Syosset HS Researchers Qualify for International Science and Engineering Fair; 21 Regional Honors at LISEF and NYSSEF
Following their respective first-place finishes at the recent Long Island Science and Engineering Fair and New York State Science and Engineering Fair, Syosset High School students Mohamed El-Abtah and Sarah Lee have qualified for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, to be held in Phoenix, Arizona, in May.
Mohamed won first place in Biomedical Health Sciences for his project that explored alternatives to chemotherapy when treating liver cancer and hepatitis. He conducted his research at Mount Sinai Hospital’s Bio Repository. Sarah won first place in Chemistry for her research on alternative ways to block pain receptors in the body absent of side effects and consequences associated with over-the-counter medications. She conducted her research at Stony Brook University.“Mohamed and Sarah are two of the most dedicated, caring and intense research students I have ever had the pleasure of working with,” said Syosset High School research facilitator Veronica Ade. “Their work toward treating illnesses and injury in a less intrusive, more compassionate manner is not only groundbreaking, but noble. On behalf of the entire science department, I wish them well at ISEF and congratulate all of our participants and honorees from LISEF and NYSSEF.”
According to its official website, Intel ISEF is the world’s largest international pre-college science competition. Approximately 1,700 high school students from more than 75 countries, regions and territories are awarded the opportunity to showcase their research and compete for approximately $4 million in prizes. Students have the opportunity to mingle with Nobel Laureates, meet the brightest student scientists from all over the world and present their work to more than 1,000 judges.
LISEF and NYSSEF serve as qualifying fairs for Intel ISEF. The following Syosset High School students received award for their projects:
LISEF Grand Awards
1st Place, Biomedical Health Sciences – Mohamed El-Abtah
2nd Place, Cellular and Molecular Biology – Joshua Katz
2nd Place, Chemistry – Sarah Lee
2nd Place, Energy – Kunal Shah (with Brian Rhee of Half Hollow Hills HS East and Roshan Patel of Ward Melville HS)
3rd Place, Environmental and Earth Sciences – Benjamin Senzer
3rd Place, Transnational Medicine –Rahul Chaudhry and Sahil Chaudhry
3rd Place, Behavioral and Social Sciences – Daniel Hirsch
4th Place, Biochemistry – Philip Jang
LISEF JV Awards
1st Place, Physics – Andrew Ardizzone, Hamza Khilji and Kavan Wadhwa
1st Place, Biology – Allison Hung
2nd Place, Biology – Robert Kleyner
3rd Place, Biology – Niv Skidan and Faisal Younus
3rd Place, Behavioral and Social Sciences – Marshall Feingold
3rd Place, Physics – Daniel Foreman
NYSSEF Awards
1st Place, Computational Biology – Arjun Mehrotra*
1st Place, Energy – Kunal Shah*
2nd Place, Chemistry – Sarah Lee*
2nd place, Behavioral and Social Sciences – Daniel Hirsch*
3rd Place, Earth and Environmental Sciences – Benjamin Senzer
3rd Place, Translational Medicine – Rahul Chaudhry and Sahil Chaudhry
Honorable Mention, Animal Sciences – Alexandra Chan
*Arjun, Kunal, Daniel and Sarah all finished in the top 24 at NYSSEF, advancing to the Lightning Round. Sarah finished in the top 13 in the round, qualifying for ISEF.
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Two Headed to Intel ISEF, 21 Honored
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BOE Letter re:Testing
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Honored for Spirit in Sport
Congratulations to South Woods Middle School Earth Science teacher and Syosset High School Winter Track and Field coach Chris Meyers, who was recently awarded the Colbert Britt "Spirit of the Sport" award, given to a coach for their dedication in track and field. Meyers was given the award for his work specifically focused on the development and implementation of the weight throw, which is a new event, introduced last year. He has provided clinics for athletes and coaches and has advised Nassau County Section VIII on the proper practicing methods for this event. Meyers accepted the award at the Section VIII annual award dinner for athletes, parents and coaches.
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Important Message Regarding Emergency School Closings
In the event that we do not have any further emergency school closings, the District will be closed Thursday, May 26 and Friday, May 27. We will reopen on Tuesday, May 31. We hope you and your families enjoy the extended holiday weekend.
