21 LI students among winners at Intel International Science and Engineering Fair

Twenty-one Long Island students won awards in various categories at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, held last month in Pittsburgh.

"We hope these winners will inspire other young people to pursue their interest in these fields and apply their curiosity, creativity and ingenuity to the common good," said Wendy Hawkins, the Intel Foundation's executive director.

The annual fair, a program of the nonprofit Society for Science & the Public, featured about 1,700 students selected from 422 affiliate fairs in more than 75 countries, regions and territories.

Award-winners were: Scott Massa, Commack High School; Pavithran Ravindran, W. Tresper Clarke High School, Westbury; Arjun Kapoor, The Wheatley School, Old Westbury; Daniel Hanover, Great Neck North High School; Jay Zussman, Great Neck South High School; Liana He, Half Hollow Hills High School West, Dix Hills; Sahil Abbi, Herricks High School; Meghan Dong Duo Bialt-DeCelie, Benjamin Golbin and Levy Sominsky, all of George W. Hewlett High School, Hewlett; Steven Zheng, Jericho High School; Justin Barish, Kings Park High School; Jason Fiacco and Kevin Sadhu, Manhasset High School; Aidan Dwyer, Northport High School; E. Madeline Rose Fagan, Paul D. Schreiber High School, Port Washington; Aansh Shah, Roslyn High School; Brian Righter, Smithtown High School East; Abrar Ali Nadroo and Jack Robbins, Syosset High School; and Niyati Desai, Ward Melville High School, East Setauket.

FREEPORT: Coding contest

Jewell Brown of Freeport is one of 21 high school students nationwide to win a scholarship to the Pre-College Academy of the Flatiron School, a Manhattan-based programming school.

More than 600 people applied for the scholarship, which offers free tuition to the school's Introduction to Software Engineering Course.

Brown, a senior at Westminster School in Simsbury, Connecticut, was selected based on a video submission in which she shared her desire to affect the lives of others through the use of coding.

MERRICK: Relay for Life

The Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District raised more than $75,000 this spring through a first-ever Relay for Life event that benefited the American Cancer Society.

Hundreds of community members participated, walking or running around the track at Sanford H. Calhoun High School over the course of 12 hours and raising money through pledges from family and friends.

Other activities included a performance by Robbie Rosen, a semifinalist in season 10 of "American Idol," a luminaria ceremony in which dozens of candlelit lanterns were lined up along the track, and a speech by Calhoun sophomore Holden Smith, who has battled Hodgkin lymphoma, school officials said.

The event was the brainchild of students Michael Jean, Matthew Koffler and Adam Myers, who received certificates for outstanding service during the opening ceremonies.

COMMACK: Coding contest

Juvaria Shahid of Commack is one of 21 high school students nationwide to win a scholarship to the Pre-College Academy of the Flatiron School, a Manhattan-based programming school.

More than 600 people applied for the scholarship, which offers free tuition to the school's Introduction to Software Engineering Course.

Shahid, a sophomore at MDQ Academy in Brentwood, was selected based on a video submission in which she shared her desire to affect the lives of others through the use of coding.

SUFFOLK COUNTY: Piano prowess

Five Suffolk County students were first-place winners in the Suffolk Piano Teachers Foundation's 10th Annual Piano Competition, which included 70 students ranging in age from 4 to 18.

They received scholarships and were invited to perform their winning pieces during a recital last week at the Staller Center for the Arts at Stony Brook University.

Winners were: Tom Liu, a second-grader at Mills Pond Elementary School in St. James, in the elementary division; Antonia Pavek, a fifth-grader at Tecumseh Elementary School in Farmingville, in the early intermediate division; Dorothy Pierre, an eighth-grader at Smithtown Christian School in the late intermediate division; Karen Xie, a seventh-grader at R.C. Murphy Junior High School in Stony Brook, in the early advanced division; and Kevin Cao, a sophomore at Commack High School, in the late advanced division.

ISLANDWIDE: Awards in writing

Seven Long Island students were among 141 high school juniors nationwide selected to receive certificates for superior writing from the National Council of Teachers of English.

To be considered, each student submitted two pieces of original writing. Their work was judged for content, purpose, audience, tone, word choice, organization, development and style.

Winners were: Delia Berka, Bay Shore High School; Abigail Berkower and Olivia Descorbeth, Great Neck North High School; Milan Sani, Paul D. Schreiber High School, Port Washington; Bonnie Kim, Syosset High School; Amanda Liu, Ward Melville High School, East Setauket; and Allyce Yang, Valley Stream South Junior/Senior 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.