Íæż½ã½ã

Íæż½ã½ãHigh School senior Evelyn Soto has earned a full four-year college scholarship through the QuestBridge Match Scholarship Program.

Soto is one of over 17,000 applicants to earn a QuestBridge scholarship, which connects high-achieving high school seniors from low-income backgrounds with full four-year scholarships to 48 of the nation’s best colleges.

Through the scholarship program, Soto will be heading Amherst College in the fall to study political science or law.

Soto said she selected the college for its campus and campus community. “The students are close and there are also resources available through QuestBridge,” she said.

In addition to being academically talented, Soto is president of her school’s National Honor Society, a community service officer for the Math Honor Society, a member of the Students for Environmental Quality club, and a writer for her school’s literary magazine, Fathom. She also plays varsity tennis.

The Íæż½ã½ã Central School District congratulates Evelyn Soto on her outstanding academic accomplishment.

Date Added: 12/8/2023

Two Íæż½ã½ãHigh School seniors are set to begin their undergraduate studies at Suffolk County Community College in January while simultaneously finishing their senior year of high school.

Felipe Maldonado and Jack Porter are the first Íæż½ã½ãHigh School students to be accepted into SCCC’s Early College Program, through which they will each be taking an evening class at the college’s Ammerman Campus.

Maldonado, who plans to study architecture in college, will be taking Drawing I. He intends to continue his education at Suffolk in the fall and eventually enroll in a four-year institution.

Porter will be taking a biology course at Suffolk with a goal to study data science at Stony Brook University in the fall. Both students said they are excited about the opportunity to get a head start and begin their college careers as they complete their senior year of high school.

Date Added: 12/1/2023

Nineteen members of the Íæż½ã½ãHigh School Athletes Helping Others club raised over $2,000 for the Special Olympics by participating in the “Freezing for a Reason” polar plunge at Cedar Beach on Nov. 18. This is the 13th year that the club has taken part in the annual fundraiser. Over the years, the club has raised over $14,000 for the Special Olympics organization, which raises funds for athletes who want to participate in the Special Olympics and provides them with training. The Athletes Helping Others club also recently donated full Thanksgiving dinners to two families in need.

Date Added: 11/28/2023

Íæż½ã½ãHigh School fall varsity athletes recently spent time with third grade students at Verne W. Critz Elementary School as part of the Íæż½ã½ã School District’s social and emotional learning program Second Step.

The program was inaugurated during the 2022-2023 school year, with fall and winter athletes visiting students at Kreamer Street and Íæż½ã½ã elementary schools.

Second Step aims to create lasting bonds between Íæż½ã½ãHigh School student-athletes and third graders in the district’s elementary schools. The athletes serve as role models as they shadow the third graders and support them in all aspects of their day, from assisting with lessons and academics to accompanying them to lunch.

Prior to the visit, all of the student-athletes were trained in social and emotional learning techniques.

Date Added: 11/21/2023

Íæż½ã½ãHigh School teacher Andrew Budris has been recognized by the National Council for the Social Studies with the distinguished 2023-2024 Secondary Teacher of the Year Award. He will be presented with the award and $2,500 at a ceremony in Nashville on Dec. 1.

“I don't think this award indicates I'm the best social studies teacher,” said Budris. “Instead, I think it shows that at Íæż½ã½ã, I've been allowed to be innovative in areas that the National Council for the Social Studies values. Those include project-based learning instruction, real-life civics and the teaching of controversial topics in a responsible way. And I'm honored that our district is recognized for leading in those areas.

Budris plans to use the monetary reward to sponsor a Íæż½ã½ãHigh School scholarship program that will be open to members of the Class of 2024 who are first generation college students and are interested in a career in education.

This is the second impressive award that Budris has earned for his teaching. Last year, he was recognized by the New York State Council for the Social Studies with the distinguished Outstanding High School Social Studies Classroom Teacher Award.

Budris credits much of what he has accomplished in his classroom and within the social studies department to the unwavering support that he has received. In his classroom, Budris reinforces the curriculum through problem-based learning, a teaching tool that he has brought to his co-workers and that has earned him the opportunity to present at conferences at the local, state and national level.

Budris has also presented on the New York State Seal of Civic Readiness program, which he and Jackie O’Hagan, director of the Íæż½ã½ã School District’s humanities department, implemented in the district in 2022. Íæż½ã½ã was one of only a handful of school districts on Long Island last year to offer the new Civic Readiness pathway, an all-encompassing program that teaches students how to apply civic knowledge, skills and mindsets to make positive impacts in their school, community and the world. It also aims to strengthen relationships with community partners and civic leaders. An impressive 95% of the Class of 2023 graduated with the Seal of Civic Readiness attached to their diplomas.

Budris, a Íæż½ã½ãresident, has been teaching at Íæż½ã½ãHigh School for the past 26 years. He currently teaches AP U.S. Government and Politics and co-teaches AP Research. He also serves as the lead teacher for the social studies department, a position he has held for the past seven years. He taught for two years in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn before moving to Bellport.

The accomplished teacher earned his undergraduate degree in political science from Siena College and his master’s in liberal sciences from Stony Brook University. He is currently working toward his doctorate in learning and teaching from Hofstra University.

When not teaching, Budris and his wife, Ellen Hoffman, who is an English teacher at Íæż½ã½ãHigh School, are supporting their three-sport-athlete daughter, who is a senior at the high school.

Date Added: 11/9/2023