'Jeffbot' stands in for student while he's recovering

A new student created quite a bit of buzz last month at a school in Huntington Station.

A telepresence robot -- equipped with wheels, a motor and a high-definition screen -- acted as a futuristic substitute for Jeffrey Kaji, a freshman at the Long Island School for the Gifted who underwent an emergency appendix surgery that caused him to miss a week of classes. The robot was provided by A+ Technology Solutions in Bay Shore, a company that employs his mother, Margie.

Kaji, who has since returned to school, said the robot enabled him to have a "physical presence" in his classes from the comfort of his bedroom.

"You have a presence as a robot that you don't really have on Skype or on a cellphone," Kaji, 14, said. "The biggest issue was that everyone thought it was cool, so getting through the halls was a bit challenging."

The robot -- nicknamed "Jeffbot" by Kaji's classmates -- displayed the Babylon teen's face in real-time on a screen positioned five feet off the ground attached to a motorized base. Kaji navigated the 50-pound robot, which moved at 2 mph, by using a camera pointed at the floor and by pressing arrow keys on his home computer.

A teacher accompanied the robot in the halls to ensure it arrived safely to Kaji's classes, and a docking station was set up to recharge the robot overnight. A full three-hour charge equated to eight hours of "talk time," A+ representatives said.

"By the third day, it was seamless," Principal Roberta Tropper said. "I found myself walking down the hall talking to Jeff, like he was really there."

Tropper said she had to draw the line when Kaji, who has a role in the school's performance of "Shrek the Musical," asked to participate in rehearsals by using the robot onstage.

But, she said, "Jeffbot" did join Kaji's friends in the school cafeteria during lunch periods.

"He was able to be a part of the whole social scene," Tropper said. "It was just fantastic."

GREAT NECK

Retiring superintendent

Thomas P. Dolan, superintendent of the Great Neck School District, announced his plans to retire from the position during the district's Board of Education meeting on Nov. 17. His retirement date hasn't yet been finalized, district officials said.

Dolan has been the district's superintendent since 2009, and before that he spent three years as superintendent of Franklin Square School District. He has also been principal of H. Frank Carey High School in Franklin Square and Cold Spring Harbor Junior/Senior High School.

"The time has come for me to write some other chapters of my life," he said at the meeting.

The Board of Education said that it will immediately begin its search for Dolan's replacement as superintendent.

ISLANDWIDE

NYSSMA All-State

More than 300 Long Island students were selected to attend the New York State School Music Association's 2014 All-State Conference in Rochester Dec. 4-7. The conference consisted of nearly 900 high school musicians statewide in various ensembles, as well as more than 150 workshops and exhibitor showcases.

Local selectees were: Baldwin: Ashley Mayers and David Zuckerman of Baldwin High School; Bellmore: Mara Friedman, Daniel Grange and Cara Slovinsky of John F. Kennedy High School; Alyssa Rabinowitz of Mepham High School; Bethpage: Melissa Cao, Michael Cipolla and Michael Rotunno of Bethpage High School; East Meadow: Russell Ettinger, Elton Ha, Jessica Kessler, Matt Koegel, Jamie Mackay, Tim Matishek, Jamie Morein, Lauren Osojnak, Michele Severo and Emily Shallbetter of East Meadow High School; Lynn-Yen Koh of Clarke High School; Farmingdale: Tyler Belo, Nadina Espinosa, Michael Fernandez, Nicolas Florio, James Silverstein and Evan Torres of Farmingdale High School; Floral Park: Therese Azzara and Jainam Doshi of Floral Park Memorial High School; Freeport: Victoria Baez, Modupe Coker, Jasmine Euell, Skye Hamilton-Carranza, Aziah Reid, Tyler-Lenai Williams and Stefanie Workman of Freeport High School; Garden City: Lindsay Grippo and Andreas Petrides of Garden City High School; Hewlett: Michael Friedman of Hewlett High School; Lawrence: Shelly Goldman, Patricia Magliaro and Jakob Messinetti of Lawrence High School; Levittown: Matt Brzezinski, Kara Burke and John Genzale of Division Avenue High School; Whitney Sun and Jenna Thomas of MacArthur High School; Locust Valley: Joe Tancredi of Locust Valley High School; Brian Lee of Portledge School; Long Beach: Victoria Epstein, Alexandra Kapilian, Jonathan Kapilian, Maegan Miciotta and Max Tunney of Long Beach High School; Lynbrook: Jonathan Cuevas, Luke Germanakos, Gabriel Polinsky and Melissa Schepers of Lynbrook High School; Malverne: Conrad Stewart and Jordan Tyson of Malverne High School; Massapequa: Angelica Ansbacher, Hannah Bentivegna, Alexia Castle, Katie Corcoran, Ben Harrell, Dan Hughes, Hannah Ibrahim, Emily Li and John Modica of Massapequa High School; Merrick: Lydia Librizzi of Calhoun High School; Oceanside: Juliana Denrich and Jaquelin Kerschenbaum of Oceanside High School; Rockville Centre: Jill Aicher, Craig Joseph, Grace Michnovicz and Alexis Waite of South Side High School; Seaford: Krystina von Glahn of Seaford High School; Uniondale: Jacqueline Cotumaccio, Erin Lyons and Hannah Pipa of Kellenberg High School; Valley Stream: Annie Fitzgerald of Central High School; Sabrina Roy and Matt Wang of North High School; Maria Fredericks of South High School; Wantagh: Blake Andreou, Matt Saltzman, Sam Hutt, Kayla Knight, Ruth Kupperberg and Julianna Nerone of Wantagh High School.

By Michael R. Ebert

michael.ebert@newsday.com

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.