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VOL. 88 NO. 8
FEBRUARY 16 - 22, 2023
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Engineers in the making Eight Freeport teams of all ages take part in robotics competition By MOHAMED FARGHALY mfarghaly@liherald.com
Courtesy Freeport Public Schools
FREEPORT HIGH SCHOOL senior Ryan Retzlaff makes a last-minute adjustment to his team’s robot before the first competition of the day.
The annual VEX Robotics Competition drew a diverse pool of innovative domestic and international participants to Freeport. The event brings together participants from various backgrounds and locations to showcase their talent and compete. The competition, a staple in the technology community for many years, showcases the brightest student minds in the field of robotics. The competition was held
Feb. 4 at Freeport High School hosted by the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation. The Freeport Public Schools were represented by eight teams, with five from Freeport High School, two from J.W. Dodd Middle School, and one from Caroline G. Atkinson Inter mediate School. The teams participated in field challenges where robots faced off against each other to score points and complete skills challenges where the robots had to demonstrate their maneuverCONTINUED ON PAGE 4
Bobby Ford combines careers in policing and soul food By MOHAMED FARGHALY mfarghaly@liherald.com
Freeport resident Bobby Ford combines his two passions of serving the community as a respected police officer and serving up delicious soul food at his restaurants in town. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Ford’s love for cooking was inspired by his talented mother, who instilled a passion in him for soul food at a young age. He would often help her in the kitchen, and as he grew older, he began experimenting with his own recipes and perfecting his cooking skills. Ford never let his passion for
cooking interfere with his dream-turned duty to serve and protect the community as a police officer. Growing up in Brooklyn, he saw firsthand the challenges faced by many innercity communities and felt a calling to make a difference. He was a New York City police officer for over 11 years, working his way up to detective covering all five boroughs. Despite the challenges he faced in his work, Ford never saw it as difficult and always felt a sense of purpose in helping others. “I don’t believe that I looked at the job as hard,” Ford said. “The magnitude of what you’ve been exposed to wasn’t really
apparent at that time and you’re just learning a lot of things about yourself, about how it is that you can fit in society, and how it is that you can contribute to make things better.” Ford decided to move to Long Island to be closer to his family and became a valuable asset to the Freeport Police Department. Since then, he has served the community for nearly 20 years and is a well-known figure in the area, even involving himself in community endeavors with the Freeport-Merrick Rotary Club and serving as executive director of the local Police Athletic League. Ford believes that while the
volume of criminal activity may be less in Freeport than in the city, crime is always going to be present. “It’s the volume of the activity that is the main difference,” Ford said. “Crime is everywhere. It’s always going to be everywhere, but the volume in which it occurs, changes.” While Ford’s work as a police
officer in the community is his top priority, he never lost his passion for cooking, which gives him a connection to his mother and family. In 2017, he turned his passion for cooking into a business opening his own barbecue restaurant in Freeport called Bobby Q’s at 447 N. Main St. CONTINUED ON PAGE 9