Students from W.T. Clarke Middle School competed in National Geographic’s GeoBee on Jan. 13. Seventh grader Shelby Tell took first place in the schoolwide contest, while eighth grader Nick Johnson captured second. 


Students qualified for the school’s competition by winning their individual social studies classes’ GeoBees. The geography competition is designed to inspire students to learn more about the world. Questions cover geography, ancient and world civilizations, and cultures.


Shelby will now take an online qualifying test in hopes of moving on to the state level of the competition, where students will compete to participate in the national championship. National awards include cash prizes, scholarships and an all-expenses-paid expedition to the Galápagos Islands aboard the National Geographic Endeavour II.


The district congratulates Shelby on her achievement and all students who participated. To learn more about the National Geographic Society and the GeoBee, visit www.nationalgeographic.org. 


Photo caption: 
1) W.T. Clarke Middle School students Nick Johnson and Shelby Tell were the top two competitors in their school’s National Geographic GeoBee on Jan. 13. 


Photo courtesy of the East Meadow Union Free School District 

Three eighth graders from W.T. Clarke Middle School in the East Meadow School District were among 12 students named winners of the Young Poets Contest. Abigail Feinstein, Arpita Raisah and Lina Resende will have their poems displayed on-site at the New York Botanical Garden and on the NYBG website.

Sponsored by the Poetry Society of America and the NYBG, the contest invited students to submit poems inspired by the winter and holiday season. Judges from the NYBG and the Poetry Society of America selected the semifinalists. From there, renowned New York poet and former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins narrowed the selection to 12 winners. 

The three East Meadow students shared their work at a reading at the NYBG on Dec. 15 for their families and the public. The district congratulates them on this impressive achievement. 

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.” 

In keeping with annual tradition, the student government of W.T. Clarke Middle School in the East Meadow School District sponsored a Vietnam War veterans assembly on Nov. 8. 

The event is planned each year to coincide with Veterans Day and aligns with the eighth grade social studies curriculum which covers the Vietnam War. It also complements the English language arts study of Thanhha Lai’s novel “Inside Out and Back Again;” a diary of a young girl living in Vietnam during the war and her move to the United States.
 
The assembly brought in a group of local veterans from the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Bellmore to speak to the students about their experiences during and after the war. The veterans delivered a powerful and informative presentation, and the district thanks them for volunteering their time.