Ward Melville High School senior Ethan Boyce was awarded the 2023 Dr. Jong Pil Lee Memorial Scholarship from the Long Island Mathematics Conference Board. Through this scholarship, Boyce wrote about R.C. Murphy Junior High School teacher Matthew Cifuni as the teacher who has most inspired him. Mr. Cifuni was also awarded a certificate for being honored as an impactful educator.

Dr. Jong Pil Lee founded the annual Long Island Mathematics Conference, the Institute of Leadership Development for Teaching Mathematics and Technology, the Institute of Creative Problem Solving and the Long Island Mathematics Scholarship Foundation for Minority Students. The scholarship was named in his honor after he passed and is given to Long Island students of African American, Native American or Non-European Hispanic American descent who have a cumulative “B” average or better and are seriously planning to major in mathematics in college.

Date Added: 3/27/2023

P.J. Gelinas and R.C. Murphy junior high schools’ students recently competed in the Suffolk County MoMathlon presented by the National Museum of Mathematics with support from Brookhaven National Laboratory. The tournament takes place during the course of one school day. Students put their thinking to the test with three rounds of mathematical problems – an individual round, a team round and a mix-up round. Following the competition rounds, an educator leads students through a discussion of the solutions to explore new ways of reaching answers. At this time, participants can share their problem-solving strategies with their fellow student mathematicians.

The Gelinas Junior High School team made up of Amanda Liang, Valentina Trajkovic, Terrence Wang, Jason Yin and Victoria Ye came in first place in the team competition. Additionally, there were noteworthy achievements in the individual rounds. Yin placed second in the upper division of the individual round and Liang placed fourth. Wang also placed third in the lower division of the individual round.

Murphy Junior High School’s team made up of Alan Fagan, Bonnie Fagan, Harry Gao, Lawrence Sun and Gabrielle Wong placed fourth in the team competition. However, Gao came in first place in the individual round.

Not only does the tournament engage students with mathematical challenges and brain teasers, it introduces them to new friends while experiencing an exciting yet competitive environment.

Date Added: 3/23/2023

Mr. Angermaier's seventh grade technology students culminated their 3D design unit with the creation of a dream interior space. Starting with appropriate dimensions, students used SketchUp software to draw an empty room, then learned how to model and modify furniture and accessories to customize their creation. Students worked with various 3D design tools, colors and materials and were encouraged to use creativity to personalize their space. Throughout the assignment, an emphasis was placed on measuring, scale, proportions and rendering the final project.

Date Added: 3/16/2023

R.C. Murphy Junior High School student Thomas Mango was recognized by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards for his flash fiction piece titled, “The Dark Shades of Autumn.” TJ’s story, which he wrote in English class, was awarded an Honorable Mention.

Only the top 2-15% of the 250,000 from around the country are recognized in this competition. The award program is considered “the nation’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens.”

Date Added: 3/14/2023

On March 11, more than 400 students from 17 Long Island schools gathered at R.C. Murphy Junior High School in Three Village for the regional Science Olympiad. Students took part in several science-related events – from flying planes, to coding, to building roller coasters.

One of the teams from P.J. Gelinas Junior High School in Three Village came out on top, earning a bid to the state competition. A team from R.C. Murphy Junior High School also earned a ticket to states by placing fourth. The middle school division state competition takes place next month in Syracuse.

Science Olympiad is known as the premier team STEM competition in the United States. It seeks to engage and challenge students in STEM through various levels of team-based, collaborative and competitive tournaments.

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Date Added: 3/14/2023