LI schools vie in LEGO robotics event

A team of nine students from Bayport, Blue Point, East Islip, Sayville and Selden -- called Peaced Together -- took home the Champion's Award at the Long Island FIRST LEGO League Tournament.

In the competition, held earlier this month at Longwood High School in Middle Island, 48 teams used LEGO play materials and Mindstorm, a programmable LEGO toy, to build robots that could traverse an obstacle course in 2 1/2 minutes. Teams also proposed a solution to a real-life medical problem and gave a five-minute presentation to a panel of judges.

Peaced Together's proposal was a synthetic skin with sensors to restore the sense of touch to arm amputees. The team next will compete against 85 teams from around the world at FIRST LEGO League World Festival in St. Louis on April 27-30.

"Young arm amputees coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan want to be able to do everything they used to do -- synthetic skin would make that possible," said Emily Egan, a home-schooled team member.

Other team members were Robert and Matt Sparacio of West Sayville Christian School, Molly McCoy of Oakdale-Bohemia Middle School, Kiersten Varacek of James Wilson Young Middle School in Bayport, and home-schoolers Luke Madden, Samuel Noack, and Frank and Jack Egan. The team also won first place in the robot performance category.

Other first-place teams from Suffolk were Let Me Think . . . of Huntington Station for robot design, Knights of Sayville for creative presentation, Terminators of Middle Island for gracious professionalism, and Clayton Huey Red Devils of Center Moriches for spirit.

The School-Business Partnerships of Long Island in Kings Park sponsored the event.

BAY SHOREEducation foundation

Bay Shore Superintendent Evelyn Blose Holman recently announced the creation of the Evelyn Blose Holman Education Foundation, a Bay Shore-based nonprofit organization.

The foundation relies on donations from local businesses and community members and welcomes student applicants seeking "resources for enrichment programs aimed at enhancing the quality of education," foundation officials said.

A launch fundraiser was held last month in Bay Shore.

EAST SETAUKETYearbook finalists

Ward Melville High School's DVD yearbook is one of eight national finalists in a 2010 Pacemaker Digital Yearbook Contest coordinated by the National Scholastic Press Association.

Winners will be announced at the National High School Journalism Convention in Anaheim, Calif., on April 14-17. Yearbooks are judged on factors ranging from writing to design to art, as well as the way the DVD complemented the print product.

"We cannot even wrap our heads around how huge this is," said Cortney Weisman, the school's yearbook adviser.

WESTHAMPTON"Heart Ball"

Westhampton Beach High School juniors Casey Fuchs and Healey Schoeck recently raised more than $23,000 for the American Heart Association through the "Heart Ball" a student dance -- held in memory of their dads. The two girls have been friends since preschool and lost their fathers to heart attacks at an early age, school officials said.

Funds were raised from donations by families and businesses and the sale of 100 tickets.

"Our original goal was 40 kids attending the dance and $5,000," Schoeck said. "I had no idea it would go this far."

COUNTYWIDEArt in adult exhibit

Four Suffolk students were winners last month in the third annual High School Art Competition at Suffolk County Community College. Thirty-five works of art, ranging from paintings to photos to sculptures, were judged by SCCC's art faculty.

Sarah Walsh of Bay Shore High School won the Scholarship Award and is eligible to take a studio art class at SCCC. Other winners: Fiorella Aliaga of Bay Shore High, first place; Alexandra Menke of West Babylon High School, second place; and Michelle D'Errico of West Babylon School, third place.

ISLANDWIDE100th day of school

Dozens of Long Island schools marked the 100th day of the school year last month with various activities centered on the number 100.

In Ronkonkoma, Cherokee Street Elementary pupils used household items such as buttons and cotton balls to craft their own "100" that was displayed in the school's atrium. They also used markers to color paper crowns featuring the number.

Deasy Elementary School kindergartners in Glen Cove ate a special breakfast: a sausage and two bagel halves laid out to represent the number. In the same district, Gribbin Elementary pupils performed 100 jumping jacks in gym classes.

St. Mary School in East Islip and Aquebogue Elementary in Jamesport collected 100 cans of nonperishable food for local pantries.