Garden City Middle School sixth grade teacher Lauren Lavelle was honored as Essential Worker of the Year by Garden City New York Media in the Virtual Village Show on December 18th. Above, Lauren Lavelle with Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kusum Sinha. See page 30.
GC School Board examines data on student achievement
BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
At the Garden City Board of Education’s work session on January 5, the Board reviewed the annual Student Achievement Report for the last school year.
Asst. Superintendent of Schools for Curriculum & Instruction Dr. Edward Cannone calls the Student Achievement Report the district’s annual opportunity to take stock in how the
students are doing and how the district is performing to support students. Local assessment data for the Report was drawn from the NWEA, a research-based
See page 53
Challengers to vie for seats on Village Board
BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
On the night before the nation’s eyes turn to the inauguration of a new president, Garden City residents will gather for a confirmation of nominees for the Board of Trustees. On Tuesday, January 19th, the four property owners associations will nominate their candidates for trustees, as well as the village’s next mayor, as current Garden City Mayor Dr. Theresa Trouvé enters her final 12 weeks on the board. By tradition, with the mayoral position going to the West’s POA nominee, Deputy Mayor Robert A. Bolebruch would ascend to the mayor for a term of April 2021 to April 2023. Bolebruch has served on Garden City’s Board of Trustees’ Finance Committee for the past six years, and as its chair (Commissioner of Finance) for five years, working closely with Village Treasurer
Irene Woo, Village Auditor Courtney Rosenblatt and Administrator Ralph Suozzi. Their discussions on the 20212022 Village budget proposals, with pandemic impacts still evolving, will be front and center for Garden City in the next two and a half months, during the run up to the village election.
Garden City Mayor Theresa Trouvé knows the For a Better Garden City (FABGC) candidate for mayor, West resident and longtime member and volunteer on the village’s Architectural Design Review Board (ADRB) Cosmo Veneziale well. The mayor says if Veneziale believes he can do a better job than the current trustee representing the WPOA, Deputy Mayor Robert A. Bolebruch, then she does not foresee any problems with Veneziale seeking the public office in the village.
Resident Electors Meetings
Garden City’s four Property Owners Associations will hold their annual Residents’ Electors meetings on Tuesday, January 19th simultaneously at 7:30 p.m. At the meetings, the POAs will determine their nominees for Village and School Boards under the Community Agreement.
The locations of the POA meetings are:
East: Senior Center, Golf Club Lane
Central: Cluett Hall, St. Paul’s School
Estates: Field House, St. Paul’s School
West: Garden City Casino
In past years, those nominees would run unopposed in the Village election on March 16th. However this year, the group FABGC (For A Better Garden City) will be fielding a slate of opposing candidates.
Six weeks?
Just about a year ago we heard reports coming out of China about a new respiratory illness that was sweeping the city of Wuhan. It seemed pretty remote, and although serious didn’t seem to be much of a threat to us. We figured it would be similar to the SARS epidemic, which caused relatively little change in day to day life in America. But within six weeks it grew clear that this was going to be a serious event.
Public health officials began sounding warnings, first about international travel, and then about dangers to the elderly, especially those in group living facilities. The first cases were announced in New York and then we all learned what exponential growth looked like.
And yet, here we are a year later with several vaccines being administered, and although hospital patient loads are unbearably high in some areas, there is a good hope that we are starting to win the war.
While it seems that it’s almost impossible to get an appointment for a vaccine, that too will ease. The supply lines are being improved daily, and our turns will come.
Once a large proportion of the population has gotten their shots, the virus prevalence in the community will fall drastically.
If life could completely change in six weeks last year, have some hope that it can change again, and by spring we will be on the road to normalcy.
Email: Editor@GCNews.com
Let’s have debates
To the Editor:
First, I would like to thank all the volunteers in the Village for their hard work and the invaluable time and services they provide.
That being said, it also should go without saying that if more than one person wishes to volunteer for a position; that we should have the right to choose the person that we feel is more qualified or would best represent us; the taxpayers, in that position.
In previous letters I have made my views on the current form of government well known; I think it is antiquated and undemocratic. The current Deputy Mayor writes letters each week stating that he should be the next Mayor because of the “process” and seems to
feel that he should just be anointed the next Mayor as it is his turn. In all his letters, he doesn’t tell us what his positions are on any of the important matters concerning this Village. What are his ideas and why should anyone vote for him?
This year, I would like to see our Mayor (and the Trustees) elected with more than the usual 300 votes. Since this is the closest we are to a real election in this Village, I would like to suggest that all the candidates running for Trustee and Mayor adopt a platform and agree to a debate so that the residents of this Village know what their positions are and we can choose the candidate we feel would best represent our interests. I would suggest that at a minimum, the candidates should let us know their
See page 58
Come see the MTA’s
Electromagnetic Paradise
BY JAMES KUMPEL
In a December 10 vote, four of the eight trustees (thankfully) voted to support the thousands of residents who are now exposed to a spider web of utility and LIRR wires, a nine-story high wall of electromagnetic fields, and a landscape of fifteen new steel monster poles and dozens of new wooden poles. What used to be an idyllic and bucolic view of trees and greenery befitting a village known as “Garden City” has been transformed by the MTA/3TC and its Third Track apologists into a visually offensive and potentially permanent blot on Garden City. To those who have not visited the area near LIRRMerillon Station, please take a walk in Strawberry Field or a stroll down Main Avenue. Come see the paradise created by the MTA/3TC and made possible by the baffling obstinance and foot-dragging of the Third Track Committee.
In that same vote, four trustees (Daughney, Foley, Makrinos, and Delany) voted to not bother standing up against the MTA/3TC, to not bother aggressively defending impacted residents, to not bother having judicial review of legal commitments made to our village by the MTA. Instead, they opted for appeasement of the MTA/3TC for fear of offending the offenders and losing long promised and intractably delayed landscaping enhancements that were supposed to be made in 2019… then the spring of 2020… and, now, late 2021. Of course, replacing the hundreds of downed trees and greenery are not optional and had already been memorialized in legally binding documents signed by the MTA. 3TC is contractually obligated to restoring damaged areas of property, as stated in TP 3.11.4.3, to previous condition. Would non-compli-
See page 59
From Public Works staff to Tree City designation, Mayor outlines plans
BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
The Village of Garden City enters 2021 with many municipal projects in the works, and a major vacancy to fill with the departure of former Department of Public Works Superintendent Joseph DiFrancisco.
In addition, the mayor and the longest-serving member of the village’s Board of Trustees will be leaving office at the annual reorganization meeting on Monday April 5, 2021.
In a January 8, 2021 interview Garden City Mayor Theresa Trouvé commented that while two past mayors of Garden City will leave the Board in April, the Board will have guidance from another former mayor, Village Attorney Peter Bee. Trouvé and Trustee Brian Daughney, who is also a former mayor, will be stepping down at the end of their terms.
“Peter discusses all the angles of Board issues and decision items, and we do much discussion as a collective board in that regard. Peter helps to explain things clearly so the trustees can make a good decision and move on with it. But even when all the Board members have all the information and they know what is at stake, when they’re very knowledgeable people, there still isn’t always the best outcome. The Village Board does have much to do with its
different leadership personalities but there are guiding lights as we have very strong-performing, experienced department heads and they’re each doing a very good job,” the mayor told the News.
Seeking new Superintendent
Trouvé said that in the weeks ahead the Village plans to interview candidates and eventually, propose someone to become the new Superintendent of Public Works. At its meeting on December 1, 2020, the Board accepted the resignation of DiFrancisco, who spent five years as a member of the village executive staff.
“Right now we do have strong employees in the Department of Public Works to carry it forward as Deputy Superintendent Domenick Stanco is there, I have confidence in Domenick. There are others alongside him in DPW who have a vested interest in the department. They are dedicated employees who care about the Village of Garden City and have worked here a long while -- they love our village. With our many other departments, the Building Department and the Village Finance Departments are really strong with staffing, of course our Garden City Police and Fire Department are very strong. Nothing in village administration and departments’ coordination will crumble but we just need to find a per-
son to take the helm at DPW,” Mayor Trouvé explained.
While Trouvé believes over the course of the next ten weeks there will be progress made on the search for the next village superintendent of Public Works, she is not certain a candidate can be confirmed before her time and Trustee Daughney’s time on the Board comes to an end. Trouvé noted that a handful of excellent candidates applied for the lead job of Superintendent in the Recreation Department a few years back, and the interview process helped the village.
“I think we have potential to find someone (for DPW superintendent) quickly and it could be filled, though it is a heavy-duty department which is involved in a lot of things people may not even imagine. The Village needs a good Department of Public Works and we definitely have one now. The future of our DPW is the least of my worries,” the mayor said.
She noted that it’s unlikely the next person to be superintendent of DPW would have the multiple positions DiFrancisco held while working for the village. Initially he was hired as Secretary to the Board of Trustees in September 2015. Soon after, he became Garden City’s Deputy Village Administrator working in a capacity
under Village Administrator Ralph V. Suozzi.
As Department of Public Works superintendent, DiFrancisco also held roles as a member of the Traffic Commission and as recording secretary for the village’s Environmental Advisory Board. He continued in both roles through November 2020 but he did not attend official village meetings in December.
In addition, from 2017 through the end of his career working for the Village of Garden City Joseph DiFrancisco was a member of the Village Boarddesignated LIRR Third Committee along with former mayor Brian Daughney and Trustee Stephen Makrinos.
Makrinos is currently assigned as the chair of Garden City’s Environmental Advisory Board, and at its last meeting on December 15 he brought up the subject of oversight of Village of Garden City trees. In the aftermath of Hurricane Isaias, he noted the large number of trees that were lost and the work the village is continuing, with the help of arborists, to decide appropriate tree replacements in the village. EAB member Evelyn Fasano said she’d encourage more trees to be planted in Garden City, as she summarized “trees are healthy, they are beautiful and they
See page 54
15 , 2021 The Garden City News
Not Pictured: William Breslin, Michael Fedor, Robert McMahon, Joseph Pentrancosta, Tara Rice
Stephen Baymack
Stephanie Cullum Manager/ Assoc. Broker
Patricia Aprigliano Deirdre Albertson Susan Bashian Laura Baymack
Andrea Bharucha Suzanne Blair Liz Breslin Barbara Chmil Roberta Clark Arlene Conigliaro
Christopher Conners Kate Crofton Denise Donlon Bill Eckel Atticka Ellis Lisa Fedor
Laura Fitzgerald Laura Giacini Tara Iori Nancy Giannone Pamela Goeller Karen Guendjoian
Maribeth Quinn
John H Russo Theanne Ricci Laura Rich Elise Ronzetti Sharon Redmond
Angela Linda Sambus Cathleen Fennessy Whelan
Patricia Savella Viviian Tener Kathleen Thornton Mary Weille
Louisa Pironi
Barbara Moore Patricia O Grady Julie O’Neill Rita Paiewonsky
Or Mayer
Monica Kiely
Roseanne McMahon
Cheryl Adams McAuliffe Jayne McGratty Armstrong
Chris Martocci Sean McCoyd
The most perfect curb appeal awaits you at this classic stone center hall colonial home. This beautifully expanded home has a nicely sized formal living room with fireplace and formal dining room. The endless white kitchen transitions seamlessly to a beautiful expansive family room sought after by today’s consumers. The primary bedroom showcases great space and a walk in closet. The two additional bedrooms are very nicely sized. The bathrooms have been beautifully updated. The architural layout is flawless. Fantastic space in the basement. Great fenced backyard with beautiful patio and endless lawns and lovely fencing. This house has all the amenities consumers are looking for in a home. Just unpack and move right in!
Offered at $1,079,000
THE ALL NEW STEWART MANOR COUNTRY CLUB
WPOA Resident Electors Meeting on January 19
The Annual Resident Electors Meeting of the Western Property Owners Association (WPOA) will be held at the Garden City Casino on Cathedral Avenue and Sixth Street on Tuesday, January 19, 2021 and will start promptly at 7:30 p.m. With no additional nominations put forward, the Nominating Committee will present Robert (Bob) Bolebruch as its selection for Mayor and Stephen Makrinos, completing a one-year term, as Village Trustee. A vote by Western residents will follow.
Deputy Mayor Bolebruch has been a resident of Garden City since 1995; a member of the WPOA for 25 years, serving as a director for seven years and president for a two-year term. He volunteered his service with the GCAA for 15 years and with the Garden City Scholarship Committee for nine years, serving as its president for four years. He holds a BA in Economics/Business. Bob has been a Village Trustee since April 2013 and is currently serving as Deputy Mayor.
During his eight years as a Trustee, Bob has served on the Zoning Change Review Committee for two years, Public Information Committee for three years, the Committee to Fill Vacancies for two years, Traffic Commission for four years, as Fire Commissioner for one year and Environmental Advisory Board Commissioner for two years. Bob served as the Board of Trustees liai-
son to the Garden City Public Library, where he initiated much needed renovations to the building and the installation of a new elevator. He served on the Board’s Finance and Audit Committee for six years and as chair for five years. During that time, Bob contributed to the revamping of the Village Finance Department, bringing about many efficiencies.
A graduate of Babson College (Bachelor of Science Degree) majoring in finance/investments/accounting and information systems, Steve Makrinos went on to earn a Master of Science Degree in Economics from Pace University, Lubin School of Business. He has worked as a financial industries professional since 1993.
Steve has been a Village Trustee since 2015. He served as the Director of Finance and Taxes for the Western Property Owners Association and as the WPOA representative on the Citizen’s Budget Review and Advisory Committee from 2010-2015, including service as the committee’s chair. He has volunteered as a soccer and basketball coach with the Garden City Athletic Association Intramurals and has served on the Parish Council of the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of St. Paul, including as financial secretary and treasurer. Steve has volunteered at various Community Teamworks projects since 1998 and for the 10KSB Rocket Pitch from 2010 to the present.
Guest speaker Hempstead Town Councilman Thomas Muscarella will bring Western residents up to date on the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, signed into law in March. Councilman Muscarella will then take questions from residents.
Directors and Trustees will present their reports.
Please note that due to the nature of the Resident Electors Meeting and the upcoming Village-wide elections in March, the full WPOA meeting on January 19 will be open to Western Section residents only. It is anticipated that opportunities will arise in the coming months for residents to learn about, and hear from, the candidates.
The WPOA has begun its 2021 Membership Drive and looks forward to adding many new Western Section residents to our dues-paying member roster. Participation in your local POA provides residents a window of access to Garden City community government.
Hempstead Town Councilman Thomas Muscarella
John Parks, President James Poirot, General Manager
WE ARE OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK FOR LUNCH AND DINNER Sun -Thurs 11:30-9pm Fri & Sat 11:30-10pm
Grimaldi’s Family Meals Are Back!!
Available January 4 through April 3 for lunch and dinner, Take Out Only
FAMILY MEAL #1 - $30 PLUS TAX
One 18” Pizza with choice of Spinach and Artichoke Dip Or Grimaldi’s Mixed Salad & Complimentary 2 liter bottle of soda
FAMILY MEAL #2 - $40 PLUS TAX
One 18” Pizza, One Order of Penne alla Vodka, Choice of Spinach and Artichoke Dip Or Grimaldi’s Mixed Salad & Complimentary 2 liter bottle of soda
FAMILY MEAL #3 - $45 PLUS TAX
Two 18” Pizzas with choice of Spinach and Artichoke Dip Or Grimaldi’s Mixed Salad & Complimentary 2 liter bottle of soda
FAMILY MEAL #4 - $80 PLUS TAX
Two 18” Pizzas, 1/2 Tray Chicken Parmigiana & Complimentary Bottle of Cabernet OR Pinot Griegio
*Additional Items May Be Purchased at Regular Menu Price. Toppings Available for Additional Cost. May Not Be Combined with any other coupon, discount, offer or Groupon. Prices Do Not Include Tax or Gratuity, Available for Take Out, No Substitutions*
GAME TAKE-OUT SPECIALS February 7, 2021 $ 30 PLUS TAX Two 16” Pizzas (Toppings Not Includes) A Grimaldi’s Mixed Green Salad & A 2 Liter Bottle Of Soda 1/2 Tray Of Assorted Pinwheels With A Side Of Sauce $ 25 PLUS TAX 1/2 Tray Of Buffalo Wings $ 30 PLUS TAX
TAKEOUT & DELIVERY
SUNDAY - THURSDAY 11:30-9
FRIDAY & SATURDAY 11:30-10
We Are Open For Inside Dining at 50% Capacity
You must wear a mask to and from the tables. Thank you for your cooperation Now Accepting Reservations For Parties of 6 or More A $25 fee will be applied if canceling within 3 hours of reservation
Garden City Real Estate Market Information
RECENT REAL ESTATE SALES IN GARDEN CITY
The information about the homes and the photos were obtained through the Multiple Listing Services of Long Island. The homes presented were selected based solely on the fact that they were recently sold.
Mortgage Rates this week from www.bankrate.com
Loan
Sold Price: $1,500,000 Date: 01/10/2021
6 bedrooms, 3 full baths, 1 half bath
Style: Colonial Total taxes: $19,473
Lot Size: .34 acres
MLS number: 3257619
The Seller’s Team: Stephanie Cullum and Tricia O’Grady, Coach Realtors Fennessy Associates
The Buyer’s Team: Carmel Quill, Carmel Quill Realty
Set back from the boulevard, this sun-filled, Estates 6 bedroom, 3.5. bath, center hall Newport Dutch Colonial sits on a corner lot with a driveway on Chester. Walk up the front path and take in this fine home with a covered porch and stone columns. Enter through the front door and arrive at a wide, through, center hall with access to the LR w/ WB FP, formal DR, and gracious staircase--extending up all 3 floors. French doors off the FH and DR make for ideal indoor/outdoor entertaining, come rain or shine! The back section of the 1st floor features a large, updated, Cook’s kitchen with a second WB FP and a Wolf range. A family room, half-bath, and back door mud-room area complete this floor. Head upstairs and find a large hall with access to all 4 bedrooms on the same floor. There is a huge master suite with a new, private bath, 3 nicely-sized BR’s, and an updated shared bath.The open 3rd fl has 2 more BR’s and full bath. Other: Basement rec room, 2 car garage and fenced-in yard.
29 Wellington Road
Sold price: $1,387,000
Date: 01/12/2021
Style: Colonial
4 bedrooms, 2 full baths, 1 half bath
Lot Size: .14 acres
Total taxes: $19,136
MLS number: 3259560
The Seller’s Team: Stephen and Laura Baymack, Coach Realtors Fennessy Associates
The Buyer’s Team: Peg Kriete and Patricia Goldstein, Coach Realtors, Fennessy Associates
This gorgeous center hall Colonial perfectly situated mid-block in the Estates Section of town had been completed renovated throughout. The home features a spacious living room with a fireplace, an elegant formal dining room and a gourmet kitchen with an island and breakfast area that is completely open to a sun drenched family room. The second floor boasts a master bedroom suite with a cathedral ceiling and an exquisite bathroom, three additional nicely sized bedrooms and a brand new hall bathroom. The basement recreation room and the backyard paver patio with the professionally landscaped grounds are perfect for relaxing and entertaining. The home enjoys low taxes and is proximate to shopping, schools and the Long Island Railroad station. The location, impressive design and pristine condition make this the perfect place to call home!
134 Meadbrook Road
Sold Price: $1,141,000
Date: 01/07/2021
Style: Tudor
5 bedrooms, 3 full baths, 1 half bath
Total taxes: $18,858
Lot Size: .15 acres
MLS number: 3259353
The Seller’s Team: Paul Garrett, Garrett Realty Group
The Buyer’s Team: Denise Donlon, Coach Realtors Fennessy Associates
Charming Tudor-Style, Center Hall Colonial Home with a Quiet Mid-Block Location in Garden City Estates. Convenient to All. Over 2,300 Square Feet of Living Space with Large Rooms and Hardwood Floors Throughout. A Solarium off the Second Floor Hallway Brings Natural Light Into the Entrances to Both 1st and 2nd Levels. Detached 2 Car Garage and Private Back Yard with Covered Patio.
This informational page is sponsored by Douglas Elliman Real Estate
Houses featured on this page were sold by various real estate agencies
Hempstead Town Supervisor Clavin Reports to Rotary
For the past several years, the MineolaGarden City Rotary Club has welcomed Donald X. Clavin, Jr., Hempstead Town Supervisor, to report to Club members and guests about the activities and concerns of Hempstead Town.
upon hundreds of free taxpayer forums in every Hempstead Town community. These “how-to” seminars have helped tens of thousands of taxpayers learn how to reduce their property tax burden through money-saving exemptions and by challenging their property tax assessments.
A Legacy of Innovation
Don Clavin brings a legacy of innovation to the Hempstead Town Supervisor’s Office – as Receiver, he transformed the Hempstead Town Tax Office into a model for municipal tax offices across the region. He is bringing the same type of innovation to the Supervisor’s job. Don’s vision for the Supervisor’s position includes environmentally responsible and sustainable growth; intergovernmental cooperation; streaming of operations; a major infrastructure upgrade initiative focusing on major roadway repaving projects and parks overhaul; encouragement of “next generation” home development; enhancing services for persons with special needs; improving online town services; and collaborative initiatives with local universities and colleges, focused on retaining young workers in the Hempstead township.
Don was elected Supervisor in November of 2019 following an 18-year career as Receiver of Taxes during which he was known to have helped thousands of homeowners to lower their taxes.
On Monday, January 25, 12:15, via Zoom, Don will update Rotary members and guests on activities throughout his current term as Town Supervisor. His report will include the impact of Nassau’s property tax reassessment and how Hempstead Town can help you challenge your taxes. All are invited to attend this virtual presentation.
Don’s election as Hempstead Town Supervisor signified the next step in his public service journey, serving America’s largest township. During his tenure as Receiver of Taxes, Don has redefined the Receiver’s Office, hosting hundreds
Don Clavin is a lifelong resident of the Town of Hempstead, where he and his wife are raising their two daughters and son. His mother was the first woman to every serve as Valley Stream Village Trustee, and his father served as District Court Judge.
As 2021 works through the COVID pandemic and a haze of some national discontent, it is reassuring to engage in the positivity reflected by Don Clavin’s accomplishments throughout his term as Hempstead Town Supervisor. And – as our Rotary Club President Diane Marmann reminds, “Rotary has never been better,” and our Club looks toward this new year with great hope along with its return to our regular lunch meetings at our Garden City Hotel. Stay tuned!
Should you wish to join Rotary’s virtual Zoom meeting featuring Don Clavin, please call Diane at 516-741-8340 or diane. marmann@gmail.com.
