Students cited for academics, civic service

Six students from across the Five Towns were honored with the New York State Senate Student Star Award. The awards are intended to recognize students who have not only succeeded academically, but have also been leaders in giving back to the community.

Local recipients were Israel Fruchter of Davis Renov Stahler Yeshiva High School for Boys and Maayan Sandowski of Midreshet Shalhevet High School for Girls, both from Woodmere, Lawrence resident Lauren Satran of the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway High School, Daniel Foster, from Hewlett, of Hewlett High School, North Woodmere resident Jacqueline Blyudoy of Lawrence High School and Hewlett resident John Michael Magloire of Chaminade High School.

Besides taking several Advanced Placement courses, Fruchter is the co-editor-in-chief of his school’s newspaper, which received the Adelphi Quill Award this year. He has also won a gold medal from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association for the Holocaust Literacy Journal, which he launched. Fruchter is also an artists and does creative writing in addition to journalism.

Sandowski was named a captain of Midreshet Shalhevet’s basketball team, and also plays guitar. She’s performed at various school functions and musicals.

Like Sandowski, Satran is a captain of her school’s girl’s varsity basketball team. She also helped coordinate two of HAFTR’s community blood drives and is involved with many student clubs and volunteer community organizations, for which she fundraises.

Foster is involved with numerous school clubs. Three times he’s attended the Systems Thinking and Sustainability Conference that focuses on helping making communities more environmentally friendly, and served as a conference host last year. He is also co-president of the school’s Youth Leadership Forum, serves on the student board for the district’s endowment fund and is president of both the school’s Environmental Club and JR Regifting’s Long Island chapter, a charity that donates unused gifts, school and art supplies and household items to families with medical issues.

Blyudoy has excelled academically at Lawrence High School, especially in math and history. She is also the president of the school’s History Club, and organized its Multicultural Week Assembly.

A Northwestern University-bound senior, Magloire was very involved with Chaminade’s debate team. He was named The Great Communicator National Champion of the Ronald Reagan Great Communicator Debate Series, a competition of the country’s best high school debaters.

The Student Star winners met with State Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D-Long Beach) on May 20 to receive their awards. “Today is about taking time to recognize extraordinary students who have excelled academically and established themselves as leaders in their communities,” Kaminsky said.  “The students given the NYS Senate Student Stars Award represent the best and brightest that our schools have to offer, and serve as role models for their peers.”