Nassau School Notebook: Long Island teams win Stock Market Game
A team of eighth-graders from Roslyn Middle School were first-place winners in the middle school division of the SIFMA Foundation's The Stock Market Game. Team members, from left, were Brian Samers, Matthew Lee, Damien Schmidt and George Lampropoulos. Credit: Audrey Demas
Teams from Oceanside, Roslyn and Port Washington schools have taken the top spots regionally in a competition that challenges students to demonstrate their stock-picking skills.
A team from Oceanside High School took first place in the high school division by accumulating $203,739 in fictional money — the most of any team on Long Island — in the fall edition of the SIFMA Foundation's The Stock Market Game. They beat out 1,112 high school teams.
Meanwhile, teams from Roslyn Middle School and John J. Daly Elementary School in Port Washington placed first in the middle and elementary school divisions, respectively. Roslyn beat out 386 teams and accumulated $133,281; John J. Daly overcame 75 teams and accumulated $124,226.
"Working with these students was inspiring," Roslyn reading and business teacher Audrey Demas said. "They used what they learned in class and had great insight into their chosen companies."
Participating teams were given $100,000 in fictitious capital and asked to invest in companies through the game website from Oct. 5 to Dec. 11. Students then researched companies, tracked trends, and calculated gains and losses.
Teams from Manorhaven Elementary School in Port Washington, St. Anne's School in Garden City and Paul D. Schreiber High School in Port Washington placed second in the elementary, middle and high school divisions, respectively.
PLAINVIEW
In Bellmore, Reed Rodriguez was among the students at Charles A. Reinhard Early Childhood Center students who painted fallen snow; they learned how snow is different from rain based on elements and explored their sense of touch as they made snowballs. Credit: Bellmore School District
$18G for charities
Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK High School's National Honor Society raised nearly $18,000 last fall that was donated to various charities including the Alzheimer's Association, Doctors Without Borders and the American Diabetes Association.
To raise the funds, 160 students collected pledges based on their participation in a 10k run in which they were divided into nine teams. Participants recorded their number of miles using apps and pedometers — and collectively totaled 823 miles.
"We are incredibly impressed with our students for showcasing diligence and inspiring others through their efforts to benefit others," Plainview-Old Bethpage School District Superintendent Mary O'Meara said.
In Manhasset, sixth-graders in Michael Christy's class at Shelter Rock Elementary School learned about the transfer of thermal energy via conduction. Christy uses a balloon to demonstrate how different molecular structures impact heat conduction. Credit: Manhasset School District
COUNTYWIDE
MLK Day
Many Long Island schools hosted educational events and activities last month to teach students about civil rights history in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
In Bayville, fifth-graders at the intermediate school wrote their hopes and dreams on squares of paper that were joined together to form a "dream quilt," school officials said. The students' dreams included ending world hunger and hoping for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In North Merrick, the lobby's bulletin board was decorated with King's quotes and pictures at Park Avenue Elementary School in the North Bellmore School District. Third-graders also identified his character traits and cited evidence on how he displayed them.
In Seaford, Marissa Cirillo's class at Seaford Harbor Elementary School discussed King's "I Have a Dream" speech and proposed ways to make the world a better place — such as showing kindness and celebrating one another's differences.
ISLANDWIDE
Hispanic Heritage
Four Long Island students — Camila Figueroa of Rocky Point Middle School, Gabriel Gamboa of Mattituck Jr./Sr. High School, Camilla Riggs of the Laurel Hill School in East Setauket, and Mayur Talele of Herricks High School — were runners-up in Altice USA's 2020 Hispanic Heritage Essay Contest.
The contest asked participants to submit essays of up to 500 words about a Hispanic person — past or present — whom they considered to be a hero and why. Submissions were judged on criteria including comprehension, creativity and organization.
Gamboa and Talele were runners-up in the high school category, while Figueroa and Riggs were runners-up in the middle school category. Students from Brooklyn and Newark, New Jersey, were the grand-prize winners.
— MICHAEL R. EBERT
Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.
