As One Door Opens, Another Must Close
In April 2007, WestIslipTribune.com launched with the goal of providing local residents coverage of news and events taking place across the hamlet. In the past three-plus years, I feel The Tribune had done just that and allowed our readers some insight into West Islip's local newsmakers.
With graduation in the rear-view mirror, the West Islip Board of Education held its annual reorganization meeting and first official board meeting of the new school year at West Islip High School, with newly elected trustee Scott Brady being sworn in and officially joining the seven-member board.
The past 12 months have been a whirlwind for West Islip native Jennifer Corey. Since being crowned Miss District of Columbia little more than a year ago, Corey's reign as queen of the nation's capital gave her opportunities to take part in events few could imagine and even fewer will ever experience.
While recently released housing data from the federal government showed a significant drop in sales of new homes for May, the local picture is a great deal brighter, although still fraught with challenges, local realtors told WestIslipTribune.com.
With the Fourth of July having come and gone the West Islip School District is about to embark on the 2010-11 school year without a final answer from Albany as to how much state aid the school district will be receiving.
soon be removed.
Three West Islip business have been cited by the Town of Islip for having murals on an outside wall of their respective businesses and each will be painting over the colorful paintings in the weeks ahead, which is a disappointment to some community members.
In a school year marked with triumph and tragedy, West Islip High School's Class of 2010 was lauded for their collective academic and athletic accomplishments and for their willingness to support each other at times of great sadness.
Twenty years ago, Jennifer Gallozzi’s daughters were in school at Bayview Elementary here in West Islip, and their stay-at-home mother wanted to get more involved in the community. With the thought of wanting to be strong role model for her kids and a desire to help others, she founded Helping Hands of West Islip.
In the two weeks since being named the next superintendent of West Islip Schools, Richard Simon has gotten an early taste of the inner workings of the nine schools throughout the district, and he said he likes what he sees.
commited to making improvements
to West Islip Beach and Marina.
Nearly a year ago, West Islip residents packed the American Legion Hall to discuss the future of West Islip Beach and Marina and offer input on what they would like to see at the Town of Islip run waterfront property at the end of Beach Drive.
West Islip Chamber of Commerce Meeting News & Notes
While the start of the summer season has traditionally signaled a bit of a slowdown across West Islip, there were several hot-button topics ranging from a rise in burglaries to issues impacting local businesses that were discussed at the recent meeting of the Chamber of Commerce. Some of these topics could remain on the radar of local residents in the weeks to come.
Several programs at schools across West Islip will be receiving new equipment that includes a new recording studio for the high school as the result of recent grants awarded by Partners Advancing West Islip Students (PAWS).
In what proved to be a gathering of West Islip High School students, educators, local merchants and parents, the high school's DECA Club and Lionheart joined forces to host the Fun In The Sun fashion show with proceeds from the event benefitting the recently established college funds for Jaimie and Brooke DiPalma. The college funds for the two high school students were founded following the death of their father, Joseph DiPalma, in April.
School Board President Offers Insight Into Hiring New Superintendent
It had been nearly a decade since a West Islip Board of Education had to embark on the process of hiring a new superintendent and the recent effort by trustees that led to the hiring of Richard Simon "went well" in the estimation of Board President Steve Gellar.
With the final weeks of her educational career in sight and her successor as superintendent now in place, Dr. Beth Virginia Blau has yet to put a great deal of thought into what she'll being doing in retirement. "I'm not done until July 31 and it's way to soon to think about that," she told WestIslipTribune.com.