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HERALD April 4, 2024
Students play for legislature
Vol. 24 No. 15
1252284
Page 9 $1.00 $1.00
APRIl 4 - 10, 2024
Clarke students give back to babies in need High School, told the Herald that in their life skills classrooms — which teach students Over the last few months, with special needs between the s t u d e n t s i n E a s t M e a d ow ages of 14 and 21 — students schools have formed a commu- take part in a lot of vocational nity service partnership with programming. Sobieski has worked with Love Nana, an organization Backyard Players & based in Rockville Friends, the organiCentre, that creates zation that oversees bundles of baby Love Nana’s efforts items that are over the last few donated to young ye a r s. B a ck ya rd mothers and famiPlayers & Friends lies in need is an inclusive artsthroughout the based program that local community. gives its particiTwo classes of pants a space to special education share ideas and students at W.T. experience joy and Clarke High School creativity. It is also have led efforts to KERRIE D’ANgEloNE based in Rockville collect dozens of Centre. n e w a n d g e n t l y Secondary special The organizaused baby clothes education teacher, tions are located on and accessories. W.T. Clarke North Long Beach While the collec- High School Ro a d . B a c k y a r d t i o n h a s m o s t ly Players & Friends been concentrated to the high school and W.T. also operates Front Porch MarClarke Middle School, it has ket, which is a storefront operreceived district wide attention ated by people with disabilities. from community members It serves as a space to celebrate looking to make a difference in neurodiverse entrepreneurs. Through Sobieski’s relationthe lives of others. Jen Sobieski and Ker rie ship with Backyard Players & D’Angelone, secondary special Friends, Clarke’s students education teachers in Clarke Continued on page 7
By JoRDAN VAlloNE
jvallone@liherald.com
Tim Baker/Herald
An ‘egg-cellent’ Easter celebration Easter celebrations began a day early in East Meadow last weekend, with an egg hunt at Veterans Memorial Park, thanks to the East Meadow Chamber of Commerce. Benjamin Tian, 7, and Zhi Liang X, from East Meadow, had a blast meeting the Easter Bunny. Story, more photos, Page 3.
East Meadow students, staff take part in wellness summit By JoRDAN VAlloNE jvallone@liherald.com
Over the last four years, students in Nassau and Suffolk County have had the opportunity to attend the Long Island Youth Wellness Summit, sponsored by the New Jersey-based Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide. The conference brings together hundreds of students and staff from Long Island high schools, and through specialized training and programs, they learn about the skills today’s youth needs to build a life of resiliency. And this year, both East Meadow High School and W.T. Clarke High School took part in the conference, so students and staff could learn what it takes to
be the best versions of themselves. The wellness summit was the brainchild of Stacy Brief, 26, who is a 2016 graduate of Mepham High School in Bellmore, a licensed social worker and director of the society’s Long Island chapter. Brief told the Herald that she went through a difficult period in high school, struggling with anxiety and depression. Through a colleague of her father’s, Brief and her family were connected to the teen suicide prevention group, and began volunteering and working with the organization. After seeing the success of wellness summits in New Jersey, she decided to bring one to Nassau County. She then discussed the idea with Continued on page 2
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long with vocational skills, they know these are going to babies in need.