Three Village teams advance to Science Olympiad National Tournament
A Ward Melville High School team is advancing to the national Science Olympiad competition after taking second place in the New York State Science Olympiad Tournament. Credit: Three Village Central School District
Teams from Ward Melville High School in East Setauket and Paul J. Gelinas Junior High School in Setauket qualified for the Science Olympiad National Tournament — the only groups on Long Island to advance to the competition's top level.
The team from Ward Melville placed second among 56 high school teams at the state tournament in Syracuse, while the Gelinas Junior High group won first-place honors among 39 middle school teams at that state tournament in East Syracuse. Both schools are in the Three Village school district.
Now, they are among 120 teams advancing to the national tournament in Ithaca on May 31-June 1. Only New York's first- and second-place teams are eligible for the national level.
"Qualifying for the Science Olympiad National Tournament is always Ward Melville’s primary objective and driving motivation," coach Jenny Serigano said. "In the past several years, our team has experienced a tumultuous mix of stunning victories and heart-wrenching defeats."
The competition challenges teams of as many as 15 students to vie in written and hands-on events on topics that range from fossils to herpetology to thermodynamics.
To reach their respective state-level contest, the teams had competed in the 2019 Eastern Long Island Regional Science Olympiads, where Ward Melville placed first among 52 Suffolk County high school teams and Gelinas placed first among 34 Suffolk County middle school teams.
SEAFORD/GARDEN CITY
In a lesson on the importance of safe exposure to the sun, kindergartners at Charles Campagne Elementary School in Bethpage recently experimented with bracelets with beads that change color in sunlight. After watching the beads' color quickly change in the sun, the children then observed how the colors stayed the same after sunblock had been applied to the bracelets. Credit: Bethpage School District
LEGO League
The Sea Lions (Team #92) of Seaford and Taco Brothers (Team #33410) of Garden City won the first-place and second-place Champion's Award, respectively, during the FIRST LEGO League Long Island Regional Championship held at Longwood High School in Middle Island.
The Sea Lions were the only local team to advance last month to the FIRST World Festival in Detroit.
The competition challenged students, ages 9 to14, to design, build and program LEGO robots. This year's theme "Into Orbit" asked teams to solve a real-world problem faced by humans during long-duration space exploration within our solar system.
Lee Avenue Elementary School in Hicksville recently hosted a character education assembly titled the NED Show, which stands for "Never give up, Encourage others and Do your best." During the event, a NED program educator uses a yo-yo to show students that persistence pays off. Credit: Hicksville School District
The event was presented by the School-Business Partnerships of Long Island. FIRST stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.
COUNTYWIDE
Entrepreneurial Challenge
East Meadow High School's CollegePro team and New Hyde Park Memorial High School's Nubis team placed first in the Office of the Nassau County Comptroller's 7th Annual High School Entrepreneurial Challenge, which attracted 18 teams from 12 schools.
The competition asked students to create a fictional organization's comprehensive business plan and elevator pitch with a theme of civic innovation in two categories: technology and social entrepreneurship. East Meadow won the social entrepreneurship category, while New Hyde Park won the technology category.
"Any young person can make a difference in their community and be a citizen superhero through civic innovation or social entrepreneurship," Comptroller Jack Schnirman said. "The challenge is a great platform to showcase the next generation of leaders in Nassau County."
ISLANDWIDE
Distinguished Teachers
Twelve Long Island educators have been named 2019 Distinguished Teachers by the Harvard Club of Long Island for their positive impact on students' lives. They were nominated by Harvard University undergraduates who went to local schools and were honored during an award ceremony at the Heritage Club at Bethpage.
Winners and their schools are: Megan Ferguson-Koci and Leonardo Rivera, Baldwin High School; Christine Bellino, Brentwood High School; Derek Pope, Commack High School; Devon Parkes, East Hampton High School; Kathryn Lindholm, Garden City High School; Joshua Smith, Jericho High School; Robert Klang, Manhasset High School; David O’Connor, Paul D. Schreiber High School, Port Washington; Kathy Bland, Syosset High School; Thea Catalano, Walt Whitman High School, Huntington Station; and Stacey Susinno, Carrie Palmer Weber Middle School, Port Washington.
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.
Firefighter charged with arson ... Detective facing hate crime charges ... New dog patrolling MacArthur ... Statewide toy drive
Firefighter charged with arson ... Detective facing hate crime charges ... New dog patrolling MacArthur ... Statewide toy drive
