Baldwin PTA wins state award

The Lenox Elementary School PTA in Baldwin looked to the stars to win the state's top award for efforts to make reading fun for children.

The local group — with the theme "Discover a New Universe with Books" — took the top spot in this year's Pick a Reading Partner program, the literacy initiative sponsored by the New York State PTA that asks adults to read with children for at least 15 minutes daily. The school's PTA earlier earned the Nassau County regional award.

Lenox Elementary's program was inspired by Jasmin Moghbeli, a NASA astronaut candidate who attended the school and graduated from Baldwin Senior High School. Activities included a Dress Like an Astronaut Day, an assembly with a StarLab portable planetarium, and a chart that used rockets to track each grade's volume of reading.

The theme was so popular that almost all of Lenox's approximately 300 students participated last school year, according to Camaker Heyward, the school's PARP chair. By comparison, only 15 students took part the previous year, she said.

"We are so proud of the example Lenox has set, and that their hard work and dedication to our students is being recognized across New York State," district Superintendent Shari Camhi said.

In Suffolk County, the PTA at Bayview Elementary School in West Islip won that regional award.

Bayview's program, which had the theme of "Cruising Through a Good Book," included boating-themed activities, such as ships that advanced on a world map based on the amount of minutes read by students. The grade that read the most won a pizza party.

FARMINGDALE

Sustainable schoolyard

Weldon E. Howitt Middle School has broken ground on a specially designed creative learning space in its schoolyard that can serve up to 30 students. 

The courtyard garden includes an area with seating for lessons and mindfulness practices. It also will provide a habitat for native insects, birds and butterflies. Horticulture students from Farmingdale State University pitched in by designing an interior garden for the space, and Howitt's Gardening Committee chose what to put in it.

"This time next year we hope to have a thriving habitat and teaching garden for all to enjoy," principal Luis Pena said.                 

COUNTYWIDE

Solve for Tomorrow

Advanced science research students from Sanford H. Calhoun High School in Merrick and John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore are among five state finalists and 250 finalists nationwide in Samsung's Solve for Tomorrow Contest.

Participants were asked to find creative solutions to real-world issues affecting their communities by using their skills in science, technology, engineering and math, known collectively as STEM. State finalists received a Samsung tablet and were invited to submit activity plans describing how they will improve their community using STEM.

Fifty state winners of $20,000 prize packages will be announced later this month, and 10 national finalist winners of $50,000 prize packages will be announced in March. Three national winners of $100,000 prize packages will be announced in April.

ISLANDWIDE

Schools of Excellence

Six Long Island schools have been named 2018-2020 National PTA Schools of Excellence in recognition of their "commitment to building an inclusive and welcoming school community," National PTA officials said. They are among 279 schools nationwide to receive the honor.

The schools recognized are Albany Avenue Elementary School in North Massapequa, Dutch Broadway Elementary School in Elmont, George H. McVey Elementary School in East Meadow, Lenox Elementary School and Plaza Elementary School, both in Baldwin, and Ogden Elementary School in Valley Stream.

"Research shows that when families and schools work together, students do better in school and schools improve," National PTA president Jim Accomando said.

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.