The Calhoun Connections group at Calhoun High School was officially named the winner of the Team Up 4 Community 2024 Holiday Heroes Challenge on Dec. 20. 
Through the support of everyone, Calhoun Connections received a total of 1,538 votes, edging out the second-place team by more than 500 votes.
“It is thanks to our incredibly supportive students, staff, parents, and community members that they were able to reach such a high number of votes,” explained Principal Nicole Hollings. 
Calhoun Connections will receive a $3,000 grant for their program for winning first place in the contest.
In effort to further foster an inclusive environment at Calhoun, teachers from the special education department have created two new clubs. During the Buddy and Recreation Clubs, participants are paired with “buddies,” students from various clubs or teams volunteering their time. Students visit stations with activities such as trivia, arts and crafts, and games.

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Written by student Hannah Levine

The Calhoun On Tour Company presents Anthony Drewe and George Stiles’ Honk! 

The Calhoun High School On Tour Company is continuing its 2024-2025 season with its second production, Honk! Performances will be held in the Calhoun High School auditorium, located at 1786 State St., Merrick, NY 11566. Performances are at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18, 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 24, and 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 25.

Direction by Sal Salerno, Musical Direction by James Crichton, and choreography by Robert Tunstall, tickets to Honk! can be reserved by phone at (516) 992-1377 or purchased at the door. 

Honk! is a musical adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's tale The Ugly Duckling. The story follows a duckling named Ugly who is othered for looking different from his siblings. Ugly embarks on a journey full of challenges, meeting a variety of unique characters and learning to embrace his uniqueness. Honk! celebrates themes of acceptance, self-discovery, and belonging, and is the perfect musical for the whole family. At both matinee performances, there will be special activities and prizes for elementary school students. 

The talented cast features Evan Leicht as Ugly, Addi Kelson as Ida, Nathaniel Botta as Cat, Justin Lapidus as Drake, Jack Messinger as Bullfrog, Nicole Markowitz as Queenie, Sophie Kovoros as Lowbutt, Aaron Kaplan as Turkey, Soul Brar as Penny, Brooke Thatcher as Dot, Nattie Martin as Maureen, Kenneth Howe as Greylag, Jackson Amiruddin as Father Swan, Isabella Verderosa as Grace, Zahara Parveez as Mother Swan, and Amiera Cavé as Henrietta. 

Tickets for Honk! are $10 for students and seniors and $12 for adults. They can be purchased at the door. To reserve tickets before the performance, call the box office at (516) 992-1377. This year’s season consists of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Honk!, and upcoming productions of Carnival!, and Thorton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth. 

James Drake and Dr. Dale Parkinson founded the On Tour Company in 1973. Subsequent instructors included Dianne Meistrell and John Fredrickson, notable among several others. Under the direction of Sal Salerno, the On Tour Company began performing in 1985, and is now one of the finest school drama programs on Long Island in New York State. It has existed at Calhoun for 50 years – with Salerno serving as the director for the last 38 years. Beginning with the 2024-25 school year, James Crichton, a Calhoun alumnus, now serves as the director of the On Tour Company. 

Click here to view the PHOTOS: Calhouns On Tour Co. Presents Honk! 2025 slideshow.

Date Added: 1/10/2025

On Dec. 17, students from both Mepham and Calhoun High Schools participated in annual Poetry Out Loud competitions at the building level.

“Student competitors memorized and recited works selected from an anthology of more than 1,200 poems,” explained Mary Allegretta, an English chairperson at Mepham. “Judges evaluated student performances on criteria including voice and articulation, evidence of understanding, and accuracy.

Students must win classroom competitions hosted by their English teachers to earn a coveted spot in the schoolwide competition.

The event, hosted each December at Mepham by Fragments advisor Nicole Maresca and the English Department, is now a 17-year tradition at Mepham High School. At Calhoun, chairperson Kim Serpe oversees the competition.

Mepham High School:

1st Place: AriElla Wolfstein, senior
2nd Place: Samantha Bremer, senior
3rd Place: Asher Chang, sophomore
Calhoun High School:

1st place: Ryan Karis, junior (winner for the third year in a row)
2nd place: Uma Magi, sophomore

More about Poetry Out Loud: presented in partnership with the New York State Teachers & Writers Collaborative, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Poetry Foundation—lifts poetry off the page, creating community and connection. Through this program, high school students across the country participate in a dynamic poetry recitation competition that is designed to improve their public speaking skills, help build confidence and teach them about literary history and contemporary life. Since the program began in 2005, more than 4.4 million students across the country have participated in Poetry Out Loud. To learn more about the Poetry Out Loud competition, visit PoetryOutLoud.org.

Date Added: 1/15/2025