Garden City, NY | New Canaan, CT Cell: (516)965-9534 | Office: (203)966-2614 Email: tricia.sagistano@rbergerco.com www.RBergerCo.com
Town of Hempstead Supervisor Donald X. Clavin
FABGC announces candidates for Board of Trustees
Mary Flanagan
SUBMITTED BY FOR A BETTER GARDEN CITY
Mary Carter FlanaganWestern Section FABGC is pleased to announce Mary Carter Flanagan as a candidate for the Board of Trustees from the Western Section of the Village of Garden City.
Mary grew up in Garden City, and in 1998, she moved back with
Terry Digan
her husband to raise their family here. Mary has lived in Garden City for a total of 43 years, and her three children; Emily, Matt and Caroline all graduated from Garden City High School, the youngest graduating in 2020.
Since 2012, Mary has served as an Administrative Law Judge for the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board, where she pre -
sides over hearings addressing all issues related to workers’ compensation cases. She is known for her thoroughness and her problem-solving capabilities. Early in her tenure, she was selected to preside over a new expedited hearing part in Brooklyn, designed to encourage resolution of claims and eliminate backlogs. At the beginning of the opioid crisis, Mary was instrumental in raising awareness of the problem among workers’ compensation claimants. She helped initiate a program to educate claimants and medical providers about the dangers of opioid use and to provide assistance for those who developed addictions.
Mary is a product of Garden City’s excellent schools. After graduating from Garden City High School in 1986, she attended the University of Virginia and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1990. She then went on to attend St. John’s University School of Law, where she served as Publications Editor of the Journal of Legal Commentary before graduating with a Juris Doctor degree in 1993.
Following law school, Mary went to Washington, D.C., where she served as a law clerk to the Honorable Robert G. Mahoney of the
United States Department of Labor. Upon returning to New York, and before she became a Judge, Mary served as an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of New York and worked in private practice handling litigation matters.
Mary’s volunteer work in the Village began at her children’s co-operative nursery school, The Garden City Nursery School. After volunteering to chair several committees, Mary was asked to serve as the Vice President of Fundraising and then President of the Garden City Nursery School. Her volunteer work continued as her children grew older. She assisted as a lacrosse coach for her older daughter’s team, and was head coach of her younger daughter’s lacrosse team for many years. Mary was also a soccer coach; a Girl Scout leader, leading troops for both of her daughters; and a CCD teacher at St. Anne’s.
In 2007, Mary co-chaired Garden City’s first Cinco De Mayo Fiesta for Fanconi Anemia and was actively involved in subsequent years as the organization netted over $300,000 to benefit the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund.
For over twenty years, Mary Continued on page 43
n Plumbing repairs
n Drain cleaning
n Heat repairs
n Installation of appliances
n Installation of toilets & sinks
n Water filtration systems
We pride ourselves on having the most professional and qualified plumbers in Nassau County. Neat clean and courteous.
CPOA Resident Electors’ Meeting
The Central Property Owners’ Association (CPOA) will be hosting its Resident Electors’ Meeting (and regularly scheduled Monthly meeting) on Tuesday, January 19 at 7:30 p.m. at Cluett Hall, St. Paul’s School. There will be updates from the various Association committees and discussion about the major issues facing the Village today. The CPOA looks forward to residents comments re: same.
Additionally, the Central’s Independent Nominating Committee will be introducing both Yvonne
Varano, as its candidate for Village Trustee, and Tom Pinou as its nominee for the position of At-large School Board Trustee. As is custom, Ms. Varano and Mr. Pinou were vetted by the Committee, along with other candidates for both positions, in the fall.
The CPOA encourages all Central residents to attend and join its POA. Please refer to the December mailer and visit (www.gccpoa.org) for details on membership and in-month updates.
Estates POA Electors Meeting on January 19
The Property Owners’ Association of Garden City Estates will conduct its Electors’ meeting on Tuesday, January 19th at 7:30 pm at the Field House at the St. Paul’s Recreation Complex.
Come and meet Rich Catalano, who will be presented as the candidate for the position of Village Trustee from the Estates section, having been selected by the Estates Nominating Committee. The nominee from the Central POA, Yvonne Varano, will also stop by and introduce herself at our meeting.
This year, several Estates residents submitted applications for Village Trustee. Those applicants were interviewed by the Estates POA Nominating Committee. The members voted to determine which applicant would be the nominee.
In the Estates POA, there are fifteen members on the Nominating Committee. The members serve for a 3-year term which may be renewed for one additional 3-year term for a maximum of six years. Each year, five seats are up for election or renewal. In order to be elected, residents must submit an application to the Secretary of the POA by a specified date which is announced in the newspaper, by email and online. The Board of Directors, consisting of fifteen directors, reviews the applications and elects the new Nominating Committee members. Every year, the Nominating Committee changes so that it is not the same fifteen members. The President of the POA, who has a two-year term, is not on the Nominating Committee.
Since 2013, over forty residents from the Estates section, have been members of the Nominating Committee, including Matt Abrusci, Peter Agnetti, Brian Armstrong, Robert Bommarito, Rachel Cashwell, Daniel Cendan, Joseph Colletti, Michael Daab, John DeMaro, Tina DiMino, John Farrell, Matt Genova,
Phillip Gullo, George Hohenberger, Joseph Jabour, Gary Limoncelli, John Lisica, Matt Luttinger, Kathy Maher, Michael Maguire, Robert Malatak, Allen Mathers, Jeri Newman, Nick Phillipides, Kimberly Pupke McGraw, Richard Nessler, Jeff Minett, Nancy Minett, Jeffrey Rathgeber, Paul Rovelli, Greg Senken, John Skramko, Thomas Stenson, Paul Van Valkenberg, Aida Velez, Manny Velez, Michael Ventre, Linda Wangner, Kristina Wesch and Cathy Wood. They come from a variety of jobs including accountants, engineers, entrepreneurs, financial advisors, lawyers, security officers and teachers.
The Estates POA provides an opportunity for Estates residents to submit an alternate candidate for trustee. Since none were received, Rich Catalano’s name will be placed on the ballot for the March 16 General Village Election.
At the January 19 meeting, there will be committees’ and trustees’ reports on current topics affecting our community, and an opportunity for residents to comment on these, and other, issues. Come and hear detailed information directly from our Village, Library and School Board trustees, Committee representatives and Commission representatives.
In order to receive emails from the Estates POA, please become a member by either (1) going to our website https://www.gcestates.org/ and click on “Become a Member” and then on the link “Join” or (2) sending a check made payable to “Property Owners’ Association of Garden City Estates” The dues are $20 per family, $15 for senior citizens.
Future meetings are scheduled for Tuesday, February 16, Tuesday, March 16, Wednesday, April 14, Wednesday, May 12 (Annual Meeting for election of Directors and Nominating Committee members) and Wednesday, June 9 (final meeting of the year.)
Spectacular Smart Home located on over a half an acre of bucolic park-like property. This incredible 3900+ sq. ft. split level home has been completely renovated with the utmost attention to detail. With 6 bedrooms, 4 full baths, multiple oversized levels for entertaining, this home offers both versatility with luxurious design. The main floor offers an open-concept EIK kitchen and living room, the flawless Chefs kitchen leaves nothing to be desired, featuring 3 Wolf ovens & 6 burner range, oversized custom design Sub-zero refrigerator, custom cabinets, Bosch dishwasher and stunning Quartz countertops. Beautiful 3 season sunroom leads out to a slate patio overlooking the tremendous private backyard on 100 x 271 sq. ft lot. With this yard you can add a large pool & deck while leaving plenty of room for additional landscaping and green space.
Maureen Lagarde, CBR
Licensed Real Estate Salesperson Compass
182 Seventh Street, Garden City, NY 11530 c. 516.850.7812 maureen.lagarde@compass.com
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Truck Stop
A commercial vehicle inspection was conducted on New Hyde Park Road on January 6th. Nine trucks were inspected of which five were placed out of service. Thirty-three tickets were issued for var ious traffic and safety viola tions including three hazardous material violations and three unsecured load violations. In addition, two truck drivers were charged with driving with suspended licenses.
Microwave fire
Garden City police and firefighters responded to a residence for a small microwave fire on January 7th.
Suspended license
A motorist was charged with driving on Stewart Avenue with a suspended license and driving while on a cell phone on January 7th.
No permit for road work
A Garden City Police officer observed an Amityville construction company allegedly doing road construction on Nassau Boulevard blocking the two southbound lanes. Nassau County DPW was notified after police say they found that the company did not have the proper permits for the construction. A Nassau County Road Inspector responded to the scene, issued a stop order and advised he will be taking corrective action against the company.
Aggressive driving:
On January 8th a Garden City Police officer said he observed a vehicle southbound Clinton Road with the operator talking on a cell phone. The officer attempted to stop the vehicle by activating his vehicle’s lights and siren, however the vehicle allegedly refused to stop driving recklessly and aggressively into Hempstead Village, where he struck a vehicle on Lincoln Boulevard. The driver and the passenger then allegedly fled the scene on foot. Upon investigation, police located and arrested the driver, a 19-year-old male, and charged him with reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident, excessive speed, two lane usage violations, using a cellphone while driving, unlicensed operation,
unregistered operation, and uninsured operation.
Unauthorized credit cards
On January 9th the Garden City Police Department investigated a report of an unauthorized attempt to open multiple credit card accounts by using a resident’s personal information without permission.
Heater fire:
On January 9th the fire department responded to a residence for an outdoor propane heater fire.
2-vehicle crash
GCPD, GCFD, and NYU Ambulance responded to a two-vehicle crash on Nassau Boulevard at Stewart Avenue where one of the vehicles overturned. One passenger had to be extricated from the vehicle. GCFD assisted with traffic and controlling a fuel leak. One minor injury was reported.
No fly zone
On January 10th Air Traffic Controllers requested that GCPD and NCPD search Roosevelt Field and surrounding areas for a drone operator due to a near miss between a drone and a plane. The search yielded negative results.
Multiple violations
On January 10th a truck driver was charged with driving on Clinton Road with a suspended license and multiple traffic and safety violations.
DWI arrest
On January 11th a 28-yearold motorist was arrested on Old Country Road for DWI, excessive speed, improper license plates, unregistered vehicle and uninsured operation.
Power line fire:
On January 12th Garden City Police assisted the Fire Department who responded to a primary line fire on Cathedral Avenue, which resulted in a power outage in the area including a traffic light malfunction on Rockaway Avenue and 1st Street.
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Village Hall is open. Office hours are 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Visitors are required to wear a face covering, maintain social distancing of six feet and sign in to a Visitor’s Log outside of the office they are visiting. Furthermore, while multiple people can enter Village Hall, only one person will be admitted into each office space at a time and are asked to abide by employee instructions.
Main Line Signal Testing
The next two weekends (January 16-17 and January 23-24) the LIRR will be performing signal testing in one of its interlockings to the east of New Hyde Park Station. This will result in a Main Line shutdown. The LIRR will also be taking advantage of this outage to conduct track work, namely track surfacing, along the Main Line. The LIRR will be testing new signal infrastructure in and around the New Hyde Park Station. This will result in several key service changes and outages including, but not limited to:
• No train service at New Hyde Park, Merillon Avenue, Mineola, Carle Place and Westbury stations.
• As an alternative, use the Hempstead Branch, where week-
end service will be increased from hourly to half-hourly, or NICE Bus service. LIRR tickets will be cross-honored on the N22/24 bus routes for service between Hicksville and Mineola, and the N40/41 bus routes for service between Mineola and Hempstead. See www. nicebus.com for schedules.
• The work will involve several pieces of heavy machinery during the course of the weekends and it will be disruptive to any residents in the immediate vicinity.
• Find the full details and schedule impacts here on all the different branches.
• Work is weather dependent; dates are subject to change to take advantage of favorable conditions.
Cathedral Ave Traffic Calming Study
The Board of Trustees is considering the engagement of Creighton Manning Engineering, LLP to prepare a traf-
fic calming study of Cathedral Avenue, as requested by the Traffic Commission. The cost of the study totals $47,800. Traffic calming is the combination of measures that reduce the negative effects of motor vehicle use, alter driver behavior, and improve conditions for non-motorized street users. Traffic calming consists of physical design and other measures put in place on existing roads to reduce vehicle speeds and improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists.
2019-20 Annual Report
The eighty-seventh published Annual Report, covering the 20192020 fiscal year (June 1, 2019 through May 31, 2020), is now posted on the Village website, www.gardencityny. net, under the “Administration and Organization” tab on the left side of the homepage. The primary purpose of this document is to provide you with an account of the stewardship of Village affairs by your Board of Trustees during the past fiscal year. It is a statement of how your tax dollars were spent during the 2019-2020 budget. This is vital in the process of interactive government. The Report also highlights 2019 as the “year of celebration for the Garden City Centennial and Sesquicentennial.” The Village celebrated two momentous occasions - the 150th anniversary of Alexander T. Stewart’s land purchase and the 100th anniversary of the Community Agreement.
Sanitation Collection: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Residents are reminded that there will be no garbage pickup on Monday, January 18, 2021. The Holiday Week Collection Schedule will be as follows:
Western half of Village (west of Rockaway Ave.): Garbage - Tuesday and Thursday; Rubbish - Wednesday, January 27th
Eastern half of Village (east of Rockaway Ave.): Garbage - Wednesday and Friday; Rubbish - Wednesday, January 27
Residents scheduled for recycling on Monday, January 18th, are asked to put their recyclables out on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
LIRR Third Track Update
Train Station Art Glass: During January, commuters will notice crews installing art glass at the new elevator towers at the Merillon Avenue station. Following the completion of construction, crews will begin commissioning and testing the elevators to ensure complete functionality and safety requirements are met. Crews are continuing brickwork on the new canopy columns and elevator towers along the station platform. Some parking spots will remain unavailable at the station; replacement parking is provided north of Merillon Avenue Station, along Broadway between County Courthouse Road and Herricks Road, on the south side of the street.
Tanners Pond Road/Denton Avenue Bridge Replacement: This month, crews began early utility relocation work to accommodate the bridge replacement at Tanners Pond Road and Denton Avenue. As a result, local road closures and detours are necessary. Tanners Pond Road/ Denton Avenue will close from Main Avenue to Railroad Avenue beginning in mid-January. Thru-traffic will be redirected to alternate routes. The bridge is the last of seven to be replaced or modified as part of the third track project. The bridge will be removed and replaced with a three-track structure to accommodate the new third track and improve safety. An ADAcompliant sidewalk is planned on the east side of the roadway, which will allow pedestrians to traverse safely between the north and south sides of the tracks.
Mayor Theresa Trouvé
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Music Academy finds new identity amidst ongoing pandemic
BY GARY SIMEONE
Like many local businesses across the country, the Music Academy of Garden City has had to rearrange its business model as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The long-standing business, located at 32 Nassau
Boulevard, has had to move from its original location and incorporate a new theme into its model.
“Obviously as a business, we’ve had to pivot from our original model and do what we can to survive in these challenging times,” said Peter Coco, executive director of the Music Academy. “Like every other school, we needed to shut down last March, during the initial wave of the pandemic, and had to get all of our students online virtually.”
The Music Academy needed to move its location to a permanent facility down the street in order to hold smaller sized classes.
“Luckily for us, we had rented another space a few doors down, at 20 Nassau Boulevard, which offered a larger open room, wider spacing and much better ventilation,” said Coco. “We knew that in the new normal, our original facility would not be conducive or safe for either the teacher or the students.”
Coco said that in 2017, he and other musicians founded the Music Academy Foundation, a non-profit that helps with the funding and purchasing of nec-
essary instruments for music schools.
“My business falls under the umbrella of the Foundation, so in the midst of all that was going on, we were able to continue with things like holding smaller sized classes private lessons and our musical theater program.”
Coco is a musician by trade, but also has a knack for photography, going back to his early college days.
“I wanted to expand upon the business and take advantage of this new multipurpose open space that we had,” said Coco. “The photography concept came into play a while back, when I noticed students would bring photos of themselves to our musicals or to place on our poster boards. They were either school photos or taken from their iPhones, and I thought why not use my photography skills to take professional headshots of them.”
He said that since the pandemic hit, there haven’t been any live events at the location, so he used the additional free time he had to focus on the photography side of the business.
“When we opened back up late last summer, I kind of poured myself into
the photography side, taking professional headshots of people for their families or jobs.”
He said that he trained with a Manhattan organization called “Peter Hurley’s Headshot Crew” to help him improve on his photography skills even further.
“We’ve expanded our client base from our students to professionals like actors, lawyers and people in the real estate and banking industry. It’s amazing what a good headshot can do for one’s confidence and to help further one’s business.”
Coco has set up his studio space to be COVID safe ,which means all of his clients must wear masks and maintain proper social distancing. His usual protocol is to take headshots in the morning and offer one-on-one musical lessons and small group classes in the afternoon.
“2020 was a bad year but also good in a way because I’ve figured out new ways to thrive. I’m grateful to have this new space and to be able to do what I am now to survive in the midst of all this craziness.”
Peter Coco Photo by Peter Hurley
Blood drive at GC Library a big success
The Garden City Library was the site of a blood drive on January 5.
On January 5, the Garden City Public Library sponsored a blood drive for the Long Island Blood Services. Due to CDC guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was limited space available, so donations were done by scheduling an appointment online.
Despite the current pandemic and people on vacation for the holidays,
every time slot was filled immediately and walkins were taken as space allowed, some were even turned away from the overwhelming response.
The blood drive was a big success as 47 pints of blood was collected, which will go towards helping over 140 people, including accident victims, cancer patients and trauma patients.
Arrest for forcible touching
Garden City Police arrested a New Hyde Park man on Wednesday, January 6 for allegedly touching a woman inappropriately during a massage.
According to police, on January 2nd, the female victim, 48, went to a scheduled message appointment at Ospa located at 927 Franklin Avenue. The victim entered a room to obtain a neck and shoulder message. While lying in the room, the male giving the message allegedly inappropriately touched her. The victim left the business and later notified the police.
Police arrested Sut-ho Leung, 59, of New Hyde Park. They say Leung does not have a license to give messages.
Leung was charged with Forcible Touching, Sexual Abuse 3rd Degree, Unauthorized Practice of Profession and Assault 3rd Degree.
Detectives request anyone who feels they may have been a victim to a similar incident to contact Garden City Police at 516-465-4150.
BY MELVA VICTORINO
Last summer I asked the question, “Who would not like a good challenge?” I further wrote, “Much more a challenge of the Holy Spirit. With the present unrest, tumult and disruption in America, it is not easy to keep silent. Silence is an acceptance of evil in itself. The current violence, added to the pandemic of COVID-19, creates an uncertainty that challenges not only our wellbeing but our Spirit. A challenge to action!”
Our country is in crisis in many ways. We are still facing the challenges of COVID-19 and its Variant. We haven’t forgotten what 2020 looked like! We are
praying that 2021 will bring us a time of hopeful change for a better New Year. But…our own freedom is being put on trial. It is time for well minded, engaged and faithful people to speak out and get peacefully involved in all process of showing how we can’t be silenced. Garden City Community Church (GCCC) pioneers in Justice Witness, protection of Human Rights, those marginalized, stands against oppressions, and persecution. We are standing on the edge of lethal destruction of our freedom and we need to shout out the injustices we are witnessing around us. Our voices can be a challenge to ourselves to act, to care, and to love our neighbors as God expects us to do.
To help us bring more of the Spoken Words to you, the Rev. Lynn Sullivan, Senior Pastor of GCCC invited the Rev. Eugene Richard Palmore to preach on Sunday, January 17th at 10:30 a.m. in our in-person Worship Service and to be live-streamed from our sanctuary and pulpit. As people of faith, Rev. Palmore will preach on, "Do Not Be Afraid!" inspired from the Old Testament by the Prophet Isaiah 12:2, Psalm 121 and the Gospel Lesson: from Luke 12: 1-7. Rev. Palmore is GCCC’s first guest preacher since we opened our sanctuary and pulpit for our in-person Worship Services.
The Reverend Eugene Richard Palmore was born and raised in Chicago, IL. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA, with further study at Clark/Atlanta University in English and Linguistics. He earned his Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary of New York City, with a concentration in Theology, Worship and the Arts. While at Union,
Rev. Palmore received the William H. Hudnut Preaching Award in 2000.
Rev. Palmore currently serves as the Interim Pastor at Church of the Master Presbyterian Church and is an Adjunct Lecturer in Reading and English at the Manhattan Educational Opportunity Center of the Borough of Manhattan Community College in New York. Prior to coming to Church of the Master, Rev. Palmore served as the Interim Pastor of the Corona Congregational Church, United Church of Christ in Corona, NY; the Worship Director for The Riverside Church; and as the Program Coordinator for The Women’s and Arts Ministries at Marble Collegiate Church of New York City. Rev. Palmore has received numerous awards and citations for his ministry, including the 2003 First Place Winner of the Seminarians’ Sermon Contest in the national publication, The African American Pulpit, the Outstanding Service to the Community Citation from the City Council of New York, Hon. Julissa Ferreras, Jackson Heights, NY in 2013, and the Clergy Award from the Corona/East Elmhurst Branch of the NAACP in 2011. In 2007, he served as a consultant and contributor to “LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING!” a documentary that explored the Choral Legacy of HBCUSA - the Historically Black Colleges and Universities of the United States of America.
A musician at heart, Rev. Palmore is the Co-Director for The Ebony Ecumenical Ensemble and arranger/ writer for the praise vocal group VOCÉ (Voices of Christ Ensemble). As a published songwriter and arranger, Rev. Palmore’s choral arrangements have been performed nationwide and abroad and recorded and performed by The
Ebony Ecumenical Ensemble and The Riverside Choir. Rev. Palmore is also a poet whose works have been published in local and national publications. Rev. Palmore is the proud father of one son, Sekani.
If there is a scripture that fortifies his ministry, it is the simple but profound saying of Jesus in Gethsemane – “Not my will but thine be done.” Most of all, Rev. Palmore is proud to be a servant called by God to help bring about shalom and to build God’s beloved community here on earth.
Come and join us at GCCC all week long. We have many ways you can participate in worship, programs, ministry services, and events, virtually or in limited in-person activities. We have started re-opening our in-person Sunday Worship Services following Re-opening Worship Guidelines. For information on how to pre-register to attend the service, please contact the church office at churchoffice@thegccc.org. To get information regarding our other 2021 virtual worship services and programs, visit our website www.gardencitycommunitychurch.org.
The Garden City Community Church is part of the United Church of Christ and is an Open and Affirming congregation that welcomes people of all ages, races, gender identities, and sexual orientations to participate in the life of our community. The physical church of Garden City Community Church is located at 245 Stewart Avenue between Whitehall Blvd.and Kensington Road. For more information, email churchoffice@thegccc.org or call (516) 746-1700. And as previously mentioned, you may also visit our website at www.gardencitycommunitychurch.org.
