Layla Gentles – Greene Gazette

Stony Brook Brings Back Movie Night Tradition at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium

By Layla Gentles
Baldwin Senior High School

Hundreds of families and Long Island locals were sitting on the grass in anticipation for what film there was to come. They gathered under the evening sky at LaValle Stadium for a memory that will last forever. Moana 2 played loudly through the stadium speakers as families with young kids and Stony Brook students lounged on the green turf field to watch the film.

On Tuesday, July 15, Stony Brook Athletics hosted their second annual Movie Night and transformed the football field into a laid-back, open-air theater. Movie buffs cast votes online to choose one out of four films to see — and Moana 2 won out.

“We have a two-month planning process,” said Jack Clark, Director of Athletic Communications at Stony Brook. “We set up the poll, people vote, and once we get the movie, it’s just a ton of promotion.”

He highlighted the goal of consistent improvement.

“If that means we can get 5 percent more people each year, that would be awesome,” he said, adding that this year, that growth was noticeable. “I think we said it was somewhere between, like, 1,200 and 1,500 [attendees].”

It was his second time working Movie Night.

Using his own experience growing up on Long Island, Clark compared the evening’s atmosphere to something familiar.

“I know what it looks like when you go to the beach and you see people wheeling their wagons and carrying chairs on their backs,” he said. “That’s associated with going to the beach and seeing people get off the ferry at Fire Island. But that’s what we see coming to our stadium and down to the field.”

Around the field, student volunteers from Stony Brook and staff from local businesses like Ralph’s and Mickey’s handed out stickers, coupons, and free ices to guests. “This is my first time working this event, and I think it’s pretty fun,” said Rose, a Ralph’s Ices employee. “We gave out a bunch of ices for people to sample, and we’re giving out coupons as well.”

Families also made the trip from nearby towns to enjoy the evening.

“We live in Smithtown, and we heard about this,” said one attendee, Gabriella Reynolds. “Our kids really wanted to see Moana.”

Others came just for the community feel. “It’s a great fun night for the family,” said another guest, Leslie Granger. “The vendors that they set up around here for the giveaways, and the kids come here, play sports, and just hang out. It’s a nice, fun summer night.”

Even younger viewers had opinions on the film — and its predecessor

“Moana one, only because I have a love for Manuel,” said Christina, referencing famed director Lin-Manuel Miranda’s contributions to the soundtrack.

Whether it was the movie, the field games, or the atmosphere, the night offered something for almost everyone. As Sam, a student volunteer, summed up: “It’s a good idea. I think it’s like the most wholesome thing that everyone’s just sitting on the field, watching.”

Shirley Jiang: A scream in first period and saving the planet after lunch

By Layla Gentles
Baldwin High School

At first glance, Shirley Jiang gives off quiet overachiever – reserved, calm, definitely smart. But spend an hour with her and you’ll realize she’s driven, funny and chaotic in the best way.

The rising senior at East Hampton High School is 17, originally from Brooklyn, and now lives in East Hampton. She joined the Robert W. Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalists after her AP research teacher, who also runs the school paper, recommended it. “I just wanted to give it a try because journalism might be a path I’m interested in,” she said. “I want to see if it actually works out.” She says she hopes the program will help her connect with people and report truth without fluff — “just facts.”

“I just wanted to give it a try because journalism might be a path I’m interested in,” she said. “I want to see if it actually works out.”
– Shirley Jiang

Her desire to make a difference goes beyond the classroom. Shirley’s a youth organizer with ReWild Long Island’s South Fork chapter, where she helps it fight food insecurity and climate change, and promote use of native plants. “We grow produce, host events, and just try to help people,” she said. And she says it casually, like it’s no big deal.

Shirley has played the violin since the fourth grade. She was accepted, as a freshman, into her school’s Century Club for putting in more than 100 hours of community service. She’s thinking about majoring in either environmental science or sustainable business.

Shirley’s also deeply rooted in family. Her parents own two restaurants — Fusion Express in East Hampton and Red Door Grill in Wainscott. Every Chinese New Year, they shut everything down for a huge family dinner. “My dad brings back ingredients from the city, the chefs all cook together, and he gives out extra money to staff as a thank you. It’s really one of the only nights we all sit down,” she explained. “Everyone’s running around all the time, but that’s the day we pause.”

Her mom, Kiki Jiang, is her biggest inspiration. “She didn’t get much education, but she taught herself English and helped my dad build the businesses,” Shirley said. “She’s super independent and hardworking. She just gets stuff done.”

Even with all of her ongoing activities, Shirley has her spontaneous moments, like that scream in first period. Her friend Griffin Bechmann describes what happened. “She thought Instagram would notify someone that she looked at their highlights. It didn’t,” he said. “But she still panicked and full-on screamed in the middle of class.”

Griffin, who described her as “thoughtful, persistent and empathetic,” added that most people don’t know how funny she is. “She’ll make you laugh,” he said, “then call you out when you need it.”

I’m a news anchor!?