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Showing Support for Autism Awareness
The hallways of Syosset High School were a sea of blue in recognition of Autism Awareness Day on Apr. 1. Students, staff and administration dressed in light blue and signed their names on blue “we care” puzzle pieces showing their support for Autism. Light blue is one of the primary colors in the spectrum of colors featured on the autism awareness ribbon, which displays multiple colors in a puzzle pattern.
Additionally, high school faculty gave autism pins to students to wear throughout April. Administrators, faculty members and students are seen here donning light blue to show their support for autism awareness.
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Holocaust Remembrance Day
Syosset High School welcomed seven survivors of the Holocaust for a day of reflection, remembrance and respect for one another.
Coordinated by Social Studies Administrative Assistant Thomas Fusco, Library Media Specialist Lynn Ortlieb and teacher Richard Cafiero, Holocaust Remembrance Day brought tenth-graders together at different times of the day to listen to compelling presentations and testimony from speakers/survivors Annie Bleiberg, Gloria Gantz, Alex Konstantyn, Mordechai Miller, Werner Reich, Irving Roth and Mireille Taub. Some of the speakers brought images of the Holocaust to help illustrate this tragic time in world history. They all emphasized the importance of respecting others, including those of different ethnic and religious backgrounds.
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Students to Play Lincoln Center
Once again, district chamber music ensembles have been selected for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Young Musicians Concert, one from Syosset High School and two from Harry B. Thompson Middle School.
Syosset High School’s winning ensemble is one of just 11 group selected to perform on April 14 at the prestigious Alice Tully Hall. Students representing the high school are: Elle Park and Cameron Zandieh (violin), Jeremy Wang (piano) and Charlie Zandieh (cello). They play under the direction of Syosset High School orchestra director Stephanie Merten.
Two quintets from HBT Middle School will also take the stage at Alice Tully Hall for the middle school showcase on May 26. Working under the direction of HBT Middle School orchestra director Cindy Hom, they are two of just eight selected to perform in the middle school concert. One group is comprised of Siyu Yang (piano), Caroline Ruggiero Elizabeth Ruggiero (violins), Caroline Lee, (viola) and Kevin Xu (cello); the second group consisting of Spencer Rubin (oboe), Jimin Jun and Alexander Hom (violin), Christopher Oh (viola) and Michael Chu (cello).
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Getting Cozy to Make a Difference
Students at A.P. Willits Elementary School have been collecting new and unused pajamas for a good cause. Under the leadership of the school’s student council, a pajama drive was held to benefit Jake’s Jammies, an organization dedicated to providing pajamas to children in hospitals.
According to Jake’s Jammies’ website “Something as simple as replacing a hospital gown with a cozy pair of pajamas can make all the difference for a sick child.”
As a reward, each student who brought in pajamas received a special certificate that was displayed in the school lobby. To further celebrate the effort, Principal James Connolly declared April 8 Pajama Day at the school, as students were encouraged to wear comfy jammies to class.
Pictured are A.P. Willits student council representatives from grades 1-5 with advisers Lorraine Avazis and Elissa Wagner on Pajama Day, alongside their collection of pajamas for Jake’s Jammies.
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Ten Medals at NYS Science Olympiad
After winning 83 medals at the Science Olympiad Regional Competition in Levittown in March, a team from South Woods Middle School took home an additional 10 medals at the New York State Science Olympiad in East Syracuse earlier this month.
Competing against 35 teams from schools throughout the state, South Woods Team 40 won medals for the projects Air Trajectory, Bio-Process Laboratory, Dynamic Planet, Fossils and Microbe Mission.
Additionally, the project Experimental Design finished in the top 10 in its category.
Congratulations to Team 40 coach Linda Stollow and members 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.
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DECA Wins 47 Medals at States; 33 Advance to Nationals
In the midst of their record-setting season, Syosset High School DECA recently returned from the New York State championships in Rochester with 47 medals, having qualified 33 students for the International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Nashville, Tennessee to be held April 23-26.
Syosset DECA sent its largest contingent in years to the state championship, with over 80 students participating. While in Rochester, members had the opportunity to attend leadership workshops while competing in a plethora of competitions. The Syosset chapter was also recognized for its significant growth in membership, as well as its community service and promotional campaigns this year.
