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Friday, March 31, 2017
Vol. 77, No. 13
Bilingual town hall gives district feedback
DUNE DAY 2017
BY RIKKI N. MASSAND
Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino recently joined with Town Officials, Islanders’ legend Bobby Nystrom and caring Volunteers at the 2017 Dune Stabilization Project at TOBAY Beach. Since 1989, the Dune Stabilization Project has been an initiative to help protect TOBAY Beach. This recent event included many caring volunteers working side by side for a great cause. Planting dune grass goes a long way in stabilizing the construction of dunes as it enhances and protects the beach’s environment. Supervisor Saladino (fourth from right), is pictured with Town Councilwoman Michele M. Johnson (third from left), Councilman Louis B. Imbroto (center), New York Islanders’ legend Bobby Nystrom (right) and just a few of the many volunteers who came out for Dune Day 2017 and helped make a difference.
3 on 3 basketball event benefits kids with autism BY GARY SIMEONE
It was a day full of basketball games at Jericho High School on Saturday as teams played in three-on-three round robin challenges to help raise money for kids with autism. The eleventh annual ‘Alley Oop For Autism’ event was put together by Jericho resident, Justin Resnick. Over 20 corporate and family sponsors were involved with the event and there was a special guest appearance by Jay Bromley, a defensive
tackle for the New York Giants. “This is something that I am very proud of,” said Resnick, who is a graduate of Jericho High School and currently an investment banker with Houlihan Lokey. “I started this event in 2007 with a lot of help from school committee members, teachers and students.” He said what inspired him to jump start an event like this was that his younger cousin was diagnosed with autism at two years old and his mom is a speech
pathologist at an agency which provides services for people with autism. “I found out that a lot of these schools and programs that provide services for people with autism only receive half of their funding from the state. I wanted to figure out a way to help raise additional funds.” The event, which ran from 12 to 6:30 p.m. in the schools gymnasium, featured kids and adults teams playing in 3 on 3 round From page 21
The first-ever Bilingual Chinese-English Town Hall hosted in the Syosset Central School District took place on Friday evening March 17, as Superintendent of Schools Dr. Thomas Rogers spoke to a crowd of 75 people in the South Woods Middle School auditorium. Rogers was aided by a translator standing next to him and interpreting each of his sentences throughout the presentation on district facilities plans and the ensuing Q & A session. The most striking topic came about aside from finance, even as the district prepares voters and all members of the community for its annual budget allocation and vote in May along with an intriguing school board election. A subject concerning high school students’ school schedules has made rounds in many prominent district; Syosset and Garden City as examples this school year in Nassau County, and many districts nationwide. The High School Starting Time debate took up momentum during the Bilingual Town Hall, with Syosset one father telling Rogers his otherwise healthy teenage son had to be rushed to the hospital on a school day because of high blood pressure. “It’s very important to have high school students start the school day later – it’s very serious. A lot of high schoolers are so frustrated, they have headaches, and a lot of them get sick because of lack of sleep. I know it’s not fair for elementary or middle school kids and it may be harder for them, but compared with high school students the studies and coursework are much easier. Last year I knew a national Intel Semifinalist who had to visit the ER because of loss of sleep. For a 16-year-old boy the blood pressure went high because he had two tests to prepare for and he went to the science completion in Syracuse….the next day he could not get up,” the concerned father said. In late September 2016 Syosset Schools hosted a presentation on the starting time issue, relaying facts on teens’ circadian sleep cycles and times of day relevant to optimal performance in academics. At the Town Hall Dr. Rogers said the impacts on bussing and other students’ transportation were all part of the continued input Syosset district is evaluating. Eventually the school board will have deliberations on the start time. The formula for the Town Hall began with basics for a From page 9
North Shore Synagogue celebrates Purim PAGE 22 Syosset students show heart with gift PAGE 8