Smithtown Central School District

Smithtown Central School District
Location
Smithtown, NY
US
District information
Type Public School District
Education is the difference between civilization and chaos
Established Early 1900s
Superintendent Interim: Judith Elias
Students and staff
District mascot Smithtown Bulls
Colors Red and Blue
Other information
Schedule Quarters
Website www.smithtown.k12.ny.us

Smithtown Central School District is a school district in New York which serves residents in the Smithtown communities of Smithtown, Nesconset, Kings Park, and Saint James. Parts of neighboring Smithtown communities Ronkonkoma, Lake Ronkonkoma, Hauppauge, and Stony Brook are also served. The Smithtown Central School District is the home of the Smithtown and Saint James LIRR stations. Covering an area of 35 square miles (91 km2), SCSD serves approximately 11,000 students in nine elementary schools, three 6-8 middle schools, and two high schools. It is the fourth largest school district on Long Island.

Current Schools

Elementary Schools

The Smithtown Central School District currently operates on eight elementary schools. Grades kindergarten to fifth grade served in Smithtown CSD's elementary schools. The regular Smithtown CSD elementary school day lasts 6 hours and 5 minutes. Four or five elementary schools are declared the early elementary schools which run from 9:05 am to 3:10 pm. The other five or four elementary schools are declared the late elementary schools which run from 9:35 am to 3:40 pm. The following year, the early and late elementary schools switch schedules. Bus service from We Transport Inc. and Towne Bus Inc. transports students from home to school and back within an hour from school starting and ending. There are no buses serving the elementary schools at later hours.

The elementary schools contain a few clubs for elementary students to join, most before school, some after school. Students receive one teacher throughout the entire day (grades kindergarten to four), except for special classes (i.e. Physical Education, General Music, Art, Library Time). A unique identity of the Smithtown CSD is that fifth graders are slowly transitioned into a middle/high school by being given different teachers for different subjects. This program was first started in the Mt. Pleasant Elementary School in the 1990s.

The elementary schools in the Smithtown CSD are as follows:

Middle Schools

The Smithtown Central School District serves students through three different middle schools. Grades six to eight are served in these middle schools. The regular Smithtown CSD middle school day lasts 6 hours and 41 minutes, from 7:50AM to 2:31PM. Bus service from We Transport Inc. and Towne Bus Inc. transports students from home to school and back within an hour from school starting and ending. Late buses are available for students staying after school for athletic events or other clubs. These buses are condensed from the normal amount and run at 4:10PM and at 5:10PM.

The middle schools contain a number of clubs for middle school students to join, most after school, with some before school. Middle schools in Smithtown contain several academic contests at an interscholastic level. There are athletic teams in Smithtown CSD's middle schools. Teams may be joined automatically or require one to audition in a try out. It is not unusual for a Smithtown sports team to go undefeated in a particular season.

Students follow a bell schedule of a forty-one-minute period, nine period day. There is a four-minute transition between periods. The school runs on a quarter system, distributing report cards every ten weeks of the 40 week school year. Progress reports are distributed halfway into the ten week quarter. (Progress reports contain comments that do not go to the final grade of the class as opposed to report cards which contain grades, citizenship markings and comments). The last week of the school year (a 41st week) contains seminars and final exams for these students, including New York State High School Regents Examinations for math and science honors students.

Prior to 1992, the middle schools in the Smithtown CSD were as follows:

In 1992, redistricting led to the consolidation of the three middle schools into Smithtown Middle School, a facility housed in the former and now present Smithtown High School East, containing all sixth, seventh and eighth graders in the Smithtown CSD. The student population grew again, which caused Smithtown Middle School to be split again between itself and the newly re-opened Great Hollow Middle School which made Smithtown Middle School like the new re-opened Great Hollow Middle School as in it had students in the Nesaquake and Accompsett Middle School sections of the school district in the one middle school, technically making Smithtown Middle School like Great Hollow for the Northern Portion of the Smithtown Central School District since years later those students were later split up when both the highschools were opened up in the district. The population was split again in remaining students in Smithtown Middle School between itself and Nesaquake Middle School. The next year, the remaining population at Smithtown Middle School was transferred to Accompsett Middle School as the building of Smithtown Middle School returned to its prior use as Smithtown High School East.

