Suffolk School Notebook: Students nominated as Presidential Scholars
Nistha Boghra of Sachem High School North. Credit: Sachem Central District
Five Long Island students are among 25 statewide nominated for one of the country's most prestigious honors for high school seniors.
The students — Christopher Alexander of Elmont Memorial High School, Nistha Boghra of Sachem High School North in Lake Ronkonkoma, Damaris Hernandez of Lynbrook High School, Nikhil Keer of Division Avenue High School in Levittown, and Alexis Phillips of Hampton Bays High School — have been nominated for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program by the New York State Education Department.
The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars selects scholars annually based on factors such as academic success, artistic excellence and community service.
This year's semifinalists will be revealed in April and scholars will be announced in May.
"Alexis [Phillips is an exceptional student who stands out as having academic success, leadership qualities and extraordinary personal achievements," said Assemb. Fred Thiele Jr. (I-Sag Harbor), who recommended Phillips for the honor.
EAST ISLIP
Semper Fidelis All-American
Students in Northport High School's Intro to Dance classes created inspirational signs to appear in a dance performance that was recorded and used to lift the spirits of patients at Cohen Children's Medical Center in New Hyde Park. Credit: Northport-East Northport School District
East Islip High School senior Olivia Zhang was recently named a 2020 Semper Fidelis All-American for her "determination to face life's battles and succeed," according to the U.S. Marine Corps. She was recognized during an award presentation held at the school in November.
The honor went to fewer than 100 student-athletes nationwide from a pool of about 5,600 applicants, East Islip officials said. Zhang was the only teen selected from Long Island.
Zhang's other achievements include serving as president of her school's Student Council and holding the rank of petty officer second class in the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps.
COUNTYWIDE
J.J. DiMarco, a Boy Scout and senior at Eastport-South Manor Junior-Senior High School, spearheaded the installation of two new picnic tables, seven box gardens and a $600 donation to his school as part of his Eagle Scout Service Project. Credit: Eastport-South Manor Central School District
Hour of Code
Many students learned the fundamentals of computer programming last month as part of the nonprofit Code.org's "Hour of Code," a worldwide effort held in conjunction with Computer Science Education Week.
In Amityville, Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School students used Chromebooks to engage in coding challenges through the computer science platform KidOYO. Fifth-graders also programmed an image of the Earth to revolve around the sun and selected constellations to include in their virtual universes.
In West Babylon, Forest Avenue Elementary School pupils participated in "plugged and unplugged" lessons that introduced coding vocabulary as well as the importance of persistence and problem-solving during their library classes, school officials said.
In Mastic Beach, William Floyd High School students participated virtually by playing interactive video games — such as Dance Party and Minecraft — that taught the basics of coding.
Alexis Phillips of Hampton Bays High School is one of five Long Island teens to have been nominated for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program by the New York State Education Department. Credit: Hampton Bays School District
ISLANDWIDE
Coca-Cola Scholars
Thirty-four Long Island students are among 1,609 semifinalists nationwide in the 2021 Coca-Cola Scholars Program, which will name 150 scholars this spring to receive $20,000 scholarships. Students are evaluated on such factors as leadership skills, academic achievements and community service.
Semifinalists and their school districts are: Semaya Robinson, Amityville; Skyler Basco and Jordan Novak, Bellmore-Merrick; Viraj Jayam, East Williston; Christopher Alexander, Elmont; Shyanne Gardner, Freeport; Ryan Padala, Garden City; Julisa Vargas, Half Hollow Hills; David Zhang, Herricks; Matthew Langdon and Isabella Santos, Hewlett-Woodmere; Richard Ren, Tyler Siegmann and Davesh Valagolam, Jericho; Emma Gallo, Locust Valley; Yaelle Pierre, Malverne; Aryan Sharma, Middle Country; Rodina Sabeha and Wenny Cheng, Mineola; James Connor, Northport-East Northport; Peggy Yin, Port Jefferson; Kristen Longworth, Rockville Centre; Justin Weisser, Roslyn; Jada Seto, Sewanhaka; Brianna Donnelly, Shoreham-Wading River; Shannon Alptekin and Madison Friscia, Smithtown; Danielle Henry, Southold; and Maiya Raghu, Syosset.
Other semifinalists are Shannuel Lamptey of The Stony Brook School, Victoria Levy of St. Anthony's High School, Harrison Peluso of Chaminade High School, Semaya Robinson of Sacred Heart Academy, and Jacob Serfaty of Schechter School of Long Island.
— MICHAEL R. EBERT
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.
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