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Erica Giglio Pac, Director of Fine, Performing, & Media Arts
Ms. Giglio Pac, a native Long Islander, born and raised in South Huntington, holds a BFA in Musical Theatre Performance at the University at Buffalo, a Masters in Educational Theatre at New York University, and a degree in Educational Leadership & Administration from the College of Saint Rose. Ms. Giglio Pac spent ten years as a Musical Theatre Teacher developing and teaching in musical theatre programs for the New York City Department of Education where she built musical theatre programs from the ground up at two schools: Brooklyn Theatre Arts High School and The Queens School of Inquiry. When she was not in the classroom, she could be found directing and music directing musicals in many districts on Long Island including South Huntington, East Williston, and Oceanside. Ms. Giglio Pac taught at USDAN Camp for the Arts; directed youth performances for Teens on Broadway at NYC’s Circle in the Square Theatre and the renowned Off-Broadway MCC Theatre’s Youth Ensemble; facilitated workshops for the Nassau Music Educators Association; and served as a lead facilitator of Arts Professional Development for arts teachers across the five boroughs, working in all aspects of the arts from content-specific courses to curriculum and instruction development. Ms. Giglio Pac is the former Assistant Principal of Long Island High School for the Arts (Nassau BOCES) in Syosset, where she successfully guided students and faculty in the creation, development, and approval of seven NYS approved Career & Technical Education Programs in the arts, school-wide master schedules, curriculum and professional development aligned with New York State Arts Standards, preparation, and execution of AP assessments in the arts, and coordinated dozens of in and out-of-house events involving parents, students, and faculty each year. With a personal understanding of the incredible importance the arts have on young people and the culture at large, Ms. Giglio Pac developed and managed over sixty-five artistic residencies annually at Long Island High School for the Arts including the American Ballet Theatre, Roundabout Theatre Company, The Joel Foundation, Notes in Motion, Exploring the Arts, Magic Box Productions, 54 Below, Tilles Center, and a multitude of master artists from all areas of the arts. Starting in August 2023, Ms. Giglio Pac will join Adelphi University's faculty as an adjunct professor in the Educational Theatre Graduate Program. She remains an integrated member of the vocal and theatre communities on Long Island and in New York City. From singing the National Anthem at Mets games, performing at the John Engeman Theatre on Long Island, to (most recently) playing her bucket list role as Miss Hannigan in Smithtown Performing Arts Center’s production of Annie, she tries to take hold of moments to replenish her own creative spirit.
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Scott Boris, 7-12 Art
Mr. Boris received his associates degree from Farmingdale State College in Advertising Art and Design. He went on to receive his Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts from SVA and then, received his Masters Degree in Secondary Education from Dowling College. Mr. Boris also holds his school administrator certificates from The College of St. Rose. Mr. Boris began his teaching career in the NYC public school system as a K - 6 art teacher at P.S. 223 in South Ozone Park, Queens, where he taught for two years before obtaining a position in the Oyster Bay - East Norwich CSD as an art teacher in the Fall of 1999. Over the course of his 23 years of service to the Oyster Bay - East Norwich CSD, Mr. Boris has taught at each of the district’s schools and is currently at Oyster Bay High School. Mr. Boris enjoys teaching Computer Art, Drawing and Painting, Studio in Art, AP Studio Art, Honors Advanced Art & Design, Photography and Art 7 & 8. Mr. Boris also serves as the Varsity Golf coach and is the supervisor of the intramural golf program. Throughout the years student artwork has been showcased in shows such as, but not limited to, The Heckscher Museum of Art, All County and Long Island Media Arts shows. His greatest joy as an educator is imparting to his students his love of the visual arts while encouraging them to bring forth their imagination and creativity in their work.
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Meredith Brustman, K-2 Art
Ms. Brustman teaches art at Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School. She came to us with a Bachelors in Fine Arts and two Masters Degrees – one in Art Education and the other in Educational Technology. Meredith has been an art teacher in the Oyster Bay – East Norwich C.S.D. since 2003. She enjoys teaching young artists because of their enthusiasm to learn new art concepts. She loves creating art with her two children at home as well.
