Seven rising seniors at Westhampton Beach High School are spending their summer immersed in science through Brookhaven National Laboratory’s SPARK program.

Two of the students participating this year returned to the program to continue work on their AP Research projects. Abigail Curran is studying microplastic association with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and Graelyn LoRusso is exploring sunscreen accumulation in larval clams. Both are using the lab’s infrared beamline (FIS) technology for their research.

So far, new SPARK participants Halle Gellerew, Fahtima Iqbal, James Monseratte, Jordan Razzano and Zoey Rudolph learned about infrared spectroscopy, designed and conducted a microplastic analysis experiment, and determined the chemical composition of the plastic using infrared microscopy.

Date Added: 7/25/2024

Westhampton Beach High School valedictorian Meghan Kelly was among those honored at the Suffolk County School Superintendents Association’s 30th annual Valedictorians Luncheon at Villa Lombardi’s in Holbrook. The tradition, established by the SCSSA, honored the enviable accomplishments of the county’s highest-achieving graduates from the Class of 2024 and was attended by school district superintendents, high school principals, valedictorians and their parents.

SCSSA President Dr. Timothy Hearney noted that leadership begins with one’s mindset. He advised the graduates to reflect on what matters and to find purpose and meaning in what they choose to do in life. He added, “Leadership is about finding joy,” and encouraged the students to “work hard to find joy in what you do.”

Guest speaker Matthew Cohen, president and chief executive officer of the Long Island Association, defined the group of valedictorians as “people who are going to think out of the box to find solutions.” His heartfelt speech included the advice to “take advantage of all the opportunities offered to you” and to “stick with things, no matter how hard.”

The valedictorians were then called to the stage, accompanied by their school district superintendent and high school principal, to receive a certificate of recognition, the book “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss and a journal from SCOPE.

Date Added: 6/21/2024

Proudly wearing their green graduation gowns, members of the Westhampton Beach High School Class of 2024 marched through the halls of their former elementary school on June 17. They reminisced about their early school days and provided inspiration to current students. As they took the traditional senior walk, the elementary students cheered, clapped and held up signs of congratulations.

Date Added: 6/20/2024

Westhampton Beach High School students Sullivan Norton, Liam Parsons and Julia Stabile have earned scholarships for committing to enlist in ROTC programs in college. Norton signed up for the Navy ROTC at the University of Colorado, Parsons will be a member of the Army ROTC at St. Lawrence University and Stabile joined the Marines ROTC at Penn State University. The Westhampton Beach School District extends its well wishes and congratulations to the seniors.

Date Added: 6/19/2024

The designs and slogans of five Westhampton Beach High School marketing students in Amy Demchak’s class are now featured on cups at Hampton Coffee Company in Westhampton Beach.

The designs of Luke Albert, Donye' Hope, Sienna Macdonald and Jayden Valenti were selected following a hands-on project where they put their marketing and branding skills to the test.

The students were challenged by Hampton Coffee to create a coffee cup label that promotes their brand. They were presented with the challenge following a presentation by Hampton Coffee Marketing Manager Edythe Collins, who spoke to the students about the importance of branding, as well as her position with the company.

Date Added: 6/18/2024