Six Long Island students have been named regional finalists in this year’s Coca-Cola Scholars Program.

The students — Julia Xu of Great Neck South High School, AnnaBelle Deaner and Blake Rabinowitz of Half Hollow Hills High School East in Dix Hills, Jacob Wolmetz of Hauppauge High School and Elaine Liu and Grace Liu of Syosset High School — are among 250 students nationwide to earn the designation from the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation.

They were selected from 1,238 semifinalists and more than 107,000 applicants for their academic achievements, community service and leadership skills, according to the foundation.

“We are incredibly proud of AnnaBelle and Blake,” said Half Hollow Hills East Principal Paul Perskin. “They exemplify the qualities we strive to cultivate in all High School East students, including initiative, responsibility and a genuine commitment to making a meaningful impact on their school and community.”

The regional finalists will now participate in the competition’s next phase, which consists of a 20-minute interview with a regional committee made of a foundation staff member and previous scholarship recipients, according to the foundation.

This spring, 150 students nationwide will be named Coca-Cola Scholars and receive $20,000 college scholarships. They will also be invited to Coca-Cola Scholars Weekend in Atlanta April 23-26.

“This is a remarkable achievement and reflects Elaine and Grace’s commitment to excellence and service,” said Syosset Principal Giovanni Durante. “We look forward to celebrating their continued success.”

DEER PARK

Podcasting club

Deer Park High School has launched DPHS Speaks, a new podcasting club designed to provide students with a “fresh and exciting way to communicate with their peers,” according to school officials.

The club, which meets in the school library’s new modular classroom called The Roost, has about 15 members and records new episodes each Friday. The episodes so far have covered topics including “New Year’s Resolutions” and “What They Don’t Tell You About High School.”

“It’s important to have new topics every meeting, and to pick good topics, which keeps the conversations engaging and allows the participants to feel comfortable and express how they feel,” Anabella Lindsay, a junior who serves as the club’s co-president with senior Parleen Kaur, said in a statement.

NASSAU

BOCES Education Partners

Sixteen people and two organizations have been named 2026 Education Partners by Nassau BOCES for their “profound effects on public education in Nassau County,” agency officials said. They will be recognized during an awards gala hosted by the Nassau BOCES Educational Foundation in April.

This year’s honorees: Maisyn Cardinale, student, Great Neck South High School; Angelina Castro-Boutin, ex-officio student board member, Westbury school district; Gina Marie DaRocha, principal, Carman Road School in Massapequa Park; Gabriella Franza, assistant director of instructional programs, Baldwin school district; Marc Isseks, assistant principal, Sewanhaka High School in Floral Park; Olivia Lawrence, ex-officio student board member, Massapequa school district; Christian Maguire, ex-officio student board member, Port Washington school district; Matthew McElwee, special education teacher, Rosemary Kennedy School in Wantagh; Rachel Morin, curriculum coordinator and learning center teacher, Seaman Neck Middle School in Seaford; Lisa Paolucci, principal, Iris Wolfson High School in Greenvale; Susan Poser, president, Hofstra University; Elizabeth Roemer, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, Island Trees school district; Patrick J. Ryder, police commissioner, Nassau County Police Department; Lidia Velasquez, ex-officio student board member, Hempstead school district; Meryl Waxman Ben-Levy, board president, Roslyn school district; and Michael Weinick, vice president, Nassau BOCES Board of Education.

The two organizations were the Manhasset School Community Association and Ramona’s Gift to Music Foundation.

By Michael R. Ebert

michael.ebert@newsday.com

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.