Local leaders joined students, teachers, and staff at William Floyd High School to recognize a team of eleven students for their winning project in the Long Island Water Quality STEAM Challenge.
Town of Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico and Suffolk County Legislator Jim Mazzarella personally congratulated students for the prestigious achievement.
William Floyd was one of four schools honored by the Long Island Regional Planning Council as part of this annual competition. The team of students was awarded a $2,187 grant from the Long Island Regional Planning Council.
WFHS students Alice Chen, Victoria Basharina, Kayla Bundick, Angelina Campos, Rachel Chen, Hiba Farooq, Axel Pesantez, Muhammad Saad, Violet Yau, Steven Lin, and Emirhan Birben proposed installing rain gardens to reduce nitrogen pollution by managing stormwater runoff on campus.
“It’s inspiring to see our young people stepping up to protect our environment and make a real difference in the community. As someone who walked these halls years ago, this moment is especially meaningful. Congratulations to all the students and their advisor, Chris Orlando, for their hard work and vision,” said Supervisor Panico.
“I was truly inspired by the students’ intelligence, passion, and commitment to environmental stewardship. Their drive to tackle the issue of nitrogen pollution gives me hope for the future — and judging by the bright paths they’re on, that future looks promising,” added Legislator Mazzarella.