Students in Long Beach’s LARC (Learning Activities to Raise Creativity) and APT (Academic Program for the Talented) programs achieved remarkable success in a variety of prestigious competitions at the regional, national, and international levels. These students were recognized at a recent Board of Education meeting.
WordMasters Challenge National Honors
Long Beach LARC students earned impressive accolades in the 2024 WordMasters Challenge™, a national critical thinking competition that tasks students with mastering vocabulary and solving analogies that require both analytical and metaphorical reasoning.
A team of LARC 3rd graders placed 4th in the nation out of 81 teams in the second meet. Contributing to this success were:
- Beckett McCaffrey-Ricardo
- Grace McCaffrey-Ricardo
- Reef Tomao
- Leo Kushner
- Ade Burgess
- Jesse Sardis
- Graham Wilsusen
- Max April
- Benjamin Onufrock
- Juliet Polland
- Waverly Schaffer
- Declan Garvey
Additionally, Jackson Ferraro, Theodore Bergman, and Jiya Klarner each earned a perfect score of 20 on the final meet.
Top Honors:
The following students ranked in the Top 2% nationally and were recognized with High Honors:
- Max April
- Presley Cavallo
- Caylee Donaghy
- Arwyn Donofrio
- Charles Johnston
- Slate Koss
- Benjamin Kupferman
- Beckett McCaffrey-Ricardo
- Kylie McDonnell
- Rowan McLaughlin
- Jack McNicholas
- August Rodabaugh
- Luke Weiss
- Graham Wilsusen
- Theodore Bergman – Perfect Score
- Jiya Klarner – Perfect Score
Honorable Mention:
Awarded to students who ranked in the Top 10% nationally:
- Mason Bermeo
- Ade Burgess
- Noelle Calabrese-Decatrel
- Colin Cestaro
- Brody Dowler
- Madeline Eckert
- John Fenrich
- Peter Latman
- Daniel Mooney
- Vittoria Mortillaro
- Savannah Munisteri
- Maeve O’Sullivan
- Juliet Pagano
- Wolfe Scanio
- Laina Sisko
- Lincoln Tomao
- Jack Wilsusen
- Jackson Ferraro – Also earned a perfect score
- Juliet Polland – Also part of 4th-place team in Meet 2
Wonder League Robotics International Invitational
Long Beach’s 4th grade LARC Robotics teams qualified for the Wonder League Robotics Competition (WLRC) International Invitational Round, an international challenge with over 8,000 teams from 70 countries. Only the top 12% advance to this round, following five months of intensive, story-based coding and problem-solving challenges.
Invitational Team Members Include:
Rider Lalli, Blythe Aull, Noa Johnson, Dylan Llewellyn, Benjamin Kupferman, Jiya Klarner, Luke Kupferman, Noelle Calabrese, Rocket Martin, Savannah Munisteri, McCartney Borello, Presley Cavallo, Brynn Gerns, Elliana Kessler, Dylan Lomitola, Juliet Pagano, Rafe Kaminsky, Luke Weiss, Cole Weiss, Dylan Watts, August Rodabaugh, Mackenzie Pastuch, Abigail Northrop, Ila McNally, Theodore Bergman, Colin Cestaro, John Fenrich, Jonah Jackowitz, and Charles Johnston.
SIFMA Foundation’s Regional Stock Market Game Success
Two LARC teams earned Top 10 Regional Rankings out of approximately 200 teams in the SIFMA Foundation’s Long Island Stock Market Game:
Rosalia Heindrichs and Truman Rodabaugh (Grade 5): 6th Place
Anthony Amato and Luke Johanson (Grade 3): 8th Place
Additional students placing in the Top 30 include:
Dana Donofrio, Samuel Valencia (Grade 3)
Luke Kupferman, Juliet Pagano (Grade 4)
This financial literacy challenge teaches students to manage a $100,000 virtual portfolio, enhancing their understanding of economics, investing, and personal finance.
Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Science Awards
Four LARC teams earned Honorable Mention in the Toshiba NSTA ExploraVision Science Competition, placing in the Top 10% of entries across the U.S. and Canada. These projects were recognized for their innovation in solving real-world challenges.
Award-Winning Projects (Grade 6 APT Students)
TFOBL: The Future of Bionic Limbs
Harlen Werner, Ryann Jennings, Jack Wilsusen, Madeline Eckert
BreatheEasy: The Asthma Shirt
Laina Sisko, Grayson Eichin, Jayden Torres
FinSpotter
Arwyn Donofrio, Kailin Haber, Brody Dowler, Murphy Moser
Brain Buddy Robot
Caylee Donaghy, Cruz Nafte
Additional Honorable Mentions
EcoBot Cleaner: Harper Tomao, Abe Jackowitz, Emmet Klein
Artificial Ice Sheets: Brendan Smith, Jack O’Grady, Joseph Montone, Lucas Onufrock
Air20: Mackenzie Kaplan, Victoria DaSilva, Isla Lomitola, Zoey Pinto
Regional Winners
Visionary: Cole O’Connor, Sam O’Donoghue, Sullivan Limmer, Edward Grossman
WordMasters Gold Division – Additional Honorable Mentions
Paxton Cavallo
Lucas Onufrock
Diane Seman
These outstanding results are a testament to the creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking fostered through Long Beach’s LARC and APT programs. Congratulations to all students, coaches, and families involved!
Date Added: 6/11/2025