__________________ Merrick _________________
HERALD $1.00 $1.00
Central District lends a hand
Essay winners at Calhoun H.S.
Merrick’s City MD reopens
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Vol. 25 No. 5
JANUARY 27 - FEBRUARY 2, 2022
JFK seniors sweep science competition By JoRDAN VAlloNE jvallone@liherald.com
Courtesy Barbi Frank
DESIREE RIgAUD AND Christopher Luisi, seniors at John F. Kennedy High School, are two of 40 Regeneron finalists, celebrating on the day they submitted their projects.
At John F. Kennedy High School, six seniors — Michelle Brown, Brandon Lin, Christopher Luisi, Christopher Prainito, Desiree Rigaud and Shannon Su — were named semifinalists in the 2022 Society for Science & Public Science Talent Search competition, sponsored by the pharmaceutical company Regeneron. Two of the six, Luisi and Rigaud, were
named finalists in the competition on Jan. 20. A l l e n ro l l e d i n B a r b i Frank’s Advanced Science Research class at Kennedy, they devoted hundreds of hours of work to their projects, starting as sophomores. A total of 12 seniors submitted project to Regeneron this school year, completing applications that are typically over 70 pages long. “Their submissions are all incredible,” Frank said of her Continued on page 12
North Merrick resident helps charity event By MARIA CESTERo mcestero@liherald.com
Grand Avenue Middle School eighth-grader Luke Fischetti was recognized by the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School Board of Education on Jan. 12 for his volunteerism during the Bellmore Lions Club Polar Express event in December. The annual Polar Express is a free event for children run by the Bellmore Lions Club in partnership with the high school district. In the past, the Lions have hosted close to 750 children. Leading up to the event, the school community collects toys and gift
cards, and the culinary arts program at John F. Kennedy High School bakes and decorates food. Santa and Mrs. Claus and other holiday characters typically make appearances. Spending $200 of his own money, Luke, 13 of North Merrick, gave baseball card gift packages to the children who attended the event. His donations were matched by D’Angelo Sports, a sportinggoods collectible store in Wantagh. Luke runs his own sports card business on Instagram, under the username @ripping_cards30. Also active on TikTok, with more than 13,000 followers, the young
I
feel like it’s my duty to give back people. lUkE FISCHETTI
Grand Avene Middle Schooler entrepreneur has attracted a large following on many social media platforms. Luke explained that he became interested in sports cards after watching his grandfather collect packs of them at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
Inspired by videos of people doing good deeds, Luke combined his passion for sports cards and charity to give back to his community. When Luke was 8, he raised $3,000 for cancer and shaved his head for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. “I know people aren’t as lucky as, me and that they can’t do the same things as me,” he said, “so I feel like it’s my duty to give back to people. I want to be a good person in the world.” “He’s always been a charitable kid,” said Luke’s father, Jason Fischetti. “It just comes out of him.” Jason believes his son’s sense of charity and empa-
thy came from spending time in a hospital each month for blood work until he was 5, while being treated for human respiratory syncytial virus and croup. The disorders cause swelling in the airways and make breathing difficult. According to Jason, seeing other pediatric patients at the hospital receiving chemotherapy and other treatments for ailments affected Luke, prompting him to want to help them. Jason added that Luke had also recently helped a young boy who lives in Kansas whom he met online. Continued on page 13