_________________ WANTAGH ________________
your HEALTH body / mind / fitness
September 29, 2022
With a focus on
HERALD Your Health Wellness
Inside
Vol. 70 No. 40
Historic book printing
‘Dot Day’ in Wantagh
Page 3
Page 15
SEPTEMBER 29 - oCToBER 5, 2022
$1.00
A new focus on elective classes Wantagh Middle School hopes to pique students’ interests early By MICHAEl MAlASZCZYK mmalaszczyk@liherald.com
Courtesy of Kevin Thompson
From the beach to Cedar Creek, and back More than 100 people joined quadriplegic Casey Ellin, of Glen Cove, as he rolled off the Jones Beach starting line of a run to raise awareness of spinal cord injuries and money for affordable personal housing. They all ran from Jones Beach to Seaford’s Cedar Creek Park and back.
Wantagh Middle School is now offering students a comprehensive list of elective programs to choose from. Educators said the middle school actually goes out of its way to make sure its electives are just as robust as its standard academic programs. According to Principal Anthony Ciuffo, each year the school’s departments are tasked with coming up with new electives. They then create videos designed to get students interested, all of which are accessible on the middle school’s website.
“If you’re interested in art, there’s an option for you,” Ciuffo said. “If you’re interested in English, there’s an option for you. If you’re interested in science, there’s an option for you. And that was the goal, knowing that we’re not going to run them all, but at least we’re offering it.” Some electives are more popular than others, but all of the teachers offer as wide a selection as they can. The most popular elective is Salvatore Mulé’s Modern Food Production, which takes place in his classroom-turned-hydroponics lab, according to Ciuffo and Continued on page 4
Seaford’s two new assistant superintendents look ahead By MICHAEl MAlASZCZYK mmalaszczyk@liherald.com
Two administrators have been chosen to split the responsibilities held by Seaford School District Deputy Superintendent John Striffolino, who retired this spring. While the deputy superintendent’s position has yet to be filled, Tom Lynch has been promoted to assistant superintendent for curriculum and technology, and Sheena Jacob has joined the district as assistant superintendent for human resources and instructional support. Striffolino was the longestserving administrator in the his-
tory of Seaford Public Schools, having worked there for 25 years. He served as principal at Manor Elementary School before being promoted to assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and personnel. In his final year, Striffolino was given the title of deputy superintendent. Lynch, now in his fifth year in Seaford, previously served as executive director for instructional technology and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). Lynch praised Striffolino, and even referred to him as “Mr. Seaford.” “I had the pleasure of working with John for four years before he retired,” Lynch said. “I
learned a lot. I wish he would have stayed, because I still feel like I had lots to learn from him.” Lynch has lived on Long Island for 40 years, but was born near Philadelphia and grew up in Seattle. He moved to Long Island when his father got a job promotion, and he attended Stony Brook University, studying physics and astronomy as well as technology systems management, for his bachelor’s and master’s degrees, respectively. Lynch worked as a teacher or administrator in school districts including Valley Stream, Northport, Roslyn and Oyster Bay before arriving in Seaford.
He said he discovered that he wanted to become an educator when he was in college. “The astronomy department at Stony Brook needed a (teacher’s assistant) for one of their introductory classes,” he said. “I needed the money, so I agreed to do it. On the first day, I found my calling.” He has a particularly pro-
found love for Seaford, calling it a “throwback district” because it’s such a tight-knit community. “Our kids are very talented and wear multiple hats,” Lynch said. “The parents are supportive. The teachers are supportive. The kids are supportive of one another. It’s just a nice place to Continued on page 5