’s side of the family, so every milestone in his life was celebrated along the way.
“First step, a lost tooth, a first soccer game, we soaked it all in,” Ms. Wood said. “I could go on and on about what a great nephew he was and wonderful he is to his cousins, but there’s no love like a grandmother’s love.”
She proceeded to then a read a letter prepared by her mother.
“You are the light and the love of our lives,” she read.
Mr. Oliver said he will remember his son as a special kid.
“We loved him and he loved us,” he said. “It’s a hole that will never be filled.”
Nearly a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, people of all ages are still struggling to cope with isolation and monotonous, quarantined life.
But the pandemic is taking a greater toll on students, particularly teenagers, who are worn down by remote learning, missing out on major milestones and anxious about what’s to come.
In response to rising concerns over mental health, students and educators in the Mattituck-Cutchogue school district are pleading for state funding to be restored to the North Fork Coalition for Behavioral Health, a coalition of local hospitals, elected officials and the Family Service League working to improve students’ access to mental health services, which historically have been limited due to the geography of the East End.
“We all know the impact the pandemic has had on families’ behavioral health needs,” Mattituck High School senior Myah Orlowski said during a recent virtual legislative workshop hosted by Eastern Suffolk BOCES and Suffolk Region PTA.
“The systems are strained, debilitating social and emotional health issues, substance use disorders and mental health disorders are rising,” Myah said, adding that the recent sudden loss of sophomore Ryan Oliver reinforced the need for support. “Mattituck is in need of support for all of our students and administration during this devastating time.”
Funding for the initiative, which mirrors a program first implemented on the South Fork, was notably omitted from the state’s 2021 budget, which State Senator Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk) described last year as “shameful.”
During a Board of Education meeting last Thursday, Superintendent Jill Gierasch said some grant programs have helped keep the program afloat, though not at the $175,000 funding level they were initially seeking. Despite the lack of funding, Ms. Gierasch said Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital and other local agencies have partnered together to continue providing services where needed.
Ms. Gierasch and other district officials said teachers are acutely aware of the struggles students may be facing, sometimes silently, as the pandemic rages on. Students had mental health screenings when school began in the fall “just to take the temperature of students,” Ms. Gierasch explained. “What were their fears and some of their struggles.”
Emergency counseling and other services are available to Mattituck students in the wake of Ryan’s death, which officials say underscores the need for the program.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pediatric mental health-related visits to the emergency room increased 24% for children between ages 5-11 and 31% for children ages 12-17 at the height of the pandemic in April and remain elevated.
“To keep the level of services going, how will you approach the restoration of mental health funding and expand the efforts on the East End to avoid the increasing evidence that we are heading towards a crisis in our region?” Myah asked state lawmakers during the Feb. 6 Zoom meeting.
State Sen. Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk) and Assembly members Fred Thiele (I-Sag Harbor) and Jodi Giglio (R-Baiting Hollow) vowed to advocate for restoring and increasing funding for the program to $250,000. Southold Town Government Liaison Officer Denis Noncarrow has also applied for additional funding through the Community Development Block Grant program and is awaiting a response.
“To be perfectly frank, there may have been a little politics involved,” Mr. Palumbo said of the funding cuts. “But at the end of the day, this is not an expensive program … This program is critical and we will really fight to get it back in the budget. Particularly during this pandemic, it’s obviously needed as we’ve seen in the past few weeks,” he said, adding that the loss of Ryan was shocking and tragic. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family,” Mr. Palumbo said.
Ms. Giglio said school districts should have increased flexibility for allocating state funding to meet needs in certain areas. “We’re hearing all throughout the country about depression,” she said. “Honor students and athletes that are committing suicide and it’s not acceptable. We need to make sure that [mental health] is the No. 1 priority” for students and teachers alike.
Mr. Thiele said the program, which was started in response to suicides on the South Fork, has been a success. “In the wake of the pandemic when mental health services are in such increased demand more than ever before, this funding has to be included and politics needs to be set aside,” he said.
Myah’s plea for funding the program received wide support from other legislators on the call, including state senators Mario Matterra (R-St. James) and Alexis Weik (R-Islip).
At last week’s Board of Education meeting, district officials said they would continue to advocate their support for the program and follow up with local lawmakers.
“We are going to hold them to this and continue to advocate for our students and the needs that mental health services provide on the North Fork,” Ms. Gierasch said.
She said she’s proud of Myah for speaking up on the issue. “I hope they really see the impact and how these services are needed,” Ms. Gierasch said.
As a school year unlike any other nears the end, local school districts have announced the top-achieving students in the Class of 2021.
In Mattituck, this year’s valedictorian and salutatorian share a love for clubs, activities and community service.
Senior Luke Altman will graduate as valedictorian with an unweighted GPA of 97.76. The salutatorian is Weronika Jachimowicz, who has an unweighted GPA of 97.27.
“Both Luke and Weronika have demonstrated the perseverance and commitment needed to earn the prestigious distinction of Class of 2021 valedictorian and salutatorian,” Superintendent of Schools Jill Gierasch said. “This achievement, especially during these challenging times, is a major accomplishment in their academic careers.”
According to school officials, Luke participated on the varsity wrestling team, varsity cross country and varsity track teams and served as president for the National Honor Society, Student Council and Mathletes.
He received the Presidential Volunteer Service Award and plans to study biology in college.
Weronika was a member of the fencing team, ping pong team and winter track team. She was a member of the National Honor Society, high school art portfolio club, and Students Against Destructive Decisions club, co-president of the Unity club and president of the Interact club. In addition, she participated in community service as a volunteer at local libraries. She is planning to major in biology/forensics in college.
Mattituck valedictorian and salutatorian Weronika Jachimowicz.
Emily McInnis, whose passions include science, math, art and architecture, is planning to attend Dartmouth College in the fall. Her older brother Joe was the Greenport valedictorian last June.
A member of the Shakespeare Club who works at the local library, school officials said Emily is on track to graduate with an AP Capstone Diploma and Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation.
Salutatorian Aidan Crowley will graduate with those same honors and plans on studying engineering at college.
He served as Commanding Officer in the school’s NJROTC unit and also captain of the Robotics Team, which has attended the World Championships.
