In an effort to expose students to diversity among their peers, 40 students from Amityville Memorial High School visited Islip to participate in a cultural exchange program. Islip’s high schoolerss had previously visited Amityville for a similar event in December 2016.

To kick off the cultural exchange, the Amityville and Islip students enjoyed a breakfast and participated in various icebreaker activities. Students from the two schools were paired, and the Amityville students shadowed the Islip students and attended classes throughout the day. The event concluded with both sets of students sharing their experiences with the group.

Seven 2017 graduates – Kelly Conway, Brendan Mercado, Patrick Mugan, Kenneth Ortega, Mimita Rahman, Kyle Sapia and Robert Vonderahe – were recognized for the New York State Education Department’s Scholarship for Academic Excellence.

The annual award, which can only be used if a winning student  attends college in New York State, is based on students’ Regents exam scores. The number of students who receive it is calculated on the previous graduating class size. The student with the highest Regents exam average receives $1,500 – this year, Mercado earned this top spot – and the rest receive $500.

Five of the 2017 winners will attend college in New York: Mercado and Ortega at Cornell University, Rahman at City College of New York, and Conway and Mugan at Binghamton University.

High school graduate Kyle Sapia, a member of the school’s Class of 2017, was recently named a recipient of the 2017 Association of Suffolk Supervisors for Educational Technology scholarship. Sapia was one of only 12 winners of this $2,000 scholarship by in Suffolk County, and attended ASSET’s annual scholarship luncheon at Captain Bill’s in Bay Shore. He will attend Delaware University this fall.

ASSET exists to enhance teaching and learning in school districts through the use of educational technologies by encouraging the integration of technology into the K-12 curriculum. The organization provides the annual scholarship to students who appreciate technology and are pursuing a career in that field.

High school library media specialist Gina Seymour was named a “Mover & Shaker” in the library industry by the national publication “Library Journal.” In a recent issue, “Library Journal” chose 52 outstanding professionals committed to providing excellent service and shaping the future of libraries. Seymour was selected because of her commitment to the profession and for her unique inclusive programming. Seymour’s MakerCare initiative, using the school library makerspace to teach teens about social action and civic engagement, has inspired students to make needed items to be donated to community and global agencies.

Seymour, who has served as Islip’s library media specialist for 12 years, was the recipient of the Suffolk School Library Media Association’s 2014 School Librarian of the Year award and is also an adjunct professor at the St. John’s University Department of Library and Information Science. Seymour is currently working on a book, “Makers with a Cause,” scheduled to be published in 2018.

“It was an honor and a humbling experience to be included among this distinguished list of librarians,” said Seymour. “With the rise of library makerspaces across the country , I am pleased to bring attention to our inclusive practices and inspiring service model as components of maker education.”

A trio of high school video production students – Selia Mercado, Nancy Pramanand and Lauryn Valdez – took 10th place in New York State for their superhero-themed short film “The Masked Monitor,” competing in the prestigious and grueling 10 Day School Film Challenge. The three young filmmakers were also co-awarded Best Use of Music in a Video, and received a certificate for their accomplishments.

The 10 Day Film Challenge, which evolved from the concept behind the 48 Hour Film Project, required participants to write, shoot, edit and score a movie in just 10 school days, as well as preparing a screenplay and movie poster, all while working only during video class. No work was allowed after school, at night, on weekends or at home. The state competition drew 70 film entries submitted by 29 high schools, with the top five films advancing to the national finals. Nationwide, approximately 1,800 films were submitted

“On day one, the groups picked a genre out of a hat,” said teacher Mike Reilly, explaining the process. “That morning, we were also emailed the main character’s name and backstory, line of dialogue, prop and cinematic technique that all needed to be incorporated into our stories.”

“This project was a difficult and grueling one, but enjoyable and challenging at the same time,” said Pramanand. “I want to study film and editing in college, so this type of project was great for my resume as well as challenging my skill sets so far.”

“This was a tremendous success, considering that it was Islip’s first year in the 10 Day School Film Challenge as well as our first full year offering the video production class,” said Reilly. “The course, and this competition in particular, encompass numerous areas of study including reading, writing and technology. We live in the mecca of social media, communication, advertising, and television and film production, so a class in video production was needed, warranted and requested by the students and community. It certainly prepares our interested students for college and career ready status. We are truly proud and excited about our current accomplishments as well as what the future will entail for us and Islip, as several of our video production students want to pursue careers in the video production, advertising and communications fields.”