Twenty-six Long Island students have been named first-place individual winners and group winners in a state contest that challenged students to conduct historical research.

The winning projects were among hundreds of submissions in this year’s New York State History Day competition held last month at SUNY Oneonta. The research focused on a theme of “Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History” and was conducted by individuals or groups in five categories: documentary, exhibit, paper, performance and website.

Each category’s first- and second-place winners are eligible for a national competition in Maryland June 14-18. To reach the state level, the students first competed in the Long Island History Day contest, which featured more than 330 projects at Hofstra University in Hempstead in March.

“More Long Island projects move on from the state contest to the national level than any other New York region, highlighting the value our teachers place on historical research,” said Allison Sobel, regional coordinator for Long Island History Day.

Long Island’s first-place winners and their schools: Isabella Deutsch, Tamar Oppenheimer, Leanne Peretz and Lilly Rattner, Hebrew Academy of Long Beach; Nikhil Aggarwal, Kunal Bhardwaj, Callista Domingo, Ryan Khokon, Rehan Malhi, Rhea Mandal, Soor Patel, Krish Shashidharan, Harvir Singh and Karan Singh, Herricks High School; Abigail Mannino, Lianna Mathew and Liliana Paciaroni, Herricks Middle School; Nataly Posada, Huntington High School; Emily Chiu, Alina Qi, Katherine Weng and Ina Woo, Jericho Middle School; Matthew Marulli, North Shore Middle School in Glen Head; Azra Ali and Katie Tao, Syosset High School; and Darius Ilkhani, Wheatley School in Old Westbury.

This year’s projects tackled topics ranging from how the subway revolutionized New York to how domestic and international reactions shaped the Islamic Republic of Iran.

PORT WASHINGTON

Poster contest

Adelaide Janiak, an eighth-grader at Carrie Palmer Weber Middle School in Port Washington, has been named the winner of the “Water Connects Us All” poster contest coordinated by the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the nonprofit New York Water Environment Association.

The contest, which received more than 700 submissions statewide, challenged students to convey the contest’s theme and how they “can be an inspiration for positive environmental action,” according to the DEC.

Adelaide’s poster and 13 other top submissions will be featured in a 2027 calendar.

WANTAGH

New BOCES principal

Matthew Zegers has been appointed principal of Nassau BOCES Center for Community Adjustment, which focuses on students who are “emotionally, behaviorally or developmentally challenged,” the agency said.

Zegers, who replaced Jeannine Stutz, was previously principal of Nassau BOCES Rosemary Kennedy School in Wantagh, where he spent more than 10 years. He has also worked for the state Education Department’s Regional Special Education Technical Assistance Support Center.

“It is an absolute pleasure to work in this agency,” Zegers said in a statement. “Our teachers are incredibly passionate about meeting their students’ needs and building their strengths.”

ISLANDWIDE

Impactful teachers

Judith LeMire of Longwood High School in Middle Island, Priscilla Olberding of West Middle School in Bay Shore and Graham Otton of New Hyde Park Memorial High School have been named winners of this year’s “Above and ‘BEE’yond” contest coordinated by Applebee’s.

They were selected through nominations from students who feel they made “a lasting impact on their academic journey,” according to Applebee’s. The winners will receive $500 to improve their classrooms and an end-of-year class party at their local Applebee’s.

“Their passion and commitment are evident in the powerful stories shared by their students,” said Brian McDonnell, Long Island’s director of operations for Doherty Enterprises, an Applebee’s franchise operator.