Did you know that East Islip High School has its very own weatherman?
At the beginning of his junior year, Stephen Foray volunteered to serve as the school’s weatherman for his broadcasting class and whether or not its raining, pouring, or the old man is snoring, Stephen will be pumping out forecasts and catching every storm until the day he graduates.
Stephen can be seen on televisions hung up in the school cafeteria, the school’s Instagram, or even on his own YouTube Channel and Instagram Account, ForayPredicts. But if you’ve been living under a rock and had no idea the high school had a weatherman, it is definitely worth your time to get to know the man behind the forecasts.
Most meteorologists credit a single massive storm for getting them into meteorology; Stephen himself was no different. Around the time he graduated from elementary school, a huge storm struck: turbulent winds and tornadoes plagued the town and piqued the interest of a young Stephen Foray who decided from then to start studying weather.
The process of reporting the weather is way more complicated than one would initially think.
Stephen himself cites many difficulties involved in the process.
“It is hard to make an accurate forecast,” said Stephen. Additionally, Stephen notes being able to speak well in front of camera as another skill required to report the weather. All of these are challenges that Stephen has overcome.
Stephen’s English teacher, Ms. Lopez, who has heard his public speaking through his acting in plays read in her class, acknowledges Stephen’s public speaking voice as “clear, confident and complete.”
Stephen Foray’s sheer commitment to his craft is an admirable trait that has contributed so greatly to his many successes in life. As mentioned before, Stephen’s interest in weather first started at the end of elementary school; however, Stephen remembers fully committing to meteorology in eighth grade during a massive winter storm, during which he was interviewed by News12.
Even after his broadcasting class ended, Stephen has continued being East Islip’s weatherman, despite being a busy student taking multiple AP classes.
Stephen Foray even shows commitment to meteorology outside of school. He created a YouTube Channel called ForayPredicts so he could practice making the weather each week. It was created at the beginning of Stephen’s freshman year and it has amassed over 400 subscribers, greatly surpassing any expectations Stephen had for it. There is also a ForayPredicts Instagram account; subscribe to and follow him if you would like regular updates on local weather and national weather events like hurricanes.
“I’m really really happy with the success,” he said. “I just started it to have fun with it and I’m happy with where it’s going.”
Stephen’s meteorology endeavors have brought him all over the country, including across the east coast and the great lakes. Additionally, Stephen plans to major in Meteorology or Atmospheric Sciences at one of the many colleges he has been accepted to such as Penn State, Oswego, Stony Brook, and more.
Students like Stephen Foray prove that dedication to your goals can pave the way for a successful future.
Mr. Lackner, Stephen’s Broadcasting teacher, considers him the pioneer of meteorology for the school’s program and Stephen has made it obvious that there will never be another weatherman quite like him.
“Stephen has changed the weather program at East Islip.”