High school principal Gary Kalish said he couldn’t be prouder of both students.
“Not only have they proven themselves as exceptional scholars, but they have also grown to be caring, respectful and talented young people. Not only have they excelled throughout high school, but they have also done so through the challenges of the pandemic. We look forward to what comes next for them after high school,” Mr. Kalish said.
Southold’s valedictorian, Benjamin Ward, was described by district officials as highly motivated and kind.
He’s a member of the varsity tennis and cross-country teams, Environmental Club, and Broadcast Awards nominee with SOHO TV.
Benjamin also served as president of the Quizbowl Team, Student Ambassador Club and frequently contributed to the school newspaper, the Sentinel.
Students may recognize Benjamin as the “voice of Southold,” responsible for delivering morning announcements and the Pledge of Allegiance for the past five years.
“During an uncertain and difficult time, this student’s morning greeting proved to be steadfast and supportive when our community needed it,” Superintendent Dr. Anthony Mauro said.
Benjamin, who is a National Merit Scholarship Letter of Commendation recipient, an AP Scholar Award winner, Scholar Athlete and a member of the National Honor Society, has a cumulative GPA of 99.52 and plans to study International Affairs at college.
Salutatorian Hanna DeSimone is a member of the varsity tennis team, varsity track team and performs in the select orchestra.
She also serves as treasurer in the Interact Club and a senior class officer who appears as an anchor on SOHO TV.
With a GPA of 98.12, Hanna is also a Scholar Athlete and member of the National Honor Society. She is planning to study marketing in the fall.
“Despite a global pandemic, shifting instructional models, and the myriad of health and safety guidelines, these two students have truly risen to the occasion and have proven to be extraordinary,” Dr. Mauro said.
From an early age, Weronika Jachimowicz displayed an “artist’s soul.”
Her mother, Edyta, enjoyed drawing and her daughter quickly followed her lead. By around 2 or 3 years old, Weronika was already creating impressive drawings seemingly beyond her age.
“I tried to keep pushing her and it turns out she’s the best in every single thing she does,” the proud mother said.
Now 17 and a senior at Mattituck High School, Weronika recently won a competition for her drawing to appear on the school’s yearbook cover.
“A lot of people in my school would say I’m like the artistic one,” she said. “It really does warm my heart because I like it when people get inspired by my artwork.”
She also enjoys giving back to the community, whether it be through the school’s Interact Club or working on fundraisers for animal shelters. She would volunteer with a local church to feed the homeless and tutor young kids in elementary school. She grew out her hair for several years before opting to have it cut off for a wig that could be donated to a child with cancer.
“She’s very kind and loving person,” Edyta said.
On top of all that, Weronika will receive her high school diploma in June as the school’s salutatorian, an honor she humbly tried to downplay around her family. Her mother, who was born in Poland and moved to the United States at 18 without knowing any English, excitedly shared the news of her daughter’s accomplishment with everyone in their family.
Weronika said she was embarrassed at first and not used to the attention. She had no idea at the time how her accomplishment would soon ricochet across the internet — not for the merits of her work, but for her appearance.
Over the summer, Weronika joined the rest of her classmates for school yearbook photos. She dressed in what some would consider a “normal” outfit, the kind of look that blends in with the crowd. The photo was a compromise she had reached with her mom. They would each get a photo. Her mom would have the initial photo, taken when her daughter still had long hair, to eventually hang in their house. In December, Weronika had her photo retaken, this time with an entirely new look. She dressed the way she feels comfortable and how she chooses to express herself: in Goth. She wore dark lipstick, a choker, a spider web necklace and horns atop her now short, purple-shaded hair.
“I feel like it’s nothing too deep, it was everything that made me happy all at once,” she said of the attire. “I like the horns. I know a lot of people were criticizing me, saying it’s a devil worship. It’s really more simple than that. I just thought I looked cute in them.”
Weronika laughed at some of the feedback on the earrings she wore, which people interpreted as worshipping Satan.
“I just thought it looked cool,” she said.
She didn’t expect the photo to be seen beyond her school community, where classmates have become accustomed to her eccentric look.
The photo appeared in local media, including last week’s Suffolk Times for a story on valedictorians and salutatorians in each school. It soon went viral across Twitter, when a dermatologist whose in-laws live in Mattituck shared the image after seeing it in the paper. He added a concise comment on the Twitter post: “You go girl.” The Friday night post began to go viral Saturday, ultimately surging to more than a half-million likes.
Weronika hadn’t used her Twitter account frequently, but signed back in to follow the growing thread.
Weronkia said she’s still waiting to hear from some colleges before deciding where to attend in the fall. (Credit: Joe Werkmeister)
It was disheartening at first, she said, when the photo first went public and some initial comments were negative. She didn’t let it affect her. Privately, she received messages from people saying how it inspired them to be themselves in school.
“That really made me happy because that’s all that I wanted to do,” she said. “I wanted to inspire someone to not be afraid to be themselves.”
As the Twitter thread grew, comments flowed in, the vast majority supporting Weronika. Her account soon flooded to more than 30,000 followers.
“It was overwhelming,” she said.
Weronika said her choice to dress in Goth was never about seeking a spotlight. It simply made her comfortable and happy, just as how someone may prefer a certain food that differs from another’s preference. Some people may judge, she knows, and she can accept that.
I want to do anything I can to help those around me be happy with themselves.
Weronika Jachimowicz
What people don’t see in the yearbook photo is the struggle she endured a few years earlier, and how accepting the Goth lifestyle helped her find a peace about herself.
For most of her childhood, Weronika dressed like a typical girl. Her mom said the transformation started about two years ago. Edyta noticed her daughter had been losing weight and took her to a doctor. She was suffering from the eating disorder anorexia, a disease that most commonly affects teenage girls.
She wound up missing several months of school during her sophomore year, her mom said, so she could focus on her health.
“We went through a lot,” Edyta said.
Weronika said the experience remains difficult to talk about, but she hopes by sharing it she can help others who may be struggling and feeling alone.
“I want to do anything I can to help those around me be happy with themselves,” she said.
