Congratulations to Syosset High School senior Nicholas Montoro for being awarded the Florence Cohen Memorial Youth Award by the Red Cross of Greater New York. The award is presented to one Long Island Red Cross youth member who exemplifies the true nature of volunteerism.
Nicholas credits his father, Salvatore, for inspiring him to volunteer for the Red Cross, for which he has served since the eighth grade. Together, Nicholas and his father – a past recipient of the Red Cross Leadership Award – have helped numerous families in need, particularly following Superstorm Sandy. Nicholas recalled helping to organize shelters for those who lost their homes, including many who flocked to the Nassau Coliseum just to have a roof over their heads and a warm place to stay.“That experience really put things into perspective,” said Nicholas, who will be honored at a Red Cross volunteer recognition event in early March. “With the Red Cross, we try to help others in different ways. It’s nice to have the ability to help someone else.”
According to the American Jewish Chronicle, Florence Cohen was an active member of the Red Cross who often assembled care packages to send to troops serving overseas during WWI.
Pictured, Nicholas is congratulated by his guidance counselor, Jill Goldberg, and Syosset High School Principal Dr. Giovanni Durante.
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Senior Honored by the Red Cross
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Robbins Lane Hosts Rock of Pages
“Rock of Pages” was the theme for this year’s Parents as Reading Partners (PARP) program at Robbins Lane Elementary School. Brent Daniels, a singer, songwriter and composer, introduced the theme of rock-n-roll on opening day. The children learned that they too could compose their own music through the power of reading and technology.
During the two weeks of PARP, students read on a daily basis and those classes and individuals who read the most minutes were honored at every grade level. Individual winners received iTunes gift cards and musical note pencils. “Rock of Pages” culminated with a nighttime pajama party held in the Robbins Lane gym, featuring a DJ, rock-n-roll novelty items, a selfie booth with a rock-n-roll backdrop and a traditional snack of cookies and milk. Every child was left feeling like a ‘reading rock-n-roll superstar!’
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Determination
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South Woods Takes 2nd in Trivia Challenge
South Woods Middle School sent the winners of their annual sixth-grade school Trivia Challenge to the Nassau County Trivia championships, where they finished as runner-up. Although they fell just short of wining the title, students walked away with their heads held high, knowing that the event benefited Cerebral Palsy of Nassau County.
Sponsored by the Chess and Strategy Club, the CPN competition pitted South Woods students against teams from nine other schools at the CPN Center in Roosevelt. The South Woods team of Alex Larson, Matt Shafritz and Gianna Vecchio led for the entire competition until the very last question, when they fell in the tiebreaker round. Team member Zachary Goldstein was also a contributor to the team, but was unable to attend the event. Greg Ryan is the Project Beyond/enrichment teacher who advises the team. Great job by everyone!
Schools from all over Nassau County participated in the CPN Trivia Challenge event and raised significant funds for the organization. Now in its 30th year, the Trivia Challenge event brings students with great minds and good hearts together to help raise funds to benefit the programs and services CPN provides for over 1,800 children and adults with cerebral palsy and other developmental disabilities.
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Students Advance in L.I. Math Fair Competition
Seven H.B. Thompson Middle School students recently presented, explained and defended their research math papers at the Al Kalfus Long Island Math Fair Nassau County preliminary round held at Hofstra University, with three advancing to the finals on April 15, also at Hofstra.
Students advancing to the finals are seventh-grader Jason Langman, who gave a presentation on Magic Squares, and eighth-graders Ronit Dhulia (Exploring the Patterns within Pascal’s Triangle and Their Uses in Mathematics) and Sophia Jang (Mathematics of Networks).
Also presenting from H.B. Thompson were seventh-graders Anouska Dalvi (the Fourth Dimension), Jeff Min (the Pythagorean Theorem) and Nicholas Vetrano (Fibonacci) and eighth-grade student Kai Wang (Mental Math).
HBT math teacher Paul McNamara congratulates the HBT participants here. Good luck to Jason, Ronit and Sophia, who will now compete against the best in Nassau and Suffolk counties.
