In honor of Youth Art Month, ten students from the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District had their beautiful artwork selected for the 33rd Annual New York State Art Teachers Association Legislative Student Art Exhibit. This virtual exhibit launched yesterday, March 29th at www.nysata.org/legislative-exhibit and is co-sponsored by New York State United Teachers. Talented students in grades K-12 from across New York State have their pieces on display.
 
The student art exhibit began in 1990 and is traditionally held in the Legislative Office Building in Albany. It provides an exciting opportunity for students and their families to connect with their legislators.
 
Thank you to our art teachers Meredith Brustman, Karen Crowley, Scott Boris, Stephanie Miley and Maria Randazzo for your student nominations. Congratulations to the following student-artists who are featured in this year’s virtual exhibit!
 
Charlotte Henn, Grade 1
Isabella Hernandez Gonzales, Grade 1
Mark Vojvodich, Grade 3
Amelia Broege, Grade 6
Madison Morley, Grade 9
Elikem Abode, Grade 9
Nicoletta Sakellis, Grade 10
Marco Vlacich, Grade 11
Kyleigh Shaw, Grade 12
Laura McKevitt, Grade 12

Click here to view the slideshow.

Date Added: 3/30/2023

Kindergarten students at Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School kicked off their butterfly and bee unit with a visit from two special guests on March 22nd and 23rd. Science and Technology teacher Regina D’Orio invited Jamie Arty from Monarchbutterfly.com and Laura Escobar, owner of Oyster Bay’s Hive Market and Maker’s Space, to the school to speak with kindergarten classes about the important roles that bees and butterflies play in our world.

Ms. Escobar spoke with students about bees and the many benefits of honey, while Mrs. Arty shared her knowledge of butterflies and their life cycle. Students asked questions and learned about pollination with the help of Ms. D’Orio. They then created their own wildflower seed balls by rolling together soil and different seeds, courtesy of Mrs. Arty, which will grow into plants that will attract pollinators. These seed balls will be planted in the school’s new butterfly garden and around the Oyster Bay-East Norwich community. Students were also able to take some home to plant in their own backyards.

The new partnership with Mrs. Arty and Ms. Escobar is a special one, as both women live in the Oyster Bay community and are part of the Oyster Bay Main Street Association. Mrs. Arty has children who are currently in the Oyster Bay-East Norwich School District and Ms. Escobar has children who have graduated from the district. Returning to Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School and sharing their interest and love for these pollinators was a meaningful experience. Since both bees and monarch butterflies are on the endangered species list, they wanted to find a way to help educate the community about how to protect them.

“We are planting seeds figuratively and literally,” said Mrs. Arty about sharing their passion with students. “We are planting the seed in their mind that when they see these beautiful species they will say ‘I want to help them’ and grow plants for them.”

Aside from the wildflower seed ball project, kindergarten students are creating flower artwork with art teacher Meredith Brustman and celebrating their butterfly and bee unit by learning fun songs with music teacher Brenda Murphy. The kindergarten classes look forward to continuing their unit by bringing caterpillars into their classrooms and watching them transform into butterflies. The butterflies will then be released into the school’s new butterfly garden which is expected to open one day in June.

Click here to view the photo slideshow.

Date Added: 3/27/2023

Congratulations to Oyster Bay High School senior Aurora Aschettino! This week, Aurora was featured as News 12’s Scholar Athlete Award Winner and received a $1,000 scholarship from Bethpage Federal Credit Union. We are so proud of not only her athletic achievements on the school’s fencing team, but her academic achievements as well! Watch the News 12 segment here: https://longisland.news12.com/scholar-athlete-aurora-aschettino.

Date Added: 3/22/2023

Fifteen talented student-artists from the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District had their artwork on display at the 19th Annual Nassau All-County Art Exhibition on March 19th at Long Beach High School. Run by the Art Supervisors Association, the exhibit featured student-artists from throughout Nassau County.

Students were selected for the exhibit by their art teachers. Teachers from the Oyster Bay-East Norwich School District who made student nominations were Scott Boris, Stephanie Miley and Maria Randazzo from Oyster Bay High School, Karen Crowley from James H. Vernon School and Meredith Brustman from Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School.

Each Nassau County high school also selected one of its senior to be awarded the ASA Senior Scholarship.Oyster Bay High School senior Grace Maldonadowas presented with the scholarship during the event. Congratulations to all the Oyster Bay-East Norwich students who had their spectacular artwork showcased at the All-County Art Exhibition:

Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School:
Katelyn Petrello
Jonah Smith
Mackenzie Cali

James H. Vernon School:
Emma Kim
Jeffrey Zheng
Anna Laurita

Oyster Bay High School:
Joseph LaRosa
Savanna King
Julia Milos
Taylor Torres
William Amiama
Sophia Staphos
Grace Maldonado(ASA Senior Scholarship Winner)
Rebecca Castillo
William Nobel

Click here to view the slideshow.

Date Added: 3/21/2023

Thirteen local engineers visited Oyster Bay High School on March 16th to engage in real world design problems with engineering and computer science students. The students had the opportunity to “munch and mingle” with professionals in various fields of engineering.

David Barton presented a real design challenge to students, utilizing the engineering design process and feedback systems to determine the best solution within the given constraints. Following the brainstorming session and share-out, students rotated amongst the engineers to focus on smaller design challenges which the professionals themselves brought.

In addition, two OBEN alumni led discussions during the event which was powerful for the students to see. These alumni were former engineering students which led to their current careers. Mr. Schlendorf and Ms. Malhar-Jain designed a great event for students to problem solve, apply what they have learned, and network with experts in the field.

Click here to view the photo slideshow.

Date Added: 3/20/2023