The Commack Schools family officially welcomed its newest member at Thursday night’s Board of Education meeting.

Victoria Hogan was appointed the next assistant principal at Commack Middle School.

She will succeed Frank Agovino, who is retiring at the school year’s completion.

Hogan has served for the past two school years as a district-wide instructional leader with the Mineola Union Free School District. In that role, her duties included collaborating with teachers and administrators on the creation and implementation of competency-based learning scales for kindergarteners through eighth graders as well as coaching new teachers.

“Her energy, enthusiasm and experience separated her from more than 200 applicants for the position,” assistant superintendent for human resources Scott Oshrin said.

Hogan earned a bachelor of arts in English with a minor in secondary education from Queens College, a masters in reading instruction from Goucher College and an advanced certificate in school building and school district leadership from The College of Saint Rose.

“The most exciting thing about being able to come to Commack is being welcomed into the Commack family itself,” Hogan said. “I’m excited to get to know everybody — the students, the staff, the community — and really make this my home.”

A transition plan is currently being implemented at CMS.

“We wish both Ms. Hogan and Mr. Agovino much luck and happiness as they begin the next journeys in their professional and personal lives,” Oshrin said. 

Suffolk County Police Department officer Jesse Levy is offering straight talk to CMS health classes this week.Officer Levy met with students in Donna Sita’s health classes on Tuesday, discussing vaping with eighth graders, bullying with seventh graders and internet safety with sixth graders.

Officer Levy impressed upon the sixth graders the importance of acting safely on the internet. He noted to never put identifying information on social media, such as full names, dates of birth in handles, or what school they attend.He also implored the students to turn off apps’ ability to track their whereabouts, such as disabling Snap Map’s share location feature.

Even when gaming, students must be careful, Officer Levy warned students. People pretend to be people they are not, play games against children, and start sending messages over time — perhaps waiting months or longer before trying to meet in person for bad intentions

“Don’t think it can never happen to you,” Officer Levy cautioned. “That’s the worst thing you can do.”

The Suffolk PD assigns officers as school resource officers. The role of the SROs are to act as a liaison between the school administration, students and the police department.

Click here to view the June 2024 Testing Calendar and Events.

CMS sixth graders were greeted back at school after a five-day break with lessons on conflict resolution, coping, problem solving and demonstrating respect on Tuesday.
 
 Roughly 180 students on “Team 3” assembled in the cafeteria during periods 1 and 2 to complete four stations.
 
 At the respect station, groups of students produced posters demonstrating what the term means to them.
 
 At the coping station, useful tips including muscle relaxation techniques when feeling tense were presented.

CMS eighth graders watched the powerful theater production, "From the Fires: Voices of the Holocaust," on Wednesday morning. The play traces the life of Rachel Gold, a Berlin teenager, and her experiences from 1937 to 1945. The play follows her from the inception of the Nuremberg Laws, through deportation to Auschwitz, and finally the death march to Mauthausen.
 
 The company from Port Jefferson-based Theatre Three has visited CMS for more than 20 years to spread the play's important message.
 
 "It's still as powerful today as it was then," CMS assistant principal Frank Agovino told the students.
 
CMS will soon welcome 97-year-old Holocaust survivor Meir Usherovitz to the school. Usherovitz similarly visited the high school earlier this month.

Commack Middle School students spanning the sixth through eighth grades performed "The Little Mermaid" for fifth graders from Burr and Sawmill on Thursday.
 
 Principal Michael Larson encouraged the attendees to join next year’s production, once they arrive at the middle school.
 
 Weekend performances are scheduled for Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday and 2 p.m. in the CMS Auditorium. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students and may be purchased at the door, or pre-purchased here.

Commack sixth and seventh graders were motivated by Rohan Murphy to overcome any obstacle confronting them during an assembly Wednesday.
 
 The middle school wrestling team then was thrilled to receive pointers during practice from the former Penn State wrestler, who achieved great heights after a birth defect led to his legs being amputated at age 4.
 
 “The kids gravitate to him,” principal Michael Larson said. “From his speech and his experiences, they learn that they can overcome any obstacle they may be facing. The message definitely resonates.”
 
 Said Murphy: “I’m so appreciative that Commack brings me in each year to speak to the middle school students. This was my 10th year speaking here. I just thought it would be fun if I came down to wrestling practice and wrestled with some of the students for a little bit.”

Spring Sports tryouts will begin on March 25th at Commack Middle School.  

Informational meetings for each of the sports listed below will occur on March 7th between 2:45 p.m.-3:30 p.m., in the rooms listed: 

All athletes must be registered and cleared on final forms in order to tryout.