North Hempstead To Host Native Plant Rebates For Residents

North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena and the Town Board are proud to announce that North Hempstead has received $15,000 from the Nassau County Soil and Water Conservation District to offer rebates to residents to encourage planting of native plants in their landscapes. The Town will be offering eligible residents up to $350 per household for the purchase of native plants to replace lawn grass or plant in an existing garden.

“We’re proud to once again partner with the Nassau County Soil and Water Conservation District on this great program,” Supervisor DeSena said. “The Town of North Hempstead has consistently prioritized preserving our environment, and this program will continue to play an important role in protecting our environment for future generations.”

“Native plant gardens have extensive root systems that can absorb polluted stormwater, while their leaves absorb carbon dioxide and other air pollutants,” said Councilmember Veronica Lurvey. “These gardens provide an easy and beautiful way to help safeguard our surroundings. This initiative is in line with our goal for North Hempstead to serve as a model of sustainability and resiliency.”

For the past two years the program has been successful in creating over 40 new native plant gardens throughout the Town with funding from the Soil and Water District. These gardens provide food, shelter, and nesting resources for pollinators, birds, small mammals, and a variety of wildlife species.

These gardens are important in creating habitats for pollinators such as monarch butterflies. Their populations have been in decline in recent years, and they have been declared endangered by the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The Town has also taken the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge again this year and the native plant gardens are important in the effort to conserve this iconic species.

To qualify for the rebate program, residents will be required to complete an application that includes information about their proposed garden location, estimated budget, New York native plant species chosen, proposed garden size, photo(s) of proposed planting location, and a basic garden layout. Funding is limited and applications that meet the requirements will be accepted on first-come first-served basis. For more information and details on how to apply, please call 311 or visit www.northhempsteadny. gov/sustainability.

—Submitted by the Town of North Hempstead

PROPOSED 2023–24 SCHOOL BUDGET: PROPOSED TAX LEVY INCREASE OF 3.07 PERCENT IS WITHIN THE PROPERTY TAX CAP LIMIT

The Great Neck Board of Education has adopted the proposed 2023–24 school budget in the amount of $272,138,300. This amount is a 4.09% spending increase over last year’s budget. The proposed tax levy increase is 3.07%, which is tax cap compliant and within the District’s allowable tax levy calculation.

The proposed budget provides funding to:

• Continue all programs and staffing levels at elementary and secondary schools;

• Maintain small elementary class sizes, in accordance with Board of Education guidelines;

• Continue investments in security upgrades districtwide, including security cameras, security staff, and electronic door access controls;

• Add one additional full-time social worker at the elementary level;

• Increase speech services to support the needs of Great Neck students attending non-public schools;

• Provide ongoing professional development training for faculty and staff.

“I thank the Board of Education for adopting this fiscally sound budget, which truly represents the needs of every single student,” says Superintendent Dr. Teresa Prendergast. “This budget will preserve all of our exceptional academic and co-curricular programs, and build upon the supports we provide to ensure that all students succeed.”

Careful Planning Helps Navigate Budgeting Challenges

The 2023–24 budget development process started in the fall of 2022 amid record inflation and significant increases in health insurance costs. However, the District’s strong fiscal health and sound management practices allowed the Board and Administration to navigate these national challenges that are beyond the District’s control, and prepare a budget that expands upon Great Neck’s exceptional academic and co-curricular programs.

“The Board’s forethought to carefully fund and preserve our various reserves has been instrumental in allowing the District to maintain critical programs and services during a period of time marked by historic inflation, all within the constraints of the tax cap,” explains John O’Keefe, assistant superintendent for business.

In preparing the budget, GNPS Business Office administrators carefully reviewed District revenues and expenditures, line-byline, to ensure that our nationally-recognized programs will be supported through responsible and sustainable spending. District administrators and Board trustees met with stakeholder groups — including staff, parent representatives, and the community — to encourage input as part of the overall budget development process. Budget presentations that were delivered during public Board of Education meetings from February through May are available on the District website at www.greatneck.k12.ny.us/meetings.

