8 students recognized in Brookhaven Town recycling contest
Winners of Brookhaven Town’s second annual “Brookhaven Recycles Poster Contest” were honored at a town board meeting in November. The competition promoted the importance of recycling. Credit: Town of Brookhaven
Eight Suffolk County students were recently recognized for promoting the importance of recycling in a creative way.
The students have been named winners in Brookhaven Town’s second annual “Brookhaven Recycles Poster Contest,” which invited participants to submit posters under the theme of “Choose to Reuse!” or “Recycle Right!” Multiple winning illustrations featured the town’s green recycling can — nicknamed “CURBY” — featuring slogans such as “Know Before You Throw” and “Think Globally; Act Locally.”
This year’s first-place winners were Adrian Uzcategui, a second grader at Tuttle Avenue Elementary School in Eastport, in the grades K-2 category; Daniel Guaman Macias, a fourth grader at Tangier Smith Elementary School in Mastic Beach, in the grades 3-5 category; Sebastian Rojas Arcos, an eighth grader at Oregon Middle School in Medford, in the grades 6-8 category; and Kai Li Thomas, a junior at Patchogue-Medford High School in Medford, in the grades 9-12 category.
“When it comes to recycling, when it comes to litter, when it comes to the environment, it is our young people that are going to do it right and teach everyone how to recycle right,” Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico said during a November town board meeting, during which the winners were honored.
The second-place winners were Caroline Boecherer, a kindergartner at Edna Louise Spear Elementary School in Port Jefferson; Austin Callegari, a third grader at Dayton Avenue Elementary School in Manorville; Julianna DeLouise, an eighth grader at Oregon Middle School; and Kristian Matutino, a junior at Patchogue-Medford High School.
Winners received framed copies of their posters and “certificates of congratulations,” the town said. Their artwork was displayed at Brookhaven Town Hall through mid-December.
GLEN COVE
Yearbook awards
Glen Cove High School’s Yearbook Club won first place in the page layout design category and second place in the photography category among high school entries in Entourage Yearbooks’ 2024-25 National Yearbook Contest. The competition highlights “outstanding achievements in creating unforgettable yearbooks,” according to its website.
The awards recognized the work of students Victoria Rivera Ortega and Skylar Benzinger for their “collaborative page designs and photography,” the school said. Victoria is the club’s vice president and lead designer, while Skylar is the club’s treasurer.
Entries were evaluated on their “ability to show a creative graphic style appropriate for the content and audience,” the company said.
LAKE GROVE
Sensory room
Cayuga Elementary School recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil a new sensory room to support children’s social-emotional needs and provide opportunities for exploration and self-regulation.
The room features stations intended to help students “reset and refocus,” including a calming corner for mindfulness and a play area that encourages “hands-on exploration, movement and tactile learning,” school officials said. The project was made possible through a grant from TangerKids, a grant program run by Tanger Outlets.
“We were able to take our vision and make it happen,” said Cayuga Principal Lori Onesto.
LYNBROOK
Newspaper awards
Lynbrook High School’s Horizon student newspaper won four silver awards and four bronze awards in the Empire State School Press Association’s 2025 Awards, which recognized the excellence of students and publications statewide this fall at Syracuse University.
Lynbrook’s silver recipients were Justin Haberman in the best sports story category, Gianna Longo in the best feature story category, Rachel Stein in the best illustration category and Justin Williams in the overall sports coverage category.
The bronze recipients were Anabella Errico and Addison DiFiore in the best illustration category and Sean Strohfer in the best artwork portfolio category. The Horizon newspaper also won bronze in the best overall newspaper category.
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.
'We have to do better' Newsday high school sports editor Gregg Sarra talks about a bench-clearing, parent-involved incident at a Half Hollow Hills West basketball game.
'We have to do better' Newsday high school sports editor Gregg Sarra talks about a bench-clearing, parent-involved incident at a Half Hollow Hills West basketball game.
