Class Act with Chris Wragge was live Friday morning at Commack High School on Long Island! It's been called a crown jewel of New York state.
See highlights from the morning below.
Class Act highlights from Commack High School
Commack High School Cougarettes: 28-time national champions
The Commack High School experience
Legendary band leader retiring after 40 years
Like many teachers at Commack High School, Dr. Frank Hansen made his mark on his students. The ease with which he teaches music and his experience are legendary.
Hansen is hanging it up after 40 years, including 28 years at Commack High, where he helped orchestrate the musical paths of countless students.
"I think the kids really just want to know that you care about them. They really don't care about what you've done or what you do," he said. "Every once in a while, I might say something because something that we do here might remind me of a professional situation that's gone on, and I might tell a story like that, but it's never to brag ... I was on the road with Tony Bennett, then 'who's Tony Bennett,' you know?"
At this year's spring concert, his final as the conductor, over 60 former students returned to say thank you and job well done.
State-of-the-art programs
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 every student can enjoy.
It's 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!
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