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Vol. 34 No. 36
D’Esposito settles in D.C.
Hofstra aims for CAA crown
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AUGUST 31 - SEPTEMBER 6, 2023
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Unal Karakas is new chief of Dist. 24 schools mentary school teacher — in the same school he attended when he was growing up — instructUnal Karakas was named ing fifth and sixth grade for s u p e r i n t e n d e n t o f Va l l e y nearly 10 years. He earned a Stream District 24 on July 1, degree in economics at Iona Colsucceeding Don Sturz, who lege, a master’s in childhood announced his retirement after education at New York University and a master’s in educational a four-year run. leadership at Iona, A tall, reed-thin and is working on a man often pictured doctorate in leaderin a sharply fitting ship and learning n av y b l u e s u i t , in organizations, Karakas, 40, has a with a focus on commanding presi n n ovat ive a n d ence, but balances equitable leaderan air of authority ship, at Vanderbilt with a calm, gentle University. demeanor, to which Growing up in a children naturally household where gravitate. He hunhis parents placed kers down from an unshaken trust above to meet his UNAl KARAKAS in public education new students at eye superintendent, and the doors of level, and is an V.S. District 24 opportunity that it attentive listener. would open, KaraWith 18 years of educational experience, mostly kas took his studies seriously. in elementary school settings, it Initially eyeing a career on Wall is clear that Karakas is in his Street when he started college at element. “Elementary educa- Iona, his instincts pulled him to tion lays the foundation for find fulfillment in the classroom everything else that is to come,” after he saw the impact he made he said. “It’s critical to set stu- tutoring a third-grade student. Eventually he made a name dents up for success early on.” The Queens-bred educator, a for himself, as one of 20 educachild of Turkish immigrant par- tors tapped by the New York ents, began his career as an eleCoNTiNued oN pAGe 11
By JUAN lASSo
jlasso@liherald.com
E
Keith Rossein/Herald
Nassau County Girl Scout Asha Gajraj, of Troop 2033 gave a series of presentations at the Waldinger Memorial Library on how rain gardens can help reduce nitrate water contamination.
Girl Scout’s answer to L.I.’s water pollution: rain gardens By JUAN lASSo jlasso@liherald.com
Nine-year-old Yusuf Dungas, alongside five other kids, eagerly sat down to a crafts project at the Waldinger Memorial Library’s Children’s Room. At their fingertips were pipe cleaners, cotton balls, pom-poms, and an aluminum loaf: the raw materials for constructing a model rain garden. Walking them through each step of the project was Nassau County Girl Scout Asha Gajraj, from Troop 2033. Gajraj was capping off the last of six presentations over the past few weeks at the library, divided evenly between children and teens/adults, turning a colorful crafts project
into a deeper lesson on the importance of water quality preservation. Her 80-hour community service project, known as the Gold Award Project, made the magic of the rain garden come alive. You might see rain gardens figuring prominently in sloping landscaped yards,often casually mistaken for your run-of-the-mill flower garden. But what distinguishes these shrubs of native plants, often grown in a shallow basin of dirt, are the extensive environmental benefits they offer. During a downpour, stormwater runoff that would otherwise work its way into neighboring storm drains pools around the rain garden, letting the water slowly reintroduce CoNTiNued oN pAGe 17
lementary education lays the foundation for everything else that is to come.