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

Long Beach Middle School recently partnered with the Long Beach Latino Civic Association (LBLCA) on a Seedling Project funded by a grant from New York State.  This meaningful opportunity was brought to the district by Helen Dorado Alessi, Director of the LBLCA. It was the perfect project for eighth-grade English as a New Language (ENL) students to work on as part of the IB Middle Years Program (MYP) community project. The community project provides an important opportunity for students ages 13-14 to collaborate and pursue service learning. 

After the students showcased their research, the project culminated with a hands-on community planting event. Families joined in the celebration, and after the planting activities were completed, the LBLCA hosted lunch for all attendees.

Date Added: 5/28/2025

Long Beach Middle School sixth grade students gathered in the school’s auditorium on May 20 to participate in a once in a lifetime opportunity, a live NASA Downlink event.

A NASA Downlink is a unique educational program where astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) connect with students on Earth. As part of this event, astronauts answered pre-recorded questions from the Long Beach sixth grade students live from space. It was an unforgettable moment, as the voices of our young learners echoed across the cosmos, sparking curiosity and inspiration for all in attendance.

"The success of this event is a testament to the incredible dedication and teamwork of our students and teachers, who spend a lot of time preparing and filming their questions,” said Long Beach Director of Science PK-12 Cristie Tursi. “Their excitement, commitment, and passion for science and space exploration were truly on display.”

Special thanks to Long Beach science educators Julie Brodsky, Liz Chimienti, Regina Dean, Caroline Espinet, Natasha Nurse, Rich Pellegrini and Patty Van Loon whose tireless efforts helped guide this initiative from concept to reality. Additionally with appreciation and much gratitude to the LBMS Administration, Faculty, and Staff, whose support was vital in making this project possible.

Click here to view the LBMS Students Connect with Astronauts in Space slideshow.

Click Below to See Full Video of the Event…
 

Date Added: 5/21/2025

Long Beach Middle School is thrilled to announce that sixth-grade students Edward Grossman, Sullivan Limmer, Cole O’Connor, and Sam O’Donoghue have been named Regional Champions in the prestigious Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision competition for their outstanding project, Visionary.

The team was honored during a celebratory assembly that was held at the school on April 10 where representatives from Toshiba Business Solutions, Major Account Sales Manager Melissa-Ann MacDonald and Major Account Executive Tom Ryan, joined students, families, teachers, and administrators to present awards and offer congratulations.

The Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision competition invites students across the United States and Canada to envision future technologies that could improve the world. Out of thousands of entries, only 24 teams are selected as regional winners, and the Long Beach sixth graders earned a coveted spot among them.

Their innovative proposal, Enhancing Vision with Artificial Intelligence, was recognized for its exceptional creativity, scientific insight, and teamwork. During the assembly, the student team presented their project video to their peers, families, and school leadership. “This is a tremendous achievement for our students and our school,” said Walter Kramme, Long Beach teacher and project advisor to the team. “Their hard work, imagination, and collaboration truly helped get them to this stage of the competition.”

The students will now advance to the national round of the competition, where they’ll compete for the title of National Champion. The entire school community wishes them the best of luck as they continue their exciting STEM journey.

Congratulations to Edward, Sullivan, Cole, and Sam and thanks to Mr. Kramme for his dedication and guidance.

Date Added: 4/23/2025

Long Beach Public Schools is thrilled to announce the winners of this year’s Mission Patch Design Contest, held in conjunction with the district’s participation in the prestigious Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP). Congratulations go to Zoey Pinto, a 6th grader at Long Beach Middle School, and Murphy Moser, a 5th grader at Lido Elementary School, whose designs have been selected as the official mission patches for this year's spaceflight project.

Their outstanding designs were unveiled and celebrated during the recent Sixth Grade Science Symposium Program, where they received special recognition for their creativity, artistic vision, and contribution to the district’s spaceflight initiative.

As part of the SSEP, Zoey and Murphy’s mission patches will be launched aboard a mission to the International Space Station (ISS), accompanying the 6th-grade science experiment selected to be conducted in microgravity.

The Mission Patch Contest is a tradition that honors the history of NASA spaceflight and gives students a chance to represent their school district’s presence in space. Each patch reflects the spirit of exploration, innovation, and scientific discovery.

Once again, congratulations to Zoey and Murphy for this incredible achievement. We can’t wait to see their patches soar into orbit.

Date Added: 4/23/2025