When Weronika returned to school, she caught up on her missed work within a month, her mom said — a testament to her work ethic and intelligence. She’s been excelling in every way since.
Edyta said she tried to be more supportive once her daughter switched out her wardrobe for a new look following her recovery.
“No matter what I’m going to love her and support her as much as I can,” she said.
Like any parent, Edyta worried about the newfound internet fame her daughter has recently received. The last few days had been “very stressful,” she said.
Edyta said she even downloaded Twitter to try to follow some of the comments.
“It makes me feel more confident, because they are all with her,” she said. “They’re supporting her and are there for her. She’s not alone. We’re not alone.”
With her senior year winding down, Weronika has taken some time to relax while she waits to hear back from a few colleges before deciding where to attend in the fall. She knows she plans to pursue forensics with an eye toward becoming a medical examiner.
She’s always had an interest in a “darker side of things,” she said.
“I feel like it would be a very different environment for me and I feel like it would be fitting,” she said.
As school resumed Tuesday following spring break, Weronika said she was hoping things begin to return to normal. She’ll continue to dress how she feels comfortable — any awkward stares be damned.
She hopes her story resonates with people who may be struggling to find confidence in themselves. Her advice is for people to always put their own well-being first.
“If you are happy, it gives you so much more motivation to do anything,” she said.
Three Mattituck High School students have demonstrated they not only have noses for business, but big hearts as well.
Joe Aiello, Brady Mahon and Francis Buonaiuto — all juniors — are running their own clothing line business, Left Field Stop Line.
Left Field Stop Line began two years ago, originally with Brady and fellow Mattituck students Sean McDonald and Tyler Olsen. After Sean and Tyler went off to college, Joe and Francis stepped up to the plate to help Brady out.
Since its modest beginning when Left Field Stop Line offered only a baseball-themed tank top, the line has expanded. Now a variety of products are for sale, most with the LSFL logo imprinted on them. The items are varied: crew neck tops, sweatpants, hoodies, travel bags, gaiters, tank tops, backpacks, official LSFL pong jerseys, drawstring bags, sweatshirts, jackets, caps and shorts among them.
“I think definitely right now, it’s picking up a lot more,” Brady said. “The first year I’d say was kind of just like, we would joke around with it. It was like a baseball thing. Now we kind of look at it more as a school-wide thing.”
And they’re having a ball.
The three young businessmen are in close contact with many of their customers — fellow Mattituck students who they see walking the school hallways and wearing their brand.
The threesome collaborate on design ideas and use social media to promote the brand. “We all design stuff,” Joe said. “We all take part in videos.”
And they do a good deal of brainstorming.
“Almost every night, I’d say, we’re either getting a call or at someone’s house and just like throwing out ideas and drawing the designs and talking to our friends and seeing what they want, like what they think is cool,” said Francis.
The sudden death of a Mattituck sophomore, Ryan Oliver, on Jan. 28 hit the school hard. Francis recalled the waves of shock that struck the school on the morning students were informed of Ryan’s death.
From left, Mattituck High School students Francis Buonaiuto, Brady Mahon and Joe Aiello run their own clothing line business, Left Field Stop Line. (Credit: Courtesy photo)
“The whole school was dead silent,” Francis said. “You didn’t hear a sound in the whole school the first two periods.”
The LSFL threesome saw evidence of the pain their classmates were feeling and decided to do something about it. They decided to organize a fundraiser, a two-hour bowling event. The VIP room at The All Star in Riverhead was rented out March 27, drawing about 40 people. Tickets and merchandise were sold. Gift certificates donated by local businesses were raffled off. In all, $969 was raised. All of the proceeds were given to the Ollie Three Foundation in Ryan’s name, said Brady. That money was to help fund a school assembly presentation on mental health, he said.
“I found it moving and impressive,” Mattituck High School principal Shawn Petretti said. “They weren’t looking for anything out of it or any attention or anything like that. They weren’t moved to do it for their own personal reasons, but on behalf of Ryan.
“To leverage that for some common good instead of personal gain just shows tremendous maturity and compassion, which is what I found most impressive.”
Ryan’s memory will be kept alive by the planting of a tree before Friday’s boys lacrosse game near the Mattituck High School lacrosse field, where he used to play for the Tuckers. Members of the sophomore class initiated this by soliciting donations for the tree and a plaque, said Mr. Petretti.
So, where does LFSL go from here? Its operators talk about possibly staging future fundraising events and ways to grow their business.
“We all had a talk one night, and we realized that none of us can see ourselves being older and working a 9-to-5 job,” Francis said. “So, we definitely want to expand on this.”
Said Mr. Petretti: “I think they set a great example for their classmates that if you’re a little creative and a bit talented and you’re willing to take some chances that there’s a lot of opportunity out there. When the kids come together to do anything, you know, they never cease to surprise and impress the faculty and staff here. They really are an amazing group of kids.”
Like an unfamiliar cross-country course, life can lead people down some unexpected paths.
And so it is for two Mattituck High School athletes, Kylie Conroy and Nikki Searles. Conroy had played lacrosse from the time she was 6 until last year; Searles was a soccer player for about 15 years of her young life.
And then, there were the two seniors Monday at a college signing ceremony, each committing themselves to schools to run cross country as well as indoor and outdoor track and field.
It’s funny how things turn out sometimes, isn’t it?
Conroy, a long-distance runner, signed a national letter of intent for NCAA Division I Manhattan College. Searles, a hurdler, put pen to paper for Division II Adelphi University.
Training for cross country and track can be grueling, difficult work, and Conroy alluded to the love/hate relationship runners in those sports can attest to. In an interview after the ceremony at Mattituck High School, she said, “It means a lot because I’ve been [running] my whole life, and even though I’ve had some downs, I’ve had downs and times [when] I hated it and I wanted to not do it any more, but yeah, I guess it’s kept me motivated to keep going.”
And rewards followed.
Chris Robinson, who coached both girls in all three sports, said Conroy and Searles share a drive and inner fire to compete and improve. “It’s something you don’t really teach or coach,” he said. “It’s something that’s within them.”
