A dozen dedicated student-musicians from Elwood Middle School and six from James H. Boyd Intermediate School recently performed at the Suffolk County Music Educators’ Association West Division I and II All-County Festivals. The concerts took place on March 9 at Northport High School.

Accepted for SCMEA were Sienna Boremski, Maddy DiLeone, Kailyn Dowlatram, Aaron Edwards, Theresa Gulino and Melanie Shek from Boyd; and William Brchnel, Nora Brzezinski, Daniel D’Angeli, Lukas Davis, Raho Kim, Sasha Kushnir, Allison McKenzie, Madelyn Moreno, Logan Ouziel, Camila Quirogas, Aren Saunders and Ella Zwang from EMS.

Date Added: 4/15/2025

Elwood Middle School’s Future Teachers and Administrators of Elwood, known as the FATE Club, took a special trip to James H. Boyd Intermediate School at the end of March. These aspiring educators took a brave step into the world of teaching as they planned and executed a full lesson for all of Boyd’s third-grade classes at. The FATE Club students spent most of February and March planning and practicing, and presented the teachers with formal lesson plans in advance of their visit. They received feedback and prepared all their materials. Each lesson consisted of a book read aloud, followed by a writing activity and games at the end. 

“The future teachers, all in grades 6 and 7, worked through their initial nerves to lead their classes with confidence and enthusiasm,” English as a New Language teacher Elle Chan said. “The third graders were exceptionally well behaved, and were very eager to ask questions and participate. By the end of the experience, neither party wanted to say goodbye. It was a truly wonderful exchange for all involved.  

Date Added: 4/9/2025

A birthday is a time for joy and celebration, and thanks to the thoughtful efforts of Liz Held’s and Brianna LaFontaine’s third-grade classes at James H. Boyd Intermediate School, more families will have the opportunity to enjoy a special day. The students worked together to create and donate 19 Birthday Boxes to the Elwood Middle School food pantry, ensuring that everyone has the chance to celebrate their birthday with a little extra joy. Understanding the importance of birthdays, the third graders carefully selected each item included in the Birthday Boxes, including a baking pan, balloons, cake mix, candles, forks, frosting, napkins, plates and sprinkles. 

“Our students donated these supplies and took the time to organize them into individual boxes and include handwritten birthday wishes,” Held said. “Each box also contained special cards written by the children, filled with heartfelt messages to make the recipients feel extra special on their birthday. They hope that these Birthday Boxes will bring smiles to families in need and make their celebrations a little easier and a lot more fun.”

Date Added: 4/7/2025

March is Music in our Schools Month. To celebrate the 40th year of this national endeavor, James H. Boyd Intermediate School students discussed the importance of school music programs and completed personal music appreciation posts. These were gathered to create a colorful hallway display outside of their music classrooms at Boyd. 

Third grader Dean Turi wrote, “My favorite part of music in school is picking an instrument because there are so many choices!!!”

Fourth grader Emelia Alessi wrote, “I like to sing in school because I am good at it and it is one of my passions.”

Fifth grader Caitlin Maggiore wrote, “I play the clarinet. I like learning my instrument because you can learn about the notes and the songs. When it’s all together, it sounds amazing.”

“We are fortunate to have a thriving music program at Elwood, considered one of NAFME's Best Communities for Music,” music teacher Rachel Nagle said. “March is always a busy month for music.”

This month alone, students across three schools took part in SCMEA All-County, Elwood Middle School and John Glenn High School students performed their main stage musicals, and Boyd students are hard at work on their upcoming musical. Students across the district continue to participate in choral, band and orchestra programs as well as prepare for next month’s NYSSMA festival.

Date Added: 3/20/2025