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Men’s Health Inside $1.00
Vol. 33 No. 27
Police solve cold murder case
Pro-choice groups rally after ruling
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JUNE 30 - JUlY 6, 2022
A ‘resilient’ class of 2022 walks the stage By JUAN lASSo jlasso@liherald.com
Hundreds of graduating seniors from across the district’s three high schools — North, Central and South — walked the commencement stage last week to receive diplomas marking the end of one era and the beginning of a new one. In many ways, this year’s three individual graduation ceremonies went off like any other. Beaming parents sat underneath a pitched tent at Junior High Memorial, cameras at the ready, as families and
friends cheered the graduates in their ceremonial caps and gown. A look back at the last four years shows these graduates came of age as high schoolers during a time of major school disruption caused by Covid-19. Major school events and activities were canceled or postponed. Students switched to a remote learning format. When they returned to school, they coped with mask-wearing and social distancing. More recently, they’ve contended with a mental health crisis and the worries and fears caused by an uptick in school gun violence.
Courtesy Valley Stream Central High School District
NortH HigH ScHool seniors threw their caps skyward after being recognized as graduates. “The one word I’d use to describe the class of 2022 is resilient,” South High Principal Maureen Henry told the graduating Falcons. “They’ve found a way to stay strong, positive, cooperative, and fun despite some very challenging times. Their energy, enthusiasm, and accomplishments will be remembered for many
years.” Parents like Osbour ne Traill, who watched her daughter, Elizabeth, take the stage as the last of five children to graduate from South, seemed to agree. “My son (who graduated in 2020) did not have a graduation like this one with his entire class,” said Traill, who remem-
bers that groups of students would come at separate time slots to pick up their diplomas. “They never got the full experience of graduation, so we’ve come a long way. Remote learning was a challenge for everyone. No one was prepared.” “This is my third kid to graduate in the district. We Continued on page 20
‘Aladdin’ Broadway performer now helps others shine By JUAN lASSo jlasso@liherald.com
When Broadway shut down two years over public health concerns amid the rapidly spreading coronavirus, not only did the district’s 41 theaters go dark, but thousands of performers suddenly found themselves without a job. Lauryn Ciardullo, of Valley Stream, said the livelihoods of many in the performing arts were uptur ned over night, including her own. She performed in “Aladdin” on Broadway for almost seven years, serving as a swing and understudy for the part of Prin-
cess Jasmine in the original cast of the popular musical based on the 1992 Disney animated film. In the hectic, often unforeseen world of show business, Ciardullo was tasked with performing on stage as a cast member in the musical’s ensemble, playing multiple parts, and filling in for the lead as Jasmine, sometimes at a moment’s notice. It was a demanding gig even for the most seasoned theatre performers. “There were times when I knew I was on for Jasmine for a week, but there were also times when I would wake up and have no idea who I would be playing in the show that day,” said Ciardullo. “It could be one of
eight roles or if multiple people called out sick or injured, I might be playing two roles at once. We call that a split track.” No stranger to sudden change, when Ciardullo first heard the news of the shutdown, she expected it would be only a matter of weeks before the show curtains would rise again on the city’s famed theatre district. In the meantime, she would spend those first few weeks, hosting free song and dance classes over Zoom for kids in Valley Stream and around Long Island. “I always taught master classes so I figured this would be a great way to keep up my teaching skills,” said Ciardullo. She
taught students as young as 6 years old how to sing a Broadway or Disney song — from “It’s a Hard Knock Life” from the musical “Annie” to “This Is Me” from “The Greatest Showman” —and get them up on their feet to learn accompanying choreography. She took to social media and posted on Facebook groups like Valley Stream Moms to pro-
mote her lessons. Weeks stretched into months as the shutdown dragged on for what became a year and a half — the industry’s longest shutdown. But in that span of time, Ciardullo watched her side project take off. “At one point, I had 100 kids Continued on page 17