21 Northport High School business students enrolled in the Digital Generation course presented their final projects at Stony Brook University on January 18. The competition brings students from different school districts on Long Island together to work collaboratively on a final presentation about the impact of the internet and social media. In total, there were 12 groups with six student representatives from Long Island high schools.
The 100 participating students, all of whom were eligible to earn three college credits through Stony Brook University, attended a kickoff meeting earlier in the year and a working session midway through the semester. Google for Education program manager JoJo Farrell was the guest speaker and judge and invited the students to attend a tour of Google’s Chelsea Market location this April. Amazon gift cards and swag from both Stony Brook University and Google were earned by the top four teams.
Northport High School students Samantha DeNisco and Sienna McArdle were members of the first-place team with the topic, “How Social Media Affects the Culinary Experience.” Their team also consisted of students from Westhampton Beach, Deer Park, Smithtown East and Riverhead.
Soany Gissell Valdez and Emily Rodriguez Abarca were members of the second-place team with the topic “How Social Media is Affecting Today's Fashion Industry.” Patrick Morrissey and Brooke Werthner were members of the third-place team with the topic, “Smart Homes” and Tom Simonetti was a member of the 4th place team, “The Future of Retail”.
Digital Generation is a blended learning course that helps students utilize the power of the internet and social media to enhance web presence, digital profile and build a personal brand. Students explore how social media affects society, the economy, privacy, misinformation, relationships and entrepreneurship.