________ Franklin square/elmont _______
FACES/ PLACES
s scene Spotlight on the evolving local busines June 2022
New Faces/ Places Inside
W
$1.00
HERALD
Vol. 24 No. 25
Belmont win for Mo Donegal
School spreads autism awareness
Page 12
Page 11
JUNE 16 - 22, 2022
Celebrating Juneteenth Elmont event set to commemorate emancipation of African-Americans still enslaved in Texas two years after slaves across the U.S. were declared free in President AbraElmont plans to celebrate ham Lincoln’s Emancipation Juneteenth for the second year Proclamation. Their freedom in a row at the Juneteenth Festi- was later made permanent with val, hosted by the Elmont Cultur- the 13th Amendment to the Conal Center, this year on Saturday, stitution. June 18. “This was our first attempt to The event will at least have the contake place at the cenversation,” Pierreter, at 14 Village Ave., Johnson said, from 4 to 9 p.m., and explaining that the there will be a suroverarching goal of prise appearance at the Juneteenth Festi4:30, cultural center val is to spread President Mimi awareness of the Pierre-Johnson history of slavery, revealed. The festiand Juneteenth’s val, which is free of place in that history. charge and open to A second impetus all, will also feature for launching the live music and musi2021 festival, Pierrecal performances, MIMI PIERREJohnson said, was a dancing, arts and JohNSoN widespread desire to crafts for children as President, Elmont bring the communiwell as vendors and ty together in person Cultural Center food trucks. as coronavirus panPierre-Johnson demic-related said that she and members of restrictions were eased, after the cultural center were moved over a year of isolating inside. to create the festival last year “This is about bringing famibecause many members of the ly and community together, especommunity, and society at large, cially after Covid,” she said, addseem unaware of the history of ing that the festival is being coorJuneteenth, the federal holiday dinated largely by students at that celebrates the emancipation of African-Americans who were Continued on page 4
By RoBERt tRaVERSo rtraverso@liherald.com
Courtesy Julie Soffientini
StUDENtS Sat at desks used at Franklin Square schools up to 100 years ago and learned about the history of the former Monroe Street School, which was torn down in 1980.
Bringing local history to life
Elementary school students learn about Franklin Square’s past during museum visit By RoBERt tRaVERSo rtraverso@liherald.com
Fourth-g rade students from each of F ranklin Square’s three elementary schools traveled back in time on June 1 and 2, visiting the Franklin Square Museum and learning about the history of their community. “The goal was to make local history come alive,” said Julie Soffientini, a museum trustee and a former assistant superintendent for curricu-
lum of Franklin Square schools, adding that the program was designed by the museum and the school district to provide students with a hands-on, concrete perspective of local history. “We didn’t want to lecture on things that happened 100 years ago — we wanted local history to be really experienced as things that actually existed and could be touched,” Soffientini said. “It makes learning concrete … to appreciate the history of
Franklin Square and to also make it come alive.” Students who visited the museum expressed excitement about the opportunity to peer into Franklin Square’s past and learn about its history in person. “I really enjoyed learning about what life was like in Franklin Square 100 years ago,” said Kaiden Padilla, a fourth-grade student the Polk Street School elementary school. Continued on page 9
I
think we can find common ground celebrating Juneteenth.