Guest preacher at Garden City Community Church FOR SENIORS
Garden City Senior Center Open
Garden City Recreation and Parks’ Senior Center is now open.
Our hours will be 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. We will be practicing social distancing so no exercise or group activities will take place at this time Anyone visiting the Center will be required to wear a mask during their visit.
Adult Art Class at Cluett Hall
The Garden City’s Department of Recreation and Parks will offer an adult art class this fall. This 10-week program will teach the beginner as well as the advanced student the art
of painting portraits and landscapes/ still-life in pastel from photographs.
Arleen Rueth Urban, the instructor for this program, is a signature member of the Pastel Society of America.
Classes will be held Fridays beginning February 12 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. in St. Paul’s Cluett Hall. The cost of this program will be $140. Please note: Masks must be worn during class and each participant must fill out a COVID survey sheet before each class to attend. This class is open to adult residents who reside in the Inc. Village of Garden City.
The first lesson includes a portrait and landscape demonstration.
At that time, a supply list is provided. Demonstrations will be available as needed throughout the program. Each student will receive the individual attention required as they move at their own pace and level of expertise.
To register for this session, please visit the Recreation and Parks office at 108 Rockaway Avenue. If you have a password, you may register online at gcreconline.gardencityny.net.
Senior Exercise with Felicia
Recreation and Parks is pleased to announce that senior exercise with Felicia began the week of October
Let your voice be heard!
26. Due to COVID restrictions, this program will no longer be a drop in program. Participants will need to pre-register, wear masks and fill out a COVID form, and space will be limited.
Classes will take place on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 10 a.m. In order to attend a class, you must pre-register. You may pre-register up to two days before the class you want to attend by calling the Senior Center between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at 385-8006. For a Monday class, you may call the Friday before. Space is limited.
Is there an issue in your community you want to discuss? Want to respond to something you saw in our paper?
Then write a letter to our editor and bring it to everyone’s attention! Send your letter to editor@gcnews.com and we’ll publish it for you!
The Reverend Eugene Richard Palmore
SCHOOLS and EDUCATION
TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE REMOTE LEARNING
An increased reliance on virtual home instruction has many students rethinking their organizational strategies and daily school schedules. Learning at home is different from being in a traditional classroom environment, but with some effective strategies, students can persevere without missing a beat.
Stick to a schedule
Many students are successful because they follow a schedule. The Center for Social and Emotional Foundations of Early Learning says that routines and schedules are important because they influence a child’s emotional and cognitive development. Children feel secure with schedules, which may help them recognize what’s expected of them.
When learning at home, students should strive to maintain as consistent a schedule as possible, including bedtimes, wake times, hours devoted to learning, and time to get outside or engage in downtime activities.
Connect live if possible
There are many free tools and resources available that enable teachers to provide live video lessons or to record them so students can watch them later. Simi-
larly, social networking apps and virtual meeting programs enable students to connect digitally. This can be helpful for collaborative learning assignments or just to see a familiar face.
Stick to tools that work
Once students find apps or systems that work, they should stick with them, offers Khan Academy, an educational tutoring resource. There are many factors outside of one’s control during virtual instruction, but maintaining consistency with tools and schedules is one way to feel more confident and secure.
Check student accounts frequently
Just like students, teachers may be learning as they go in regard to remote learning strategies. Students should be sure to check school email accounts or other places where teachers post assignments a few times per day so that they stay on top of all assignments and are aware of due dates.
Reach out to instructors
Allegheny College suggests students contact their teachers if they are unsure of how to participate in remote learning environments. Ask questions about assignments, get clarification on key topics and be sure
to tune into any remote chats or virtual “office hours.” Stay in touch with guidance, if needed
Remote learning is a new experience for many students, and there may be certain struggles or road blocks. It can be easy to grow frustrated with equipment failures or lack of in-person interaction. Schools employ qualified therapists and guidance counselors who are just a click, call or email away if issues need to be talked through. Students should utilize all resources made available to them.
Virtual home instruction can be made even easier with some extra assistance and guidance.
Catholic Schools Week January 31st – February 6th, 2021
WHAT IS CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK? Catholic Schools Week is the annual celebration of Catholic education in the United States. It starts the last Sunday in January, which in 2021 is January 31st, and runs through February 6th. The theme for the Catholic Schools Week 2021 is “Faith. Excellence. Service.” Schools typically observe the annual celebration week with Masses, open houses and other activities for students, families, parishioners and community members. Through these events, schools focus on the value Catholic education provides to young people and its contributions to our church, our communities and our nation. For more information, Calendars of Events and links to the schools, visit LICatholicElementarySchools.org.
Virtual story time fosters connection and literacy
Second-grade student enjoys a virtual story time
Students in Virginia McCavera’s second-grade class at Stratford School in Garden City are connecting with each other’s families and celebrating reading, virtually. The format of this longstanding Special Story Time tradition was altered in light of the pandemic and as a result, a strong sense of unity has grown among students and parents during these difficult times.
Ms. McCavera’s classes have enjoyed Wednesday morning Special Story Time
sessions for more than 30 years. In the past, a different parent would visit each week to read a story in person and have a photo taken with their child. This year, the class eagerly embraced plans to continue the program in a way that follows the current health and safety protocols.
Parents register online to be spotlighted via video on their respective Wednesdays. They begin their segments by greeting the students as if they are right there with them
Second-graders in Ms. McCavera’s class at Stratford School celebrate reading every Wednesday during Special Story Time, when students’ family members share books via video.
in the classroom and go on to read a children’s book of their choice. Ms. McCavera takes a photo of the featured reader’s child alongside the screen display, and the class makes a speaker phone call to the parent during which they express thanks and applause.
One student had numerous relatives who have been unable to be together physically take Special Story Time as an opportunity to collaborate digitally. The family
members each read a different letter page of an alphabet book. Ms. McCavera’s own mother also participated and shared the teacher’s favorite childhood book. Now several parents are making their second reading debuts.
“There is much thought and caring in each video,” Ms. McCavera said. “The students are transfixed by the stories and look forward to Wednesday mornings.”
Photos courtesy of Garden City Public Schools
Community Club to hear lecture on Leonardo da Vinci
BY MARY MAGUIRE
On Tuesday, January 26, the Community Club of Garden City and Hempstead will be gathering to attend an in person PowerPoint lecture on the Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci.
In 2019, the 500th anniversary of his death, expositions on his life were held the world over.
But the “granddaddy” of all the celebrations was held in Paris at the Louvre. I got a ticket for the first hour of the first day when the prepared galleries had just opened.
Tired of Zooming? Come! Join us at the Garden City Casino at 1:30 and learn about the life of this genius from his days as an apprentice in Florence until his last days in France in the Loire Valley.
All state coronavirus-19 regulations will be observed. Everyone must wear a mask and seats will be 6 feet apart. No refreshments will be served following the program.
All are welcome! There is a $5 fee for guests. If anyone is interested in joining the Community Club, please contact our club office at 516-7460488.
But if Zooming is all your comfort level allows, the lecture will also be given on January 18 on the Jericho Library website at 2 p.m. Registration at the library’s website is required prior to attending this Jericho Library online Zoom lecture.
Hear a discussion of the art of Leonardo da Vinci at the Community Club
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GC teacher named Essential Worker of the Year
Essential Worker of the Year/Garden City Middle School teacher Lauren Lavelle with Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kusum Sinha. Photo courtesy of Garden City Public Schools
Garden City Middle School sixth grade teacher Lauren Lavelle was honored as Essential Worker of the Year by Garden City New York Media in the Virtual Village Show: Garden City Winter Edition. The program aired on Dec. 18 and featured remarks from Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kusum Sinha and Ms. Lavelle.
An 18-year member of the district’s staff, Ms. Lavelle taught fourth grade at Stratford School for 15 years and is currently in her third year of teaching English Language Arts and science at the Middle School. This past September brought the addition of a new sixth grade STEAM course, for which she wrote the curriculum, to her schedule.
Ms. Lavelle helps to run the Positive Change Book Club, a virtual, districtwide initiative, in collaboration with teacher Tia Albig. She additionally coached field hockey for sixth grade intramurals and serves as the assistant varsity field hockey coach at Garden City High School.
“Lauren always goes above and beyond for her students, for her community and her colleagues,” Dr. Sinha said. “She has brought programs into the schools, works extremely hard and has a can-do attitude. We are very fortunate to have her in Garden City.”
Throughout the pandemic, Ms. Lavelle has provided noteworthy sup-
port to her students and colleagues. She maintained strong connections with students during last spring’s school closure and helped her fellow teachers navigate new forms of technology.
“This is an extraordinary and well-deserved honor that truly reflects what Lauren and our entire staff have done for children this year,” said Garden City Middle School Principal Dr. Eric Nezowitz.
Ms. Lavelle shared that this distinction reflects the teamwork and dedication of the entire school community. She also provided words of inspiration for her students.
“We do not go into our classrooms, close the door and become great teachers,” she said. “Instead, it’s when the door is open. To my students, remember, you are our future. Believe in yourself, believe in your potential, you can achieve whatever you set your mind to. Be kind to yourself during your journey, mistakes are just learning opportunities. Change your mindset. And remember, always be curious and always ask questions.”
In recognition of Ms. Lavelle’s accomplishments and leadership, Just Adventures Travel Services awarded her an all-expense-paid trip to Jamaica. The show can be viewed at https://virtualvillageshow.com/.
Last week
BY BOB MORGAN, JR.
A few thoughts about last week.
In many ways the Democratic sweep of the two Georgia Senate seats will have a more lasting impact than the siege of the Capitol, since it gives President-elect Biden a much better chance to enact its agenda and make judicial appointments. Two things derailed Republicans -- President Trump’s bitter end campaign to derail the election (see below) and the unwillingness of the GOP Senate to pass a $2000 rather than $600 stimulus payment.
Now onto the situation at the Capitol.
My belief for weeks has been that Mr.Trump had almost no chance overturning the election and that his best course would be to concede the race, perhaps promising his supporters that he will run again in 2024.
There were some indications of voting irregularities or possible fraud in some states, but there was no evidence of systematic wrongdoing of a magnitude to justify a reversing any state's electoral vote results. The better argument of the Trump campaign -- that election laws had unfairly been changed in a number of states by courts or officials-- could not be remedied without an revote, something that is impractical and untenable.
President Trump compounded his stubborn refusal to concede the election by recklessly addressing thousands of his supporters at a rally and suggesting that they move toward the Capitol in an effort to pressure the Congress and the Vice President to sustain his objections to the electoral vote count. Even though the President said that the protest should be peaceful and patriotic, he cannot escape responsibility for the subsequent actions of some of his more fervent supporters in breaking into the Capitol. This was a bad moment for American democracy and something Mr. Trump reasonably should have foreseen when he suggested converging on the Capitol. And while Mr. Trump did urge his supporters to leave the Capitol after it was breached, he was far to equivocal in justifying their conduct.
There is something of a consensus
about the views expressed in the preceding paragraph and I would think that a good number of Republicans in Congress would sign on to a resolution of censure condemning what happened at the Capitol and also Mr. Trump's recklessness and lack of foresight in preventing the invasion of Congress, and his lack of a decisive condemnation of the breach after it happened. Indeed, the bipartisan nature of such a resolution would underscore the seriousness of such a rebuke to Mr. Trump.
However, instead of just accepting the widely held national view that Mr. Trump had completely gone overboard on his election challenge, with dangerous results, and urging that he be publicly rebuked, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Congressional Democrats have in effect decided to spike the football.
First, they wrongheadedly invoke the 25th amendment, which is intended to address a health crisis involving the President, as a means of removing Mr. Trump from office. Alternatively, with a week left in Mr. Trump's term, they will hold another impeachment vote in the House on the contentious theory that Mr .Trump "incited an insurrection", a considerable exaggeration of Mr. Trump's admittedly foolish conduct. They justify a trial in the Senate to remove Mr. Trump from office months after Mr. Biden has taken office (unlikely to succeed in any event and perhaps unconstitutional) on the ground that it could result in Mr. Trump not being allowed to seek further office. Voters in 2024 can be trusted to figure whether or not they have seen enough of Mr. Trump.
If I were advising President-elect Biden, I would suggest that he build on his campaign theme of restoring consensus by calling off Ms. Pelosi and her angry colleagues (while perhaps endorsing a censure vote), and simply urge letting Mr. Trump’s term run out. Mr. Biden would be seen as a unifier and a man willing to pay a gesture of respect to the 74 million Trump supporters in the election. But we will see if he follows that type of advice.
The views expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper or its publisher.
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PhotograPhy history
This is the southwest corner of Franklin Avenue and Sixth Street. The photo was taken in the late 1950’s and shows a plumbing and heating business. Note the old lamppost and traffic signal on the corner. If you look very closely there is a small sign that reads “right turn on red.” That surprised me as I didn’t think they had that back then. Today, the Garden City Medical Center is on that location with the post office across the street to the right.
Shed the Meds
Town Supervisor Don Clavin (second left), Councilman Tom Muscarella (second right) and Town Clerk Kate Murray (right) attended the “Shed the Meds” event, hosted by Nassau County Legislator Laura Schaefer, on December 12, 2020. Justine Butz of Garden City was one of the many residents who participated in the program, which allows for the safe and secure disposal of unused or unwanted medication. Also attending was New York State Assemblyman Ed Ra.
A.T. Stewart Exchange Consignment Shop
BY MELISSA JAEGER
Martin Luther King Day celebrates the Civil Rights leader’s life and legacy and is observed on the third Monday in January. This year, Jan. 18, 2021, is the 26th anniversary. Everyone knows that King was an important civil rights activist, and a leader in the movement to end racial segregation in the United States. An advocate of non-violent protest, King became the youngest man to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Shortly after his death in 1968, a campaign was started to make King’s birthday a holiday. Initially, trade unions led the campaign for the federal holiday.
Two of the main arguments against making it a national holiday were the expense – costs associated with paying employees for the day off – and the fact that King was a private citizen who never served his country. Only two other figures have national holidays honoring them – George Washington and Christopher Columbus. MLK Day has another distinction. It is the only national day ON, not off. What does that mean? It is designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer and take steps to improve their communities.
For those of you who work, we are open late on Wednesdays until 6:00 p.m. It’s a great chance to shop in peace and quiet. We get newly consigned merchan-
dise almost every day! Not comfortable with coming into the shop? Please shop online and come to the Exchange to pick up. I continue to update the TGCHS website with photos of our newest merchandise! Be sure to check out www.tgchs. org or go to our online store at: stores. myresaleweb.com/at-stewart-exchange. We also post photos on the AT Stewart Exchange Facebook and Instagram pages.
When you do come into the Shop, please follow our established sanitizing protocols and social distancing rules to keep everyone safe. Please, now more than ever, wear your mask. We’re wearing ours. And please use our hand-sanitizer when you enter the shop. And, to keep you feeling safe while shopping, we just purchased an air purifier.
For those unfamiliar with the Exchange Consignment Shop, we are housed in The Garden City Historical Society (TGCHS) Museum on 109 Eleventh Street (in the basement of the building). We take jewelry, lamps, mirrors, crystal, pocketbooks, china, furniture, silver, artwork, and collectibles. Unsure if your items are appropriate to consign? Email photos to store@atstewartexchange.org and be sure to include sizing info. We accept consignments Wednesday through Friday, 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. by appointment ONLY, so please call (516) 746-8900. Donated items are greatly appreciated. PLEASE don’t leave donated items outside the shop when we are closed. We want your items, but we don’t want them to get ruined, especially during inclement weather. Email store@atstewartexchange.org and I will work with you to arrange a drop-off time. I check the emails every day, even when we’re closed.
All the profits from the Consignment Shop support the maintenance and upkeep of TGCHS Museum. Thanks to your generous support, work on the outside of the Museum continues.
The Shop is located at 109 Eleventh Street.
Shop Hours:
Tues–Fri, 10:00–4:00 p.m., Wednesday til 6:00 p.m.; Sat, noon–4:00 p.m.
For more information, please call (516) 746-8900.
Get rid of your unwanted items by placing an ad for them in our Classifieds! We have reasonable rates, and you’ll have prompt results! Call our Garden City office at 294-8900 for rates and other info.
Hempstead
Alex Haley figurines available at the A.T. Stewart Consignment Shop.
January 15, 2021
Honeymoon on Lake George in the Time of Corona
EVAN RUBIN & SAMANTHA MAZZIA-RUBIN
July 22nd 2020 was our 10th anniversary of dating so getting married on that day was something we would not let be postponed despite the coronavirus pandemic. After having a little ceremony with the immediate family in our backyard (the rabbi on Zoom!), we decided to take a getaway honeymoon. Our focus was finding a place where we could discover beautiful and romantic scenery, night life, a cute town to walk around and to be near the water. We found it in Lake George in the Adirondack State Park of New York.
Lake George is huge! 32 miles long with over 170 islands and home to 13 communities, with gorgeous views of the Adirondack Mountains. 148 islands are state-owned and accessible by the public with reserved camping allowed. This was our first visit to the Adirondack State Park region, as well as our first venture out after sheltering at home for months. We knew we could stay busy while remaining socially distant. Businesses in Lake George Village and in other Adirondack State Park hamlets are mandated to follow the state’s strict COVID-19 requirements: all customers and staff must wear masks when not eating or drinking, and enforce social distancing by spacing apart sitting areas and limiting the number of occupants. As we walked around town, we saw visitors, businesses and venue staff adhering to the COVID guidelines. So we felt safe, too.
Lake George offers so many activities, attractions and scenic places, as
perfect for our honeymoon as a family getaway. Here are ideas:
1. Kayak or paddle board:
• On the private beach of the “Shore Meadows Lodge”, we rented kayaks from “Kayak Lake George”. Kayak Lake George offers hourly rentals for one- and two-person kayaks and paddle boards. Since this was our first time kayaking, the staff assisted us by giving us a short demonstration which gave us the confidence to navigate without a guide (http://www.kayaklakegeorge.com, 518-302-6005).
• Some hotels and resorts around the lake also offer complimentary or rental equipment. Surfside On The Lake Hotel & Suites where we stayed has kayak and pedal boat rentals as well as an outdoor pool and private sandy beac
2. Parasail over the Lake – contact operators such as Parasail Joe’s (518-668-4013; https://parasailjoes. com/; 204 Canada St., Lake George) to reserve a 1-3 person parasail flight. (Operates June-September; reservations required; $80/person, 5 years old and up; inquire about weight limits, and ask about daily specials).
3. Cruise the Lake - there are many opportunities for enjoying a cruise around the lake while following Covid-19 guidelines.
• Lake George Steamboat Co. has three ships in their fleet for a wide variety of midday and sunset cruising options available to adults only or for families. During the summer months and October fall foliage viewing, ships offer themed, family-ori-
ented dinner cruises, such as a pirate cruise or a pasta dinner. Cruise times range for 1-2 hours for historic narratives, to six hours of full-lake sightseeing (https://lakegeorgesteamboat. com/; 518-668-5777, ext.4)
• Lake George Shoreline Cruises - We gathered for an hour-long sunset cruise which offered two complimentary drinks. For available cruise dates, pricing, and to reserve space: 518-6684644; https://lakegeorgeshoreline.com; Shoreline cruise ticket offers 10% discount for entrée at Lake George Shoreline Restaurant).
4. Dine with big helpings of ambiance overlooking the lake. Restaurants you should not miss:
• Lake George Shoreline Restau-
GOING PLACES NEAR AND FAR
rant (4 Kurosaka Lane, Lake George; 518-668-2875) - a casual, surf and turf restaurant with a covered deck with a view of the dock. We shared mussels, corn and crab chowder, the restaurant’s famous burger and pasta primavera. (Show your cruise ticket to receive a discount on an entrée.)
• The Boathouse Restaurant at The Lodges at Cresthaven (800853-1632; 3210 Lake Shore Drive, Lake George). Our compliments to Chef Paul – our appetizers (Margarita grilled shrimp, warm rolls, clam chowder filled with fresh clams) and entrées (chicken parmigiana, a huge Tomahawk steak with homemade steak sauce and lobster tails)
Continued on next page
GOING PLACES, NEAR & FAR....
Honeymoon on Lake George in the Time of Corona
were cooked to perfection. We also ordered flavorful mixed drinks and our new favorite locally brewed beer, Adirondack Bear Naked Amber Ale. (lakegeorgeboathouse. com/)
• Pizza Jerks (518-668-4411; 59 Iroquois St., Lake George, NY) - choose from over 25 specialty pizzas; order the Jamaican Jerk and Sesame Teriyaki chicken wings.
• The Lagoon Bar & Grill (518-6855009; lagoonlakegeorge.com; 204 Canada St., Lake George). This fun little establishment is all about over-the-top comfort food, such as the “Loaded Mac Grilled Cheese Sandwich” and “French Mountain” Burger topped with bourbon glaze.
• Adirondack Pub & Brewery (518668-0002; adkbrewery.com; 33 Canada St, Lake George, NY). Hand-crafted lagers and ales using local, Adirondack ingredients are brewed and bottled on-site in this Lake George rustic, log-style building. The restaurant boasts a large, covered deck for outdoor seating. Menu options combine regular pub appetizers, with rather interesting ones: eggplant fries, East-ender fish
and chips; Black and Blue burger with homemade gorgonzola horseradish creme sauce; and even craftmade, locally brewed root beer. Ask for their S’mores dessert!
5. Play mini-golf at one of the many themed, outdoor golf parks. Pirate’s Cove Adventure Golf is a favorite (518668-0493, 2115 U.S. 9, Lake George, www. piratescove.net/locations/new-york/ lake-george).
• 6. Visit area attractions: Visit “The House of Frankenstein” Wax Museum (518-668-3377; 213 Canada Street, Lake George, NY). The two-story attraction houses animated wax figures that portray historic and literary scenes of horror and torture. We recommend it for kids and adults who can handle walking along darkened hallways and fake gore. (Check hours of operation, https://frankensteinwaxmuseum.com/tickets/).
• Travel back in time to the middle of the French and Indian War during the 1750s at Fort William Henry Museum (518-964-6649; https:// www.fwhmuseum.com; 48 Canada Street, Lake George). Take a self-guided tour to hear about the role of the fort during this pre-revolutionary period, or learn from a
military guide dressed in 18th-century period uniform. Demonstrations of musket and cannon firing are scheduled throughout the day. It is strongly recommended to call or go online to reserve when you will visit as well as to purchase tickets in advance. Plan to come for the fort’s special events. General admission (and for ghost tours) is $19.95 /adult; $15.95 /Senior; $9 / child (5-15); Military/Veterans are free with a valid ID.
• Picnic on the grassy hills of the Lake George Battlefield near the Fort. Battlefield Park has interpretive signs, historic statues, and monuments and a self-guided tour.
