Westhampton Beach High School senior Willow DuBrovin impressively earned her black belt in Soo Bahk Do, the oldest Korean martial art.

“It was an incredible experience where I got to train with people across the state and country, and now that I've passed it, I can maintain these skills until the next test in two years,” she said.

To earn her black belt, DuBrovin was required to take part in a three-hour test that only takes place twice a year. With no breaks and constant testing, she demonstrated mastery of basic moves, 120 standard/jump kicks, three forms, two rounds of sparring, 120 punches in 30 seconds, one-step sparring, self-defense, a jump-back kick double board break, general knowledge and an essay.

DuBrovin began training for her black belt at Studio Moodo in her freshman year of high school. She previously trained in jiu-jitsu.

When not training, DuBrovin serves as a class assistant at Studio Moodo. She is also a biweekly columnist for Dan's Papers and writes a monthly column for the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Center in the Montauk Sun. In school, she serves as the chief marketing officer for her school’s Virtual Enterprise team, PuraVie, which recently earned first place at Virtual Enterprises International’s National Business Plan Competition. Additionally, she serves as the creative director of her mother’s company.

She will be attending Dartmouth College in the fall to pursue a degree in physics on a pre-med track.

The Westhampton Beach School District extends its congratulations to DuBrovin on her accomplishment.

Date Added: 5/21/2025

Westhampton Beach High School senior clarinetist Lilah Caputo recently earned first place in the annual Atlantic Wind Symphony solo competition. As part of her win, she will perform Carl Maria von Weber's Concertino for Clarinet, Op. 26 with the professional concert band on Sunday, June 1, at the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts.

This is not the first time that Caputo has excelled in music. Earlier this year, the senior was selected as first chair for both the New York State School Music Association All-State Festival and the Suffolk County Music Educators Association All-County Festival. She has also performed with the New York State Band Directors Association High School Honor Band. Caputo was selected to perform at the festivals based on her impressive scores at the NYSSMA Solo Evaluation Festival, teacher recommendations and ranking.

When not performing at festivals or in her school’s band, Caputo takes part in her school’s French, Science and Yearbook clubs. She is also a member of her school’s student government.

In the fall, she plans to attend the University of Florida to study biology. She also plans to keep music in her life.

The Westhampton Beach School District extends its congratulations to Caputo on her impressive musical accomplishments.

Date Added: 5/13/2025

Westhampton Beach High School student-musician Bella Ruggiero recently had the impressive opportunity to compete in two concerto competitions. Ruggiero, a sophomore flutist, played for the Long Island Flute Club and the Gemini Youth Orchestra. In addition to the competitions, Ruggiero performs with the Gemini Symphony Orchestra and in the Long Island Flute Club Festival. She was also selected for the Hampton Music Educators Association High School and Suffolk County Music Educators Association Division III bands, where she played piccolo and principal flute. The Westhampton Beach School District congratulates Ruggiero on her musical accomplishments.

Date Added: 5/12/2025

The Westhampton Beach High School Class of 2025 includes seven seniors who earned their way into four of the most prestigious schools in the country — Cornell University, Dartmouth College, the University of Pennsylvania and Yale University.

The Westhampton Beach School District congratulates the following Ivy League-bound students:

            Nicholas Borruso, Class of 2025 valedictorian, will be attending Yale to study neuroscience on a pre-med track.

            Maya Farnan will continue her education at the University of Pennsylvania to pursue cinema media studies.

Abigail Curran will attend Dartmouth to study biomedical engineering.

Valeria Nazaretski will enroll at Cornell to study sociology on a pre-law tract.

Willow DuBrovin will study at Dartmouth to earn a degree in physics on a pre-med track.

James Monserrate will matriculate at Dartmouth, where he will study biology on a pre-med track.

Fahtima Iqbal will attend Cornell to pursue a degree in human biology and health and society.

 

Date Added: 5/9/2025

Westhampton Beach High School biotechnology students recently participated in an educational field trip to Peconic Bay Medical Center. During the visit, they saw a da Vinci robotic arm in action and were able to try out its impressive control system.

 

Date Added: 5/6/2025