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Friday, March 24, 2017
Vol. 77, No. 12
Hundreds brave freezing water for a good cause BY GARY SIMEONE
Town of Oyster Bay officials gather with participants in the Polar Bear Plunge
Cheng hopes to give boost to Syosset district finances BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
Carol Yeh Cheng, a resident for over 15 years and former Village Elementary School PTA co-president, is running for a seat on the Syosset Central Schools’ board of education. Her candidacy this spring highlights recent community outreach, partnership and education initiatives led by Chinese American Association of Syosset (CAAS). With a school board election looming on Tuesday, May 16, time is of the essence for engaging and informing her community and being an advocate for registering more qualified voters to participate. Cheng comes from a heavily-involved PTA background and has over
20 years of experience in organizational roles and working for nonprofit entities. She and her husband Eugene began contemplating a move to Long Island soon after 9/11. “We closed on our Syosset house February 20, 2002,” Cheng said in an interview with Litmor Publishing. Here they have made many friends and raised their three children, now ages 10 to 13, and experienced the school district’s variety of opportunities. Career skills in organizational planning, communications, and working with numbers are evident by meeting Cheng, an alumna of SUNY-Stony From page 15
It was a great turnout for the 4th annual Polar Bear Plunge event on Saturday morning at Tobay Beach. The Town of Oyster Bay sponsored event saw hundreds of men and women and children brave the frigid water temperatures to help raise money for the athletes of Special Olympics New York. The event started at 9:30-11 a.m. for check in and all of the participants took the plunge at 11:30 on the dot. “We had over 400 people participate in this years event which was our largest turnout ever,” said Jennifer Cantone, Director of Development for Special Olympics New York - Long Island Region. “Many elected officials turned out and participated in the event including Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor, Joe Saladino, Town Councilman Louis Imbroto and Councilwoman Michele Johnson.” She said that over $65,000 was raised to
help all of the athletes whoa re involved in the Special Olympics . “The community was very involved with many community groups and school districts participating and it was a great, family fun event.” The U.S Marines and Nesquick had stands set up on the beach and the 106.1 WBLI radio station had the crowd pumped for the mass storming into the frigid waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Town Councilwoman Michele Johnson, said that the Town was once again proud to be hosting this event and that every year it looks to be more successful. It was an exciting, fun day down on Tobay Beach and a lot of money was raised for a really great cause,” said Johnson. She said that she did not participate in the actual plunge but that her colleagues in office looked like they were having a great time dashing into the water.
Lifelong resident runs for Syosset School Board BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
She’s either the quintessential product of our top-rate Syosset Central School District, shining today with her academic/community life about to come full circle, or she’s the voice for much-needed changes with Syosset’s school system and the range of resources its offers to children and families. Perhaps Dr. Uzma Syed, 2017 candidate for the Board of Education, will be both. Voters in Syosset will decide on her future involving the school board this May, but Syed’s campaign comes after decades of hard work and dedication and the choice to commit to this community in every way. The mother of two children, a 12-year-
old daughter and a four-year-old son, has many fond memories of the days she attended Village Elementary followed by South Woods Middle School and then Syosset High. Throughout childhood Syed would enjoy treats at Syosset Sweets, reading and learning at Syosset Public Library and summer days with friends at Syosset Woodbury Community Park. The setting was what drew her back home after earning her degree in medicine at the University of New England in Maine. “When my husband and I were searching for homes we instantaneously knew where we would plant our roots. The choice was obvious since Syosset’s given From page 15
Council of PTAs hosts Reflections awards PAGE 12 Purim extravaganza at Jericho Jewish Ctr PAGE 10