Schools: Attorney General’s Awards; Science Lessons

Helen Ayala Castro, Olivia Polinsky and Jack Ruthkowski of Huntington High School  claimed this year’s New York State Attorney General’s Triple C Awards.

Sponsored by State Attorney General Letitia James, the Triple C Award recognizes “the courage, character and commitment of New York State’s outstanding students. Whether succeeding in academic pursuits, participating in community service, displaying leadership skills, or overcoming personal obstacles, these students provide us with hope for a brighter future. This award was established to honor these student leaders.”

Principal Brenden Cusack presented this year’s awards during a ceremony in the high school auditorium.

Ayala Castro came to the United States in 2021 after growing up in Honduras. She studied in two-year medical lab assistant program at Wilson Tech in Dix Hills. She hopes to one day be a medical doctor and buy a house for her mother. She plans to attend Suffolk Community College in the fall.

Polinsky served as president of the high school’s Environmental Club and played key roles with Huntington’s Natural Helpers program and its Habitat for Humanity chapter. She captained the Blue Devil field hockey team, ran on the winter track team and played on the varsity Unified basketball team. She intends to study philosophy at the University of Georgia.

Ruthkowski is a photographer and has been Huntington’s top varsity bowler. He’s been a mainstay of the Key Club and Environmental Club and also won a varsity letter with the Unified bowling team. He volunteered with the Key Club at blood drives, school dances and the K-Factor talent show. He plans to study aquatic and fisheries science at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

Beautification Assist

Local Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, Greenlawn Garden Club, Centerport Garden Club and Penny Club kicked off a 10-day school beautification project at Washington Drive Primary School in the Harborfields Central School District.
The groups worked together to plant perennials and arrange painted rainbow rocks along the front of the building.

“We are very excited to be a part of this community service project,” Principal Kathy McNally said.

Understanding Electrophoresis

Representatives from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s DNA Learning Center
recently visited seventh grade classes at Elwood Middle School to guide them in exploring gel electrophoresis, a laboratory method used to separate mixtures of DNA, RNA or proteins according to molecular size. In gel electrophoresis, the molecules to be separated are pushed by an electrical field through a gel that contains small pores. The students were able to use real equipment to perform the procedure, then solved a “crime” by matching DNA of various suspects using this method.

Scholarship to Michigan State

Harborfields High School 2024 graduate Nolan Means has received a full scholarship to attend Michigan State University this fall, where he plans to major in History through the College of Social Science and the Honors College.

Means was selected from approximately 1,200 of the top high school seniors who applied to MSU. He wrote short essay responses, took an intensive general knowledge exam, and participated in interviews with the selection committee this past winter to ultimately earn the scholarship.

“During my first visit to MSU as a prospective student, a member of the admissions office asked the question, ‘What is your mission?’ With that question, I recognized going to college was no longer my end goal, but a means to achieving higher goals and purposes,” Means said.

“The more I learned about MSU, the more I realized it is the place that will not only allow me to nurture my various academic interests, but challenge me to define and achieve my larger mission in life. I’m also excited about the prospect of running on one of the most beautiful campuses in the country every day,” he said.

Means has been active in cross country, track, vocal music, chess, and creative writing.

‘No Place for Hate’ Designations

All four of the Elwood School District’s buildings – Elwood-John H. Glenn High
School, Elwood Middle School, James H. Boyd Intermediate School and Harley Avenue Primary School – were again awarded No Place for Hate designation this year from the Anti-Defamation League, earning gold status.

Thank You, Driver!

A South Huntington parent posted a photo of a bus driver, calling him the “best bus driver ever!” and identifying him as  Dale, driver for Bus A route to Oakwood and Birchwood. “Thank you Dale, for keeping my kids safe all these years!! I will be contacting the transportation department to sing your praises!”

Harborfields Graduation

The seniors of Harborfields High School marched onto the football field for the last time to kick off the school’s 65th commencement ceremony.

After a dozen transformative years in the district’s schools, the new grads were ready to
celebrate the culmination of this crucial part of their educational and life journey.

“My message to our graduates can be summed up with one simple word, and that’s
pride,” Superintendent Dr. Rory Manning said. “Pride is the immense feeling that I’ve had
over the past few months as I attended your final days of school, your final award
ceremony, your final concerts, your final games, your final day of watching the senior video and counting down the seconds until the final bell. I’m so immensely proud of you, your family’s proud of you and you should be proud of yourselves. Your high school graduation is a major milestone in your life. You did it, and it’s time for us to let you go. Keep making us proud, seniors.”

While addressing the students, Dr. Manning presented U.S. Air Force veteran and
local resident George Kuhn with his high school diploma through New York State’s
Operation Recognition, and presented retiring Board of Education member Suzie Lustig
with an honorary diploma.