Students Succeed at 36th Annual Nassau Mathematics Tournament!

Posted
Filed under Academics, Competition, Student Clubs, Student Performances, Students

On Friday, 1 February, 19 Wheatley students competed in the Nassau Mathematics Tournament (NMT) at SUNY College at Old Westbury. This one-day event is open to all high schools (both public and private) in Nassau County. Generally, about 40 schools send students to participate in this competition.

The “Senior” team earned 5th Place overall! This team was comprised of:

  • Karen Li
  • Vedant Singh
  • Trenton Wong
  • Kenton Wu
  • Brandon Zhu

Two of our students had outstanding individual results:

  • Brandon Zhu came in 1st overall
  • Vedant Singh finished in 5th place overall

Our “Junior” team brought home 8th Place Honors overall. This team consisted of

  • Manav Bansal
  • Viraj Jayam
  • Victor Li
  • Justin Wong
  • Ryan Wu

We also had excellent individual contests:

  • Ryan Wu finished in 9th place

Valued efforts were also turned in by Adam Aldad, Richard Attardi, Sahil Jain, Siddhant Jain, Jason Koty, Armaan Pahuja, Neil Shah, and Avinash Reddy.

A big “thank you” to our Mathletes Advisor, John Beleckas. Special thanks to our Mathematics Chair Robert Teseo and to NCIML President Kevin Myers for making this event possible.

[Thank you to Mr. Beleckas and Dr. Teseo for the write-up and photos!]

AP Human Geography Students Experience the Cultural Landscape of NYC!

Posted
Filed under Academics, Culture, Students

On 30 January, Mr. Clarke’s AP Human Geography class visited the Eldridge Street Synagogue on the Lower East Side. The trip provided the class with the opportunity to experience the cultural landscape of New York City. In the heart of the Lower East Side, the synagogue provides a window into the world of Jewish immigrants over 100 years ago. Additionally, our walking tour highlighted Jewish sites as well as the changing world emerging now. We walked along Grand Street, the heart of Chinatown.

Additionally, the class took the LIRR and the subway to the city. This previewed our upcoming urban geography unit.
Thanks to Pat Clarke and Paul Chisholm for accompanying the students. Thanks as well to Pat Clarke for the write-up and the photos!

AP Biology Students Conduct Human Mitochondrial Sequencing Lab at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory!

Posted
Filed under Academics, Students

On Thursday, our AP Biology students (in Mrs. DeAngelo’s and Ms. Schwartz’s classes) headed over to the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory to conduct a Human Mitochondrial Sequencing as part of their evolution unit. They extracted DNA from mitochondria in their cheek cells and were guided on how to amplify a small region of their own mitochondrial DNA by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and use the product as a template for DNA cycle sequencing.

The students obtain their “finished” sequence through the DNALC Internet site. Computer analysis of the data will be performed at school in the coming weeks using the DNALC’s bioinformatics tool “Sequence Server.” This lab examines Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in the human mitochondrial genome and uses it as the basis for understanding human evolution and worldwide migration patterns.

Thank you to Mrs. DeAngelo for the write-up

and the photos!

 

Six Wheatley Juniors Selected for Student Athletes as School Leaders Conference!

Posted
Filed under Academics, Athletics, Students

Earlier today, Thursday, 31 January, six Wheatley juniors attended the annual Student-Athletes as School Leaders Conference at Hofstra University. Organized by the Nassau County High School Principals Association, Nassau County Physical Education Consortium and the Hofstra School of Education, the purpose of this conference is to celebrate, support and encourage positive student leadership throughout Nassau County school districts. Students were accompanied by Mr. Kevin O’Pasek and Mr. Steve Cadet.

Student team leaders had the chance to meet their counterparts from other high schools and share ideas about the meaning and significance of leadership. The day included keynote addresses; focused dialogue between student leaders, coaches, athletic directors and principals; and training in communication skills. The workshops were led by facilitators from Positive Coaching Alliance.

The Wheatley students selected to participate in this conference were:

  • Brandon Behar
  • Matthew Ferrone
  • Katharine Gold
  • Karthik Pitchayan
  • Isabella Rios
  • Rebecca Sparacio

The keynote speaker at this year’s conference was Kym Hampton, a retired professional basketball player and the fourth player chosen at the WNBA inaugural season Elite Draft.

Kym spoke to the students for approximately 50 minutes, stressing the notion that sports and athletics are more than just a game. She shared her story of finding out who she was and what she could do through her involvement in athletics. She stressed to the student-athletes the importance of investing in oneself, asking questions and building relationships.

 

Wheatley’s Career Fair Provides Students with Insights to Life Beyond Wheatley!

Posted
Filed under Academics, Community, Guidance, Students

On Friday, 25 January, Wheatley held its annual Career Fair in order to expose our students to some of the possible careers available to them outside of Wheatley and college. With the support of our community, twenty different professionals spent time at Wheatley sharing information about their careers, their backgrounds and the interests that led them to pursue their current career.

The Career Fair presenters were assigned an individual classroom for their presentations. All 11th and 12th graders were asked to select two different presenters to visit during the fair. Students were later asked to write a reflection on their career fair choices and the presentations.

The increased exposure to more career opportunities has been an ongoing district goal. A huge “Thank You” to the presenters. Thank you especially to Natalia McMillan for her work organizing the event!

This year’s Career Fair Presenters included:

  1. Danielle Gruttadaurio – Forensic artist
  2. Ruth Kohlmeier – Medical examiner (Suffolk County)
  3. Drew Hambly – Finance (Morgan Stanley)
  4. Jacqueline Tobin – Magazine Editor-in-chief
  5. Jerry Kelly – Director of Business Development (medical)
  6. Michael Stein – English teacher (Herricks)
  7. Brad Behar – Intellectual patent attorney/civil engineer
  8. Rick Wilson – Theatre director, actor, musician and educator (Wheatley teacher)
  9. Joshua Gluck – FDNY paramedic
  10. Dr. Justine Golden – Psychologist
  11. Sean Christensen – Retired US Marine Captain/Program Director (non-profit org.)
  12. Samantha Holze – Director of Marketing and Ecommerce
  13. James LoBello – Director of Security of The Americas Lufthansa Cargo (Homeland Security)
  14. Corey Moran – FDNY firefighter
  15. Daniel Krittman – Computer science (artificial intelligence)
  16. Amanda K. Dhennin, (MLS) ASCP – Medical laboratory scientist
  17. Josh Kotin – Account Executive, NYC Football Club (Wheatley Graduate)
  18. Marissa Lando – Broadcast producer (Wheatley Graduate)
  19. Michal LaCasse – Physical therapist
  20. Petty Officer Maloney – U.S. Naval Officer

Class of 2019 Provides Plenty of Entertainment during its Varsity Revue!

Posted
Filed under Community, Student Clubs, Students

On Saturday night, members of the Class of 2019 entertained a packed auditorium with a delightful blend of skits during which members of the class gently poked fun at themselves, their teachers and their school. Infused with performances by our Varsity Dance Team, our Cheer Team, and our Special Edition Boys Dance Team, the evening was entertaining for all!

Hosted by seniors Grace McPhillips and Ciara O’Brien, the show also included some video skits and a video montage at the end of the evening. A big “Thank You” to Senior Class Advisors Dan Burke and Jenna Stein for helping to organize the event!