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HERALD 5k run raises awareness
Pray with the statue of Fatima
Baldwin track wins spring title
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Vol. 31 No. 24
JUNE 6 - 12, 2024
$1.00
Meet Baldwin High School’s top students By HERNESTo GAlDAMEZ hgaldamez@liherald.com
Maureen Lennon/Herald
Baldwin honors fallen heroes as the parade marched on grand avenue, many community members showed their american spirit with colorful clothes, flags, hats, signs and smiles. Story, photos, page 10.
Relay For Life returns to Baldwin Abby and Miguel Melendez revive cancer walk By HERNESTo GAlDAMEZ hgaldamez@liherald.com
Cancer survivors Abby and Miguel Melendez, of Baldwin, were determined to bring the Relay For Life back to their community, and their efforts have been rewarded: The cancer walk will return to Baldwin Harbor Park on Saturday. “It’s about getting the community involved,” Abby Melendez said. “Slowly but surely, the community is coming together, and that’s sort of what we were hoping.” Launched in 1985, the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life has become a global event, taking place in more than 30 countries and
bringing together communities to honor those who have succumbed to the disease and to celebrate those who have survived it. The event raises money to help people fighting cancer, to support their families and to contribute to advocacy and research. The event was held at Baldwin High School from 2009 to 2013, and then moved to Baldwin Park from 2014 and 2016, raising nearly $28,000 in that final year. Abby Melendez, 64, a thyroid cancer survivor, and her husband, Miguel, 66, who has been free of prostate cancer for 14 years, tried to bring the event back in 2020, but were foiled by the coronaContinued on page 4
Baldwin High School seniors Dave Achonu and Brendan Kaminski were named valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, for the Class of 2024, emerging as the top two students while navigating through the challenges of a global pandemic. A student in Baldwin schools since kindergarten, Achonu’s routine throughout his academic journey was quite simple, he said. “There’s nothing glamorous,” he said. “It’s just a lot of studying at home. My academic pursuits are never-ending, and I want to be a physician scientist and there is that never-ending pursuit of knowledge and education. “My experience with education started here in Baldwin in kindergarten and will never end,” he added. During his last four years at the high school, Achonu’s educational journey took a turn, transitioning from traditional in-person learning to remote education — a significant shift not only for him, but also for his classmates and students worldwide. Recalling his freshman year,
Achonu attributed much of his success to Baldwin’s educators, who adapted to the circumstances, ensuring a seamless start to high school for him and his peers. “I think I would have missed out on a lot more if it weren’t for my incredible ninth-grade teachers,” he said. “They really made the adjustment from eighth grade with the shutdown in March for Covid and brought us back in — a really good beginning to my school journey.” In the fall, Achonu will attend Princeton University in New Jersey, studying neuroscience with a minor in philosophy. He credited the Baldwin S c h o o l D i s t r i c t ’s s c i e n c e department for his interest in studying neuroscience in college, he said. “I would definitely say it was c u l t ivat e d by t h e s c i e n c e department at Baldwin,” he said. “I’ve always liked science. It always led to figuring out new things, and that (was) kind of propelled by so many teachers.” While in high school, Achonu crossed paths with Science Olympiad coach Joseph Denninger, who wasn’t his Continued on page 7