The East Meadow School District congratulates W.T. Clarke High School’s Rams Marching Band, who captured first place in New York City’s 77th annual Columbus Day Parade on Oct. 11. The district also commends East Meadow High School’s Jets Marching Band, who took second-place honors.

“We are so proud of our students’ work ethic, attention to detail and positive attitude,” said Jessica Shenker, W.T. Clarke High School’s chairwoman of music. “Our success would not be possible without our incredible band staff, including our marching band director Mrs. Molly Tittler-Ingoglia, our color guard instructor Mrs. Patricia Dunn, and our drumline instructor Mr. Steven Blutman.”

The Rams’ 2021-22 performance program is comprised of “Children of Sanchez” by Chuck Mangione and “Patriotic Finale” arranged by Ralph Ford.

“The East Meadow High School Marching Band would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to Mrs. Ingoglia, Mrs. Shenker and the W. T. Clarke Rams Marching Band on their first-place finish at this year's Columbus Day Parade,” said Stephen Engle, East Meadow High School’s chairman of music. “We were so happy to be back in New York City marching in what has become a part of the cultural fabric of the EMHS music department. I know I speak for the entire staff and school community when I say that we are so proud of our students for how hard they have worked and for all they have achieved.”

The Jets have performed in the annual Columbus Day Parade since 1992. Their 2021-22 performance program includes John Philip Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever" and the Michael Jackson classic, “Thriller.”

“Performing music during the pandemic has presented many challenges for music education, but true to East Meadow, our students and staff rose to the occasion and have succeeded despite those challenges,” said Kelly Gelfer, the East Meadow School District’s director of music and art. “I can’t say enough about their professionalism and dedication to our community and our program. They bring such pride to the East Meadow School District.”

The district commends both marching bands for their success in the Columbus Day Parade and looks forward to a fantastic remainder of the season.

Eight East Meadow High School students were named Commended Students in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program.

The honorees, Sherlyn Alex, Shawn R. Balgobind, Sarah J. Eisenberg, Sheila Lorentzen, Aavi Lund, Helen Mun, Branden A. Sattler and Donato J. Zampini, earned a special certificate in recognition of this accomplishment.

Commended students placed among the top 50,000 scorers of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2021 competition by taking the 2019 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. About 34,000 commended students throughout the nation are being recognized for their academic performance.

Five East Meadow High School students teamed up during the summer to create a commemorative mural. High school students Crystal Richardson, Janette Hassan, Zhaire Felton, Halle Zavlick and Samantha Muggeo crafted a 4-feet-tall, 8-feet-wide mural of notable activists and leaders.

Richardson said that the mural, which features numerous groundbreaking figures in American history such as transgender rights activist Marsha P. Johnson, novelist James Baldwin and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, among others, took about three months to complete.

The mural also features newspaper clippings highlighting different moments of each historical figure.

Clear skies with the temperature in the mid-70s provided the perfect atmosphere for W.T. Clarke High School’s homecoming celebration on Oct. 2.

Homecoming began with a parade up Stewart Avenue and then Washington Avenue as the Rams marching band led the march to their high school. A steady crowd of parents, family members and district residents lining the sidewalk in front of the high school cheered when they saw the parade approaching. In addition to the marching band, the parade also featured cheerleaders, the flag corps, school organizations and movie-themed class floats.

Halftime festivities featured a performance from the marching band and the cheerleaders, along with recognition of the homecoming royal court. The Rams’ varsity football team capped off homecoming with a 30-20 victory over the East Rockaway Rocks.