"Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire" - W. B. Yeats...

As I welcome all of the staff, students, and parents back for the 2008-09 school year, I would like to introduce myself, as well as share some information. My name is Dr. Timothy Hearney, and I have been in education for (17) years. I received my Doctorate from St. John's University in 2004. I have worked as a teacher in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and Western Suffolk BOCES as a Special Education Teacher. During this part of my career, I had worked with students with all types of abilities and backgrounds. For the past (8) years, I have worked in the Islip School District as a High School Assistant Principal, Director of Special Education and Pupil Personnel Services and most recently, as the Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services. So why leave? The answer is simple. I truly missed being part of a building and meeting with students, teachers and parents on a regular basis. As an educator, there is nothing more rewarding than making a difference in a young person's life. As Robert Maynard Hutchins says, "The objective of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves through their lives," and if we can do this, we know we are making a difference.

As I look toward the 2008-09 school year, I think about the strong commitment to excellence that already exists in Bayport-Blue Point. First, over 97% of the students that graduated received a Regents Diploma. Other accomplishments include, but are not limited to, our excellent Regents results. The following represents the number of students that passed each of the required exams for a Regents Diploma:

These are tremendous results. As we look to the 2008-09 school year, we turn our focus to improve on the above results and look at the mastery rate for each exam, which represents the number of students that score an 85 or better.

I think it is also important to share our Advanced Placement results. The results below show the number of the students who scored a 3 or better, which in some cases will earn them credit at the college level.

During the 2008-09 school year, not only are we adding (2) AP courses (U.S. Government & Politics and English Language & Composition) but also look to improve upon our already strong results. Needless to say, I am extremely enthusiastic to be a part of such a great school district. It is obvious that there is a strong commitment from students, teachers and parents, alike, which is so important. Without this commitment, results like these would not be possible. Therefore, as we take a journey down this road together, please do not hesitate to contact me. Enjoy the rest of your summer and have a great year.

BECOME INVOLVED

Research clearly shows that the student that is involved in his/her school is less likely to drop out or do poorly. Therefore, the opposite is true. An involved student not only takes more pride in his/her school community but also enjoys school more and does better academically.

Please encourage your son or daughter to be involved in school beyond the academic day, whether it be a sport, an activity or a club.

Listed below are the clubs that are available at the high school along with their advisors.

There are also athletic-related activities that will be announced during the school year.