7. Explore the Adirondack State Park mountain roads above Lake George Village. One of our favorite drives is up the five-mile Prospect Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway; follow the road to the last overlook and walk up a rather steep but short hill to be 2,030 feet at the mountain’s summit (open from May through Veterans’ Day, weather permitting).
8. Book a campsite or reserve your own private island in Lake George by visiting https://www.lakegeorge.com/ camping/reservations/.
There are plenty of ways to camp in
the Adirondack State Park around Lake George, from tent camping, glamping, RV-rentals, or sleeping on a small docked boat! Use the online resource, Lake George Camping Guide for tips, contact information and other ways to reserve.
9. Rent a boat for the day: Visit https://www.visitlakegeorge.com/water/boat-rentals for more information on where to book.
Lake George Village is expecting to be very active in 2021, especially April through October. Contact Lake George Chamber of Commerce at 518-668–5755 or email info@lakegeorgechamber.com for maps, customized itineraries and recommendations.
The American Garden Rose Selection judges have announced the newest roses to be selected in the testing program. This was a bountiful year. There are six new winners. There have only been 22 in the previous seven years.
The AGRS program is the replacement of the All-America Rose Selection program that ran from 1940 until 2013. Roses that have been selected in either program are the best ones for gardeners to try. Only about 4% of the roses tested in the AARS program were chosen for a national award.
Roses entered into the AGRS are tested for two years in six different geographical regions, each containing two test gardens. Most of these test gardens are in botanical gardens, and all are open to the public.
The roses are evaluated five times per growing season. Evaluators are looking for the same characteristics you would like in a garden rose. Disease resistance is highly valued, since it will give you a rewarding experience with less care required.
They also judge each plant on its bloom abundance; bloom form and attractiveness; fragrance; rebloom habit; aging quality of blooms; hardiness in cold and heat; vigor; foliage proportion and attractiveness; and plant habit. In order for a variety to be granted an award, it must demonstrate superior performance in at least three of the six regions entered. In addition, awards are given for fragrance to help guide consumers who pick roses for their smell.
Brick House is a Regional Choice Award Winner in the Northwest, Northeast and South Central regions. This floribunda has a dark red flower color and reblooms throughout the season with a lot of flower power on each flush. It grows on its own roots and does well with less water than many roses.
Brindabella Purple Prince is a Regional Choice Award Winner in the Northeast, South Central and Southwest regions. It is a shrub rose that grows to about 4 feet tall. The flowers are dark red-purple with a very strong traditional rose fragrance.
Easy to Please is a Regional Choice Award Winner in the Northeast, North-
west, South Central, and Southeast regions. It is a floribunda rose with a high petal count.
Sweet Spirit is a Regional Choice Award Winner in all regions and Fragrance Award Winner. It is a grandiflora with a cherry red color and a strong, sweet fragrance that does really well in hot, humid climates. It is a good rose for cutting.
Top Gun is a Regional Choice Award Winner in the North Central, Southeast, and Southwest Regions. Besides being resistant to normal rose diseases, this rose is one of the first hybrids to withstand many years of trials in the Eastern U.S. and not have symptoms of the rose rosette virus. This shrub rose has long-lasting dark red flowers.
Tropica is a Regional Choice Award Winner in the Northwest, North Central, Southwest and South Central Regions. It has many petaled flowers that are bright pink on the outside and orangey pink on the inside.
For more information on these roses and photos of all of the previous AGRS winners, go to the American Garden Rose Selections website.
Email questions to Jeff Rugg at info@ greenerview.com.
COPYRIGHT 2021 JEFF RUGG
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS SYNDICATE
Martin Luther King, Jr. called for unity and change
degree.
BY CLAIRE LYNCH
On January 18 Americans across the country will remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the many contributions he made to society.
In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed the national holiday into law in the White House Rose Garden after lawmakers had tried and failed for decades. He declared that the holiday would be observed each year on the third Monday of January.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, so January was chosen as the month to honor King rather than in April when he was assassinated at the age of 39 in Memphis, Tennessee.
King, who is lauded for his policy of nonviolent protest, was the dominant force in the civil-rights movement during its decade of greatest achievement, from 1957 to 1968.
King was born Michael Luther King in Atlanta on Jan. 15, 1929. He was one of the three children of Martin Luther King Sr., the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, and Alberta King, a former schoolteacher. When he was six years old, he was renamed “Martin.”
After going to local grammar and high schools, King enrolled in Morehouse College in Atlanta in 1944. He wasn’t sure about what his future career would be, but then he met Dr. Benjamin Mays and decided to become a minister.
After receiving his bachelor’s degree in 1948, King attended Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pa., where he won the Plafker Award as the outstanding student of the graduating class plus the J. Lewis Crozer Fellowship. King completed the coursework for his doctorate in 1953, and two years later, after completing his dissertation, he was granted the
King married Coretta Scott and he became the pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala. King led the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott and later became the first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. It was on April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, that an assassin’s bullet took his life.
Representative James Clyburn, the U.S. Congressman from South Carolina, was born in 1940 and he remembers meeting Martin Luther King, Jr., for the first time in July 1960. A college student who was 11 years younger than King, Clyburn credits the civil-rights leader with inspiring him to go into politics to help affect societal change. King preached the values of love and equality and he believed that non-violent actions were the key to change.
Clyburn has said, “ … I met Dr. King many times during the civil-rights movement when I helped organize the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which came to be known as SNCC, and played a major role in protests against injustice …
“Dr. King’s work and writings had a major effect on my life and led me toward public service as a pathway to social justice in this country. In particular, I consider Dr. King’s Letter from the Birmingham City Jail second only to the Bible as insightful and influential writings. That letter was in response to a letter Dr. King received from eight white clergymen who considered the civil rights movement a disruptive force and counseled us to wait for the courts to address the issues of racial segregation and oppression.
“Dr. King countered that ‘time is neutral; it can be used either constructively or destructively’ and decried the ‘appalling silence of good people.’ So the question is what are you going to do with your time? Are you making good use of your time or are you allowing people of ill will to turn back the clock against hard-won progress? I urge all citizens to reflect on Dr. King’s words and resolve to use our time working for progress toward a more perfect Union.”
(Clyburn.house.gov, 1/2014)
Many Americans call King’s “I Have a Dream” speech their favorite and the most memorable. Clyburn has said, “… (that speech) was not what captured my attention at that march. Instead, it was his theme of the ‘fierce urgency of now’ that resonated strongly with me. Dr. King and many of us during that era had grown weary of being told to ‘wait,’ that the time was not right. As he stood before the Lincoln Memorial, Dr. King intoned, ‘This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.’”
Representative Barbara Lee of California has noted that in his relatively short life, King was arrested 20 times and assaulted four times but he remained outspoken. Lee said that in a speech a year before he was assassinated, King spoke about three evils facing society - poverty, racism and militarism - that remain relevant.
Lee has said, “If we’re to be true to his legacy we must continue the work. There is still much work to be done. As Dr. King said, ‘Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: what are you doing for others?’ I encourage all Americans to live Dr. King’s legacy by serving others and their communities.”
Lee, who was born in 1946, has made it her life’s mission to serve others. “Martin Luther King, Jr. was such an inspiration and to be honest, I would not be able to serve as a congresswoman and do the things I do had it not been for Dr. King and his struggle,” she said.
“Dr. King was our drum major for peace and justice, and today I hope that his life and work will inspire people across the country and around the world. We must keep his legacy alive by joining the struggle for peace and justice for all.”
Lee added that one of King’s charges was for all Americans to have access to the American Dream and one of our mandates is to keep his dream alive.
This holiday is a good time to remember all of the many things that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood for.
Turning Full Retirement Age in 2021? Consider Filing for Benefits
BY TOM MARGENAU
I write a column similar to this one every January. But I don’t mind plagiarizing myself, because it contains a very important message for people planning to retire in 2021.
January is a critical month for the hundreds of thousands of potential Social Security beneficiaries who are reaching 66 and 2 months, their so-called full retirement age, in 2021. The important message: All of them should at least consider the possibility of filing for their benefits this month, even though they may not be reaching their retirement age until later in the year.
Please note that if you want to delay filing for your Social Security benefits until 70 to get the “delayed retirement credit” of almost 32% added to your monthly benefits, then you should forgo the procedure discussed in this column.
But if you are not interested in that strategy, and plan to start your benefits at FRA in 2021, then, as I said, you may want to consider filing for benefits in January.
The reason for this early filing timeframe has to do with some quirky and complicated features of Social Security’s earnings penalty provisions. Those provisions generally keep seniors who are still working off of Social Security’s rolls until they reach that magic full retirement age.
The law essentially says if you are over 62 but under your full retirement age and are still working full time, you are not eligible for Social Security. Specifically, the rules require that the Social Security Administration deduct $1 from any retirement benefits you might be due for every $2 you earn over $18,960 in 2021.
However, the rules say that once you reach your full retirement age, you are due full Social Security benefits even if you are still working and no matter how much money you are making.
Let’s follow an example. Let’s say Ed was born in May 1955, which means he’ll reach his full retirement age of 66 and 2 months in July 2021. And let’s further say Ed generally makes about $80,000 per year, and he plans to continue working indefinitely. Based on the earnings penalty rules I briefly outlined above, Ed figures he must wait until July (his full retirement age) to begin collecting his Social Security benefits. As I said, at that magical point, the earnings penalty rules no longer apply, and he can get his Social Security. And prior to that, he’s making way more than the $18,960 income threshold.
But here is why Ed should check into applying for Social Security in January. Congress set up a more lenient earnings threshold for the year you reach your full retirement age. Specifically, it says you can earn up to $50,520 between Jan-
uary and the month you reach your full retirement age and still get Social Security benefits. And even if you earn more than $50,520, you lose only $1 from your benefits for every $3 you exceed that threshold.
Ed is going to make $40,000 between January and June (i.e., before he reaches the magic age of 66 and 2 months). And that’s under the $50,520 threshold for 2021, which means Ed is due benefits beginning in January. He does NOT have to wait until July to apply for his Social Security checks.
But there is a bit of a catch. By starting his benefits in January, Ed will be accepting a slightly reduced amount. (Benefits are reduced roughly one-half of 1% for each month they are taken before full retirement age.)
If Ed’s Social Security benefit at full retirement age is $2,500 per month, let’s look at his options.
Ed’s first option is to wait until July to start his Social Security benefits. He’ll get $2,500 per month for six months or $15,000 for the year 2021.
Ed’s second option is to file for Social Security in January. Starting his benefits slightly early, his monthly rate is reduced to about $2,400. That comes out to $28,800 in total benefits for the year 2021. The downside to option two is his ongoing monthly benefit rate will be $100 less than what he would have been getting in option one. But because he’d be getting about $13,800 less in 2021 benefits in option one, it would take Ed a long time to make up that loss with his extra $100 per month in ongoing benefits.
Even if Ed was going to make more than the $50,520 income threshold between January and June, he only loses $1 in Social Security benefits for each $3 he exceeds that amount. So, he still might come out ahead by filing in January.
Here is a quick example using that scenario. Let’s say Ed will make $60,000 between January and June. That’s $9,480 over the $50,520 limit. And onethird of that excess, or $3,160, must be deducted from his 2021 benefits. But he would still get $25,640 in benefits for the year. That’s still way better than the $15,000 he would be due by waiting until July to file for his Social Security.
Please note that this strategy generally only works for those whose earnings are at least close to the $50,520 limit and who turn full retirement age in early- to mid- 2021. In other words, if you will make a lot more than $50,520 this year, or of you reach your full retirement age later in the year, you should probably just wait until your FRA to file for your Social Security benefits.
I know these rules are complicated and the math in the examples above might be difficult to follow. But my overall message is easy to follow: If you’re reaching age 66 and 2 months in early- to
mid-2021, talk to a Social Security representative sometime this month to find out if it’s to your advantage to file for your benefits to start in January.
One word of caution: Many readers in the past told me that when they tried to file in January, Social Security Administration representatives told them they could not do so. Sadly, far too many SSA agents are unfamiliar with
This Month.
how these rules work. If you run into the same problem, ask to speak to a supervisor.
If you have a Social Security question, Tom Margenau has a book with all the answers. It’s called “Social Security: Simple and Smart.” You can find the book at creators.com/books. Or look for it on Amazon or other book outlets..
COPYRIGHT 2021 CREATORS.COM
CROSSWORD PUZZLE
US democracy weakened by non-voters, economy
BY PHILIP A. RAICES
Now that we are in a new year, how and what will change in people’s attitudes and the way they listen, communicate, accept, agree, and disagree in an appropriate manner going forward will have a huge impact on finding solutions leading to a successful U.S. economy and our Democracy in the future.
A quote by Ray Dalio, billionaire, and founder of the most successful and largest Hedge Fund Bridge Water Associates, in an interview a little over a month ago said, “People are passionately attached to their opinions and are not able as well to go through the thoughtful disagreement of how to get past those agreement and disagreements and to do things well together.”
My belief is that this is a major structural deficiency and mindset issue that is and will plague our country going forward unless our politicians begin, as I just said earlier, learn to listen, communicate, accept, agree, and disagree in a proper, and understanding and open-minded manner otherwise we are doomed to mediocrity! I have said in the past on the issue as to who is working for whom, they for us or us for them? In any corporation, if problems aren’t solved to keep the company profitable, heads roll and people are fired, laid off, and then hopefully more qualified individuals are hired to improve the bottom line, save the company or worst case scenario a trustee is put in charge during bankruptcy, to sell off the assets of the company.
But how can this happen in our government to change the environment towards improving and advancing it for the good of the majority when 100,000,000 (43%) of eligible U.S. citizens didn’t vote in the last Presidential election. Moreover, as a percentage, even fewer vote in state and local elections, because people think and believe that this is less critical and crucial to their everyday life.
Do those that forego voting anticipate and expect that things will change without them and having that kind of ignorant mindset that it’s not import-
ant and why bother to be part of our system? Then they are the ones that bitch and moan when things don’t improve and then complain as to how bad things are?
I am quite sure Russia and China are watching everything that is going on in our country hoping for the demise of our Democracy and that is what may be occurring unless something drastically changes and improves in the fashion and way we approach our problems to agree and disagree.
The sad and tragic siege of the Congressional Hall in Washington on Wed January 6, 2021 will be an unfortunate and unforgettable event that everyone will remember forever, especially the families of those 5 that needlessly died! As I had said in a previous column a typical empire, (which we have never been and aren’t currently) lasts an average of 250 years; so by the statistics, we have maybe 5½ years left to change the way we conduct ourselves, how we treat and respect all people, manage ourselves, our government for the good of all otherwise the inevitable will most definitely come to pass and we as a democracy and an example and experiment to the world will be gone and we’ll be playing second fiddle to China.
Prior to the Covid-19 Pandemic coming to our shores, so many old established companies were already going by the wayside, (Sears, Woolworths, Borders, Blockbusters Video, Howard Johnson’s Restaurants, Toy R’ Us, Modell’s and so many others due to the internet and people’s buying habits began to change and now due to the Covid-19 Pandemic have drastically been altered, possibly permanently, never to come back to purchasing the same way at brick and mortar retail stores. Our government, not requiring the collection of sales taxes from internet sales until 25 years later as
other businesses had to pay all along also had created an unfair advantage and not many recognized the long term effect and impact of the internet on our small business community at the time or neither anticipating what would happen in the future. The Covid-19 Pandemic has caused people to hunker down at home out of necessity to stay healthy and alive purchasing more and more of their necessities online. However, due to this change in buying attitudes and behaviors, what companies will rise and be born, survive, and prosper, and which ones will die, and which jobs and positions will be eighty-sixed next? But how can positive changes occur in our own government when there is so much divisiveness constantly occurring between our parties. Maybe as a lesson, as sad and unfair as it might sound, those that don’t vote should be banished to countries that don’t have free elections for one voting cycle. Obviously, that idea is totally unrealistic and unenforceable, but wouldn’t that or some other creative idea to be considered to enable more people to be motivated to always go and vote in every election? Isn’t it possible that more qualified people just might be voted into a position to make the changes that we all want? However, the next most important priority after Covid-19 vaccines and reducing our infection and death rate right now will be to re-educate as many of those 20,000,000+ long-term unemployed people and put them back to work in those higher paying $50-$100 per hour positions rebuilding our decaying infrastructure of roads, bridges, tunnels and have our “mothballed high speed rail back on course to completion. By do this we will be able to begin to create a positive and more beneficial working environment leading to a more robust and promising economy. This in turn would enable that many more families to realize the “American Dream” of
homeownership, thereby adding even more to our GDP (gross national product).
By this action more families and individuals would be purchasing, refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers, and capital goods and services etc enabling more job creation and in many ways would be an important factor in our course of action to continue to boost our current fledgling economy and successfully keep our real estate moving forward over the long run.
Philip A. Raices is the owner/Broker of Turn Key Real Estate at 3 Grace Ave Suite 180 in Great Neck. He has 39 years experience in the Real Estate industry and has earned designations as a Graduate of the Realtor Institute (G.R.I.) and also as a Certified International Property Specialist (C.I.P.S.). He will provide you with “free” regular updates of sold and new homes in your town via the Multiple Listing Service of Long Island (MLSLI) or go to http://WWW.Li-RealEstate.Com and you can “do it yourself (DYI) and search on your own. For a “FREE” `15 minute consultation, as well as well as a “FREE printout or digital value analysis of what your home might sell for in today’s tumultuous Covid-19 pandemic market without any obligation or “strings” attached. He can also provide a copy of “Unlocking the Secrets of Real Estate’s New Market Reality, and our Seller’s and Buyer’s Guides for “Things to Consider when Selling, investing or Purchasing your Home.
You can email or snail mail (regular mail) him with your request or ideas, suggestions or interview you for a specific topic and a Q & A for a future column with your name, email and cell number. He will email or call you back and respond to your request ASAP as long as he has your complete name, cell, email and/or full home or business address. Again, for a “FREE” 15 minute consultation, he can also be reached by cell: (516) 647-4289 or by email: Phil@ TurnKeyRealEstate.Com or to answer any of your questions and concerns in selling, investing, purchasing, or leasing residential or commercial property.
Question: Corn Healthy or Not?
BY CHARLYN FARGO
Q: Is corn a healthy choice, or should it be avoided because it’s a starchy vegetable?
A: Starchy vegetables, such as corn, peas, potatoes and winter squash, are packed with health-promoting fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals.
They have taken a bad rap because they are carbohydrates that many think spike blood glucose levels. However, corn, like other whole grains, is rich in fiber, and fiber slows digestion, improves regularity and actually decreases the risk of blood sugar spikes. Whole-grain corn provides a good source of fiber, magnesium, phospho-
rus, manganese, selenium and thiamine. Yellow corn contains more than 10 times the amount of vitamin A of other grains, along with antioxidants and carotenoids, which are associated with eye health. The bottom line is that corn can fit into a healthy diet in the right amounts. It’s the processed corn products (like corn chips and corn syrup) that are not such good choices.
Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian with SIU Med School in Springfield, Illinois. For comments or questions, contact her at charfarg@aol.com or follow her on Twitter @NutritionRD. COPYRIGHT 2021 CREATORS.COM
CLASSIFIEDS
ONE CALL TO 516-294-8900 AND YOUR AD WILL APPEAR IN 11 LOCAL NEWSPAPERS. CALL TODAY FOR OUR VERY LOW RATES. www.gcnews.com
Garden City News • Mid Island Times Bethpage Newsgram
• Syosset Advance • Jericho News Journal
Williston Times - Mineola Edition
New Hyde Park Herald Courier • Manhasset Times
Roslyn Times • Port Washington Times • Great Neck News
DEADLINE FOR CLASSIFIED ADS IS TUESDAY AT 1:00PM.
2 EASY WAYS TO PLACE ADS:
1) Directly on website: gcnews.com & click on “Classified Order”
2) Email Nancy@gcnews.com
Please include your name, daytime phone number, address and ad copy.
Visa and MasterCard Accepted
Are you a professional?
Our Professional Guide is sure to bring results. Call 294-8900 for rates and information.
EMPLOYMENT
HELP WANTED
ADVERTISING SALESPERSON
Local newspaper looking for part time advertising salesperson. Flexible schedule. Self motivated. Commission based. Call 516-746-3028
EMPLOYMENT
HELP WANTED
SCHOOL BUS AND VAN DRIVERS
Best Pay/Benefits package in the industry. Start at $25.19 Bus and $21.97 Van. Call Huntington Coach 631-271-8931 www.huntingtoncoach.com
HELP WANTED VILLAGE OF GARDEN CITY
CONSTRUCTION PROJECT MANAGER
The construction project manager opportunity is a part-time consulting position within the Incorporated Village of Garden City. The project manager would be responsible for the oversight of a municipal library construction project. Oversight beginning with input at spec definition, bid generation, through completion. Expectation of services performed would be review of work performed by construction contractors and various trades, with an estimated time commitment of between 5-12 hours per week dependent upon the progression of the project. Act as liaison between the architectural firm, the Owner and the trades.
EMPLOYMENT
HELP WANTED HELP WANTED
.
P/H NYC $16 P/H LI $13.50 P/H UPSTATE NY! If you need care from your relative, friend or neighbor and you have Medicaid, they may be eligible to start taking care of you as a personal assistant under NYS Medicaid CDPA program. No Certificates needed. Phone: 347-713-3553
SITUATION WANTED
ELDER CARE Experienced woman seeks position to care for the elderly live in or live out. Certified HHA. Excellent references. Please call 516-800-6442
CAREER TRAINING
•
•
•
Insuring that the project is completed to specification, on time and on budget.
Please send inquiries to Human Resources via email at: humanresources@gardencityny.net Or Mail to:
Inc. Village of Garden City, 351 Stewart Avenue, Garden City, NY 11530
Attn: Human Resources
HERRICKS SCHOOL DISTRICT Substitute and Part Time positions needed for School Monitors, Teacher Aides, Cleaners and Food Service Workers to assist with various duties in the Herricks School District. Applications are available online at https://www.herricks.org> District>Human Resources or at the Community Center, Main Office, 999 Herricks Road, New Hyde Park, NY 11040.
COMPUTER & IT TRAINING program! Train ONLINE to get the skills to become a Computer & Help Desk Professional now! Now offering a $10,000 scholarship for qualified applicants. Call CTI for details! (844) 947-0192 (M-F 8am-6pm ET)
Available for Elderly care, shopping, Light housekeeping. Have own car. COVID safe
Please call Melande at (347) 262-2603 30 years experience.