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Students Learn About Pedestrian and Traffic Safety
Karen Blackburn, her funny puppet Bob, and Otto "the talking auto" from the Automobile Club of America (AAA), came to visit the kindergarten students at Baylis Elementary School. The goal of this program was to teach the children about pedestrian and traffic safety, as well as passenger safety while riding in a vehicle. Ms. Blackburn taught the students a song about passenger safety to help them to remember to always wear their seat belts and how to be courteous passengers. The children were excited to meet Otto, a talking car who showed them his front and rear lights and discussed how to be safe when walking outside or in a parking lot. Our kindergarten pedestrians are really “street smart!"
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Students Compete to Eat
Syosset High School students with an interest in the culinary arts had the chance to show their skills during the school’s Compete to Eat competition, where four student-led “restaurants” each served a small appetizer and entrée to community members to see who could form the best eatery. A panel of celebrity chefs adjudicated the event.
The four restaurants were critiqued based on décor, service, taste, presentation and efficiency, with “Molto Buono” ultimately taking the top honors. Each patron diner donated $10, with all of the proceeds going to the Mary Brennan INN. Special thanks to the celebrity judges who lent their expertise to making Compete to Eat a fun and informative evening for the young Syosset restaurateurs. They are Barret Beyer (“Hell’s Kitchen,” Season XI), Floyd Cardoz (“Top Chef Master,” Season III), Christopher Lee (James Beard Award, “Top Chef”), Leonard Messina (Culinary Academy of Long Island) and Mick Gehnric (Culinary Academy of Long Island). Dave Anderson coordinated the event through the Peers Reaching Out program, with several teachers volunteering their time to the event. More than $1,000 was raised.
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Syosset HS ACT Presents “Les Misérables”
The Syosset High School Association for Creative Thespians (ACT) proudly presents “Les Misérables” to the community for four performances this week, running March 10-13 in the Harvey P. Karp auditorium at Syosset High School.
Gene Connor and Kristin Howell direct these talented and dedicated young thespians, which have been rehearsing diligently the last several weeks. The ACT rendition promises to be a surefire success; cast members were recently treated to a visit from Syosset High School alumna, actress and singer Marissa McGowan who starred in “Les Misérables,” on Broadway, playing the roles of both Eponine Thenardier and Cosette. Laurence Ballereau conducts the orchestra. Peter Haughwout and Craig Mooers oversaw the students’ construction of stage sets.
Show dates and times are: Thursday, March 10, beginning at 7:00 p.m.; Friday March 11 and Saturday, March 12 beginning at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, March 13, beginning at 2:00 p.m. General admission is $15.
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H.B. Thompson Speller a Regional Champ!
H.B. Thompson Middle School eighth-grader Rika Mizoguchi is heading to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., this May. Rika outlasted 125 contestants representing schools from Nassau and Suffolk counties, including 35 finalists, to win the Long Island Regional Spelling Bee at Hofstra University on March 13.“The H.B. Thompson Middle School family congratulates Rika on this very impressive accomplishment,” said H.B. Thompson Principal James Kassebaum. “Rika emerged as our school champion to qualify for the regionals, and we are proud to have her represent Syosset and serve as an ambassador for Long Island on the national stage in Washington. She is a hardworking and humble student, and we wish her well in her quest to become a national champion speller.”
In the 17th round of the regional bee, Rika correctly spelled the word “adnate,” which Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines as “grown to a usually unlike part, especially along a margin.”
Rika is pictured displaying a Newsday article written about her victory while being congratulated by Kassebaum and her ELA teacher Anne O’Toole. She will represent Long Island at the Scripps National Spelling Bee on May 25-26. Congratulations and best of luck, Rika!
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Giving Back to the Troops
Students at Robbins Lane School were inspired to help the Town of Oyster Bay Soldier Collection Drive throughout the month of March. Several large boxes of toiletries, first aid products and snacks were donated, along with inspiring cards and letters for our men and women actively serving in the American Military. Thank you to Mrs. Kleinman and Student Council, and Dr. Catherine da Silva and Chorus Cares.
