ABRAHAM ROOFING
Ask About our Affordable Annual Maintenance Plan! “The Neighborhood Leader in Roofing Service!”
1-800-347-0913 Abrahamroofing.com
ROOFING GUTTERS LEADERS SIDING
Vol. l I No. XXVII | www.StandardLI.com d d | News@standardli.com d dl | Ph.# h 516-341-0445
SEPTEMBER 23 - 29, 2011
YOUR FIVE TOWNS HOMETOWN PAPER
FREE EVERY FRIDAY
Special Third Section!
HIGH HOLIDAYS 2011 Flowers • Food • Recipes and More! • Page C1
CHILDREN ARE TOP PRIORITY IN “NEW LAWRENCE” ACADEMIC PLAN
H-W PARENTS ARE CONCERNED OVER INCREASING SIZE OF CLASSES By Scott P. Moore
Standard Staff Reporter
By JONATHAN WALTER
A group of parents raised their concerns over growing class sizes within the Hewlett-Woodmere School District’s elementary schools at a Board of Education meeting on Thursday evening. Parents complained increased class sizes could lead to education problems throughout the year due to less attention from teachers. “There’s a common thread to each of the [parents’] conversations — class size,” said Al Grazioso, who has a son that is one of 25 in a fifth grade class at Hewlett Elementary School. “We’re very concerned that class size will be the ‘X factor’ in determining the budget next year… Our concern is that if we need to make a budget under the dire constraints that we’re going
Standard Staff Reporter
Tornadoes Trounced Bethpage’s Danny Chillanis runs right through three Lawrence defenders in the first quarter of last week’s game, leading the Golden Eagles to one of their four touchdowns on the night, upsetting the number-one ranked Lawrence Golden Tornadoes, Photo by Scott P. Moore. 37-19. Complete story on page A7.
New Superintendent Gary Schall and the Lawrence School District Administration unveiled their District Academic Plan for a “New Lawrence” last Thursday at Lawrence’s Number Two School in Inwood. Last year, the district was given recommendations by a representative from the New York State Education Department after the high school was placed on the Needs Improvement List. Lawrence is doing their best to follow through on those recommendations, initiating changes to the district’s educational plan that includes restructuring the administrative team, aligning curriculum maps with the new
CONTINUED ON P. A4
CONTINUED ON P. A4
Plenty of Pleas in Cedarhurst Traffic Court By JONATHAN WALTER Standard Staff Reporter
Everyone has a story at Cedarhurst Traffic Court. On Tuesday nights, during arraignments, and on Wednesday during trials, around 20 people try to escape their fate each week. The back and forth drama between Cedarhurst Village Court Justice Martin Zuckerbrod rivals any prime time television drama. Just head on down to Village Hall and you’ll be in for some laughs, just don’t laugh out loud during proceedings or you’ll be escorted outside by police officers.
“I don’t think that I deserve it,” Lucy Ackerman of Hillcrest said. “I was parked by Gourmet Glatt in Cedarhurst. I put three hours worth of change into the meter. It was during the earthquake, so I don’t know if I had anything to do with it, but when I came back to my car, the meter was empty and I had a ticket. Whatever it was I put in enough for three hours.” Ackerman, a grandmother, was in Cedarhurst to have a meal with her family, has her receipt to prove that she was in the restaurant at the time of the earthquake. However, she didn’t
Village Court Justice Martin Zuckerbrod prepares for arraignment proceedings on Tuesday. Photo by Jonathan Walter
have any proof that she put three hours worth of quarters in the meter. “I got a ticket for parking more than 12 inches from the curb,” Tony Rosenberg from Woodmere said. “I don’t remember where but it had snowed and I couldn’t park right next to the curb because of the snow and I ended up with a $50 ticket and I’m here trying to fight it. It was a metered space, but you couldn’t open the door if you parked less than 12 inches from the curb.” He plead not guilty and scheduled a trial date. Another woman, who did not
wish to be named, had a ticket on her car for having an expired registration. “I got a ticket on my car, which made me realize that I had already taken care of getting my registration renewed a month ago but had never got my new registration,” she said. “So, I called the Department of Motor Vehicles and she sent me a letter saying that I had it, that I paid for it on the ninth, that it didn’t expire until the 20th, and they sent me a new registration and a new sticker. She told me not to ex-
CONTINUED ON P. A4
Local Cheerleaders Flying and Jumping Into Action BY SUSAN VARGHESE
Standard Associate Editor
Both Hewlett High School and Lawrence High School cheerleaders are prepping for a busy fall. The squads are practicing and training in preparation for pep rallies, homecomings, and competitions.
Hewlett High School The team is currently perfecting their “wall stunt,” Hewlett High School varsity cheerleading coach, Jennifer Tuminello explained. “My squad has beautiful jumps — these girls reach the sky when they jump. We’re working on a wall stunt, which is a connected stunt. While the
The Hewlett High School Cheerleaders at the Hewlett’s football season opener on Saturday, September 10.
girls are in the air they basically have to connect each other.” Three new captains were also appointed: Tai Dowdell, junior, Alexis Weiner, senior, and Sapira Zubery, senior. Tuminello also said that although the varsity and junior varsity cheerleading teams are at different levels, they try to make sure that both squads work together. “We tried to keep the junior varsity and varsity girls together as much as possible together during practices, so they’re able to form a camaraderie between squads,” Tuminello said. “Eventually junior varsity will move up, too. We really want them to be role models and good peo-
ple.” Both cheerleading teams have 16 members each. Only a few practices into the season in, Tuminello noted that the girls are already excelling. “With being their third practice, they’ve already developed a trust among each other, from the fliers who are in the air to the bases who lift the girls up. They’re all literally taking one for the team because sometimes they’re doing a position that maybe they didn’t want to do.” Their next event is the pep rally on October 28, but the homecoming game on October 29 is their biggest event. “The home-
CONTINUED ON P. A3
A v e n u e B 1 • E d i t o r i a l s A 1 0 • G a s T r a c k e r A 2 • M o v i e s B 4 • S p o r t s A 6 & A 1 2 • We a t h e r A 3