Conroy said her best — and favorite — event is the 800 meters, which she started running this season. She has run that distance as fast as 2 minutes, 26 seconds. She has also cloeked a personal-best time of 5:08 in the 1,500 in this, her first outdoor track season. She has run cross country and winter track for Mattituck since she was in eighth grade.
Robinson used the words “hard worker, determined, disciplined” to describe Conroy. He said: “Her senior year was her best year, so that’s just a credit to her. That determination, that drive, that work ethic really prevailed for her and it made her love the sport again because I think she wasn’t a hundred percent sure.”
Searles stepped away from soccer this year to run cross country for the first time and was a member of the Mattituck team that picked up a triple crown as the League IX champion with a 4-0 record, the Division V champion and Suffolk County Class C champion. It was the Tuckers’ ninth straight county title.
“At first, I did not enjoy it at all, but as the season went on and we went to counties and everything, I enjoyed it a lot more,” she said. “The team was amazing.”
Searles, a member of Mattituck’s outdoor track team since she was an eighth-grader before joining the indoor team as a freshman, said she gravitated to the hurdles from the beginning. Both the 100-meter high hurdles and 400 intermediate hurdles are both physically and technically challenging events.
That’s what attracted Searles to them.
“When I first started I really enjoyed [the] hurdles,” she said. “I wasn’t always that good at them, but it’s been a long process. It definitely paid off. I’m glad I stuck with them because a lot of people do not enjoy them. I enjoy it because it’s unique. Not a lot of people can do hurdles.”
Searles said she spends about four days a week practicing hurdling. “It’s a lot of practice,” she said. “It’s a lot of repetition.”
Her fastest times are 16.0 in the 100 hurdles and 1:11 in the 400 hurdles.
Searles also leads off Mattituck’s strong 4×100 relay team, which includes Emily Nicholson, Mackenzie Conroy (Kylie’s sister) and Bella Masotti. That team has a season-best time of 52.0.
Robinson said Searles “can do anything I need her to do, which is always a blessing as a coach, but her niche is hurdles, so she’s always competed in the 100 hurdles and she just kept getting better and better and better. You knew she would because of the amount of time she put in. And her times just kept dropping and dropping and dropping.”
Looking ahead to her next chapter, Searles said: “I’m just very excited. I can’t wait to see my time improve. I’m very excited for the coaching staff that I’m going to have. I will miss the Mattituck coaches, though. I’m just excited to see where it takes me.”
Few classes have had to overcome the type of adversity the graduating classes of 2021 have endured. The COVID-19 pandemic created unique hardships for not just one but two school years.
On Saturday, members of the senior class in Mattituck were able to put it all behind them with a commencement ceremony on the athletic field. It was the school’s 107th graduating class.
High School principal Shawn Petretti, who will begin his tenure as district superintendent next month, oversaw the ceremony, which included a valedictory address from graduate Luke Altman, salutatory remarks from Weronika Jachimowicz and an alumni address from Greg Ammirati of the class of 1996.
See below for scenes from the ceremony:
Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Salutatorian Weronika Jachimowicz addresses the Class of 2021 in the Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
A Class of 1996 graduate addresses the class of 2021 in the Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
School Principal Shawn C. Petretti with introductory remarks in the Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Hunter DiVello with the Invocation in the Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
The singing of the National Anthem in the Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Ainsley Brewer leads the Class of 2021 in the Pledge of Allegiance in the Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
The Mattituck – Cutchogue Class of 2021. Credit: Bill Landon
The Mattituck – Cutchogue Class of 2021. Credit: Bill Landon
The Mattituck – Cutchogue Class of 2021. Credit: Bill Landon
The Mattituck – Cutchogue Class of 2021. Credit: Bill Landon
The Mattituck – Cutchogue Class of 2021. Credit: Bill Landon
The Mattituck – Cutchogue Class of 2021. Credit: Bill Landon
The Mattituck – Cutchogue Class of 2021. Credit: Bill Landon
The Mattituck – Cutchogue Class of 2021. Credit: Bill Landon
The Mattituck – Cutchogue Class of 2021. Credit: Bill Landon
Valedictorian Luke Altman addresses the Class of 2021 in the Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Mattituck – Cutchogue 107th Commencement Exercises June 26. Credit: Bill Landon
Mattituck High School student Richard Kalich has been named a semifinalist in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program.
The senior is one of approximately 16,000 semifinalists competing for about 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $30 million. The program screens students through the previous year’s PSATs, largely taken by high school juniors. Semifinalists represent less than 1% of high school seniors in the country.
“The distinction of having a student designated as a National Merit semifinalist brings pride to our school district and our community. We congratulate Richard on his outstanding achievement and wish him success as he continues in this prestigious competition,” Superintendent Shawn Petretti said in a press release.
For the next stage in the competition, Richard and a school official need to submit a detailed scholarship application that addresses his academic record, extracurricular activities, leadership skills, employment and other achievements. He must also write an essay and earn similarly high SAT or ACT scores.
Richard is co-captain of the sailing team, editor of the student newspaper, Mattitalk, and a member of the varsity baseball team and select chorus. He plans to pursue a career in computer engineering.
Mattituck High School’s Wall of Honor was expanded by 14 names as the district held its fifth annual dedication ceremony Friday morning.
This year’s ceremony took on added significance as several inductees were students themselves when the wall was created, Superintendent Shawn Petretti said.
“It’s come full circle,” he said. “This is the first year that some of the people that are being inducted were in the hallways when we created the wall.”
The tradition began in 2017 and started with over 40 plaques. Each plaque displays the name of a Mattituck alumni and the branch of service they represent. The alumni honored on the wall date back from 1937 to present. The wall now totals 128 honorees, Mr. Petretti said.
“This wall is a very important part of the history of our school and community and its important that we continue with this work,” he said.
The plaques are funded through donations from businesses like East End Sporting Goods, the Southold Town Police Benevolent Association, the Sheryll family and the Mattituck-Southold-Greenport NJROTC.
Senior Chief Charles Turner, an NJROTC instructor, said 45 former members of the NJROTC are now on the wall and he spoke to the audience of his pride seeing their photos.
“Today I couldn’t be more proud of all the former cadets for all their accomplishments in the military,” he said. “I would have been honored to serve with any of them.”
