Valley Stream grads modernize test prep

When Jason Nappy and Jonathan Castillo took their Regents exams at Valley Stream North High School, they had to prepare for the exams the old fashioned way: reading textbooks, asking teachers questions and then chiseling their answers on a stone slate. But that was way back in the early-to-mid 2000s; the way students study for exams now has changed.

The two Malverne natives founded RegentsHelp.com in July 2011 to provide students with an online resource to study for their Regents exams. The website, which launched in January, offers students detailed lessons that include lecture videos, flash cards, practice questions and a quiz. Students complete the lessons, that were hand picked based on the state’s curriculum, in sequence, requiring them to master the material before they move on.

There are currently two courses being offered on the website, living environment and global studies. Last year, Nappy was hired at Valley Stream Memorial Junior High School to teach living environment and seventh-grade science research. He quickly noticed that students didn’t have the same resources he had while attending Boston University. He is currently attending Queens College in pursuit of a master’s degree in biology education.

In college, many professors post notes, lectures and homework online, and Nappy wanted to provide his students with those same resources.

“Toward the end of the year, a lot of kids were asking for videos,” Nappy said of his first year teaching, “so I started making my own videos at home for different topics. Then I started thinking this is something that would really be awesome — an interactive site with real lectures from high school teachers that were certified and know what they’re talking about.”