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Louis Costidis, 3-6 General Music & Chorus
Mr. Costidis is the general music teacher for grades three through six at the James H. Vernon School. He conducts the Vernon 5th and 6th Grade Chorus, the Vernon 3rd and 4th Grade Choruses and serves as Vocal Director for the Vernon Musical. Mr. Costidis did his undergraduate work in music education and piano performance at Ithaca College School of Music and Adelphi University. He completed his Masters Degree in Music Education at Queens College School of Music. Mr. Costidis has also completed his Orff-Schulwerk Level 1 training at Hofstra University. He strives to instill the passion he has for vocal and instrumental music with his students. Mr. Costidis has performed as a solo pianist throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties, as well as with various ensembles.
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Karen Crowley, 3-6 Art
Ms. Crowley currently teaches art to students enrolled at Vernon in grades 3-6 and serves as the faculty advisor to the Vernon Art Club. She has taught students of all ages throughout her teaching career from elementary level to graduate students. She began her career conducting museum art classes and outreach programs for elementary and middle school students at the Metropolitan Museum of Art before being hired by the OBEN Central School District. Originally hired to teach art and photography at The Oyster Bay High School, she taught there for over twenty years, having established the Digital Photography Program, the AP Studio Art courses, and the OBHS Chapter of the National Honor Society. She also served as faculty adviser for OBHS’s award-winning literary-art magazine, Agapae, for over twenty years.
Ms. Crowley’s academic background includes having earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Drawing and Painting from Parsons School of Design, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History and Fine Arts as a College Scholar at Cornell University. Throughout her tenure in the district, Ms. Crowley has pursued professional development in the visual arts as well as in visual arts education. This includes studying drawing at The New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting, and Sculpture, in New York City, and studying digital photography at the International Center of Photography, in New York City, and at the Maine Photographic Workshops. The knowledge that she has gained from this professional development has been shared with her art students in art classes and has encouraged her to design engaging visual arts curricula for the district. Ms. Crowley also studied art education, theory, and research at the doctoral level at Teacher’s College, Columbia University.
Ms. Crowley’s membership in professional organizations, such as the New York State Media Arts Teachers Association, led her to serve as a guest critic of student work at local media arts shows, as well as to represent NYS Media Arts Teachers as a member of the NYS Department of Education’s Blue Ribbon Commission for the Arts.
Ms. Crowley’s own creative work as a visual artist includes traveling to Maine and Italy to paint the landscape, as well as exhibiting her paintings locally and in museums and galleries in New York City, such as the Heckscher Museum, the National Academy of Design, and the Bowery Gallery. Throughout her years in the district, she has also been actively involved in keeping score for OBHS’s sports teams.
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Joe Devassy, 3-6 Band
Mr. Devassy teaches elementary band and elementary jazz band in the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District. During his over 20 year tenure in OBEN, he has also conducted high school band, high school pit orchestra, high school jazz ensemble, and middle level jazz ensemble. Mr. Devassy received his Bachelors in Music Education From Ithaca College and his Masters in Jazz/Commercial music from Five Towns College. He is currently working on a second masters in Jazz Performance from the Aaron Copland School at Queens College. Mr. Devassy has studied trombone with Dr. Hal Reynolds and Michael Dease, and studied composition and arranging from Dana Wilson, Steve Brown, and Michael Philip Mossman. He is co-author of "Foundations: 120 Progressive Chorales, Warm Ups, and Targeted Exercises for Band”, published by Pinnacle Music Press, Inc. His original compositions are available on J.W. Pepper Music. Mr. Devassy’s elementary bands have consistently received Gold and Gold with Distinction ratings at NYSSMA Majors festivals. Most notably, during the 2015-2016 school year, Mr. Devassy’s 6th Grade Band was the youngest group ever selected to perform at the New York State School Board Association’s annual convention in NYC. Mr. Devassy has guest conducted for the Sewanhaka Central High School District, the Three Village School District, and for the 2016 and 2022 Suffolk Division I All-County Band. He has also performed as a guest soloist for St. Mary’s County School School District (Maryland), and the Evanston Township School District (Illinois).
Mr. Devassy is a highly sought after jazz trombonist in NYC and Long Island and also co-leads, composes for, and performs with the Interplay Jazz Orchestra. The IJO have recorded three albums together, and have a monthly tenure at the Jazz Loft in Stony Brook.
