Bellmore-Merrick Students Head to District-wide Orientation

The Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District held student orientations at all five of the district’s schools over a two-day period on Aug. 26-27.

At Grand Avenue Middle School, Principal Carlo Conte reassured parents of the incoming seventh-graders while assistant principals James Mollica and Andrew Del Rosario welcomed the students in the school’s gymnasium.

Eighth-grade volunteers dressed in orange shirts helped lead the incoming students through the process, taking them on a tour to their homeroom class and handing out their locker number and combination. Merrick Avenue Middle School (MAMS) held a similar orientation as its new principal Taryn Johnson greeted the seventh-grade class at the doors. Homeroom teachers were also on hand at MAMS to field questions and help reassure nervous students.

At Wellington C. Mepham High School, Principal Michael Harrington addressed the incoming freshman class of 2018, urging them to get involved in clubs and activities and reminding them how fast the time will go by. The students then broke off into separate tour groups led by senior guides who took them on a tour of the entire building. The freshmen then broke off to locate their lockers and try their combinations.

Similar orientations were held at John F. Kennedy High School, where the freshman class heard from Principal Lorraine Poppe, assistant principals, student leaders, and coaches before breaking into tour groups and small discussion groups led by members of the National Honor Society. They also had their ID photos taken before being given free reign to find the classrooms on their schedule.

At Sanford H. Calhoun, the future Class of 2018 rotated among five stations. New Principal Nicole Hollings manned the first station, welcoming students, while Assistant Principal Eric Gomez manned the second station with student leaders to discuss the Dignity Act. A third station involved a tour of the building. The fourth technology station allowed students access to the wireless network to set up EdModo accounts, and the fifth station took student ID photos and hosted a club and activities fair.

School began at Bellmore-Merrick on Sep. 2.

See more pictures from orientation on our Facebook page here.