East Islip students honored for science fair, STEAM Tank and mock trial; middle school time capsule revealed

The East Islip Union Free School District Board of Education opened its meeting with student recognitions across grade levels.

Elementary teachers called forward first-place science-fair winners from RCK and JFK; one winner described a pulley-based retrieval device she tested at Brookhaven, and another student’s project tested whether people could distinguish AI-generated images and questions from human-created material — 75.6% of respondents correctly identified AI images while 56.4% distinguished text questions, according to the student’s presentation.

Fifth-grade STEAM Tank teams from both elementary schools demonstrated prototypes, including a combined purse/backpack and an "interactive eat tray," and teachers praised the Judge volunteers (including board member Mr. Ruland and staff) for mentoring student teams during the engineering-design process.

Middle-school principal Anthony Montemarano displayed a recently opened time capsule that includes menus, schedules and yearbook items dating primarily to 1961 (with additions from 1986). Staff said the artifacts will be curated for display in a main hallway and that a reburying ceremony for future graduating classes is planned.

The board also welcomed the mock trial team and coach Mrs. Lester, who said the team earned a spot in the New York State Championship after regional success; the team travelled to Chicago for competition earlier this year, and community volunteers including attorney Brian Mitchell were singled out for long-term mentorship.

Board members, administrators and coaches encouraged the students and thanked volunteers; the recognitions highlighted both curricular and extracurricular achievements across the district.