Making the Grade: William Floyd takes top spots in Youth & Government Conference, Syosset High School library recognized and 3 students awarded National Honor Society scholarships
William Floyd High School students recently secured seven leadership positions at the 88th annual New York State YMCA Youth & Government Conference in Albany. Pictured are all of the William Floyd students who won awards at the conference. Credit: William Floyd School District
William Floyd High School in Mastic Beach has continued its success when it comes to model government.
Members of the school’s Youth and Government Club were elected to seven leadership positions — the most of any school statewide — at the 88th annual New York State YMCA Youth and Government Conference this past March in Albany, which included a record number of nearly 700 students.
Participants tackled tasks ranging from debating legislation to arguing appellate cases in the state’s legislative chambers.
The school has taken a majority of the leadership posts in recent years — including seven in 2018, nine in 2019 and 2020, 10 in 2022 and 11 in 2023.
“The Youth and Government program is so important because it requires students to select a topic affecting New York State, extensively research it and then write an original law,” said Robert Feeney, adviser for William Floyd’s team.
William Floyd junior Olivia Phillips earned the top spot of governor.
Other William Floyd students elected were Aisha Barrie, Senate Pro-Tempore, Senate Liberty; Kayla Bundick, public defender; Alice Chen, attorney general; Kaitlyn Corn, deputy speaker, Assembly Liberty; Hiba Farooq, speaker, Assembly Freedom; and Mathew Reis, lieutenant governor. (Due to the number of students involved, each legislative branch of government had two versions: Assembly and Senate Liberty and Assembly and Senate Freedom.)
Barrie, Chen, Phillips, Reis and fellow William Floyd students Renae-Marie Kelly and Joshua Schultzer were also among those selected to represent New York at the YMCA Conference on National Affairs this summer in North Carolina.
BRENTWOOD/VALLEY STREAM
Bilingual winners
Students from Brentwood and Valley Stream placed first in art and essay contests coordinated by the New York State Association for Bilingual Education. Brentwood High School sophomore Miguel Angel Robles Collante won the grades nine-12 category of the essay contest, while Jacob Ramírez, a sixth grader at Forest Road Elementary School in Valley Stream, won the grades six-eight category of the art contest.
The submissions, which were evaluated on criteria including creativity and originality, were required to address the following theme: “Empowering multilingual student voices to advocate for their right to bilingual education.”
Both students received a $150 prize.
SYOSSET
School Library of the Year
Syosset High School has received the 2024 National School Library of the Year Award from the American Association of School Librarians in recognition of its efforts to implement the association’s Standards for Learners, School Librarians and School Libraries.
“Syosset’s mission is to prepare students to thrive in both the future we imagine and one which may evolve in ways yet to be envisioned,” said Syosset Schools Superintendent Thomas L. Rogers. “Syosset’s high school library animates this mission in extraordinary ways that students and faculty alike find tangible and meaningful.”
The school received a crystal obelisk and $10,000 toward its school library.
ISLANDWIDE
Scholarship semifinalists
James Keenan of Newfield High School in Selden, Kenneth Miller of West Babylon High School and Gavin Onghai of Earl L. Vandermeulen High School in Port Jefferson were among 575 semifinalists — and the only three from Long Island — selected to receive $3,200 scholarships from the National Honor Society.
The scholarship recognizes students who exemplify the society’s four pillars: character, leadership, scholarship and service. They were selected from nearly 17,000 applicants nationwide.
“Each winner has gone above and beyond to excel academically and lift up their communities through selfless service and leadership,” said Ronn Nozoe, chief executive of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the society’s parent organization. “Their actions exemplify the incredible leaders they are, and I can’t wait to see what they accomplish.”
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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