A ceremony was held Friday to dedicate the newest additions to the Wall of Honor. (Credit: Melissa Azofeifa)
The 14 service members recognized for their bravery and service this year include:
Edward J. van Ryswyk, Class of 1944 – U.S. Navy
Francis S. Ficner, Class of 1945 – U.S. Marine Corps
When Mattituck High School senior Abby Tyler takes the stage this weekend as Lucy Van Pelt in the musical “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” she’ll carry with her a bit of history.
“Two of the people that I look up to most have played this role in the past — one of our directors, [Anne] Gilvarry, and Marissa Russo, who got me in my first show ever when I was 8,” Abby said, noting the role has extra importance to her. “So it’s really cool to kind of join this legacy.”
For Abby and the rest of the cast and crew, the musical represents a return to normalcy and a chance to once again do what they love. The curtains will rise on a musical at the high school auditorium for the first time in two years this weekend after the ongoing pandemic halted productions in the past school year.
The show also represents a significant moment for Mattituck’s theater group, dating back to 2011.
“It was the first show after a 20-year hiatus of there not being any musicals here at Mattituck,” Ms. Gilvarry said.
Ms. Gilvarry said that although there were plays on the Mattituck stage, the district hadn’t produced musicals since the late 1980s. Musicals were brought back after a group of students in the class of 2011 advocated for their return and successfully petitioned the school board for funding and the additional show, which started the Mattituck Musical Theater Company, according to Ms. Gilvarry. Their first performance was “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.”
“So for the past 11 years, we’ve been doing a show every year until last year, when we were not able to because of the pandemic,” Ms. Gilvarry said.
This year’s production will be held Thursday through Saturday at 7 p.m.
Bringing back a musical through an ongoing pandemic started with maintaining connections with the actors through activities like a virtual viewing party, Ms. Gilvarry said.
“For a lot of these kids, this is their identity at school is being a part of this group. It’s not just their friend group, but it’s how they feel they belong,” she said.
Safety was also a priority. Actors wear clear masks as they’re singing and dancing on stage and there is distancing wherever possible.
The show has gotten an upgrade from 2011.
“We also thought about if we go back to our roots, you can also show how much the program’s grown so Charlie Brown 2022 is a bigger show … it’s also a nice way to show how the program’s grown, as well as kind of honor our comeback,” Ms. Gilvarry said.
There’s creative new set designs, more technology, a pit orchestra and more, she said.
After two years of being away from the stage, co-director Jake Fowle said jumping back into the directing role was like muscle memory.
“Now coming back, it feels easier and for Ms. Gilvarry and I, we feel refreshed,” he said. “We know better what works, what doesn’t work, and we can continue to grow the program now in a direction that works for both of us.”
Mr. Fowle said that the actors are excited to bring this production to the community.
“Now it’s something that they’re savoring,” he said. “They’re so happy to be able to come back to the stage again, and to bring the arts and theater into the community.”
Senior Micky Kalich plays Charlie Brown. He commended the co-directors for their leadership in putting the production together.
“I think Mr. Fowle and Ms. Gilvarry do a really great job,” Micky said. “I think this is a really great program not only for people to express their musical skills, but also to make a lot of friends and just have a really great high school experience doing something they love a lot.”
Mr. Fowle encouraged the community to watch the show and support the theater program.
“These kids are putting their heart and soul into this performance,” he said. “Come out, come support the program, come support the arts.”
Tickets will be available at the door and are $10 for adults and $5 for students.
When war broke out in Ukraine, Misia Uklanska, a Mattituck High School sophomore, knew she had to do something to honor her grandmother, a World War II survivor from Eastern Europe.
“I am 100% Slavic,” Misia said. “I grew up totally immersed in the culture … I feel very connected to this and I’ve always wanted to support a humanitarian cause, but I’ve never felt like I could actually do something. This is the first time that I felt really driven to do something about everything that’s happening right now between Ukraine and Russia.”
According to the BBC, more than 1 million Ukrainians have fled to Poland, where Misia’s family is from.
She immediately reached out to her high school’s student council president, Daniel Rosato, and they quickly put together a toy and book drive for children fleeing Ukraine into Poland.
“There’s going to be boxes throughout our school in specific locations where students can bring in items,” Daniel said.
They are also opening it up to the community and will be accepting donations through the end of the week until Friday, March 11. There will be a box set up in the high school lobby so community members who don’t have a connection to the district can still donate.
“We’re reaching [out to] the community because we hope for this [to] not necessarily be a Mattituck High School thing, but a community thing,” Daniel said.
“We’re more than happy to accept any donations from anybody,” Misia added.
On their first night, during the return of Tucker Bowl on Friday, they collected more than 150 stuffed animals and over 60 books, according to Misia.
“We’re going to print out little messages in Cyrillic [and] attach them to each stuffed animal so that way, when each kid gets one, they can read the message and it’s a heartwarming one,” Misia said.
Misia and her family are using their connections in Poland to transport the donations they will collect this week to children in need. Misia’s father, an artist, has worked with a shipper who can move the donations into the country.
Misia’s mother, an art historian and museum curator, is currently working with Warsaw’s Museum of Modern Art, which has now become a refugee help center.
“They have a whole organization where volunteers, ordinary civilians, are driving refugees from the border to the capital in Poland, Warsaw,” Misia said. ”We can easily ship everything and it will be driven to the border, and we’d have updates about it and pictures, because we know the people personally.”
The family also partnered with the Polish grassroots organization Libraries Without Borders to move donations as well.
Jacqueline Portocarrero, an English teacher at Mattituck High School, helped Misia and Daniel write a letter to the community to let people know about the drive. The school principal sent the letter home and they also put together a letter to the editor, which was published as a letter to the editor in last weeks edition of The Suffolk Times.
“They’ve been getting a lot of food and clothing but they’re not getting things for the children to do, so this is kind of trying to lighten their burden and their mood and the distraction from some of the things that they’re going through,” Ms. Portocarrero said.
Sean Morgan, a global history teacher at the high school, also helped set up the drive. He was very proud of his students’ hard work to help those affected by the war in Ukraine.
