Setauket pupils plunge into recycling
A second-grade class at Laurel Hill School in Setauket has turned a teacher's lecture on recycling into a full-fledged campaign to promote environmental awareness at the school.
Since January, 19 students - led by 8-year-old Jason Minicozzi - have voluntarily spent their recess time making more than 150 Earth-themed posters to display in halls and buses.
A dozen kids also gave brief speeches to the private school's 350 students explaining "the value of reducing, reusing and recycling," school officials said.
The efforts stemmed from a recycling lesson led by second-grade teacher Randi Andreoni.
"I never expected them to take to it so well," Andreoni said. "As an educator, I see many students understand the need to help save our Earth, but I've never seen children feel so compelled to make a difference. They keep coming in and asking what else they can do."
Andreoni said the "pack leader" is Minicozzi, who has also taken it upon himself to periodically visit classrooms to make sure teachers and students are properly using recycling bins.
The second-graders are planning a cleanup of West Meadow Beach in Stony Brook this spring and have met with the school's student council to create additional Earth-friendly programs.
Shadowing workers
Twelve teens from Center Moriches High School got a taste of the working world last month during a Job Shadow Day in which they shadowed local workers to learn more about their fields. Mentoring organizations included Southampton Village's Police Benevolent Association and Lemon Tree salon in Center Moriches.
Senior Brittney Hardy witnessed a baby's birth at Stony Brook University Medical Center, where she shadowed nurses. "I even got to hear his heartbeat and breathing," she said.
Epidemiology scholars
Three Suffolk County students - Matt Katz of Commack High School and Eric Guleksen and Brian Ralph of Smithtown High School West - were state semifinalists in the Young Epidemiology Scholars Competition, a national health-research contest sponsored by the College Board and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. They each received a $1,000 college scholarship.
Mentor schools
May Moore Elementary School in Deer Park and Ridge Elementary School in Ridge were among nine schools statewide to be named Effective Practices Mentor Schools by the state Department of Education based on their instructional programs for autistic children.
Both schools will receive a grant of up to $50,000 and mentor a local school seeking to replicate their programs.
Funds for heart health
Fourth- and fifth-graders at Joseph A. Edgar Elementary School raised $5,900 last month during Jump Rope for Heart and Hoops for Heart fundraisers to benefit the American Heart Association. To collect money, 150 students solicited sponsorships from family and friends and then completed jumping and basketball-related exercises in the school gym.
COUNTYWIDE
Read Across America
A number of Suffolk County schools honored the March 2 birthday of Dr. Seuss (aka Theodor Seuss Geisel) last month through Read Across America, a National Education Association program designed to instill a love of reading among youth.
In Amityville, Northeast Elementary School pupils played Dr. Seuss-themed bingo, while kids at Cannon Elementary School in Brentwood gathered in the hallway for a Hallway Read Aloud of Dr. Seuss books.
In Ridge, 60 Longwood High School students celebrated reading by splitting into small groups to read Ruby Bridges' children's book "Ruby Bridges Goes to School" to 450 kids at Ridge Elementary School.
ISLANDWIDE
State DECA winners
More than 150 Long Island students were winners last month at the New York State Distributive Education Clubs of America Conference in Rochester. They are eligible to compete next weekend at the International Development Career Conference in Louisville, Ky. Suffolk winners were:
Copiague: Shanice McKenzie and Georgiana Patterson of Copiague High School; Deer Park: Rich Blumengold and Phil Scarfi of Deer Park High School; Dix Hills: Adam Friedman, Alexa Goetz, Ted Goshman, Madison Marisi and Karishma Sabhnani of Half Hollow Hills High School East; Christina Caputo of Half Hollow Hills High School West; Farmingville: Nick Bejarano of Sachem High School East; Hauppauge: Emilie Litsas of Hauppauge High School; Huntington Station: Jon Blasano, Corey Bloom, Andrew Brieff, Mark Egger, Nikki Fabrizio, Edmund Gezelter, Chad Hladki and Linsey McDonald of Walt Whitman High School; Lake Ronkonkoma: Jon Rizik, Sara Rizik and Harry Roberts of Sachem High School North; Northport: Chirag Munim, Kevin Ross and Zach Rotter of Northport High School; Selden: Ashley Alpers of Newfield High School; Smithtown: Tom Giordano, Reena Glaser, Adam Minuto and Chris Mushachio of Smithtown High School West; St. James: Pat Kelly, Adam Kiridly and Sara Leary of Smithtown High School East; Southold: Sarah Hallock, Kate Moore and Zach Sacher of Southold High School.
Sarra Sounds Off, Ep. 15: LI's top basketball players On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Newsday's Gregg Sarra and Matt Lindsay take a look top boys and girls basketball players on Long Island.
Sarra Sounds Off, Ep. 15: LI's top basketball players On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Newsday's Gregg Sarra and Matt Lindsay take a look top boys and girls basketball players on Long Island.
