BY JOHN NUGENT AND RAVYN MALVINO
The Roslyn school board honored five students for their achievements in music and science at its meeting last Thursday.
The meeting began with board President Meryl Waxman Ben-Levy introducing Roslyn High School music teachers Michael Coffey and Frank Mauriello to speak about their students Sarah Kim and Leah Arbitman, respectively.
“Being chosen to perform in an All-State ensemble is a musical honor unparalleled in New York State’s public schools,” Coffey said. “It is an honor bestowed only the elite. Sarah was not only among those chosen to participate, but through her mastery of the violin, she achieved the position of concertmistress for this year’s All-State symphony orchestra.”
“From the moment I met Leah, it didn’t take very long to see what a standout student she was,” Mauriello said. “She was always on time, prepared, responsible, dedicated, very well-liked by her peers and her musical talents are off the charts.”
Ben-Levy thanked the music department for hard work and service to the students.
“I want to say on behalf of the Board of Education, those students are stellar and that does not come without exceptional leadership in our music department,” Ben-Levy said.
Ben-Levy then introduced scientific research coordinator Allyson Weseley to honor Roslyn High seniors William Borges, Andrew Goldberg and Jake Stoller, who have been selected as scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search. Each student has been a part of the school’s science research program for four years.
Borges shared information about his research at Stony Brook University working to purify water using cellulose. Borges found that 88 percent of nitrogen could be removed from water using one of the forms of cellulose he created.
“Nitrogen is a big problem that faces Long Island currently so I was trying to tackle a local issue,” Borges said. “Once the nitrogen was loaded onto the materials, I applied them as fertilizers for sustainable agriculture so they can create this cycle of removing waste from water and turning it into positive forces for the environment.”
Borges has gained early acceptance to Brown University, where he will major in public health.
Goldberg has done extensive research on schizophrenia. He explained the illness as one of “sensory processing” in which people suffer from delusions and hallucinations caused by the brain “not holding information long enough or holding it too long.”
Ben-Levy praised Goldberg for his interest in mental health, saying, “It does not get as much attention as other health issues.”
Although he has been accepted at Princeton University, Goldberg has not yet made a decision on his college choice.
Stoller, who worked with scientists at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, has investigated combining different chemotherapies to treat certain types of sarcomas. He will attend Duke University next year, and will study biology and economics, aiming for a career in biotechnology.
After the presentations, board Vice President Clifford Saffron spoke of his admiration for the students.
“It’s absolutely remarkable to have students like you,” Saffron said.
