Issuu

Caution on first day of school

Children from LVSD mark 9/11

Taking a tour of Mill Neck Creek

Page 8

Page 5

Page 15

VOL. 122 NO. 38

SEPTEMBER 18 - 24, 2020

$1.00

Sloop Christeen is honored with historic marker have played not only an important role in history, but also an important role in the developThe Christeen, an oyster ment of trade and commerce sloop — a single-masted sailboat throughout the state of New with a fore-and-aft mainsail and York and throughout this new a jib — was built in land.” Glenwood Landing For centuries, in 1883 to harvest Saladino said, Oysoysters in Oyster ter Bay served as a Bay and Cold Spring primary source of Harbor, and has had oysters and clams. quite a journey. “In fact, one such Having a New example of history York state historical of oyster farming marker dedicated to here in the town is the vessel is just the docked right here latest highlight behind us and the chapter of its long reason we are here life. The sloop has today,” he said. “Her been a National Hisname is Christeen, t o r i c L a n d m a rk and she’s a beauty.” since 1992. The vessel is the State Sen. Jim oldest oyster sloop Gaughra also recent- JOSEPH in the U.S., but makly honored the ing it to 2020 was Christeen with a SALADINO certainly not an easy proclamation in the Supervisor of voyage. National Historic Oyster Bay Over the decades Registry. it has survived no “Since the Town feweer than 16 major of Oyster Bay was founded in h u r r i c a n e s , n u m e r o u s 1653,” Town Supervisor Joseph nor’easters, two sinkings and Saladino said at a news confer- years of neglect. It was fully ence on Wednesday, when the restored and relaunched in 1999, new historical marker was and now serves as a floating unveiled, “Oyster Bay hamlet and the harbor surrounding it CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

By JENNIFER CORR jcorr@liherald.com

Laura Lane/Herald Guardian

AT OYSTER BAY’S Sept. 11 commemoration last Friday, there was a display of photographs of residents from the hamlet who died.

Oyster Bay marks 19th year of honoring Sept. 11 victims By LAURA LANE llane@liherald.com

Marta Waisman’s daughter, Gabriela, had volunteered to work in an office at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. Marta could not remember much about the type of work her daughter was doing or what floor she was on that day. The details,

she said, don’t really matter anymore. The pain from the loss of her 33-year-old daughter is what consumes her, as it has for the past 19 years. “For me it is like yesterday,” Marta said, her eyes filling with tears. “The sadness gets worse and worse every year. Gabriela was a very sweet girl.” Usually Marta, who lives

in Oyster Bay, attends the remembrance ceremony in Lower Manhattan, but the coronavirus pandemic led to its cancellation this year. It helped her to come to her hometown’s ceremony, she said. And it made her feel good to see that people still remember the victims of 9/11. Former State Sen. Carl CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

he hull [was] rotting, the sails were torn, it was in disrepair. People looked at it and it didn’t spark joy or pride.

HS & COLLEGE SPORTS AMID COVID-19 FREE LIVE WEBINAR

WEDNESDAY • SEPTEMBER 23 at 7PM Nassau and Suffolk counties have both opted to postpone high school sports until January of 2021, and many colleges have moved their fall sports to the spring as well. With sports on pause, studentathletes and parents are left not only disappointed, but with many lingering questions. How will student-athletes demonstrate their performance to college scouts without games until January at the earliest? Will sports scholarships be in jeopardy? What options do high school and college student-athletes have for maintaining their skill and physical activity? Tune in to hear local sports leaders discuss the decision during a 45-minute live conversation.

Skye Ostreicher, MPH, MA Moderator & Host Herald Community Newspapers

Chuck Priore Football Head Coach Stony Brook University

Danielle Santos Atkinson

Women’s Basketball Head Coach Hofstra University

Michael Rubino

Football Head Coach and Athletic Director Valley Stream Central High School

David Viegas

Director of Health Physical Education and Athletics Hewlett-Woodmere Union Free School District

RESERVE YOUR SPOT TODAY

visit www.liherald.com/insideli PRODUCED BY

RICHNER

To sponsor a webinar or for more information contact Amy Amato at aamato@richnerlive.com or 516.569.4000 x 224

