Elwood’s Board of Education recognized some outstanding students during its meeting on May 9.

James H. Boyd fifth-graders Megan LaMena and Christopher Mascia, and Elwood Middle School eighth-graders Sophia Pelkofsky and Connor Monclova were brought before the Board in commendation for being named Suffolk Zone Award Winners. Each year the NYS Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance recognizes one boy and one girl from elementary and middle school across Suffolk County. To be selected for this award, students much be extraordinary examples of leadership and dedication in their physical education programs.

“These students are true ‘all-stars’ in every sense of the term,” said District Athletic Director Dave Shanahan. “They exhibit extraordinary energy and strive to be good examples for their peers every day.”

Additionally, two outstanding high school students were presented to the Board by Director of Math, Science and Technology Eileen Kelly-Gorman.

Sophomore Ben Farina, who recently competed in the Brookhaven National Labs Annual Bridge Competition, was commended for receiving the Aesthetic Award for his design.

Sophomore Rithika Narayan was recognized for multiple awards in math and science she’s received over the past year. Two of the most notable include her recent participation at the Al Kalfus Long Island Math fair where she received a gold medal for her patent pending project titled: A Mixed Lattice Approach For The Determination Of The Area Of Irregular Curved Plane Regions. Additionally, Rithika advanced from Island to state-level in the New York State Science and Engineering Fair, where she placed third in the math category.

“Watching each of these students grow in their ability to think critically in the areas of STEM has been such a privilege,” said Ms. Kelly-Gorman, “and I am confident they will continue to succeed in whatever they put their minds to in the future.”