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Alex Dollin, High School TV Production & Multimedia Journalism
Mr. Dollin has almost 20 years of experience in producing TV, theater, and special events. He is a graduate of Hofstra University where he earned degrees in Broadcast Journalism and Drama. Alex worked for News 12 Long Island for more than a decade where he produced the morning show and was a features reporter. He currently teaches multimedia journalism at Oyster Bay High School, helps to produce Bay News Now, and serves as the advisor for the technical theater club Baymen Backstage.
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Michael Giannetta, Middle Level Band
Michael Giannetta has been the Middle Level Band Director at Oyster Bay High School for 10 years. A veteran teacher with 20-plus years of experience, Mr. Giannetta strives to give all his students the best music education possible while coordinating his teachings with important and valuable life lessons and skills. Mr. Giannetta also conducts the Middle Level Jazz Band and assists with the Pep Band at home football games. Mr. Giannetta received his undergraduate degree in Music Education from SUNY Potsdam – Crane School of Music, and has two Graduate Degrees in Trumpet Performance (SUNY Stony Brook) and Conducting (American Band College @ Southern Oregon University). Mr. Giannetta keeps active as a performer, educator, clinician, and conductor.
Along with performing in the group, Mr. Giannetta is a founding member and Executive Director of the Long Island Wind Ensemble. A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the Long Island Wind Ensemble twice annually performs high-quality concerts of adventurous repertoire for the community. Mr. Giannetta has taught clinics to students and educators on the topics of NYSSMA preparation and playing brass instruments. Mr. Giannetta has been sought out as a guest conductor for various district and county honors ensembles throughout his career, enjoys performing all genres of music in various mediums, and has maintained a successful private studio throughout his career.
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Melissa Kozee, Middle Level Chorus, High School Chamber Singers, and General Music
Mrs. Kozee has been the Middle Level Choral Director at Oyster Bay High School for 16 years. Mrs. Kozee began her career as a middle level general music teacher in Copiague Middle Schools where she also assisted and accompanied the middle level chorus and was the rehearsal pianist for four high school musicals. Mrs. Kozee came to Oyster Bay in 2006 for the opportunity to direct her own middle level chorus. She continued to work as rehearsal pianist for high school productions, but also directed four middle level musical productions including “Fiddler on the Roof Jr.” and “Annie Jr.” Melissa earned her undergraduate degree in Music Education from West Chester University, West Chester PA., and her Master’s Degree in Music Education from Five Towns College.
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Lauren Macy, 3-6 Band
Mrs. Macy is the Beginner and Intermediate/Advanced Band Director at the James H. Vernon School. She received a Bachelor of Music Education/Performance from Ithaca College, and a Master of Music in Music History/Performance from Long Island University. She has also taken school administrative classes at Stony Brook University, and is a former NMEA All County Band chairperson. Mrs. Macy is extremely proud of Vernon's elementary band program which consistently earns Gold and Gold with Distinction ratings at NYSSMA Major Organization festivals.
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Stephanie Miley, 7-12 Art
Ms. Miley earned a BA from Binghamton University and a MS in Art Education from Queens College. She began her teaching career in1997, teaching middle school art for the New York City Department of Education. Following that, she taught art in Malverne and East Meadow before coming to Oyster Bay-East Norwich in 2002. Stephanie taught at Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School for fourteen years and now teaches grades 7-12 at Oyster Bay High School. Stephanie currently teaches seventh and eighth grade art, Studio Art, Drawing and Painting, and Sculpture.
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Alexandria Muller Pinnola, 3-6 & Middle Level Orchestra
Ms. Muller Pinnola grew up in Northport, and had a passion for music since she was young. Her love of music was nurtured by the amazing teachers she had growing up which inspired Ms. Muller's decision to choose music education as a career. Alexandria graduated with a Bachelor's in Music Education from Five Towns College. After graduation Ms. Muller started teaching for the Paul Effman Music Service, as a Band, Orchestra, and General Music teacher, teaching grades K-8, at various Private & Catholic schools throughout Long Island and NYC. In 2018 Alexandria joined the OBEN staff as a resident substitute, working at OBHS. In 2020, Alexandria left for a while to teach in another school district and then later returned to Oyster Bay in 2021 to fill in as the Orchestra director, general music teacher and chorus teacher at Vernon Elementary and OBHS. Ms. Muller has also directed the Middle school musical, and conducted the Pit Orchestra for OBHS production of PIPPIN.
