Friday, October 25, 2019
Vol. 79, No. 43
$1
College essay workshop 'aligns' HS students, Adelphi University
PRIDE AT BERRY HILL
BY RIKKI MASSAND
Berry Hills Elementary School celebrated its annual PRIDE kickoff to celebrate Patience, Respect, Integrity, Dignity and Empathy. See page 10.
New assisted living community opens BY GARY SIMEONE
The Orchard Estate of Woodbury hosted its grand opening ceremony on Wednesday, October 16th, as local politicians including State Senator, Jim Gaughran, Nassau County Executive, Laura Curran and Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor, Joseph Saladino, attended the event. The brand new 74,000 square foot assisted-living facility is outfitted
with luxurious one and two bedroom model apartments and common spaces for those in need of elder care. Doug Cormack, Executive Director for Benchmark's Orchard Estate of Woodbury , said that twenty-one residents are currently living at the senior living community since it officially opened last month. "This is our second location on Long Island, after the opening of our Smithtown commu-
nity in July of 2018," said Cormack. "That community is currently at full capacity and by the end of this year we expect this location to be in the same condition." Cormack added that the Woodbury project took eight years to complete from base to opening and said that, "it is so good to be home and bring this special community here to See page 7
On Tuesday, October 15 at Adelphi University’s Garden City campus, Dr. Uzma Syed and board members from Syosset-based mentorship organization Align Us announced that their program has made waves even across the Atlantic Ocean, as BBC World News contacted Align Us and taped a video interview. Syed was featured in a segment aired last week on the dangers of social media contents for people applying for employment, as employers and colleges will check out profiles and posts. “We offer a mentorship program to guide our students and get them ready for college and the workforce. Social media is a platform for all youth with children as young as 10 to 12 getting exposed to it because it is accessible and all around us. We teach young people to be responsible users of social media and the internet, and to just realize that at a young age and early on they are developing their fingerprint for the world out there to see -- Align Us has a ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ list for social media. If there is ever any hesitation, we tell students to really think twice before sharing,” Dr. Syed told BBC World News in her interview. At the local level, fall season brought a chance for Align Us to start a new school year with educational programs. Gathered at Adelphi University on October 15, Align Us students listened attentively to “Keep Calm and Write On” -- a motivating and easy-to-understand Powerpoint projected on a movie-theater screen. The “everything College Essays” event drew 26 students and 12 parents representing the following Long Island schools: Syosset, Jericho, Herricks, Plainview-Old Bethpage, Wheatley High School, North Shore High School, Half Hollow Hills, Valley Stream, Ward Melville High School and Longwood High. One week earlier at the Syosset Public Library Auditorium, on October 7 Align Us hosted the panel discussion “Pathways to Your Future” featuring guest speakers New York Assemblyman Charles Fall (District 61), Executive Director and Chief of the Special Victims Bureau of the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office Theresa A. Tebbet, Reema Albahri, a project manager with engineering, architecture, planning and construction management firm STV Group, and Dr. Sophia Fu, director of breast surgery at Good Samaritan Hospital. The Align Us College Essay Workshop for students was led by See page 7
Syosset FD visits Faith Nursery School Town opens shellfish hatchery PAGE 6
PAGE 16