A dozen student-artists from Amityville Memorial High School were rewarded for their creativity, hard work and talent with selection to the National Art Honor Society. Although an induction ceremony was not held because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they are officially members of the organization which recognizes outstanding art students. 

New members of the Amityville chapter include Nivana Benoit, Dion Bullock, Deanna Kalin, Kelly Lira, Jared Nevers Ottey, Amber Palmer, Makenzie Rodriguez, Zackery Rodriguez, Kayana Sheilds, Ava Sutherland, Tamara Stuart and Deena Wood.

The National Art Honor Society recognizes high school students who demonstrate an outstanding ability and interest in art. It also promotes the highest standards in art scholarship, character, and service by bringing art education to the attention of the school and community. Amityville’s chapter is advised by art teacher Jayne Grasso.

More than 30 students from French and Spanish classes at Amityville Memorial High School were selected to the World Language Honor Society for their high achievement and commitment to language acquisition.

Although an induction ceremony scheduled for April was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 36 students are officially new members of this prestigious organization. It is open to students maintaining a grade point average of 85 or higher in their language classes.

Inductees from Spanish classes included Diana Alvarez, Yaneli Amaya, Jackeline Andino, Neyri Ayala, Brian Candia Flores, Alexa Echevarria-Chavez, Tatiana Escolero, Kimberly Garcia, Vanessa Garcia, Amaya Gomez, Brandon Fernandez, Kenia Hernandez, Abdullah Khan, Andielynn Llamas, Maykelen Y. Maradiaga, Evelyn Maricela Rivas Onofre, Keiry Martinez, Gianely McCatty, Anayiah McCloud-Griffin, Brianna McQueen, Nurys Matos Mejia, Samanta Molina, Gabriella Norris, Marilyn Ortiz, Yisel Ramirez, Alisson Ramos Lopez, Mariajose Rivera, Helen N. Rodriguez, Randy Rodriguez and Stephanie Urbina.

Inductees from French classes are Mikhail Ankudovych, Nivana Benoit, Melissa Contreras, Amaya Gomez, Randy Jerez and Marie Wic Jironard.

World Language teachers are Reynaldo Bueno, Elisa Castro and Sandra Whitney for Spanish and Francesca Chery for French. Ms. Castro is the adviser of the World Language Honor Society.

With traditional end-of-the-year senior milestones impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, students and staff at Amityville Memorial High School are finding alternative ways to honor the Class of 2020. 

Senior class officers Jeffrey Reyes-Espinal, Nil Patel, Jordan Tobin and Trinity Tobin, along with adviser Dawn Mizrachi, communicate regularly to discuss ways to make the rest of senior year as fun and memorable as possible despite the circumstances. Jeffrey, the class president, created an Instagram page – @amhs.classof2020 – to recognize the seniors’ future plans including commitments to colleges, trade school and the military. 

“As officers of the senior class, we were elected to make sure that the hard work from our classmates is celebrated,” he said, noting that more plans are in the works.

On May 8, seniors were invited to the high school’s front lawn to pick up a personalized sign to place in front of their own homes. Each sign included the student’s name along with the district logo and “2020 AMITYVILLE MEMORIAL H.S. SENIOR Congratulations” in red and black type. To keep the gathering small, students picked up their signs during specific time blocks. Donning face masks and gloves, several teachers were also on hand to help students find the signs and write personal messages on the back. 

Principal Edward Plaia said the 266 signs were funded by donations from the Amityville Parent-Teacher Council and the administrator and teacher unions, as well as personal contributions from Superintendent Dr. Mary T. Kelly, Board of Education trustees and staff members. A second set of identical signs will be delivered the following week to remain on the front lawn of the high school through the end of the school year. 

Two students from Amityville Memorial High School are under consideration for Junior Achievement Student of the Year, competing for a $10,000 scholarship grant. Juniors Bryanna Leguizamon and Genesis Perez were nominated by Transition Coordinator Karen Gross for their work with the High School Heroes program and participation in Junior Achievement’s Finance Park.

Every year, Amityville high school students teach lessons to children at Northeast, Northwest and Park Avenue Memorial elementary schools about careers, community, economics, family and finance, using the Junior Achievement curriculum and resources. High School Heroes allows the older students to serve as role models while also gaining insight into child-based careers such as pediatrics and teaching. 

Prior to visiting the elementary classrooms, the high school students are trained by Linda Furey, senior manager of programs for Junior Achievement. They then meet several times to plan out the interactive lessons. Elementary children learn how to run a business and manage personal finances, discern the differences between needs and wants, explore the roles of community helpers and understand production methods, among other topics. 

“It was a perfect opportunity for me to see what a teacher does on a daily basis,” said Genesis, who said her participation in High School Heroes confirmed her desire to become a teacher. “I felt like I had a great impact.”
Bryanna wants to attend nursing school after graduation. Her goal is to work for the American Red Cross, and then become a pediatric oncology nurse at a hospital. She said that High School Heroes was a valuable experience for her in working with children and developing her communication skills.

“It's a great program,” she said. “It opens many doors for you.”

Through the Finance Park program, Bryanna and Genesis traveled to Islandia to participate in a financial literacy simulation with students from other Long Island high schools. Working in teams, they created a fictitious person with a salary, career and family, then experienced real-world financial situations such as buying a car, paying bills and taxes, managing student debt and more. It helped them learn how to budget their money, and evaluate the benefits and risks of saving and investing.

Genesis said that her involvement in Junior Achievement has given her other opportunities. By working with bilingual classes as part of High School Heroes, she was chosen to tutor a bilingual student from Northwest Elementary School by videoconference during the school closure from the COVID-19 pandemic. She is also enrolled in education courses at Amityville Memorial High School through St. Joseph’s College and works with children at an afterschool program through SCOPE Education Services.

Bryanna and Genesis had their Student of the Year interviews in early May, during which they were asked about their involvement in Junior Achievement’s program, how it benefitted them, their future goals and other involvement in school. The Student of the Year will serve as the premier student ambassador for Junior Achievement New York and attend fundraising events throughout the year. Up to four finalists will be chosen, with each receiving $1,000, and will be invited to attend networking events, and other students in the Top 10 will get $250 each. 

In addition to Junior Achievement, the girls are members of the Key Club, National Honor Society, World Language Honor Society and Warrior Awareness Club. Genesis is also involved with student government and plays soccer, and Genesis belongs to Breaking Borders.