______________ VALLEY STREAM _____________
CommUNITY UPDATE Infections as of July 5
8,538
Infections as of June 28 8,532
$1.00
HERALD
Tranquility Garden restored
Sixth-graders move up
Nesting oyster tips for the beach
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Vol. 32 No. 28
JUlY 8 - 14, 2021
V.S. seniors celebrate prom despite Covid By JEmImA DENhAm jsemins@liherald.com
Amid constantly changing pandemic health guidance, Valley Stream high school seniors were able to celebrate one of the most significant coming-ofage traditions this year: prom. Separate proms for each of Valley Stream’s high schools were hosted at private venues in June, each of which was organized by seniors’ parents. The Valley Stream North prom, attended by 180 students, was held at The Inn at New Hyde Park on June 16. Meanwhile, after much planning, the prom
for Valley Stream South, attended by 158 students, was hosted by the Stewart Manor Country Club on June 22. Valley Stream South parent Marjorie Longid said her daughter told her how the school was unable to hold a formal prom because of coronavirus restrictions. Longid used Facebook to reach out to fellow parents and quickly formed a prom committee of four parents to collaborate on initial ideas for the event. “We Zoomed weekly,” Longid said. “We talked about where we would have the venue, where would we hold it,
Courtesy Rosanna DiStefano/Valley Stream North High School
VAllEY STrEAm hIGh school seniors celebrated the prom this year amid changing health guidance due to the pandemic. how much it would cost. So we formed committees.” Valley Stream South seniors also formed a leadership group that helped circulate details about the prom among their classmates. Parents showed their support, Longid said, with several volunteering to chaperone the event and donating money toward the DJ and decorations.
Valley Stream North parent Barbara Marano started a “Covid Stole the Prom” fundraiser to reduce the cost of tickets to the proposed prom and support those who needed financial aid to attend. The initiative raised more than $2,500, and the online donation page reinforced the sense of loss among the Valley Stream North senior class.
The funds raised provided special touches such as a photo booth, favor bags and gift cards, Marano said. Leftover funds will be donated to a local charity. Marano commented on the importance of recreating a “normal” prom, given that students have been learning in Continued on page 5
Valley Streamer reflects on Sickle Cell Awareness Day By NIColE AlCINDor nalcindor@liherald.com
One hundred thousand Americans have sickle cell anemia. June 19 was World Sickle Cell Awareness Day, observed annually with the goal of increasing public knowledge and understanding of the condition. Sickle cell disease is an inherited red blood cell disorder in which there aren’t enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body, because the blood cells contort into a sickle shape, causing blocked blood flow and pain, known as sickle cell crisis. When Valley Stream resident
Solomon Richards, 20, thinks about Sickle Cell Awareness Day, he said, he is usually flooded with memories of his own experiences with sickle cell anemia, which he was diagnosed with at birth. As a 6-year-old, on a trip to Jamaica, Richards nearly died of the disorder, when it flared up and caused his spleen to swell. He went into sickle cell crisis, which is extremely painful — he describes it as what he imagines being stuck with shards of glass all over his body would be like. Solomon and his mother, Valley Stream resident Deborah Phillips, took a flight back to New York. When they arrived,
Phillips said, she rushed her son to a hospital, where he received a blood transfusion that saved his life. “It was a long time ago, so I don’t remember a lot of what happened,” Richards said, “but I just remember jumping into a cold pool, and then I started to feel as if sharp needles were sticking me all over my body. The hardest part about having sickle cell anemia is the fact that it isn’t a visual physical trauma, but it is an internal pain. No one can see the pain, but it still hurts a lot.” Now, as a SUNY Buffalo junior computer science major, Richards said he has learned
ways to better monitor his activities over the years to help prevent his disorder from causing him to go into crisis mode. He has learned about how extremes of hot or cold can cause a sickle cell emergency. Cold can make the blood vessels in the skin, hands and feet narrow, which can make it more likely that the sickle- or crescent-
shaped red blood cells will become stuck and stop oxygen from reaching the muscles and organs. “If I want to go out in the winter or do a snow activity like snowboarding,” Richards said, “I have to make sure that I’m wrapped up and wearing layers. And I have to stay very hydrated in hot temperatures to keep coolContinued on page 10