Driver’s License with no convictions for moving violations during the past
and appropriate for the type of vehicle to be operated. Applicants for this position require Civil Service Clearance and must be fingerprinted in compliance with New York State Education Department regulations. Applications are available online at https://www.herricks.org > District>Human Resources or at the Community Center, Main Office, 999 Herricks Road, New Hyde Park, NY 11040
CLASSIFIEDS Call 294.8900
EMPLOYMENT
CAREER TRAINING
TRAIN AT HOME TO DO MEDICAL BILLING
Become a Medical Office Professional online at CTI! Get trained, certified & ready to work in months! Call 855-543-6440 (M-F 8am-6pm ET)
ANNOUNCEMENTS
EVENTS
COVID-19 TESTING AVAILABLE
COVID-19 PCR Nasal Swab and /or ANTIBODY testing Mon, Wed & Fri in Floral Park Doctor’s Office without wait or lines.
Scheduled by appointment. 516-488-1414
NOVENAS/PRAYERS
PRAYER TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN (Never known to fail). Oh Most Beautiful Flower of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine splendor of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin assist me in my necessity. Oh Star of the Sea help me and show herein you are my Mother. Oh Mary Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth I beseech thee from the bottom of my heart to succor me this necessity (make request). There are none that can withstand your power. Oh show me herein you are my Mother. Oh Mary conceived without sin pray for us who have recourse to Thee (three times). Oh Holy Mary I place this cause in your hands (three times). Holy Spirit, you who solve all problems, light all roads so that I can attain my goals. You who gave me the divine gift to forgive and forget all evil against me and that in all instances in my life you are with me. I want in this short prayer to thank you for all things as you confirm once again that I never want to be separated from you in eternal glory. Thank you for your mercy to me and mine. Amen. This prayer must be said for three days and after three days your request will be granted. The prayer must be published. Grateful thanks. (T.F.)
Our Online Store stores.myresaleweb.com/ at-stewart-exchange
Items to Consign?
Email photos (with sizing info) to: store@atstewartexchange.org
All proceeds benefit The Garden City Historical Society Like us on Facebook & Instagram
INVITED ESTATE SALES BY TRACY JORDAN is doing VIRTUAL TAG SALES and ONLINE AUCTIONS now!
Sell the contents of an entire house or sell just a few things! You can host your own sale on invitedsales.com and Facebook and Instagram or we can do it for you. We can photograph, advertise and handle the winning pickups for you within a week! Don’t worry about your closing date, we can get your house ready on time! We are a one stop service for all your needs when you are moving or selling a property! Selling, donating, discarding and cleaning out services can be done to meet your time frame with minimal stress. Contact info@invitedsales.com for more information or call 516279-6378 to schedule a consultation or receive more information. Visit us at www.invitedsales. com for a listing of our upcoming Virtual Tag Sales and Weekly Auctions!
MARKETPLACE
WANTED TO BUY
LOOKING TO BUY!
Estates, Oriental items, Gold, Silver, Costume Jewelry, Dishes, Flatware, Watches, Clothing, Old Photos, Coins, Stamps, Records, Toys, Action Figures, Comics, Art and Furniture. Immediate Cash Paid
Call George 917-775-3048 or 718-386-1104
TOP CASH PAID: ESTATE CONTENTS ALL OBJECTS OF ART JEWELRY, ETC.
Please call 718-598-3045 or 516270-2128 www.antiqueassets.com
PETS
PET SERVICES
CHERYL’S PET SITTING SERVICE
Dependable pet sitter will walk and feed your precious pet while you work or travel. Also available to board small dogs.
Many excellent references. Call 516-971-3242
AUTOMOTIVE
AUTOS WANTED
AUTO BUYERS! We visit you. Highest cash paid. Or donate, tax deduct + cash. DMV#1303199. Please call Luke 516-VAN-CARS OR 516-297-2277
DRIVE OUT BREAST CANCER: Donate a car today! The benefits of donating your car or boat: Fast Free Pickup 24hr response Tax deduction Easy to do! Call 24/7: 855-905-4755
REAL ESTATE FOR RENT
CONDO/CO-OP FOR RENT
NAPLES, FLORIDA
Countryside
Private Gated Community
2 Bedroom, 3 Bath Condo right on the Golf Course with great views of the 6th hole and the 7th Tee.
This is a second floor unit that also has an elevator.
Fully furnished with linens, towels, plates, etc. Just bring your own clothes and you are set.
Gym is all new. Country Club access, tennis, BBQ access, pool.
2 TVs (Living Room and Master Bedroom).
Taxes not included (11%)
Golf Membership Transfer Fee
$308.16 incl. tax.
Available Monthly Only
$3,300/Month
Contact: 917-796-9742
ESTATE FOR RENT OFFICE SPACE
GARDEN CITY
PRIME 7th STREET LOCATION
Two second floor windowed offices available.
285 sq ft 2 room suite overlooking 7th St., asking $1225/ month.
150 sq ft 1 room office, asking $725/month.
Rent includes everything. Call Owner 516-510-9452.
VACATION RENTAL
U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS
Two 3 Bedroom Villas at the Westin St. John Resort. Available for the week of March 12-19, 2021
If interested, call 516-7472559 or email: rfr7342@gmail.com
REAL ESTATE FOR SALE
VACANT HOUSE FOR SALE
SERVICES
JACK’S CUSTOM FRAMING
We can frame anything!
Quality Care & Workmanship
Thousands of frames to choose from!!
Over 30 years in business!
92 Covert Ave, Stewart Manor 516-775-9495
SUNFLOWER FINE ART
GALLERIES
MIRRORS
OPEN HOUSE
BAITING HOLLOW
Sunday 1/17 & Monday 1/18
1:00pm 3:00pm
8 Silver Beech Ln
Private & Elegant Post Modern Custom Home Built by Owen Construction and Designed by Charles Thomas Architect.
Located close to the Long Island Sound in the upscale North Shore Hamlet of Baiting Hollow.
Step into this beautiful foyer open to LR/Fireplace, Formal DR, Gourmet EIK / Island & Dining area, Family Rm / Fireplace, 4 En Suite BRs plus Office & Gym.
Master BR on the 1st floor with en suite bath.
Beautiful Brazilian Cherry floors throughout. Daylight full walk out basement. Heated saltwater pool with waterfall & Koi pond. Heated Greenhouse. Upstairs bonus room framed for indoor pool.
5860 sf of luxury living space. Short hop to the Hamptons, close to 7 Golf Courses, Wine Country Vineyards, Beaches, Boating and all the North Fork offers.
Stunning & truly exquisite. It is better in Baiting Hollow!
$1,795,000.
Colony Realty
Valerie Goode 516-319-0106
OUT OF TOWN REAL ESTATE
JAMESPORT
Dreamy Bayfront Ranch with your very own private sandy bay beach.
Private Lane bayfront home including mooring up to a 32’ boat. LR, DR, 2 BRs, 3rd jack and jill BR or office & 1.5 baths. Outdoor shower. Amazing views! Your own piece of paradise awaits you!
$995,000 Colony Realty 631-722-5800
PICTURE FRAMING Paintings
Art/Photo Restoration Printing, Hanging Services
Shadowboxes, Smiles 6 A Terminal Road West Hempstead, NY 11552 www.sunflowerfineart.com
@SunflowerArtGuy 516-747-7406
ATTORNEY
STEPHANIE A.
D’ANGELO, ESQ.
Elder Law, Wills & Trusts
Asset Preservation, Estate Planning, Probate & Estate Administration/Litigation 901 Stewart Ave, Ste 230 Garden City, NY 11530 516-222-1122
www.dangelolawassociates.com
SERVICES
HOME IMPROVEMENTS
AMBIANCE
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
*Handyman & Remodeling
*Kitchen Installations
*Furniture Assembly
*Finish Carpentry
*Minor Electrical & Plumbing
28 year GC Resident
Lic & Ins H18E2170000 Call BOB 516-741-2154
FREE ESTIMATES
Extensions, Kitchens, Baths, Basements, Carpentry Work, Porticos, Siding, Dormers, Stone, New Construction & Conversions, Mason Work, Stone.
Insured. Please Call 516-581-9146
LEAK REPAIRS
24 Hour Service
Bathrooms, showers, Kitchens Call 516-668-5624
MADE IN THE SHADE
CUSTOM WINDOW TREATMENTS
Blinds, Shades, Shutters, Draperies
Top Brands at Discount Prices! Family owned & operated www.madeintheshadensli.com 516-426-2890
SERVICES
HOME IMPROVEMENTS
MASONRY
All types of stonework
Pavers, Retaining Walls, Belgium Block Patios, Foundations, Seal coating, Concrete and Asphalt driveways, Sidewalks, Steps. Free Estimates
THE GENERAC PWRcell a solar plus battery storage system. SAVE money, reduce your reliance on the grid, prepare for power outages and power your home. Full installation services available. $0 Down Financing Option. Request a FREE, no obligation, quote today. Call 1-888-871-0194
HEALTH SERVICES
FAMILY CARE CONNECTIONS, LLC
Dr. Ann Marie D’Angelo PMHCNS-BC Doctor of Nursing Practice Advanced Practice Nurse Care Manager Assistance with Aging at Home /Care Coordintion Nursing Home & Assisted Living Placement PRI / Screens / Mini Mental Status Exams Medicaid Eligibility and Apllications 516-248-9323 www.familycareconnections. com
POLISH WOMAN with OVER 20 YEARS experience is available for cleaning houses, apartments. English speaking. Own transportation. Excellent references Call 516-342-0815
PROFESSIONAL HOME & OFFICE CLEANING
You’re just one call away !! from a clean home or office. Thorough and Professional Cleaning at affordable rates! Call today for Free Estimate Anna: 516-360-8340
SERVICES
A & J MOVING & STORAGE: Established 1971. Long Island and New York State specialists. Residential, Commercial, Piano & Organ experts. Boxes available. Free estimates. www. ajmoving .com 516-741-2657 114 Jericho Tpk, Mineola NYDOT# 10405
DISH TV $59.99 for 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote. Some restrictions apply. Call 1-800-609-9405
FABGC announces candidates for Board of Trustees
and her husband Matt have lived on Harvard Street, a short distance from the Edgemere Firehouse, and it was the BOT’s plan to demolish the firehouse which triggered Mary’s involvement with FABGC.
Mary is passionate about our village and deeply concerned about the Board’s lack of transparency and the lack of any community involvement in the Board’s decisions. She is honored to be a FABGC candidate for Board of Trustees and is committed to restoring transparency and community engagement to Garden City.
Terry DiganCentral Section
FABGC is pleased to announce Terry Digan as a candidate for the
Board of Trustees from the Central Section of the Village of Garden City.
Terry graduated from Adelphi University and has enjoyed a long successful career on Wall Street. He began his career in the bond markets at RMJ Securities, followed by an Equity Sales position in the Program Trading/Derivative unit of Bear Stearns. Terry has spent the last 15 years working for ALPS, a subsidiary of SS&C Technologies, as the Director of Institutional Sales for the Sector SPDRs.
Terry is a longtime resident of the village as well as a graduate of the Garden City School system. Terry and his wife, Christine, have been married for 32 years and have lived in the Central Section of Garden City for over 20 years. The Digans have 4 adult children; Bridget, Terence
Jr., Sean and Brendan, that are also graduates of Garden City High School and each of them attended and graduated from the University of Southern California.
Terry and Christine are passionate about giving back to the community and have spent countless days, evenings and weekends volunteering on behalf of all our children with numerous Garden City youth organization programs. Terry has coached Garden City Girls Lacrosse and Rams Lacrosse, Garden City Thunder Football, Centennial Soccer and GCAA Basketball. Christine has been a long-time member of the Garden City Cancer Society and has served as its President. Christine was instrumental in running the popular “Tastings” events that raised thousands of dollars for charity and
has graciously hosted the event at her home on Third Street. If elected to the Board of Trustees, Terry is committed to the FABGC objective to bring back transparency and openness to the Village governance and have more Board decision making driven by the actual views of the Village residents he hopes to be elected to represent. He believes it is time for a fresh perspective in addressing the serious issues that affect our town, starting with providing its citizens with the information they need to fairly evaluate the issues themselves. This would include initiating voter referendums on major capital expenditures and the use of citizen committees to help steer the issues that will affect our Village in the years to come.
Chancellor’s Award for Excellence
Chloe Savino, a May 2020 graduate of Stony Brook University Honors College, suma cume laude, with a bachelor of science in chemistry. Chloe received the 2020 SUNY Chancellor’s award for student excellence.
The Chancellor’s Award for student excellence acknowledges students who have received recognition for distinguished achievements. It is the highest honor bestowed upon a student by the University. Nominations are sought for students who have best demonstrated and been recognized for their integration of academic excellence with other aspects of their lives including leadership, campus involvement, community service and/or career achievement.
Chloe is a first year medical student at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston.
Adelphi University will offer a micro-class to analyze the inauguration of President Joe Biden on the day following the event, Thursday, January 21. The hour-long session will be led by Maggie Gray, PhD, associate professor of political science at Adelphi and an award-winning author and expert in American politics.
“Experience Adelphi: Analysis of the Inauguration” will analyze Biden’s speech, his team, what can be expected from a Biden administration and how that fits with the makeup of Congress.
The micro-class, which will run from 1 to 2 p.m., is free and open to the public. Registration is required. To learn more and register, visit adelphi. edu/events/analysis-of-the-inauguration.
Chloe Savino
Professor Maggie Gray
Photo courtesy of Adelphi University
NOTICE OF FORMATION
Notice of formation of Vamana Properties LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York SSNY on 8/31/2020. Office located in Nassau. SSNY is designated for service of process. SSNY shall mail copy of any process served against the LLC 58 -13TH Ave. Mineola, NY- 11501. Purpose: any lawful purpose.
GC 1150
6X 12/25,01/01,08,15,22,29
LEGAL NOTICE:
TRANSPORTATION APPLICATION DEADLINE:
Residents who plan to send their children to a non-public school for the 2021/2022 school year must request transportation from the District. The maximum distance a child will be transported is 15 miles. In order to be eligible, an application must be submitted every year on or before April 1. Late requests will not be honored. A new application must be completed every year even if a child is currently receiving transportation. Applications may be obtained from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm at the Business Office, Rm 1, 56 Cathe-
dral Avenue, Garden City, NY 11530 or on the school district website: http://www.gardencity.k12.ny.us.
GC 1153 1X 01/15
NOTICE OF FORMATION
Notice of formation of Comfort Cakes LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 11/24/20. Office: Nassau County. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to 70 Roosevelt St. Garden City, NY 11530. Purpose: Any lawful purpose
GC 1154
6X 01/15,22,29,02/05,12,19
NOTICE OF FORMATION
Notice of formation of Movie
Making Mike LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/15/2020. Office Location: Nassau County. SSNY is designated as an agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail a copy of process against LLC to: 12 Main St, Westbury, NY 11590. Purpose: any lawful act.
GC 1155
6X 01/15,22,29,02/05,12,19
A Zoom musical tribute to Frank Sinatra
Musical maven Mel Haber will keep the romance going after Valentine’s Day with a special Zoom presentation about the life and music of Frank Sinatra. On February 15 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. (doors will open at 7:15), Haber will trace Sinatra’s career from his early days with Harry James and his band until the early 1980s. Included will be not only some of Frank's greatest recordings, but also his appearances in movies, television, and concerts.
In addition to the thematic “My Funny Valentine,”
Zoomers will get to see him sing such songs as “One for My Baby,” “I Get a Kick out of You,” “That's Life,” “Night and Day,” “Blues in the Night,” and “My Way.” As an extra added attraction, Sinatra will sing with Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Shore, Dean Martin, and Johnny Carson--yes, that Johnny Carson.
Dr. Mel Haber, a retired business writing teacher, is a devoted music lover, primarily of popular music and opera. His music programs at libraries, JCCs, adult education centers and Hutton House are sold-out
events. Audiences have found him to be extremely knowledgeable, entertaining, and passionate in his presentations. This event is sponsored by the Ethical Humanist Society of LI. The contribution amount is $20 per Zoom window. To sign up, email office@ehsli. org and instructions will be sent. Or, send a check to EHSLI, 38 Old Country Road, Garden City, NY 11530. Include email with the check. The Zoom link will be sent when payment is received.
GC Historical Society launches third episode of “At Home Art”
Mia Zysopoulos, Garden City
'Paint Like Monet' and
his winter snowscapes
“Everyday I discover more and more beautiful things. It’s enough to drive one mad. I have such a desire to do everything, my head is bursting with it.”
- Claude Monet
The Garden City Historical Society launched its third episode of their At Home Art series, “Paint like Monet”, to build upon the success of episode 1, “Paint like Jackson Pollock” and episode 2, “Paint like Vincent Van Gogh.”
As the program continues to take shape, At Home Art has inspired the creation of over 250 unique paintings by Garden City children and children of surrounding communities. In addition to participation by Garden City’s young artists, community members purchased
art kits in quantities of 4–15 to use during Thanksgiving and Christmas with their immediate family or by corporate clients looking for a way to celebrate the holiday virtually, but together.
This project is simple to set up and clean up, intended to engage aspiring artists in their interpretation of Monet’s snowscapes and winter impressionism.
As part of this project, artists are asked to observe the effect of the light on the snow and landscape. From a picture, their memory and imagination, or Monet’s work artists are instructed to use paint and brushstrokes to create their own snowscape.
About the Project
• This project takes 45 minutes from set up to clean up to create 1 work of art and learn about Monet and his
contribution to art history.
• Supplies are included, artist and workspace needed.
Registration:
• $25 includes the cost of supplies and a $5 donation to The Garden City Historical Society's Capital Campaign to fund the ongoing restoration of our 1872 AT Stewart era museum at 109 11th Street.
• $20 fee is extended to The Garden City Historical Society Members and for groups.
This At Home Art program was designed by Lee Harned, TGCHS art education advisor and Carter Jones of Stratford School. Mrs. Harned, a retired art educator, artist, is on the education board of Parrish Art Museum and is the
East End representative for the New York State Art teachers Association. Where Mrs. Harned creates the concept, Carter tests the simplicity of the instruction and execution from the point of view of age 10. Their combined goal is to create a simple medium for learning and self expression without overcomplicating the project, ultimately creating a new generation of artists at any age.
Registration is live now at paintlikeclaudemonet.eventbrite.com and kits are delivered within 2–5 days of the date of purchase to your home by Trustees of The Garden City Historical Society. Follow The Garden City Historical Society on Facebook and Instagram to stay tuned @gardencityhistoricalsociety
Oliver Clark, age 5
Caitlin O’Mullan, age 8, Stewart School
IN MEMORIAM
Gregory H. Petzold
Gregory Howard Petzold, formerly of Garden City, passed away peacefully in his home on December 26, 2020, in North Providence, Rhode Island at the age of 68. He was born in Lake Lejeune, North Carolina on April 26, 1952 to Joyce (Hardy) Bishop and Howard Petzold. Raised in Syosset; graduated Syosset High School Class of 1969 and graduated Adelphi University in 1973 with a degree in Biology/Chemistry. Gregory, also known as “Pop Pop” to his grandchildren that he cherished so dearly, is survived by his wife, Joanne (Schmidt) Petzold, first wife Nancy (Klingler) Petzold, 3 daughters; Jennifer, Deborah (Nick), Kati, step daughter Kaitlyn, 6 grandchildren; Julianna, Danny, Connor, Tristah, Paetyn, and Madison along with 3 step grandchildren; Emma, Sophie, and Isabella.
He was an active member of the Garden City Centennial Soccer Club in which
he became President and loved every moment he could to make a positive difference for the community. He began the Special Needs Soccer Club through GC Centennials and was so proud of the success and the joy it brought to all the families that were involved. He became partner in the International Tanker Chartering Inc. in New Jersey before he began his own business in Garden City 1995. Back in 2007, Greg received a second chance at life from a young heart donor for which he did everything he could to live life fully. He always fought for his time with his family and continued to stay strong to the end. He was a die hard New York Yankees fan as well as New York Giants. In his free time he enjoyed reading or being with his family watching movies, sharing a meal or celebrating Holidays. His favorite was Christmas, he always loved watching his kids and grandkids open up the presents. He is missed by so many.
Services will be held on January 16, 2021 down at Lido Beach West, 2:00 pm. Bring a memory or two and share this time with us to celebrate his life, all are welcome. This memorial service will be following full Covid requirements with masks and social distancing. Contact Debbie Conenna via text at 516-455-2097 for further information regarding the service.
In honor of Greg, donations can either be made to the American Heart Association www2.heart.org or the Garden City Centennial Soccer Club to provide scholarships for College Students.
Checks can be made out to Garden City Centennial Soccer Club and sent to: Garden City Centennial Soccer Club, PO Box 358, Garden City, NY 11530
*Be sure to write "In Honor of Gregory Petzold" in the memo section of the check.
George Efthimiou
Longtime Garden City resident George Efthimiou passed away peacefully Jan. 10 at the age of 92. He is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Carol; devoted children Alexis Probasco (Scott), Thomas Efthimiou (Elizabeth) and Greg Efthimiou (Mary); grandchildren William Probasco (Laura), Walker Probasco, Kathryn Probasco, Christopher Efthimiou, Thomas James Efthimiou, Jack Efthimiou, Charles Efthimiou and Anna Efthimiou; and adoring brother, Rev. Milton Efthimiou.
George was born in Paris in 1928 to the Rev. Basil and Mrs. Helen Efthimiou. His family moved to New York three years later, and then to Boston until 1942, when they returned to New York. George graduated from Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn at 19 and earned his M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School in 1952. He then served in the U.S. Air Force for two years before beginning a career in maritime heavy
equipment sales, eventually owning and operating GMG Systems, Inc., later alongside his son Tom.
George met Carol at a Garden City Hotel cotillion during the fall of 1958 and they wed at St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Cathedral on June 28, 1959.
For the last 44 years, George has been the pianist in Garden City’s Village Music Makers swing orchestra. In recent years, he also performed impromptu piano concerts at the Garden City Library for fellow senior citizens before the weekly movie matinee. He was an avid squash player at and Lifetime Member of the New York Athletic Club, which he joined in 1954, and Cherry Valley Club member and tennis player.
Known for his sweet disposition, good humor and easygoing, kind manner, George was a friend to all and treasured patriarch of his family. A private family funeral was held Jan. 12. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to St Jude.org in George’s memory.
Have you lost someone?
If you would like to post an obituary for a loved one, simply send a short biography of them along with (if desired) their photo, details of their funeral/visitation services, and/or any donation requests to editor@gcnews.com, or call our office at 516-294-8900 to inquire.
We are both honored and humbled to be voted BEST FUNERAL HOME 2019 by our families, neighbors and friends that voted for us. We promise to always strive for excellence in caring for the families we serve. We are grateful for the sacred trust you have placed in us.