“Once again, building on years of prior fiscal prudence, this year’s Annual Budget will maintain the breadth and depth of GNPS programming for all our children, all year, while meeting the District’s vast operational obligations,” says Board President Rebecca Sassouni. “It also stays within the state-mandated property tax cap, even during these inflationary times.”

Increase in Foundation Aid = Increase in Student Supports

Like many school districts across New York, Great Neck will receive an increase in state funding known as Foundation Aid.

SOUTH HIGH SENIOR NAMED 2023 COCA-COLA SCHOLAR

South High School senior Rachel Woo has been announced as a 2023 Coca-Cola Scholar. Rachel is one of 150 seniors nationwide to receive this prestigious honor, and each Scholar is awarded a $20,000 college scholarship. Scholars exemplify superior academics, leadership, and service in their schools and their communities.

Less than 1/6th of 1 percent of this year’s applicants were selected as Coca-Cola Scholars. More than 91,000 high school seniors across the country applied for this extremely competitive award, and the selection process included several rounds: 1,557 students were announced as Semifinalists this past fall; 250 students advanced as Regional Finalists; and 150 were named as Scholars.

Now in its 35th year, the Coca-Cola Scholars Program is one of the largest corporate-sponsored, achievement-based scholarship programs in the United States. The Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation has provided more than $78 million in scholarships since 1986.

This increase for 2023–24 represents the final adjustment from the State Education Department (NYSED) to appropriately distribute the amount of funding school districts are entitled to receive as determined by a complex calculation, or to “fully fund the formula.”

Great Neck is projected to receive an approximate $2 million increase in Foundation Aid for next year. The State requires that this funding must be applied to new expenses that specifically address areas of student performance and need; the funding cannot be applied to existing programs.

The District has developed a detailed plan that allocates these funds through sustainable means to enhance academic, social, and emotional supports for students districtwide. The additional aid will subsidize: elementary and secondary teaching positions to preserve small class sizes; social worker, speech pathologist, and psychologist positions for enhanced mental health and special education services; and the purchase of 2,000 iPads and cases.

Continued Investments in Facilities

Every year, funds are allocated for improvement projects to protect the community’s investment in District facilities. In addition to ongoing construction projects that were approved by the community through the 2017 Bond Proposition and the 2019 Capital Projects Referendum, the proposed budget includes $6,924,333 to fund Capital Expenditures that will protect infrastructure and improve safety. This spending is at no increase over the current year, and it provides much-needed funding to maintain and preserve our facilities for generations to come.

Substantial Services for Non-Public School Students

The District, in accordance with State law, allocates more than $9.6 million to provide services to private and non-public school students, including bus transportation, textbooks, health services, special education services, school library materials, and computer software loan programs.

Vote Information

The annual school budget vote will take place on Tuesday, May 16, 2023. Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m. There are four polling locations for school district elections: E.M. Baker School, Lakeville School, Saddle Rock School, and South High School. Registered voters will only be permitted to cast a ballot at their assigned polling location.

Residents can check their assigned voting location using the Poll Place Finder on the District website at www.greatneck. k12.ny.us/voting. This information is also available by calling the District Clerk on school days between 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. at 516-441-4007.

For More Information

The 2023–24 proposed budget may be viewed on the District website at www. greatneck.k12.ny.us/budget. For questions regarding the budget, please call the GNPS Business Office at 516-441-4020. For questions about voter registration, absentee ballots, and voting, please call the District Clerk at (516) 441-4007.

—Submitted by the Great Neck Public School District

GNPS/TV CURRENT PROGRAMS

Programs currently airing on Great Neck Public Schools Television (GNPS/TV) are North High School Opera, South Middle School Spotlight, and Focus on Education.

GNPS/TV programs are available on demand, 24/7, on the school district website, www.greatneck.k12.ny.us/tv. Programs can also be viewed in the incorporated villages of Great Neck on Optimum Channel 75 and on Verizon Fios Channel 32. Airing times in program descriptions below are for Optimum and Verizon viewing.

