Alums of a Valley Stream high school are calling for the reinstatement of a beloved science research advisor who they said mentored numerous students and helped shape them into who they are today.
Jeffrey Hsi, a longtime physics teacher at South High School in the Valley Stream Central High School District, has been removed from the school’s science research program, where he was an advisor for more than two decades, according to former students. A Change.org petition supporting Hsi had garnered 392 signatures as of Thursday evening.
School officials declined to comment on Hsi’s assignment in the program, which has produced Regeneron semifinalists and other scientific competition winners. In a statement, schools Superintendent Wayne Loper said, “The district is aware of certain allegations that have been made regarding the science research program at Valley Stream South High School. As a matter of policy, the district investigates any allegation of misconduct but does not comment on individual personnel or student issues.”
Loper did not mention Hsi by name. But in his statement, he said, “For the 2025-2026 school year, the program at South will continue its long history of excellence under the experienced leadership of Science Department chairperson Jeanette Azzaretto and science researcher Melissa Torregrosa. Under their stewardship, we are confident the program will remain a point of pride in our district.”
Hsi declined to comment. Ginger Calderaro, vice president of the Valley Stream Teachers Association, also declined to comment.
Alums speak out
At a school board meeting Tuesday, former students of Hsi’s spoke in support of the teacher, who they described as an exacting leader who pushed them to excel.
Once a shy teenager who was terrified of public speaking, Aaliyah Schultz, a 2018 graduate, said she emerged out of the program under Hsi’s mentorship a more confident researcher and public speaker.
“Had it not been for that program and the faculty and the other students and peers that encouraged me … I probably wouldn’t have been able to get up here and speak right now,” said Schultz, 25.
Alumnus Aaliyah Schultz addresses the board during a meeting Tuesday. Credit: Jeff Bachner
Schultz and the other alums could not mention their teacher by name in public comment, under a rule laid out by the district’s attorney. But they said in interviews with Newsday that Hsi was instrumental in guiding them in their exploration of scientific research and preparing them with the skills they need to succeed.
“Because of that program, when I got to the undergraduate level, I felt like I was far ahead of my peers,” Schultz said.
Maham Ayaz, a 2018 graduate who started the petition calling for her former teacher’s reinstatement, said Hsi was removed from the program after a board trustee lodged a series of complaints against Hsi over the trustee’s son’s application to a science competition. The trustee, who did not attend Tuesday’s meeting, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Board president Kelly Ureña declined to comment Tuesday.
Ayaz, 24, said Hsi was a teacher who worked hard to bring the best out of his students. During her senior year, she recalled Hsi scribing on a piece of paper when she presented her project for about 10 minutes.
When she finished, Hsi lifted the paper and it had 93 tally marks. They marked the times she said “um,” “uh” or had moments of doubt or hesitation, Ayaz said. She remembered him telling her those were 93 lost opportunities to present her research with confidence. “Moments of missed potential he saw in me,” she said.
It was a lesson she took to heart. Whenever she presented afterward, Ayaz said she took care to think before she spoke and eliminated those verbal tics from her speech.
“Being part of the program has allowed me to excel in the career I have today,” said Ayaz, a senior chemist at L’Oreal. “It would really be a shame to deprive future generations of leaders in STEM.”
Dandan Zou covers education for Newsday. Previously, she worked for a community newspaper in Maryland and a personal finance magazine in Washington, D.C.