On January 2, 2021, Robert John Lotito passed away unexpectedly after a brief illness at the age of 69. Robert will always be remembered lovingly by his wife of 16 years, Cydney Donnell, his twin children Austin and Asianna Lotito, his daughter-in-law Theresa Lotito, his siblings Ann (Charles) Mainieri, Joan (Bob) Grissom, Mark, Mia Wagner and John, first wife Terri Arenella-Lotito and beloved niece and nephews. He was predeceased in death by his parents Robert and Marie Lotito.
A mass will be held at the Church of St. Joseph in Garden City at 11:00 am on Saturday, April 17, 2021 and a celebration of life will be held in September in Fredericksburg, Texas.
A graduate of the Willsey Institute of Art and Interior Design and owner of The Interior, Robert had a 40 year career in design. He passionately designed and restored homes which he described as “interpretive restoration” on Long Island and later in Fredericksburg. Some of his favorite projects included the Garden City Historical Society building, Buckram Stables Cafe and “Albert’s Cottage” an historic Texas
farm house.
Robert John Lotito was truly one of a kind. He was so very proud of his family. His twins, Asianna and Austin were his greatest joy in life. His granddaughter, Adrianna Grace Lotito, who was born on Christmas Day, will continue to build on his legacy.
Robert was extremely proud of his heritage. He could speak Italian with his hands while embracing his Lotito Italian birthright and when opining about his McGranaghan family name, pronounced with his best Irish accent, his eyes would gleam with pride.
And then there are his Texas roots that started in college but really dug in deep and solidified when he married his wife Cydney. His love of Fredericksburg, Texas had a profound influence on him in so many ways. His approach to design was unique and creative. Every garage a dancehall and every design element a tale to tell. He frequently quipped “Trust me, I’m a designer,” and he was!
Robert’s anecdotes were unending and his ability to spin a tale was beyond compare. His many stories of growing up on Long Island could take you well into the wee hours of the morning.
His love of music was boundless! Jerry Jeff Walker and many other Texas musicians became friends with “Bobby John” through the years. Just as he could spin a tale, he could spin around the dance floor with his own distinct flare. Oh, the dances we would all share! He was always the life of the party and lived his life to the fullest. His favorite phrase was “the unexpected party is the best party”. Robert is already deeply missed by not only his family but many friends since he never knew a stranger.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Garden City Historical Society, Hill Country Memorial Hospital in Fredericksburg Texas or to a fund of your choice supporting musicians.
Arrangements by Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home, Austin, Texas – (512) 452-8811. Remembrances may be shared at www.wcfish.com.
IN MEMORIAM
Jean McKee Mulhearn
Jean Mulhearn passed away January 9th, 2021 at 103 years of age.
Jean was the beloved wife of the late James Mulhearn and loving sibling to Eleanor Falk, and James McKee. She was step-mother to James Mulhearn and Dorothy Riordan who passed prior to Jean.
Jean was also blessed with five grandchildren Allison, Daniel, Catherine, Mary Elizabeth, Lolly and 14 great grandchildren. Loving Aunt to Arthur, John, James, Jo Ann, Philip, the late Brian, and Mary Falk; as well as Mary, John, James, Joseph, and Jean Anne McKee.
Jean McKee Mulhearn was born on Nov 24, 1917 in Bayridge, New York. Jean went on to work for Metropolitan Life Insurance Company before retiring and moving to Garden City to be near her sister, Eleanor. Jean was admired and loved by many. We will forever carry your memory in our hearts.
Due to the Covid-19 a private service will be held for family
IN MEMORIAM
Victoria Valenti with her grandbaby
Victoria A. Valenti
Victoria Ann Valenti, formerly of Garden City, passed away in Roslyn on January 5, 2021. She was 74 and died just a couple weeks shy of her 75th birthday.
Vicky was born in Brooklyn on Jan. 19, 1946 to Ruth and Phillip “Val” Valenti and lived in Bay Ridge as a young child in a house that her father designed himself. Her family moved out to Garden City when she was in elementary school. She lived on Poplar Street as a child and graduated from Garden City High School in
1964. She then attended Mitchell College, and after marrying and spending a few years in Germany, moved to Meadow Street and then Garden Street, where she raised her three children. She was a center of Garden Street life, helping coordinate Memorial Day block parties and other festivities when her kids were young, leading Brownie and Girl Scout troops, and spending many afternoons gardening as part of the Garden City Garden Club. After her divorce, Vicky started working as a customer service agent at United Airlines, where she had many stories about the VIPs who traveled through Kennedy Airport and where she had the opportunity to travel everywhere from Europe to China. She retired from United in 2006 as a liaison for passenger services, and moved to Charlottesville, Va., where she had a close group of friends. She moved back to Long Island to be closer to her children in 2019.
Vicky is survived by her children Jennifer Vanasco, Phillip Valenti (Lily), and Amanda Khalil (Sam) and five grandchildren: Lucas, Jack, Harrison, Layla and Livy.
Vicky’s hobbies included gardening and cooking, and her sweet dog, Quincy. She is remembered for her warmth and bubbly personality and her great sense of humor.
Due to Covid-19, services at the Garden City Community Church will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations in Vicky’s memory may be made to the Growing Love Community Garden of Manorhaven.
Robert Lotito
Jean Mulhearn
Library open for browsing: Contactless, virtual options always available
During the COVID-19 pandemic the Garden City Public Library’s most important priority is to prevent the spread of the virus and to protect the health and safety of Library users and Library employees.
Visitors may visit the library to browse or study for up to 60 minutes. Inside the Library, masks must be worn over the nose and mouth at all times, and in coordination with this rule, consuming any beverage or food is also not allowed inside the Library building. Six feet distancing is mandatory including sitting at Library tables, and rearranging furniture is not permitted. Time in the Library longer than 60 minutes must be approved by the Librarian-inCharge. All study rooms and computer areas remain closed. Congregating in groups is not allowed. The Library reserves the right to require visitors to leave who are not following these and other Library rules and policies.
Library materials should be returned only to the front book drop or inside the lobby on carts marked “RETURNS ONLY.” Items will be checked in and backdated to their return date after 96 hours quarantine. Although fines will accrue on overdue materials, they can be paid online ($5.00 minimum) or on your next visit to the Library. Please also note, the Friends of the Library are not accepting book donations at this time.
Librarians may assist patrons with questions about reading or other information needs by phone or email as well as in the Library. Patrons seeking staff assistance at the Library must keep six feet distance and stand behind floor markings and desk partitions. Patrons who wish a staff consultation (Reference, Readers Advisory) must sign in the log book. For contactless assistance, Librarians can also help patrons find the reading, media or infor-
mation they seek through the many virtual services offered. For academic assistance or online learning, Librarians can suggest one of the databases, where a research article can be sent to your email account, or printed for you to pick up. To reach a Reference Librarian for assistance, call the Library at 516-7428405 x5236 or enter your question in the form on the Library’s website at www. gardencitypl.org .
The Library will not hold meetings or programs in the library building until further notice. For virtual programs, please check the Library’s website and Calendar of Events at www.gardencitypl.org as well as the Library’s Facebook pages for updates and information on the Library’s online resources, services and virtual programs.
The Library has a range of services including virtual or contactless options to meet the needs of residents. To check out items using the contactless
EXPRESS Pickup service seven days a week, simply call the Library or visit the website at https://www.gardencitypl. org/express-pickup/. Visit the library’s website www.gardencitypl.org for many online services, media resources and virtual activities. There are ebooks and downloadable audiobooks, streaming music and concerts, movies and television programs to watch. Take an online course or try out a craft project. For students, online tutoring is available, and job seekers can choose from several tools available online as well. Choose among these options at the Virtual Library at https://www.gardencitypl. org/databases/.
The procedures above will be continuously reviewed by the Library Board and Administration, as needed for safety. The Library is continuing to work with the Village to ensure the safety of Library employees and visitors and to provide excellent library service.
News From the Children’s Room
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday Monday, January 18, 2021 Martin Luther King’s Birthday is observed. The Children’s room has a display as a tribute to this extraordinary man. Come in and honor the icon and check out some books, including: “Martin Luther King Jr.” by Ryan Nagelhout, “Martin Luther King Jr. and the March on Washington” by Stephanie Watson, “I Am Martin Luther King Jr.” by Brad Meltzer, “My Daddy, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” by Martin Luther King III, “A Picture Book of Martin Luther King Jr.” by David A. Adler, and “Dreams: The Story of Martin Luther King Jr.” by Peter Murray.
Early Winter Programs & Events in the Children’s Department
We have been planning for Early winter programs which include: January 27, 2021; 4:00–4:40 p.m. DO A WINTER CRAFT ONLINE WITH MISS BARBARA AND MISS DONNA
Registration online on Eventkeeper is required at www.gardencitypl.org beginning January 12 @ 10 a.m.. Separate Registration for each child is required. Crafts must be picked up in advance in the Children’s Room beginning January 12. February 1, 2021; 10:00–10:40 a.m. PREMIERE OF A TIME FOR KIDS WITH A VALENTINE’S CRAFT. Registration on Eventkeeper at www. gardencitypl.org is required beginning January 19 at 10 a.m. All crafts must be
picked up in advance of the program beginning January 19. The craft will be led by Miss Karen in a pre-recorded video. A separate registration is required for each child.
The taped program will be available for multiple viewings until March 1, 2021. Only those children registered will get a craft. February 3, 2021; 12:00–1:00 p.m. LI FIT MOMS - ZUMBA
This fun family program will get you up and moving! It is for children, tweens, teens and their families! Join Liana from LI Fit Moms for Zumba.
This pre-taped program will be held via zoom and will be available for multiple viewings for one month after the premiere.
February 10, 2021; 4:00–4:40 p.m. VALENTINE’S GRAB AND GO CRAFT ONLINE WITH THE CHILDREN’S LIBRARIANS
This program is for children in Grades K–5. Registration with a library card on Eventkeeper (www.gardencitypl.org) is required beginning January 26 at 10 a.m. A separate registration is required for each child you wish to attend. Registrants must pick up their craft kit at the Library in advance of the program. See Eventkeeper for additional information.
Tween Programs
January 21, 2021; 5:00–5:40 p.m.
HAIKU WRITING LED BY MISS BARBARA AND MISS LAURA.
Registration begins January 12 @
10 a.m. on Eventkeeper at www.gardencitypl.org. Registrants must have nice paper, crayons and markers available to them prior to the start of the program. Some poems may be showcased on the Library’s social media.
PARP Banner
Once again, we are pleased to help promote the PARP Reading program with the Garden City School District and PTA. PARP is a program that asks a partner (parent, grandparent, babysitter, older sibling, cousin, friend, etc.) to read with a child for at least 20 minutes daily, stressing the fact that reading can be fun as well as informative. The choice of reading materials can vary from books to anything with printed words. The daily activity of reading together strengthens reading and communication skills in the child and strengthens their relationship.
PARP is a program that cements the necessary bond between the home and the school to encourage love of reading in our children. It was developed in 1978 by the late State Senator James Donovan, chairman of the State Senate Education Committee. In 1987, the New York State PTA was asked to assume the program’s helm, and since then has administered the program. The program was originally named Parents As Reading Partners but was changed in 2015. For more informa-
tion about PARP, visit https://nyspta. org/home/programs/literacy/.
We currently have the PARP Banner hanging in the Garden City Public Library lobby. All are welcome to come in and take advantage of this sign for a photo op! Happy Reading!
Library Hours and Services
The Library is open for contactless EXPRESS Pickup and in-Library browsing seven days a week, Monday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m.–9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m., and Sunday, 1 p.m.–5 p.m. Please check the Library’s Website at www. gardencitypl.org, or call (516)742-8405 and speak to a staff member to find out availability of current services and hours.
The Children’s Room has materials available for kindergarten–fifth grade in the Children’s Room. If we do not have the item(s) you need in our Library, we can interloan the book from another library. Contact the Children's Room Librarians by phone, email at https://www.gardencitypl.org/contact-the-childrens-librarians/ , or use the form on our website to request books. You can also request materials yourself directly in the online catalog. There are also books available to download from the Nassau Digital Doorway in the Libby app and on the website https://nassau. overdrive.com/.
See
what's happening at your library!
From classes to lectures and concerts to movie screenings, there's never a dull day at your local library!
Check this paper each week for fun and informative all-ages activities, all for free or cheap!
It’s What’s Happening for Young Adults through the Library
Teen Crafternoon:
Snowflake Mason Jars on Zoom
Join us for a virtual meet-up, Teen Crafternoon: Snowflake Mason Jars on Tuesday, January 19, 5 p.m.–5:40 p.m. Registrants will be asked to pick up their craft kit in advance in order to participate in this virtual craft program. This program is for tweens and teens in Grades 6–12 only.
We will be using Zoom video conferencing for this virtual program. Please register via Eventkeeper (www. gardencitypl.org) to participate in this virtual program. Registration begins on Tuesday, January 12 at 10 a.m. Registration ends two hours before the start of the program. Registrants will receive an email with the login information to Zoom one hour before the start of the program. This program has been funded by the Friends of the Garden City Public Library.
Tween Haiku Writing on Zoom
Join us for a virtual meet-up, Tween Haiku Writing on Thursday, January 21, 5 p.m.–5:40 p.m. Join us on Zoom as we write haikus and then create word art with them! Registrants should have paper and pen/pencil, as well as markers, crayons, colored pencils, etc. during the program. This program is for tweens in Grades 4–7 only and is a joint program with the Children’s and Young Adult Departments.
We will be using Zoom Video Conferencing for this virtual program. Please register via Eventkeeper (www. gardencitypl.org) to participate in this virtual program. Registration begins on Tuesday, January 12 at 10 a.m. Space is limited, so check Eventkeeper for availability. Registration ends two hours before the start of the program. Registrants will receive an email with the login information to Zoom 1 hour before the start of the program.
Teen Games: Among Us on Zoom
Join us for a virtual meet-up, Teen Games: Among Us on Tuesday, January 26 at 4:30 p.m.–5:10 p.m. and 5:20 p.m.–6 p.m. Grab some snacks and join us as we play the popular game Among Us! Registrants will need the Among Us game downloaded on either their PC/laptop or mobile device in order to play. Patrons can sign up for only one of the two 40-minute sessions. This program is for tweens and teens
in Grades 6–12 only.
We will be using Zoom Video Conferencing for this virtual program. Please register via Eventkeeper (www. gardencitypl.org) to participate in this virtual program. Registration begins on Tuesday, January 19 at 10 a.m. Registration ends two hours before the start of the program. Registrants will receive an email with the login information to Zoom one hour before the start of the program.
Teen Jeopardy on Zoom
Join us for a virtual meet-up, Teen Jeopardy on Thursday, January 28, 5 p.m.–5:40 p.m. Test your trivia knowledge in this Jeopardy-style game! This program is for tweens and teens in Grades 6-12 only.
We will be using Zoom Video Conferencing for this virtual program. Please register via Eventkeeper (www. gardencitypl.org) to participate in this virtual program. Registration begins on Tuesday, January 19 at 10 a.m.. Registration ends two hours before the start of the program. Registrants will receive an email with the login information to Zoom one hour before the start of the program.
Social Media Challenges for January
For the month of January, participate in our social media challenges to earn community service credit! January’s challenges are as follows:
• Art: Draw or paint two pictures: one that represents 2020 and one that represents 2021
• Writing: Write a haiku with a winter-theme
• Food: Make a dish for a food you've never tried before
• Question of the Month: What will you remember from 2020 and what are looking forward to in 2021?
• Reading: Start a new series or read a new author you've never read before
If you participate in the challenges, earn community service credit by submitting so we can share it on our Facebook and Instagram pages!
Submit for the Art, Writing, Food, and Question of the Month Challenges here: https://www.gardencitypl.org/ social-media-submission/ . Submit a 300-word book review for what you read for the Reading Challenge here: https://www.gar -
dencitypl.org/submit-a-teen-review/
Tweens and Teens Free Little Library
The Tweens and Teens Department’s Free Little Library, which launched in December 2019, is still available in the Tweens and Teens Room. Books are free for patrons to take home. The Free Little Library will be available as long as books last. The Tweens and Teens Department will add new books to the Tweens and Teens Free Little Library as needed and as supplies last. Books target readers in Grades 6–12 and were published within the last two years. Books have been donated by Young Adult Librarian Laura Giunta, who received the books through her work on the American Library Association's Best Fiction for Young Adults 2020 and 2021 Committees. For questions, please contact Young Adult Librarian Laura Giunta via email at https://www.gardencitypl. org/young-adult-department/contactthe-young-adult-tweens-teens-department/.
Volunteer Teen Reviewers Needed
Would you like to be a reviewer for the Library? Need community service hours? Then become a Volunteer Teen Reviewer. This program is for tweens and teens in Grades 6–12. The Library is looking for teen reviewers to review books and media in the YA collection as well as digital content, such as ebooks and audiobooks, available on Nassau Digital Doorway. There might be a book you've already read in our physical or digital collection that you can write a review on!
• Browse the physical collection here: http://encore.alisweb.org/
• Browse the digital collection here: https://nassau.overdrive.com
• Submit a review here: https:// www.gardencitypl.org/submit-a-teenreview/
Reviews will be used to update the Tweens and Teens Library Review Page (https://www.gardencitypl.org/ category/teen-reviews/) as well as update our social media pages. Reviews are subject to approval by the Young Adult Librarian. Please make sure to follow the guidelines for reviews in order for the review to count toward community service.
Teen-Created Social Media Content
Earn community service by submit-
ting a photo, video, or other content for us to add to the Library's Tweens and Teens Facebook and Instagram pages! Ideas for submissions include book reviews, artwork, poetry, short stories, personal essays, photos of food you’ve cooked or baked, or any other creative idea you have for content. Not all submissions will be used on our social media and submissions including photos of people are not allowed. Submit social media content here https://www.gardencitypl.org/ social-media-submission/ .
Follow Tweens and Teens on Facebook and Instagram
Follow Garden City Library’s Tweens and Teens on Facebook and Instagram! The Young Adult Department has been using both social media platforms as a tool to post updates, announcements, digital resources, ebook recommendations, and more during this time of social distancing.
Here are the Facebook and Instagram pages for the Garden City Public Library Tweens and Teens Department: Facebook: www.facebook.com/ GCPLTweensTeens
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ GCPLTweensTeens
If you’re interested in participating and want to learn when new virtual events will be happening for tweens and teens (Grades 6–12), or if you have any questions, email Young Adult Librarian Laura Giunta at https://www.gardencitypl.org/ young-adult-department/contact-theyoung-adult-tweens-teens-department /.
Teen Advisory Board Applications Now Available Online
If you are interested in helping to come up with some programming ideas or social media outreach ideas for tweens and teens in Grades 6–12, consider joining the Teen Advisory Board Online applications are available at https://www.gardencitypl. org/teen-advisory-board-application/ Applicants should be in Grades 6–12. Email Young Adult Librarian Laura Giunta at https://www.gardencitypl. org/young-adult-department/contactthe-young-adult-tweens-teens-department/ if you have any questions.
Challengers to vie for seats on Village Board
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But she recognized the organizational process of Garden City’s Community Agreement.
“The New York State law steps in about his name and the FABGC names/ candidates appearing on our village ballots if there are a certain number of signatures, though a lot of this goes by law. As far as the FABGC and the POA’s involvement I imagine things can start to get feisty as we approach the 2021 Village Elections and really, starting within the next with the Resident Electors’ meetings. The people on each POA (Nominating Committees and directors) are really the ones who will be proposing the candidates for trustee positions and would be continuing the longstanding electoral process,” the mayor noted.
This year the Village Election will take place on Tuesday, March 16. Mayor Trouvé believes there will be much more local turnout for the polls this time around, as the population of the Village is about 23,000 residents. In past, unopposed elections have drawn only a few hundred voters to the polls.
Trouvé says she doesn’t have any issue with FABGC having people vying for seats on the Board of Trustees, however there is a designated process in place through Garden City’s four property owners’ associations, “and this process has worked for the village so far.” That process of proposing candidates for the Board culminates this
year on Tuesday, January 19, 2021 with each POA hosting its annual Resident Electors’ meeting at different venues. All of the meetings will begin at 7:30 p.m.
Is a debate possible?
The mayor tells The Garden City News she views a challenge for the mayor spot and other trustee positions in the upcoming elections creates an interesting opportunity.
“If Cosmo Veneziale wants to run for mayor, he should debate Bob Bolebruch,” Mayor Trouvé said in an interview on January 8th.
When asked about such a proposal, Veneziale was surprised by the mayor’s thought and said the full FABGC slate of five candidates viewed their running for positions as a whole and not “one versus one” with him as a mayoral candidate. Veneziale noted that with the eight members of the Village Board of Trustees there would be group decision-making and teamwork involved regardless of one person, two people or five people being elected in 2021.
Deputy Mayor Bolebruch spoke with The Garden City News on Tuesday, January 12 and said that he would accept an invitation to debate if Veneziale or FABGC proposes one.
“I would not have any problem being there to talk about all village topics they would want to discuss, in the event it’s something that somebody would organize. If they asked me to come I would be more than happy to attend, and if
they are going to ask me questions then I will be more than happy to answer the questions -- just tell me the time and the place and I would show up,” Bolebruch stated.
Mayor Trouvé said one of her concerns is that a resident group such as FABGC may be “drenched in negativity” because Garden City is well-run, productive and efficient on many levels. She says attending Town of Hempstead Supervisor (and Garden City resident) Donald X. Clavin’s weekly Mayors’ meetings on Thursday mornings have been illuminating with respect to municipal operations taking place in nearby villages and across Long Island.
“There are questions brought up about homelessness and economic challenges, and I thought to myself there are other places that can use the 50 boxes of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that Garden City received from the Town though other municipalities did receive similar donations. We in this village are a stable and well-run community and while we have several issues and problems that arise, we strive to solve them. The population grows here, yet if we have even 15 residents attend and participate at a Board meeting that would be a lot. And folks can come discuss any issue with the Board,” Mayor Trouvé said.
Public participation at meetings
Both Mayor Trouvé and Deputy Mayor Bolebruch offered a few comments on the public participation at
Board of Trustees’ meetings throughout the pandemic. They noted a difference when people have opportunities to comment in front of the Board in-person at a meeting versus in being on-screen, via Zoom, or whenever there’s a more intimate setting, such as meeting with a trustee 1:1 or at a monthly property owners’ association group meeting.
