![\"Michael](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773069694_843_image.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\nTeams from Great Neck South, Syosset and Ward Melville high schools have won first place in the 2026 Long Island Regional Science Olympiads. <\/p>\n
This year, approximately 150 local high school teams competed in the Nassau East, Nassau West and Eastern Long Island regional tournaments during January and February. The three first-place teams, along with 16 other top-performing teams, qualified for the New York State Science Olympiad in Syracuse on March 20-21. <\/p>\n
Statewide, nearly 700 high school teams competed in 14 regional tournaments for a chance to reach the state finals. Each team consisted of up to 15 students who demonstrated their lab, learning and building skills in 23 categories that included \u201cAstronomy,\u201d \u2018Electric Vehicle\u201d and \u201cRocks and Minerals.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cEarning first place was not a stroke of luck, but the result of effort, teamwork and a shared commitment to excellence,\u201d said coach Todd Kettler of Ward Melville High School in East Setauket, whose team placed first in 11 of 23 categories. <\/p>\n
Syosset Principal Giovanni Durante said, \u201cWe are truly proud of our students\u2019 achievements and their ability to cultivate their passions both inside and outside of the classroom.\u201d <\/p>\n
Other local high school teams qualifying for the state tournament were Bayport-Blue Point, John F. Kennedy in Bellmore; Chaminade in Mineola; Half Hollow Hills East in Dix Hills; Hicksville; Isli;, Jericho; Kellenberg in Uniondale; Division Avenue in Levittown; General Douglas MacArthur in Levittown; Manhasset, Earl L. Vandermeulen in Port Jefferson; Paul D. Schreiber in Port Washington; Smithtown West; Stony Brook School; and West Babylon. <\/p>\n
Pirate for a Purpose <\/p>\n
Wellington C. Mepham High School has launched its Pirate for a Purpose initiative to help teens \u201cidentify real needs in their school or community and take meaningful student-driven action,\u201d according to the school. The effort takes its name from the school\u2019s athletic teams, called the Pirates. <\/p>\n
The initiative, part of Mepham\u2019s senior school and community leadership class, has inspired pupils to pursue projects such as working to obtain a speed-limit sign near the school\u2019s main entrance on Stewart Avenue. That project was spearheaded by seniors Brayden Seligman and Jake Wilson. <\/p>\n
\u201cJake and Brayden\u2019s work is a powerful example of Pirate for a Purpose in action,\u201d Mepham\u2019s community leadership teacher Jacqueline Geller said in a statement. \u201cStudents are not just learning about leadership, but practicing it and making a lasting, positive impact on their community.\u201d <\/p>\n
Technology internship <\/p>\n
Elwood Union Free School District has launched a student internship program that offers a \u201cbehind-the-scenes look at the technology that supports teaching and learning across the district,\u201d according to district officials. <\/p>\n
The program helps students gain hands-on experience in hardware diagnostics and repair with a focus on maintaining the district\u2019s Chromebooks. The opportunity is offered to a single student this year, but is expected to include additional students next school year. <\/p>\n
\u201cOur intern will develop high-demand technical skills and a strong problem-solving mindset that prepares him for immediate success in the modern workforce,\u201d said Christopher Onorato, the district\u2019s director of instructional and information technology, in a statement. <\/p>\n
Holocaust center <\/p>\n
The Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District recently unveiled its newly renovated Holocaust & Genocide Education Center in the library at Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK High School. <\/p>\n
The renovated center includes numerous artifacts donated by community members as well as \u201ctestimonial banners\u201d featuring firsthand accounts from survivors that are on loan from the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe opening of the Holocaust & Genocide Education Center reflects a shared community commitment to remembrance, education and the responsibility to cultivate civil-minded learners,\u201d Plainview-Old Bethpage Superintendent Mary O\u2019Meara said in a statement.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n\tMichael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR’s platform safety issues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Teams from Great Neck South, Syosset and Ward Melville high schools have won first place in the 2026…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":157979,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[67,8015,9,11,10,49,51,50,8016,38754],"class_list":["post-157978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-education","tag-nassau","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-new-york-state","tag-new-york-state-headlines","tag-new-york-state-news","tag-suffolk","tag-togetherli"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=157978"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157978\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/157979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=157978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=157978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=157978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}