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Bellmore Herald 05-23-2024

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_________________ bellmore ________________

HERALD Vol. 27 No. 22

Synagogues mark Israeli holidays

Rain barrels now up and running

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Page 4 $1.00 $1.00

MAY 23 - 29, 2024

Election 2024

Cmar-Grote, Lanci will stay Will continue to represent students in North Bellmore, while budgets pass for all elementary, high school districts By JoRDAN VAlloNE jvallone@liherald.com

Courtesy Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District

Jayda Levine, third from left, a student at John F. Kennedy High School, received a Best Project award at the Long Island Youth Summit.

At Long Island Youth Summit, two Bellmore-Merrick students honored By JoSEPH D’AlESSANDRo jdalessandro@liherald.com

Jayda Levine and Haniyyah Myricks, two students from John F. Kennedy High School, have received the Best Project award at the Long Island Youth Summit, an annual contest that tests students intellectually and develops their leadership skills. The two students entered the contest, submitting projects through essays that analyze issues young people face today and longterm problems they will encounter in the future, including substance abuse, mental health, housing, and the ethics and social impact of new science and technology. They received certificates at a summit which place at St. Joseph’s University in Patchogue on April 12.

Seventeen other students from Kennedy, in the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District, ended up as finalists in the competition. “What this program and this competition does, it really enables students to think critically and it prompts them to come up with some solutions,” Gail Lamberta, St. Joseph’s associate dean for community development, said. “We try to hone in on what general social issues are there, and also kind of connected with the target population, which would be high school students.” The competition teaches students how to think critically, research solutions and present them to their peers, Lamberta said. Levine and Myricks were able to speak with peers, educators and experts about ContInued on Page 7

Taxpayers in the BellmoreMerrick Central High School District voted to approve a nearly $197.5 million budget for the 2024-25 academic year. This budget affects John F. Kennedy, Sanford H. Calhoun and Wellington C. Mepham high schools, and Grand Avenue and Merrick Avenue middle schools. T he spending plan was approved by 3,748 votes. District administrators said the goal of the budget is to maintain current programs and services, address and increasing need for student support services, maintain and upgrade infrastructure, while continuing to provide safety and security for students and staff. “It’s important to do what we always do when we make our budget,” Mikaela Coni, the district’s assistant superintendent for business said, “and that’s make sure the decisions we make now are sustainable

for the future.” In the elementary districts, Bellmore voters approved a $40 million budget, and North Bellmore voters approved a spending plan worth $68 million for their schools. Seats on the Bellmore education board were uncontested. Incumbents Leslie Cerverizzo and Marion Blane were reelected with 411 and 425 votes, respectively. And in Nor th Bellmore, incumbents Nina Lanci and Melissa Cmar-Grote were reelected for another term, earning 1,077 and 977 votes, respectively. Lanci and Cmar-Grote beat challengers Elizabeth Rolston and Alex Kushnir. “I embrace the diverse community that is North Bellmore and I look forward to making sure our mission and our core values continue to remain at the heart of all decisions,” Lanci said. “I vow to continue serving the community with the best interest of all constituents in mind,” Cmar-Grote said.


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