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Friday, June 16, 2017
Vol. 77, No. 24
Joshua Lafazan makes a run at Legislator job
JERICHO SEPTA GARDENING INITIATIVE
graduates, were put on the national list. Schools are ranked in order of that ratio. The Washington’s Post’s rationale for not counting passing rates is that some high schools tend to keep rates artificially high by allowing only their top students to take the courses. This formula factors in average students who
Syosset resident, Joshua Lafazan was only eighteen when he began serving on the Syosset School Board and now he hopes to be one of the youngest members of the Nassau County Legislature. The twenty three year old will run against current Legislator, Don Mackenzie in the eighteenth legislative district in November’s election. Lafazan said that his campaign platform would focus on two key issues that he feels are of the utmost importance to the general public. “My main pillars is bringing back ethics and transparency in government and making Nassau County a more affordable place to live for young people like myself,” said Lafazan. He said that the ‘Millennial’ generation is being priced out of Long Island and being forced to either move back in with their parents or out of state. “As a government we need to be proactive about setting up affordable housing unit options for people in their 20’s and 30’s. We have had a record mass exodus over the last few years of younger people moving out of state to find more affordable housing.” As far as ethics and transparency in government, Lafazan said he has an ambitious corruption plan to counteract all the lies and deceit that has been going on in the political world. The plan focuses on four aspects including setting term limits for elected officials, contribution limits for campaign contractor’s, complete disclosure from all elected officials and the hiring of an independent anti-corruption officer to oversee County contracts. “Our government suffers from a fiscal and trust deficit and we’ve had indictments being given out like beads on Mardi Gras,” said Lafazan. “We need a change of the way things are being done to restore people’s confidence in their elected officials.” In 2012, Lafazan was one of the youngest school board members ever elected in the State when he took over as trustee for the Syosset Board of Education. “I was just out of High School and most people didn’t think I stood a chance at being elected. II wanted to
See page 6
See page 6
Jericho Middle School and High School Life Skills classes, along with the Middle School gardening club, were happy at work planting outside the south entrance to the administration building. This initiative has been sponsored by Jericho SEPTA for the last four years. SEPTA provides the plants and helps with the gardening. This activity provides a great experience for the students to learn about working with different tools, different plants and water and light exposure.
High marks for Syosset High School
The Washington Post is the latest national news outlet to recognize Syosset High School as one of the finest schools in the country. Less than a month after U.S. News & World Report ranked the school No. 24 in New York State and 173 in the country, The Washington Post has named Syosset High School No. 200 on its list of America’s Most Challenging High Schools.
Schools are ranked through an index formula of the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Advanced International Certificate of Education tests given at a school each year, divided by the number of seniors who graduated that year. Public schools that achieved a ratio of at least 1.00, meaning they had as many tests in 2016 as they had
Jackson third graders show research PAGE 20 Robert Seaman School PTA luncheon PAGE 21