“To bring the global community into our classrooms into our school, I just think it’s amazing,” Mr. Morgan said. “It would help out all these displaced people.”
Kate Murphy had heard it before, from both her mother and coach. She has a lacrosse stick in her hands for a reason — use it when defending her goal.
But the Mattituck/Southold goalie also has the mindset of a goalie: Stop the ball any way possible, even if it means using body parts. As Murphy put it, “as long as it’s not in the goal, I don’t really care how it stops.”
Coach Logan McGinn chuckled when the subject was brought up. “She does hit her body a lot,” he said. “I’ve said it to her, too. She said, ‘It doesn’t go in, right?’ I said, ‘You’re right, I guess.’ ”
The ball found its way into the Mattituck goal 11 times Monday at Miller Place High School, but it easily could have been more if not for Murphy’s gutsy efforts. She was credited with a career-high 15 saves in Mattituck’s 11-3 Suffolk County Division II loss.
“She definitely saved us a lot today,” said Mattituck midfielder Brynn Gardner.
Mattituck had a strong goalie last year in Rylie Rittberg, but Rittberg has since graduated and is now tending net for Florida Southern College. That has opened up a big opportunity for Murphy, who played for the junior varsity team last year. The junior has played every minute in each of Mattituck’s first three games in this young season.
One goalie leaves, another emerges. It’s the cycle of lacrosse life.
“I’ve always loved being goalie,” Murphy said. “I like being able to do something I can help my team with.”
McGinn likes what he has seen from Murphy, calling her “something special. She’s constantly just throwing her body in front of the ball. She’s smart with the ball. She’s an awesome goalie to have, you know, especially for being her first year on varsity.”
But not even Murphy’s goalkeeping was enough to prevent Miller Place and sharpshooting senior attack Andie Mott from winning the day. Miller Place, which raised its record to 4-1 (3-1 in the division), struck for the game’s first six goals (four by Mott and another she assisted on). By the game’s end, Mott had seven goals from nine shots. Three of her goals came from free-position shots.
Brynn Gardner, who appeared to be running on air, brought Mattituck/Southold a goal and an assist. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)
Sophia Ingenito finished with one goal, one assist, four draw controls and four ground balls. Amelia Angelo, Abigail O’Connor and Olivia Ingenito also scored for the Panthers. Natalia Altebrando made 11 saves.
“I think a little bit of nerves maybe played a factor,” McGinn said. “We definitely came out flat and then, you know, for a short stint we actually got to show what we can do, which was nice.”
After falling behind 6-0, Mattituck suddenly turned things on and pumped in three straight second-half goals within a 4-minute, 33-second span. Ella Suglia found a cutting Gardner in front of the net for the first of them. Then Gianna Calise scored from a free-position effort and Sofia Knudsen deposited a nice feed from Gardner.
“I definitely feel like there was a little bit more energy on the field and we weren’t making sloppy mistakes there,” said Gardner, a High Point University (N.C.) commit. “But then I think we started to get tired again, and that’s something that we definitely have to work on.”
Miller Place regained momentum and ran off five unanswered goals (four by Mott) in the final 9:08.
Mattituck had opened the season with a pair of decisive division wins — 17-3 over Deer Park and 11-4 over Elwood/John Glenn. But Miller Place was a different story for the young Tuckers.
Mattituck returns only five players from last year’s team: defenders Rileigh Frend and Ansley Hanus, midfielders Megan Tobin and Gardner and attack Sage Foster. Frend and attack Cassidy Czujko are the team’s only seniors. Mattituck also has a pair of eighth-graders among its regular starters, Page Kellershon and Calise.
Perhaps the shiny 2-0 record Mattituck took into Monday’s game carried with it some false confidence.
“I definitely think it was a little bit of a reality check,” Gardner said. “Maybe we needed [that] after a 2-0 win streak.”
Murphy said: “I think that some people had a really good day and a lot of people had maybe not as good of a day, but we are a team and it doesn’t matter what happens individually, we have to do it together. And I think that we have our work cut out for the rest of this year, but I’m happy to be part of the team.”
And the team is surely happy to have the goalie who doesn’t mind putting her body where her stick should be.
Those were the words Chris Robinson used to describe the Mattituck girls track and field team he coaches. He could have added a few more: Suffolk County League VIII champions.
Mattituck clinched its sixth consecutive league championship (excluding the 2020 season lost to the COVID-19 pandemic) and 11th overall with a 95-36 win in its final dual meet at Center Moriches High School Monday.
“They’re very excited,” said Robinson, whose team finished with a perfect 6-0 record. “You know, there was a little bit of pressure behind it in the sense that we had some success in the past, but they rose to the challenge and bringing home a league championship is great.”
Emily Nicholson has been on four of those league champion teams. “I was just really proud of everyone and how we just came together as a team,” the senior said. “Everyone plays a different role and having it all come together is just great to see.”
Mattituck senior Mackenzie Conroy took first place in the 400 meters in 1 minute, 4.1 seconds, and the triple jump at 35 feet, 2 inches, in addition to running the anchor leg for the victorious 4×100 relay team. That relay team, which included Casey Szczotka, Nicholson and Alyvia Apparu, was clocked in 53.9.
“Everyone plays a different role and having it all come together is just great to see.”
Emily Nicholson
Another senior, Aaliyah Shorter, was first in the shot put (29-4) and discus (94-1, a personal record). Nicholson took top honors in the long jump, covering 15-5. Other first-place finishes were turned in by Szczotka in the 100 high hurdles (17.1) and 400 intermediate hurdles (1:13.6), Abby Woods in the high jump (4-6) and Georgia Buckley in the 800 (2:35).
Also among Mattituck’s seven seniors are Isabella Cianfrogna, Olivia Goerler, Dimitra Pando and Kate Schuch.
“It’s never expected,” Robinson said of the league title. “The girls were confident, just because of how hard they have worked. They have a confidence about them that they feel like they can compete with anybody as long as they’re doing what they’re able to do. But it’s just that constant work that they put it in at practice that kind of carries over to the meets.”
Conroy said: “Overall, I’m just happy that I got my last year of track with this team because I think this team has been the closest one I’ve been with. I’ve developed so many friendships with this team and I’m just happy that this is my last one. I ended it on a good note.”
