Lynbrook student earns BOCES award

Jonah Rothafel, from the Lynbrook School District, earned the Nassau BOCES George Farber Outstanding Student Award for his outstanding commitment to achieving his goals. He was among 17 honorees recognized during a gala ceremony held at the Nassau BOCES Long Island High School for the Arts in Syosset recently. 

A student at Eagle Avenue Middle School (EAMS), Jonah’s interests and abilities are diverse. With a talent for animal care, he’s taken stewardship of the school’s fish, lizard and frog, feeding them and cleaning their tanks. He is equally adept at his passion — working with computers. He helps the staff to resolve computer issues, often offering advice on how to use the technology more efficiently.

“Jonah is a compassionate, respectful and helpful young man,” said his award nominator. “He never shies away from a task and takes his responsibilities very seriously.” Jonah is an advocate for his classmates and an active participant in Eagle Avenue’s recycling program, committed to keeping his school and his neighborhood “clean and green.”

EAMS serves students age 10 to 14 with learning, behavioral, emotional and developmental disabilities. The middle school program provides experiences of growth and independence in an academic setting that is geared to meeting student-specific needs.