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Students Let Their Imaginations Fly
Robbins Lane School recently celebrated their 2015-2016 National PTA Reflections participants with an in-school ceremony. These students took the theme of “Let Your Imagination Fly” to new levels with their own individual artistic interpretation in the categories of visual arts, film production, dance, photography, music and literature. The artwork of eight Robbins Lane students was selected to represent the district, with two student works selected as Nassau Regional finalists in the Literature and Photography categories.
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Community Testing Meeting Letter
Dear Parents,
As we did last spring, the District will host an informational meeting
regarding the State Assessments in Grades 3-8 for English Language Arts
and Math on Tuesday, March 22, 2016. The meeting will take place in the
South Woods Auditorium at 7:00 p.m. Dr. Rogers and district
administration will be discussing the changes implemented by the New
York State Education Department and answering questions from the
community.
We hope you will be able to join us for this special meeting.
Thank you,
Ms. V. Dolly Kranz
Coordinator of Testing, Planning and Administration
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HBT Students Shine at Science Olympiad
Students from H.B. Thompson and South Woods middle schools competed in the Science Olympiad Regional Competition in Levittown earlier this March. Five teams representing the two schools earned more than 100 individual medals for their research. The two teams from HBT placed well, with Team 22 earning the 11th spot, just six points shy of the top 10.
Congratulations to the following HBT medal winners:
Anatomy: 2nd Place – Shreya Motaganahalli and Trisha Sinha (Team 23)
Bio Process Lab: 6th Place – A.J. LaBarca and Sahil Rustami (Team 23)
Crime Busters: 8th Place – Kyle Chan and Larry Lu (Team 22)
Invasives: 7th Place – Sophia Jang and Elizabeth Ruggiero (Team 22)
Meteorology: 2nd Place – Sophia Jang and Caroline Ruggiero (Team 22)
Microbe Mission: 3rd Place – Sophia Jang and Caroline Ruggiero (Team 22); 6th Place – A.J. LaBarca and Sahil Rustami (Team 23)
Mission Possible: 5th Place – Ronit Dhulia (Team 22)
Reach for the Stars: 1st Place – Ronit Dhulia and Elizabeth Ruggiero (Team 22)
Road Scholar: 6th Place – Sophie Breslow andTrisha Sinha (Team 23)
Pictured are students Ronit Dhulia and Elizabeth Ruggiero took first place in the Reach for the Stars category and students Shreya Motaganahalli and Trisha Sinha, who placed second in the Anatomy competition
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South Woods Students Shine at Science Olympiad
Students from South Woods and H.B. Thompson and middle schools competed in the Science Olympiad Regional Competition in Levittown earlier this March. Five teams representing the two schools earned more than 100 individual medals for their research, with a team from South Woods advancing to the state competition.
All three teams from South Woods placed within the top 10. Congratulations to Team 40, which claimed second-place honors and will advance to the state competition at Minoa High School in East Syracuse on April 8. Team 40 is comprised of Maanuv Allu, Eugene Aspiras, Evan Cheng, Erin Chon, Aren Cizmecioglu, Vivian Duan, Victoria Guo, Akitora Iyoda, Martha Kim, Jason Lan, Kevin Li, Cole Menchel, Nolan Smithwick, Merin Thomas and Alice Wang.
