School Notebook: Six winners in Long Island High School Psychology Fair

Six students were named best-in-category winners for their presentations at the 2018-19 Long Island High School Psychology Fair.

This year's fair received about 50 submissions in five psychology categories: biopsychology, cognitive, educational, health and social. It was held last month at Roslyn High School.

Submissions consisted of 10-minute PowerPoint presentations followed by five-minute question-and-answer sessions.

"The fair not only gives students the opportunity to present to judges who are experts in their specific fields, but also affords them a rare opportunity to hear about the research of their peers from other schools," said Allyson Weseley, a coordinator of secondary research at Roslyn High School who is one of the fair's founders.

Best-in-category winners and their categories were: Kate Weseley-Jones (whose mother is the fair's co-founder) of North Shore High School in Glen Head, social psychology; Jessica Goldstein of Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK High School, biopsychology; Alyssa Iryami of Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK High School, health psychology; Sophie Fries and Gabby Fries, who are twins, of Roslyn High School, educational psychology; and Adrian Ke of Roslyn High School, cognitive psychology.

The fair has served as a forum for student research in psychology since 2008.

DEER PARK

STEAM lab

May Moore Primary School held a ribbon-cutting ceremony last month for a new STEAM lab, which will focus on lessons in science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics. Each of the school's classes will visit the lab weekly to create, innovate and problem-solve, school officials said.

The school's lab workstations include a Lego wall, an art area and tech station, and a section for magnetics and wooden block toys called KEVA Planks. To help create the space, the school's STEAM Lab Committee visited other labs and Makerspaces across Long Island. 

"We are thrilled to bring 21st-century learning skills to the primary level," said the school’s assistant principal Heather Levine. "We took the best of what we saw and attempted to replicate amazing teaching practices here in our lab."

EAST NORTHPORT

Park policy change

Zoe Wood, a first-grader at Dickinson Avenue Elementary School, recently succeeded in getting nonmotorized scooters permitted at Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve in Lloyd Harbor after sending a letter to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. The letter questioned why bicycles — but not scooters — were permitted at the 1,520-acre park. 

Upon receiving the letter, the office's commissioner, Rose Harvey, responded with personalized letter of her own in which she thanked Zoe for voicing her ideas and stated that, effective immediately, nonmotorized scooters would be allowed.

"Even from a young age, we seek to teach our students to take informed action," Dickinson Avenue Principal Laurie Storch said. "Zoe is a shining example of that."

ISLANDWIDE

Martin Luther King Day

Many area schools hosted educational events and lessons last month in recognition of The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

In Long Beach, fourth-graders in Lisa Rundo's class at Lindell Elementary School listened to one of King's famous speeches and created "I Have a Dream" boxes in the school's new Innovation Lab Makerspace. The boxes displayed the students' various interpretations of the theme through peaceful illustrations and uplifting phrases.

In East Rockaway, fifth-graders at Waverly Park Elementary School in the Lynbrook School District read about King in a recent issue of Scholastic News magazine and participated in community service projects — including collecting 25 blankets for the nonprofit Urban Pathways.

 In Amityville, pre-kindergartners and kindergartners at Northeast Elementary School celebrated the civil rights leader during an assembly that included renditions of inspirational songs such as Harry Dixon Loes' "This Little Light of Mine."

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.