Top students discuss top LI issues

Some of Long Island's top students recently joined forces to mull the region's top issues.

The 2011 Long Island Youth Summit included more than 180 local high schoolers and their teachers who gathered to discuss socioeconomic, medical and environmental topics ranging from transportation to affordable housing to open spaces. The second annual summit was held last month at Dowling College's Oakdale campus.

"One reason why I started this was to engage young people in local issues on a meaningful level," said event co-chair Nathalia Rogers, an associate professor of sociology at Dowling. "Young people are capable of research and complex thinking, and it is our obligation to open opportunities for them."

This year, some 500 students from 30 schools submitted essays, videos or artwork to summit officials that proposed solutions to a suburban issue of their choice. One-third of them were named finalists and attended the summit, which consisted of workshops led by organizations ranging from the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Riverhead to National Grid.

The overall winner was Paul Ngu of Syosset High School, whose essay discussed how race and class affect education on Long Island.

Suffolk County winners in various categories were Marisabel Quiroga of Bay Shore High School; James Nevins, Ryan O'Connell and Daniel Tavares of Comsewogue High School; Stephanie Castlen, Ed Greco and Amelia Morales of Kings Park High School; Saad Amer of Patchogue-Medford High School; Brianna D'Amato, Shayna Daly, Amanda Miller, Sam Swift and Lauren Waka

of Sachem North High

School; Sarah Cacciabaudo, Katharine Lowe, Steve Tringali and Julianna Wessler of Smithtown High School West; and Nina Rossiello and Jaclyn Valentine of West Islip High School.

BRENTWOOD

Music lovers

Brentwood High School seniors Alanna Henriquez and Cristian Orellana each received $2,250 college scholarships in a contest that rewards excellence in solo music performance, coordinated by the Islip-based Music Lovers Club.

Scholarships were eligible to students in the Towns of Babylon or Islip who auditioned before a screening committee. East Islip High School seniors Carly Schnitzer and Frances Flancbaum were runners-up and received $1,500 and $1,000 scholarships, respectively.

HAMPTON BAYSFunds for HaitiMore than 450 students at Hampton Bays Middle School have raised $3,500 through the sale of homemade pins to benefit the William J. Clinton Foundation's Haiti Relief Fund. The money will help build homes in Haiti for communities ravaged by last year's earthquake.

The "Haiti Houses" pins, which replicate tiny Haitian-style homes, are made out of matte board and clay. They were sold for $5 apiece at school events and at the Fandango Boutique in Hampton Bays.

RONKONKOMA

Acts of kindness

Helen B. Duffield Elementary School recently welcomed back two former students to discuss their service to the U.S. Marine Corps as part of the school's celebration of Random Acts of Kindness Week.

During their visit, Lance Cpl. Sean Pesce and Pvt. Bryan K. Marino -- who graduated from Connetquot High School in 2006 and 2007, respectively -- thanked kids for care packages they sent overseas and called them "pieces of home," school officials said.

Pesce has come home after a 10-month stint in Afghanistan. Marino will deploy overseas after his training at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

COUNTYWIDE

DECA winners

Eleven Suffolk County students were first-place winners in various categories last month at New York DECA's State Career Conference in Rochester. The conference consists of competitive events in topics ranging from business law to tourism.

Winners were Chaz Schneider and Nora Zuhoski, both of Mattituck High School; Jaclyn Brennan, Ken Bogart, Rachel Davis, Mike Diorio, Will Hoffman and Taylor Zografakis, all of Smithtown High School East; and Steven Gardella, Connor Levens and Alyssa Liberov, all of Smithtown High School West.