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Aquebogue News & Events
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AQUEBOGUE'S
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
Before his presentation, Dr. Marshall Jones speaks to a group
of students about his book,
Never Give Up.
Happy 75th Birthday, Aquebogue!
Aquebogue
Elementary School recently celebrated its 75th anniversary.
The tenor of their celebration was a reflection of Aquebogue’s
emphasis on keeping academics the focus of all its special
events. The celebration included a wonderful display of timelines,
a speaker, a dinner, raffles, gifts of books, stories and
snacks. The celebration was teamed with Aquebogue’s
Annual Reading Night hosted by the teachers.
 Timelines
lined the walls. Student posters reflected the changes in
technology and culture over those 75 years.
The featured speaker for the day, an Aquebogue alumni, was
Dr. Marshall Jones, author, scientist, inventor, athlete and
African American. Dr. Jones grew up on the duck farm just
South of the school. He is now a celebrated scientist at General
Electric, who has a special expertise in laser technology.
At a series of assemblies and later in visits to each of the
classrooms, Dr. Jones shared some of the science he has engaged
in throughout his career.
But, the real impact of Dr. Jones’ visit with the students
was centered on the message of his book, Never Give Up,
which many of the students had read before his arrival and
was featured in one of the many reading rooms throughout the
evening. Dr. Jones told the students about his life, his struggles
with reading, and his determination to “never give up.”
In spite of many obstacles, Dr. Jones did not give up, and
that is a message he shares with fellow scientists and others
of every gender, race and age.
“One little girl,” shared Mrs. Bucholz, “stated
that she wants to grow up to be just like Marshall Jones.”
“That,” said Dr. Jones, “was a very meaningful
moment for me. I want girls and other under represented groups
in the field of math and science to see that they, too, can
succeed in these fields or in any other field that they pursue.”
Dr. Marshall’s employer, General Electric, gifted each
of the Aquebogue families with a copy of Dr. Marshall’s
book. Dr. Marshall also gave the school a picture of himself
with one of his patents that was taken at General Electric.
Dr. Jones was strongly influenced by his Aunt and Uncle, who
helped raise him, his teacher and principal, Ken Ross (also
a former Superintendent of Schools in Riverhead), and his
wrestling coach Walt Stewart. Both Mr. Ross and Mr. Stewart
attended the evening meal and Dr. Jones’ final presentation.
Also attending these events were Board of Education members
Kathy Berezny and Nancy Gassert, and Mrs. Gassert’s
husband, Howie, who was a classmate of Dr. Marshall’s.
Stories were sources of inspiration for Dr. Marshall. Most
of these stories came to him by way of the radio. Listening
to stories, like “Sky King,” Dr. Marshall dreamed
of becoming a pilot. While, his eyesight kept him from being
a pilot, Dr. Jones has worked on developing metals that are
used in airplanes, which he shows to the students during his
presentation.
The wonders of story were the central focus of most of the
evening, as students and their families traveled from story
to story throughout the evening. Seventeen storytellers, including
Superintendent of Schools Paul Doyle, Assistant Superintendent
for Instruction and Curriculum Nancy Carney, and 15 Aquebogue
teachers, read their favorite stories to those who visited
their rooms.
The Cat in the Hat wandered the hallways and many of the readers
were in costume. Teacher Meghan Montpetit appeared to have
crawled out of one of the pictures in Rumpelstiltskin,
written and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky, which she read
during the evening.
The books and those who read them included:
Yeh-Shen (w/ Cinderella) - Meg Eilers
The Bee Tree - Terry Messina
Roxaboxen - Ava Robinson
Clara and the Book Wagon - Barbara Olsen
When I Was Young and in the Mountains - Judy Kozora
The Lotus Seed - Jackie Case
Because of Winn Dixie (w/ Lassie) - Robin Yates
Pigs on the Move - Theresa Curry
Excerpts from Never Give Up - Adrienne Bucholz
&
Marshall Jones
Mrs. Rumphius - Torre Falkner
Rumpelstiltskin - Meghan Montpetit
Thank You, Mr. Falkner - Vanessa Amodemo
Painted Words - Fran Marsicovetere
Oliver Twist (w/ Horrible, Terrible. . . )- Carole
Kirchoff
The Keeping Quilt - Superintendent Doyle
Mrs. Rumphius - Nancy Carney
Thunder Cake - Kathy Marelli
Raffles, snacks, gifts of books and a final presentation by
Dr. Marshall made the 75th Anniversary of the Aquebogue School
a very special story to tell for years to come.
2nd Photo Top: Before
his presentation, Dr. Marshall Jones, Principal Phil Kent
and a group of students went out into the hallway to admire
a timeline of Dr. Jones’ life created by Mrs. Bucholz.
Photo Middle: Aquebogue ESL teacher reads (in
the art room) a
story on an immigrant.
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