Merrick Avenue Middle School was decked out in fanfare for its eighth grade moving up ceremonies held on June 14.

Principal Dr. Taryn Johnson told students two years was not enough for her to spend as an educator and mentor.

“I ask you to quantify the two years in terms of friendships, arguments, happiness, surprises and disappointments,” she said. “Then I ask you to understand that time is fleeting and pause to put time into perspective. You will learn and live every moment. You will nurture in every single moment you have with each other.”

The school’s vocal group, Word of Mouth, sang a moving rendition of “Lullabye,” led by director Dana Brandwein.
Kennedy High School senior Samuel Moskowitz addressed the graduates.

“Take chances, make mistakes and get messy,” he offered to the graduates, quoting a famed character from television’s “The Magic School Bus.” “In each opportunity when I feared I would fall flat on my face, the support from teachers and friends always cleared my mind.”

Mariel Pusateri, a student speaker for Team Six was grateful toward teachers who pushed core values of trust and perseverance. 

“Thank you for being a great group of teachers that have made it very easy to trust you,” she recalled. “Everything you taught us was to benefit us.”

Students from Roland Clark’s seventh grade English classes from Merrick Avenue Middle School had the unique opportunity to become newspaper reporter for a day.

They were tasked with completing a Newsday Kidsday section, interviewing Buddy Valastro from the hit television baking show, “Cake Boss.”

Students Dylan Cuttler, Sam Saldarelli, Emmy Rosenberg and Asra Iqbal all traveled to the Discovery offices in Manhattan to complete the interview. 
Their article was published on May 21 and can be viewed online.

Kidsday is a section of Newsday that is written by kids, covering Long Island family-friendly places, reviews, celebrity interviews and more. 

Both the Merrick Avenue and Grand Avenue middle schools combined arts and robotics to create electrifying shows on May 9 and 16, respectively.

“The concept was that when everyone is the same it is boring,” explained Michelle Biancardo, a technology and coding teacher at both middle schools. “What makes society interesting is the difference between people. Sometimes that difference can create dissonance, but more often it can create beauty, cooperation and fun.”

At Merrick Avenue, the Robotics Club used Makey Makey kits to code messages and music from each artist when the clay ball was pressed, completing the circuit.

This year at the Grand Avenue Spring Expo, art and technology collaborated again to create an interactive installation called "CLIQUE." 
The Robotics Club, lead by Biancardo and the Art Club, lead by Nicholas Giordano, worked together to attach the large scale artwork to coded sounds. 

“The balloons are attached to wires and copper tape, which acts like a conductor,” explained Dillon Moi, an eighth grader in the Robotics Club. “These small motherboards were wired to helium balloons and aluminum touch pads to "complete the circuit and create a sound that supportd the main idea.”