The District recently appointed Stephanie Burns Director of Science, Family and Consumer Sciences and Technology. Ms. Burns said she was excited to start the position as director and noted that already being a member of the staff is an advantage because of previous understanding of how the department works. “My goal is to continue to support the excellent academic progress of the department by fully supporting teachers in their practices,” she said. Ms. Burns is a familiar face in the district. The Baiting Hollow resident has taught earth science and astronomy at Connetquot High School since 2005. Last summer, Ms. Burns served as director of the Connetquot Elementary and Middle School Summer ELA and Math Enrichment Programs. In the spring 2020, she served as a lecturer at the SUNY Stony Brook Department of Geosciences and is a former New York State Master Teacher Emeritus (2014-2017), a four-year appointed position, in which she led professional development for current and pre-service earth science and environmental science teachers on Long Island. In 2019, Ms. Burns was named the STANYS High School Science Teacher of the Year, followed by a full-monetary reward to represent the United States as a geoscience teaching representative at the European Geophysical Union annual conference in Vienna, Austria. Prior to teaching, Ms. Burns was an on-air meteorologist with WKTV NewsChannel 2, an NBC affiliate, in Utica. In addition to teaching, Ms. Burns belongs to various educational organizations, including membership in the National Association of Geoscience Teaching, the New York Earth Science Teachers Association, the National Science Teachers Association and the Science Teachers Association of New York State in which she serves as an elected statewide director at large for earth science. She is also a science task force member for the district in which she is responsible for the implementation of New York State Science Learning Standards. She is also a volunteer with the annual Cornell Cooperative Marine Division Horseshoe Blitz, held each year at Westhampton Beach and is a partner in overseeing the Connetquot High School Wildlife and Ecology Garden. The district congratulates Ms. Burns on her position and extends best wishes for success in the 2022-2023 school year. Date Added: 8/12/2022