Biz students 'apprentice' in marketing

Keep watch, Donald Trump. There's a new generation of apprentices on the rise.

More than 260 business students from 26 Long Island high schools recently faced off in "Adelphi Apprentice," a competition coordinated by Adelphi University that challenged teams to develop marketing plans for either a fictional Snapple health beverage line targeted at athletic-minded customers or for a fictional holiday film set in New York City.

"We followed the 'Four Ps' - product, price, place and promotion," said Phil Scarfi, a junior at Deer Park High whose team won first place in the movie challenge. "We talked about advertising for the movie online on YouTube as well as on taxi cabs . . . This competition really gives students a head start on what they will be doing in real life."

Each team - up to 10 students from different schools - got 90 minutes to create its marketing plan and was judged by three Adelphi alumni in a boardroom setting modeled after NBC's "The Apprentice."

Also on the first-place beverage and movie teams were: Nadia Ahmed of Sachem High East in Farmingville, Isaac Amos and Jonathan Feuerstein of Lawrence High, Jillian Boccia and Paul Savary of Oyster Bay High, Michael Chu and Alessandro Telese of W. Tresper Clarke High in Westbury, Frank Cunningham of Division Avenue High in Levittown, Tanasia Davis of Hempstead High, Sarah Holzberg of Commack High, Holly Isenberg and Scott Lagenbach of Patchogue-Medford High, Michael Lastuvka of Hauppauge High and Michelle Liao of Ward Melville High in East Setauket.

PLAINEDGE

Tips from 'Biggest Loser'

Plainedge High School's health classes recently learned about the importance of fitness and nutrition during a visit from Tara Costa, a Bethpage native and former contestant on NBC's "The Biggest Loser." During her visit, Costa displayed a life-size cardboard cutout of her former overweight self and told students that physical change must start with a change in attitude.

"If I can inspire students at this age to make positive life choices, then perhaps they will not go down the same path that I went down," Costa said.

ISLANDWIDE

Nurturing a love of reading

Dozens of schools throughout Long Island have hosted reading-themed programs and activities this school year to foster a love of reading among students at an early age.

In Levittown, J. Fred Spark Elementary School was among a number of local schools to recently participate in a "Record for the Record!" campaign in which some 2 million children worldwide simultaneously read Ezra Jack Keats' children's book, "The Snowy Day." The event was hosted by Jumpstart, a national organization that promotes early childhood education.

In Holtsville, Waverly Avenue Elementary School participated in "The Great Bedtime Story Pajama Drive," a partnership between the Scholastic Book Club and the nonprofit Pajama Program in which kids wore pajamas to school, donated a new pair of pajamas for underprivileged children, and shared a favorite book with classmates.

COUNTYWIDE

Zone Award winners

One male and one female student from each Nassau County high school recently received a Nassau Zone Award from the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance based on academic prowess, leadership and physical performance. Local winners inadvertently omitted from a list earlier this month were:

Carle Place: Joanna Koronios and Kyle Moore of Carle Place High School; Garden City: Jessica Blatz and Preston Zhang of Garden City High School; Glen Cove: Lorena Silva and Owen Valance of Glen Cove High School; Glen Head: Alexandra Grande and Oscar Cisternas of North Shore High School; Great Neck: Alison Widawsky and Edmond Sassoon of Great Neck North High School; Courtney Taylor and Stephen Ambrosio of Great Neck South High School; Jericho: Jimmy Sheridan and Frankki Romano of Jericho High School; Locust Valley: Patricia Roth and Frederick Derenthal of Locust Valley High School; Manhasset: Kerri Fleishhacker and Harry Kucharczyk of Manhasset High School; Mineola: Lacey Fater and Thomas Satalino of Mineola High School; Thomas Murphy of Chaminade High School; New Hyde Park: Michelle Weinman and Rosario Giliberto of Herricks High School; Alexa Peveraro and Guillermo Dilone of New Hyde Park Memorial High School; Old Westbury: Megan Murphy and Donald Balducci Henry of Wheatley High School; Oyster Bay: Sarah Shoemaker and Chris Kelly of Oyster Bay High School; Plainview: Alice Cohen and Matthew Benjamin of Plainview-Old Bethpage High School; Port Washington: Sara Giraldo and Jeremy Eule of Paul D. Schreiber High School; Roslyn Heights: Dani Adesman and Sam Greenwald of Roslyn High School; Syosset: Amanda Walsh of Our Lady of Mercy Academy; Westbury: Marie Cotter and Justin Ragusa of W. Tresper Clarke High School; Karina Aristy and Hugh O'Brien of Westbury High School; West Hempstead: Kaitlin Lynch and Thomas Valerio of West Hempstead High School.