At the Apr. 22 Bethpage Board of Education meeting—held this month at JFK Middle School—board members, administrators and community members were treated to a special presentation highlighting the school’s first-ever “EdVenture Day,” an innovative event held in early March that invited students and teachers to connect through curiosity, creativity and collaboration.
Bethpage UFSD regularly rotates its Board of Education meetings among schools across the district, and Tuesday’s meeting spotlighted how these site-based meetings help celebrate the unique programming taking place across the community. JFK Principal Erin Hayes and Assistant Principal Anthony Murray led the evening’s feature presentation, introducing a student-driven recap of the day that was both informative and inspiring.
Ms. Hayes opened by describing the structure of EdVenture Day: the schoolwide event began with a keynote address by guest speaker Mark Leinweaver, who spoke to students about “Why Character Matters.” From there, students participated in two “special interest” sessions of their choice, led by JFK teachers who stepped outside of their usual subject areas to share their personal passions and hobbies. Sessions ranged widely—from baking, crocheting, and bracelet making to fantasy football, video editing, Ozbots, yoga, indoor gardening, Star Lab and comedy improv.
In addition to the hands-on workshops, students also participated in CCC sessions—standing for “Country,” “College,” or “Community”—where they conducted independent research on colleges, countries, or aspects of the local Bethpage community. The day also included icebreaker activities, surveys for student feedback, and the use of personalized “passports” to record reflections and collect stickers from each experience.
The highlight of Tuesday’s board meeting came as JFK students shared their personal experiences with the Board. Eighth grader Anthony Rapacki presented a video montage of EdVenture Day, which he created after taking a video editing workshop with teacher Zach Levy. Sixth grader Antonio Veneziano shared insights from his CCC research on UCLA. Seventh grader Elaina Gardikas described a last-minute switch into the skincare session, which sparked her interest in the science behind beauty products and skin health.
Mr. Murray then introduced seventh graders Gavin Smith and Vincent Piper, two engineering students who teamed up with the indoor gardening workshop participants to design and 3D-print custom pots for their plants. Their collaboration became an exciting example of how interest areas could intersect, allowing students to connect across different disciplines.
Ms. Hayes also acknowledged the contributions of seventh grader Hamnah Noor and sixth grader Diyaa Shah, who helped create the EdVenture Day presentation but were unable to attend the meeting.
Also during the meeting, Superintendent David Schneider took a moment to recognize Ms. Mary Padalino, a health teacher at JFK, who was recently named Health Teacher of the Year by the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. Ms. Padalino was honored at a ceremony held at Adelphi University.
The Board applauded the JFK team for their creativity and dedication, and celebrated EdVenture Day as a prime example of the district’s commitment to student engagement, connection and innovative learning.
