The Mepham High School cheerleading team had an exceptional 2024-25 season filled with milestones and triumphs. It was capped off with the squad clinching the Nassau County Class B championship on Feb. 16. 

This is a historic achievement for Mepham, marking a major milestone in the program's history.  

“In October, the squad made an impressive appearance at the Nassau County Championship for Game Day, showcasing their skill and determination,” noted Coach Ashely Yunker, who is also a special education teacher at Merrick Avenue Middle School. 

At the competitive Universal Cheerleaders Association’s Nationals in Orlando, FL, they placed 25th out of 97 teams in the Small Division 2. 

“These student athletes proved their strength among the best,” Yunker added.  

The team is now gearing up for their next challenge as they head to Binghamton on March 8 for the New York State Championship, aiming for the state title. 

Date Added: 2/27/2025

Students in Bellmore-Merrick Broadcasting BCII and Foundations of Broadcasting classes transformed an old locker room at Mepham High School on Jan. 31 into a Hollywood sound stage for an afternoon.  

The students took on famous roles like script supervisor”, best boy and key grip as they came together to create an original short film. 

BCII student Allison Redican said she enjoyed transforming the space as the project’s art director. 

 “It was really cool to see how props and lights can completely change the look and feel of a place,” she noted.  

Claire Arnoff served as the director of photography, ensuring that what was seen through the camera lens fit the look for the project.  

“It was really hard to place the cameras and lights just right to create the look but, in the end, it came off like a real movie set,”Arnoff explained.  

Sophomore Paige Anderson served as the projects 1st assistant director responsible for maintaining the real world feel of the project.  

“Everyone knows you call out ‘quiet on the set’ and ‘action’ but there are a lot of other parts to the process that made it feel like a professional setting,” she recalled. 

The scene filmed by the BCII students takes place on a construction site where a “strange discovery is made.” It will be used by BMB BCIII and BCIV students as the launching point for their Valentine’s Day mystery films, which will be included in the BMB’s Valentine’s Day Film Festival. 

The films will premiere on the BMB YouTube channel on Tuesday, Feb. 25. 

Date Added: 2/3/2025

Makayla Daube, a member of the Mepham High School girls’ basketball team, scored her 1,000th point during the Pirates’ Jan. 11 game. Daube had previously reached 1,000 rebounds as well. 

She is the first Mepham girls’ basketball player to have both 1,000 varsity points and 1,000 rebounds. 

At the Jan. 11 game, the Pirates defeated New Hyde Park, 68-54, earning them a big Conference AA win. Daube led the way with 26 points, noted coach Jim Mulvey. She had also set the single game record with 34 points earlier in the week versus Herricks. 

The Mepham senior, class of 2025 valedictorian and All County athlete has committed to play basketball at Rollins College in the fall. 

Date Added: 1/14/2025

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