A group of Oceanside High School students in the AP Research program shifted their focus from academic inquiry to community impact, launching a service initiative that has benefited local families, children and breast cancer survivors across Long Island.
Led by science research teacher Michael Pepe, the students spent the school year conducting college-level projects for the newly created AP Research Outreach Program. The new program replaced the district’s AP Experience and gave students an opportunity to apply the skills they developed in the classroom to meaningful community service projects.
“This allows students to do work outside the classroom that makes a tangible difference,” Pepe said. “They’ve already completed everything required for the AP exam, so this gives them a chance to continue growing by helping others, building connections and gaining valuable real-world experience.”
Throughout May and early June, students partnered with Catholic Charities of Long Island and Catholic Health Cancer Institute on two major outreach efforts.
Working with Catholic Charities, one of the largest social service providers with 50 locations throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties, students organized a large-scale donation drive to support local families and children. Collection boxes placed throughout the high school gathered books, toys, puzzles, games, personal care products and nonperishable food items.
And the results exceeded expectations, as students collected 57 books, 26 toys, 30 puzzles, five board games, five playhouses, a rainbow parachute, 50 stuffed animals, 42 canned goods, 25 toothbrushes, 12 tubes of toothpaste, 11 bars of soap and numerous other infant and personal care essentials.
Another team of students coordinated a breast cancer survivor outreach initiative in partnership with Catholic Health and Mercy Hospital in Rockville Centre, collecting raffle baskets and gift donations for the annual Breast Cancer Survivors Day brunch on June 7.
Through professional outreach to local businesses, students secured 28 raffle basket donations valued at more than $50 each. Donations included gift cards and merchandise from businesses throughout Oceanside and neighboring communities, including Dolce Bella, Pietro’s, Vincent’s Clam Bar, Mixology Clothing Company, Greek Xpress, Ralph’s Italian Ices, Fat Boy’s Burritos, Mama Theresa’s, Mesita, Just Salad, Toast, Cookies N Cream and Grandpa Tony’s. Starbucks alone donated 15 gift baskets for the event.
Six students attended the June 7 brunch, alongside Pepe, to celebrate and support breast cancer survivors who completed treatment through Catholic Health.
The outreach program involved a variety of responsibilities, from designing flyers and managing donation boxes to communicating with businesses and organizing donated items.
Jailene Caban, a junior at the high school, said the experience strengthened relationships among classmates while helping students become more comfortable advocating for causes they care about.
“We had to talk to people, check donation boxes and encourage others to donate,” she said. “It brought us together and helped us build better relationships with each other and with teachers.”
Other students emphasized the professional skills they developed through the project.
“We learned how to professionally reach out to businesses,” Kritika Kumar, another junior, said. “We had to send emails, follow up with people and manage our time. Those are skills we’ll definitely use in the future.”
Brooke Randazzo, also a junior, helped coordinate business outreach and maintained records of donations received. Students frequently communicated with business owners, teachers and community organizations, gaining experience that mirrored professional workplace expectations.
Richard Wang, a senior, said the project required organization and communication beyond what many students encounter in a typical classroom assignment.
“At the end of every week, we had to tally donations and communicate with the organizations we were working with,” Wang said. “It helped us become more comfortable reaching out to people and speaking professionally.”
Students also took ownership of the presentation and appearance of the donations. Some designed informational flyers, others created donor recognition cards, while another group assembled and wrapped gift baskets.
For many participants, the project changed their understanding of community service.
“I think it showed us that even small contributions can make a difference,” junior Katherine Nolan said. “Whether it’s a gift card, a toy or a canned good, it can help make someone’s day better.”
The outreach initiative followed an academically demanding year for the students. Before beginning the service project, each AP Research student completed an independent yearlong study, submitted a 5,000-word academic paper to the College Board and delivered a 15 to 20-minute presentation and oral defense before a panel of evaluators.
Participating students included juniors Maggie Luttrell, Lila Mlawski, Gianna Monfiletto, Alexandra Namdar, Kevin Wojtylo, Caban, Kumar, Nolan and Randazzo, as well as seniors Emma Ryan and Wang.
Pepe said he was most impressed not only by the students’ academic achievements, but also by the professionalism and initiative they demonstrated throughout the outreach effort.
“They could have chosen to do very little after completing such a rigorous year,” he said. “Instead, they chose to go above and beyond. They represented themselves, their school and their community exceptionally well.
“Our students already proved they could succeed academically,” Pepe added. “This project showed they can make a difference in the community, too.”
