Oyster Bay High School principal Melissa Argaman provided a mid-year review on the district’s seventh- through twelfth-grade students at the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Board of Education meeting on Jan. 7.
Last semester, Niche ranked the high school at No. 42 in the state. The previous year, the schools as ranked at no. 146.
“It’s nice to see our schools getting the recognition that we deserve,” Argaman said. “We all know that we’ve got incredible teachers, incredible programs and incredible students.”
Academic, athletic and extracurricular programs have grown in recent years, she said.
Science students attend research fairs, symposiums and competitions, Argaman said. Labs and activities in the classroom are designed to provide students with engaging material.
“Our science teachers aim to give students as much real-world experience as possible,” she said.
Argaman said mathematics classes have gone on field trips to the Math Museum in New York City, collaborated with peers in other courses, and celebrated Pi Day with fun and educational activities.
Humanities students participate in classroom discussions and contests, attend civic summits on class field trips, and have the opportunity to earn seals in biliteracy and civic readiness, she said. She said many of the classes collaborate with each other and with extracurricular clubs.
Business program students have welcomed guest speakers from LIU, competed with other districts at virtual enterprise shows and visited the district’s elementary school to share what they’ve learned, Argaman said.
Argaman said the district was named one of the best in the nation for music education last year. This year, 13 students were accepted into the all-county music program.
However, Argaman said that students have participated in activities outside of the classroom as well.
“One of the most impressive things, I think, about Oyster Bay Middle/High School is the number of clubs and honor societies and sports that we have for such a small student body,” she said.
The school has over 10 honors societies, with high student participation, she said.
Last semester, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association named every eligible fall sports team a scholar-athlete team, totaling nine teams awarded, Argaman said. The cheerleading, sailing, and crew teams are not part of the athletic association but meet the same criteria, she said.
Argaman said seven teams qualified for the playoffs, and the girl’s volleyball team qualified for the state championship.
“For a small school, our athletes are really doing incredible things,” Argaman said.
Argaman said the Oyster Bay community has encouraged school spirit. This last year, the student council organized the first homecoming dance in over a decade, with over 200 students in attendance, she said.
“Seeing the way our students support each other is heartwarming,” Argaman said.
