School Notebook: LI winners of Regional Science Olympiads
A team from Great Neck South High School won this year’s Nassau West Regional Science Olympiad, which was held at Kellenberg Memorial High School in Uniondale. Pictured here are members of the school’s three teams that competed in that tournament. Credit: Nicole Spinelli
Teams from Great Neck South, Syosset and Ward Melville high schools have taken the top spots in the high school division of this year’s Long Island Regional Science Olympiads.
Eighty-six teams participated in one of the three competitions: Nassau East, Nassau West and Eastern Long Island regional tournaments. The three first-place teams — along with 16 other top-performing teams — have qualified for the state tournament next weekend in Syracuse.
In total, 13 high school regionals were held statewide with teams of up to 15 students demonstrating their knowledge in categories such as Disease Detectives and Rocks & Minerals.
“The team’s outstanding performance not only highlights their exceptional abilities in the field of science, but also speaks to their immeasurably strong work ethic and passion for knowledge,” said James Truglio, Great Neck South’s co-adviser with Nicole Spinelli.
The other high school teams qualifying for the state tournament are:
From the Nassau West Regional: Chaminade in Mineola, John F. Kennedy in Bellmore, Manhasset, Roslyn and Paul D. Schreiber in Port Washington;
From the Nassau East Regional: Division Avenue in Levittown, Hicksville, Jericho and MacArthur in Levittown;
From the Eastern Long Island Regional: Bay Shore, Bayport-Blue Point, Half Hollow Hills East in Dix Hills, Hauppauge, Earl L. Vandermeulen in Port Jefferson and West Babylon, as well as The Stony Brook School.
“We had a historic number of Ward Melville students participate in this tournament, and we are thrilled to see our team enrollment at an all-time high,“ Ward Melville‘s Science Olympiad coaches Jenny Serigano and Mark Suesser said in a statement. “We want to commend our captains and team members for embodying the values of Ward Melville Science Olympiad by being fun-loving and positive while enhancing the tournament experience for other schools.“
A stunt rider prepares to jump over Principal Kathryn McNally and Assistant Principal Kerry NeiraIn at Washington Drive Primary School in Centerport as part of a BMX event that rewarded students for collectively reading more than 2,000 hours as part of the Pick a Reading Partner week. Credit: Harborfields School District
COLD SPRING HARBOR
STEAM (and slime) Night
The Cold Spring Harbor School District held its first STEAM Night last month, attracting nearly 1,000 community members to explore the discipline encompassing science, technology, engineering, art and math.
The inaugural event consisted of stations set up throughout the high school that taught topics ranging from electric circuitry to the construction of geometric shapes. There were also stations to create magnetic marble runs as well as slime, ice cream and spin art.
“Cold Spring Harbor hopes to start a new tradition by offering this engaging and interactive event next year, not only to increase participation, but to create lasting memories,” said Superintendent Jill Gierasch.
In Mastic Beach, Tangier Smith Elementary School collected hundreds of animal care items for local rescue groups as part of an Animal Appreciation Night that attracted nearly 400 community members. During the event, attendees learned about a variety of wildlife from organizations including the Long Island Rabbit Rescue Group and Sweetbriar Nature Center in Smithtown. Credit: William Floyd School District
EAST ISLIP
Interim superintendent
Paul Manzo was appointed interim superintendent last month of the East Islip School District. He replaced John Dolan, who retired.
Manzo has served as the district’s assistant superintendent for instruction and personnel since 2016. Before that, he spent 14 years with the Sachem Central School District, where he held positions including assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, and assistant superintendent for administration.
“It is an honor to be able to continue to support our administrators and staff as we provide our students with a quality education,” Manzo said. “I look forward to the future and continuing this work and our journey on the pathway to excellence.”
Mineola Middle School students stage a performance of “Mary Poppins”; the production included more than 150 cast and 30 crew members. Credit: Mineola School District
SEA CLIFF
Universal pre-K
The North Shore School District has launched a universal prekindergarten program that consists of three classes of about 15 students at Glen Head and Sea Cliff elementary schools and the YMCA at Glen Cove. Participants were determined by a universal lottery in December.
Funding was provided by a grant from the New York State Education Department’s Office of Early Learning and the Office of State Aid.
“They are already a valuable part of our school community,” Sea Cliff Interim Principal Megan McCormack said of the prekindergartners. “Our youngest students have met new friends and had a few visits and welcomes from our oldest students.”
In Lynbrook, students at Marion Street Elementary School learn about the importance of local shellfish during a presentation about the Billion Oyster Project, a nonprofit organization that seeks to restore oysters to New York Harbor. The presentation was led by representatives from Nassau BOCES in association with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County. Credit: Lynbrook School District
WESTBURY
WINS Academy
The Westbury School District has created an Everybody WINS Academy that offers a variety of learning opportunities for two hours each Saturday. WINS stands for “What I Need on Saturdays.”
The academy, which is held at Park Avenue Elementary School, allows children in grades kindergarten to five to join a STEAM Academy, Debate Club, Theatre Club or Financial Literacy Club. STEAM stands for science, technology engineering, art and math.
“It is a pleasure to be part of the experience as our children learn about finances, express themselves through song and dance, learn to reason logically, and develop oral expression,” the academy’s lead teacher, Antoinette Campbell, and assistant lead teacher, Lisa Monzillo, said in a statement.
In Lynbrook, students at Marion Street Elementary School learn about the importance of local shellfish during a presentation about the Billion Oyster Project, a nonprofit organization that seeks to restore oysters to New York Harbor. The presentation was led by representatives from Nassau BOCES in association with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County. Credit: Lynbrook School District
ISLANDWIDE
Coca-Cola Scholars
Five Long Island students have been named among 250 regional finalists nationwide in the Coca-Cola Scholars Program.
The program will name 150 scholars this spring to receive $20,000 scholarships.
The regional finalists’ next step is to participate in 20-minute interviews with a regional committee composed of previous scholarship recipients and a staff member of the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation.
Long Island’s regional finalists and their high schools are:
Kevin Ou Yang and Rachel Woo, Great Neck South; Samir Batheja, Half Hollow Hills East in Dix Hills; Kevin Zhu, Jericho; and Sabrina Guo, Syosset.
This year’s program received more than 91,000 applications from students nationwide who were evaluated on factors such as academic achievements, community service and leadership skills.
Students at South Bay Elementary School in West Babylon create arcade games out of cardboard in the school’s cafeteria as part of Global School Play Day. Credit: West Babylon School District
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.
Sarra Sounds Off, Ep. 14: LI football awards On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Newsday's Gregg Sarra takes a look at the football awards given out in Nassau and Suffolk, plus Jared Valluzzi and Jonathan Ruban with the plays of the year.
Sarra Sounds Off, Ep. 14: LI football awards On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Newsday's Gregg Sarra takes a look at the football awards given out in Nassau and Suffolk, plus Jared Valluzzi and Jonathan Ruban with the plays of the year.
