Island students go to head of class
Proud superintendent Michael Hynes speaking about the outstanding performance 2013 Shelter Island seniors demonstrated on Regents exams.
Superintendent Michael Hynes isn’t a fan of measuring success by numbers alone.
But even he was wowed by statistics released this week by the New York State Education Department showing that Shelter Island is 16th among 105 Long Island high schools in the number of students who graduated last year with advanced Regents diplomas.
What’s more, Shelter Island is one of only 13 Long Island high schools to have 100 percent of its 2013 seniors graduate with Regents diplomas.
While all Regents diplomas require outstanding performance on state exams, the Advanced Regents diplomas go to those who pass more rigorous math and science tests. These tests are in trigonometry, geometry and algebra, plus a second Regents science exam and, for some, a foreign language exam.
The numbers will change year to year, Dr. Hynes said. But the ratings from 2013 give the district “something to aspire to,” he wrote in a memo to school staff members.
