The Manhasset Times, Friday, March 17, 2017
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COMMUNITY NEWS
Herricks Community Fund dinner dance
Members of the Herricks school district and community gathered for the Herricks Community Fund’s 21st annual Dinner Dance on March 2 at The Inn at New Hyde Park. The event featured a Mardis Gras theme and raised money for educational programs and special school projects. Local officials, school board members, district administrators, faculty members, PTA volunteers and others came out to celebrate 31 years of service provided by the not-for-profit organization. According to its mission statement, the Herricks Community Fund is dedicated to providing financial support for
programs, projects and educational enrichment to enhance the quality of life for people of all ages in Herricks. The group strives to raise funds and distribute resources to maximize the intellectual, social, emotional and physical development to those who reside in the community. Each year, the Herricks Community Fund provides grants that support educational programs across the district. They have enabled the schools to obtain technology resources, fitness center equipment, off-site trips, extracurricular activities, musical opportunities, robotics materials, instructional supplies and more that helps Herricks students.
The Community Fund also benefits individual community needs as well as the Alzheimer’s Day Program, Community Players, Senior Citizens Programs, Youth Council, Teacher Mini-Grants, the Herricks school district and Herricks Scholarship Fund. This year’s event welcomed Assistant Superintendent for Business Lisa Rutko-
ske, Executive Director for Human Resources Dina Maggiacomo and Herricks High School principal James Ruck into the community. It also acknowledged Jane Jingyi Chen, Chiravi Patel, Julianna DeAngelis, Laryssa DeMarco and Nicholas Troiano as the most recent Community Fund scholarship award recipients.
SCHOOL NEWS
3 win art and writing award
Three students from Herricks High School’s English Scholars Program have earned Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. This program is presented by the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers and recognizes teens’ creative works of writing and visual art. Senior Arwa Ali achieved a Gold Key Award for her poem, “Let’s take a step back.” The Gold Key is the high-
est level of regional honor, and works that are distinguished at this level are judged by leaders in the creative industry with the potential to earn National Medals. Ninth-grader Aroob Jalil received a Silver Key Award for her poem, “The Monsters Among Us.” Kathryn Richie, also a ninth-grader, won a Silver Key for her short story, “Frequent Flyer.”
Trivia Challenge raises funds Schools from all over Nassau County participate in the year round Trivia Challenge event and raise significant funds for Cerebral Palsy of Nassau County. Now in its 32nd year, the Trivia Challenge event brings students with great minds and good hearts together to help raise funds to benefit the programs and services CP Nassau provides for over 1,800 children and adults challenged by disabilities. The 2017 Trivia Challenge finals were held during the week of February 27th at Cerebral Palsy of Nassau County in Roosevelt. Two teams of students from Munsey Park Elementary School competed in the challenge. Students participating in the 3rd/4th grade category were Sophie Tay, Luka Busljeta, Matthew Milewski and Andrew Laveglia. Winners in the 5th/6th grade category were Munsey students Andrew Cortegiano, Luke Power, Jack Voelker and Alexander Gore. Maggie Tittler, a Washington Street School teacher, commented: “It was amazing to see so many students, both participating and supporting from the audience, coming together to support this local organization. Students periodically come up to me during the school day with more questions about cerebral palsy and CP Nassau, so the mission of spreading awareness, information, and acceptance of all differences was a success. Thank you for inviting us to be involved!” Michelle Gevirtz, Development Associate at CP Nassau thanked all the students, teachers and family members for their generosity and support. CP Nassau has been assisting individuals with disabil-
Munsey Park Elementary School students participating in the 2017 Trivia Challenge Finals in the 3rd/4th grade category. (Pictured left to right) Sophie Tay, Luka Busljeta, Matthew Milewski and Andrew Laveglia ities since 1948. Today, over 1,800 children and adults benefit from the quality programs and services offered by this not-for-profit agency. Funds raised through Trivia Challenge help fund vital programs at the agency. For information about Trivia Challenge please contact Event Coordinator, Michelle Gevirtz at 516-378-2000 ext. 651 or via email: mgevirtz@ cpnassau.org.