Massapequa, William Floyd win moot court crowns
A team from William Floyd High School in Mastic Beach took the overall title in this year's Long Island Mentor Moot Court Competition, which was held at the Eastern District federal court in Central Islip. Credit: William Floyd School District
Teams from Massapequa and William Floyd high schools have been named Nassau and Suffolk county champions, respectively, of this year's Long Island Mentor Moot Court Competition — with William Floyd taking the Long Island title.
William Floyd's four-student team — consisting of seniors Maille Bowerman, Jenny Le, Dan Potemkin and Nathalia Reis — bested Massapequa in the competition's finals this fall at the Eastern District federal court in Central Islip.
The Mastic Beach-based team then went on to defeat a team from James Madison High School in Brooklyn during the next round of competition last month at Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse in Manhattan.
"It represented tremendous personal growth for them," William Floyd coach William Hennessy said of his team's achievement. "It's good for any high school to have kids who succeed in a demanding competition."
This year's competition challenged teams to present arguments in a fictional case involving a constitution rights violation in which a student was accused of vandalizing a teacher's car, with actual judges testing their knowledge of case law. Teams prepared their arguments by studying prior legal decisions.
To take their county titles, Massapequa and William Floyd defeated teams from Holy Trinity Diocesan High School in Hicksville and Bay Shore High School, respectively.
Massapequa's team consisted of seniors Aidan Franzke, Alex Lawless, Isabella Mininni and Meaghan Phillips.
Students at the Eastern Long Island Academy of Applied Technology Gary D. Bixhorn Technical Center in Bellport recently decorated foam wig stands for those undergoing cancer treatment at Carol M. Baldwin Breast Care Center at Stony Brook Cancer Center. Credit: Eastern Suffolk BOCES
BRENTWOOD/DIX HILLS
Hispanic Heritage essays
Three Long Island students — Mia Carranza of Herricks High School, Yolanda Contreras of Brentwood High School, and Ellis Eisenberg of Half Hollow Hills High School West in Dix Hills — were finalists in Altice USA's 2019 Hispanic Heritage Essay Contest. They competed in the high school category of the contest's Optimum region.
This year's contest asked participants to write about a Latino, past or present, who inspires them to "dream big." The three teens each received an iPad.
In Middle Island, Longwood Junior High School's Junior Foreign Language Honor Society recently sold colorful bracelets called pulseras to help raise awareness and funds for artists in Nicaragua and Guatemala as part of the nonprofit Pulsera Project. Credit: Longwood Central School District
The category's grand-prize winner, who won a $1,500 scholarship, was a student from Stamford, Connetticut.
COUNTYWIDE
Zone Awards
A total of 110 seniors from 55 high schools recently received Suffolk Zone Awards from the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Each high school names one female and one male recipient based on academic, leadership and physical performance.
Local winners and their high schools were: Bryan Canales and Jordan Tobin, Amityville; Jack Hoffman and Madison Baudille, Babylon; Anthony Morales and Caroline Casey, Bay Shore; Jacob Lurie and Ailish Kelly, Bayport-Blue Point; Romello Wright and Ivanna Hernandez, Brentwood; Matthew Ehrhardt and Jazelle Amaya, Central Islip; Mitchell Cohen and Rachael Goodal, Commack; Edward Sollazzo and Samantha Lankowicz, Connetquot; Marvin Pineda Lobo and Nicole Hernandez, Copiague; Jordan Galaor and Jillian Cornelia, Deer Park; Christian Harty and Alexa Fusco, East Islip; Aidan Desmond and Kaitlyn Sorok, Elwood; Evan Stallone and Ashley Bryant, Half Hollow Hills East; Noah Costa and Allison Cao, Half Hollow Hills West; Joseph DeSimone and Julia Malich, Harborfields; Julien Rentsch and Alexandra Gerbavsits, Huntington; Timothy Rogers and Natalia Cuttler, Islip; Michael Ingraffia and Leighann Perciballi, Kings Park; Matthew Newman and Angelina Mendell, Lindenhurst; Ross Tallarico and Molly Battaglia, North Babylon; Ryan Reynolds and Meghan Kropp, Northport; Ryan Micheli and Kristen Shanahan, Sachem East; Nicholas Davide and Samantha Marotto, Sachem North; Liam Davidson and Catherine Doyle, Sayville; Dean Shaffer and Amy Welshimer, Smithtown East; Luke Muratore and Sarah Chapman, Smithtown West; Justin White and Kennedy Keenan, St. John the Baptist; Jackson Zaiff and Sydney Khan, Walt Whitman; Kyle Adams and Erin Thompson, West Babylon; and Robert DiCapua and Amanda Sgueglia, West Islip.
In West Islip, Paul J. Bellew Elementary School recently dedicated a "buddy bench" in memory of former student Robert Ferruggiari. The bench is designed for use by students looking for a playmate and intended to foster friendship, kindness and inclusiveness. Credit: West Islip School District
COUNTYWIDE
Zone Awards
A total of 110 seniors from 55 high schools recently received Suffolk Zone Awards from the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Each high school names one female and one mail recipient based on academic, leadership and physical performance.
Local winners and their high schools were: Jacob Lurie and Ailish Kelly, Bayport-Blue Point; Connor Coleman and Emily Gentzel, Bellport; Max Tiska and Olivia Cassone, Bridgehampton; Liam Murphy and Stephanie Stypulkowski, Center Moriches; Matthew Robbert and Stephanie Gatto, Centereach; Jake Vecchio and Paloma Blatter, Comsewogue; Dennis Jourdain and Kyra Sommerstad, Earl L. Vandermeulen; Frank Bellucci and Ashley Peters, East Hampton; Joseph Sanguedolce and Samantha Filippi, Eastport-South Manor; Jackson Rung-Wile and Andrea Mena-Ochoa, Greenport; Lucas Brown and Rebecca Heaney, Hampton Bays; Edmundo Porras Jr. and Anaya Philips, Longwood; Emmet Ryan and Charlotte Keil, Mattituck-Cutchogue; David Lambert and Madison Murphy, Miller Place; Kevin Sweeney and Sarah Connelly, Mount Sinai; Hunter Hughes and Haylie Budd, Newfield; Adrian Rutkowski and Caitlin Dellecave, Patchogue-Medford; Dylan Kruel and Ruby Yassen, Pierson; Gary Russin and Clare Levy, Rocky Point; Ryan Micheli and Kristen Shanahan, Sachem East; Nicholas Davide and Samantha Marotto, Sachem North; Kal Lewis and Emma Gallagher, Shelter Island; Matthew Baylous and Elle Schepis, Shoreham-Wading River; Phillip Ferraiuolo and Caraline Oakley, Southampton; Cole Brigham and Kaitlin Tobin, Southold; Shawn Thomas and Kristin Quinn, Ward Melville; Jack Naglieri and Isabelle Smith, Westhampton Beach; and Thomas Verga and Alyssa Drell, William Floyd.
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.
