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Westbury honors students, staff and retirees; middle‑school bands win historic golds, esports team places third in state
Summary
The board meeting opened with a lengthy commendations segment: middle‑school bands won NISMA gold medals, the varsity girls badminton team earned a New York State Scholar‑Athlete Team award, esports team placed third in state competition, and the board recognized dozens of retirees and staff for long service.
The Westbury Board of Education moved commendations to the start of its June action meeting and recognized teams, students, staff and retirees across the district.
Superintendent Dr. Chase and building principals led presentations honoring athletic and academic teams, contest winners and long‑serving staff. Highlights included: the Westbury Middle School sixth‑ and seventh‑grade bands each receiving NISMA state gold medal rankings (first time in program history); the Westbury High School varsity girls badminton team earning the New York State Scholar‑Athlete Team award for spring term (team GPA of 90 or above); PSEG Long Island student challenge winners from Powell’s Lane; district Math Mania top finishers by grade; the district’s first year in the Empire State Scholastic Esports Federation, where Westbury placed third in the state; and the CHOP (Chopped) culinary challenge winners.
Administrators also acknowledged a number of heroic acts: a bus driver (Sonia Castillo) and bus monitor (Maria Barahona) who were praised for keeping students calm during a roadside accident; and teacher Andrew Shuster, who administered the Heimlich maneuver to a choking kindergartner at Dryden Street School and was credited with saving the child. The board recognized more than twenty retirees and staff with multi‑decade service records (years of service were announced for each recipient during the meeting).
Coaches and program leaders who presented at the meeting highlighted both competitive results and academic achievement. Coach Patty Mueller (varsity badminton) told the board her players sustained high academic performance while competing; esports advisor Mr. Fadera described the team’s semifinal and championship performance in Syracuse and named team members. The district announced graduations will be streamed for family members who cannot attend in person.
No formal policy changes resulted from the commendations; the board intended the segment as public recognition of student and staff accomplishments before moving to the rest of the agenda.
