LI Regional Science Olympiads name winners
A team from Ward Melville High School in East Setauket won first place in the Eastern Long Island Regional Science Olympiad, which was held last month at Hauppauge High School. Credit: Three Village Central School District/Bin Zhang
Teams from Syosset, Kellenberg and Ward Melville high schools have taken the top spots in this year's Long Island Regional Science Olympiads.
A total of 127 high school teams participated in one of three local competitions: the Nassau East, Nassau West and Eastern Long Island regionals. The three first-place teams, along with 16 other top-performing teams, have qualified for the state tournament in Syracuse on March 13-14.
Thirteen high school regionals were held statewide with teams competing in 23 events, including "Disease Detectives," "Geologic Mapping" and "Ping-Pong Parachute." One event, titled "Sounds of Music," challenged students to take a test on the physics of sound and build an instrument.
"I'm extremely proud of my team; this particular group is very self-motivated and ambitious," said Jenny Serigano, who coaches the Ward Melville squad with Mark Suesser. On the importance of Science Olympiad, she said: "It opens the door to students seeing what they want to specialize in when they get older."
In addition to Syosset, Kellenberg and Ward Melville, other teams qualifying for the state tournament come from Bayport-Blue Point, Chaminade, Commack, Division Avenue, Great Neck South, Half Hollow Hills, Hauppauge, Hicksville, Islip, Jericho, John F. Kennedy, Manhasset, Roslyn, Earl L. Vandermeulen, Wantagh and West Babylon high schools.
The top two teams at the state level will advance to the national tournament in North Carolina on May 15-16.
RIVERHEAD
In Riverhead, Riley Avenue Elementary School students recently made more than 700 origami "Kindness Koala" bookmarks to raise funds for animals injured in Australia's wildfires as part of Kindness Week. The effort raised more than $800. Credit: Riverhead Central School District
Auto contest runners-up
Teams from Eastern Suffolk BOCES' Harry B. Ward Technical Education Center placed second and third last month in the New York Automotive Technology Competition, which consisted of 12 teams at the Center for Automotive Education & Training in Queens.
Second place went to Nick Camarata and Adam McAlister, who received a $1,000 scholarship from the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association and scholarships from technical schools ranging from $5,000 to $7,500. Third place went to Harvey Edwards and Shane Hampson, who received a $500 scholarship from the association and $2,500 to $5,000 from technical schools.
Participating teams demonstrated their skills as auto technicians by racing against the clock to fix vehicular issues at 15 different workstations.
In Islip, fourth-graders at Commack Road Elementary School recently transformed their classroom into a cafe complete with menus and name tags after completing Native American-themed research reports using Microsoft's Sway digital storytelling app. Credit: Islip School District
COUNTYWIDE
"Souper Bowls"
Many local schools put a charitable twist on Super Bowl LIV by helping to feed the needy through "Souper Bowl" food collections.
In Cutchogue, East Elementary School collected more than 690 canned soups and other nonperishable items to benefit the Mattituck-Cutchogue Food Pantry. The school's sixth-graders were awarded an extra recess for donating the most food.
In East Northport, Fifth Avenue Elementary School collected about 300 food items to help replenish the pantry at nearby St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church.
In Sag Harbor, Pierson High School's gymnasium was alive with pride during the school's ninth annual Spirit Night in January. The event included basketball scrimmages and home games, performances by the middle and high school's chorus groups, and halftime shows featuring the school's Whalers mascot. Credit: Sag Harbor School District
In St. James, Mills Pond Elementary School's Cares Club collected more than 1,400 food items for Long Island Cares.
ISLANDWIDE
Virtual enterprise finalists
Ten local virtual enterprise teams were named finalists at the 2020 Long Island Regional Conference and Exhibition, which attracted more than 100 teams to LIU Post in January. They now advance to the Long Island Business Plan Competition held at American Portfolio Financial Services in Holbrook on March 10.
Finalist teams and their high schools are: SuppLI, Baldwin; EcoVibe, H. Frank Carey; HEMPIRE, East Islip; ReStyle, George W. Hewlett; BioSol, Huntington; VenueFox, Wellington C. Mepham; Apex Auto and Air, Miller Place; MentorMeeter, Syosset; Kyoto, Walt Whitman; and Monenti, Westhampton Beach.
To become finalists, the teams submitted written business plans and delivered oral presentations on their simulated business. Five winners will advance to the national competition held this spring during Virtual Enterprise International's Youth Business Summit in Manhattan.
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.
