A family of achievements

David Schultzer, the former owner and operator of Bellport Cold Beer & Soda on Station Road, is the proud father of three children who coincidentally all became top of their respective classes at William Floyd High School.

David, a prominent member of the local Bellport community, was named Member of the Year by the chamber of commerce and was also recently actively involved with lobbying state officials in Albany regarding the NYS Bottle Bill. He was married to Dawn Schultzer, who was the original owner and founder of the wellness business Tranquility Within, in Patchogue, which closed its doors and has since reopened under a new name. She died in 2020 after a battle with breast cancer.

Their children, Adam, Joshua and Hannah, all graduated William Floyd High School as one of the top two, with Hannah the most recent valedictorian having graduated this past June. Adam graduated in 2022 as the salutatorian and Joshua in 2024 as the valedictorian. All three attended William Floyd schools K-12, including William Floyd Elementary School and William Floyd Middle School.

David graduated from Newfield High School and his wife Dawn, who grew up in New Jersey, graduated from American University in D.C. Before owning her business, she was a CPA certified in three states.

“She would have been so proud,” he said of his wife, noting that though she was a top student, he was always a “terrible student.” “I wanted to teach my kids to be the opposite of that.”

As for how he raised three successful children, he said he gave up a lot of money to spend time with his kids. He stayed home with them in the mornings and has been known for making a full hot breakfast every day before school.

“I fully believe my kids got to school not thinking [about] being hungry or thirsty and could focus so much better,” he said of the idea behind a good breakfast.

He also said he always limited electronics and TV, teaching his children by learning games and encouraging them to be curious and learn outside.

“There was always constant learning,” he said. “Also, arts and crafts and music were always a big part of their lives. All my kids played an instrument.”
And Hannah, he said, made about half her own clothes this school year.

“Not only are they super smart people; they are empathic and good humans,”he added. “I am very proud of them.”

He also credited a lot of their success to their teachers and mentors, including Patricia Costel Youth & Government (YAG) leader at the high school; Drew Caldwell, YAG leader statewide; Robert Feeney, YAG William Floyd leader; Kevin Allo, H.S. Social Studies; Kristen Drury, Mr. Alfredson, Dawn Confrey, Michael Rivera, Timothy Costa, Teresa Bianco,  Keith Fasciana,   Shari Fanning, Alba McKibbin, Anya Swiss, Philip Scotto, Kevin Coster, Matthew Furlani,  Gary Helbock, Mrs. Salke, ToniAnn lane, Mary Nappi, Mrs. Puric and so many more.

“I have had the pleasure of teaching all three Schultzer students in both Honors and AP Chemistry. Each of them stands out as intelligent, motivated, and diligent learners while also bringing a unique sense of creativity, humor, and individuality to the classroom,” said AP & Honors Chemistry teacher Kristen Drury. “This family seems to really know how to strive for success while still being grounded and having fun!”

“I was fortunate to teach all three of the Schultzers in AP US History. I have taught a lot of the best and brightest, including multiple family lines like them in my time at William Floyd High School and without hesitation place them at the top of the list. Their academic achievements speak for themselves, but they stand out to me for other more important reasons,” said social studies teacher Kevin allo. “You will not find a more humble, accepting, witty, and mature set of siblings if you tried. The AP setting can sometimes be competitive and cutthroat. However, the Schultzers were so encouraging of their friends and classmates which is a testament to their character.  I have no doubt that they are going to be successful in whatever path that they choose, but most importantly, continue to be the amazing human beings that they are.”

“The Schultzer children came through WFE and displayed resilience, resourcefulness, curiosity and thoughtfulness. Very unique for elementary-age students.  Adam, Joshua and Hannah as well as Mr. and Mrs. Schutzer deserve a tremendous amount of credit for this,” said the principal of William Floyd Elementary School Keith Fasciana. “All three kids are different in some ways but very similar in other ways. The family as a whole supportive and communicative. Although in elementary school all three displayed intelligence and were motivated to learn, none of us could have imagined that two would become class valedictorians and one would become a salutatorian.”

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Hannah had a 102.9 weighted grade point average and plans on attending the University of Chicago in the fall, where she will be studying psychology.

“It’s a good thing I was the third kid, because I absolutely would not have been nearly as successful as I am now if I hadn’t had my brothers to guide me through high school. My dad taught me the basics I needed to understand everything in elementary school, and all of the wonderful teachers I had in those years decided to take me aside and teach me the concepts above grade level (the memory coming to mind now is of being taught long division a year early... the fact that I now have absolutely no clue how to do long division is irrelevant),” she said. “Once middle school came, my brothers encouraged me to take the harder classes I was offered, and get that sweet, sweet, 5 percent grade boost. I think having goals in school is one of the most important things for any student, and my brothers helped me shape practically every goal, whether it was improving my public speaking skills, getting the highest  grades I could, or polishing my debate skills so I could demolish them in conversations at the dinner table.”

