_________________ FREEPORT _________________
your HEALTH body / mind / fitness
and April 25, 2024
HERALD Also serving Roosevelt
with a focus on:
Senior Healthy Living
Vol. 89 No. 18
Friends clean up preserve
Freeport kids have pizza party
Page 3
Page 9
APRIl 25 - MAY 1, 2024
$1.00
Movement to start charter school grows along with Patrick Fogarty, of Rockville Center, a teacher for nearly two decades who recentEfforts have begun in Free- ly completed his doctorate at port to establish a new charter John Hopkins University’s School of Education, and who school. A charter school is a learn- is now focused on recruiting ing institution that, like a pub- other board members. They intend to lic school, receives apply to the State funding from the University of New gover nment, but York, which has an operates indepenapproval process in dently of the state place for charter school system. schools, as early as Leading the June. If and when charge for the new M ave n i s e s t ab school is Craig lished, Mercado, Mercado, of Brookwho has a master’s lyn, the for mer from Fordham Uniprincipal of St. versity in educaEphrem Catholic tional administraAcademy in Brooktion and supervilyn. Before his sixsion, plans to serve year tenure there, as its principal. Mercado was an CRAIg MeRCADo Asked why he elementary school former principal, identified Freeport instructor and a St. Ephrem as a potential locahigh school English Catholic Academy tion for a charter teacher at public school, Mercado and private schools said, “Patrick and I went in Brooklyn. Now he is focused on estab- through a lot of areas to see lishing the Maven Charter where other charter schools Academy in Freeport. Mercado were … and we based a lot of it is one of four board members on public test scores, to see of Maven — a word which what communities are undermeans “someone who is knowl- served and what communities edgeable in something” — Continued on page 5
By MoHAMMAD RAFIQ
mrafiq@liherald.com
I
Courtesy Emily Margulis
Volunteering at the april 20 event, from left, were Rotary Club members emily Margulis, Comfort itoka, ivelaw Lloyd griffith and Fran griffith, and vice-president Jordan pecora.
Freeport HS seniors prep for prom Rotary and Nassau police help students get dresses By MoHAMMAD RAFIQ mrafiq@liherald.com
Freeport High School seniors will be “dressed to the nines” come prom time. The Nassau County Police Department, with the help of the Freeport-Merrick Rotary Club, held its annual prom boutique for the students on April 20 at the NCPD Center for Training and Intelligence, at 1 Law Enforcement Way in Garden City. Both male and female students were assisted in picking out the clothes they will wear to their prom. The non-profit Long Island Volunteer Center launched the prom boutique 31 years ago to provide young girls in need with dresses
so that they could attend their proms. This year, the police department organized the event — with the help of the Rotary Club and other volunteers — after first becoming involved with the cause six years ago. “The prom boutique was established as a way to provide young ladies in need with prom gowns and accessories like shoes, handbags, scarves, jewelry,” said Emily Margulis, a Rotary Club member who’s responsible for the organization’s involvement in the prom boutique. “They get recommendations (for which students might benefit from the boutique) from the different high schools, the guidance Continued on page 10
t’s very hard to get too bloated. When you’re an entire district, that bloat can happen very easily.