A member of the Riverhead High School Class of 2012 is about to make history.

Alycia Kratoville is set to become the first female graduate to enter one of the nation's military service academies.

In August, she will enter the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, R.I. After successful completion of the 10-month preparatory program, she will enroll in Annapolis next June.

"I've always wanted to go into the Navy, since I was 8 years old," Alycia said Friday. "Since I was very little I've wanted to serve my country and give back because I appreciate the freedom others fought and died for," she said.

Her oldest brother, Russell, graduated from Annapolis in 2007.

Alycia plans to double major in science and math or economics. She said she's "not completely sure" what specialty she wants to pursue in the Navy. "There are so many opportunities," she said.

She said she feels well-prepared for the academic rigors of the preparatory school and academy by her studies at Riverhead H.S., particularly the AP classes she took.

Alycia is on the girls soccer, winter track and lacrosse teams. She was also a member of the Bible club and science club, and participated in the school's research program. She worked with scientists at Brookhaven National Lab and Stony Brook University. Her projects included work on developing a baseline of heavy metal levels in Peconic Bay and understanding the effects of vitamins on the levels of cells that comprise red and brown tides.

"I really like marine biology," Alycia said. "But I also like chemistry a lot."

Alycia said Riverhead science teacher Robert Jester had a big impact on her academic life and was a major inspiration in choosing science as her field of study. "He made it exciting and fun," she said.

Alycia is the youngest child of Russell and Lauren Kratoville of Aquebogue.

"My parents are really excited for me," she said. "They know its what I really want to do and they support me completely."

Before heading off to Newport, Alycia got a pre-military haircut Thursday at Robert James Salon in downtown Riverhead. She donated a 17-inch long ponytail to Locks of Love, an organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children suffering from long-term medical hair loss.

"I knew I would have to get my hair cut, and I wanted to donate my hair to a little girl that has cancer, to make sure it went to a good cause," she said.

Photo caption: (Top) Alycia Kratoville with her NAPS acceptance certificate at Robert James Salon Thursday before cutting her hair for a Locks of Love donation.  (Bottom) After the haircut.

RivrheadLOCAL photos by Peter Blasl

RiverheadLOCAL photos by Peter Blasl
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Riverhead Central School District voters Tuesday approved a $111.8 million operating budget for the 2012-2013 school year by a vote of 1,703 to 1,061.

Susan Koukounas of Aquebogue was the top vote-getter in the uncontested election to fill two school board seats, winning 1,842 votes to Thomas Carson's 1,678 votes.

Koukounas was sworn in as the Board of Education's newest member in the high school gymnasium right after the tallies were announced. She replaces Willie Hsiang, who was appointed by the board last year to fill the unexpired term of Angela DeVito; DeVito resigned last June 30.

Carson will be seated as of July 1, upon the expiration of the term of Timothy Griffing, who did not seek re-election. Carson was not present in the gym for the announcement of voting results.

Koukounas said she is looking forward to rolling up her sleeves and getting to work. The times ahead are challenging but also exciting, she said with the upgrading of school facilities now getting underway.

"We're just so pleased the community recognized how hard the board and central administration worked to put together a very responsible budget," Schools Superintendent Nancy Carney said after the results were announced.

School board vice president Greg Meyer said he was very happy and relieved the budget passed. "The 2 percent cap hurt. It hurt all the school districts," he said. "This was a tough process."

Meyer expressed gratitude to Hsiang and Griffing for their service to the community and said he welcomes Koukounas and Carson. "I'm looking forward to having them as part of our team," he said.

Board member Amelia Lantz was looking forward to something a little more fundamental: "I'm looking forward to sleeping well tonight," Lantz said, relieved that the tension of budget preparation and the uncertainty of the vote outcome is behind the board, at least for a while.

Riverhead High School student Austin Douglas, placed sixth in the NYS SkillsUSA competition held in Syracuse April 25-27.

Austin is a junior at RHS and attends the Culinary Arts program at H.B. Ward Career and Technical Center under the direction of Chef Thomas Hashagen.

Austin had to make a “perfectly poached egg” in under seven minutes for the job demonstration portion of competition.  He had a great time at this prestigious event and looks forward to going again next year!

In March, Austin placed second on Long Islandin the SkillsUSA competition at the Melville Marriott.

Austin plans on attending Johnson & Wales in Providence, RI in the fall of 2013.

Riverhead Central School District taxpayers go to the polls Tuesday to weigh in on the district's proposed $111,773,597 million operating budget for the 2012-2013 school year.

The proposal represents a 1.99 percent increase in total spending over the current year's budgeted total spending and a 1.73 percent increase in the total school tax levy.

Since the proposed tax levy increase is within the 2 percent limit imposed last year by the state, the budget can be approved by a simple majority vote. (A tax levy increase exceeding the 2 percent cap would have required a two-thirds supermajority vote.)

Planned budget expenditures break down as follows:

• $89,234,514 on program expenses, or 79.84 percent of the total budget
• $11,838,021 on capital expenses, or 10.59 percent of the total budget
• $10,701,062 on administration expenses, or 9.57 percent of the total budget

If taxpayers reject the budget — the law allows the district to put it up for a second vote — a contingency budget of $110.3 million would take effect by operation of law.

Also on the ballot Tuesday is the election to fill two vacancies on the Board of Education. Longtime incumbent Tim Griffing is not seeking re-election and William Hsiang, who was appointed by the board last year to fill the remainder of the term of Angela DeVito following her resignation last July, is also stepping aside.

Susan Koukounas, of Aquebogue, and Thomas Carson, of Riverhead, are running unopposed for the two seats. Both have children enrolled in Riverhead public schools.

Koukounas is an adjunct assistant professor of mathematics at Suffolk County Community College and a former officer of the Aquebogue Elementary School PTO.

Carson owns and operates Farm Country Kitchen on West Main Street in Riverhead.

Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday. Voting will take place at the Aquebogue, Phillips Avenue and Riley Avenue elementary schools and at Riverhead High School. Polling place is determined according to the elementary school catchment area. Taxpayers vote at the elementary school where children would be enrolled if they had children attending grades K-4. Taxpayers who would vote at Roanoke Avenue Elementary School vote instead at the high school, due to handicapped accessibility issues at Roanoke.

Check RiverheadLOCAL after the polls close Tuesday night for results.