_____________ ROCKVILLE CENTRE ____________
HERALD
Service with a smile.
Get Results. Sign Up Today!
Walking to help prevent suicide
Page 3
Page 8
Vol. 33 No. 36
SEPTEMBER 1 - 7, 2022
THE LEADER IN PROP ERTY TAX REDUCT ION
Sign up today. It onl y takes seconds. Apply online at mptrg .com/heraldnote or call 516.715.1266 Maidenbaum Property Tax Reduction Grou p, LLC 483 Chestnut Stree t, Cedarhurst, NY 11516
$1.00
1183685
Girl Scout earns top honors
Hablamos Español
South Side gets a new principal By DANIEl oFFNER doffner@liherald.com
Daniel Offner/Herald
South Side High School students will be greeted by a familiar face when they return to class this September—only this time it will be in a different capacity. Patrick Walsh, who served as South Side High’s assistant principal for the past four years, was named the new principal of the school last week, following a rigorous, month-long selection process. Since joining the Rockville Centre schools in 2018, Walsh helped oversee the science department,
MEET ThE NEW principal of South Side High School, Patrick Walsh, who has been part of the district since 2018.
Continued on page 4
Rockville Centre pays its respect to fallen police officer By DANIEl oFFNER doffner@liherald.com
Retired Rockville Centre Police sergeant Ernest Otto Ziegler Jr., a highly respected officer who served the residents of the village for many years, died August 16. Ziegler, 52, died after suffering from multiple pulmonary embolisms while in the care of the Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. “Sergeant Ernest Ziegler was a dedicated member of our Rockville Centre Police Department who went above and beyond during his tenure to ensure the safe-
ty of our residents and visitors,” Rockville Centre Mayor Francis X. Murray said in a statement. “On behalf of the Rockville Centre Police Department and everyone at the Village, I would like to extend our deepest condolences to the Ziegler family and friends as they mourn their loss.” Ziegler grew up in East Meadow, and is remembered by those who knew him best as a dedicated cop and a loyal friend. Before joining the Rockville Centre police force, he worked as a United States Border Patrol agent and an NYPD officer. He was severely injured in a horrific car accident in 2008 when a burglary suspect hit him
on the side of the road. As a result, Ziegler needed a plate surgically placed in his neck and suffered from multiple herniated discs. Due to the severity of the injuries, he was unable to continue his duties as an officer and took an early retirement. “It’s just tragic,” Rockville Centre Police Benevolent Association President James Carty said. “Ernie was a good guy.” Carty worked closely with Zie gler while on midnight patrols around the village. After the accident, Ziegler and his wife, Teresa, moved to their 12-acre property in Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania, where they spent their summers for the past
six years. In the winter, they traveled south to their special getaway in Juno Beach, Florida. Teresa said that they had just bought a trailer and had planned to see the countryside when the Covid-19 pandemic struck. “He was a friend to everyone,” she said. “He had hands of gold and could do just about anything from changing the fender on a
car to planting his vegetables in the farm.” Teresa said that he also had a pumpkin patch that he took great pride in, and once a year, invited all of their nieces and nephews to come up to the farm and pick their own pumpkins. Apart from his work in law Continued on page 12