By Layla Gentles

On Wednesday, the other Greene Team members and I took part in a makeshift Stony Brook News broadcast! If I’m being honest, that was the most engaged and excited I’ve been since the start of the program. I love being on camera and performing because I do a lot of public speaking in and outside of school, and I’m also part of the Baldwin theater program—so this broadcast was perfect for me.

The first decision I made that day was whether to wear my favorite blue suit or a brown and beige co-ord. I wanted to pick something that made a statement, clean, put-together, and powerful. So, of COURSE I went with the suit. I threw my hair in a high bun and was camera-ready!

Picture of me on our way to the Newsroom!

After we ate breakfast and got settled into the recording studio, we did a quick run through the script and got started! I met Nicole Sganga, a Greene Team alumna and broadcaster at CBS News. She gave great advice and shared her stories on the job.

When it was my turn to be an anchor I was more than ready. As someone who prides herself on being a strong speaker and well as a great performer (shout out to Baldwin theater department) I felt in my element. Reading off the teleprompter was easy enough, but an issue I’ve had since forever was talking too fast. One of the people at the recording studio gave me that note, so the next time we recorded I slowed down a bit and it felt amazing. I don’t really think I will go into journalism as a career path but, honestly, anchoring was the best time I had at the program.

After everyone was all done recording, we all watched each others’ broadcasts, and I liked it and did great. But that’s just what’s expected from me! When I wasn’t an anchor, I was floor manager. I thought I would enjoy this role because the qualifications for the role was “bossy.” When that word was spoken, everyone pointed to me. But the job wasn’t as exciting or enjoyable as a thought it would be. It was a lot at once because of the multiple voices in my headset at once. But my friend, Faith Welch, took over and she crushed it.

After we were all done, we watched the broadcast and headed to lunch!

My profile assignment is complete!

I did my profile assignment on Shirley Jiang, and after a long editing process, I finally got it done! I had two Zoom meetings with Liisa May that really helped me fix my writing.

I used Ms. Chrissy’s Macbook to join my Zoom meetings and took a nice picture!

When I first wrote my profile on Shirley, it was very over the word count and had a lot of my own opinion in it. The first editor I worked with, Bill Bleyer, helped me cut parts of the profile to meet the word requirement. He pointed out that I needed to focus more on Shirley and let her voice and story shine without so much of my own commentary. Which, I totally understand. But I also wanted to refrain from the profile being bland or robotic. That balance was something I kept thinking about throughout the editing process.

One big discussion we had was about the lead of my story. I originally wrote: “At first glance, Shirley Jiang gives off quiet overachiever — reserved, calm, definitely smart.” Bill corrected it because he didn’t think the word “gives” worked in that sentence. Liisa agreed. But I explained that the usage of “gives” is actually grammatically correct in modern vernacular. It’s a form of informal, Gen Z-adjacent expression that’s become super common in pop culture commentary and conversational writing. People say things like, “it gives main character.”

I wanted the tone to feel like me, especially since I’m writing for other teens who talk like me. I explained to both Bill and Liisa that my writing style brings a more relatable and youthful voice, and I wanted that to be reflected in how I opened the piece. They ended up giving me the benefit of the doubt. But Liisa also made a good point that not everyone will understand that kind of phrasing, and if the goal is to write clearly for all audiences, I have to keep that in mind. So I ended up revising the lead a bit to compromise, while still keeping the tone I wanted.

Overall, the editing process definitely challenged me. There were moments where I felt like I was losing my voice in all the edits, but in the end, I think I found a middle ground between keeping it professional and still sounding like me. I appreciated both editors’ feedback, even when we didn’t totally agree at first, because it helped me think more critically about my choices as a writer.

First day on campus and my socks are wet

By Layla Gentles

I arrived at Stony Brook campus at 9:08 AM with plenty of time to unpack and settle in before the 11:00 AM meeting. Still, I’ve never liked being the first person to show up anywhere. Not sure why, just a personal thing, I guess.

My parents and I walked to Mount Hall, dodging piles of goose poop and chatting to my mom’s camera (she vlogs… a lot). After unpacking and making a bunch of TikToks with her, I headed to the main lounge to meet the other members of the Greene Team.

About 30 minutes later, we walked to the Newsroom—in the pouring rain. What started as a drizzle quickly became a downpour. I ended up wearing my new Newsday string bag on my head to protect my hairstyle. And yes, as the title says, my socks were (and still are) wet. Honestly, it was a great bonding experience for all of us on the Greene Team.

At lunch, I had sweet potato fries with ranch dressing (yes, that was my whole meal). My friend Faith convinced me to try a ketchup-and-mayo combo. It wasn’t bad… but I wouldn’t do it again.

Not much else has happened yet, but I did run into Ian Chan, a friend from Baldwin and valedictorian of the Class of 2025. It was great to catch up and hear about his engineering program, though I can’t remember the name. He said their days run from 7 AM to 9 PM. Yikes. But if anyone can handle that, it’s Ian. He’s always been one of the hardest workers I know.

Luckily, the rain cleared up on our way back to the Newsroom, leaving behind that classic summer humidity. During our nearly three-hour lecture, I sat there—socks still wet.