The Long Beach High School Riptide Robotics team achieved an impressive 9th place finish out of 48 teams at the 2025 FIRST Robotics Regional Competition recently held at Hofstra University. As the 7th-seeded alliance captains, the team also took home the prestigious Creativity Award, recognizing their robot’s innovative and highly functional design.

Their robot, The Trident, stood out with a unique three-tiered elevator system, developed and built by a dedicated group of students.  It was the only robot at the competition to use a rack-and-pinion mechanism for game piece delivery—an approach that impressed judges with both its originality and effectiveness. Not only was The Trident technically innovative, but it also proved to be a reliable competitor, requiring only minimal maintenance across three days of intense competition.

Now in its fourth year, Riptide Robotics has consistently made it to the elimination rounds for the past three seasons. The team has shown continued growth and is steadily establishing itself as a top contender on Long Island. This year’s achievements mark another major milestone on their journey, as they look ahead with aspirations of taking home a regional championship title in the near future.

Overcoming design challenges and setbacks throughout the season, the students demonstrated incredible resilience, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. Their performance as alliance captains and recipients of the Creativity Award is a reflection of the collective effort and support from the students, mentors, and the Long Beach School District community.

As the team celebrates its accomplishments, they also bid farewell to a standout group of seniors who have been with Riptide since the beginning: team captain Keyi Chen, drive coach Daniel Brenner, driver Nicholas Galon, designer/fabricator Jackson Carroll, and scout Noam Borenstein. Their leadership, talent, and dedication have been instrumental in the team’s success and will leave a lasting legacy.

 

 

Date Added: 4/23/2025

Long Beach Middle School is thrilled to announce that sixth-grade students Edward Grossman, Sullivan Limmer, Cole O’Connor, and Sam O’Donoghue have been named Regional Champions in the prestigious Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision competition for their outstanding project, Visionary.

The team was honored during a celebratory assembly that was held at the school on April 10 where representatives from Toshiba Business Solutions, Major Account Sales Manager Melissa-Ann MacDonald and Major Account Executive Tom Ryan, joined students, families, teachers, and administrators to present awards and offer congratulations.

The Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision competition invites students across the United States and Canada to envision future technologies that could improve the world. Out of thousands of entries, only 24 teams are selected as regional winners, and the Long Beach sixth graders earned a coveted spot among them.

Their innovative proposal, Enhancing Vision with Artificial Intelligence, was recognized for its exceptional creativity, scientific insight, and teamwork. During the assembly, the student team presented their project video to their peers, families, and school leadership. “This is a tremendous achievement for our students and our school,” said Walter Kramme, Long Beach teacher and project advisor to the team. “Their hard work, imagination, and collaboration truly helped get them to this stage of the competition.”

The students will now advance to the national round of the competition, where they’ll compete for the title of National Champion. The entire school community wishes them the best of luck as they continue their exciting STEM journey.

Congratulations to Edward, Sullivan, Cole, and Sam and thanks to Mr. Kramme for his dedication and guidance.

 

Date Added: 4/23/2025

The Long Beach High School TV Studio Production and IB Film program students recently attended the 19th Annual Locust Valley Film Festival, where they made a powerful impression with their creativity, talent, and hard work.

This year’s festival saw over 300 film submissions from 13 schools across the region. Only 75 films were selected for screening in front of an audience of more than 250 students, making it a highly competitive event. Long Beach is proud to share that 13 of those 75 selected films were created by Long Beach High School students, an impressive achievement that highlights the strength and passion of the school’s media arts program.

Even more exciting, Long Beach students brought home three awards across two competitive categories:

Public Service Announcement Category:

* 1st Place: Helmet Safety by Cathy Maguire
* 3rd Place: Drive Safely by Noam Borenstein, Jake Haft, and Aaron Blau

Trailer Category:

* 3rd Place: Life of the Party (Trailer) by Jake Haft, Ethan Engelson, Aaron Blau, Reilly Sanfillippo, Kasey Brymer, Cathy Maguire, and Sabrina Moy

Congratulations to all the students, teachers, and supporters of the Long Beach High School TV Studio Production and IB Film programs.

 

 

Date Added: 4/23/2025

Long Beach Public Schools is proud to announce that Julia Lang-Shapiro, Director of Media, Visual & Performing Arts, has been appointed Regional Director for the Supervision & Administration Division of the National Art Education Association (NAEA).

In this prestigious two-year role, Ms. Lang-Shapiro will support both regional initiatives and national efforts within the division. She will collaborate with arts administrators from across the country, including Nebraska, Virginia, and Indiana, contributing to the advancement of arts education on a broader scale. Additionally, she will be joining the Public Schools Arts Education Leaders Alliance (PSAELA), further expanding her leadership and advocacy in the arts education community.

“I look forward to exchanging ideas, sharing best practices, and working alongside fellow arts administrators to continue advocating for and advancing arts education,” said Lang-Shapiro.

Long Beach Public Schools congratulates Ms. Lang-Shapiro on this well-deserved recognition and is confident she will make a meaningful impact in her new role.

Date Added: 4/23/2025

Long Beach Public Schools is thrilled to announce the winners of this year’s Mission Patch Design Contest, held in conjunction with the district’s participation in the prestigious Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP). Congratulations go to Zoey Pinto, a 6th grader at Long Beach Middle School, and Murphy Moser, a 5th grader at Lido Elementary School, whose designs have been selected as the official mission patches for this year's spaceflight project.

Their outstanding designs were unveiled and celebrated during the recent Sixth Grade Science Symposium Program, where they received special recognition for their creativity, artistic vision, and contribution to the district’s spaceflight initiative.

As part of the SSEP, Zoey and Murphy’s mission patches will be launched aboard a mission to the International Space Station (ISS), accompanying the 6th-grade science experiment selected to be conducted in microgravity.

The Mission Patch Contest is a tradition that honors the history of NASA spaceflight and gives students a chance to represent their school district’s presence in space. Each patch reflects the spirit of exploration, innovation, and scientific discovery.

Once again, congratulations to Zoey and Murphy for this incredible achievement. We can’t wait to see their patches soar into orbit.

Date Added: 4/23/2025