“There are people who are comfortable talking with or in front of a large group and there are some people who are not. There are some people who are far more comfortable dealing in a situation, 1-to-1 or with less than 5 to 10 people. People still must have opportunities to talk with you, and as a Garden City mayor I would make it a point to attend POA meetings, not just in the West, and to listen to what people have to say. We can continue to find better ways for us to communicate. The village has a Facebook page and in the last few years we tried increasing the email communications so more and more people are receiving notifications from the village with our information. Our society may keep moving to digital platforms but not everyone can be reached that way….Maybe the village can put together a quarterly newsletter to send out to all the residents, with updates on where things are each quarter. We must not eliminate but increase the different ways of reaching out and communicating -- even with content and updates in our weekly Mayor’s Column in The Garden City News. If I am nominated
GC School Board examines data on student achievement
From page 1
not-for-profit organization that provides assessment solutions, as well as from the Fundations (reading) program and students’ units of study. Teachers’ assessments of students including tests, quizzes plus pre-test and post-test performance (running records) were studied, as were extended writing assignments, and interdisciplinary projects. The class-specific information became a part of data collected, as were the previous school year’s PSAT’s, SATs, SAT II exams, the ACT and Advanced Placement subject exams. Dr. Cannone noted that AP exam performance for evaluating high school kids’ achievements “became particularly important in 2019-2020.” He added that Garden City Public Schools, as it does all year, makes a point of examining data and information from all seven of the district’s schools. He thanked the teachers and administrators who are “right up front with our students, every day” for making many student achievements happen.
Pandemic changes
A major change noted for this pre-
sentation in early January was that in 2020, several statewide and educational assessments --the Regents, the third through eighth grade Math and English Language Arts, 4th grade and 8th grade Science and NYSESLAT standardized tests were not administered due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Cannone noted that had never happened before and information for this Student Achievement Report relied more on local and in-district assessment.
For Garden City High School last school year, AP enrollment and the average scores of students in the courses were presented for the following AP subjects: biology, chemistry, calculus BC, statistics, environmental science, studio art (both drawing and design) as well as two sections of Physics C. In every AP subject except for calculus BC and statistics, course enrollment between 2019 and 2020 increased.
Of the GCHS graduating Class of 2020, a total 301 graduates, 97.1% achieved Regents status or above: 49% of graduates earned Advanced Regents Diplomas with Honors, 38% of 2020 graduates achieved Advanced Regents Diplomas, 10.1% earned a Regents
Diploma; 0.3% earned a local diploma. Another 1.3% of the Class of 2020 earned a Skills Achievement Commencement Credential.
Over 110 of Garden City’s graduating seniors in 2020 received awards and scholarships, including from academic departments, community organizations and various government institutions.
The GCHS Class of 2020 featured two National Merit Scholarship Finalist winners, six semifinalists and 12 students commended in the program. Two Long Island Scholar-Artist award winners and seven Adelphi University Prize for Leadership winners were part of last year’s graduating class.
School Board Trustee Michael Cassaro noted that the number of GCHS students in AP Chemistry has “almost tripled” in a short span but scores have gone higher. He commends the district that not only have more kids had access to the course, but the outcomes have been improved. He said he hopes the trend and positive results continue.
Early education evaluations
Teacher observations were stated as the key tool in evaluating performance
of kindergarten through 5th grade students.
“Qualitative knowledge that teachers get about students’ levels of achievement and their levels of learning is invaluable; teachers at this level are up-close and personal with students. All of that needs to be scored by quantitative measures and that is why NWEA, running records and pre and post-test assessment become very important. One important way of measuring progress is through our use of the NWEA -- by no means the only universal screener for grades K through 5, and we began it in kindergarten and 1st grade this year and we will have the chance to look at comparative data across grades 3, 4 and 5, keeping in mind for the youngest students it is a first time taking such tests. We also take a look at the class reports to see what it means to take a measure of the achievements as a class, as well as the individual students’ reports -- our teachers and administrators truly dive in and they make the data and evaluations a part of the diagnostic experiences,” Dr. Cannone said on January 5. He noted that the NWEA came out with programs that allow districts to
Challengers to vie for seats on Village Board
and then elected village mayor, I’d be willing to go out to a property owners’ association to answer questions, observe discussions and see what can be done,” Bolebruch said in an interview on Tuesday.
Mayor Trouvé made specific reference to the Facebook group which appeared briefly during Board meetings in 2020, “Social Justice/Anti-Racism Group of Garden City” which spoke in mass last August via Zoom, specifically to ask that the Village Board reconsider its decision for Garden City to withdraw from the Nassau County Urban Consortium.
“There was a big difference between an activist speaking to the Board at Zoom meeting and them approaching us at an in-person meeting, standing up close to us at the podium. On Zoom they could just tell you off, people may feel less vulnerable. But when we met at the Fieldhouse or at Cluett Hall, the Social Justice/Anti-Racism group was represented by just one to two people. Possibly a total of three people read their letters in-person, said thank you and sat down. On Zoom over a dozen participated. However the Board decided that the village would not go forward in the Consortium and we think people may have misinterpreted that….It has nothing to do with our dedication to inviting and welcoming people of all races to come and live in the village, we would never be stopping anyone from moving into the village. What the board
works to provide is a healthy and safe community environment for people of all races, all religions or people of no religion to raise their families here, to be a professional and live here and anything else they want as part of their lives,” the mayor noted. She says many times, there are letters that come in from people who do not live in Garden City that are criticizing the village.
In an interview with The Garden City News this week, Deputy Mayor Bolebruch said it is disheartening that FABGC would run as a group of “fivestrong” while there is a village process in place, and the POA system has unjustly been compared to the Soviet Union and conveyed in other terms that he believes do not make sense.
“You have thousands of members in the POA’s and over the course of that hundreds of the residents in the village become POA officers and volunteers. On top of all of it, there are committees formed. The CBRAC -- Citizens’ Budget Review Advisory Committee, the Rec. Committee, the school district trustees, and more. Then there are residents who are involved with the POA, but each person involved with the POA has their own thoughts and agenda. I have been a trustee for eight years and every Village Board has its own personality. Each mayor is different, and I do not have a political bone in my body despite what anybody can post about me online. I prefer to sit down with anyone to figure out what the issues are, whether or not
they can be resolved or we’d agree to disagree. Let’s just sit down and get it done,” he said.
Two new trustees
Deputy Mayor Bolebruch, who is expected to receive the official nomination to be Garden City’s next mayor on January 19 at the West POA’s Resident Electors’ meeting, commented on politics within Garden City.
“One of the things I find refreshing with the village’s POA system is that we will always have changes occurring and this year there will be two new candidates nominated for trustee positions -it just happens that in the past two years nobody changed. While the FABGC is so adamant about having fresh faces on the board, aren’t two of the four village trustee positions poised to be new faces who have never been on the board before? And would the village say to the two new people nominated by their POA’s that no, you don’t deserve to be elected? That is not right,” Bolebruch explained on Tuesday.
Mayor Trouvé and Deputy Mayor Bolebruch said they have each had many good, productive conversations with George Salem, who has authored multiple opinion pieces on the state of Village of Garden City finances.
In his interview, Deputy Mayor Bolebruch expressed his respect for Salem’s perspectives though they disagreed over several financial modeling prospects for the village. The Deputy Mayor said he has corrected many of
the financial figures stated for municipal projects and in the village’s budgeting, and said that in his writings Mr. Salem assigned numbers to a possible project at St. Paul’s which do not have merit. Mayor Trouvé says she has also spoken to Salem about discrepancies in the village’s financial picture that he has described in his commentaries both in the News and at Board meetings.
Bolebruch noted the vast difference between an eight-year village trustee being nominated for mayor and Veneziale’s nomination by FABGC.
“The FABGC group is what it is. All I can do is respect that -- all that I hope looking ahead is that the residents who know me for all the years and in this, my ninth year on the Village Board in 2021, know the kind of person that I am. I have been the chair and a member of the Village Traffic Commission, I have been the liaison to the Library Board of Trustees, continuing as Finance Committee chair, former chair of the Environmental Advisory Board, Garden City Fire Commissioner. I know every department and every department head, I know every aspect of this village. If anyone can compare the experiences and if Cosmo or FABGC wanted to debate, the only difference is that he is a very nice gentleman but then he does not have municipal government experience. That is the part that remains scary to me for the Village of Garden City,” he said.
GC School Board examines data on student achievement
feasibly compare student data from the 2019-2020 year to learning metrics of the beginning of the current (2020-2021) year. Cannone explained that Garden City observes “more students have gained in their reading proficiency than have losses, though at Stratford and Stewart about 35 students per grade at the elementary level have reading losses.”
“Because of the specificity of the information we have, we are better able to get a handle upon supporting the students and helping them grow. It is important to note with this data, that despite impacts of the pandemic a tremendous number of our kids have grown as readers, and the numbers trend going up (advancing).” Dr. Cannone said.
Mathematics is another area in which the district has evaluated students’ progress based on the new NWEA reporting that was not available before. Teachers and administrators in the district compare NWEA data to other assessments, classroom performance, and anecdotal observations, especially when contrasting data are shown.
Losses in mathematics
“Nationwide, students suffered bigger losses in mathematics than they did in reading which appeared counterintuitive. In mathematics we found this to be true for our district as well. We had about 50 students per grade in each elementary school with losses in mathematics compared with 35 per grade for reading, but it was a little more of an intense need with the pandemic possibly because at home students may do more reading than mathematics at home. Again because of the specific data we have, the district has been able to support students and back that up with our assessment work -- by cohort, students in Garden City continue to grow as young mathematicians,” Cannone explained last week.
The Class Reports the district has evaluated assist in “by-topic goal setting and grouping” for Garden City’s students. Cannone spoke about the achievement-to-growth ratio and the benefits to the district in evaluating the success of its curricular program planning.
Student Profile Reports, from information he presented the board of educa-
tion, are designed to help with individualized decisions on what topics to reinforce, develop or introduce. Cannone noted that getting into the individual students’ needs through the “nitty gritty” is one of the most important things a district can do.
“The Student Profile Report is very lengthy and detailed, and on-average up to 65 or 70 pages per Report. It talks about what we can reinforce that a student may not be getting, what to develop or what to introduce to help the student grow. It helps us to plan and prioritize for next steps and helps us prioritize for grouping. This gives us information to help the schools in our decisions, and it is an important part of what we do,” he explained.
The assistant superintendent noted that with such a tailored approach, student achievement data represents both a picture of the academic progress of a student and collectively, grades and schools, but also with the social and interpersonal growth of Garden City students.
One District, One Book
A few other highlights presented in
the Student Achievement Report last week included the One District, One Book initiative in Spring 2020, with the featured book “Malala’s Magic Pencil” read aloud by a GCHS student, Sarah, as well as other reading and materials as part of an overview.Dr. Cannone says this was very important during the pandemic year as it helped bring people across the school district together.
“We decided to have a high school student read this book aloud so all in our school community could follow along with them. It made it possible for students and teachers to give their responses, and a number of the responses were linked. The initiative kept community reading alive through 2020 and it allowed students to speak about what they would do with their magic pencils, and many said they would wish for good health and end the pandemic,” he explained.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kusum Sinha was thankful that the district had a snapshot of time. Board President William Holub noted that parents have approached the board of education and district administration
See page 54
From Public Works staff to Tree City designation, Mayor outlines plans
From page 3
keep people cooler.”
EAB member Laurence Quinn noted a persisting problem that there is not much topsoil beyond four to five feet at maximum in Garden City, and that makes it more of an issue of “ground failure and not tree failure” because the rooting systems of trees don’t have a deep enough hold with strong winds
pushing through.
As one of her many priorities for the time Trouvé still has on the board, she has outlined revisiting the Tree City USA designation for Garden City and she’s poised to take on such initiatives with help from the recently re-established Civic Beautification Committee. She noted that former volunteer and longtime residents Rob and Suzie Alvey had promoted and worked for the care-
taking of village trees, most notably the Bird Sanctuary on Tanners Pond Road. The mayor says in prior years Garden City was recognized at conferences at Hofstra.
“I went by Port Washington and though it has busy shopping districts, I saw their Tree City USA signage, white and green. We should get a hold of Hofstra or any state agencies. We can honor Garden City and put signage at
the entries to the village. The people in our Recreation and Parks Department do turn to Cornell University College of Forestry and we have not broken liaison relationships with them. But we would want to get back to it, with increased advocacy for green space in the village as trees and settings were all the plannings of Garden City’s founder Alexander Turney Stewart,” Trouvé said.
GC School Board examines data on student achievement
From page 53
and anecdotal observations, especially when contrasting data are shown.
Losses in mathematics
“Nationwide, students suffered bigger losses in mathematics than they did in reading which appeared counterintuitive. In mathematics we found this to be true for our district as well. We had about 50 students per grade in each elementary school with losses in mathematics compared with 35 per grade for reading, but it was a little more of an intense need with the pandemic possibly because at home students may do more reading than mathematics at home. Again because of the specific data we have, the district has been able to support students and back that up with our assessment work -- by cohort, students in Garden City continue to grow as young mathematicians,” Cannone explained last week.
The Class Reports the district has evaluated assist in “by-topic goal setting and grouping” for Garden City’s students. Cannone spoke about the achievement-to-growth ratio and the benefits to the district in evaluating
the success of its curricular program planning.
Student Profile Reports, from information he presented the board of education, are designed to help with individualized decisions on what topics to reinforce, develop or introduce. Cannone noted that getting into the individual students’ needs through the “nitty gritty” is one of the most important things a district can do.
“The Student Profile Report is very lengthy and detailed, and on-average up to 65 or 70 pages per Report. It talks about what we can reinforce that a student may not be getting, what to develop or what to introduce to help the student grow. It helps us to plan and prioritize for next steps and helps us prioritize for grouping. This gives us information to help the schools in our decisions, and it is an important part of what we do,” he explained.
The assistant superintendent noted that with such a tailored approach, student achievement data represents both a picture of the academic progress of a student and collectively, grades and schools, but also with the social and interpersonal growth of Garden City
students.
One District, One Book
A few other highlights presented in the Student Achievement Report last week included the One District, One Book initiative in Spring 2020, with the featured book “Malala’s Magic Pencil” read aloud by a GCHS student, Sarah, as well as other reading and materials as part of an overview.Dr. Cannone says this was very important during the pandemic year as it helped bring people across the school district together.
“We decided to have a high school student read this book aloud so all in our school community could follow along with them. It made it possible for students and teachers to give their responses, and a number of the responses were linked. The initiative kept community reading alive through 2020 and it allowed students to speak about what they would do with their magic pencils, and many said they would wish for good health and end the pandemic,” he explained.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kusum Sinha was thankful that the district had a snapshot of time. Board President William Holub noted that
parents have approached the board of education and district administration about assessments including NWEA. Dr. Sinha noted that multiple assessments and data from year to year are evaluated for Garden City administrators to consider the best choices for its curriculum and individualized student instruction.
The initiatives, highlights, information and data presented on January 5 provided a glimpse into learning in-progress in Garden City.
“There are multiple data points and even with the NWEA, a nationally-given assessment, year-to-year comparisons it is one snapshot and it is good to have data points to examine. The goal at our building levels and within Central Administration is to gather data and to perform analysis, and then get that data for teachers. One of our goals for the school year is to have a better system of collecting data, because we do have it and we will make more decisions and meanings out of data for our students, both at the building level and from administration. That’s something Dr. Cannone has been working on throughout the year,” she said.
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Social distancing is the most effective tool we have for slowing the spread of the coronavirus. And that means staying home, if you can.
Work from home. Play at home. Stay at home. If you must go out, keep your social distance—six feet, or two arm-lengths apart. Young. Elderly. In between. It’s going to take every one of us. If home really is where the heart is, listen to yours and do the life-saving thing.
Visit coronavirus.gov for the latest tips and information from the CDC.
Thomas Bermel, a Junior at High Point University, made the Dean’s List for the Fall 2020 semester. Thomas is a 2018 graduate of Garden City High School and is a Biology Major with a psychology minor, looking to pursue a career in Law. Dean’s list students at High Point University are those who have attained a 3.5 or higher GPA based on a 4.0 scale.
n Congratulations to the Muhlenberg College students and Muhlenberg
College Notes
College School of Continuing Studies students who were named to the Dean’s List for the Fall 2020 semester. Students with a term GPA of 3.50 or higher were recognized for this academic achievement.
Local students include:
Andrea Laisure of Garden City
Brendan Smith of Garden City n
Bucknell University has released the dean’s list for outstanding academic achievement during the fall semester
of the 2020-21 academic year. A student must earn a grade point average of 3.5 or higher on a scale of 4.0 to receive dean’s list recognition. The following students have achieved dean’s list status:
Nora Bennett, class of 2022
Juliana Brivio, class of 2024
Emma Cashwell, class of 2022
Caitie Eckna, class of 2024
Patrick Kavan, class of 2022
Caroline Madigan, class of 2022
Julia McNally, class of 2022
James McNally, class of 2024
Gwen Poole, class of 2024 n
A total of 1,938 SUNY Oneonta students earned Dean’s List honors for the fall 2020 semester. To qualify for the Dean’s List, a student must earn a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher while carrying a course load of 12 hours or more.
Garden City students include:
Haley Alagna
Victoria Miserere Anastasia Roukis
GC author speaks at Queens Centers for Progress Training Day
Garden City resident and author Lucille Messina will be a guest speaker on January 27th at the Queens Centers for Progress Training Day.
Her touching and raw account of being the mother of a special child can be purchased on Amazon. Waiting to Hear “Momma”: A Mother’s Memoir is a must read for parents, professionals, and caregivers. It is a message of hope to help others survive adversity, to let them know they are not alone. Walking in the shoes of a family dealing with unrelenting daily struggles will leave any professional or caregiver profoundly changed. Speaking arrangements can be scheduled by emailing SpecialChildPressLLC@gmail.com or calling (516) 459-3354.
For over sixty years, the Queens Centers for Progress Children’s Center has been providing superior services to families in the community. The
Children’s Center’s dedicated and experienced staff provides preschoolers with a warm and caring atmosphere that promotes learning, bolsters self-esteem, and improves social skills.
For children aged three to five with disabilities, the APPLE (A Preschool Program for Learning and Enrichment) program offers a comprehensive array of educational and therapeutic services, including speech, occupational and physical therapy, counseling, and nursing services. Special education teachers, along with clinicians, emphasize cognitive, motor, social, and language skills development.
For anyone who wishes to donate to QCP, checks can be sent to Queens Centers for Progress, 82-25 164 Street, Jamaica, NY 11432 or contact Cindy Heller, Assistant Director of Children’s Services at cheller@queenscp.org.
Lucille Messina
From page 2
views and ideas on the following issues:
• St Paul’s (Really, a Hockey Rink?)
• The Garden City Casino
• The Western Section Firehouse
• The Merillon Ave Train Station (Many issues there besides the Monster Poles)
• The Garden City Pool
• Village Finances
• Loss of Major Retailers (Taxpayers) Sears & Lord & Taylor
• Residential/Commercial Development
• Speed Cameras in the Village
• The terrible snow plowing by the Department of Public Works
• The brown water that comes out of our water supply
If we are given this important information and get to hear from the candidates themselves, we can make an informed decision when we get our chance to vote this March.
Joe Albano
You have to put in the time To the Editor:
To continue our focus on all Village needs, I will highlight additional projects we’ve accomplished over the years. Although some are less glamorous than others, they all aim to serve residents and improve their quality of life:
• Worked on the 1,4-Dioxane water contamination issue a year before other municipalities even began to understand the problem. Ordered and installed necessary equipment well before other municipalities even saw the need.
• Installed LED lights throughout the Village, which continues to generate annual savings of electric costs of over $150,000. Just this fall, new LED lights were installed at Fields 3 and 4 at Community Park, a welcome next step to the original project that reconstructed the fields, updated and modernized underground wiring and brought synthetic infields to Fields 3 and 4.
• Built a salt dome, which enables us to store five times the amount of salt then we used to have.
• Digitized all the building files for homeowners, which enables faster access to documents for residents, contractors and realtors. This was a threeyear project.
• Invested millions of dollars building three new turf ball fields, as well as a multi-purpose field, at Community Park.
Helping to finance development of the Children’s Wing at the Garden City Library.
• Installed parking lots at Stewart Field, which provides our parents and children a safe location to attend games and practices.
• Eliminated millions of dollars of waste in our Village Budget and reallo-
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Email: Editor@GCNews.com
cated those annual savings to improve our Village’s infrastructure.
• Modernized and upgraded our Public Works facilities with new trucks, street sweepers and all equipment.
• Built new bathrooms and shade structures at the Pool.
What I hope you have read over the last two weeks is that being a Trustee is not just being focused on the main issues in our Village. You have to spend the time working on infrastructure improvements, technology improvements and recreation improvements all while keeping our Village Budget in line. In short, you have to put in the time. Each Trustee spends thousands of hours volunteering and working with all our Village Departments in order to understand the process and address the numerous needs of our residents. More to come…
Robert A. Bolebruch Deputy Mayor
Historic date for Garden City
To the Editor:
Garden City’s Annual Trustees Election day, will be Tuesday March 16. Ordinarily this is a ho-hum event -with unopposed candidates, and usually only 200-300 voters. We estimate that in GC there may be 10,000 residents of voting age. This year’s election promises to be very different owing to the fact that there will be true opponents to the four Trustee candidates selected by the Property Owners Associations. This competitive situation should produce a MUCH larger voter turnout than traditionally.There could be a several thousand voter turnout. Thus Garden City officials should make necessary changes in its traditional election practices.
In the past, GC voted on only one date, one location (Village Hall) and only from noon to 9PM. Absentee ballots were only allowed for persons who either would not be in town on election day, or were unable to travel to the polling site for a variety of reasons. And we must allow our Seniors -- 20% of our residents-- to participate fully. Let’s add, to this year’s challenges, the risk of contracting Covid 19 while waiting in line to vote, If GC does not make changes, I can imagine intolerable waiting times to vote, which could cause some voters to skip the election.
This was a very controversial subject during our Nov. 2020 National Election. Many states resolved the challenges by a combination of :
1) Materially expanded absentee voting by mail, 2) allowing in-person voting on days prior to election day, 3) longer voting hours each day, 4) drop-off sites to deposit ballots, and 5) expanding the number of voting machines. Importantly, with only a March 16 date, wintry or rainy weather could sadly reduce voter turnout.
Conclusions: This could be one of the
most important elections in Garden City history. I strongly urge our Trustees to “do the right thing” so that everyone who wishes to vote can doso. Finally, my recommendations will be helpful to ALL voters -- of all points of view. This is not a political issue; it is simply a common-sense decision for our BOTs.
George M. Salem Truth matters
To the Editor:
On December 7, 1941, America was attacked by Japan at Pearl Harbor. That date “will live in infamy” President Roosevelt told the nation. His speech united us and gave us the resolve to defend our democracy.
On January 6, 2021, our Capitol was attacked by a mob of President Trump’s supporters. That date “will live in infamy”. The President incited that mob by his lie that the election was stolen from him. He urged them to go to the Capitol to “stop the steal” and “fight like hell”. So they did, chanting “Hang Mike Pence”. The graphic pictures from the Capitol showed the plunder, the destruction, and the assaults by the violent mob, many armed with weapons. The mob searched for Congressmen and Senators who hid in safe rooms or barricaded offices. Five of his supporters needlessly died. One was a Capitol police officer who gave his life to protect our democracy; so much for the President’s promise to provide law and order.
