Travel back in time will reveal the vast amount of ways Commack High School has transformed throughout the years.

The current administrative leadership of the high school has seen first hand the many alterations that have occurred since walking the halls of the school as students themselves. Matthew Keltos and Carrie Lipenholtz began their academic journeys as students in Cougar country, and have helped create the opportunities to see the transformation first hand. Keltos reflects on past experiences to ensure students can thrive and succeed in a positive environment. 

“During the 1980’s my greatest and biggest priority was playing sports, and I felt that I rushed through the academics mainly because there was not a strict form of guidance,” said vice principal Matthew Keltos. 

When discussing physical changes of the building, Keltos explains how over time the school has modernized and added additions to the building. 

“When I attended school the name was Commack High School North, and when I returned to become a vice principal, they revised the name which was Commack High School,” said Keltos. 

Keltos also continued to explain how throughout the years there has been additional renovations to the school due to an increase in population. When attending school in the 1980’s technology did not have the significant impact that it does on society today.

 “When learning, the materials we used were chalk and a chalkboard, as well as books and paper for gathering information. As time progressed, we began to use Smart boards, and today we use Chromebooks, which advanced our way of learning,” said Keltos.

Keltos describes that he began to see an uptick of problems when technology became more significant in the 2000’s due to the fact that students were constantly surrounded by this new advanced tool. 

Carrie Lipenholtz, the current principal, expressed that attending Commack as a student in the late 90’s was an extremely memorable experience.

“I was extremely involved in a variety of clubs and I also was a cheerleader, which made my school high school career very enjoyable as well as forming new friendships,” said Lipenholtz. 

When returning back to her high school as a social studies teacher, Lipenholtz experienced a new addition to Commack’s campus. 

“When I began to teach I was one of the first teachers to experience teaching in the ‘new’ wing [E-wing], which I enjoyed a lot. The school facilities were updated such as the fields and the offices,” said Lipenholtz. 

Lipenholtz conveyed that there were many learning situations she had experienced when she was a student. She explained that throughout her years of learning she obtained effective strategies which helped her thrive later in life. 

“Balance was the most important thing I had to teach myself in regards to my academic and social life. When going to college I applied strategies I learned in high school because I had a lot more freedom, and had to manage my time wisely,” said Lipenholtz.

Even though the building has evolved and additions have been made, valuable lessons Commack students have learned remained the same. 🔳