Suffolk schools mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Wearing pink was serious business last month for students throughout Long Island.

Dozens of local schools held everything from walkathons to bake sales to sports fundraisers in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is October.

In Mastic Beach, the William Floyd school district raised nearly $9,500 through a variety of events at its schools. Fundraisers included sales of pink hair extensions and bracelets at Tangier Smith Elementary School that raised $1,321 for the Stony Brook University Cancer Center, and a similar "Pink Hair for Hope" fundraiser at Moriches Elementary School that raised $2,080 for Mondays at Racine, an Islip salon that supports those with cancer.

"Each year, during the month of October, William Floyd students and staff show generosity and compassion by dedicating so much time and resources toward raising money for breast cancer research," Superintendent Paul Casciano said.

In Lindenhurst, the high school's varsity and junior varsity girls soccer teams hosted a "Kicks for Cancer" event during a home game that raised $1,500 through 50/50 raffles and food and apparel sales. The funds were split between a local family in need and the Suffolk County Girls Soccer Association for breast cancer awareness purposes. The school's field hockey team also raised $383 with a "Sticking It to Breast Cancer" event to benefit the nonprofit Susan G. Komen.

In Nesconset, Great Hollow Middle School raised $2,200 through a Coaches vs. Cancer event to benefit the American Cancer Society. The event consisted of several home games for the school's sports teams, and fundraisers such as the sale of $1 "pinups" on which families wrote the names of loved ones who have cancer.

In Commack, 31 doubles tennis teams from high schools across Suffolk County raised about $1,000 through a "Play for Pink" tournament held at the Hamlet Golf & Country Club.

HAMPTON BAYS: Plum Island tour

Twenty students in Hampton Bays High School's Research in Science program recently toured the Plum Island Animal Disease Center, a federal facility dedicated to studying animal diseases. The visit was part of the center's goal to educate the public about its research, school officials said.

The trip -- which required background checks for those 16 and over -- also educated teens about the island's history and about foot-and-mouth disease, an infectious virus that infects cloven-hoofed animals and comprises much of the center's research.

"This was a highly educational experience with once-in-a-lifetime lessons and research opportunities for students," Hampton Bays science teacher Stephanie Forsberg said.

MATTITUCK: New appointments

Anne Smith is the new superintendent of the Mattituck-Cutchogue School District, replacing James McKenna, who retired. Smith most recently was principal of the district's Cutchogue East Elementary School, a title now held by Kathleen Devine.

Devine previously was an assistant principal at Mary G. Clarkson Elementary School in Bay Shore. Before that, she was an elementary teacher and staff developer for the Connetquot Central School District in Bohemia.

PORT JEFFERSON: 100th anniversary

Students and staff at Eastern Suffolk BOCES' Jefferson Academic Center recently celebrated the building's 100th anniversary with a ceremony designed to educate children about the early 1900s.

Several teachers dressed in outfits representative of the time period, and kids created posters that compared how various fields, such as sports, transportation and politics, have changed since 1914.

The students also researched the property's history, learning about the wooden schoolhouse that was located there until it burned down in 1913. In addition, they learned that boys and girls once entered the building through separate doorways at opposite ends of the building.

ISLANDWIDE: Hunger essay contest

Stop World Hunger, which is an Amityville-based nonprofit, and the Mobilized Interfaith Coalition Against Hunger are accepting entries for their 27th annual World Food Day Essay Contest, held in conjunction with World Food Day on Oct. 16.

This year's topic is: "How can healing the environment stop world hunger?"

The contest is open to students in Nassau and Suffolk counties and in Queens and Brooklyn. Entries are judged on factors such as creativity, practicality and clarity. Essay lengths should be 50 words for grades 1-3; 100 words for grades 4-6; 150 words for grades 7-8; and 200 words for grades 9-12.

First-place winners will receive a $100 savings bond. Entries should be postmarked by Nov. 7 and mailed to Stop World Hunger, 53 Elm Place, Amityville, NY 11701.