History came alive for students in the district as veterans, representing different branches of the military and different conflict periods, shared their experiences. Edmund W. Miles Middle School hosted Veterans Appreciation Day on Nov. 13, and Amityville Memorial High School’s program followed on Nov. 15.

At the middle school, a dozen veterans spent the day visiting social studies classes. Among the speakers were Board of Education First Vice President Juan Leon, Amityville Village Trustee Nick LaLota and district staff members. A few active servicemen communicated with the students through videoconferences.

They discussed their reasons for joining the armed force, basic training, military life, responsibilities, challenges and return to civilian life. Many of the speakers said what they enjoyed most about serving was having the opportunity to travel all over the world.

“The military is so much more than combat and war,” ninth-grade social studies teacher Jack Zider said. “We wanted to give our students an appreciation for our veterans and their many roles in serving our country.”

Veterans also spoke to students in their social studies classes at the high school. Social studies department Chairwoman Dawn Mizrachi said that their personal experiences provided students with a deeper understanding of history.

A dominant season for the Amityville Memorial High School boys soccer team culminated with a state championship. The Warriors defeated the Somers High School Tuskers, 2-1, in the NYSPHSAA Class A Finals on Nov. 11 in Middletown. 

After going undefeated in the regular season, along with one tie, the Warriors breezed through the playoffs. They beat Hauppauge High School, 3-1, on Nov. 1 to win the Suffolk Class A championship and captured the Long Island title three days later with a 5-0 win over Mepham High School. In the state semifinals, Amityville defeated Rochester Brighton 2-0 on Nov. 10 to set up their match with Somers. 

Led by coach Mike Abbondondolo, the Warriors captured their second championship in school history, with the first coming in 2015. Henry Martinez scored both goals in the clinching game, but Amityville got contributions from up and down the roster in its playoff run including Rolman Guardado, Kymani Hines, Angel Zavala and goaltender Kyle Barsic. 

While 3D printing has become increasingly popular in recent years, students in the Amityville Union Free School District will be getting a unique experience with the technology. Middle and high school students in the Independent Science Research program will be taking part in a nano 3D printing project in partnership with Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Teacher Alexis Charles and students drafted a proposal that was accepted by BNL to use its nanofabrication facility. The project required Ms. Charles to visit several times over the summer to be trained on the machine because she will be the one allowed into BNL’s “clean room.” Students will dictate the procedure to create a microscopic structure to grow cells.

Students involved in the project include John Hermann, Randy Jerez, Keiry Martinez, Maurice Pettway, Keniese Price, Rene Santos, Trea’von Smith, and Z’Dhanne Williams.

Amityville’s science research students work closely on other projects with Farmingdale State College biology professor Dr. Andrew Michaelson, and from him they learned about two dental procedures that have a high rate of failure. Indirect pulp capping has a 10 percent rate of failure, and direct pulp capping fails at 20 percent, which Ms. Charles explained is high for such costly procedures. 

The students are looking to grow dentin cells, and if their project is successful, it could revolutionize the procedure and increase the rate of success. Dentin cells are the part of teeth sensitive to hot and cold. The cells would be grown in vitro — outside of the mouth — which is why a small structure is required. Students will design the structure using computer assisted drawing software.

Ninth-grader Rene Santos said that creating the structure will pose some challenges because of its small size. Once it is made, it has to be carefully dried as an air gun would blow it away. Additionally, it will require a high-powered microscope to see. 

Ms. Charles said that in order to have the proposal accepted by a panel of three BNL scientists, it had to meet two standards. It had to contribute merit to the scientific community and also be feasible to make on the available equipment. Scientist Ming Lu has joined the project and is providing support to the group, such as giving students tips on how to overcome common problems encountered when designing an on object of a microscopic scale. 

In preparation for the upcoming project, the science research students have already had some experience designing objects using CAD software. They have learned about the difference between 3D printing and nano 3D printing, the latter using a gel to create a microscopic object as opposed to a plastic filament that builds layer by layer. 

“This type of project isn’t what the average ninth- or 10th-grader does,” said freshman Randy Jerez. “It’s a blessing to be in a group like this at such as young age, and to be able to make a difference in the dental industry.”

Ms. Charles said that the project has attracted students with many different interests, and that there is a place for everyone to contribute. Some are interested in the scientific and medical aspects, while others want to contribute their creativity and imagination to the design process. 

She added that the group is hoping to have the project substantially complete so they can compete in next year’s Long Island Science and Engineering Fair. 

The Warriors took on the fight against breast cancer as Amityville Memorial High School athletic teams raised nearly $750 during October which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Money was donated to various causes that support research and assist patients.

The girls varsity soccer team played their Kicks for Cancer home game on Oct. 15 against neighboring Copiague. It culminated a fundraising effort which included selling raffle tickets for various prizes and hosting a bake sale. The girls wore special uniforms with pink lettering along with pink socks hair ribbons. The fence adjoining the field was adorned with pink streamers and pink and white balloons. 

“They were enthusiastic about it and wanted to help the cause,” said head coach Angela Steiger. 

That same afternoon, the girls junior varsity and varsity volleyball teams held their Dig Pink games against Islip. The team sold baked goods, pink lemonade and pink “Just Cure It” shirts to raise money. Amityville was among dozens of high schools participating in the Dig Pink initiative which supports the Side-Out Foundation.

From A to Z, Amityville Memorial High School seniors lined up by first name during an activity at Amityville Beach on Oct. 10. The trick was, they had to do it without talking.

It was one of several bonding activities that seniors participated in during Awareness Day, an annual fall event for the senior class. Special education teacher Jason McGowan, who organized the day, said it was an opportunity for students to get to know each other better before they graduate and head off in different directions. 

A popular activity was the rock-paper-scissors competition. Students randomly paired up, and winners continued playing until a champion emerged. During Link It Up, each student found a peer who shared something in common like his or her birthday months or favorite food. Mr. McGowan posed questions to them to prompt discussions.

Later in the day, students formed groups of eight to 10, and that became their “family group” for the day. They were encouraged to join up with people who weren’t in their normal circle of friends. 

Noah Odige is in his second year at Amityville Memorial High School, so as a newcomer to a class that has largely been together since kindergarten, he enjoyed the experience. In addition to getting know his classmates better, Noah said Awareness Day helped strengthen existing friendships and created new ones.

“It’s a great bonding experience for the seniors,” he said. “It makes us stronger as a class.”

In November, the school will host Awareness Weekend, which is open to students in grades 10-12. The Friday afternoon to Saturday night event will include bonding activities, guest speakers and a sleepover in the school.