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Bay Shore students showcase writing and hands‑on science at 29th annual Ethnic Pen conference
Summary
At Bay Shore High School, students read prizewinning pieces and reporters screened a student‑produced video after keynote demonstrations by neuroscientist Tim Marzulo. Organizers said the 2026 program broadened access with smaller workshops and bilingual, interactive sessions.
At the 29th annual Ethnic Pen student writers conference at Bay Shore High School, students shared original work and school staff highlighted changes to make the 2026 program more interactive and accessible. District presenters said the conference restructured its keynote to increase student participation and added smaller workshops and breakout sessions for multilingual learners to broaden access.
Dr. Tim Marzulo, a neuroscientist and co‑founder of Backyard Brains who served as this year’s keynote, used live demonstrations to connect storytelling and neuroscience with classroom writing. According to district presenters, Marzulo’s bilingual presentations and hands‑on demos encouraged students to volunteer onstage and engage with scientific concepts through storytelling.
A short video compiled by the high school’s broadcast journalism students showed students describing the day. In the clip, one student said the hands‑on experiments were “really entertaining” and called the experience “a memorable high school experience.” Principal Mr. Gordon joined demonstrations onstage and was singled out by students for helping make the activities accessible.
Student writers took the program’s stage. Michael Sumakus, announced as the Ethnic Pen first‑place contest winner and a sophomore in Mr. Elliott’s class, read a STEM‑oriented essay describing the long, iterative process behind mathematical discovery. Ariana Buchard, a senior and editor in chief of the school paper The Maroon Echo, read work produced after a journalism workshop led by visiting journalist Marcos Papadotos, who urged students to focus on stories that “capture attention and connect with an audience.” Other students and members of the student planning committee—identified in the meeting as Elfbach and Sophia Breto—spoke about organizing the event and the value of author lunches that followed presentations.
Organizers thanked teachers and volunteers, including conference coordinators Mrs. Hanley, Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Ramirez, and said the curriculum developed before the keynote helped students participate actively in demonstrations and workshops. The board meeting record shows the district will continue to support the Ethnic Pen program as a way to expand student voice and interdisciplinary literacy.
The presentation closed with applause and public recognition of the student participants and staff. Organizers said they plan to continue refining formats that combine creative writing and hands‑on STEM learning in future years.
