Students from John F. Kennedy Middle School in Bethpage made a strong showing at the SAAWA (South Asian American Women's Alliance) BrightMinds Sparkle STEM Competition, earning top prizes across multiple categories in this year's Middle School Division.
The competition, designed to encourage creativity, scientific thinking and real-world problem solving among young learners, drew 246 students from 19 schools across Long Island, with 178 projects presented and $2,000 in prizes awarded for outstanding innovation and research. Student projects spanned four areas of focus: environmental sustainability, assistive technology, public safety and health awareness. A panel of judges evaluated each entry based on innovation, practical impact and clarity of presentation.
JFK Middle School students claimed first, second, and third place honors in both the seventh and eighth grade divisions.
In the seventh grade division, Diana Grindstaff, Amara Rahman, and Diyaa Shah took first prize for ECOFIT, a movement-powered smartwatch concept. Second prize went to Jonah Sfeir and Luigi Viscome for their Illegal Dumping Monitor Drone, a public safety solution designed to detect and document illegal waste disposal. Third prize was awarded to Aryanna He and Anthony Stefanou for their Heatstroke Prevention Wearable, a cooling hat designed to protect against dangerous heat exposure.
In the eighth grade division, Sureena Kaur earned first prize for her Proximity Activated Child Lock, an assistive safety device. Second prize went to Amiyah Kaur for A Walk to Footprint Zero, a project focused on environmental sustainability. Alexander Rebosa, Asher Rawlinson and Eugene Novik rounded out the podium with third prize for their Reading Assisting Glasses, a wearable technology concept aimed at supporting those with reading difficulties.
An awards ceremony honoring all winners will be held in June at The Wheatley School.
