City of Glen Cove schools back in session

Students were ecstatic at Deasy Elementary School while waiting outside the large exterior sky-blue doors on their first day of the new school year on Sept. 5. For some anxious youth, it was their first day as students in the district, but Superintendent Dr. Maria Rianna was there, holding tiny uncertain hands, easing the worries of a few anxious parents and students at the start of their academic journeys.
The district is seeing some big changes this year for its 3,800 students between kindergarten and 12th grade in four elementary schools, a middle school and a high school. The buildings are undergoing the most extensive infrastructure improvements in decades.
The projects include repairs to science rooms, the cafeteria and kitchen, and corridors of the high school. Exterior doors will be replaced, and restrooms reconstructed to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Deasy replaced the courtyard curtain wall, and will also reconstruct heating and air-conditioning systems, replacing corridor lockers as well as tennis and basketball courts, a parking lot, and curbs and walkways at the high school.
The high school will also offer eight new classes in the arts, physical education and science to give students more diversity in their academic careers. In the personal training and fitness program, students will learn basic anatomy and physiology, proper form, how to use gym equipment and what exercises will be most effective to help achieve their fitness goals. This course will allow students to gain skills to pursue a career in lifelong fitness.

Their fine and performing arts department will offer courses such as foundations in dance, which will offer an introduction to dance and the fundamentals of movement. The focus will be on elementary techniques in ballet, modern and jazz dance.
For the sciences, students will have the opportunity to complete work on individual independent research projects. The final product of the research work will be an original scientific research paper. During the fall semester, students will submit their papers to science competitions such as Siemens-Westinghouse, Intel, New York Academy of Sciences and the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. During the spring semester, they will present a research seminar and aid sophomore and junior research students
The changes stem from the passed bond vote from December of last year and the budget, which passed in May. Administrators touted such changes as costing no more than $12.50 monthly for the city’s average homeowner.
Construction began this summer and will continue on until the start of the 2025-26 academic year. The projected timeline, however, takes into consideration concerns such as supply chain issues and availability of materials and labor.