_______ Malverne/West HeMpstead ______
HERALD Also serving Lakeview
Vol. 31 No. 22
Diversity honored through dancing
Conserving water by the barrel
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MAY 23 - 29, 2024
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Election 2024
The Herald goes global
W. Hempstead passes budget on its first try
Tim Sullivan, mayor of Malverne Village, took a trip to Italy with his wife Catherine and their 18-month-old daughter, Ella. While in Venice, the trio visited the iconic St. Mark’s Square and saw the St. Mark’s Basilica — but made sure to keep up to date on the latest happenings in their hometown.
No surprises in trustee races Tuesday as incumbents win against challengers By NIColE FoRMISANo nformisano@liherald.com
Courtesy Tim Sullivan
Student-led rain garden is turning showers into flowers By NIColE FoRMISANo nformisano@liherald.com
It’s one thing to recognize a problem in your community. It’s another thing entirely to do something about it. Maya Flam, Vera Hametz and Harpreet Kaur, juniors at West Hempstead High School, completed a project that improves water quality while making their school more beautiful: a rain garden. “It’s for our school, it’s for our environment,” Hametz said. “It’s helping more than just us.” An unused patch of lawn near the basketball courts will soon become a small sanctuary of
hyacinths, frost flowers and other native plants. It will boost the ecosystem for pollinators like butterflies and bees, and the plants’ roots will help absorb excess nitrogen that otherwise would run off into the local water supply. “It feels really good to contribute something,” Flam said. “A lot of clubs, you do stuff and it’s just for that year. But this is something that’s going to last more than this year.” The students’ project lies at the intersection of form and function: It reduces pollution, mitigates the heavy flooding on that lawn when it rains, and also creates something that students Continued on page 5
After two years of defeat, the West Hempstead school budget passed on the first try Tuesday evening, with 2,277 people — or just over 58 percent of the voters — in f avor, and 1,629 against. The $77.9 million budget is expected to increase the tax levy by more than 2 percent. Education board vice presKuRt ident Kur t Rockensies was RoCKenSieS re-elected, stopping a challenge from Aaron Zelig, 2,223-1,717. Also getting re-elected was Andrea Shinsat o, wh o w i l l now add to her andRea nine years on SHinSato the board after defeating Rachel Kushner 2,2231,726. The Malverne school budget also passed quite overwhelmingly, with 410 people — or just under 80 percent of the voters
— in favor of it, and 107 against. The $71.2 million budget is expected to increase the tax levy by 2 percent. Administrators say the budget provides students with the resources they need in a postCovid-19 world. That includes efforts like a social worker to support students in- need, and a literacy program specifically helping students from kinderg ar ten through the four th grade who were hit especially hard with lear ning loss during the days of remote learning. Proposition 2 also passed, Jeanne expected to d’eSpoSito upgrade school facilities like bathrooms, front doors, and the auditorium. Jeanne D’Esposito was reelected to her board seat, running unopposed. “It’s always very gratifying that we get so much school support,” D’Esposito said. “The families in our district really prioritize giving our children the best education we can.”