As for her more recent years, in high school, she said William Floyd’s teachers, programs, and students have propelled practically all of her success within the district. Clubs like Future Business Leaders of America, Youth and Government, and Debate Club all pushed her out of my comfort zones and overall “painful-ninth-grader-shyness,” and their advisors (especially Mrs. Puric from FBLA), she said, pushed her to do more and more, whether that meant taking officer positions or attempting to hold her own in national competitions. Her brothers also encouraged her to join all of the impactful clubs, just like they encouraged her to push herself in education, college applications, and in taking opportunities. 

“The best way to describe Hannah is that she is extremely self-motivated and kind. Her ability to listen, process and form her well-developed opinion over topics is what makes her so successful,” said her art teacher Theresa R. Bianco. “In my Advanced Art class, she took a topic she is passionate about and gave it a visual voice. She used the skills she learned in previous art classes and created a body of work, showing her topic from different points of view.  We are all very proud of her and her amazing accomplishments.”

Joshua currently attends Harvard University with a major in integrative biology. He recently finished his second year with a 3.99 GPA. He is also a leader in the forestry program, where his is currently studying in Kenya while working on a research project.

He said William Floyd and his family as a whole have been incredible drivers in his success and love of learning.

“From a very young age, our dad taught us all math and reading, and instilled in us a love of learning. But, while he always helped us out and supported our growth, he never pushed us to succeed. Instead, that freedom and support let us naturally develop a self-inspired drive for achievement, effectively paired with a healthy dose of sibling rivalry,” he said. “William Floyd provided a similar landscape, with caring and supportive teachers and faculty, space to achieve, and an impressive array of clubs and organizations to choose from. One thing I really appreciated about Floyd, and that I really encourage other students to take advantage of, is the breadth of opportunities and challenges available to those who seek them out. For example, Floyd offers clubs like Youth and Government with national conferences that helped me to break out of my shell and leadership positions that taught me to be a communicative and organized leader. Floyd’s offerings of AP classes and challenging competition-based extracurriculars gave me the chance to intellectually challenge myself, grow as a speaker and thinker, and continuously push myself towards growth and success. Finally, being able to go through this period of my life with my extremely supportive and understanding group of friends and network of mentors that I found at or through Floyd has helped me to become the well-constructed, reflective, and caring person that I am today.”

Overall, he added, the freedom and support provided by his family and community, combined with the opportunities and resources provided by William Floyd, he said, prepared him not only to find within himself the desire to achieve, but also to become the best student and person he can be.

Adam originally took a gap year in the process of applying for internships at research facilities and institutes. After his gap year, he now attends MIT pursuing a degree in computer science, where he has maintained a 3.98 GPA. He also is the treasurer for the Brick City Singers, an a cappella group where he participates in competitions. Also, at the age of 21, he is a homeowner. He plans to graduate from a five-year accelerated Master’s program.

“William Floyd and my family have been so instrumental to how I’ve developed as a person that it is hard to put fully into words. There is no doubt in my mind that a huge part of our success as siblings starts with our parents. Nature vs nurture arguments be damned, our parents ability to instill a love of learning and a curiosity for the world in us created a perfect platform for us to grow from. From memory games, to talking about science, to teaching us math early, we were set up for success early,” he said. “Beyond our early years, our parents remained staunch supporters, but handed off the academic motivation to us. As we entered the William Floyd School District, we became our own sources of inspiration, and of course we were helped by the guiding hand of elementary school. As elementary school progressed, it became clear that I was among the top students in my grade. The pride I derived from this fueled my continued academic efforts. Once Josh and Hannah entered the scene, competitiveness took hold. As the oldest, I had to make sure that I wasn’t making it too easy for them to do better than me later. Looking back, they did just that, but I wouldn’t say I did too bad for myself.”

“Beyond the push we all got from each other, Floyd was of course a powerful part of the journey. For me, the things that really kept me in the game weren’t academic, but social. Floyd has an exceptional system of clubs, organizations, and teachers that make it easy to stay engaged and active. The average teacher that I had was fun, memorable, and made it a priority to treat students as friends, beyond merely teaching us. Each club pushed me to learn new things and to find new experiences. I wouldn’t be nearly the person I am today without the influences of FIRST Robotics, Youth and Government, and Theater. Even things as early as Matholympiads in elementary school totally changed the way I thought about what was important to me.

At the core of it all, it was the people that I surrounded myself with that really pushed me to do my best. Josh and Hannah, my friends, and the various teachers who I was close with were the factors that pushed me to become the outgoing, successful, and somewhat obnoxious person that I am today.”