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Friday, November 24, 2017
Vol. 77, No. 47
FROM TINY SEEDS TO MIGHTY TREES
School district hires new bus service for students BY GARY SIMEONE
Kindergarteners at Dutch Lane Elementary School in the Hicksville Public School District planted the “seeds of success” during the annual kinder-garden planting ceremony. As part of the tradition, the students performed a song for their parents and planted tulip bulbs in the garden alongside the school, signifying the planting of the tiny seeds of citizenship, respect, responsibility, curiosity, and knowledge. The ritual will continue in the spring, when fifth-graders will commemorate the garden by planting a stone prior to transitioning to the middle school.
Photos courtesy of Hicksville Public Schools
School play recalls tragedy BY GARY SIMEONE
It has been almost twenty years since the brutal murder of Laramie, Wyoming resident Matthew Shepard. Now a group of Hicksville students are honoring his name by performing in a play called The Laramie Project, which was featured this past weekend at Hicksville High School. The play was originally put together by director Moises Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project. Matthew Shepard was a student at the University of Wyoming who, in 1998, was beaten, tortured, and left to die in a barren field by two assailants who attacked him
because of his homosexuality. Five days later, he succumbed to his injuries in a nearby hospital. “This play has 75 characters who were involved at the time in this tragedy, played by twenty of our students,” said Caitlin Cassidy, Theater Director at the High School. “The students reenact the actual interviews from people in the Town and the testimony from the perpetrators during the trial.” She said that the two and a half hour play is emotional and tragic and that there is something to be learned in how we treat other people and accept each other’s difSee page 10
At last Wednesday’s Hicksville Board of Education meeting, it was decided that the district would hire a new busing company for students. The decision was made after a two week long strike by Baumann & Sons Buses Inc. which effected four school district’s in Nassau County including Hicksville. “Something needed to be done because we needed to get our students to School on time,” said School Superintendent, Dr. Carl Bonuso. “We have approved a transportation contract with EBT (Educational Bus Transportation) which will become effective on Monday, November 20th.” Dr. Bonuso said that the district had employed the services of EBT in the past and that there were never any issues of performance from the bus company. The Union strike from Baumann & Sons started in early November and has effected four major school districts in the County including Hicksville, Rockville Centre, Baldwin and Free-
port. Nearly 20,000 students were effected by the strike and students have had to find alternative means of transportation in order to get to and from school. “It has been a challenging time for our community and I’m sure for the other communities that have been effected by the strike “ said Marcy Tannenbaum, Assistant Superintendent for Business in the district. “The Board voted to sign this contract with EBT, who we have been involved with in the past and who have always proven reliable.” She said that during the duration of the strike, school administration did their best to accommodate both parents and students by extending school hours in the morning and evening. “We had staff, teachers and administrators in by 6:30 in the morning and the district also had parent dropoffs up to 6:30 in the evening,” said Tannenbaum. She added that the new pickup and dropoff schedule would still be in place this week as both students and parents adjust to the new bus schedule.
Hicksville bond passes
The Hicksville Public School District administration and Board of Education would like to thank the community for supporting the bond referendum on Nov. 14. Both propositions, which carry no additional tax impact to taxpayers, passed with overwhelming support. Proposition One, which passed 822 to 256, will bond approximately $26.8 million in order to perform necessary facilities and educational upgrades for the students and community. These
include roof replacements, library media centers, the addition of technology rooms, and heating, air conditioning, and electrical system upgrades districtwide. Proposition Two, which passed 700 to 375, authorizes the district to construct an Aquatic Center, featuring an indoor swimming pool and related additions, including a lobby, lavatory, locker facilities, paved parking lot, and machinery.
Drawing a smile on Thoughtful Thurs. PAGE 4 Ex-chief honored for saving a life PAGE 6