as they grow across, really starting in grade five, and really actually with the choice of classes too,” Elsesser says. The scheduling changes serve a specific purpose. “Giving them more opportunities in high school, to take more challenging courses, whether it’s one of the partnership courses with the colleges to be able to graduate with the most fulfilled experience possible for each of the students and their individual needs,” Elsesser says.The goal is efficiency: students shouldn’t waste time in high school discovering their interests when that exploration could happen earlier, allowing them to pursue those passions with greater depth before graduation. STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS AND COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS Building relationships with external organizations has yielded concrete benefits, particularly in scholarship funding for graduating seniors. High School Principal Peter Pramataris has established strong partnerships with local organizations that have significantly increased the number of scholarship opportunities available to students. “He has established many relationships with our local organizations, and they provide scholarship opportunities that have grown greatly over the years on behalf of each of those organizations to our students,” Dr. Criscione explains. These relationships include the chamber of commerce, economic development groups, and local businesses that contribute funds to help offset college costs for families. Expanding those relationships into career pathways and potential co-op programs is the next phase. “That’s certainly something we’re going to be leaning on in the future to enhance our opportunities,” Dr. Criscione notes. However, Mount Sinai faces a challenge uncommon among Long Island districts: “The problem that’s unique to Mount Sinai is that we don’t have a big commercial base at all here,” she explains. The hamlet’s residential character, while creating the family-oriented atmosphere that attracts affluent residents, limits local employment partnerships. 291 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 12 MOUNT SINAI UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT
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