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Holiday Wrapping Paper Contest drawn by our young readers
Exercises for Alzheimer’s
Battalion donates to burn center
Student dances with the stars
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VOL. 28 NO. 50
DECEMBER 9 - 15, 2021
STEM alumni visit WHHS Students receive valuable college tips from those in the field dence and easing their nerves about college. “It lets them know that there’s a lot of support in On Nov. 24, West Hempstead college,” Cangemi said. “There High School hosted its eighth tends to be a misconception that annual STEM Major Alumni day, college is hard and difficult — on which students had the time-consuming.” chance to discuss their career To help dispel the misconcepplans with alumni who are tions, alumni told studying or working students that, in colin science, technolole ge, they would gy, engineering or likely create their mathematics. own schedules with The alumni, the professors of whose WHHS gradutheir choosing, and ation classes ranged would be able to from 2013 to last reach out to professpring, sat at the sors, teaching assisfront of the high tants and fellow school’s videoconferstudy group memence room and SOPHIA PARISE bers for academic shared their experihelp. The particiences. There were 2016 WHHS grad pants learn about two panels: one for the flexibility of coljuniors, with topics le ge, Cangemi like college application prep and explained, which “really helps the benefits of Advanced Place- relieve pressure and the worment classes, and another for ries.” Students “really do appreseniors, in which college and ciate what they hear from the major selection were among the alumni,” he added. topics. In both panels, students Senior Asha Brown asked a had plenty of questions for the number of questions during the alumni. senior panel. “It’s really great to The event has been helpful for get that firsthand knowledge students over the years, Joe that you don’t necessarily have Cangemi, the district’s director access to,” she said. “We don’t of STEM and business education, said, boosting their confiCONTINUED ON PAGE 16
By LISA MARGARIA lmargaria@liherald.com
W
Courtesy Meghan Saphire
BRIAN SAPHIRE WELCOMED his daughter, Bailey Grace, eight months ago, before his diagnosis.
Malverne firefighter battling rare form of brain cancer By ANNEMARIE DURKIN adurkin@liherald.com
One firefighter’s life was forever changed on Nov. 24 when doctors removed a brain tumor, later diagnosing him with Stage 4 glioblastoma, an aggressive cancer affecting the brain or spine. Doctors discovered a rare brain tumor in the pineal region of Brian Saphire’s brain during an emergency room visit for a severe migraine in October. He was
sent into emergency, life-saving surgery to drain spinal fluid that had built up in his brain. A month later, he had surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible. “This news has been absolutely devastating on our family,” Meghan Saphire, Brian’s sister, said. “Brian still remains in good spirits as he begins his chemotherapy journey and is committed to fighting his hardest for his wife and daughter.” The pineal gland is in the
center of the brain, and tumors in this region are extremely rare, detected in only 80 or so adults each year. Saphire will undergo chemotherapy treatments over the next six months to shrink whatever is left of the tumor after his surgery. While the location of the tumor is extremely uncommon, glioblastoma itself is the most common and most aggressive kind of brain CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
e can give real, honest opinions about our schools.