Westhampton Beach wins National Business Plan Competition

A Westhampton Beach High School team has been named national champion for the third time in a decade in a competition that challenged participants to create business plans for virtual companies.

Team members Aden Ali, Sydney Beardslee, Sophia Biondi, Willow DuBrovin and Maggie Gilbride won first place in Virtual Enterprises’ national Business Plan Competition. Their virtual brand PuraVie is a sustainable cleaning supply company that offers dissolvable cleaning tablets paired with reusable bottles to create “an innovative solution to reduce single-use plastics,” school officials said.

This year’s competition included more than 1,500 virtual companies from 550 schools, with the top eight competing last month at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan.

“I am incredibly proud of our talented and dedicated PuraVie team,” Westhampton Beach business teacher Amy Demchak said in a statement. “This national win is a testament to their hard work, perseverance and countless hours of preparation.”

The next best-performing Long Island team was from Comsewogue High School in Port Jefferson Station. That team of Joy Chen, Hermione Granger, Mueez Kamran, Brady Pesce and Nicholas Mattheus Villamil presented a business plan for their virtual company, PickleTek, which focuses on “innovative artificial intelligence court development and pickleball-related products,” school officials said.

Westhampton Beach’s other first-place wins came in 2016 and 2022, according to school officials.

BAY SHORE/GREAT NECK
Maglev winners

The Bay Shore and Great Neck school districts each won three categories at Brookhaven National Laboratory’s 2025 Maglev Competition, which challenged participants to design vehicles that float over a fixed track using magnetic levitation.

First-place winners, their schools and categories: Cole Vitolano, Bay Shore Middle School, self-propelled (balloon); Sophia Gaudioso, Bay Shore Middle School, self-propelled (other); Natalie Fox, Bay Shore Middle School, electrified track; Stanly Chan, Great Neck South Middle School, wind power; Quentin Lennox, Great Neck South Middle School, futuristic; Casie Li, Great Neck South Middle School, scale model; Lang Zan, Lawrence Woodmere Academy, gravity; and Lexi Callen and Nyla Waite, Lawrence Woodmere Academy, 3D printed.

This year’s competition included more than 100 students from eight local schools, according to the lab.

BOHEMIA

New 'Serenity Space'

Edward J. Bosti Elementary School recently unveiled Serenity Space, designed to help students “manage stress, practice mindfulness and support emotional wellness,” according to the Connetquot school district.

The room features comfort items including bean bag chairs, weighted blankets and oversize plush toys, as well as sensory items including a galaxy light projector, sound machine and LED bubble tube, district officials said. It was spearheaded by the school’s Shared Decision-Making Committee.

“Over the years, I’ve noticed that not only students, but even staff, have been experiencing a lot of anxiety and stress,” Principal Laura Kimball said in a statement. “So, I felt like there was a need to create a space where students could come and feel safe, relax and decompress.”

MASTIC BEACH

Youth & Government Conference Officers

William Floyd High School students were elected to six officer positions — the most of any school statewide — at this year’s New York State YMCA Youth & Government Conference, which consisted of more than 750 students in Albany in March. Participants tackled tasks ranging from presenting bills to arguing appellate cases in the state’s legislative chambers, according to the school.

Selectees and their positions: Jibran Akaloo, Deputy pro tempore, Senate Liberty; Erin Chen, Deputy pro tempore, Assembly Liberty; Joyce Chen, Senate pro tempore, Senate Freedom; Lily Quinn, Speaker of Assembly Freedom; Muhammad Saad, Comptroller; and Violet Yau, Attorney General.

Due to the volume of students, each legislative branch of government had two versions: Assembly Liberty and Assembly Freedom, and Senate Liberty and Senate Freedom, according to the YMCA.

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.