North High Opera

North High School proudly presented The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte), by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, on February 10–11. This student-performed opera was sung in German with supertitles, and presented by the creative team of Robert Stivanello, director; Dr. Pamela Levy, music director; Dr. Esther Noh, conductor; Leonard Antinori, scenic designer; Dr. Scott Eckers, lighting; and Michael Meehan, technical director.

North High Opera airs at 7:30 a.m., and 12:30 and 5:30 p.m.

South Middle Spotlight

This episode of South Middle Spotlight highlights recent school activities and performances, including the Thank a Veteran Program, Applebee’s Flapjack Breakfast Fundraiser, a montage from the Grade 6 Winter Concert, and a behind-the-scenes look at the student musical production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. South Middle Spotlight airs at 10 a.m., and 3 and 8 p.m.

Focus on Education

Focus on Education is an ongoing series hosted by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Teresa Prendergast, highlighting what’s new and interesting in the district. This edition features James Gounaris, director of food and nutrition services. Focus on Education airs at 11 a.m., and 4 and 9 p.m.

GNPS/TV Programming

GNPS/TV programming reflects the offerings of the Great Neck Public Schools and the achievements of its students and staff. Programs are student-produced. For more information, contact Robert Zahn, director of educational television and broadcast media, at rzahn@greatneck.k12.ny.us.

—Submitted by the Great Neck Public School District

NORTH SHORE HEBREW ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE IN THEIR ELEMENT: THIRD PLACE FINISH AT SCIENCE OLYMPIAD

Whether it’s building a gravity-propelled car that hurtles towards a wall, constructing a bridge that can support a thousand times its own weight, or diving deep into the cosmos with images from the James Webb Space Telescope, NSHAHS students showed off their science chops with a third place overall finish at the recent BJE Science Olympiads held last month at Lander College.

Fifteen students, from the ninth, tenth and eleventh grades, competed against 10 other Jewish schools in different events that challenge participants to use math and science concepts, acquired knowledge, and building skills to solve problems and answer questions.

“It is the most intense day of science you can imagine,” said Mr. G. Wykes, tenth grade chemistry teacher and coach of the Science Olympiad team. “Our students train hard, perform advanced mental gymnastics, and go head-to-head in competition against other schools. On competition day, there’s more than 150 students plus coaches and teachers, running around in their different colored team t-shirts. It’s fun and frenetic!”

Symbiotic studying

Mr. Wykes has taught at NSHAHS since its inception, and has at one time or another taught every science course except physics. Science Olympiad, now in its 39th year nationally, has been a part of NSHAHS’s extracurricular program from its beginning in 2001. Each year, more than 6,000 teams from all 50 states participate in the Science Olympiad nationally, and, thanks to Laurie McMillen, Lander College and the BJE, Jewish high schools can get in on the action.

Olympiad students train for months in their area of choice, which can range from subjects in pure science and mathematics to construction and engineering projects like thermodynamics and aerodynamics. Each area of study has an annual challenge. Knowledge competitions include a test, while engineering challenges require students to solve problems by building objects. For the knowledge competitions, such as astronomy, students work in pairs to parcel out the vast subject matter. “Their performance depends on the degree of preparation with their partner. Often the duos develop a great symbiosis, exchanging ideas, encouraging each other, and communicating about a fair division of study areas.”

NSHAHS finished second in the Astronomy competition. The school also took top honors in the Chemistry Lab competition, and in Bridge Building where a tiny truss bridge designed and built by student phenom, Aviv, was able to support 15 kilos before failing! But the team score is based on the performance of all pairs in all events, and not necessarily on the number of medals. “That underscores the team aspect of the whole undertaking, and that, to me, is why the Science Olympiad is special,” explained Mr. Wykes. Many Science Olympiad graduates from NSHAHS go on to major in STEM subjects in college and to work as engineers,

Great Neck Students Shine At Wac Lighting Science Fair

Thirty-nine students from the Great Neck Public Schools received awards at the 2023 WAC Lighting Foundation Invitational Science Fair, hosted by Commack High School on April 23. This annual science fair is organized by the Research Association, a consortium of teachers from 13 area schools, and sponsored by WAC Lighting. Science research projects presented by students from North High School (NHS) and South High School (SHS) earned awards in eight of the nine categories of competition:

Behavioral & Social Science: Logan Ye (NHS), honorable mention; Sue Zhang (NHS), honorable mention.