This President did not condemn the attack incited by his inflammatory words. He offered no words of solace, sorrow or regret for the dead, the injured or the destruction and desecration of the Capitol. The President, who told us the government is broken and only he can fix it, left it in turmoil and the nation in anguish over his supporters’
attempt to overthrow our democracy.
How did it happen? It happened because truth, words and character do not matter.
We choose to live in tribes, prisoners of our own ideology. We do not listen attentively or respectfully to others’ opinions. We do not talk civilly to one another. We do not investigate facts. The facts we do not like we call “fake news”. We take truth from opinion makers who reinforce our beliefs and our biases. We do not discern.
We elected a flawed man who does not tell the truth nor cares about the harm his words cause. January 6th may have been a shock but it was not a surprise.
This insurrection proves that words, character and truth do matter. But above all is truth. A good leader tells the truth despite the political consequences. There is hope. There are Senators and Congressmen on both sides of the aisle who have come to this conclusion. May God bless us with more good leaders.
Thomas M Lamberti
Not an outbreak
To the Editor:
What a disgrace to read your article re: seniors at the High School. It was not an outbreak. Kids chose to be tested and turned out positive and imagine how many others could have gotten Covid had these kids not found out in time. These kids prevented the outbreak yet you choose to turn this around. Print the truth. Talk about bullying on front page of the local paper. A divide between seniors and parents already exists and now you add the town. Disgraceful.
I will be ending my subscription to this paper. A disgrace and embarrassment to our community.
Nicole Archer
Come see the MTA’s Electromagnetic Paradise
From page 2
ance by the MTA/3TC in 2022 on landscaping be the only grounds for legal representation in the eyes of the Third Track Committee, rather than the current destruction of quality-of-life and health risks to thousands of GC Estates residents? The moving goalposts can be very confusing. Apparently, these trustees are unfamiliar with Lucy pulling the football before Charlie Brown can kick it.
Let us review how the Third Track Committee has performed. After years of opposing the disruption and impact of the Third Track project on Long Island village residents, many incoming mayors and local governments were enticed in 2017 by new MTA commitments to fund certain capital projects in return for supporting the project. In the case of Garden City, then-Mayor Daughney touted his ostensible acumen in locking in promises to update the brick parking lot at Nassau Boulevard and improve the facilities at Stewart Manor stations. [Incidentally, neither of these stations has anything to do with the Third Track project.] Daughney joined Trustee Makrinos and a third representative on the Third Track Committee, which was supposed to maintain ongoing dialogue with the MTA to ensure Garden City’s interests were understood and respected.
At one point, in 2018, when 3TC was looking to use Garden City parks as a “staging area” for vehicles, equipment, and construction materials, GC residents banded together to protest the defiling of public lands. 3TC issued a public statement vowing to consult with village officials and residents and acting in a manner “compatible with both achieving project goals and protecting the community’s quality of life.” That is a nice statement but would prove to be an empty promise in short order.
3TC’s representative Travis Brennan and the LIRR Expansion’s outreach manager Leslie Mesnick have publicly said the Third Track Committee was aware of the requested change to the design plan regarding the poles since at least October 2019. 3TC made the final decision in February 2020 and claimed that “notice” was provided in the form of a generic email that alluded to merely “relocating” utility poles somewhere along the LIRR right-of-way.
Apparently, in September 2019, when penitentiary-style gray cinder blocks were being placed as retention walls, 3TC requested that the Third Track Committee authorize that they be placed farther away from the tracks (where they are most effective) and next to the LIRR right-of-way property line. According to April 2020 correspondences between the Third Track Committee and the MTA, the committee assented to that request without any further clari-
fication as to why such a move would make sense or how that would best serve the “community’s quality of life” or with any corresponding concession from 3TC.
The April 8, 2020 letter from the committee referenced a September 26, 2019 email that allowed for moving some poles and retention/sound walls along the Strawberry Field area closer to the LIRR property line, taller poles in the Nassau Blvd train bridge area, and some of them being south of the tracks instead of north of tracks. This email authorization allowed the camel’s nose in the tent by freeing more space for 3TC to take shortcuts, save time, and ignore MTA’s long-standing plans submitted to various government entities. It also had the effect of establishing an exception allowing for taller poles. That exception became the rule. Finally, it had the effect of allowing for 3TC to erect “some” poles south of the tracks. Some became ALL in March and April 2020.
Neither the concessions on less effective sound walls farther from the tracks nor the allowance for a few monster poles south of the tracks by Nassau Boulevard were publicly shared with the Board or residents. On the surface, it appears that the committee thought nothing of these changes.
Following that blistering April 8, 2020 letter from the committee to the MTA, the MTA thumbed its nose at Trustees Daughney and Makrinos by denying their objections to the monster poles. The MTA agreed it probably should have offered advance notice but was not obligated to do so. Once it completed doing anything it wanted on right-ofway property, the MTA committed that 3TC would eventually re-seed damaged park land and produce an impressive landscaping plan that featured a variety of tree species.
And with that, the Third Track Committee went radio silent until a torrent of letters to the editor, public demonstrations, and bad publicity prompted the members to respond aggressively…to aggrieved residents. The committee did not engage legal counsel in a timely manner while monster poles and construction crews were littering the Estates. The committee essentially mirrored the FAQs presented by 3TC, going so far as to posting on the Village website that our Village could not expect to fight the MTA (notwithstanding, its billions in operating deficits).
Instead of advocating for residents whose aggregate property values have conservatively declined in the tens of millions, the committee urged restraint to protect its application to the MTA for $800,000 in landscaping enhancements along the Main Line. Interestingly, if budgeting reflects priorities, then the $1.2 million in updates to parking lot
bricks at the LIRR-Nassau Boulevard station—unrelated to the Main Line Third Track project—is about 50% more important to the committee than the nominal landscaping remedies to thousands of Garden City residents whose homes and quality-of-life have been devalued. Also, given the MTA’s brutal rejection of the committee’s April 8 letter and prior signed agreements, what gives the committee any comfort that the MTA/3TC would honor voluntary and ephemeral verbal commitments?
This complete about-face in communications was mirrored on the Estates POA web site, where MTA’s Chief Development Officer Janno Lieber’s Newsday interview was posted, highlighted by his quote: “We’re not going to stop the project and redesign them because one community has visual objections.”
The perfunctory $25,000 spent for a legal opinion by Beveridge & Diamond yielded a summary statement that successfully forcing the MTA to move poles to north of the tracks had a lower likelihood of success than ongoing dialogue about potential landscaping relief measures. That is a strawman argument, since there are always multiple legal options beyond a singular end-result.
Challenging a pseudo-government entity to remedy infrastructure problems of its own making will never be a sure thing. Getting that entity to cough up a few bucks for seeds and a variety of plants is certainly much more likely, but that does not solve the problem. The Third Track Committee’s efforts to sell out GC residents’ legitimate concerns for a few saplings while claiming “fiscal responsibility” is unconscionable. Allowing 3TC to continue with its own plans—undeterred by a counterparty unwilling to exercise its rights—was a 100% guaranteed outcome that no fun-
damental changes would happen.
In 2017, outgoing Mayor Episcopia warned that the Third Track Committee was acting in a non-transparent way and the Board, POAs, and residents needed to press the committee to demonstrate what they were doing to “protect residents whose homes are at risk”. In contrast to Garden City, the Third Track Committees of Floral Park and New Hyde Park include residents and business representatives and there are routine project updates in public board meetings. It is this lack of openness and representation throughout the GC Third Track Committee’s existence that has kept most of the Village in the dark about concessions, negotiations, and changes that impact the quality-of-life of its residents.
Now Garden City’s Estates section features a morass of gray concrete block walls, views of a cement mixing plant, and a mile-long stretch of industrial steel poles. The nine stories of high voltage utility and railroad wiring now amplify their electromagnetic waves without any natural buffers or barriers. What landscaping “enhancements” would offset this outrage? How long will it be before those monstrosities feature countless 5G mini tower attachments? The well-being of Garden City residents is clearly at risk.
Fortunately, four responsible Trustees voted to side with residents over the MTA/3TC and Mayor Trouve broke the 4-4 tie with her vote to finally pursue legal representation. On the other hand, Garden City residents will not forget how the four other trustees (Daughney, Foley, Makrinos, and Delany) voted to continue passively appeasing the MTA/3TC and abandon Garden City residents in the Estates section.
Penitentiary-style gray cinder blocks were being placed as retention walls.
Garden City Community Park News
The
tennis courts at the Garden City Community Park
Adult Winter Tennis Lessons
The Department of Recreation and Parks offers a wide variety of lessons tailored to the needs of the Garden City Adult community. The adult tennis lessons are open to adults 18 years of age and up who are residents of the Inc. Village of Garden City. In order to create sessions geared to the preferences and skills of residents, our head pros will group people on the same abilities together according to the registrations they receive. Even if you took lessons in the fall, you still have to register for the winter session. To learn more or to download an application, please visit the Recreation Office (108 Rockaway Ave) or https://gardencityrecreation. org/tennis. Lessons will start the week of February 1.
Tennis Contract Court Time Available
Prime tennis contract court times are still available for this indoor season at the Community Park Tennis Center! For more information and pricing or if you are interested in joining a contract group, please call Steve Espey at (516) 465-4075.
Tennis Center Etiquette Reminder
We kindly remind all of our tennis players to please reframe from entering the tennis courts until your scheduled time begins. If you are early, please wait in the Tennis Clubhouse until one minute before your court time and then proceed to your court. In order to create a courteous environment, we ask players to please end at the specified time. Do not finish a set or play one more point so that the next scheduled group has the opportunity to start on time.
Senior
Citizen Tennis Time
The Department of Recreation
Garden City PTA News
PARP Reading Program Continues Into the New Year
and Parks is happy to announce that “Senior Citizen Time” is expanding at the Garden City Tennis Center. Senior residents can now take advantage of the $24 per hour per court rate on the newly expanded time period of Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. To make a court reservation, please call the Tennis Clubhouse at 483-2525.
2020-21 Tennis and Platform Tennis Rates
During the seasonal play our tennis and platform tennis facility will be open from 7:00 a.m.–11:00 p.m. daily. For the court availability, please call the Community Park Clubhouse at (516) 483-2525.
PLATFORM TENNIS RATES
$32 per hour for each court
TENNIS RATES (Monday through Thursday)
7 a.m. to 9 a.m. - $34 per hour
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. - $44 per hour
6 p.m. to 11 p.m. - $64 per hour (Friday)
7 a.m. to 9 a.m. - $34 per hour
9 a.m. to 11 p.m. - $44 per hour (Saturday and Sunday)
7 a.m. to 1 p.m. - $64.00 per hour
1 p.m. to 11 p.m. - $44.00 per hour (Seniors)
Mon – Fri / 7 a.m.- 6 p.m. - $24.00 per hour
Stay Connected with Garden City Recreation
To stay better connected with Community Park and other Recreation news, we invite everyone to “Like Us” on our Facebook page, facebook.com/ gardencityrecreation.
Getting married?
Email editor@gcnews.com to put your engagement or wedding announcement in the paper
This year’s PARP program, “The Reading Connection: The Readers, The Dreamers, and Me,” continues its programming in 2021 with a great line-up of events! On Wednesday, January 13, librarians Donna Furey and Barbara Grace from the Children’s Room at the Garden City Public Library, hosted a virtual read-aloud event for K–2 students, alongside some info for parents on Library resources. Students in grades 3–5 will get their turn for a similar event on Wednesday, January 20, at 7 pm. Over Zoom, librarian Barbara Grace from the Children’s Room and YA librarian Kristen Sweeney will host a “book tasting” of new books and authors not to be missed, provide an overview of resources and databases for older readers, and preview the upcoming library programs and Summer Reading Club. Watch your email for sign-up links!
The virtual reading of our One School/One Book selection, “Dear Dragon” by Josh Funk, is also coming up on Thursday, January 21, 2021, at 7 pm over Zoom. Mr. Funk will read the book and engage in a question and answer session with students. Please submit your questions to Mr. Funk by Wednesday, January 20, using the link available in the event sign-up message. Visit the PARP website at gardencitypta.org/parp and make sure to sign up online for the link to join!
Parenting Workshop #4 with Laura Campbell -- January
19 at 7 p.m.
We hope to see everyone at our next parenting workshop with Laura Campbell as she helps guide parents who provide emotional support to children navigating this difficult time of change. Look for registration information in your email or register on our website: www.gardencitypta.org.
Deadline Approaching for NYS PTA Youth Humanitarian Award
The NYS PTA is now accepting applications for its Youth Humanitarian Award ~ In Memory of Stanley Marcus. This award is presented to high school junior or senior students who best
exemplify the humanitarian principles of Stanley Marcus. Since PTA is a volunteer organization, we believe that it is only fitting that we should honor such service by our young people through the sponsorship of this award. Information and application can be found: https:// nyspta.org/home/pta-leaders/ awards-and-recognitions/youth-humanitarian-award/. Applications are due to the GCHS Guidance/Counseling Center by January 27, 2021.
Mark Your Calendars!
Important School & PTA Dates to Remember
• Monday, January 18: Schools
Closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Wednesday, January 20: HS PTA Meeting at 9:15am
• Tuesday-Friday, January 19-22: Kindergarten Registration
• Tuesday, February 9: SEPTA General Membership Meeting
• Wednesday, February 10: All Schools PTA Meeting
• Monday-Friday, February 15-19: Winter Recess
Join the PTA, Support Garden City Schools
The PTA is proud to support all students and provide a connection between home and school. We are pleased to offer quality programming to students and parents throughout the school year. None of our endeavors would be possible without your continued support. To renew your membership for the 2020-2021 school year, please visit www.gardencitypta.org and click on the “Membership” tab. Thank you for your active participation in the Garden City PTA!
Let’s Connect @GardenCityPTA
Website: www.gardencitypta.org
To Get Real Time InformationTurn on Notifications
Facebook: Facebook.com/ GardenCityPTA
Instagram: Instagram.com/ GardenCityPTA
Twitter: Twitter.com/ GardenCityPTA
Join the conversation and invite your friends.
Call us at 294-8900 to place an ad in our classifieds. We’ll help you be seen by thousands of local readers!
Adult Art Class at Cluett Hall
The Garden City’s Department of Recreation and Parks will offer an adult art class this fall. This 10-week program will teach the beginner as well as the advanced student the art of painting portraits and landscapes/ still-life in pastel from photographs. Arleen Rueth Urban, the instructor for this program, is a signature member of the Pastel Society of America.
Classes will be held Fridays beginning February 12 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. in St. Paul’s Cluett Hall. The cost of this program will be $140. Please note: Masks must be worn during class and each participant must fill out a COVID survey sheet before each class to attend. This class is open to adult residents who reside in the Inc. Village of Garden City.
The first lesson includes a por -
G C R E CR E AT ION A ND PA R K NEW S
trait and landscape demonstration. At that time, a supply list is provided. Demonstrations will be available as needed throughout the program. Each student will receive the individual attention required as they move at their own pace and level of expertise.
To register for this session, please visit the Recreation and Parks office at 108 Rockaway Avenue. If you have a password, you may register online at gcreconline.gardencityny.net.
After School Enrichment Programs for Grades K to 3
Garden City Recreation and Parks is working in conjunction with Mad Science to offer after school enrichment programs in St. Paul’s Center (108 Rockaway Avenue). Each program is one hour in length and will run for six week.
These programs are offered to Garden City residents in the kindergarten through third grades. Classes are limited to ten children. Children will have to wear a mask during each session.
The class offerings are as follows: MAD SCIENCE
Mondays beginning February 8 from 4 to 5 p.m.
Mad Science provides innovative, hands on experiments and activities in science related themes such as Crazy Chemworks, Science Mania, and Nasa Space Academy. A different theme will be explored each week.
“CRAYOLA” ARTIST’S PASSPORT
Tuesdays beginning February 2 from 4 to 5 p.m.
Travel the world through art! Kids will explore far off places and learn about the people who live there. They
Conversational, opinionated, wordsmith?
will experiment with Crayola brand products while trying art techniques of the places they are exploring.
BRIXOLOGY
Fridays beginning February 5 from 4 to 5 p.m.
Engineers shape the world in this after school program!
Each class, kids will step into the shoes of an engineer and build various engineering-inspired LEGO® projects. They will explore mechanical, structural, aerospace, nautical, and bioengineering while using critical thinking, cooperation, and creative problem-solving to test and improve creations.
The cost of this program is $187, checks only made payable to “LI Steam Group”. To register, please visit the Recreation Office at 108 Rockaway Avenue. Space is limited.
We’re looking for writers in our community to compose articles on local topics, opinions, reviews, worthy places to visit on Long Island, and even pieces of fiction. We aim to feature at least one new article and writer each week in our Discovery magazine section.
Email submissions: editor@gcnews.com
• Attach article and any photos (1MB), along with your name and contact info.
• Articles must be between 1,500 - 3,000 words. • Each writer will be reimbursed a stipend of $25.⁰⁰
TIGER TENNIS ACADEMY
WEEKEND BEGINNER PROGRAM Ages 4-14 Classes Begin February 6th
11 WEEK SEMESTER: FEB 6 to MAY 2nd Available Times
Sat 130-230pm (10-14yrs) Sat 230-330pm (6-9 yrs) Sat 330-430pm (10-14yrs)
Sun 1030-113am (4-5yrs) Sun 1130-1230pm (6-9yrs) Sun 1230-130pm (10-14yrs)
Sun 130-230pm (10-14yrs) Sun 230-330pm (6-9yrs) Sun 330-430pm (10-14yrs)
For more information and class schedules please visit www.tigertennisacademy.com/garden-city-winter-kids-tennis-classes/
Sunday, January 17 | 12:00 – 2:00pm
366 Stewart Ave, #B2, Garden City, NY
1-bedroom, 1-bath. MLS# 3258640. $399,000.
4-bedroom, 2-bath. MLS# 3257946. $730,000.
Freeport, NY
3-bedroom, 1.5-bath. MLS# 3279691. $479,000.
Rockville Centre, NY
5-bedroom, 3.5-bath. MLS# 3265075. $1,198,000.
Sunday, January 17 | 12:30 – 2:30pm
380 Pennys Rd, Riverhead, NY
6-bedroom, 3.5-bath. MLS# 3247164. $1,650,000.
4-bedroom,
Rockville Centre, NY
3-bedroom, 1.5-bath. MLS# 3265882. $765,000.
Freeport, NY
5-bedroom, 5.5-bath. MLS# 3258646. $1,340,000.
5-bedroom, 2.5-bath. MLS# 3258255. $1,490,000. Garden City, NY 5-bedroom, 3.5-bath. MLS# 3249968. $1,645,000.
Stream, NY 4-bedroom, 2-bath. MLS# 3238606. $558,000.
Stewart Manor, NY
2-bedroom, 1.5-bath. MLS# 3274946. $559,000.
NY
3-bedroom, 4-bath. MLS# 3264268. $798,000.
Rockville Centre, NY
5-bedroom, 2.5-bath. MLS# 3265875. $1,498,000.
Old Westbury, NY 4-bedroom, 3.5-bath. MLS# 3275343. $1,799,000.
Rockville Centre,
Garden City, NY
6-bedroom, 4.55-bath. MLS# 3113870. $3,850,000.
Merrick, NY
6-bedroom, 2-bath. MLS# 3270088. $688,000.
Floral Park, NY
3-bedroom, 2-bath. MLS# 3257397. $858,000.
Arthur Anderson
Jessica Brantuk Chelsea Costello Ann Collins
Claudia Galvin Manager
Rene Blair Annmarie Bommarito
Christine Cudahy Assistant Manager
Patricia Costello Gregory Abruzzo
Matthew Minardi
Kathy Lucchesi Mary LoGalbo Linda Mulrooney
Susan MacDonald Patricia Dickson Brigid Marmorowski Eileen O’Hara
Garden City, NY
3.5-bath. MLS# 3150374. $959,000.
Bronx, NY
3-bedroom, 1.5-bath. MLS# 3273623. $785,000.
CONTRACT
CONTRACT
CONTRACT
Susan Gillin Diane Piscopo
Garden City, NY
0-bedroom, 1-bath. MLS# 3264344. $199,999.
2-bedroom, 2-bath. MLS# 3274277. $625,000.
2.5-bath. MLS# 3255243. $1,150,000.
3/4-bedroom, 4-bath.
Rockville Centre, NY
1-bedroom, 1-bath. MLS# 3272253. $249,000.
3-bedroom, 2.5-bath. MLS# 3274070. $875,000.
100
Mineola, NY
1-bedroom, 1-bath. MLS# 3252233. $285,000.
Wyndham Resale Office
1-bedroom, 1-bath. MLS# 3279736. $295,000.
1-bedroom, 1.5-bath. MLS# 3227978. $695,000.
2-bedroom. 2.5-bath. MLS# 3245739. $900,000.
111 Cherry Valley Avenue, M33
111 Cherry Valley Ave, #601 Garden City, NY 2-bedroom, 2.5-bath. MLS# 3203955. $1,050,000.
111 Cherry Valley Ave, PH4 Garden City, NY
MLS# 3233161. $3,490,000.
100 Hilton Ave, M7 Garden City, NY
100 Hilton Ave, M29
City, NY
3.5 bath. MLS# 3237359. $999,000.
100 Hilton Ave, #419
Hilton Ave, #902 Garden City, NY
3.5-bath. MLS# 3248011. $1,800,000.
111 Cherry Valley Ave, #906 Garden City, NY 2-bedroom,
Patricia Costello, Patricia Dickson, Alfred Kohart, Mary Krener and Linda Mulrooney
New Hyde Park, NY
111 Cherry Valley Ave, #612 Garden City, NY
1-bedroom, 1.5-bath. MLS# 3276531. $3,950.
Garden City, NY 2-bedroom, 2-bath. MLS# 3278641. $515,000.
Mineola, NY
Mary Krener Fortune Heaney
Peter Kerantzas Alfred Kohart
Lisa Heaney
Robert J. Krener
Stephen Ripp
Kathleen Higdon Meredith Krug
Cecile Raoult Lynn Puccio
Joseph Scianablo Cheryl Trimboli Scott Wallace
Patrick Gibbons
Kathleen Roberts Julia Mastromauro Rosado
Jennifer Petersen
Garden City, NY
Daureen Hausser
100 Hilton Ave, #412
Garden City, NY
111 Cherry Valley Ave, #805W Garden City, NY
ata per OneKey MLS | January 1st – December 31st, 2020