For a third year in a row, Westbury High School’s Student Council walked away from the annual LI Youth Summit Conference as scholarship and competition winners. Sophomores Jessica Ellis and Alahna Perez created a moving creative play on the topic of Teen Mental Health Issues. They wrote a creative script that portrayed a student with complex mental health issues including depression, anxiety, bipolar, multiple personalities and schizophrenia. They presented their video and script of the play to the LI Youth Summit and walked away as winners of the entire Summit competition, the only candidates with cash prizes along with future scholarship to St. Joseph’s College should they choose to attend.
Notably, Andrea Argueta, Arahmus Brown, Alexandra Laporte, and Courtney Williams were recognized for their assistance in acting out the play. Also, participating in the competition and coming in second place in their respective categories, Nada Elazazy investigated the impact of climate change and Caroline Alexandre wrote an inspiring paper on leadership.
Schools from all over Nassau and Suffolk counties submitted entries into the competition. At the Summit, students spent the afternoon listening to a keynote address by Elaine Page, chief people innovation officer for Northwell Health. Students participated in various workshops throughout the day where they tackled issues impacting teens and discussed the transition into college and eventually the workplace. The day concluded with a joint session address by Councilwoman Tracey Edwards from the Town of Huntington. Winners of the Summit were also offered internships.
—Submitted by the Westbury School District