1102414

September 18, 2020 — Oyster Bay Herald Guardian

Kyla shares her motto, ‘Live life sunny side up’ weekly

Oyster Bay Herald Guardian — September 18, 2020

By LAURA LANE llane@liherald.com

Kyla Carter always loved singing and dancing but did not know she could become an actress. Then at age four she watched her first Shirley Temple movie. That’s when Kyla said she realized she could be an actress too. “She was singing all the time before she was five and asked for singing lessons for her birthday,” Alex, her father said. He and his wife were both educators with no experience in the entertainment field. “Everyone kept telling us to bring her to Manhattan so we finally did for a showcase opportunity where there were agents and managers. We really did that, hoping everyone would leave us alone.” Kyla sang a song and did a short monologue, which Alex said, he figured would be the end of her desire to become an actress. The next day, he and his wife Ranel’s cell phones would not stop ringing. “Agents and managers called us and we had no idea who they were,” he said. “When there was a school vacation we took Kyla to the city to see the different managers and agents, who usually don’t work when school is closed but said they would come in to meet with us. We were such newbies to the whole thing.” Signed with Abrams, one of the top theatrical agencies in the business, Kyla at age five went on her first audition for a program airing on ABC. She landed a part on the show, “What would you do?” Now 14, Kyla, a professional voice-over artist, has been acting, singing and dancing ever since. Although she is a freshman at Sayville High School, Kyla visits the hamlet of Oyster Bay often. Alex has worked for East Woods School for 22 years, starting his career there as an English teacher. He is currently the assistant head of school and the head of upper and lower school. Kyla’s brother, Camden, attends the school. The family has a second home in Oyster Bay, which has provided many opportunities for Kyla to visit. “I like everything about Oyster Bay,” Kyla said. “It’s a cute little town and people are so friendly. I hope to spend my summer there when Covid is over.” A professional voice-over artist and actress, she has also been cast as Hattie the Witch in the animated Nickelodeon series, "WALLYKAZAM!" and Young Nora in the HBO series, "The Leftovers." Kyla began her professional stage career when she was eight years old, when cast in the Broadway National Tour of "The Sound of Music," directed by three time Tony winner, Jack O'Brien. Currently, she works for DreamWorks animation in the Netflix series, "Trolls: The Beat Goes On," portraying CJ Suki. Kyla has Instagram and Facebook accounts, which she uses to communicate with her many fans. Mark White, a former police officer, who operates a radio show out of Alabama reached out to Kyla on Instagram in May. He had been airing The Mark White Show, a 30 minute inspirational radio show, since November 2017. White said he was worried about how the coronavirus pandemic was affecting people’s spirits so decided to focus more

Courtesy Carter family

KYLA CARTER WORKS in her home studio on her weekly podcast, Kyla’s Korner. THE CARTER FAMILY, Ranel, left, Kyla, Camden and Alex, enjoy going on family vacations.

on discussing health issues, organizations that could help and musicians that shared a positive message. His show was geared more for older people, he admitted. But after following Kyla on Instagram he thought he may have found a way to reach a younger audience too. White interviewed Kyla in May and was impressed. “I thought, why not add a segment for Kyla and I could incorporate it every week into my show,” White said. “I figured let the kids share their message. Kyla shares a three to five minute message every Saturday that she sends in to me from her home on Long Island.” The segment, which is called Kyla’s Korner, has become a hit, White said. Children have reached out to Kyla on Instagram and say they love the show. “My fans are listening, which is great,” Kyla said. “Sometimes I get constructive criticism or someone reaches

out that wants to talk. I like to do that. I have friends in London and France, all over the place.” All 17 of her segments are on Facebook and Instagram at Kylas Korner, where she is able to share her messages that are always positive. “I’ve always had a positive outlook on things,” she said. “Why be dreary and sad when you have so much to look forward to?” She had not done a podcast before working with White, and said she was nervous, initially. “You have to have a conversation with someone who doesn’t respond,” she said. “It was different but I really ended up enjoying it.” Kyla writes out a script of what she wants to talk about for her segment bulleting the major points. Then she imagines a person who is discouraged, depending on her episode, or a person

that just wants to learn something, she said. She records her segment in her home studio, which was built during the coronavirus. “Kyla has always been kind,” Ranel said. “There is no acting when it comes to her sincerity. She is genuine and wants to help. And she is a very hard worker and feels she is making a difference.” Her daughter, Ranel added, loves acting, but not for fame. Kyla is humble and was drawn to being a part of the Mark White Show because he wants to make a difference and help people as she does. “There are a lot of kids out there that need someone to talk to,” Ranel said. “Kyla learned at a very young age that the reason why people make fun of others is a lack of their own confidence. When people reach out to her and say, ‘I want to be like you,’ Kyla says, ‘No. You want to be yourself.’”