The splashy, eye-grabbing set, colorful costumes and Broadway-style dance numbers earned the Riverhead Blue Masques the Judges Choice Award for their production of “SpongeBob” ahead of the annual Teeny Awards set for June 5.
The coveted award is given to an “exemplary” show, scene, musical or dance number, ensemble effort or entire group “that the judges feel stands out enough to warrant the special recognition,” according to their website.
Riverhead led in nominations among North Fork schools when nominations were announced Thursday, earning 13 nods in addition to the judge’s honor. Their nominations were spread across productions of “A Bronx Tale: The Musical,” which was presented in the fall, and “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical,” in April.
Southold High School earned eight nominations for productions of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” and “Chicago,” and a production of “The Curious Savage” at Mattituck High School earned five nominations.
The Teeny Awards is celebrating 20 years of celebrating high school theater on the East End and was inspired by the Tony Awards.
This year, the group of judges attended shows at 20 Long Island schools, selecting nominees and winners in categories including Lead Actor, Lead Actress, Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress in both plays and musicals. Awards are also given to choreographers, poster designers and other performers that may not be in a lead or supporting role.
This year’s awards ceremony will be held Sunday, June 5 at 3 p.m. at Riverhead High School. It will be hosted by local freelance dance instructor Anita Boyer and feature performances from several high school theater groups.
With social distancing in place in 2020, Mattituck High School’s senior class headed to Mattituck Airport for a parade to celebrate its upcoming graduation.
The group of students also started a tradition.
For the third straight year, the school’s pending graduates took their vehicles out to the runway as friends and family cheered them on for 13 years of hard work.
Sunset Beach Films was on hand to take photographs for The Suffolk Times.
The graduates of Mattituck High School’s Class of 2022 celebrated graduation Saturday morning inside the high school gymnasium.
Valedictorian Olivia Mannino and salutatorian Dimitra Pando both addressed the graduates.
Daniel Rosato delivered the invocation, speaking on behalf of the graduates. He spoke about how the class worked to rebuild traditions that had been put on hold during the pandemic and the challenges fellow graduates faced.
“It’s no secret though that despite the many joyous accomplishments, successes and the many memories made, high school was not always a save haven and happy place for everyone,” he said. “Social pressures, academic challenges, athletic competition and extracurricular stress have the habit of getting the better of us. This morning, I would like to speak to everyone who resonates with this.”
Dimitra spoke about the perseverance the class faced with an “unexpected curveball” in March of their sophomore year in 2020 and the subsequent next two years.
“But we got through it,” she said. “We stuck together and become more resilient as a result. And here we are together, celebrating the fact that we did get through it.”
Olivia spoke about how her fellow graduates were all “incredibly caring people.”
“Across the past 13 years, I’ve seen each of you do something that has shown me you care about whether everyone is doing well. Not just yourself. Do you know how cool that is? I realize now I could not ask for better people to grow up with.”
See more photos below:
Daniel Rosato offers the invocation.
Principal David Smith with the introductory remarks.
Class of 2022 Salutatorian Dimitra Pando addresses the Class of 2022.
Class President Joseph Aiello with the changing of the tassel instructions.
Class of 2022 Valedictorian Olivia Mannino.
Superintendent Shawn Petretti address the graduates.
Jennifer Valentine offers the Benediction remarks.
Aaliyah Shorter delivers the Pledge of Allegiance.
In its totality, it wasn’t a lights-out performance by the Mattituck girls volleyball team (although the first set certainly could be described that way and the lights and power in the Mattituck High School gym briefly went out just as Pierson/Bridgehampton’s Lyra Aubry was about to serve in the second set).
Defending Long Island Class C champion Mattituck came out like gangbusters and blew through Pierson in the first set in stunning fashion, 25-8. It looked like this was going to be an easy match for Mattituck.
Setter Jamie Schwartz is in her first year as a starter for Mattituck. (Credit: Robert O’Rourk)
Wrong!
Pierson had other ideas.
“We were excited,” Mattituck outside hitter Sage Foster said. “We were like, ‘Alright, we’ll be out of here. We’ll get our homework done. There’s school tomorrow.’ But then that second set started. It wasn’t very [good].”
Pierson turned the tables on the Tuckers by taking the second set, 25-22. Mattituck recovered to win the third set, 25-18, but Pierson wasn’t going to make this easy for the Tuckers. A 25-22 fourth set by Pierson forced a decisive fifth set. That is when Mattituck showed some semblance of its first-set self, winning, 15-6, in its home opener Tuesday.
“It was a little stressful because then we knew that we had to win; we had to make sure we won the last set,” Mattituck setter Carolyn Conroy said of her second varsity match.
Mattituck coach Frank Massa may have had a hard time believing what he was seeing at times. The Tuckers (2-0 overall and in Suffolk County League VIII) had their issues.
“We were passing everything, we were setting everything and we were killing everything,” said Massa, whose team last year reached its seventh state tournament semifinal pool after going 15-2 in matches. “It was exactly what I was hoping to see. And then exactly what I did not want to see is what I saw for the majority of the rest of the match.”
Pierson (0-2, 0-2) celebrated after Grace Flanagan (11 kills) used deft touch at the net for a point, followed by her shot to the deep right corner to wrap up the fourth set.
But Mattituck took charge in the fifth set. Conroy’s service ace made it 7-1. Later, Foster put away a kill and back-to-back aces for an 11-4 cushion.
Foster looked as good as ever and seemed to hit the ball as hard as ever. The senior was credited with 24 kills as she helped pull Mattituck to victory.
“There’s few girls that you coach or you get to see play that you know just absolutely rocket the ball like she does,” Massa said. “That’s nice to see, but we need production from the other members of the team. A little bit more. This way we’re not just, you know, just a one-hitter team.
“You want everyone to contribute. We did have a little bit of it, but not as much as we’re going to need.”
Mattituck’s inconsistency can be attributed to an early-season match by a team that has players in new positions and players in more expanded roles.
