School Notebook: 29 LI teams win gold for virtual businesses
East Hampton High School’s Avandra Adventures business won gold in the booth and sales materials categories of the Long Island Regional Conference and Exhibition. Credit: Virtual Enterprises International
Twenty-nine Long Island teams have achieved gold status for their efforts creating and running virtual businesses.
The Long Island Regional Conference and Exhibition, coordinated by the nonprofit Virtual Enterprises International, included more than 2,400 students showcasing some 200 fictional companies last month at LIU Post. Winners were announced in four categories: booth design, newsletter, sales materials and website.
“We had an outstanding showcase of student leadership,” said the nonprofit’s president, Musa Ali Shama. “Our program’s mission is to transform students through experiential learning, and this event was a powerful display of the career readiness skills they’ve honed.”
Gold-status businesses and their high schools were: Pantry Prep, Babylon; Cast Iron Cuisine, Bridgehampton; NaturalBOWLS, Sanford H. Calhoun (Bellmore-Merrick); SimpleCycle and USecure, Comsewogue; D.R.E.A.M., Connetquot; Avandra Adventures, East Hampton; Premier Parties, East Meadow; Pro-Fit, Elmont; Yummers, Floral Park; Spakidss, Freeport; Easy PC sand Savor Straws, Herricks; Better-4-You, Hewlett; PULSE, Huntington; DIVI, Islip; Elyts and Plan YoU, Jericho; Patch Attach, John F. Kennedy (Bellmore-Merrick); Wakin’ Worldwide, Lindenhurst; SnacksUp, Oceanside; Whey Better, Plainview-Old Bethpage; Hydrolyte, Riverhead; Season All, Smithtown East; Clime, Southold; Drip and Lunch BX, Syosset; Eco Cases, Uniondale; and Inteleta, West Hempstead.
Ten teams also advanced to the national level for their written and oral presentations as part of a business plan competition.
The 10 competing at the Jacob Javitz Center in Manhattan on April 17-19, are: NaturalBOWLS, Sanford H. Calhoun; D.R.E.A.M., Connetquot; Easy PC, Herricks; Elyts, Jericho; SmartSoles, Lynbrook; Nectar, Paul D. Schreiber; Drip, Lunch BX and Thrive Healthy Living, Syosset; and EcoEats, Westhampton Beach.
In Ocean Beach, students at Woodhull Elementary School test their fitness skills by competing in the hand game “rock paper scissors” while in the plank position in physical education class. Credit: Fire Island School District
BOHEMIA
Connections Day
Connetquot High School recently held its first Connections Day, an effort to create a nurturing environment for incoming eighth-graders from the district’s Oakdale-Bohemia and Ronkonkoma middle schools.
During the program, eighth-graders toured the high school campus and were introduced to the overall high school experience — including the course selection process and the importance of extracurricular activities — from members of the high school’s administration.
“Put yourself out there and have some fun here,” Connetquot’s director of health, physical education, athletics and recreation, Peter Melore, told students. “Don’t miss the enjoyment of being in high school.”
In Carle Place, fourth-graders at Rushmore Avenue Elementary School learn about the forces of kinetic and potential energy by designing roller coasters using foam pipe insulation. Credit: Carle Place School District
FREEPORT
Making splashes
The Freeport School District has launched a new program, Making a Splash, in which high schoolers work with children at the district’s four elementary schools to help them thrive academically, emotionally and socially.
The teens’ tasks include reading to classes and developing positive relationships with the younger students. The program is funded in part through the district’s 21st Century Learning Centers Grant Program.
“Our elementary students will definitely benefit from spending time with our high school students, who will have a positive and lasting impact on their commitment to achieving their goals,” said the district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, Glori Engel.
In Elwood, Harley Avenue Primary School held a “read-in” in which the entire student body cozied up with books on a rainy morning. Credit: Elwood School District
NORTH BABYLON
New superintendent
Kenneth Graham has been appointed superintendent of the North Babylon School District, effective March 6. He is replacing Laurence Aronstein, who held the position on an interim basis.
Graham had been superintendent of the Locust Valley School District since 2020, and before that spent four years as superintendent of the Sachem School District. He has also spent 19 years in various roles — ranging from science teacher to assistant superintendent — in the Long Beach School District.
“I look forward to meeting with the members of the school community and developing common goals,” Graham said.
In Elmont, third-graders at Clara H. Carlson Elementary School created fossils by rolling Play-Doh into a thin layer and pressing an object into it to create a mold. They then used magnifying glasses to analyze a fossil created by another group. Credit: Elmont School District
NASSAU COUNTY
Volunteer service
The Long Island Volunteer Center hosted an award ceremony this month to recognize high schoolers who recently received a gold-level President’s Volunteer Service Award for their efforts with nonprofit organizations or community and civic groups. The award is the most prestigious volunteer recognition associated with the White House.
Honorees and their high schools were: Angel Karbanda, Hicksville; Khushie Shelat, Jericho; Gus Vasilakis, North Shore; Eunice Lim, Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK; Aryan Shaw and Rebecca Wang, Syosset; and Lisa Chen, Wheatley School.
Each student received a pin, a certificate and a letter from the president.
In Bellport, students in the Eastern Suffolk BOCES Eastern Long Island Academy of Applied Technology construct animal and human body systems using dried pasta at the Gary D. Bixhorn Technical Center. Credit: Eastern Suffolk BOCES
ISLANDWIDE
Bright Lights
Twenty Long Island educators received Bright Light Awards from the Association of Suffolk Supervisors for Educational Technologies for their efforts integrating technology into the classroom.
Winners and their school districts are: Mark Lane and Christina Picardi, Bay Shore; Ryan Catterson, Bethpage; Whitney O’Donnell, Cold Spring Harbor; Frank Franzese, Comsewogue; Jason Ranghelli, Deer Park; Yael Gogolev, East Williston; Leslie Brophy, Hauppauge; Michael Corrigan, Long Beach; Tiffany Pelczar, Mattituck-Cutchogue; Katie Sheehan, Mineola; Jeanine Laurino, New Hyde Park-Garden City Park; Christina Moser, North Merrick; Leia DePalo, Northport-East Northport; Shannon Maloney, Patchogue-Medford; Hannah Michaelson, Sayville; Sarah Wyhowanec, South Huntington; Daniela Casadei-Berwind, Three Village; Eugene Rogovitz, West Babylon; and Patricia Hinchman, West Islip.
In Selden, third-graders in Elaina Fein’s class at Stagecoach Elementary School recently received 12 Hess trucks along with the “Hess Toy Truck STEM Curriculum Guide” to use as classroom learning tools. Credit: Middle Country Central 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.
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