Westhampton Beach Middle School National Junior Honor Society students are working to raise money for Paws of War, which provides service dogs to veterans free of charge. For the fundraiser, the students are selling limited edition Westhampton Beach Middle School shirts for $10 each. Prior to starting the fundraiser, the students met with representatives of Paws of War and learned more about the organization.

Date Added: 4/12/2024

Westhampton Beach Middle School mock trial class members won three out of four cases during the Eastern Suffolk BOCES Annual Mock Trial tournament at Suffolk County Community College.

“This was super impressive for Westhampton's first time competing,” said teacher Kelly Massaro. “Far more important than the win was seeing my students suited and confident, thinking critically, and using their voices to enforce the law.”

During the competition, 31 mock trial students competed against four other middle schools in a mock criminal case. The cases were presided over by Supreme Court judges and district attorneys.

Prior to the competition, Westhampton Beach students prepared two defense and two prosecution teams that included lawyers and witnesses. They also conducted legal research and mastered all aspects of a trial, including openings, closings, objections, submitting evidence, creating a theory for the case, direct examination, cross examination and redirect.

The students were also fortunate enough to have private practice lawyer Thomas Gibbons assist in preparing them.

“He is an expert not only in the law, but also in guiding the students through all the intricacies of criminal trials in a way that helped them grow as thinkers and potential lawyers,” said Massaro. “We are so grateful for his generous donation of time and teaching.”

Date Added: 4/10/2024

Westhampton Beach Middle School is proud to announce that 71 students have been named National Junior Honor Society members. The students were officially inducted during a candle-lighting ceremony.

To be eligible for membership, the students were required to maintain an unweighted GPA of 92 or better, meet the standards of leadership, service, citizenship and character, and complete community service.

Westhampton Beach Middle School congratulates the following inductees: Caleb Ali, Leonidas Anastasopoulos, Adriana Armijos, Taylor Bigora, Chloe Blowes, Jason Bookamer, Ava Borruso, Abigail Camacho, Colbie Canty, Briana Carmona, Jude Dawson, Charlotte Dennehy, Serafina DiBiaso, Teagan Dorn, Louis Farano, Casey Farrell, Clare Farrell, Jemma Farruggia, Jaynelle Breanne Fernandez, Heather Gdula, Jack Gibbons, Darryn Green, Sophia Guzman, Penelope Hahn, Emilia Harrington-Matros, Grace Hart, Jake Hart, Harry Hebberd, Travis Hefter, Hailey Heptig, Winter Hinck, Cameron Hipp, Kai Katevatis, Lily Krentzman, Niko Leontaritis, Michael Litjens, Jordan Lukert, Jonathan Marden, Mia Mastropierro, Isabelle McCarthy, Morgan McCarty, Noah Murphy, Christian Naclerio, Julianna Najdzion, Maeve O'Connor, Channing O'Neil, Nicholas Paga, Lucas Palmer, Benjamin Presutti, Leah Ravin, Angela Rea, Sebastian Rivera, Maria Rodriguez, Jacob Ryvicker, Katelyn Salerno, Levi Salvi, Filip Sanczenko, Samuel Sarocky, Ari Schneider, Daniel Schumacher, Madeleine Sinclair, Samuel Snyder Jr., Edgar Socop Chan, Zion Stokes, William Sultan, Rowan Toolan, Beatrice Tunney, Mia Velez, Lily Warchol, Sophia Zaleski and Elly Ziccardi.

Date Added: 4/8/2024

Each year, the Westhampton Beach Middle School hosts an outstanding community read program where students, teachers, community members and families unite to read the same book and collectively experience how the power of storytelling brings people together. This year, the event expanded to include an impressive cultural fair.

The cultural fair was spearheaded by community read advisers Kelly Massaro and Yvonne Perez, who wanted to showcase how unique and varied their students’ experiences, backgrounds and cultures are following the collective reading of “Libertad” by Alma Fullerton. The book illustrates the harrowing journey that two young boys take to find their father in America after losing their mother in Guatemala. It resonates with themes of love, perseverance and hope.

As part of the cultural fair and community read night, families created tables to represent their country of origin, and parents and grandparents who had immigrated to America shared their immigration stories. Families cooked food, shared music, and displayed traditional clothing and artifacts from their countries. Attendees received a passport to have stamped as they visited each of the tables. Additionally, high school students performed a traditional Dance of the Deer from Guatemala with their family members during the evening.

In the weeks leading up to the event, students assisted in the planning, created poster boards and videos, and built a giant Guatemalan kite that honored the traditional Guatemalan Kite Festival. They also created an authentic El Salvadorian dish with the assistance of the middle school’s chef and tried a variety of foods from around the world as part of the school’s lunch menu.

Further assisting with the event was Nicole Spatz and Lauren O'Hearn, who were instrumental in bringing the English as a new language community together to get involved.

“The evening was one of the most powerful that I have ever participated in in my 20 years of working at Westhampton Beach,” said Massaro. “I felt so honored to stand witness to the power of our students’ and families’ ‘Community Hurricane.’ What a generous and beautiful display of love, acceptance, understanding, diversity, family and friendship. We all left with our hearts and our stomachs full.”

Date Added: 3/19/2024

Twelve Westhampton Beach Middle School students were selected to showcase their artwork in the Parrish Art Museum's annual Student Exhibition. The exhibition has been a tradition for over 70 years at the Parrish in Water Mill and features the work of more than 1,000 young artists from eastern Long Island schools. Their artwork can be viewed from March 2 through April 7.

I love helping my students find a voice through their art,” said art teacher Erin Roy. “Each of these students practiced their craft to a high level, but more importantly, they used art as a medium for showcasing their unique point of view.

The Westhampton Beach School District congratulates the following student-artists: Jaynelle Breanne Fernandez, Tamara Chaverri Freund, Serafina DiBiaso, Kalliopi Gaetano, Ruby Higinbotham, Vanessa Mart, Christian Naclerio, Emely Ortiz, Alexander Pincott, Catherine Robesh, Emely Salazar and Steven Torres.

Date Added: 2/16/2024