Commack High School packed with state-of-the-art programs preparing students for the future
Commack High School, which ranks in the top 100 in New York state and 1,000 in the U.S., offers about 1,800 students a college campus feel and real-world preparation in Suffolk County.
From its stock trading floor to an esports arena, Commack High has something for every student.
A front-row seat to stock trading
A custom-built Bloomberg trading floor is now up and running at Commack High, giving students a front-row seat to stock tickers and market fluctuations after the opening bell.
"We have a challenge here and we get play money, and we've learned tools and how we analyze the stocks and which ones to invest in," junior Luke Thayer said. "We also have a really cool club here called Personal Finance Club, which teaches all that financial literacy, stock terms, to be able to implement what we learn in the club."
"My father is actually in the finance industry and now because of this Bloomberg lab, I've been able to learn and go home and talk to him at the dinner table, and be like, hey, this is what I did today. And it kind of connects with whatever he does," freshman Sham Dutta, said.
It's rare to say everybody wins when it comes to the stock market, but you can see the passion and interest at Commack High.
A custom-built Bloomberg trading floor is up and running at Commack High School, giving students a front-row seat to stock tickers and market fluctuations after the opening bell.
CBS News New York
Future litigators
If you're a "legal eagle," Commack High is also the place for you. These future litigators have been at the top of their game all year -- a Final Four legal team on Long Island.
"I'm super proud of this team, and I'm really proud to be the president this year and be able to guide everyone on the team," senior Ava Javaheri said. "It's really amazing because during mock trial competitions and practices, we're able to immerse ourselves in the experience firsthand, of being in a trial and understanding the court system."
"All of our senior members, my team members, they've really helped me and they're really uplifting and they've helped me become a better attorney every year, and the mentorship I've gotten from them has really been amazing," Javaheri said.
Hands-on cooking program
From the courtroom to the kitchen, Commack High has a hands-on learning program that lets students test drive careers at Wilson Tech.
"I do my main classes here for five periods and then I hop on a bus. I go over to Dix Hills and my real day starts," said Dean Kirschbaum. "I start out in the classroom, usually with a lecture about what we're doing for the day. Get a recipe, talk about cooking methodology about how we're going to prepare a certain dish, and then we're right into the kitchen cooking."
Kirschbaum is headed to Johnson & Wales University, a hot bed for chefs-in-training, in Rhode Island.
"There's definitely tougher days than others. But I'm really focused on it just because I've been wanting to do it for so long. It kind of comes like second-hand to me and I just really love it," he said.
Clubs and honor societies
Commack High has also managed to deinstitutionalize high school by making it a more casual, college campus setting. From the outdoor courtyard spaces to the cafeteria, which feels more like a food court, to an esports arena!
"When you think about it, there's a whole career path where you can go with video games, and you could never think about you being there, but now, it's like a career now. It's a big business," said a student named Joseph, who already won an esports national championship.
Students Harold Teller and Francesco Delio go above and beyond to when it comes to getting other students involved.
"Personally, I led a winter clothing drive which concluded with over 160 bags of clothing ready to be distributed through the Department of Social Services throughout Long Island," Delio said.
Teller raised money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention through Hoops for Hopes.
"It's really grown. Like, our first year in 2022, we only had, like, maybe like 100 kids, and now we had over 500 kids this march," he said.
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