Emma Pearsall was on the team last year, but was not a starter; she’s a starter on the right side now. Conroy, who had 15 assists, played for the junior varsity team last year. This is setter Jamie Schwartz’ first year as a starter. Setter Leah Weir and middle hitter Caroline Little are both in their first varsity season. Outside hitter Abby Woods is playing a new position.
It doesn’t help that Emma McGunnigle, who would have been a starting setter, is out for the season with a torn ACL.
So, there’s a fair degree of newness for the Tuckers to deal with.
Pierson received 18 assists and five aces from Ashley Weatherwax and six kills, three aces and two blocks by Finn Goodale.
Massa said Pierson, after the first set, “fought tooth and nail and I loved their spirit.” At the same time, he said, “unforced errors were a major problem for us throughout the rest of the match.”
Said Foster, “We definitely learned a good lesson that we need to communicate and just like take a deep breath and not let a shanked ball or double touch just get us down.”
It wasn’t exactly lights-out stuff, but a win’s a win.
Final repairs to the Mattituck High School gymnasium, which was damaged when a tornado touched down on the campus Sept. 25, should be completed by the third week in November, in time for the winter sports season, according to Superintendent Shawn Petretti.
The EF-0 tornado caused extensive damage to the gym roof, as well as tennis courts, fencing, nets and scoreboards.
“You could see daylight from the gym in certain sections,” Mr. Petretti said Monday evening.
Mr. Petretti said students were back in the gym for physical education classes by Oct. 3 and repairs to the tennis courts were done as quickly as two days after the storm.
“The contractors, the company that came out and did all that work for us, they really moved at a rapid pace and got us whole again pretty quickly,” Mr. Petretti said.
The district is working with Renu Contracting and Restoration of Copaigue, he said.
Students are still unable to use the gym for competitions or practice, he said, and the varsity girls volleyball team has been using the gym at Cutchogue East Elementary School for practice and games.
Repairs that remain to be done include the gym flooring, which contractors are expected to begin Thursday according to Mr. Petretti, and the scoreboard.
There were concerns the damage would impact the school’s Sept 29 homecoming, which included the annual Tucker Bowl, bonfire and pep rally, but Mr. Petretti said the roof was secured safely enough in time to hold the event in the gym as usual.
He declined to estimate how much repairs would cost, saying that number is still “fluid.” He did note, however, that “all these repairs are going to fall under an insurance claim.”
Mr. Petretti said he appreciates everyone’s hard work in restoring the space to usable condition.
“I was just very thankful that Tom Kelly, our head of buildings and grounds, and all his guys, got to work and got things cleaned up at a very fast pace,” he said. “Then that the contractors that we’re working with were also able to really jump on the work that needs to be done and to make sure that we were ready to use that space again.”
As they begin their collegiate lacrosse careers next year, three seniors from Mattituck High School won’t have to look very far to keep tabs on each other.
At a signing ceremony last Wednesday, Ella Suglia, Brynn Gardner and Gavin Richards all officially signed National Letters of Intent to play lacrosse in college next year. And all three selected schools in North Carolina.
“I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or what,” Richards said. “North Carolina.”
Wingate and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte are separated by about 35 miles, while High Point is just over an hour’s drive north of the latter.
The lacrosse programs at Mattituck have grown into regional powers in recent years, and players moving on to college programs has become a yearly tradition. This year’s group features Suglia going to UNC/Charlotte, Gardner to High Point University and Richards to Wingate University.
For all three, last week’s signing ceremony was the culmination of a long process that began as soon as college coaches could begin recruiting at the start of their junior years.
Gardner recalled driving back from a tournament on Aug. 31, 2021, the night before coaches could begin reaching out to prospective student-athletes.
“At midnight, you’re allowed to get calls and emails and texts from college coaches and I remember driving back from this tournament and I started getting my first calls and texts,” Gardner said. “It was so overwhelming, but it was really exciting. It was definitely a stressful process but I’m happy with my decision and where I ended up.”
Mattituck senior Gavin Richards joined by coach John Amato at last week’s signing ceremony. (Credit: Melissa Azofeifa)
Suglia opted to take a slightly different path in her choice. At UNC/Charlotte, she’ll be joining an inaugural program that won’t officially begin games until the 2024-25 season, when she will be a sophomore. Women’s lacrosse continues to grow across the nation and UNC/Charlotte is one of the latest programs to join the Division I ranks.
Suglia said she’ll have a redshirt season as a freshman, meaning she still maintains four years of eligibility. Her freshman year will feature all the training routines that come with joining a college program, just no games in the spring.
Suglia said the redshirt year gives her an opportunity to adjust to college life and she’s thrilled to be part of a new program.
“We’re going to be the first girls ever to play on a UNC/Charlotte Division I lacrosse team, which is to me, crazy,” she said. “I’m so happy to be a part of that.”
Suglia is a versatile player who had been on the midfield at Mattituck before switching to low attack last year during her junior campaign. She scored 23 goals and added 39 assists last season. At college, she believes she’ll likely stay on attack.
“I am a lefty, so that kind of gives me a little bit of help,” she said.
Suglia had originally committed to a different North Carolina college last year, but opted to rethink her decision after some changes at that school’s program and the departure of its entire coaching staff.
As it turned out, Clare Short, the coach from Queens University of Charlotte, where Suglia originally intended to sign, was hired as the first coach for UNC/Charlotte.
Gardner scored 31 goals and added 21 assists last season for the Mattituck/Southold/Greenport team that ultimately fell to Port Jefferson in the Class D playoffs.
Gardner said she was looking at a wide variety of schools, from closer to home to even farther south.
“I just really loved High Point the moment I stepped on campus,” she said. “And I loved the team they created and the coaches and I’m so excited to go.”
Richards plays as a defenseman and said he’s been playing lacrosse “pretty much my whole life.”
“This last year or two has been busy,” he said. “It’s nice to be committed now.”
He’ll join a program that posted a 13-5 record last year and competed in the NCAA Division II Tournament.
He said he liked the campus and the team’s head coach, Tim Boyle.
All three said they’re looking forward to their final lacrosse seasons at Mattituck before heading off to college. And they all plan to keep busy this winter as multi-sport athletes. Suglia will run on the winter track team. Gardner and Richards both play basketball.
