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UNIONDALE _____________
HERALD
DECEMBER 28, 2023 - JANUARY 3, 2024
What’s What’s
INSIDE INSIDE
BEACON
HERALD PERSON OF THE YEAR Monique DarriSaw-akil
‘She has turned the school district around’ By BRANDON CRUZ
Looking back at All-County honors for Aniyah Jackson. Page 6
Residents throughout Uniondale will tell you that the community, once grappling with educational challenges that seemed insurmountable, has undergone a remarkable transformation under the leadership of the Uniondale Herald Beacon’s inaugural Person of the Year, Monique Darrisaw-Akil, the superintendent of the Uniondale School District. The district’s successful turnaround under Darrisaw-Akil’s leadership goes far beyond positive the statistics that track student improvement. Since her tenure began in the summer of 2022, the Darrisaw-Akil name has become synonymous with revitalization, progress, and a renewed sense of he came hope across the community. “She has really turned the Uniondale into the school district around,” Pearl Jacobs, a community leader and the president of district and the Nostrand Gardens Civic Associacarved out a tion, said. “Uniondale is an example of path for us to how a district can be turned around be successful. and succeed in minority communities with the right attention, investments and resources available to students.” MARK McCAW Jacobs attributes this success to principal, Uniondale Darrisaw-Akil’s plans for the district High School and her determination to see her students succeed. “She pours confidence into the children, letting them know that they can succeed the same as any other student in Nassau County,” Jacobs said. “She has opened a lot of doors that were previously closed for many of our students.” Before Darrisaw-Akil took over, Uniondale faced myriad challenges, from lagging graduation rates and below-average proficiency scores to outdated infrastructure. She has orchestrated a massive cultural and educational shift, adding additional student resources and revamping students’ learning process across the district. Through Darrisaw-Akil’s “strategic plan” to increase student achievement, and with it students’ access to more rigorous academic opportunities, Uniondale has raised its graduation rate from 79 percent in 2020 to 87 percent this year. College admission numbers have also soared, with the doors to higher education opening for hundreds of students who may not have dreamed of going beyond high school. Not only are 84 percent of June’s graduates attending college — a dramatic increase from just 67 percent in 2021 — but 44 percent are doing so at
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four-year universities, which is the highest percentage in years, according to state and district data. “One of the first things we did when I got here was revamp our college and career room,” Darrisaw-Akil explained, “and staffed it with qualified, experienced and passionate counselors who have been very beneficial to many of our first-gen students in navigating the really intimidating process” of applying to college. “It’s really about the entire experience,” she added. “Having someone who knows the students, believes in them, supports them and lets them know that no question is a silly one, and in just a short time, we’ve seen that the types of colleges our kids are going to has changed.” Besides boosting the graduation and college attendance rates, Darrisaw-Akil has made it a priority to build up the district’s long underutilized Advanced Placement program, which has now become a cornerstone of Uniondale’s academic excellence. The district offers 21 AP courses, which have attracted a surge of student interest, with 521 students now enrolled in them, almost doubling the enrollment in 2021. “This is really important,” Darrisaw-Akil said, “because the data across New York state shows that students of color have Continued on page 2
Monique Darrisaw-Akil
Courtesy Monique Darrisaw-Akil