School Notebook: 1st-place winners in LI History Day
Five submissions from Herricks High School students placed in the top three spots of various categories of this year’s Long Island History Day. Credit: Herricks School District
Forty-one students have been named first-place winners for their efforts researching local, national and international history as part of Long Island History Day.
The annual contest, which was held virtually, challenged hundreds of participants to explore topics of their choice on this year’s theme, "Debate and Diplomacy in History." Groups or individuals could submit entries in one of five categories: documentary, exhibit, paper, performance or website.
This year's first-place topics ranged from the Roe v. Wade decision to the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
First-place winners and their schools were: Jillian Chang and Sebastian Lennox, Great Neck South High School; Isaac Cohen, Dovid Feldhamer, Samuel Rosenblatt, Yehoshua Wiesel and Daniel Wohgelernter, Hebrew Academy of Long Beach; Inaya Khwaja and Jubilee Kim, Herricks Middle School; Amisha Brahmbhatt, Genesis Kang, Prableen Kaur, Ayesha Nadeem, Sarah Ninan and Roshni Patel, Herricks High School; Michael Heyman, Madeline Heyman, Sydney Honig, Harley Honig and Madison Honig, Hewlett High School; Haileigh Smith, Huntington High School; Isaac Chen, Timothy Jang, Harnoor Joneja, Erika Kawakami, Chloe Kim, Suriya Senthilkumar and Ethan Yeung, Jericho Middle School; Emily Kawakami and Jordan Perlman, Jericho High School; Jordan Christmann, John Cornacchia, Daniel Dayter, Shannon Flachner, Maryam Hassan, Sofia Ng, Mutashma Shaaf and Michael Wang, Wheatley School; and Sunidhi Ajmera, Madalyn Duffy and Harleigh Rockfeld, Willets Road School in Roslyn.
"Students should be researching to build and present knowledge," said Eric Sundberg, the curriculum associate for social studies, business education and libraries for Jericho School District, which had the most first-place winners. "We've made a commitment … to teach to these social studies standards and not just to standardized tests."
BOHEMIA
Wellness Day
New Hyde Park Road School students penned encouraging letters that were attached to fleece blankets and delivered to a local homeless shelter through the nonprofit Blankets of Hope. Credit: New Hyde Park-Garden City Park School District
Connetquot High School hosted an inaugural Wellness Day last month in which a variety of vendors organized booths for students and staff to acquire information about personal improvement for mind, body and nutrition.
The first event included everything from classes on meditation and core exercises, an introduction to therapy dogs, and an opportunity to make pet rocks to help ease anxiety.
"We're exposing kids to health venues they've either never been to or didn't know existed," said Principal Michael Moran.
ELMONT
Fourth-graders in Emily Meslin’s class at Floral Park-Bellerose School designed and sketched plans for golf courses, which they then constructed last month in the school’s Discovery Lab. Credit: Floral Park-Bellerose School District
Cooking night
Dutch Broadway Elementary School recently hosted an inaugural virtual family cooking night to help students experience different ethnic traditions while spending quality time with their families.
The event included step-by-step instructions on how to make stuffed shells by first-grade teacher Ciara Beaumont, who also shared fun facts about her Italian heritage. It was sponsored by the school’s Building Advisory Committee.
"This family event is a way our students can learn about the different cultures that represent our Dutch Broadway family," Principal Cynthia Qasim said.
FLORAL PARK
Fourth-graders in Tony Claudio’s class at Cutchogue East Elementary School raised more than $2,400 to help rescue four elephants in Kenya through the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Credit: Mattituck-Cutchogue School District
Financial literacy
The Sewanhaka Central High School District recently received a $30,000 grant from the nonprofit Next Gen Personal Finance for implementing a financial literacy class at its five high schools. The class will be a graduation requirement starting in September 2023.
Sewanhaka is the first district on Long Island to mandate a stand-alone financial literacy class, the nonprofit said.
"This class will provide our students with the knowledge and skills necessary to make smart financial decisions from an early age, setting them up for successful futures," said the district's business coordinator, Jennifer Lehmann.
NORTHPORT
Northport High School Students enjoyed a sampling of cheeses from around the world as part of an annual bread and cheese festival hosted by the school’s French, Spanish and Italian clubs. Credit: Northport-East Northport School
Fundraising events
The Northport-East Northport School District recently raised tens of thousands of dollars for the St. Baldrick's Foundation and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
The district raised more than $52,700 for the foundation last month through a "Brave the Shave" event in which participants had their heads shaved to show solidarity with those who have cancer. Meanwhile, Northport High School's Academy of Finance raised more than $10,000 for suicide prevention through a charity volleyball tournament.
"It's exciting to see a homegrown tournament take off as this one has," said the academy's coordinator, Allison Schwabish.
COUNTYWIDE
In Eastport, students in Tuttle Avenue Elementary School’s Tuttle Cares Club celebrated the school’s bus drivers with everything from balloons to bags filled with small gifts as part of Bus Driver Appreciation Week. Credit: Eastport-South Manor School District
Pick a Reading Partner
Many schools have been hosting reading-themed activities to celebrate the New York State PTA's Pick a Reading Partner program, which encourages families to read with children for 15 minutes daily.
In Central Islip, classes at Cordello Elementary School chose a country to read about and then created bulletin boards that featured their selected nation's customs, languages and history.
In Bay Shore, children at Fifth Avenue Elementary School were visited by Amore the Magician, who staged a variety of magic tricks while encouraging students to read.
In East Islip, the district's elementary schools participated in activities including a bookmark contest and a scavenger hunt.
In Deer Park, John Quincy Adams Primary School has started a weekly after-school club, called Little Buddies, in which students with disabilities engage in activities ranging from playing games to making crafts with the district’s high schoolers. Credit: Deer Park School District
"Staff and students had a great deal of fun celebrating the importance of reading," said Deborah Smith, principal of John F. Kennedy Elementary School in East Islip.
In Stewart Manor, children were treated to a Zoom visit from Amy Robach, the co-host of ABC's "Good Morning America." Roback read her children's book, "Better Together," which is about appreciating differences.
In Seaford, students scattered book reviews around 16 different emojis drawn on yellow paper plates to demonstrate how the stories made them feel.
In New Hyde Park, kids participated in a PARP Spirit Week, with different daily themes and guest readings by family members.
"This home-to-school connection continues to support literacy development and a general love for reading," said Christine Ross-Fitzgibbons, a teacher at New Hyde Park Road School.
— 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.
