30 times • MAY 14, 2015 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.timesnewsweekly.com FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.couriersun.com SCOTT BARON’S STAR OF QUEENS star STEPHEN LEBAK NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLAR CHRIST THE KING HIGH SCHOOL MIDDLE VILLAGE BACKGROUND: Christ the King High School senior Stephen Lebak was awarded the distinguished title of National Merit Scholar. Lebak was part of the one percent of students selected as fi nalists. He competed with over 1.4 million students from 22,000 high schools nationwide to earn this honor. Lebak also enjoys the distinction of being Christ the King’s fi rst National Merit Scholar. The Boston native is a member of the mathematics team and tied for fi rst place statewide with three fellow Christ the King students. He is also co-champion of the school’s annual pi contest and can recite up to four hundred digits of pi. SCHOOL LIFE: In addition, Lebak serves as the editor of the school’s newspaper The Royal Times, and enjoys playing the saxophone in the school’s band. Outside of school, his diverse hobbies range from baking to working with the Rubik’s cube. “Usually, when I fi nd something that intrigues me, I delve right into it and work fairly hard at it to better myself,” he said. Lebak was chosen as the salutatorian for the class of 2015. “Stephen is a very affable, helpful, productive and intelligent young man who is liked and admired by his teachers and fellow students,” Principal Peter Mannarino said. “Stephen’s hard work and determination set an example for all students at Christ the King. We wish him the best of good fo r t u ne in all his future endeavors.” RESEARCH: One of Lebak’s current undertakings is an advanced research project organized through the school under the guidance of project mentor Mr. Mackey. Students admitted to this select program come up with their own research topics and work in conjunction with other schools and organizations to further their exploration. Lebak chose to investigate wind power and turbine construction. “Turbines usually have three blades, so I fi gured, why not six?” Lebak said. As part of his research, Lebak constructed a mini six-blade turbine and used a three-speed fan to simulate wind. He measured the turbine’s output in terms of RPMs. Lebak presented his fi ndings at a large conference hosted by C hrist the King on May 6. FUTURE: Lebak will attend Fordham University at Rose Hill on a full scholarship in the fall. He was admitted to the university’s honors program and has chosen to major in mathematics. “I visited the campus a couple of times and liked it,” he said. “The honors program there also tends to be small and structured in a way that appealed to me.” BY KELLY MARIE MANCUSO brought to you by SCOTT BARON & ASSOCIATES, P.C. Attorneys & Counselors at Law 1-866-WAS-HURT (866) 927-4878 718.738.9800 OF queens REPAIRS 12 years this be saving 10%ANY With Coupon.Limit Excludes CUTLER’S 516-On-Registration Open April April May May 11 2015 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com dining out Fine dining at the ‘Station’ BY SHEILA LEVY Gourmet dining has come to Great Neck at Station Grill. Located just down the block from Station Plaza, the grill has turned a small corner of the neighborhood into a Manhattan-style oasis. Alex Levine is the owner, and as a genuine host to his guests, all of the details are important to him, including a beautifully decorated dining room fi lled with many shimmering lights. Levine spent a great deal of time searching for the right chef for his dream restaurant. Having a great passion for food and novella cuisine, he was amazed at the skills and backgrounds of Milton Enriquez, a champion of Food Network’s “Chopped” competitive cooking competition in 2012. Enriquez’s journey over the last 20 years has taken him to many great Manhattan restaurants from Arizona 206, to the Royalton, to Eleven Madison Park, to the Compass, where he graduated to executive chef. Working with him is an excellent staff dedicated to providing fi rst-class service to their customers, who return again and again. The menu is wide and comes in three different versions. The lounge menu is perfect if you are looking to have drinks and a quick bite. There are seven wonderful items on the menu ranging from BB brisket sandwich and homemade smoked paprika potato chips ($8) to a chopped vegetable salad with white balsamic vinaigrette and Maytag blue cheese that’s beyond words ($8). Other chicken salads and burgers are available. The prix-fi xe menu offers three wonderful courses for $27.95 per person. Station Grill 20 South Station Plaza, Great Neck 516-482-3652 Open Tuesday through Sunday 6 to 10 p.m. One of the appetizers was an outstanding rustic rotelle pasta with zucchini, yellow squash, olive tapenade and fresh mozzarella. For a main course, I had the grilled prime fl atiron steak with roasted bliss potatoes, spinach and bell peppers, served with red wine. Complementing it all was a delicious buttermilk panna cotta with blueberry compote and candied pecans. Then there’s the main menu, and there are only so many fl avorful choices that can be printed in this column. Be sure to try some of the highlight items such as the exotic mushroom tartlet with truffl ed ricotta cheese, a petite herb salad and red bell pepper coulis ($10); dry diver scallops featuring Israeli couscous, melted leeks, mascarpone cheese and a fennel curry madras emulsion ($29); and Atlantic salmon with beluga lentils and fondue snow peas with tomato confi t ($22). Served before dinner were cheddar and chive biscuits, old-fashioned cornbread with a honey and butter dip. It does not get better than this. The wine selection is very special; Alex truly knows his wine and has the knowledge and passion needed to gather a full list of terrifi c wines. Enjoy your visit to the Station Grill — you will no doubt be happy with the trip. View Over 200 Reviews at queenscourier.com
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