__________________ Merrick _________________
CommUNItY UPDAtE Infections as of July 8
8,299
Infections as of July 1 8,281
$1.00 $1.00
HERALD
Parents turn out for board meeting
A hike to heal the community
Celebrating peace and friends
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Vol. 24 No. 29
JUlY 15 - 21, 2021
OBITUARIES
Beloved teacher, coach Joe Corea dies at age 77 lings, was respected “by everyone,” began teaching math at Calhoun in 1966 after leaving an “He was the single most influ- actuarial job in New York City. A ential teacher I’ve ever worked graduate of the University of with,” said David Seinfeld, for- South Dakota, he played football mer principal at Sanford H. Cal- and baseball while studying houn High School. “There are math. few people like Joe Corea.” “Joe was a teacher before he Corea, a math teacher at Cal- was a coach,” Seinfeld said. “He houn for 38 years never let anything a n d a re n ow n e d slip through the baseball coach who cracks. If someone led the team to 676 needed extra help, he victories in a 42-year gave it to them. He run, died May 31 of a was always fair — heart attack at home. always able to make Corea was the father good, caring deciof two daughters sions.” and a Massapequa “He was someone Park resident for 46 who demanded exyears. He was 77. cellence in the kind“He was the genest way,” Hollings Joe Corea tleman of all gentleadded. “He had a men,” said Calhoun quiet way of showPrincipal Nicole Hollings, quot- ing and teaching athletes and ing her colleague Susan Elling- students how to get better.” haus, principal of the MeadowIn addition to baseball, Corea brook Alternative Program in also coached girls’ basketball for the Bellmore-Merrick Central two decades and football until High School District. “He was a 2005. His longtime friend and coltremendous human being, and league Richard Schiller, who is he will be greatly missed.” also a former Calhoun math Corea, who, according to HolContinued on page 15
By JoRDAN VAlloNE jvallone@liherald.com
Andrew Garcia/Herald
All dressed up for the new trucks Members of the Merrick Fire Department gathered on Saturday to dedicate their new Seagrave trucks. Story, more photos, Page 3.
Local teen is international science competition finalist By ANDREW GARCIA agarcia@liherald.com
Tyler Bissoondial, a rising junior at John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore, is a finalist in an international science competition that challenges students to find practical solutions to some of the world’s most vexing environmental problems. It is the 2021 Spellman Clean Tech Competition, hosted by the Center for Science, Teaching and
Learning, based in Rockville Centre. This year’s challenge was “Preserving Planet Earth.” Hundreds of competitors were winnowed down to 60 semifinalists, 20 of whom entered the final stage of the competition. Finalists will compete for a share of a $60,000 prize. While many of the competitors are members of teams from around the world, some go solo — about a quarter, estimated Dr. Ray Ann Havasy, CSTL executive
director — including Bissoondial, 15, who completed his project on his own. In total, it spanned more than three years of handson research. In his backyard, Bissoondial planted dozens of radishes to find ones that could grow in h i g h - s a l t c o n d i t i o n s. T h e research mimicked what may happen to the environment both near and far — by 2050, it is estiContinued on page 10