An impressive 164 students in grades 5-12 at the East Meadow School District have been chosen to participate in the Nassau Music Educators Association’s All-County ensembles. Several concerts are planned throughout January to showcase the student-musicians. 

All-County selection represents one of the highest achievements in music for students. Performers are chosen based on their scores at the New York State School Music Association Solo Evaluation Festival and teacher recommendations. 

In addition to their All-County accomplishment, seven middle school and 12 high school students were also selected to perform in the Long Island String Festival Association’s Nassau Intermediate and Secondary festivals. 

“We are extremely proud of the students who have been accepted to represent the East Meadow School District in these prestigious music festivals,” said Kelly Gelfer, the district’s director of art and music. “They are representative of the exceptional music education taking place in East Meadow.” 

Twelve students from Woodland Middle School in the East Meadow School District participated in the school’s competition of the National Geographic GeoBee on Dec. 5. Eighth grader Oscar Stolarczyk captured first place, while seventh grader Abdallah Geweida placed second. 

The school competition is the first of three rounds in the annual National Geographic GeoBee. The geography competition is designed to inspire students to learn more about the world. Questions cover geography, ancient and world civilizations, and cultures. More than 120 million students have learned about the world through participation in the GeoBee since its inception in 1989. 

School champions, including Oscar, will take an online qualifying test in an attempt to compete in the next round. The top 100 test scorers will earn a spot in the state GeoBee. From there, the state champion will participate in the GeoBee national championship in 2020. Students compete for cash prizes, scholarships and an all-expenses paid expedition to the Galápagos Islands aboard the National Geographic Endeavour II. 

The district congratulates Oscar on his achievement and the rest of the student participants for their curiosity about the world. To learn more about the National Geographic Society and the GeoBee, visit www.nationalgeographic.org.