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Friday, March 3, 2017
Vol. 77, No. 9
Bilingual meeting planned to discuss school issues BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
The Syosset High School Peers Reaching Out club, in conjunction with the school’s Peer Helpers and Student Government, conducted a breakfast fundraiser and subsequently raised $1771 for Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6394. Students are pictured here with PRO adviser David Anderson (back row, far right) and local veterans. Photo courtesy of the Syosset School District The Syosset High School Peers Reaching Out club recently presented a check for $1771 to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6394. The money was raised
through a fundraising breakfast conducted by PRO in conjunction with the school’s Peer Helpers and Student Government. “Syosset High School recog-
nizes the dedication of the VFW and is grateful and humbled by their service to our great nation,” said PRO adviser David See page 14
Woodbury store robbed at gunpoint Nassau County Police detectives are investigating a Robbery that occurred on Sunday, February 26, at 10:42 pm in Woodbury. According to detectives, three men, one armed with a handgun, entered an unlocked rear door of Burgerfi, 8063 Jericho Turnpike and confronted
an employee who was counting out the day’s receipts in a back office area. After forcing him to the ground the subjects proceeded to remove an undisclosed amount of cash from the stores cash register drawers and then fled back out of the rear door into the rear parking lot. The uninjured employee
described the subjects as male, black and wearing dark colored clothing. Detectives request anyone with information regarding this incident to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.
It’s a novel concept but a much needed one for the Syosset Central School District and the fastest growing segment of the Syosset-Woodbury population. Amidst a string of capital investment questions, at least one pending finance proposition on May’s ballot and new cultural and religious holidays for the 2017-2018 school year including Lunar New Year, a dually-supported Bilingual Town Hall highlights St. Patrick’s Day in Syosset. Starting at 7pm on Friday, March 17 at South Woods Middle School auditorium, the community and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Thomas Rogers will engage in an English-Mandarin dialogue open to all residents. The district recently met with leadership of the Chinese American Association of Syosset (CAAS) and planned the event plus bilingual outreach initiatives. Plans for diversity and inclusion are set for Syosset Central School District on multiple levels, starting with objectives for the Town Hall date and in spring, a candidates’ forum involving a diverse pool for the trustee seats. “One of the clear goals expressed is for whatever initiatives our school district has, Dr. Rogers wants to make sure that it is effectively and efficiently communicated. None of us want anything like what happened with the Woodbury property sale to EVER, EVER take place again,” says CAAS PR and Marketing Co-chairperson Cindy Lin. Part of the March 17 program includes a discussion on the potential for a later high school starting time, an interesting concept given teenagers’ circadian cycles and optimal times for performance at school. This concept is also actively being studied by the Garden City Union Free School District. Another part of Dr. Rogers’ talk will cover the aftermath of the Syosset districts’ official opposition to the new Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. The school board passed a resolution detailing its opposition just a week before her appointment was confirmed with a Senate vote on February 7. Most relevant to the Bilingual Town Hall’s target audience is the concept of offering Mandarin Chinese classes in Syosset at the middle school level. Language will take shape as not a barrier but a connector, if the Town Hall and eventually representation on the school board work out in the next few months. See page 14
Oyster Bay exhibit shines light on slavery PAGE 2 Language partners at Syosset High School PAGE 6