Wantagh High School’s thriving Science Research Academy was in the spotlight at the Dec. 4 Board of Education, as teacher Casey Clark and nearly a dozen students gave an overview of the third-year program.

The Science Research Academy launched during the 2023-2024 school year with 16 freshmen. It has grown to 66 students this year in grades 9-11, and by next year will expand to seniors. The Science Research classes during the school day replaced an afterschool research program. 

The program’s goals are for students to develop necessary skills to engage in scientific research, conduct unique research experiments and engage with the scientific community. Last year, a new science research room opened in the high school.

Ms. Clark and students reviewed several of the scientific competitions and symposiums that they have participated in, such as Brookhaven National Laboratory’s Science Scholars, Barcode Long Island, Toshiba ExploraVision, Long Island Science and Engineering Fair and Long Island Science Congress. Students have also been visited in their classroom by several science experts. 

The young science researchers have been monitoring oyster reefs in a creek behind Mandalay Elementary School through a partnership with the Town of Hempstead. They also visit Jones Beach for project-based learning and data analysis.