Farmingdale's 5th Annual Elementary STEAM Night, held on March 21st, was a fantastic night of hands-on learning. Teachers and student volunteers helped guide families through a fun-filled evening celebrating Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math in a carnival-like atmosphere filled with games, puzzles, and activities.

“STEAM Night is my favorite night of the year,” said Director of Science Dr. Kristen Cummings. “As soon as you arrive, you can feel a positive energy. The most amazing part is that it is a true community effort that brings the entire district together.”

Farmingdale’s Elementary STEAM Night, attended by more than 600 people, had over 100 volunteers manning dozens of engaging stations. Some of the more popular demonstrations were: A Shocking Development, Make your Flashlight, The Science of the Electric Guitar, Whirly Swirly Pipe Making Sounds, Make Your Ice Cream, Doodle Bots, Slinky Fall, Football Fizzicks, Fold and Fly, Anatomy Assembly, Mini Metric Olympics, Quivervision, Slippery Slime, Penny Boats, and Mix with Minions.

Several Farmingdale High School clubs played a massive part in the night’s success—Robotics, Science Olympiad, Women In STEM, Science Research Club, Real Harmony, Health Science Club, and Theatre students. Teacher volunteers from the district’s six buildings were also on hand to help the event run smoothly.

A big thank you to the Farmingdale Teacher Center (FTC), who helped support the preparation for the night, and to the Farmingdale Federation of Teachers (FFT) for donating the STEAM Night string bags that were given to all the guests.

An event as grand as STEAM Night doesn’t happen without countless hours of planning and re-planning. Farmingdale School District’s Director of Science, Dr. Kristen Cummings, National Science Honor Society Members, their advisors Sara Whitaker, Mike Boyd, and STEAM Night Coordinators Tatiana Hakimian and Julie Bonventere can rest assured that STEAM Night was a hit with families. The Daler community can not wait for next year’s event!

The Farmingdale School District presented its proposed budget for 2023-2024 school year at the Board of Education’s first special meeting/budget workshop on March 15, 2023.

The proposed budget reflects the necessary funds to support the many high-quality academic and extracurricular programs offered to students and essential infrastructure improvements to District facilities. The District has coordinated a series of workshops to keep residents informed of the upcoming school year’s proposed budget. Residents will have the opportunity to vote on the proposed budget on Tuesday, May 16, 2023.

“A lot of time and effort has gone into developing the proposed budget for the 2023-2024 school year to support the District’s ability to continue to create an exceptional academic experience for our students at the lowest possible cost to taxpayers,” said Michael Motisi, Farmingdale School District Assistant to the Superintendent for Business. “Our priority is maintaining transparency throughout the process, so residents are as informed as possible. We will continue to hold information sessions leading up to the vote.”

The announcement was made at a recent Farmingdale School District Board of Education meeting, during which Mr. Motisi reviewed how much aid the District is projected to receive from New York State, provided an overview of the cost projections for the upcoming school year, and explained the tax levy limit calculation. The District’s proposed 2023-2024 budget stays within the District’s specific tax levy cap of 2.30 percent based on the formula provided by New York State.

Along with voting on the proposed budget for the upcoming school year, Farmingdale residents can elect two trustee members to the Farmingdale School District Board of Education for three-year terms and one trustee for a one-year term.

The District will be hosting four special meetings, public hearings, and budget workshops throughout March, April, and May to relay important information listed within the budget and answer the community’s questions. More information and a schedule can be found on the District’s website, http://www.farmingdaleschools.org. The next Board of Education special meeting/budget workshop/public input will occur on Wednesday, March 22, 2023.

The District reminds residents to vote on the 2023-2024 proposed budget on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, at the Howitt Middle School WEST gymnasium from 6:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

The Atelier at Flowerfield hosted its Second Annual Art Student Invitational. The exhibition encourages the work of Middle and High School student artists in all visual arts (except photography and video). Works created by advanced placement Farmingdale High School art students Amya Johnson and Kira Moscoso were honored with several awards. Art teacher Cara Martin attended the exhibit with her talented students to show support.

“Kira is highly motivated; she is skilled in a variety of media and even enjoys painting outside of class,” said Farmingdale High School art teacher Cara Martin. “Amya enjoys oil painting and collage and is always eager to explore new materials. She will be pursuing art in college.”

Junior Kira Moscoso had two oil on canvas paintings selected for the exhibition. Amazed was chosen as a staff choice and was awarded first place. The Tools for Expression was used on several pieces of the Atelier’s event media. Senior Amya Johnson also had two oil on canvas paintings featured at the exhibition. Freeze and her staff choice piece What’s Our Worth. Congratulations to both Daler artists and their teacher on this incredible achievement.

The Middle and High School Student Artists Juried Show is on display through March 30 at The Altelier’s 2,000-square-foot gallery at 2 Flowerfield, Suite 6 & 9, in St. James. The gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., and the exhibit is free to attend.

A record seven Farmingdale High School band students participated in the New York State Band Directors Association (NYSBDA) Symposium in Syracuse, NY in early March.

Fiona Andrew, Grace Stabile, Luke Aldieri, Shea Hiotidis, Chris Cruciata, Nick Suwalski, and Chris Ruotolo, were selected from hundreds of applicants from all grades across NY state after being nominated by Farmingdale High School teacher, Mr. David Abrams. The Symposium offered engaging seminars on leadership and musicality in between rehearsals. The event concluded with the High School Honor Band concert.