Congratulations to the following South Woods medal winners:
Air Trajectory: 2nd Place – Eugene Aspiras and Cole Menchel (Team 40); 3rd Place – Shan Lee and Parth Shah (Team 42); 4th Place – Christine Bocamazo and Nicole Fernandes (Team 41)
Anatomy: 6th Place – Angela Mao and Giselle Rasquinha (Team 42)
Bio Process: 3rd Place – Evan Cheng and Kevin Li (Team 40); 8th Place – Angela Mao and Giselle Rasquinha (Team 42)
Bottle Rocket: 4th Place – Harrison Feusi and Josh Yun (Team 41); 8th Place – Aren Cizmecioglu and Akitora Iyoda (Team 40)
Bridges: 8th Place – Martha Kim and Erin Chon (Team 40); 9th Place – Nicholas Affatato and Emily Wu (Team 42)
Crave the Wave: 7th Place – Angela Mao and Giselle Rasquinha (Team 42); 8th Place – Maanuv Allu and Merin Thomas (Team 40); 10th Place – Christine Bocamazo and Nicole Fernandes (Team 41)
Crime Busters: 3rd Place – Ashley Jung and Tanya Shah (Team 42); 4th Place – Stella Chen and Uma Kaushik (Team 41)
Disease Detective: 8th Place – Merin Thomas and Victoria Guo (Team 40)
Dynamic Planet: 4th Place – Evan Cheng and Kevin Li (Team 40); 7th Place – Harrison Feusi and Josh Yun (Team 41)
Elastic Gliders: 3rd Place – Eric Huang and Edward Duan (Team 42)
Experimental Design: 10th Place – Merin Thomas, Victoria Guo and Martha Kim (Team 40)
Food Science: 3rd Place – Vivian Duan and Alice Wang (Team 40); 4th Place – Ashley Jung and Tanya Shah (Team 42)
Fossils: 5th Place – Vivian Duan and Alice Wang (Team 40); 8th Place – Michelle Liu and Yan Luo (Team 42)
Green Generation: 6th Place – Maanuv Allu and Jason Lan (Team 40)
Invasives: 2nd Place – Nicholas Affatato and Tanya Shah (Team 42); 3rd Place – Cole Menchel and Eugene Aspiras (Team 40); 6th Place – Kenneth Lin and Andrew Zhang (Team 41)
Meteorology: 5th Place – Michelle Liu and Yan Luo (Team 42)
Microbe Mission: 7th Place – Kenneth Lin and Andrew Zhang (Team 41)
Mission Possible: 3rd Place – Edward Duan and Eric Huang (Team 42); 8th Place –Harrison Feusi and Josh Yun (Team 41)
Optics: 6th Place – Evan Cheng and Kevin Li (Team 40); 8th Place – Michelle Liu and Yan Luo (Team 42)
Reach for the Stars: 8th Place – Akitora Iyoda and Nolan Smithwick (Team 40)
Road Scholar: 10th Place – Maanuv Allu and Aren Cizmecioglu (Team 40)
Scrambler: 6th Place – Augustine Park and Eric Liang (Team 41); 9th Place – Andrew Zhou and Parth Shah (Team 42)
Wind Power: 1st Place – Cole Menchel and Eugene Aspiras (Team 40); 3rd Place – Emily Wu and Elena Hong (Team 42); 8th Place – Samantha Mecurio and Josh Yun (Team 41)
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St. Baldrick’s Challenge Cuts into Childhood Cancer
Students, staff and Syosset community members shed some hair and raised money for the St. Baldrick's Foundation in the fight against childhood cancer.
This year, more than 65 participants showed their support by shaving their heads and/or donating their hair to Pantene to make wigs during the annual St. Baldrick’s event at Syosset High School. This included 36 heads shaved and an additional 25 trimmed by eight inches or more. Participants secured donations for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation by agreeing to shed their hair. Since Syosset High School has participated, the event has raised more than $45,000. This year alone, the collective effort brought in close to $12,000.
In observance of college basketball’s March Madness, a St. Baldrick’s basketball tournament was held at Syosset High School to raise money for the cause. The winning team of Brian Kim, Jack Moore, Alex Schwartz and Jimmy Sheehy also agreed to shave their heads.
Special thanks to the hair stylists of Gold Coast Barbers and Salon O for volunteering their time to make these charitable cuts. Greg Cardona, Nicole Hansen and Dale Iovine organized the event.
The name St. Baldrick’s is a mashup of St. Patrick’s Day and the word “bald” — two things that sum up the humble beginnings of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, which co-sponsors head shaving, haircutting events and other fundraisers across the globe to raise money to provide research grants to treat childhood cancer. The movement started with three men who accepted a St. Patrick’s Day challenge to go bald to raise money for childhood cancer research. Their goal was $17,000. They ended up raising $104,000, and since then St. Baldrick’s has grown into a national phenomenon, with many of the events held in conjunction with St. Patrick’s Day.
