Inspired by the entrepreneurial show “Shark Tank,” students in the creative writing class at Edmund W. Miles Middle School had to come up with their own ideas for products. 

One of the essential elements of the class is having students generate ideas by tapping into their imaginations, and this project accomplished just that. Eighth and ninth graders worked in teams to create products that they believed would be a hit with the public. On Jan. 27, students presented to their classmates as if they were potential investors.

Each group created a Google Slide presentation and had to include a description of the product or service, why it is relevant in 2020, the cost, an advertising campaign plan, a catchy jingle or slogan, product review quotes and the investment cost. Teacher Katie Pallini explained that, as an avid fan of “Shark Tank,” she had students include information that the aspiring entrepreneurs typically present in their investment pitches.

Among that ideas that students presented were a cooking machine called the Food-O-Matic 3000 and an shoe app that would notify someone when new sneakers come out and where they could be purchased. Ms. Pallini said that their products were very imaginative.

As the goal of the project was to win over a theoretical panel of investors, Ms. Pallini said that this will help them going forward with persuasive writing pieces. 

Six student artists from the district were chosen to have their pieces displayed in a pair of prestigious Long Island art shows.

The Suffolk County Art Leaders Association’s All-County Art Exhibition will feature the work of four students from Edmund W. Miles Middle School and Amityville Memorial High School, including ninth grader Hasslyn Hurtado, 10th grader Neyri Ayala, 11th grader Kaya Branscum and 12th grader Ash Dixon. 

Hasslyn’s piece “Christmas Cupcakes” was created with oil pastels. Neyri completed a paper mosaic, “Amanecer,” and Kaya has her mixed media acrylic painting, “Melting Heat,” in the show. Ash entered a variety of untitled drawings, paintings and mixed media work into the senior scholarship portion of the competition. A reception for the artists was held on Feb. 1 at Old Town Hall in Babylon.

Ash and Kaya join seniors Crystal Fells and Katherine Gomez Gutierrez in the Go APE! 13th annual Advanced Placement High School Student Art Exhibition. Kaya and Crystal submitted mixed media using the technique of photo transfer. Ash’s “Shoe” and Katherine’s “Pop Shoe” pieces were made with acrylic paint. 

The show runs from Feb. 15 to March 1 at the Art League of Long Island’s Jeanie Tengelsen Gallery in Dix Hills, with a reception and awards presentation on the final day.

Students completed their work under the direction of art teachers Jayne Grasso, Nicole Pappas and Nicole Scoca.

The start of the second half of the school year marked a new beginning for eighth grade readers at Edmund W. Miles Middle School. Students went book shopping to launch the unit on dystopian and fantasy literature. 

Dozens of books awaited students as they arrived in Katie Rosario’s and Christina Romeo’s classes on Jan. 21. They were given the opportunity to browse through the selections and pick two novels that they will read over the next several weeks. Some of the popular books and series available were “Among the Hidden,” “Divergent,” “The Hunger Games” and “The Maze Runner.” Reader’s Workshop, through Columbia University Teacher’s College, encourages student choice in reading. 

“Find a book that you’re really going to want to stick with,” Ms. Rosario told students as they sampled different titles. Books came from both the classroom library and the school library, which both have extensive choices for readers.

Ms. Rosario said that her students will be reading several short story “mentor texts” together from the dystopian and fantasy genres to analyze different literary elements. They will then make comparisons to their selected novels. Students will also learn how to identify story themes, which will help them in an upcoming thematic essay writing unit.

Nearly 50 members of the Edmund W. Miles Middle School chorus, under the direction of Debra Koraus, sang for residents of the Dominican Village Long Island Assisted Living Community, as part of the middle school’s ongoing initiative to foster a culture of compassion and kindness. 

Chorus members visited the assisted living facility on Dec. 19 and performed songs from their recent winter concert as well as other seasonal favorites including a “Deck the Halls” medley, the traditional “Dona Nobis Pacem,” “Nutcracker Jingle Bells” and “Feliz Navidad.”  Students gave their time prior to the trip to hand-write holiday cards with personalized messages to Dominican Village residents, which were then handed out at the conclusion of the performance, during which the chorus sang “Let There Be Peace on Earth.”

“It was a truly touching experience for both the students and residents alike,” Ms. Koraus said. “Dominican Village residents and employees in attendance were so pleased with the music and the students’ presence, that an invitation was immediately extended to return.”

The chorus is looking forward to a “Spring Sing” at Dominican Village in the coming months.