In honor of School Board Recognition Week, the Elwood School District Board of Education was celebrated at the Oct. 16 board meeting for its dedicated service to the community. Each of the district’s four school buildings presented a unique gift to express appreciation. Under the guidance of their art teachers, students at Harley Avenue Primary School created a large-scale collage featuring a heart drawn by every student, color-coded by class. James H. Boyd Intermediate School designed a blooming garden painting, using each student’s fingerprint as a petal, leaf, or blade of grass. Elwood Middle School presented a digital art project showcasing photos from the past school year, while Elwood-John H. Glenn High School offered a photo collage highlighting the many opportunities for students to learn and grow.

This extraordinary series of four framed artworks will be proudly displayed in the district office. In addition, Board members received personalized pens and cases, professional portfolios, and keychains designed by high school students – thoughtful tokens of gratitude for their continued commitment to the district.

“The students’ efforts to build and create are greatly appreciated,” Board President James Tomeo said. “This is why we are on the Board. We serve at the pleasure of our community, but most importantly, for the focus and enrichment of our students. We love being Board of Education members, and what we love most about it is seeing the fruits of the students’ labor. Tonight was a wonderful example of what our students can accomplish, and what we do to support them.”

“We want to acknowledge the members of our Board and thank them for their dedication to our schools,” Superintendent Dr. Gayle Steele said. “Public schools are the heartbeat of our community, and our board does an amazing job working alongside us to promote the success of every student. They develop a shared vision and goals for the district and ensure that strategies, resources, policies and programs are aligned with those goals. They assess and provide accountability measures, support a healthy school culture to work and learn, and give the residents of Elwood a voice in the education decision-making process. On behalf of the entire Elwood administrative team, faculty and staff, I want to say thank you for all that you do in making Elwood a special place.”

Date Added: 10/22/2025

Congratulations to Elwood for being ranked No. 6 in Niche's 2026 Best School Districts in Suffolk County. This annual assessment is based on rigorous analysis of academic and student life data from the U.S. Department of Education along with test scores, college data and user ratings. With an A+ overall grade from Niche, Elwood also ranked 44th in the state.

Date Added: 10/21/2025

The Elwood school community came together on Sept. 27 to celebrate Elwood-John H. Glenn High School’s homecoming with a day full of tradition, spirit and pride. Festivities began with a lively parade down Elwood Avenue, featuring the Knightline kickline squad, honor societies, athletic teams, Girl Scout troops, and each high school class accompanying floats designed around creative video game themes. Homecoming Queen Jocelyn Rizzi and King Nicholas Spataro waved to the cheering crowd lining the street, as the Marching Knights and Elwood Middle School bands filled the air with rousing music.

Following the parade, younger students enjoyed an array of games and activities at booths set up near the football field, while anticipation grew for the afternoon’s varsity football game. At halftime, the Marching Knights and Knightline wowed the crowd with spectacular performances that energized the stands and showcased the talents of the district’s students. Although the varsity team did not capture the win against Babylon’s Panthers, the spirit of homecoming shone through from start to finish, making the day a memorable celebration of school pride, family and community.

“We are incredibly fortunate to have such a dedicated school community, and the success of this year’s homecoming is a direct reflection of their contributions,” Interim Principal Irene McLaughlin said. “The level of collaboration, planning and preparation demonstrated for the weekend’s many events was truly remarkable. Our heartfelt thanks go out to all who invested their time, effort and dedication to our students.”

Date Added: 9/29/2025

It was a night to celebrate the recent and extremely prestigious national accolades earned by Elwood Middle School, as the district honored Principal Dr. Christina Moran, Assistant Principal Erica Cuomo, and the school’s teachers, staff and students at the Sept. 18 Board of Education meeting. Elwood Middle School had been named to the list of National Forum Schools to Watch in both 2022 and 2025, and most recently, was designated a 2025 National School of Distinction by the Association of Middle Level Education.

In attendance to laud the middle school’s achievements were Huntington Town Councilman Dave Bennardo as well as Michael Calabrese from Congressman Nick Lalota’s office; New York State Sen. Mario Mattera and New York State Assemblyman Steve Stern also provided official acknowledgments to Dr. Moran and the entire middle school.

"I cannot emphasize enough that these honors and designations are a testament to the compassionate, attentive and committed staff here at Elwood Middle School," Dr. Moran said. "They are dedicated to ensuring every student feels safe, valued and heard. Every student matters, and it's our collective goal to make sure they know it."

"Thank you for your work, leadership, vision and ability to earn the multiple recognitions the middle school has achieved in the last decade," Board President James Tomeo said.
 
To view the school’s national designations presentation, please click here. 

Date Added: 9/23/2025

Elwood Middle School has been named a 2025 National School of Distinction by the Association of Middle Level Education (AMLE). AMLE is the only international organization of its kind for middle school educators, with a community more than 35,000 members strong and decades of research on the young adolescent learner. This prestigious recognition highlights Elwood Middle School’s commitment to being a responsive, challenging, empowering, equitable and engaging learning environment. EMS was rated based on research-based best practices on its culture and community, curriculum instruction and assessment, and leadership and organization. 

The designation required comprehensive surveys of staff and students, where they reflected on the school’s practices and procedures to assess level of implementation. Elwood Middle School proudly reported that 100% of its staff participated, rating 133 out of 134 survey items with high implementation, demonstrating over 99% positive feedback. Student responses were largely similar, with 92% participation and 75% of their survey items receiving strong implementation ratings, significantly higher than typical national survey results. The application also included a site visit where the members of AMLE met with staff, students, district administrators and parents. Students particularly highlighted the school’s strengths in content knowledge, understanding young adolescent development, leaders’ commitment and knowledge of young adolescence and middle education research, and school policies and practices.

“We are incredibly proud of this achievement, which reflects the dedication and hard work of our entire school community,” Principal Dr. Christina Moran said.

Please visit the EMS Schools of Distinction webpage.

Date Added: 9/15/2025