To provide students with an opportunity to have their voices heard, Hampton Bays Middle School established a new student leadership initiative: Raising Student Voices and Participation.

Formulated by Principal Dennis Schug and Assistant Principal Jonathan DellaSperanza, the initiative asks students in grades 5-8 to provide thoughtful and meaningful feedback on their middle school experiences.

During the panel’s first meeting, students completed a survey and engaged in a discussion about their school’s food services. They evaluated everything from service to food quality. They overwhelmingly rated their cafeteria offerings highly and shared ideas for enhancement, including adding more flavor to the mac-n-cheese and incorporating a yogurt bar.

Meetings with the student leaders will continue throughout the school year, with students providing input on school culture, student needs and creative ideas for making improvements to their school.

“If we want a school that truly works for students, the best place to start is by listening to them,” said DellaSperanza.

 

Date Added: 12/5/2025

As part of a unit of study on news literacy, Hampton Bays Middle School fifth grade students recently visited Newsday’s headquarters. The students met with journalists, participated in a mock press interview for a fictional news story and toured the publication’s newsroom. They also explored multimedia spaces and learned about the importance of local news.

Date Added: 12/4/2025

Hampton Bays Elementary School fourth grade students shared their love of reading by creating cereal box book reports as part of their fiction reading series. Each student came up with a unique name for their cereal based on the book they read, and all students presented their reports to the class.

In the spirit of giving, the members of the Hampton Bays Elementary School service organization K-Kids took action to donate to local families in need this Thanksgiving. Through a keychain sale, they raised enough to provide five families with $50 gift cards to purchase Thanksgiving dinners. They will next aim to collect gently used coats for those in need.

Hampton Bays Elementary School kindergartners brought the spirit of Thanksgiving to life as they participated in their school’s traditional Thanksgiving hallway parade. Dressed in festive costumes and equipped with musical instruments, the students delighted onlookers as they played music, smiled and waved. The annual event not only celebrates the holiday season but also brings the school community together.