Friday, January 11, 2019
Vol. 95, No.16
FOUNDED 1923
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LOCALLY OWNED AND EDITED
FOOTBALL, WINGS & WENZEL SAUCE
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Couple reflects on vineyard ownership
Pineapple ball PAGE 24 n Alumni basketball PAGE 54
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
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School district reflects on language programs Will GCHS add Mandarin to the mix?
BY GARY SIMEONE Albert Jr. and Kathy Zafonte have been in the winery business for over 25 years. In 2012, they became partners in a winemaking facility called Fox Run Vineyards, located in the Finger Lakes of New York. They are part-owners in the operation along with Ruth and Scott Osborn, President of Fox Run and recent electee on the Board of WineAmerica, a national organization of American wineries. “We have learned a lot about the process of wine-making and have gained a real understanding of what it takes to run a vineyard and winery in the last twenty five years.” said Albert Jr., a longtime resident of Garden city and a practicing attorney. “This entails everything from the ideal harvest time and to picking and pressing the grapes. It is a very interesting, very enjoyable experience.” He said that that the winery and vineyard is located in Penn Yan, New York on the west side of the Seneca Lake Wine Trail. The Wine Trail is composed of 30 member wineries along a thirty mile stretch of the region. “New York State has always been a vast winemaking region,” said Zafonte. “Seneca Lake is the deepest of the lakes in the Finger Lake region, and it is an ideal location because it protects the grapes during the harsh winters. The area is also cool in the spring and warm in the fall which helps the growing process.” Picking the perfect grapes to make the wine with is all about timing, and
Call Garden City Pizza for delivery & make sure to requestbyW enzel Sauce for a spicy & delicious game day ex perience
BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
Congratulations to GCHS senior Trevor Yeboah-Kodie for being named as Gatorade’s 2018-2019 New York Football Player of the Year. The award annually recognizes athletes who excel on the playing field and in the classroom. Trevor, pictured here after scoring a touchdown at the Long Island Finals game at Stony Brook University on November 23rd where GCHS won its third consecutive LI title, helped the Trojans during the season with 1,532 rushing yards, and 22 touchdowns on 129 carries. Trevor is also a standout on the HS’s lacrosse team and has elected to play lacrosse at his future college – Brown University.
During the annual Student Achievement Report presented by Garden City Public Schools administration at its Tuesday, January 8 work session, school board Trustee William C. Holub asked about the potential to add to the World Languages offerings in the district. His inquiry sparked rounds of comments on the overall progress made in Garden City High School’s World Languages department. The last new language investigated was Mandarin, ultimately dropped as an option for GCHS students due to a few issues that were clarified and other prevailing languages that students have pursued in depth during their high school years. Holub works in a Chinese firm and he recognizes the global perspectives and interactions today’s professions involve. Other parents and students had approached the curriculum office asking about offering Mandarin, and up to now the prospects remained dim for a number of reasons. Peter Giacalone, World Languages coordinator at Garden City High School, said the administration noticed how languages were often “the first thing to be dropped” once students had other priorities in their academics; “when they became overwhelmed with all the other courses they are taking” and with time needed for college applications and extracurricular programs. Giacalone says it is difficult to find a qualified Mandarin teacher for the district to hire for a full-fledged GCHS course. “At the time, I proposed that we offer students Mandarin as an introductory course only during a summer enrichment program. I spoke with colleagues in other school districts and we were able to secure one educator to teach Mandarin….Approximately 20 kids enrolled for that program but before it even started, enrollment dropped down to five. A number of my colleagues confirmed that while enrollment spiked in the beginning, due to the degree of difficulty with the characters they too noticed a See page 42
WPOA to hear Larua Gillen at annual meeting Registration open for Parent University PAGE 9
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