Suffolk School Notebook: Stony Brook School ties Queens school in Ethics Bowl
A team from The Stony Brook School tied for first place at this year's New York-New Jersey Regional High School Ethics Bowl. Credit: Sean Riley
A team from The Stony Brook School tied for first place at this year's New York-New Jersey Regional High School Ethics Bowl, making it the fourth straight year the school has won the regional level.
This year's regional bowl, which included 38 teams from 24 schools, was the largest in the event's history and was held virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual competition challenged students to analyze real-life ethical issues and judged them on the quality of their contributions to a civil discussion.
The Stony Brook School tied for the top spot with a team from Townsend Harris High School in Queens. Teams from Plainedge and Syosset high schools place second and third, respectively, while teams from Bethpage and Locust Valley high schools were among the bowl's four semifinalists.
Stony Brook's team members are Chimelu Ani, Jackson Petroske, Bobby Reuter, David Song, Andrew Tinaz and David Zhang.
"Their depth of thought, clear communication, intellectual humility and commitment to truth, even when it is hard to discern, impressed the judges and helped them prevail over very tough competition," said Stony Brook's academic dean Sean Riley, the team's coach.
The teams from Stony Brook and Townsend Harris will now advance to the national level on April 10-11.
In East Patchogue, teacher Jennifer Petti reads the classic fairy tale "Rapunzel" to students as part of the virtual "Snuggle Up and Read" event via Google Meet at Verne W. Critz Elementary School in the South Country Central School District. Credit: South Country Central School District
The regional bowl was sponsored by the Squire Family Foundation in East Northport.
JERICHO AND STONY BROOK
THINK Scholars Program
Jericho High School senior Evelyn Zhu and The Stony Brook School junior Anne-Sarah Nichitiu were among 15 semifinalists nationwide in MIT's THINK Scholars Program, which encouraged students to submit project proposals that seek to make the world a better place through science, research and innovation. The concepts must also fit within a $1,000 budget.
In Amityville, pre-kindergartners at Northeast Elementary School recently mixed colored dye as part of a simple experiment to introduce them to different scientific tools such as beakers, eye droppers and measuring cups. Credit: Amityville School District
Zhu's project consisted of a "chess engine" that analyzed games through a remote device to help prevent laptops from overheating, while Nichitiu's project centered around a glove prosthesis and power oar handle for aquatic sports.
This year's contest received more than 400 applications nationwide.
WEST ISLIP
SJB Inspires
St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School raised more than $500,000 through a virtual fundraising campaign, titled "SJB Inspires," to assist students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign itself raised $186,244, which was matched by a $180,000 from Rob LoCascio, an alum from the school's class of 1986, and another anonymous match of $150,000.
In Greenlawn, students in Harborfields High School's Musicians Helping Musicians program met virtually with band students at Thomas J. Lahey Elementary School to discuss their love of music and inspire them to remain involved in the arts. Credit: Harborfields School District
The funds will be used to provide financial assistance to more than 170 students because traditional fundraising events were canceled because of the virus, the school said.
"In these most challenging times, our donors are the true inspiration in answering the call to give back," Principal Biagio M. Arpino said. "Their contribution will assist St. John's in providing scholarships to those students facing hardship, as well as acknowledging those achieving academic success."
ISLANDWIDE
Regional delegates
Five students have been named regional delegates at this year's Long Island Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, which invited high schoolers to report on the results of their original research in science, technology, engineering and math — also known as STEM. To participate, students submitted research papers for evaluation by a panel of judges with the best selected for presentation at the symposium.
In Holtsville, third-graders in Kathleen Devine's class at Tamarac Elementary School combined kindness and technology last month in celebration of P.S. I Love You Day. The project involved students joining photographs of their own hands making the peace sign around a large heart to create a path to travel for Ozobots, a type of coding robot. Credit: Sachem Central School District
Regional delegates and their school districts are: Chapin Zerner, Commack; Rithika Narayan, Elwood; Brian Lee and Ronald Cheng, Plainview-Old Bethpage; and Kevin Li, Syosset. They will compete virtually this spring at the national symposium.
Long Island's regional finalists and their school districts were: Michelle Serban, Bellmore-Merrick; Zimi Zhang, Great Neck; Kevin Hoxha, Half Hollow Hills; Arushi Bhatia, Plainview-Old Bethpage; and Noah Loewy, Port Washington.
— 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.
