Holiday greetings from the South Huntington school district.
Local students create 3D art, experiment with skittles, develop problem solving, participate in Emerging Leaders Competition, and get selected for special scholarships.
Students Create A New Type of Art
Art teachers Carlos Taveras and Drew Lockwood allowed their students to develop their own 3D masks, all created with different artistic styles. Using different platforms such as KidOYO Sprite Editor and Adobe Spark, the artists were able to create their mask using computer-generated imagery (CGI). Some pieces incorporated European, African and contemporary themes which all added to the uniqueness of each mask.
Students worked intensely on their projects and were beyond pleased with their finished products.
“I loved learning about the different styles of each culture,” said Lily, an eighth-grader at Oldfield Middle School, “but it was so cool and different to take that knowledge and create different versions of something that existed a long time ago.”
Harborfields Students Experiment With Skittles for STEAM Project
Fifth-graders in Rebecca Turano’s class at Thomas J. Lahey Elementary School have recently been learning about and experimenting with gravity.
During an in-class science lab, students were challenged to use their knowledge to develop spill-proof packaging for astronauts to eat Skittles or M&Ms in outer space. Each student had different approaches and utilized their materials in creative ways. These materials include aluminum foil, wax paper, and clear plastic.
Their teacher, Ms. Turano is impressed by the hard work and dedication the students put into the completion of projects.
“My students are constantly asking when we’re going to work on a STEAM project,” said Mrs. Turano. “They look forward to it, get excited by it and are proud of what they have created and accomplished in the end.”
Robbie, a student at Thomas J. Lahey, completed a gravity-centered STEAM project in which to provide a container for astronauts to eat candy in space. (Photo courtesy of Harborfields Central School District)
Hour of Code Promotes Problem-Solving Skills
Grades K–5 within the Elwood Union Free School District participated in individual sessions of the Hour of Code, activities created to “demystify” coding earlier this month.
Students at James H. Boyd Intermediate and Harley Avenue Primary School are equipped with Maker spaces, which were made available to experiment with the basics of coding. Instructional Technology specialist, Krista Albrecht developed these activities for students based on their grade level and allow each student to participate freely.
“When we give our students freedom to explore new areas and challenges, they never ceases to impress us,” said Albrecht. “And it’s so rewarding to watch them become such resilient problem solvers.”
Students were thrilled to learn how to create code for different technologies including robots. These “Ozobots” are tiny creations that are built to follow drawn commands in the form of lines, colors, and codes that are drawn out.
“I really like learning more about coding,” said Ryan, a fourth-grader student at James H. Boyd. “It’s like learning to build your own world and I want to keep practicing to get better.”
James H. Boyd fourth-graders Sam and Ryan drew and coded a path their Ozobot to follow during their class, “Hour of Code.” (Photo courtesy of Elwood Union Free School District)
DECA Students Place in Emerging Leaders Competition
Four members of Harborfields High School’s DECA club placed impressively in the Young Professionals Chamber of Commerce’s 16th Annual Emerging Leaders Business Competition on Nov. 28.
At this competition, more than 300 students from all over Long Island came together to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in a business environment. Participants addressed current issues and tasks in a wide variety of business-related categories.
This year’s winners include Harborfields High School students Hannah Proce, Not-for-Profit Advertising, third place; Katie Kennedy and Patrick Wilson, Entrepreneurship Team, second place; and Wade Leskody, Public Relations, first place.
Harborfields High School students Hannah Proce, Katie Kennedy, Patrick Wilson, and Wade Leskody all placed in the top three of their competing categories at the Emerging Leaders Business competition. (Photo Courtesy of the Harborfields Central School District)
Harborfields Senior Qualifies as Special Scholarship Candidate
Harborfields High School senior Yatharth Sharma recently qualified as a candidate for the National Merit Scholarship Corporation’s Special Scholarship Competition.
This specific portion of the competition is sponsored by Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc., who sets additional requirements for students to be eligible scholarship candidates. Earlier this year, Yatharth was selected as a National Merit Commended Student as well, placing him among the top three percent highest scoring students on the Preliminary SAT/ National Merit across the country.
Harborfields High School senior Yatharth Sharma recently qualified as a candidate for the National Merit Scholarship Competition. (Photo Courtesy of the Harborfields Central School District)