Hampton Bays Middle School students Sydney Blom, Jemeley Scarlett Mejia and Manuella Mafra Ribeiro have been named local winners in the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5350’s annual Patriot’s Pen essay contest.

Their impressive essays were written on the contest theme of “How are you showing patriotism and support for our country?”

The Hampton Bays School District extends its congratulations to the students for achieving honors in the contest.

Date Added: 2/6/2026

The Hampton Bays High School girls varsity winter track 4x200 meter relay team delivered a record-breaking performance at the Section XI Small School Championship on Jan. 31. They set a new school record with an impressive time of 1:54.82. Isabella Becerra, Madysen Frederiksen, Alejandra Montoya and Eleanor Ramsay’s run not only rewrote the school record books but also qualified them to compete at next week’s state qualifier meet. The district congratulates the athletes and wishes them well on their continued success.

Hampton Bays Elementary School celebrated the 99th birthday of their beloved teacher’s aide Sarah Cunliffe with cake and desserts on Jan. 31. Cunliffe was all smiles as she was greeted with birthday wishes from students and fellow staff members.

Cunliffe has worked at the school for the past 20 years and has said that her longevity has everything to do with being able to work with children every day.

Working with children has been a large part of Cunliffe’s life. She began her career at the age of 16 by assisting the nuns at Sacred Hearts Church in Southampton, the town where she grew up. Later in life, she became the director of religious education at St. Rosalie’s Church in Hampton Bays, a position she served in for 35 years. She fondly remembers teaching communion and confirmation classes to Lars Clemensen, Hampton Bays’ superintendent of schools. After retiring from her director’s position, Cunliffe said she needed to get back to work. She applied to Hampton Bays Elementary School and has been working there ever since, assisting in classrooms and in the cafeteria during lunch.

Cunliffe resides in Hampton Bays, where she raised her three children, Jackie, Joseph and Theresa.

Hampton Bays High School junior Samantha Deleg earned an impressive fourth-place finish at the state level in the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ annual Voice of Democracy essay contest. Deleg advanced to the state competition after receiving local recognition from VFW Post 535, alongside fellow junior Samantha O’Neal and senior Vasyl Datsyuk.

For the contest, students composed original essays responding to this year’s theme, “How are you showing patriotism and support for our country?” Their thoughtful submissions highlighted personal perspectives on civic responsibility, service and national pride.

In her winning essay, Deleg wrote about her service as the first sergeant of the Civil Air Patrol. As a member of the patrol since the eighth grade, Deleg has shown patriotism through acts of community service, including welcoming home veterans at MacArthur Airport as part of the Honor Flights program. She has served in her patrol’s color guard, working her way up to become the American flag bearer during local parades. She also participates in Wreaths Across America and flag placements during the holidays. As a further display of her service and patriotism, Deleg is a member of the Southampton Town Police Explorers program. In school, she participates in the Photography and Striving for Wellness clubs, as well as the No Place for Hate program.

“I poured my heart into my essay,” said Deleg, who said she wrote it well into the night, when she does her best writing. “I am very proud of it and my service.”

Deleg said she has always known that service is a large part of who she is, and she plans to continue serving by studying pre-law in college. “I think I can help a lot of people in the future,” she said.

The Hampton Bays School District congratulates all three high schoolers on their recognitions.

The Hampton Bays Union Free School District extends its congratulations to 26 high school music students who were selected to participate in the Hampton Music Educators Association’s annual music festival. 

To participate, the students were nominated by their music teachers and then selected by the festival committee. They took part in several practice sessions and a final concert.

Congratulations to the following student-musicians: Elisabett Alvarado Guzman, Ian Arias, Cooper Foley, Daniela Gomez, Cristian Kearns, Nathan Kearns, James Maroulas, Sebastian Martinez, Sofia Montes Duran, Samantha O'Neal, Danna Ordonez, Jack Owens, Andrei Quiros, Eleanor Ramsay, Esme Rottkamp, Hannah Russell, Leah Russell, Willem Sarkis, Sam Schottenhamel, Trey Scudder, Nicholas Stellato, Paige Stubelek, Charlotte Summar, Gustavo Tzitzimititla, Gimena Valdespino and Abigail Wilson.

 

Date Added: 2/2/2026