Despite the challenges associated with the 2020-2021 school year, the students and staff in the Lynbrook School District continued to achieve at a high level. Below is just a small sample of highlights throughout the year.
SEPTEMBER
• Six seniors were recognized as 2020 All-State participants and/or alternates by the New York State School Music Association. Due to the health crisis, the All-State Conference which usually is held in Rochester, NY, was held virtually this year in December.
• One hundred and twelve students from Lynbrook High School’s Class of 2020 and 2021 were honored as Advanced Placement Scholars by the College Board for their outstanding scores on the college-level Advanced Placement exams.
OCTOBER
• Lynbrook High School Key Club members participated in their annual gourmet popcorn sale and raised about $18,500 for the following charities: The Dr. Santo Barbarino Scholarship Fund, Rose Brucia Educational Foundation, Long Island Coalition for the Homeless, Kiwanis Children’s Fund and Project 9 Line.
• Sophomore Elias Sherman was one of only 193 artists from across the world to have his original flag design selected by the Rockefeller Center Flag Project.
• Due to the postponement of sports in Nassau County, the Lynbrook Athletic Department created an intramural program for middle and high school students which consisted of low-risk sports and conditioning.
NOVEMBER
• The Waverly Park Student Council collected 10 full boxes of food to deliver to the Five Towns Community Center, Inc. to help feed families during the Thanksgiving holiday.
• Three senior student-athletes signed their commitment letters to play their sport of choice at the collegiate level.
• Lynbrook High School National Art Honor Society members facilitated their fourth “Gifted” online art auction where they raised $840 to purchase Target gift cards for Lynbrook High School families in need during the holiday season.
DECEMBER
• Seniors Christina Franco and Joseph Giovinco were recognized with the Outstanding Physical Education Student Award from the Nassau Zone of the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance.
• Lynbrook High School National Honor Society members participated in a toy, craft and game drive to support the pediatric department and pediatric critical care unit at NYU Langone Hospital – Long Island. The students collected 10 boxes of new toys, crafts and games for children at the hospital to enjoy.
• West End Student Council members held a toy drive for families in need which were delivered to Toys for Tots and to local families to make their holidays brighter.
JANUARY
• Four seniors from Lynbrook High School were selected to perform in the National Association for Music Education’s 2021 All-Eastern Honors Ensembles.
• Senior Damaris Hernandez was nominated for the 2021 United States Presidential Scholars Program. She was one of five New York seniors to be nominated for demonstrating ability and accomplishment in career and technical education.
• Members of the Marion Street Student Council facilitated an online toy drive where they donated more than 125 toys to Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital. They also created a Mitten Tree and collected 254 items for the Salvation Army.
• Waverly Park Student Council members raised $500 through their kindness grams fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House of Long Island to fill its Amazon Wish List during the holiday season.
FEBRUARY
• West End remote and in-person fourth and fifth grade students participated in a letter writing project to thank essential workers across Long Island who worked on the frontlines throughout the pandemic.
• Students and staff from Waverly Park Elementary School and Lynbrook North Middle School participated in a ‘Soup’er Bowl Challenge where they collected 150 cans of food to donate to the Baldwin Jewish Center for those in need.
MARCH
• While partnering with the non-profit organization Reason2Smile, Marion Street third graders facilitated a fundraiser, Kindness for Kenya and raised $345 for the Jambo Jipya School and Children’s Home in Mtwapa, Kenya.
• Students, staff and families from throughout the district showed their strong support for Lynbrook High School’s Class of 2021 by participating in Lynbrook “Lights the Sky” event. It encouraged community members to place a purchased luminary bag outside their homes for the graduating seniors. It was sponsored by each Lynbrook school’s student government association to benefit the Lynbrook PTA Joint Council’s senior scholarship fund.
• Lynbrook High School Virtual Enterprise students and their business, Fit Kit, were recognized as the number one VE business in the United States in top sales internationally over the last six months. Fit Kit was also ranked in the top 15 worldwide for traders during Feb. 2021 and won top overall performance with nearly 2,000 transactions.
APRIL
• The district was recognized with the Best Communities for Music Education designation by the NAMM Foundation for the ninth consecutive year. Each year, hundreds of school districts across the country are awarded with the prestigious honor for their high commitment to music education and for providing access to music instruction for all students.
• Thirteen senior student-athletes from Lynbrook High School made their college commitments for next year.
• Members of Lynbrook High School’s newspaper, Horizon, were honored with top awards in the New York Press Association Better Newspaper Contest. They earned second place for their news website, lhshorizon.com, while Elizabeth DiFiore took home third place in the Best Feature Story category for her piece, “The Pandemic Through the Eye of an ER Nurse.” In addition, Julia Swerdin was recognized with the honorable mention award in the Best Feature Story category for her piece, “LHS Students Take a Seat to Make a Stand” and received second place in the Best Sports Story category for her story, “Lynbrook Kicks Off Intramural Sports Season.”
MAY
• Lynbrook South Middle School eighth graders in Matthew Schneck’s earth science classes participated in PSEG Long Island’s Earth Day video public service announcement contest where three groups were selected as semifinalists and one group moved forward as one of the top 10 winners.
• Students and staff from West End Elementary School created care packages for the families at the Ronald McDonald House in New Hyde Park based on the charity’s list of needs.
• Four Lynbrook students participated in the 2021 virtual Long Island Science and Engineering Fair, hosted by Society for Science. Here, three of the students earned special awards and two of the three advanced to the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair for their first place LISEF projects.
JUNE
• As part of the schools Kindness Initiative, students at Waverly Park created a kindness pathway.
• The Kindergarten Center dedicated its courtyard in name of former building principal and assistant superintendent Dr. John Beyrer.
• Of the 229 students in the Lynbrook High School Class of 2021, 100% received a New York State Regents Diploma.