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology: Eric Sodhi (SHS), first place; Megan Chin-Lam Chan and Jacqueline Han (SHS), second place; Shira Lichter and Myra Saeed (SHS), honorable mention.

Chemistry: David Levy (SHS), honorable mention; Jin Hui (Justin) Tao and Qian Wei (SHS), honorable mention.

Computer Science & Modeling: Richard Xu and Yifu Zuo (SHS), first place; Alexander Xu and Sarah Sun (SHS), second place; Colin Hu and Anant Gupta (SHS), honorable mention; Ashley Hui and Julia Zou (SHS), honorable mention.

Earth & Environmental Sciences: Amanda Shi (SHS), first place; Katie Ng (NHS), third place; Zoe Chan and Joanne Lee (SHS), third place; Katharine Park and Michael Leung (NHS), honorable mention; Allie Kam and Kirin Chan (SHS), honorable mention.

General Biology: Nicole Yeroushalmi (NHS), second place; Emma Wen and Zoe Chung (NHS), honorable mention.

Medicine & Health: Brandon Kim and Helen Tang (SHS), second place; Nikki Jiang and Melody Song (SHS), honorable mention; Kira Nguyen and Ashley Wei (SHS), honorable mention.

Physics & Astronomy: Luke Huang and Yida Pan (SHS), first place; Tiffany Zhang (SHS), second place; Kenneth Chang (SHS), honorable mention.

North High science research teachers/ advisors are Christopher Bambino, Alison Widawsky, and Jessica York, department chair. South High science research teachers/ advisors are Nicole Spinelli and Dr. James Truglio.

—Submitted by the Great Neck Public School District doctors, and scientists. Mr. Wykes and assistant coach Shabbat Choudhury are excited that many of the students pledged to join again next year, cementing a strong team which will benefit from a year of experience. Recruitment for next year’s team will begin in December.

Mr. Wykes also runs the Research Program at NSHAHS, where students conduct research and complete an investigation of their own design. They then present their findings at high profile regional venues and fairs. He said that while the independent science research direction works well for some students, others love the camaraderie and team spirit of the Science Olympiads.

Jfk Principal Receives Outstanding Achievement In Education Award

Ron Gimondo, principal of the John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Great Neck, is a recipient of the Outstanding Achievement in Education Award from St. John’s University. Mr. Gimondo was presented with his award at the 12th annual Leaders in Education Awards Dinner (LEAD) on April 23, 2023.

LEAD award honorees are distinguished alumni from the St. John’s University School of Education who are recognized for their positive impact on school communities. Mr. Gimondo was first announced by the Dean’s Advisory Board as a LEAD Award recipient in 2019, but pandemic precautions delayed the awards ceremony until this year.

Mr. Gimondo is a 30-year educator who has served as an instructional leader in Great Neck for 17 years. Prior to arriving in Great Neck, he was an ENL teacher, dean of students, and assistant principal with the New York City Department of Education. Mr. Gimondo was hired as assistant principal of the John F. Kennedy Elementary School in 2016, and he has served as principal for the past 12 years.

Mr. Gimondo is the Past Co-President of the Nassau County Elementary Schools Principals’ Association and Past President of the Gold Coast-Lake Success Rotary Club. His commitment to a collaborative leadership approach in education and his service to the community have been recognized by several organizations. Mr. Gimondo was named Elementary Administrator of the Year by the Council of Administrators and Supervisors in 2017, and he was an Honoree at the Town of North Hempstead Hispanic Heritage Celebration in 2016.

—Submitted by the Great Neck Public School District