The Board of Education meeting occurred on Jan. 30 at 6:30 p.m. A myriad of topics were covered, ranging from the usual updates on the ever-changing school budget to a recent series of hateful incidents in the school district that have raised significant concern among the local Jewish community.
“Unfortunately, antisemitism continues to remain a topic of profound concern both globally and nationally, and sadly, in our Port Washington schools,” said School Board President Adam Smith. “We are incredibly disheartened about the appearance of swastikas at Weber Middle School. I want to personally thank the students who swiftly reported them, as well as our administrators and the Port Washington Police who have treated this matter with the utmost of seriousness. This investigation remains ongoing, but I am optimistic that the perpetrators will soon be identified.”
Smith then highlighted how the school has implemented several programs over the past few months that aim to combat hateful speech and educate the community on antisemitism, including live testimony from a Holocaust survivor and field trips to the Holocaust Museum in New York City.
“Having the opportunity to meet a Holocaust surviver was surreal. It is an event so close to us, yet feels so far,” said junior Juliam Kimball. “Underclassmen have said how they appreciated visiting the Nassau County Holocaust Museum. The school’s decision to implement this within the curriculum has been really moving.“
The Board of Education President finished his opening statement with the promise to continue to do the necessary work to address the growing problem of antisemitism. He then turned the floor over to Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources and Leadership, Dr. Christopher Shields, who gave a very brief update on the enrollment of Port Washington schools compared to last year. Additional updates were given on the ongoing investigation into the antisemitic vandalism that occurred at Weber, and attention was then directed towards senior Harrison Roth, a finalist in the Regeneron Science Talent Search and the individual who was selected to give the student update at this month’s board of education meeting.
Roth opened his speech by highlighting how students have been very pleased with the new furniture in the cafeteria, saying that school spirit has definitely been lifted by the new and fresh decor. He also called attention to the excitement surrounding the new chess boards in the commons
“I highly approve of this creative decision. Many kids love to play chess, however, they claim to not have the time or materials to play,” said junior Cassidy Metzner. “With this new feature to the commons, we can open up new interest in intellectual activities.“
Roth also acknowledged the success of music students who recently competed in a tri-state event, as well as all of the varsity athletes who will be participating in the upcoming playoffs of their respective sports. He then praised the way that midterm week is structured, saying that it gives students more time to be productive and properly prepare for their tests.
“Students only attend school for their exams. This is a great way for students to rest and study, only focusing on the upcoming exams for the week,” said Roth. “Exam week also provides a nice change of pace for students like me, who have very few free periods. Even on the day where I had two exams, I was able to go out to lunch with friends in between exams.“
Roth subsequently pointed out that Schreiber’s librarian and media specialist, Ms. Michal Cohan, published a video that gives students helpful methods to effectively study for their assessments. He hopes that more of these videos will be made and distributed in order to help students achieve academic success. Roth ended his statement by reflecting on his collaboration with principal Dr. Kathryn Behr to try and ensure that students do not end up taking one too many exams on the same day, ensuring his audience that they are working diligently to find a constructive solution.
“In discussing the successes and challenges of the exam week, Dr. Behr and I explored the scheduling of exams by day and time. While we are locked into the Regents administration by the state, we will keep exploring ways to limit the number of exams taken by a single student on the same day,” said Roth. “This is also relevant for final exams and Regents exams in June, though we have a longer testing window at the end of the school year. We also discussed the need to spread out in class final exams to provide students with enough time to prepare for each exam.“
Roth thanked the Board of Education for allowing him to share his perspective on what is currently happening at Schreiber, and stepped down from the podium. The rest of the evening followed standard procedure, with several Port Washington residents expressing their worry on what is happening in the community, the budget for next school year being reviewed, and the results of the PPS audit being presented. Committees then gave their reports on the topics that they were created for, and another board of education meeting was officially adjourned.