Additionally, officers Zachery Appel, Matt Frank and Arjun Mehrotra were inducted into the state DECA Honor Society.
DECA, which stands for Distributive Education Club of America, is a worldwide organization that aims to train and educate young entrepreneurs and leaders in the areas of marketing, finance, hospitality and management.
“Club officers and advisers worked arduously to prepare the members for the [State] competition,” said Arjun, who serves as president of Syosset DECA. Arjun teamed with Sam Markowitz to qualify for ICDC in the Marketing Communications category.
Overall, 20 Syosset students received top 10 honors in various categories. Additionally, the team of Justin Kang and Niv Skidan finished in first place in the Business Law and Ethics Team Decision Making category, with their fellow club members capturing third- and fourth-place honors in a variety of categories.
Syosset High School DECA co-advisers are Glenn Bauman and Kathleen Goldin. They are pictured here with DECA’s state medalists along with Principal Dr. Giovanni Durante, Administrative Assistant for Business Education Maryanne Rinaudo-Concessi, and DECA mentor and alumnus Pooja Bachani.
Congratulations to the state-level winners and best of luck to those moving on to the ICDC!
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Learning STEM at Robbins Lane
The Robbins Lane Elementary School gymnasium was bursting with excitement, enthusiasm and pride during the school’s recent STEM fair. Approximately 140 third-, fourth- and fifth-graders shared their research with other interested students, faculty and family members via display boards and inventions that they created on their own. In their quest to explore new problem solving strategies, Robbins Lane’s young inventors showcased the evolution of their projects– from process to product!
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Super Coops
Kindergarten students at Baylis Elementary School learned about the life cycle of animals. As part of their embryology unit, they began learning about chicks and what they need to live. They set chick eggs in an incubator and anxiously awaited their hatch. Mrs. Pizzarelli, Mrs. Trotta, Mrs. Ward, their students, Ms. Kelly, the enrichment teacher along with Mrs. Scarth, the district STEM teacher, planned and designed “Super Coops” for the chicks to live in once they hatched. Each class went through the engineering design process. Students asked themselves what chicks needed and imagined what they could build, then sketched a plan, collected various materials and created a “Super Coop.” All are unique in their design and special to each kindergarten class. This was a hands-on project and each student was very involved. They helped, cut, glue, paint, build and problem solve along the way. This was truly a remarkable project that these kindergartners will remember forever!
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Student Council Spirit Day: Baylis Celebrates in Tie-Dye!
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U.S. News & World Report Ranks Syosset HS No. 39 in NYS; No. 254 Nationally
Syosset High School has been ranked No. 39 in New York State and No. 254 nationally in U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of the top high schools. The school also received a “gold star” ranking from the organization for its attention to preparing students for college.
U.S. News evaluated more than 28,000 schools to determine the top public high schools nationally, and in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. U.S. News factored in overall student performance on state-required tests, how effectively schools educated their disadvantaged students and graduation rates, which is a new factor in their methodology for this year’s ranking. Schools were also evaluated on how well they prepared students for college based on participation in and performance on AP and IB exams. Syosset High School has an AP participation rate of 79 percent and received a college readiness index of 66.4, resulting in a gold medal distinction among the top high schools.
Syosset High School has received high marks in past rankings of top high schools conducted by U.S. News & World Report, The Washington Post and the website’s Niche.com and Finder.com. “It is an honor to be recognized as one of the top high schools in the country in terms of achievement and college preparation. This is the result of the collective and collaborative efforts of our faculty, staff and administration, combined with a commitment by our students to regularly challenge themselves,” said Principal Dr. Giovanni Durante. “Furthermore, the support our students receive from their parents is a key factor that drives their success and helps to solidify the strong home-school connection we have here in Syosset.”
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Mrs. Stottler's class has popcorn and a movie to celebrate their "golden" hallway behavior.
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2015-2016 Public School Performance Report is now available
The 2015-2016 Public School Performance Report is now available on the
Syosset Central School District Website, under district information.
