Nassau Standard

Assemblyman Ed Ra (R-Franklin Square) hosted his sixth annual “There Ought to Be a Law” ceremony on Monday, June 17, at Mineola Middle School. The event recognized 33 semi-finalists selected to represent their classes from a total of 657 entries submitted by local schools throughout the district.

Ra announced this year’s winner, Mohini Moolsankar from Manor Oaks School, whose idea proposed enacting limitations on social media usage for young children. The contest encourages students to think critically about potential laws they believe could benefit society.

During the ceremony, Cory Israel from Polk Street School led the Pledge of Allegiance. An Honorable Mention was awarded to Elyse Fabre of Mineola Middle School for her proposal that bus companies contracted by schools for field trips should meet the same safety standards mandated by the Pupil Transportation Services of the State Education Department.

“One of my favorite events every year is the ‘There Ought To Be A Law’ contest because I get to see what the youth in our community care about. They have lots of great ideas to better the community for all. Congratulations to Mohini, whose idea to enact limitations on social media usage for young children is both timely and essential, and Elyse, who wants to ensure students’ safety on school buses. And thank you to all who participated this year! Your creativity and commitment to improving our community are truly inspiring,” said Assemblyman Ra.

Participating schools and student semi-finalists included:

Washington Street School:

- Niamh McManamy-Ost

- Katelyn Persaud

Manor Oaks:

- Mohini Moolsankar

- Ankita Verma

Stratford School:

- Nathan Brown

- Luke Gentile

- Lucia Hora

- Aryo Zehtabchi

George Washington School:

- Evelyn Brancato

- Mikael Khan

- Ryan Medica

- Joanne Nicolas

- Alicia Varone

John Street School:

- Nicholas Dunnigan

- Avery Incognito

- Julia Sabesan

St. Joseph School:

- Abigail Wu-Falcone

St. Anne School:

- Vito DiPaolo

- Cameryn Roche

Notre Dame School:

- William Cascio

- Briana Michel

Mineola Middle School:

- Zara Abreu

- Thayline Acevedo Sanchez

- Isabella Castellano

- Elyse Fabre

- Grace Galanga

- Anne Gentile

- Axel Gomez Granados

- Vanessa Kraljev

- Alexander Murawski

- Jacob Smallwood

Polk Street:

- Cory Israel

- Olivia LaDuca