BOE Recap: Honoring Science Students and Field Lights Discussion

Trustees on the Rockville Centre Board of Education honored about a dozen students who participated in the Siemens Science Competition, and detailed where the district resides in regards to the field lights proposal/gift during Tuesday's Board of Education meeting.

More than 2,500 students nationwide entered the Siemens Science Competition, and only 300 seminfinalists and 96 finalists were chosen from the thousands of projects. South Side had one semifinalist, Nick Suss, and one finalist, junior Austin Wild.

Herb Weiss, director of South Side's science research program, said students researched their projects with professors at schools like Brown and Harvard. "They run the gamut, and what they accomplish is no small task," Weiss said.

Board President Liz Dion said she was impressed by the students' projects. "You really make this school shine," she said.

Turf's Up Discussion

Superintendent of Schools Dr. William Johnson said that the district's lawyer and the attorney for the Turf's Up group have met and a contract between the two will be drawn up soon. "We will move as quickly as we possibly can," he said.

Dion reiterated the lighting policy in the district, noting that the lights will be used for six months out of the year, and will be turned off at the completion of the Fall sports season. They will be turned back on at the beginning of the Spring sports season, which starts March 1.

She added that during the seasons the lights will be in use, they will be off by 8 p.m. on weekdays and will not be used on weekends.

The latest the lights will stay on, she said, is on a Friday and they will be off by 9 p.m.

Robert Bartells, assistant superintendent of personnel, said the district brought in a grass/turf expert from SUNY Farmingdale to find out how it can improve the field, and hopes that the expert's report will be submitted by the end of the week.