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Brenda Murphy, K-2 Music
Ms. Murphy is so proud to be the Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd Grade Music Teacher at the Theodore Roosevelt School! Brenda earned her Bachelor's Degrees in Music Education and Flute Performance from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam. She completed her Master's Degree at SUNY Stonybrook's School of Professional Development. Brenda has also completed her Orff-Schulwerk Level 1 training at Hofstra University. She has performance experience with the Orchestra of Northern New York, Crane Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble, and has performed various solo and chamber recitals. Brenda enthusiastically shares her love for music and creativity with OBEN's youngest learners.
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Maria Randazzo, 7-12 Art
Ms. Randazzo has been a part of the Oyster Bay High School community since 2014, teaching both Middle School and High School Art. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education and Masters of Mixed Media Art from LIU. Since starting as an educator in 2005, she has taught Studio Art, Studio Media, Ceramics, Sculpture, Drawing and Painting, Computer Art, Photography, and Graphic Design. Additionally, Ms. Randazzo has taught three of the AP College Board Courses in Art; Drawing, 2-D and 3-D. She has worked with many of her dedicated students in finding success through various art exhibitions and competitions. Her students have been exhibited in “Long Island's Best” at the Heckscher Museum, the Firefly Gallery in Northport, the Art League in Dix Hills, Huntington School of Fine Arts, placed in the annual Huntington Camera Club and have won Gold and Silver keys through Scholastic for the Arts. She is a member of NYSATA and NAEA and advises the Oyster Bay High School chapter of the National Art Honor Society. Outside of the classroom, Ms. Randazzo has worked on high school theater productions since 2006, holding various positions from Producer to Costume Designer to Stage Crew Advisor. She works with students on infusing their artistic point of view for a production and encourages leadership skills through the club. She also advises the Art Club for Middle Level students,
chaperoned humanitarian trips to Nicaragua, volunteers for fundraisers, such as Empty Bowls, and has been a student mentor.
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Matthew Sisia, High School Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Jazz Band
Since 2003, Mr. Sisia has served as the Director of Bands at Oyster Bay High School where he conducts the Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Jazz Ensemble and Pep Band and advises the Tri-M Music Honor Society. An advocate for new music, Mr. Sisia and the OBHS bands have collaborated with several of today’s leading composers including Benjamin Taylor, Omar Thomas, Joel Puckett, Roger Zare, Samuel Adler, Thomas Duffy, Rossano Galante, Julie Giroux and Frank Ticheli. The OBHS bands have participated in consortiums to commission Shuying Li, Donald Grantham, Jess Langston Turner, Kathryn Salfelder, Jennifer Jolley, Rolf Rudin, and Pulitzer Prize-winning composers William Bolcom, Michael Colgrass and Paul Moravec. In 2017, the OBHS Wind Ensemble was invited to perform at the New York State Band Directors Association Symposium presenting a performance clinic titled “Repertoire is the Curriculum.” In 2022, the OBHS Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Bands made their debuts at the prestigious Prudential Hall of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. The OBHS Bands have performed at Carnegie Hall on three separate occasions and even jammed alongside members of the Blue Oyster Cult at the Long Island Music Hall of Fame. Perhaps their most memorable moment was receiving an enthusiastic standing applause from the “Piano Man” himself, Billy Joel. Outside of his work in the public schools, Mr. Sisia is the founder and former director of the New York Chamber Ensemble and has been the Principal Conductor of the Long Island Wind Ensemble since 2016. He has served as Director of Bands at Adelphi University and Associate Conductor and adjunct professor of music education at Long Island University. Mr. Sisia holds degrees from SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music and The Pennsylvania State University with advanced doctoral work at the Hartt School. From 2005 to 2016, Mr. Sisia proudly dedicated his time as a member of the executive board of the New York State Band Directors Association and was awarded their Distinguished Service Award in 2015. A recipient of the 2013 Distinguished Music Educator Award from Yale University, Mr. Sisia is also a member of the National Association for Music Education, the College Band Directors National Association, and the Nassau Music Educators Association. Mr. Sisia lives on Long Island with his wife, Nicolle, and two sons, Jason and Nathaniel.
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