Earlier this month, the Connetquot High School Model United Nations Club welcomed students and advisers to the 2019 Model UN Regional Conference, inviting 15 schools from Nassau County, Suffolk County and Queens to take part in the annual forum.

During the conference, participants simulated the structure and function of the United Nations organization, as each student-delegate was assigned to represent a foreign nation, placed on a committee to discuss important current world topics and concerns, and asked to make recommendations. The delegates do their best to emulate the role of the United Nations Organization to solve problems that are meant to both protect and improve the lives of citizens around the world. 

The conference began at 8 a.m., and was filled with a multitude of educational activities throughout the day as it ended with closing ceremonies at 9 p.m. 

“This year’s conference was our biggest and best yet, as we had over 300 people in attendance,” said Model UN Club adviser Jennifer Bay.  

Mrs. Bay would like to thank the students, chaperones, Connetquot Central School District administrators, custodial and secretarial staff for their assistance in making this year’s “ConnetMUNC” event such a success.  Additionally, a special thanks goes out to Connetquot’s Hannah Mayer and Noah Thielke, who served as secretary-general, and chief of staff respectively.

Students enrolled in Siobhan Guido’s classes at Connetquot High School are learning to grow various crops using an indoor vegetable tower garden within the classroom setting.

Tower gardens allow individuals to grow vegetables indoors all year round, and due to their vertical stature take up a limited amount of space. Once assembled, seeds germinate with the help of the device’s special built-in lighting and automatic timer and the aquaponic system regulates the appropriate water level in the unit. The students received an introduction to the device and project during a recent visit from Lety Algeri, a holistic health coach from the BOCES School Seeds program.

“This project is fantastic on so many levels,” said Mrs. Guido. “With the garden in our classroom, we will be able to explore many different scientific aspects including science principles, STEAM, nutrition, gardening, as well as environmental issues. We are pleased with the effort and enthusiasm our students demonstrated in building their own indoor vegetable garden.”

Connetquot High School graduate and current Peace Corps volunteer Victoria Catherine Rooks was recently joined by students, staff and former faculty members for a video fundraiser in benefit of the Save the Children Fund. 

Ms. Rooks spoke to the attendees about her years of experience working with children and families in the African nation of Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland). She also brought along native arts and crafts, jewelry, T-shirts and posters relating to this land-locked nation north of South Africa in order help raise funds for the Save the Children fund. 

Additionally, a free viewing of the motion picture “Liyana” was shown to the supportive community members who attended the event. The film serves as a documentary, which includes children at orphanages speaking about their stories. Like many children in the nation, they have lost their parents to AIDS-related illnesses and are left in a vulnerable position. The filmmaker works with the children to write their own fairy tale about a girl and her two brothers, drawing from their own experiences, almost as a form of therapy.

“Recently, the movie ‘Liyana’ has been available in select theaters in America,” said Ms. Rooks. “Besides being just a great movie, this film is particularly special to me because it was filmed and created here in Eswatini, by Swazi children with the help of a South African storyteller.”

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