Before voting on this Tuesday, May 20, 2025 from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Earl L. Vandermeulen High School, learn more about what is on this year's ballot by watching Superintendent of Schools Jessica Schmettan explain Proposition 2. This proposition would allow the Port Jefferson School District to use their capital reserve fund to provide critically needed updates to the high school's outdated heating and cooling systems, at no additional cost to the taxpayer.

You can watch the video here on the District's Facebook page.

Emma Batter, Port Jefferson Royals goaltender and the two-time NYSPHSAA record holder.

Port Jefferson Royals varsity girls lacrosse goaltender Emma Batter recently set two New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) records in less than a week. She now holds the state record for most saves in a game with 28 and most saves in a career with 673.

During Port Jefferson’s game against West Babylon on April 30, Emma made 28 saves—the most in NYSPHSAA girls lacrosse history. (The previous record was 21, set by Hannah Lustyik of Sleepy Hollow in 2019.) Just six days later, on May 6, the Earl L. Vandermeulen High School senior’s first save against Elwood John Glenn set the all-time NYSPHSAA record for career saves, which now stands at 673. The previous record of 665 was set last year by Allie Hanlon of West Genesee. Emma now looks to build on that record in the final three games of her high school career.

“Emma Batter established herself as a real talent in the crease from the first moment she debuted with the Port Jefferson Royals,” said Port Jefferson School District Director of Health, Physical Education, Athletics and Nursing Adam Sherrard. “She has done some incredible things for our program and is incredibly deserving of her spot in the record books.”

Date Added: 5/14/2025

Earl L. Vandermeulen High School junior Alexa Jacobs recently broke the Section XI outdoor track record in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.74 seconds.

Alexa broke the 100-meter dash record previously held by Janet Mellor of Mount Sinai, who ran a 11.82 in 2009. The junior is no stranger to the history books; Alexa set the Port Jefferson record in the 300-meter and the Section XI record in the 55-meter last winter. She also won the overall Suffolk County Championship in both winter events, and the New York State Division II Championship in the 100-meter dash last June. She was named one of Newsday’s Top 50 Long Island girls track and field athletes for 2025.

“Alexa continues to make all of us in Port Jefferson proud,” said Port Jefferson School District Director of Health, Physical Education, Athletics, and Nursing Adam Sherrard. “Every time you think that she can’t outdo herself, she does just that. I, for one, can not wait to see what she does next.”

Port Jefferson students at Stony Brook Hackathon

Earl L. Vandermeulen High School in the Port Jefferson School District sent their students to the second annual Center of Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology (CEWIT) High School Hackathon Event at Stony Brook University along with 12 other participating school districts from across Long Island.

The students had approximately four hours to collaborate with their teams to tackle the challenges presented by Stony Brook professors, engage with real research data from Stony Brook Research Labs, and explore their own project ideas. Once their projects were developed, students presented to judges. Since its inaugural event, the Hackathon has doubled in size, providing students with the chance to work with software such as Java and Python, along with cutting-edge AI tools. Participants left the event with valuable experiences that will serve them well in their future endeavors, classes, and opportunities.

"The Hackathon offered a valuable opportunity for our students to unleash their creativity and work collaboratively as a team," said Principal John Ruggero. "These fundamental skills will play a key role in shaping our students into well-rounded individuals as they continue their learning and development."