______________ VALLEY STREAM _____________
HERALD
May 16, 2024
with a focus on programs and activities
VOL. 35 NO. 21
Trustee given high honors
Learning about cops from cops
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MAY 16 - 22, 2024
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Village unites to boost veterans’ toiletry drive By ANGELINA ZINGARIELLO azingariello@liherald.com
Courtesy Valley Stream Central High School District
From a Gioachino Rossini overture to Leonard Bernstein’s ‘Mambo,’ Valley Stream Central High School district student musicians gave a genre-expansive performance at Manhattan’s Carnegie Hall on April 4.
V.S. Central District students take center stage at Carnegie Hall The immersive magic of Carnegie Hall
By JUAN LASSO jlasso@liherald.com
To performers the world over Carnegie Hall is synonymous with enduring musical renown. Its dazzling auditoriums have played host to household names like Tchaikovsky and the Beatles whose performances have been flashpoints of musical history. So, when the best student musicians at Valley Stream Central High School District were given the chance to play their hearts out at the hall’s renowned Stern Auditorium, it was — directly — a dream come true. On April 4, adoring attendees filled the seats at Stern to listen to the district’s 66th Annual Music Scholarship Festival. The event doubly raised funds for three music scholarships handed to three deserving seniors: Tinatin Narimanidze from Central High School, Layla Rutledge from North High School, and Christian Crawford from South High School.
Members of the orchestra, chorus, band, and performing arts group, decked in formal black attire, shook up the hall with astonishing performances. Students delighted in what cultural observers have long praised as the sonic magic produced by the hall’s pristine acoustic quality. The hall’s structure — with its domed ceiling and smooth curvature — was engineered with the ear in mind. The result is an experience where the listener feels enveloped in a distinctly rich, warm soundscape and a performer’s tune or voice fully resonates. Narimanidze, a prodigious violinist and the orchestra’s concertmaster could not agree more. “When we had our soundcheck, we were just shocked,” said Narimanidze, a first-time visitor. “When we played a whole piece through during the soundcheck, the moment we Continued on pAGe 9
The Valley Stream community collected vital toiletry items for homeless and poverty-stricken veterans in an event that kicked off at Wheeler Avenue Elementary School and ended at Valley Stream Memorial Junior High School with the final toiletry distribution last Friday. Organized by the Valley Stream Chamber of Commerce, the initiative enlisted widespread participation from residents, students, and businesses, reflecting an outsized show of support for service members returning home. “I’m so proud to be a member of the village of Valley Stream. This is tremendous what we all did together,” said Chamber of C o m m e rc e m e m b e r L a u r i LoQuerico. “And, you know, it’s so sad that there are people that have sacrificed so much for us, and they need basic things that we take for granted. I thank everyone for the generosity and for coming together to help these men and women.” The Chamber of Commerce led the effort with members and affiliated businesses rallying behind the cause with generous contributions. “I just want to take this
moment to think about the Chamber of Commerce and the village for reaching out and allowing our students to contribute to this worthy cause for our Disabled American Veterans,” Laura Mesa, junior high counselor, and head of the school’s Youth Leadership Club, said. “We are so fortunate and grateful for the work that you do that you’ve done. And so, with that, I want to say thank you.” Public and private schools across Valley Stream played a key role in the success of the toiletry drive, namely Memorial Junior High School, Valley Stream Central High School, Wheeler Avenue, William L. Buck, the Valley Stream Christian Academy, and Holy Name of Mary. From creating promotional materials to sorting donated items, their involvement displayed their empathy and civic responsibility. The Youth Leadership Clubs from Memorial Junior High School and Central High School emerged as proactively engaged partners in the drive. “They work together as a team to elevate themselves and each other” Mesa said. “That’s what it’s all about, right? It’s about paying forward, doing Continued on pAGe 19