Schools close for a day in Oyster Bay due to coronavirus

September 18, 2020 — Oyster Bay Herald Guardian

By LAURA LANE

“Thanks to the meticulous planning and execution of our health and safety protocols by our administrators and staff throughout the spring and summer, and our close partnership with local health officials, we were able to manage this situation efficiently and pivot to remote learning for seamless instruction for our students,” Seinfeld said in a statement. “This pandemic continues to be a delicate situation and we are closely monitoring, evaluating and adjusting our safety procedures, according to New York state and Department of Health guidance, to keep our learning community safe.” Seinfeld said the schools were closed as a precaution to assist the DOH with its investigation and the needed contact tracing of the students that came in contact with the children who have Covid-19 in and out of school. In no way should the schools be construed as unsafe, Seinfeld added. The district has changed a couple of policies since the one day closure. Herron said previously she had to fill in a health questionnaire online and was to complete an indepth survey every few weeks. Now she answers the indepth survey every day, which she said she does not mind doing. Additionally, “neck gaiters,” a tube of fabric worn around the neck that can be pulled up to cover the mouth and nose, is prohibited at school. The district is continuing to take student’s temperatures every day upon arrival and those in the 9th to 12th grade carry desk shields with them to each class. Then at the end of the school day the shields are left with custodians to clean. Laura Escobar is a parent of an OBHS junior. Her daughter does not attend school in person, working online instead. “My daughter is not going to school in person so I’m not worried about her,” Escobar said, “But I am worried about my community.”

llane@liherald.com

Parents had been alerted by Superintendent Dr. Laura Seinfeld on Sept. 7, the day before the first day of school, that two people had been diagnosed with the coronavirus. One was an Oyster Bay High School student who had not been in any of the district’s buildings. The other was an employee, who had worked in Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School the week prior. The student was selfquarantining. When the district contacted the New York State Department of Health regarding the employee, it was advised that exposure was limited to anyone within six feet of the staff member without a mask. This was not the case, so the school was disinfected and children were able to attend the first day of school. The scenario was different on Sept. 14. The district called and emailed parents that three students, one from each of its school had tested positive for Covid-19. The district’s schools were closed the following day. “It was earlier than expected,” said Jana Ostroff, the supervisor of science and technology and technology for instruction. “We had hoped we would have a little longer, especially for our younger learners.” But Ostroff said teachers were able to immediately provide remote instruction to students and help those that may have had any problems accessing the system. “The teachers have been incredible,” she said. “The support they give students and each other has been tremendous. Every day I am so grateful for our teaching staff.” Kristin Herron’s daughter, Jane Gurney, is in the eighth grade. She said she was grateful for the multiple forms of communication alerting parents of the need to close the schools. “My cell went off, my husband’s went off next, then our landline,” she said. “I wasn’t surprised in that we all expected that someone would become ill.

Laura Lane/Herald Guardian

THE FIRST DAY went well but the district’s schools had to soon close for a day due to Covid. All I can hope for is that the children and their families get through it quickly without long lasting effects.” The students that tested positive were last in school on Friday, September 11. The district, taking their guidance from the DOH assisted in contact tracing providing a list of those who may have been in close contact with the children. The DOH said the requirement of exposure is “someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 10 minutes starting from 48 hours before illness onset until the time the person was isolated.” The school was once again deep cleaned and sanitized.

Table Showing High Tides Courtesy of

frank M. flower InC. Growers of Pine Island oysters Since 1887 Boat Dock in oyster Bay

Timetable

friday 9/18

12:09

8.7 high

6:30 -0.8 low

12:33

Saturday 9/19

12:59

8.6 high

7:17 -0.9 low

Sunday 9/20