School Notebook: Pumpkin fling winners

Students at Islip High School have catapulted their way to victory for the sixth straight year.

The school's homemade trebuchet bested machines constructed by nine other student teams from across Long Island to take first place in the ninth annual Long Island Pumpkin Fling last month at the Suffolk County Farm and Education Center in Yaphank.

The team's winning launch was measured at 693.6 feet, well ahead of the runner-up launch of 528 feet by a Deer Park High School team.

"This is hugely important to us, and we put in many, many hours," said sophomore Dan Angileri, who was on the winning team with Mike Barsalona, James Claudio, Brian Eichner, Mike Maratta and Sam Melaniff. "There's no other science program that's as rewarding."

Islip's device included a 24-foot arm built from a sailing mast, eight 60-inch springs and a series of smaller springs to "get the arm moving faster," team coach Ken Phalen said.

The champions received the Perpetual Trophy, awarded each year to the victors and engraved with the winning school name.

Last year, Islip set a Long Island record with a fling of 906.2 feet in the division for ages 14-18. This year, a headwind curtailed the distances.

"It blew right toward us," said Deer Park coach Bruce Sander, who credited the event with making science come to life for kids. "They're learning physics and not even realizing it."

Other local schools represented were Harbor Country Day School in St. James, Islip Middle School, Hauppauge High School and South Side High School in Rockville Centre. The Teresa Cordova Cub Scout Pack from Bohemia won the 13-and-under division.

The event was sponsored by the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County.

RIVERHEAD

Reciting the classics

Riverhead Central School District claimed 11 out of 14 possible prizes last month at the Suffolk Classical Society's ninth annual Declamatio, a competition in which students memorize and dramatically recite passages of Latin literature at Stony Brook University.

Riverhead winners in various divisions were Emily Behr, Peter Cook, Helene Drozd, Gwen Hilles, Katelyn McKissik, Emily Pearce, Erin Plitt, James Rios, John Rios, Liana Salgado and Aidan Saltini.

John Rios, a Riverhead senior, won a $100 scholarship in recognition of his success in Declamatio the past six years.

SHOREHAM

Fundraising for Liam

The Shoreham-Wading River Central School District community came together this fall to raise more than $21,000 in support of Liam McGuire, a student at Miller Avenue Elementary School who is battling a rare form of leukemia.

Hundreds of attendees made donations as participants walked around the high school's track, while student clubs raised additional funds by selling T-shirts, wristbands and bumper stickers.

The fundraiser was coordinated by the high school's Natural Helpers Club. All proceeds went to the McGuire family to help with Liam's medical costs.

"A fundamental part of education is to do for others," Miller Avenue principal Lou Parinello said. "The whole school is behind Liam."

COUNTYWIDE

Awards from Grammy

Six Nassau County schools are among about 130 nationwide to be named semifinalists for a 2012 Grammy Signature School Award from the Grammy Foundation based on their efforts to promote music education.

The schools next will submit an application that includes audio samples of their student ensembles. Schools are eligible for a cash prize of up to $10,000.

The schools are East Meadow High School, Garden City High School, George W. Hewlett High School, W. Tresper Clarke High School in Westbury, and Great Neck North and South high schools.

ISLANDWIDE

Robotics event results

Nineteen student teams competed last month at the eighth annual Deer Park Invitational, a postseason robotics competition in which teams built and programmed robots -- some weighing up to 135 pounds -- to battle on a playing field. Points were earned for robots that hung triangles, circles and squares on poles and for "mini-bots" that were deployed to climb vertical poles.

The victors were a three-team alliance: Team 329 from Patchogue-Medford High School, Team 884 from Malverne High School and Team 1751 from Comsewogue High School in Port Jefferson Station. Finalists were Team 271 from Bay Shore High School, Team 358 from Hauppauge High School and Team 1468 from Hicksville High School.

The event was sponsored by the School Business Partnerships of Long Island, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) and the Deer Park Union Free School District.