Merrick
HERALD Coping amid a pandemic
JFK alumni honor recent grad
Mepham’s track gets an upgrade
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Vol. 23 No. 32
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AUGUST 6 - 12, 2020
Kennedy grad earns $80K Regeneron prize By ANDREW GARCIA agarcia@liherald.com
Katherine St George, John F. Kennedy High School’s 2020 valedictorian, was named one of 10 finalists in the Regeneron Science Talent Search competition on July 29, placing higher than any participant in Kennedy history. Her research on the relationship between epilepsy, diet and caffeine consumption earned her a sixth-place prize of $80,0000. The Society for Science & the Public runs the annual competition. St George was named a finalist alongside graduate Andrew Brinton, 18, of Merrick, who received $25,000. Kennedy’s previous top finisher was Adam Solomon, who took eighth place in 2006. “I was shocked. I was just speechless,” said St George, 18, of Merrick. “I was just happy to be a finalist, to interact with some of the most intelligent kids in the country.” For her project, “The Ketogenic Diet Ameliorates the Effects of Caffeine in Seizure Susceptible Drosophilia Melanogaster,” St George used female fruit flies to observe the impact that caffeine con-
sumption — which usually heightens convulsive symptoms — and a ketogenic diet have on seizures. She concluded that consuming more fat and fewer carbohydrates counteracts the negative effects of caffeine, adding that “keto is an affective, non-medicinal” treatment for epilepsy. St George’s project was the first investigation into the relationship between keto and caffeine, confirming the diet’s anti-convulsive properties. St George studied under Dr. Theodore Brummel, an LIU biology professor, and spent more than 400 hours on her project. She plans to use the prize money for her studies at Columbia University this fall, she said. The final stages of the Science Talent Search, which are usually held in Washington, D.C., were held virtually this year, and organizers worked to make it “just as special as any other year,” St George said. Finalists were sent microphones, webcams and lighting equipment to create a four-minute video for judges. They also received a variety of goodies, including Air Pods, iPads and personalized artwork, and enjoyed a series of fun virtual activities, including a “geocaching” search Continued on page 3
Alyssa Seidman/Herald Life
Storm watch Tropical Storm Isaias rolled across Nassau County Tuesday afternoon with some wind gusts in excess of 70 mph. This downed tree on Colonial Avenue in south Merrick crash-landed onto a resident’s front lawn, barely missing the house.
Merrick schools under summer construction By ToNY BEllISSIMo tbellissimo@liherald.com
With a $19.8 million capital bond approved by voters in December 2016, the Merrick School District continues to
make significant renovations and upgrades at Chatterton, Birch and Levy-Lakeside elementary schools. Superintendent Dr. Dominick Palma said Chatterton’s first
building addition in decades — which took two years to complete — would be ready in time for the start of the 2020-21 academic year. He added that staff and students at all three schools
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would also be able to enjoy new air-conditioning systems if inperson instruction resumes. “The air conditioning was ready to go at all three schools this spring,” Palma said. “Since the buildings were empty due to the pandemic, we used May and June to troubleshoot the systems to make sure everything [was] working efficiently. We also revamped the heating in all
three schools.” The new HVAC systems, which cover about 100 instructional spaces district-wide, will provide a ventilation boost as well, Palma said. While schools were closed starting March 16, construction work was exempt from the Covid-19 pause and continued in accordance with safety guideContinued on page 7