Students at Deauville Gardens East Elementary School are learning about the importance of digital citizenship. Each month, the district focuses on new lessons and topics for teachers, students and the community and digital citizenship was the featured topic for September.

The fourth grade classes at Deauville Gardens East came together to learn about what digital citizenship means and spoke about cyber bullying, safety and security. Each student signed their own message about what it means to be a good digital citizen. Students wrote about how they could be the best digital citizen and shared their thoughts about being respectful, using kind words, asking parents for permission and being careful about sharing any information. When they finished with their individual answers, each class joined their information together to create a quilt that read “Be Your Best Digital Self.”

Copiague Middle School students in the everyday living class took an educational field trip to Red Lobster in Copiague on Oct. 24. The group of 15 students had a special visit even before the restaurant opened for business.

They started the day by gathering around the lobster tank to learn about the life of lobsters and a few brave students even touched the lobsters. Dressed in their hairnets and aprons, the students then began their tour of the kitchen. Each student made their own biscuit to later enjoy at lunch.  

Following their kitchen tour, the students watched another educational video about the sea, lobsters and the inner workings of Red Lobster. For lunch, students had the opportunity to practice their manners and enjoy their meal together. 

Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School senior and science research student Erhumwunse Eghafona is one of only 14 students across Long Island school districts who was selected for the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s Partners for the Future internship program.

Partners for the Future provides an opportunity for high school students to have hands-on experience in biological research at Cold Spring Harbor’s state-of-the-art international laboratory facility. This highly competitive and selective program is open to high school students entering their senior year. Candidates are put through a rigorous process which includes nomination and referral by the science chairperson, an extensive application portfolio, references and interviews.

After an intense vetting process, Erhumwunse was selected, the first student from Copiague School District, and began the program in August. While most high school students spend a minimum of 10 hours per week, September through March, conducting authentic research with a scientist, Erhumwunse’s commitment is evident in the excess hours he spends in the lab since the summer when he started research early. The program culminates in a highly publicized prestigious symposium, in which students give oral presentations to a platform of experts in the field including doctors, scientist, mentors and lab administrators. Erhumwunse is working on cutting edge cancer immunotherapy; specifically, isolating antigens to produce antibodies for pancreatic cancer cells.

Hoping to see their pumpkins fly the furthest during the launch event on Halloween, fourth graders at Deauville Gardens West Elementary School were hard at work designing their pumpkin catapults on Oct. 24. 

Using popsicle sticks, rubber bands and a spoon, the students had to create their own catapults – designed to launch a gummy pumpkin – that will be put to the test on launch day in six different stations. The students have been learning about potential and kinetic energy and are using their STEM-based knowledge to craft their designs.