Kajal Kapoor is the Newest Wheatley Idol!

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On Friday night, the Wheatley auditorium was filled with spectators enjoying the 14th edition of Tri-M’s Wheatley Idol! Hosted by Ashley Vincenzo and Brenda Zhong, the evening featured performances from nine incredibly talented competitors. From these nine initial competitors, four finalists were selected by our “celebrity” judges: Ms. Calvagno, Mr. Gadamowitz and Mr. Orlovsky. These four finalists then performed another song and the winner was selected by audience vote.

This year’s ten competitors were:

Charlotte Iannone

Julia Dioguardi

Sarah Amselem

Brianna Werny

Jaime Behar

Kajal Kapoor

Krittika Prajapati

Emma Melnikov

Shruti Goyal

From these nine initial competitors, the four finalists selected were: Shruti Goyal, Emma Melnikov, Kajal Kapoor and Brianna Werny! Each of these finalists performed another song for the audience.

Shruti Goyal, Round 2

Brianna Werny, Round 2

Emma Melnikov, Round 2

Kajal Kapoor, Round 2

After these three performances, the audience voted. When the vote count came in, Kajal Kapoor was declared the winner of Wheatley Idol XIV! She performed one more song for the audience:

Thank you to our Tri-M students and our Tri-M Advisor (Angela Luftig) for all of their work putting together this wonderful evening!

Here are some photos from the event:

Tiffany Bernot Commits to Play Soccer at University at Albany!

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The Wheatley School Athletic Program is honored to recognize the accomplishments of Tiffany Bernot. On Wednesday, 14 November, Tiffany signed her National Letter of Intent to be a Member of The SUNY at Albany Women’s Soccer Team and to continue her academic studies at SUNY Albany, in The America East Conference.

Tiffany began playing Varsity Soccer for The Wheatley Wildcats as a starter in 8th grade and made an immediate impact. She has always been a complete player. Very motivated, a hard worker, enthusiastic, always helping her teammates, and performing at the highest level, culminating in her being named Captain as a Junior. She was a major contributor to the team’s 2014, 2015, 2016, & 2017 Conference and Nassau County Championship Girls Soccer Teams, and even led our Wildcats into The NY State Semifinals in 2016.

If strong defense was needed, Tiffany was there. If goals were needed, Tiffany provided the offense, whether by assisting teammates or scoring some of our most important goals (including overtime penalty kicks). She has been awarded All Class, All Conference, All County, and Playoff MVP honors throughout her High School career. Tiffany was voted Newsday Top 50 High School Player To Watch, MSG Varsity Playoff Player of the Game, and Verizon Fios Playoff MVP of The County Championships. She was even the top vote-getter on Twitter for MSG Varsity NY area Playoff Plays in 2017 for scoring on 52 yard and 46 yard direct kicks in the County Championship Game, not 5 minutes apart late in the 2nd half, all the while proudly representing her friends, her teammates, and The Wheatley Wildcats. As a Senior, Tiffany was Manager of The Wheatley HS Boys Varsity Team as she was not eligible to play High School as a Developmental Academy Member.

Outside of Wheatley, we are very proud of her. She has worked so hard to master the game of Futsal, is a 3-Time Member of The United States National Futsal Team, training in Kansas and playing in International Play in Canada, Captaining in Costa Rica and Colombia, her teams going undefeated at 9-0 over 3 years and being coached by the National Team Coach, Keith Tozer.

Tiffany has played in The NPL League, The ECNL League, and Currently plays for The FC Fury NY DA Team, Coached by Paul Riley. She captained The Albertson ECNL Team last year. She takes her soccer very seriously, trains at a high level and plays as such. She has become a leader and a friend to not only her teammates but also to her school friends.

She has worked very hard on her academics maintaining a 3.85 GPA, has taken Honors and AP classes, and is a member of both the National Honor Society and Foreign Language Honor Society. She has extensive community service and volunteer experience. She loves to have a good time, loves her friends and teammates, and gets their love back.

We are all very proud of Tiffany’s accomplishments on and off the field and wish her the best in the next phase of her career at SUNY Albany. Congratulations to Tiffany and her entire family!

Wheatley Volleyball Wins Class B Nassau County Championship!

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In an exciting and hard-fought match, the Wheatley Varsity Volleyball team defeated a tenacious Island Trees team to earn the Nassau County Championship crown for the second consecutive year! The girls earned this victory in a four-game set, 25-16, 28-26, 21-25, 25-19. Congratulations to the athletes and coach Tom Greely!

The team will play for the Long Island Championship on Sunday, 11 November at 3:00 pm at SUNY Farmingdale.

Update: You can read Newsday’s coverage of the game through this link: Volleyball County Champions Newsday_9Nov18

 

 

 

 

 

Wheatley Students Make Most of their Time in Spain!

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Last week, 23 students and four faculty members departed for a week in Spain. Mrs. Martinez has been kind enough to provide some wonderful updates regarding their time in Spain.

