_________ Oceanside/island park ________
HERALD VoL. 58 No. 52
Gathering gifts for the holidays
A winter-ful night in Island Park
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DECEMBER 21 - 27, 2023
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O’Side High is honored for AP programs By KEPHERD DANIEL kdaniel@liherald.com
Tim Baker/Herald
Rockville Centre children Tommy Orsillo 7, Nolan Conlisk 4, Nick Orsillo 9, Sammy Orsillo, 7, and Melanie Conlisk 7 enjoyed the spectacular light display.
‘Swifties’ drawn to Oceanside home Pop star-themed holiday show of music and lights raises thousands for leukemia By KEPHERD DANIEL kdaniel@liherald.com
Professional magician and illusionist Eric Wilzig has made dozens of “Swifties” and others suddenly appear in front of his Oceanside home this holiday season by creating a unique music and light show — all to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Wilzig’s free show, at 160 E. Lexington Ave., features more than 20,000 lights synchronized to the music of pop sensation Taylor Swift, as well as holiday song favorites. The show includes several moving light beams, live music, to which visitors can dance, and free hot chocolate.
Clips of the “Taylor Swift Holiday Light Show Experience” have gone viral on social media, and even Swift’s NFL star boyfriend, Travis Kelce, makes an appearance as a display in the show. The holiday display also incorporates several elements of Hanukkah, including a more than 5-foot-tall menorah equipped with over 300 lights, and cutouts of dreidels illuminated with over 400 lights. “We want the show to be appropriate for everybody,” Wilzig said. “Anybody can come and get in the holiday spirit and enjoy fun, fun lights, no matter what you celebrate.” Wilzig spent thousands of hours building CONTiNued ON page 11
Oceanside High School was recognized in November for student success in the Advanced Placement pro g ram while broadening access to AP courses. The high school was named to the Colle ge Board’s AP School Honor Roll, earning Silver distinction. Schools can earn Honor Roll recognition, which was new in 2023, based on criteria that reflect a commitment to fostering a college-bound culture, providing opportunities for students to earn college credit, and maximizing college preparedness. Nearly 500 Oceanside High students took at least one AP exam this spring, and 73 percent had a score of 3 or higher on at least one of the exams, which use a 5-point grading scale. Students at the high school took a total of 985 exams in 30 AP categories. “We do a really good job communicating with families about the importance of pushing their children into meeting these higher expectations — trying to push students to challenge themselves and take these academically rigorous courses,” Joelle Hennessy, the school’s
associate principal and AP exam coordinator, said. “To get themselves college- and careerready and pursue their passions. AP courses are very content-specific, so if a student has a passion for a particular field, we do offer an AP course pretty much in almost every field. Oceanside High School offers more than 30 AP courses across the curriculum, in literature, languages, math and science, social studies, and the arts. “We do challenge students to pursue those fields even before they leave our high school hallways,” Hennessy added, “and so we do a good job of really informing our community, our parents or students about those opportunities. I think we have a really amazing staff and school counseling program and counselors are super supportive. Our teachers are super supportive. They really get our students ready for these courses.” Instructors who teach AP courses are certified in the subject matter over the summer. Before becoming an administrator in Oceanside, Hennessy was an AP biology teacher in the Herricks School District. She discussed what goes into teaching AP courses. “I was a biology major in colCONTiNued ON page 9