Smithtown High Schools

The Smithtown Central School District serves students through the Smithtown High School on two different campuses, the East Campus in St. James and the West Campus in Smithtown. Grades nine to twelve are served in these high schools. The regular Smithtown CSD high school day lasts 6 hours and 35 minutes, from 7:20AM to 1:55PM. Bus service from We Transport Inc. and Towne Bus Inc. transports students from home to school and back within an hour from school starting and ending. Depending upon the budget passed by the citizens, late buses may be available for students staying after school for athletic events or other clubs. These buses are condensed from the normal amount and run at 4:10PM and at 5:10PM.

The high schools contain many clubs for high school students to join, the great majority after school, and a few before school. High schools in Smithtown contain several academic contest interschool clubs, such as Science Olympiad, Political Awareness Club, DECA, and Academic Quiz Bowl. There may be athletic teams in Smithtown CSD's high schools dependent upon the budget. Teams may be walk-on or require a tryout depending on participation.

Students follow a bell schedule of a 40-minute period, nine period day. There is a four-minute transition between periods. The school runs on a quarter system, distributing report cards every ten weeks of the 40 week school year. Progress reports are distributed halfway into the ten week quarter. (Progress reports contain comments that do not go to the final grade of the class as opposed to report cards which contain grades and comments). The last weeks of the school year (a 41st and 42nd week) contains and final exams for these students, including New York State High School Regents Examinations required for graduation.

Smithtown High School West

The high schools in the Smithtown CSD are as follows:

The nickname for the athletic teams for both high schools is the Smithtown Bulls, a moniker adopted in the 1992 consolidation. Blue is the primary color for the Western Campus with red as the accent. Red is the primary color for the Eastern Campus with blue as the accent. Prior to the consolidation, Smithtown East's teams were known as the Indians and Smithtown West's teams were known as the Knights. Smithtown East's colors were red and white and Smithtown West's colors were blue and gold.

Former Smithtown schools

New York Avenue Junior High School

The building located at 26 New York Avenue was formerly a junior high school, which served students grades seven through nine. It served the middle-western portion of the Smithtown Central School District. Graduating students of the New York Avenue Junior High School would enter Smithtown High School (West). In its time, the New York Avenue Junior High School operated along with three other junior high schools in the district, Great Hollow Junior High School, Accompsett Intermediate High School and Nesaquake Junior High School. Today it serves its function as the district's central office, adult education programs, and board of education meetings. It is also known as the Joseph M. Barton building.

Smithtown Branch High School

Prior to the opening of Smithtown Central High School building in St. James in 1960, Smithtown High School operated out of the New York Avenue school building. At some point, before the opening of the Lawrence Avenue Elementary school, the New York Avenue building served as a K through 12 school.

Notable faculty

Walt Whitman taught in the Smithtown school district in the late 1890s in a one room school house and had 85 students on his roster although at the time attendance wasn't compulsory and the actual attendance was usually much smaller.[1]

Richard & Samantha Specht are current teachers in the Smithtown School District. Richard teaches science at Great Hollow Middle School while Samantha teaches German at Smithtown High School East and Smithtown High School West. After the death of their 22-month-old son, Richard Edwin-Ehmer Specht "Rees" during the fall of 2012, they founded ReesSpecht Life, promoting Random Acts of Kindness, as well as inspiring others. The foundation has distributed 240,000 "Kindness Cards" worldwide.[2] Mr. Specht is also the published author of the children's book "A Little Rees Specht Cultivates Kindness". The foundation also raises money for two scholarships for two students, one from each of Smithtown's high schools. ReesSpecht Life, and its impact on the Smithtown Community and beyond, has been featured on Fox and Friends, Good Day NY, WCBS 2, WPIX 11, News 12 Long Island and Verizon 1, Good Morning America, Yahoo News, and multiple press publications worldwide.[3]

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ Naylor, Natalie. "Whitman at School: Student, Teacher, and Poet". Mickle Street Review. Rutgers University. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  2. ↑ http://www.reesspechtlife.com/about/
  3. ↑ http://www.reesspechtlife.com/about/press/

External links

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