Katie Marcy, seated, a Kennedy High School senior, signed a letter of intent on Tuesday to play soccer for Wagner College on Staten Island, a Division I school. more

One Kennedy High School senior studied whether endophytic bacteria injected into poplars would allow the trees to grow in inhospitable rocky and sandy soil. The research, conducted at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Suffolk County, could one day help solve both the world fuel and hunger crises. more

Fireworks have exploded and the ball has dropped once again; 2010 has officially begun. This New Year, we are entering an entirely new decade. Who knows what to expect during the next 10 years? Past decades each seem to have distinctly stood out with specific connotations and names for themselves. The 1960s are commonly remembered as the hippie years, when young people listened to new forms of music and felt free and rebellious. A number of years later, the 1990s came along, and technology advanced to a whole new level, introducing us to the first DVD player and cell phones with built-in visual displays. more

In her freshman year at Kennedy High School in 2007, Bellmorite Stefanie Busgang suddenly started to lose her memory. The then 14-year-old couldn't remember how she got from one room to the next. "I was sitting in one place, and I'd be wondering how I got there," she recalled. more

Six Kennedy High School seniors have been named Commended Students in the 2010 National Merit Scholarship Program. They are among 34,000 high school seniors (out of more than 1.5 million) to be recognized for their exceptional academic promise as evidenced by their performance on the 2008 PSAT / National Merit Qualifying Test. Above are, back row, from left, Barri Bruno, Kenneth Dolitsky, Daniel Reisner and Jeremy Roberts; front row, from left, Logan Sorrentino and Stephanie Weiner. more

Ten Kennedy High School seniors were recently inducted into the National Honor Society, which was founded in 1921 by the National Association of Secondary School Principals. More than a million students take part in the activities of the National Honor Society, with chapters in all 50 states. Selection is based on four criteria: outstanding scholastic achievements, community service, leadership and character. Congratulations to Nicholas Costable, Gilad Gamliel, Daniel Garf, Ian Gray, Ryan Pastuch, Michelle Raider, Daniel Reisner, Daniel Wong, William Yegelwel and Connor Zalud. more

Tracy and David Banner, owners of Banner Auto Repair in Bellmore, recently received a $750 grant from the ExxonMobil Educational Alliance for John F. Kennedy High School. more

As evidenced by the recent razor-thin margin of victory achieved by Nassau County Executive-elect Edward P. Mangano recently, every vote counts. Many high school seniors, like me, are approaching their 18th birthdays. It's a significant milestone in many ways, but most important, we are granted the privilege to vote. more

Calhoun, Kennedy and Mepham high schools all celebrated Homecoming on Saturday, and students had a blast at the pre-game parades and at the big football games, despite all three home teams losing. Calhoun went down to Massapequa, 24-20. Kennedy lost a heartbreaker to Division, 21-20, after being up 20-0 at halftime. And Mepham was overpowered by No. 4 seed Wantagh, 30-7. more