________ Franklin square/elmont _______
HERALD Celebrating the Belmont Stakes
Marketplace for Father’s Day
Fun times at field day
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Vol. 26 No. 25
JUNE 13 - 19, 2024
$1.00
New assistant superintendent for Sewanhaka staff in all grades, and supported a one-on-one technology initiative for grades seven through Richard Faccio, the principal 12. He also implemented a of New Hyde Park Memorial schoolwide enrichment model High School, has been tapped to and a social-emotional learning become the Sewanhaka school model, with district leadership district’s assistant superinten- and staff. After learning about New dent of curriculum and instrucHyde Park High’s community tion, effective Aug. 1. and getting to know Faccio, who has the other high headed New Hyde school communiPark High for the ties, Faccio said he past 12 years, said was excited to he was elated to bring his experimove into a districence to his new job. twide role this sum“I see curricumer. lum as something “It’s been such a RIChARD FACCIo that is a living, great experience,” Principal, breathing item that he said. “Sewanha- New Hyde Park ka Central High Memorial High School we have to g row with as the years School District is grow,” he said. “To such a dif ferent experience from most other do that, you can’t just oversee curriculum without seeing curplaces, because we’re one of only three (central) high school riculum.” Kee ping education standistricts (in the state), and to dards at the district’s five high lear n about the culture of Sewanhaka has been amazing.” schools equal across the board Throughout his tenure as is something Faccio said he is principal, Faccio helped imple- proud to have had a role in at ment the district’s English as a New Hyde Park. Now, as assisNew Language co-teaching pro- tant superintendent, he wants gram, assisted in the district- to expand and refine programs wide introduction of inclusion throughout the district. “There’s always things that co-teaching, with special education and general education Continued on page 5
By NIColE WAGNER
nwagner@liherald.com
Joanna Bishop/Herald file
Members of the elmont Memorial High School Key Club celebrated Juneteenth at last year’s Juneteenth Festival.
Celebrating civic diversity at the Juneteenth Festival By ADDISoN STAR Intern
Elmont’s fourth annual Juneteenth Festival, set for June 15 at the corner of Elmont Road and Village Avenue looks to offer a unique opportunity to celebrate the community’s cultural diversity. Nikki Long, member of the Elmont Cultural Center and organizer of the event, said that the festival is important because it unifies the community and is an opportunity to educate young people about being Black. “Having a Juneteenth celebration, in anybody’s neighborhood, in anybody’s community, allows people to research — something that we don’t kind of do anymore,” Long said. She added that the festival, a free event that will run from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. allows neighbors to ask what the celebration means and investigate its importance to grow more
familiar with Black history. “You can use Juneteenth as another one of those platforms to kind of learn a little bit more,” Long said. “And maybe that will stop a lot of stigmatisms that are out there — especially stereotypes about African Americans and Black people. And we want our voices to be heard, and I think that’s what Juneteenth as a whole kind of means to me.” “To have something in Elmont that we can call our own and (use) to unify and celebrate and bring everyone together because at the end of the day, we don’t have a lot of events in Elmont that represent us and there are so different, diverse cultures, so many beautiful people in Elmont,” Long said. The festival will have something for everyone with a wide array of food, shopping, games, raffles, performances and more. Tamar Paoli-Bailey, Elmont Cultural CenContinued on page 9
I
t’s been such a great experience.