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Top Website Captures Innovator’s Dream Turned Reality
Congratulations to Syosset High School sophomore Nicole Avidon, who won first place in the individual website development competition at the National History Day Long Island Regional held earlier this month at Hofstra University. Nicole won for her website, "Walt Disney Turning Dreams into Reality," which will be presented at the state competition in Cooperstown, New York, this spring.“I just love Disney and thought it would be very interesting to create my project based on this,” said Nicole, who is interested in computer science. Her website captured the essence of this year’s National History Day theme, “Exploration, Encounter and Exchange in History,” showing Walt Disney’s innovation in taking his concepts for entertainment and turning them into a worldwide enterprise.
Nicole designed a homepage and banner with subpages that address the three ‘E’s” of the theme. The exploration tab demonstrated Walt Disney’s innovation in animation and interest in the future, including space; the encounter tab covered the many hurdles and obstacles Disney faced – bankruptcy, the Great Depression, etc. – in making his vision become reality; and the exchange tab connected how Mickey Mouse, the theme parks, movies and the overall Disney brand have had a significant global impact. She interviewed four different Disney employees and incorporated animation, graphics and videos to her site to make it interesting, interactive and informative.
National History Day contests are held in all 50 states, the District of Columbia,
American Samoa, Guam, and at international schools in Central America, China, Korea and South Asia. Students create historical projects in one of five categories: documentary, exhibit, paper, performance or website. Using primary and secondary sources, participants focus their projects around the annual theme. The top two entries in each category from each affiliate are invited to the Kenneth E. Behring National History Day Contest in College Park, Maryland, held June 12-16.
“National History Day is more than just a day – it’s an experience,” said National History Day Executive Director Dr. Cathy Gorn. “Creating an entry for the contest helps students hone research and critical thinking skills that are hugely beneficial to college and career readiness. And the competitive aspect of the contest is often a nice motivator to nudge students to go above and beyond what they might otherwise have done.”
This is the third consecutive year Nicole has participated in the National History website contest, previously earning third place as an alternate at the state-level competition for her website on Title IX. The district wishes her well as she advances in the competition.
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National Honor Society Inducts 330
Syosset High School recently inducted 330 new members into the National Honor Society. Proud parents and faculty were on hand in the high school auditorium to salute the new members, each of whom have excelled in the areas of scholarship, service, leadership and character– the four pillars of NHS induction.
Principal Dr. Giovanni Durante welcomed the guests and spoke about this year's group of inductees and their collective efforts to make their mark, not only academically, but also as difference makers in their community.“As a school we spend four years teaching math, science, social studies and English, but perhaps the most important things we teach, are the lessons in PRIDE–patience, respect, integrity, dignity and empathy,” said Durante, alluding to the district's character education program and the many charitable events that students have spearheaded and participated in as a result of what they learn, such as food drives and walkathons.
Syosset NHS President Leslie Epps also reported on the chapter’s many activities over the last year. Other officers gave brief presentations on the four pillars of NHS before lighting ceremonial candles representing each. Inductees were then called to the stage, where Epps, Dr. Giovanni, NHS advisor Beth Waschitz, and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Thomas Rogers congratulated and welcomed them into the society.
The Syosset HS chamber orchestra, under the direction of Stephanie Merten, provided music for the processional and recessional. Congratulations to the new inductees and best of luck to this year’s graduating members.
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Syosset Named a Best Community for Music for the 15th time
Syosset Central School District has been honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from the NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education. Syosset CSD joins 476 districts across the country in receiving the prestigious award in 2016. This marks the 15th time the district has received this designation.
The Best Communities for Music Education designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students. Districts that have been recognized by the NAMM Foundation are often held up as models for other educators looking to boost their own music education programs.
To qualify for the Best Communities designation, district officials answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, support for the music program, and community music-making programs. Responses were verified with school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.
“This is a wonderful distinction for our program because it is an award that recognizes the Syosset community’s commitment to music education” said Syosset CSD Coordinator of Fine and Performing Arts, K-12 Michael Salzman. “Syosset has long recognized the importance of music education in the lives of its young people. We have great teachers and talented students, all of whom achieve excellence because of the level of community support for music education found in Syosset.”
