South students have solutions

Students at Valley Stream South High School learned that if they want to see the world’s problems solved, they should come up with some solutions.

So they did just that. On June 4, three groups of students presented their ideas to a panel through the annual Project Citizen program. The simulated hearings gave the students a chance to research actual issues, from the local to the national level, and discuss their proposed solutions.

The issues included alternative energy on Long Island, education in New York state and campaign finance reform. There were two groups of 11th graders from Advanced Placement U.S. History courses, and a group of eighth graders in the accelerated U.S. History class.

The first group looked at ways to create more solar and wind energy in the Town of Hempstead. The presenters, Azam Ahmed, Robert Briksza, Christina Casillo, Andrew Hess and Francesca McGuire, said that major public outreach would be needed to support these initiatives because there is a significant cost.

“We really hope that it makes an impact,” McGuire said of the presentation. “It’s going to affect our future and our children’s future so we should make the change now.”

Casillo said the group did a lot of research about the green initiatives the Town of Hempstead already has, and looked at the cost and benefits of wind and solar energy. Member of the group added that they would like to see solar panels at South High School.

The second group, consisting of juniors Taylor Famighetti, Chris Infantino, Aimee Kaplan, Stephanie Persaud and Jeanne Powell, talked about education in New York. They said that many students graduate from high school only knowing the bare minimum, and proposed raising the passing grade from 65 to 75.

The students highlighted other states and nations where students perform better, as well as the general “anti-school climate” among many teenagers. They also discussed some of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed education reforms, and called for better funding of schools.

Kaplan said she was surprised when she learned that New York state’s high school graduation rate is only 70 percent, because it is so much higher in Valley Stream. She said she was honored to be able to speak about an issue that she feels passionate about.

Eighth-graders Samouri Emmanuel, Kierra Laube, Aubrey Luna, Laura Murray and Justin Sampson discussed campaign finance reform. They proposed a constitutional amendment that would limit how much money private interests could give to candidates. They also want to start a petition to get citizens behind this issue saying, “The people are the power behind the solution.”

The panel included Superintendent Dr. Bill Heidenreich, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Thomas Troisi, Principal Maureen Henry, South technology teacher and village Mayor Ed Fare and social studies teachers Julian Farrell and Peter Mastrota. They commented on each group’s presentation and also asked questions.

While there were only five presenters per group, all of the students from each class contributed to the projects, whether it was by doing research or creating a video. The students who weren’t in the front of the room, filled out the library wearing light blue Project Citizens T-shirts with the slogan “Get Involved #Democracy.”

Mastrota said that South has been hosting the simulated hearings each June for the past five years. “I’m very proud of them,” he said of the students. “I think they definitely rose to the challenge. It gets them to care. It gets them to see not only their role in society, but the real possibility for change.”