Oakdale-Bohemia Middle School and Ronkonkoma Middle School’s eighth grade students celebrated the end of their middle school careers and the beginning of their high school journeys at moving-up ceremonies on June 21 and June 24, respectively.

The ceremonies consisted of heartfelt speeches and songs, reminiscing on the positive and unforgettable experiences of students’ time in the middle schools. During the ceremony, held at Connetquot High School, students also received special awards,Date Added: 6/25/2024 recognizing their accomplishments in various subjects throughout the year. At the ceremonies’ end, students walked across the stage to receive their certificates, marking their official next chapter of becoming high school students.

Ronkonkoma and Oakdale-Bohemia seventh and eighth graders competed in the 2024 Maze Coding Contest. Prizes included pizzas provided by Pizza Network and Pizzaiolo, 7-11 Slurpees, and the grand prize winners also received a gift certificate for two free lunches or dinners at Applebee’s.

Of all the maze contest submissions, the winners really went above and beyond in their overall originality and creativity in their maze design. At Ronkonkoma Middle School, in no particular order, the third through fifth place winners were Sarah Benetos, Maria Manetta and Jake Ruggiero. The second place winner was Jaden Hightower and the grand prize winner was Anna LaGrandier.

Date Added: 6/25/2024

At Oakdale-Bohemia Middle School, in no particular order, the fifth through tenth place winners were Khloe Banks, Vicenza Grataski, Sophia Guzzo, Sophia Hernandez, Brayden Raia and Arianna Wolmart. Congratulations to Alexander Gregory (fourth place), Danny Liu (third place), Anthony Armandi (second place) and the grand prize winner, Gia Tehrani!