Members of Elwood-John H. Glenn High School’s World Language Honor Society recently worked on a community service project to assist young cancer patients.
To honor the memory of her Aunt Rhona, who had pancreatic cancer, junior Madelyn Katzman created the concept of “Rhona’s Rainbows.” These no-sew fleece blankets are donated to chemotherapy centers in children’s hospitals to bring smiles and comfort to those going through a difficult time.
Every blanket kit has a special message tag on it to write messages of positivity and inspiration for those in need. Last summer, Katzman donated blankets to the Pediatric Oncology Center at Columbia University.
Youth Writes Contest Success
Three students from the Northport-East Northport School District have placed in the annual Huntington Youth Writes contest.
Senior Alina Meadows spoke from personal expeHrience in her submission, titled “Damp Determination,” earning her second place in the Personal Essay category. Junior Grace Fitzpatrick’s work, “The Beach” also earned her third place in the Short Story category while seventh grader Eliska DiGiacomo’s story “Mi Mejor Amiga” earned her first in the middle school Short Story contest.
The organization’s mission is “to promote the growth, development and well-being of youth in the Town of Huntington through programs and services that are responsive to the needs of youth, their families and the community.” The short stories and personal essays will be printed in the Huntington’s Youth Bureau’s Annual Journal.
Life Skills Enterprise
Students in the life skills class at Walt Whitman High School have made bracelets in a variety of school colors for their classmates heading to college in September.
The bead bracelets feature the school colors plus the name of the college or university the senior will attend.
The life skills students, who have mild to severe intellectual and developmental disabilities, used their vocational skills training class to make the bracelets. The project is being run like a business with order forms, spreadsheets, order intake, and a production manager. After the bracelets are created, they’re packaged individually and sealed with a “Made with Love” sticker personalized by the Life Skills students.
Whitman students can also order custom bracelets for $5. All the money raised goes back into the Life Skills class to fund future projects.
The life skills students learn vocational and other skills, in addition to academics, that will allow them to become an active part of their community. They may not get the chance to go to college themselves but their teachers say this helps them to be part of the celebration.
National Art Honor Society Induction
Several Elwood-John H. Glenn High School students were recently inducted into the school’s National Art Honor Society.
After a welcome from NAHS adviser Amy Lindenbaum, Vice President Sabrina Siddiqui lit the ceremonial candles in the primary colors of red, yellow and blue, and President Maggie Murphy led the inductees in their pledge.
Virtual Enterprise Victory
Walt Whitman High School Virtual Enterprise students took home Gold and Silver medals, as well as first place in the annual Virtual Enterprises International Youth Business Summit held at the Javits Center and other New York locations recently.
The Whitman students competed against more than 250 student teams from across the country and around the world.
The two Virtual Enterprise courses offered at the high school involve a simulated business that the students create, set up and run all school year with the help of their teacher.
The company replicates all the functions and demands of a real business. It’s run by a student CEO, and students work in different departments including Operations, Accounting, Finance, Sales, Marketing, Human Resources, Design and IT. Each business competes in regional, national and international business plan competitions and trade shows throughout the school year. In addition to high school credit, Walt Whitman VE students can also earn a total of 6 college credits for the course.
The VerbalEyez marketing team of Lauren Kispert, Gabriel Beickert, and Sienna Guerrero placed first nationally in the Marketing Top 30 competition. Their product, VerbalEyez, is eye tracking technology glasses, paired with an app, that is geared toward anyone with reading challenges, including dyslexia or eye diseases like macular degeneration. The glasses enable a person to read anything they want and have the words spoken to them through a Bluetooth speaker, either in their ear or through the glasses.
Another Whitman team, Artemis, and VerbalEyez both won Gold in the Sales Pitch competition and Silver in the Trade Show Booth competition. Students Will Schrama, Derek Bonilla, Liam Donnelly, John Lineen, Morgan Fulcher, and Kaylee Vera on team Artemis created and marketed a healthier energy drink featuring apple fiber. There were two different formulas, Rush and Smooth. Rush was geared toward athletes or those who need a pre-workout boost. Smooth was for everyone else looking for a little extra energy!
For more information on Virtual Enterprises Youth Business summit, click:
https://veinternational.org/