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Students Breaking Borders
Seven student leaders from Syosset and Freeport high schools have been getting together to talk about the things that make them both different and the same while also sharing opinions on issues of topical interest through a pilot program called Breaking Borders.
Last month, a group of students from Syosset High School visited Freeport High School to kick off the program. This month, the Freeport students came to Syosset for a 60-minute intimate exchange in the school courtyard that covered topics such as immigration, school security, gun control and the presidential race.
According to Syosset High School’s Breaking Borders program adviser David Steinberg, Syosset sophomore Jake Gould came to him about starting the program after participating in a summer program involving Israeli and Palestinian students. Jake said the program opened his eyes to the importance of understanding views from different cultures. “When I am in Syosset, I’m around a certain group of kids for 10 months out of the year, but if I go five miles down the road I can meet a completely different group of people of different races, religions and socioeconomic standpoints, ” said Jake. “We have our political views and goals in life, and Freeport students have their views and goals. Both are valid, so why not take the opportunity to take advantage of how close we are and break down any walls that may exist between the two schools.”“We are associating with students of other races and backgrounds with different opinions, all things that you sometimes are not exposed to because of the community you live in,” said Freeport junior Ismary Jiminez. “I have learned so much more about different people, and as a group, we get to break stereotypes. You start to see that we all are the same human race and we can all communicate with each other. It really helps us to bond. ”
Steinberg said the students are driving the program and he hopes that the early exchanges give them direction in shaping Breaking Borders going into next year.
Jake, Ismary, Steinberg and Freeport Breaking Borders advisers Josh Levitt and Jose Ortiz all agree that they would like to see the program grow to allow for larger representation from both schools.
Pictured are Breaking Borders participants from Freeport and Syosset High Schools: Seated (L-R) are Orianna Soriano, Jake Gould, Zachary Chan, Victoria Wright, Peri Lund, Ismary Jimenez and Carly Battipaglia. Standing (L-R) are teachers/advisers Jose Ortiz, David Steinberg and Josh Levitt.
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Student Artwork That Sets the Example
In recognition of Earth Day and their ongoing efforts to be mindful of everyone and everything – including the environment, members of Village Elementary School’s student council and Earth Keepers Club teamed to upcycle used bottle caps, beautify the school entrance and send an important message to others.
Students collaborated on colorful art projects made from bottle caps of different colors and sizes collected through a school-wide effort. Many projects were created as murals, some as sculptures. Every piece of artwork carries a theme of respect for the environment and all living things and serves as an example of a creative way to reuse an item that would normally be discarded. The artwork is currently on display in the school lobby and main hallway.
According to Andrew Fazzolari, an officer with student council, the two groups researched online to come up with interesting ideas on how to make the bottle caps into eye-catching projects that delivered impactful messaging for others to take notice.
“We talked about how all of these bottle caps usually get thrown away and how we wanted to do something about it,” said Andrew. “It was fun making them into something new.”
Faculty members/advisers Eileen Hoffman (student council), Dianne O’Connell (enrichment) and Michelle Potvin (Earth Keepers) all contributed their leadership to the students’ effort. Every classroom contributed to the collection, and altogether the school upcycled approximately 80 pounds of caps.
Principal Jeffrey Kasper, Andrew, Earth Keepers Club officer Alyssa Pinto and Hoffman are pictured displaying some of the fine bottle cap artwork at Village School.
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Softball Teams Raise Funds for Multiple Sclerosis
The Syosset Softball program recently hosted its annual invitational tournament at Syosset High School, with a special purpose in mind for this year’s event. Admission proceeds were donated to the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, raising approximately $1,800.
Multiple sclerosis is a disease that has touched the families of several Syosset softball players team members, including varsity assistant softball coach Nicole Capella.
The tournament featured the top 6 AA teams versus the top 6 A teams in Nassau County. The Syosset varsity and junior varsity softball squads hosted games and Bethpage, Carey, Island Trees, Long Beach, MacArthur, Mepham, New Hyde Park, Oceanside and Seaford high schools all participated.
Special thanks to all the teams, attendees and all others who contributed to this wonderful event.
Pictured are members of the Syosset varsity and JV softball teams with coaches Capella and Richard Powell by their side.
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The April 19 Board Briefs are now available.
To view them, please click here.
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