The NAMM Foundation’s Best Communities for Music Education Award and the implementation of the federal ESSA law bring attention to the importance of keeping music education part of the school’s core education for all students. It also highlights music’s vital role in students’ overall success in school
Community music programs have been drawing increased attention because of a landmark study by Northwestern University brain scientists. These researchers found new links between students in community music programs and academic success in subjects such as reading.
The State Board of Regents recently adopted an Arts Pathway to graduation. This distinction underscores how well Syosset’s students are prepared should they choose this path.
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Valedictorian and Salutatorian Named at SHS
Syosset High School is proud to announce that Benjamin Senzer is the Class of 2016 Valedictorian and Michael Collet is the Salutatorian. “Benjamin Senzer and Michael Collet are two examples of students that inspire while immersing themselves in everything Syosset,” said Principal Dr. Giovanni Durante. “I am very proud of their accomplishments both inside and outside of the classroom and wish them continued success in their futures.”
Benjamin is a well-rounded student with a strong interest in science and math, having scored an 800 on both the chemistry and math SAT II. He is an AP Scholar of Distinction with A+ grades in 14 different AP courses covering math, science, social studies, English, French and music, as well as Advanced Research courses. A National Merit and Presidential Scholar finalist this year, Benjamin has been accepted to Princeton University and plans to study bioengineering, an area of study for which he completed a pre-college program through Brown University last year.
This year, Benjamin was a semifinalist in the Intel Science Talent Search for his research on the negative effects of pollutants on local beaches and was also a 2015 finalist in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. He has won numerous other honors for his research prowess, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Research Award and the Syosset HS Science Symposium Teacher’s Honor Award for two consecutive years.
Benjamin also has a love for music and is a heralded bassist with the orchestra, previously achieving All-State and All-County status and winning the Gold Medal of Distinction award at the New York State School Music Association Festival for three consecutive years and The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center competition last year. He also enjoys writing, and presently serves as Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper having placed in the top three in past Long Island school journalism competitions.
Other leadership positions Benjamin has assumed include serving as president, and previously vice president, of the Chamber Music Orchestra and Club (the latter of which he co-founded), as well as president of the French Honor Society. He has also coordinated fundraising efforts for Charity Music Inc. and volunteers his time as a pit bassist for theater productions as well as teaching Hebrew at the Woodbury Jewish Center.
Michael is an entrepreneurial-minded student who has excelled in several marketing and business related courses and competitions. This includes holding membership in the Business Honor Society to go along with National and National Spanish honor societies. A past AP Scholar of Distinction, Michael is a National Merit finalist this year and plans to study applied economics and management at Cornell University.
Currently serving as vice president of the Investment Club, Michael utilizes his spare time to educate his peers about finance and the economy. He is also a member of the school’s chapter of the Distributive Educational Clubs of America for which he has won numerous awards. This includes first place awards in the Sports and Marketing Entertainment category at the Nassau County DECA conference and fourth place at the statewide competition, as well as honors in the Hotel and Lodging Management categories.
Michael combines his knowledge of finance with an interest in government and legislative matters, having accepted leadership roles with the school’s Model Congress as vice president for fundraising the last two years and treasurer in his sophomore year. Through the years, Michael has also excelled in science, having won second place in Syosset HS Science Symposium’s science category and its Outstanding Science Literary Research Award in consecutive years. He also won the Long Island Science Congress Achievement Award in 2014 for his research on contaminated soil.
Parlaying his interest in business with community service, Michael has also served as the charitable events coordinator for DECA for the past two years. Additionally, he helps children develop social and language skills at the Variety Child Learning Center and volunteers at the Cold Spring Hills Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, providing companionship to residents.
The Syosset CSD congratulates Benjamin and Michael for the highest academic honors in the Syosset High School Class of 2016.
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Updates to NYS Testing
District administration recently held an informational meeting regarding NYS Testing for Gr. 3-8. To see the presentation, please click here.
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