Monday, 5 November

Today we took an interesting tour of the Plaza de Toros de Sevilla, the oldest bullring in Spain. We learned about bullfighting and walked behind the scenes as well as out onto the sand where it all occurs. Since we know that it is animal torture, we tried to look at it from a cultural perspective. We learned about the techniques, the clothing, the training, the ceremony, and the profession.
Then we walked along the Guadalquivir River, crossed the bridge, and wandered around the Triana neighborhood. This is the place that the gypsies and flamenco musicians and dancers lived. We went to Mercado de Triana, a food market, and then had some time to get lunch and go to a few shops.
Triana is also where many of the intricate tiles of Spain are made. We went to a big factory store where they are made in big ovens and painted. Many of us bought souvenirs. Then we went to a gourmet food market, el Mercado de la Lonja, for a few snacks.
Dinner was at a restaurant in a lovely round plaza with a fountain. It was a good day, and we have had sunny but chilly weather in the sixties, which is just perfect for walking around all day.

Tuesday, 6 November

Today we visited the Alhambra, a fort and palace built buy the last Muslims that ruled Spain. On the bus ride, we passed orange trees, olive trees, white villages with church steeples, palm trees, cactus plants, and snow capped mountains. We also saw that Spain uses renewable energy, as there were many windmills and solar panels along the way.
During our tour, we learned about the Alhambra, its architecture, how it was used over the years, the life of the sultans and the Spanish Inquisition. There are colorful tiles with patterns and calligraphy among intricate stucco, arches and marble patios with fountains. The vaulted ceilings and views through the windows were breathtaking.

Wednesday, 7 November

Today we took a cooking class. We made salmorejo, a cold tomato soup, similar to gazpacho, but creamier. The main dish was a giant vegetarian paella with snow peas, tomatoes, artichokes, mushrooms, asparagus, garlic, peppers, and cauliflower. All of the food was fresh from the market where we took the class. It was delicious. For dessert, we made flan. The kitchens were open and modern. We had a great meal. Everyone was involved in the cooking and preparation, and it was a lot of fun. The class was in Spanish, and the kids handled it very well.
Next, we took a boat cruise down the river. There was a recorded guide in Spanish and English, which explained what we were passing, such as bridges designed by Santiago Calatrava and historical landmarks.We learned about the buildings we were passing and relaxed before heading to our flamenco dance class, which was taught in Spanish as well. We took a class on how to clap and stomp and keep the beat, as well as where flamenco came from and how to call out when the dancer is doing a great job. After the workshop, we went into the dance room and tried to bust a move.
Clearly, our students are having a wonderful experience in Spain! Thank you to Mary Martinez for the terrific and informative updates! Thanks as well to Alison Amarain for the beautiful photos below!

Students Enjoy a Busy First Few Days in Spain!

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On Thursday evening, 23 Wheatley students and 4 Wheatley faculty members departed for a week in Spain. The first few days have been filled with activity!

Mrs. Martinez provided the following updates on the first two days:
We went to the Seville Cathedral (built in 1409) and saw Columbus’ tomb, where “less than a hamburger” of his remains lie. Gross, right?!? Next, we climbed to the top of the Giralda bell tower, which is very easy to go up, because it is a ramp. It was originally a minaret for a mosque.
We enjoyed the Plaza de España, ornate with beautiful blue, yellow, and white ceramic tiles. There was a Fiat car show surrounding the fountain, a man blowing giant bubbles, and a flamenco group upstairs, making the atmosphere even more fun.  We took a boat ride; some of us chose a motorboat and some rowed. Next, we found an international food market, and the kids sampled foods from all over the world, including kangaroo.
Mrs. Stein and Alison Amarain provided the following wonderful photos!

Wheatley Runners Make their Mark at State Qualification Meet!

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Earlier today, four Wheatley Cross Country athletes (Emilia Keys, Amanda Ustick, Yani Lin, Declan Brady) competed in the State Qualification meet for the right to run in next week’s State Championship meet. On a beautiful morning at Bethpage State Park, all four athletes earned the right to compete next week.

Of particular note was Emmie’s performance, as she earned a second place finish in her race!

Congratulations to all four runners, and best of luck as they compete next weekend at the State Championship meet at Sunken Meadow State Park!

Girls Varsity Soccer Wins Class B Long Island Championship!

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Congratulations to the Wheatley Wildcats for earning the Long Island Class B Championship crown! In a tough game fought in tremendously windy conditions, the Wildcats defeated the Mattituck/Southold/Greenport combined team at Islip High School. Rebecca Sparacio netted the first goal near the close of the first half and Isabella Rios scored the second goal with 15:00 mins left in the game!

Congratulations to the team, and good luck to the athletes as they prepare for the State Championships next week!

UPDATE: You can download a PDF version of Newsday’s article about the Championship Game here: GVS_LIC Article_Newsday4Nov18