Freeport
CoMMuNItY uPDAtE Infections as of Dec. 7
2,512
Infections as of Nov. 30 2,283
HERALD Leader
NCPD hosts toy drive for kids
Village to hold annual parade
Rabbi recounts spirit of Hanukkah
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DECEMBER 10 - 16, 2020
Vol. 85 No. 50
Mayor seeks third term Kennedy kicks off re-election campaign at Village Hall for another four years,” Kennedy said. “It’s an honor to be running Joined by local officials and again with this slate of candisupporters outside dates,” Caccitore Vi l l a g e H a l l o n added. Tuesday, Freeport Kennedy, a U.S. Mayor Robert KenN av y ve t e r a n , n e dy a n n o u n c e d joined the village that he planned to board as a trustee in run for a third term. 2009, and was soon Along with Kenappointed deputy nedy, Deputy Mayor mayor. In 2013 he Ronald Ellerbe and ran successfully for Village Judge V. Roy mayor, promising Caccitore are seeknot to raise property i n g r e - e l e c t i o n , V. RoY taxes. while Evette SanAlthough a 5 perCACCItoRE che z, the village cent increase in court clerk, is run- Village judge property taxes was n i n g fo r v i l l a g e included in the viltrustee. All four are lage’s 2020 budget — running on the Unity/Home because of cost increases associRule line. ated with the state’s new discov“Freeport is a successful, ery law — Kennedy and village diverse waterfront community, officials worked with state repand I want to secure its success Continued on page 4
By RoNNY REYES rreyes@liherald.com
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Courtesy Freeport Public Schools
FREEPoRt StuDENtS IMPRESSED NASA astronaut Scott Tingle, second from left in second row from bottom, with their CubeSat project during a virtual visit with him on Nov. 23.
To infinity and beyond!
FHS named finalist in nanosatellite contest By RoNNY REYES rreyes@liherald.com
The U.S. Department of Education selected the Freeport School District as one of five finalists in the nation in the CTE Mission: CubeSat Challeng e, which asked school districts to design a cube-shaped nanosatellite that could send data collected from space back to Earth. The ambitious project allows local students and teachers to create their own miniature satellites with the help of experts who serve as mentors during the building
phase. Districts also receive $5,000 in funding and prizes. “The selection of Freeport Public Schools as one of five finalists in the nation is an extraordinary opportunity for our students and a testament to the science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs we offer,” Superintendent Dr. Kishore Kuncham said. “I am very proud of our outstanding students and faculty, who are involved in this unique STEM program. Their talents are unlimited.” Freeport’s CubeSat — which will measure 10 centi-
meters, or about 4 inches, on each side — began development last year under the guidance of Dr. Vincent Pereira, director of science; Dr. Anthony Murray, director of math and technology; and Dr. Richard Johnson, lead teacher in business and technology. The project started last summer, when the school district was awarded a NASA/ New York Space grant. Freeport is the third public school district in the state, and the only one on Long Island, to receive the grant. Continued on page 5
t’s an honor to be running again with this slate of candidates.
Our COvid-19 traCker With the Covid-19 test positivity rate rising across the country, the Herald is adding a weekly coronavirus tracker to the upper-left corner of our front page to help you gauge what’s happening in your area from week to week. the number is an aggregate of the communities that this newspaper covers. data is obtained from the nassau County Covid-19 dashboard, which provides the total number of cases reported in an area since the start of the pandemic, and is updated regularly.