Bellport High School Class of 2023 graduate Madeline Day has a lot to be proud of. She is among just 337 students in the world to earn a perfect score on the Advanced Placement 2-D Art and Design exam that she took as a senior last spring.

To earn the score, Day was required to submit a comprehensive and thematic portfolio, which took her eight months to curate.

“I challenged myself to work with new perspectives and subjects that I never have before,” she said. “While I may have made things more difficult for myself than necessary, it definitely paid off in the end. If not for the score, the skills that I developed were enough for me.”

Day said she is thankful to be recognized at such a high level and drew inspiration from her friend and classmate Rachel Li, who earned a perfect score on her AP Research paper a year prior.

While enrolled at Bellport High School, Day was involved in numerous activities. She was a member of the stage crew, yearbook, Art Honor Society, National Honor Society and Fathom literary magazine.

Day is currently studying fine arts at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan.

“I feel very grateful to be at such a notorious art school, and I have to thank the art department at Bellport High School for preparing me to continue studying art post-high school graduation, as well as everything else they’ve helped me accomplish,” she said. “Also, a huge thank-you to everyone at Bellport High School for cultivating such a creative and thoughtful learning environment. I'm so glad that my score is able to reflect what's possible for students to achieve.”

Date Added: 9/22/2023

Bellport High School senior Amira Hussein has been named a Scholar-Artist in the category of media arts by the Long Island Arts Alliance and Scholar-Artist Committee. She will be featured in an upcoming issue of Newsday.

Hussein is one of only 20 student-artists from across Long Island to earn the recognition. She was selected after submitting a digital portfolio that included a variety of her impressive photographs.

The accomplished senior is a member of several of her school’s honor societies, including the National Honor Society, National Art Honor Society and National Math Honor Society. She is also a member of her school’s art and World of Difference clubs and runs cross-country and track.

The South Country Central School District congratulates Hussein on this well-deserved recognition.

Date Added: 9/20/2023

Bellport seniors earn AP Capstone designations

Six Bellport High School seniors have earned the prestigious AP Capstone designation on their diplomas.

To earn this distinction, the students participated in their school’s AP Capstone program, in which they were required to earn a score of 3 or higher in two courses – AP Seminar and AP Research – and score similarly on four AP exams.

Additionally, 18 students earned an AP Seminar and Research Certificate. To earn the certificate, the students were required to earn scores of 3 or higher in both AP Seminar and AP Research.

The district congratulates the following hardworking and dedicated students:

AP Capstone Diploma Recipients:
Claire Cannella, Samantha DeLillo, Derek Griffin, Daniel Lewkowski, Iesha Rodney and Jordan Truce

AP Seminar and Research Certificate Recipients:
Shane Abrams, Kailyn Ciavatta, Juliette Cuccurese, Eldjima Djandabri-Holt, Giulia Gannon, Enma Garcia, Brady Hauptman, Brynn Johnsen, Lexie Kollar, Taylor LiVigni, Leah Ofori, Jaidyn O’Neill, Katherinne Perez Mendoza, Rebecca Pino, Emily Robbins, Evelyn Soto, Ella Steckle and Grant Taylor.

Date Added: 9/19/2023

In recognition of their exceptional achievement on national Advanced Placement exams taken last year, 30 Bellport High School seniors have earned AP Scholar awards.

Nineteen students were named AP Scholars, six earned the recognition of AP Scholar with Honor and nine earned an AP Scholar with Distinction honor.

To earn Scholar recognition, students are required to score a 3 or higher on three or more AP exams; for Scholar with Honor, they must earn a 3.25 on all AP exams taken and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of those exams; and for Scholar with Distinction, they must receive an average score of 3.5 on all AP exams and grades of 4 or higher on five or more of those exams.

The South Country Central School District extends its congratulations to the following students:

AP Scholar:
Kailyn Ciavatta, Eldjima Djandabri-Holt, Shanel Fernandez, Giulia Gannon, Enma Garcia, Tyler Gentile, Derek Griffin, Amira Hussein, Brynn Johnsen, Dylan Knakal, Emma Kuegel, Sean Lannon, Ryan Manitta, Michael Nesi, Leah Ofori, Andie Pedatella, Katherinne Perez Mendoza, Emily Robbins and Matthew Smolen

AP Scholar with Honor:
Eirini Michaels Hrysanthopoulos, Alexander Pauletti, Iesha Rodney, Ella Steckle, Grant Taylor and Max Yablon

AP Scholar with Distinction:
Claire Cannella, Samantha DeLillo, Penelope Henao, Khayyam Hossain, Daniel Lewkowski, Connor Murphy, Kaelyn Schmidt, Evelyn Soto and Jordan Truce

Date Added: 9/19/2023