_________________ bellmore ________________
HERALD Infections as of June 13
8,260
CommUNIty UPDAtE $1.00 $1.00
Infections as of June 7 8,252
Vol. 24 No. 25
Scout project aids cupboard
Kids’ book shares important lesson
Page 3
Page 13
JUNE 17 - 23, 2021
‘On-air Extraordinaire’ makes waves
mERRICK AVENUE mIDDlE School Rams baseball coach Anthony Rizzo set up a big surprise for special-education student Blake Chandler at the team’s first game of the season.
Principal Nicole Hollings. Goldberg said that Hollings took a chance on him, and he couldn’t Merrick residents and Cal- be more thankful for her suphoun High School students are port. quickly getting to know Charlie “I wouldn’t be where I am Goldberg of south Merrick — today without her help,” he “the On-air Extraordinaire” — noted. who founded Calhoun’s media The club quickly gained club and now runs momentum, and his own successful before the pandemYouTube channel, ic, Goldberg said, it along with other was known for covmedia platforms. ering big events at Goldberg, who school. Despite the is graduating from challenges caused Calhoun this year by pandemic shutand will attend the downs and socialS.I. Newhouse distancing requireSchool of Public ChARlIE ments, the group Communications still managed to at Syracuse Univer- GolDBERG have a successful sity in the fall, has year, hosting game ‘The On-air made a name for shows, conducting himself at both his Extraordinaire’ teacher interviews school and in the and more. community by being highly Goldberg recently passed his active in the media. leadership role over to student As a Calhoun freshman, Gold- James Vakkas and said that he berg was inspired by the Bell- looks forward to seeing the more-Merrick Broadcasting Pro- future of the group. gram at Wellington C. Mepham Outside the media club, GoldHigh School to start a similar berg has found success managone at Calhoun. ing his own YouTube channel, “I’ve always had a love for the “Charlie Goldberg Live.” He media,” he said. “I started the started it in early January, after media club at Calhoun.” He established the group with Continued on page 9
By JoRDAN VAlloNE jvallone@liherald.com
Courtesy Anthony Rizzo
From impossible to manager
Student Blake Chandler gets baseball surprise By ANDREW GARCIA agarcia@liherald.com
It was thought that Blake Chandler would never get to hit a baseball or score a run on a diamond alongside his peers, to the sound of thunderous cheers. Having Down syndrome and impaired motor skills had held him back. This season was different, however. At the first game of
HERALD
CLASS
2021 OF
the Merrick Avenue Middle School’s season, Blake was able to play baseball like never before — and there was a huge surprise in his honor. It was Rams coach Anthony Rizzo, a special-education aide at MAMS, who set up the surprise for Blake, an eighthgrader. Rizzo works one on one with students he’s paired with, but had never been paired with Blake. Instead, it was Blake’s boisterous per-
sonality that attracted Rizzo to him. “I first met Blake last year, and I saw that he was very social,” Rizzo said. “He’d say hi and give me fist bumps — and that’s how I am also.” “Seeing Blake every day at work made my job less of a job and more of a privilege,” Rizzo said. Throughout the year of poking his head into the Continued on page 4
A Special Thank You To Our Class of 2021 Graduating Class List Sponsors: Merrick Chamber of Commerce Village Auto Print Promwear Big Bob’s Storage AFC Urgent Care Sacred Heart Academy
I
n these times, people need a source of entertainment.