Senior and valedictorian Kyle Devine was recently honored as the high school’s Outstanding Senior Science Student at the 39th annual Awards Dinner of the Suffolk Section of the Science Teachers Association of New York State. Devine, a well-rounded and extraordinarily gifted student who also serves as president of the school’s National Honor Society, a varsity baseball player, a math team competitor and a student council volunteer, was chosen for the award by the school’s science department, based on his outstanding science achievements throughout his high school career.  

This year’s Suffolk Section awards ceremony, held at the Hyatt Regency Long Island, showcased honorees from 30 different school districts, each of whom received an engraved plaque to commemorate their achievement. More than 100 attendees were on hand to congratulate the students, including Devine’s mentor, science teacher David Knuffke.

“Kyle is one of the most academically talented students whom I have ever worked with, and he is also more loved and respected by more facets of our community than I can recall any one student ever being,” said Knuffke. “He is a remarkable person in so many different ways, and for all of the talk of a ‘STEM crisis’ in this country, I will say that as long as students like Kyle are moving into the field, we won’t have much to worry about.”

Suffolk Section, a division of STANYS, is an association of science educators from kindergarten through college, working to improve science education in New York State and Suffolk County. Suffolk Section organizes, sponsors and runs numerous activities for students and teachers throughout the year, culminating in the Awards Dinner.

“It was a great night where truly outstanding students and teachers were recognized for four years of hard work,” said Brian Vorwald, co-chairman of the event. “Suffolk County and all of Long Island has made tremendous strides in science, with an unprecedented number of Siemens and Intel finalists. It was a difficult task for school districts to choose just one recipient.”