Theme of the Year
Inspire
VIDEO: Waverly Park Hosts Annual Walk-A-Thon
Waverly Park Elementary School students, staff and families put their walking shoes on for the school’s annual Walk-A-Thon on June 7. Organized each year by the Waverly Park Student Council, the event brings the school community together as student council members present donations to various charitable organizations which is followed by a walk-through of Hewlett Harbor.
Students Join ALS Ride for Life To Help Find a Cure
Lynbrook students and staff from North Middle School, South Middle School and Marion Street Elementary School put on their walking shoes and recently participated in the annual ALS Ride for Life fundraising event. Students proudly held up handmade signs and cheered on ALS Ride for Life founder and ALS patient Chris Pendergast and his team as they walked and rode in their motorized wheelchairs by the schools to raise money and ALS awareness.
Mr. Pendergast, along with his team of supporters and fellow ALS patients, first arrived at North Middle School where with the help of local law enforcement, students and staff joined his ride to South Middle School. After arriving at South Middle School, students and staff there traveled with him to Marion Street. It was a great way for the community to come together for an important cause. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Melissa Burak also joined in the memorable morning.
Leading up to the event, all three schools raised money for the ALS Ride for Life Foundation which will be used for ALS research. Together, the schools raised more than $7,000 towards finding a cure.
“Thank you guys for being out here this morning to support us and encourage us because you guys inspire us to keep doing what we’re doing,” said ALS patient Paul Weisman. “We’re going to stay on the road until we find this cure.”
Students Seek to Bring Smiles to Hospital-Bound Children
Waverly Park Elementary School third- and fourth-graders recently participated in the Starlight Children’s Foundation My Starlight Gown Contest. Students entered the contest after being inspired by the book “Come With Me” by Holly M. McGhee, encouraging readers to make the world a better place. The My Starlight Gown Contest welcomes kids and families to design their own original hospital gowns to bring happiness to hospitalized children.
The contest is sponsored by Niagara Cares and partners with Scholastic, who with every entry, will give a book to a child in the hospital. Waverly Park students illustrated their designs on the Starlight Gown template and submitted their creations. The designs will be judged in April on effort, originality, creativity and appropriateness of the gown design. Finalists will be announced in May and the two winning designs will be made into real Starlight Gowns for hospitalized children across the country to wear.
Waverly Park students enjoyed putting their creative ideas to paper with their unique contest entries. The activity not only spotlighted the importance of compassion but also showed students how they can make their mark on the world.
Committed to Community Service
Lynbrook High School junior James Parco was recently honored with the bronze President’s Volunteer Service Award for his outstanding community service efforts. James, along with junior Madeline Doyle, were also both commended by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program as a local honoree. Created by Prudential and the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the program recognizes middle and high school students each year for their outstanding service at the local, state and national level.
As a President’s Volunteer Service Award winner, James had to complete a significant amount of volunteer hours. With this distinction, he received a certificate and congratulatory letter from the President of the United States.
During the summer, James and his mother traveled with about 16 people in the agency America World Adoption, to do volunteer work in Kyrgyzstan, a country in Central Asia. Here, James worked with orphans for about two weeks, traveling to six different orphanages.
“We played with the kids and there were some medical evaluations we had to do,” he said. “It was a really amazing experience.”
James is also a leader in his school community as a member of the high school’s National Honor Society, Science Honor Society, track team and school newspaper (Horizon). He has also served as a counselor for the past two years in Lynbrook’s Summer Playground program.
Madeline has also played a strong role in her community. She created a mentoring program for the Lynbrook Village Pool swim team and the summer leading into her freshman and sophomore year, Madeline spent every morning teaching a group of about 12 children how to swim. As a Girl Scout, she is committed to community service and even received her Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor a Girl Scout can obtain in the organization. At Lynbrook High School, Madeline is also on the school’s varsity swim team and is involved in the National Honor Society, Math Honor Society, Science Honor Society and Tri-M Music Honor Society.
Congratulations, James and Madeline! We are so proud of you!
History Comes Alive at Marion Street School
Third-graders at Marion Street Elementary School hosted their annual Civil Rights Presentation and honored Joseph McNeil, a leader in the civil rights movement and member of the Greensboro Four, on Feb. 28. Administrators including Superintendent of Schools Dr. Melissa Burak, board members, families and third-graders from Waverly Park and West End elementary schools were present for the special event.
Third-grade teacher Steve Freifeld proudly introduced Mr. McNeil who has volunteered his time to visit Marion Street School since 1991 to tell his story to students. During the civil rights movement, Mr. McNeil and three of his classmates made history by staging a sit-in at Woolworth’s “whites only” lunch counter in Greensboro, refusing to leave until they were served.
Mr. Freifeld spoke about how Marion Street third-graders celebrate the theme “Building Bridges” throughout the year, studying bridges and taking trips to different bridges across the Long Island and the New York City area. He related this to the important lesson of bridging connections between people.
“We are very fortunate to have a man with us today who like the great bridge building engineers in history, has worked to make positive connections between people his entire life,” said Mr. Freifeld. “His actions led to changes in the way millions of people were treated in restaurants, movie theaters, libraries, public restrooms and swimming pools across the United States.”
Attendees watched a video about the Greensboro Four before Mr. McNeil addressed the crowd and answered questions from Marion Street, Waverly Park and West End students.
“We were trying to make America a great country and it required some of us to put ourselves on the line…if we were going to be successful we were going to have to be nonviolent,” he told students.
The Marion Street third-graders showed their support for Mr. McNeil by performing a show for him titled “Marion Street School Visits the Civil Rights Museum.” The students performed several songs about peace and a skit featuring important historical figures.
Students Learn Life Lessons During Human Relations Day
Lynbrook High School student government members, with the guidance of advisor Mary Kirby, hosted the school’s annual Human Relations Day on Feb. 14. Students heard from an array of inspiring individuals and organizations throughout the school day, including key note speaker Rohan Murphy.
The student body gathered in the school gymnasium where Mr. Murphy, a motivational speaker and former star wrestler, spoke about overcoming obstacles since being born with deformed legs. The presentation inspired students to always strive to reach their goals and to not hold back when challenges present themselves.
Other speakers also visited classrooms. These included Joe Slaninka from the Henry Viscardi School, members of the Lynbrook Police Department, Ruthanne McCormack from the RVC Coalition, Joanna Formant from SIBS Place, “Impractical Jokers” star Joe Gatto, Jeff Fenn from Long Island TRIO, Holocaust speaker Kathy Griesz and more. The day allowed students to learn more about topics such as living with disabilities, gender identity, organ donations, police encounters, kindness, respect and empowerment for young women.
As part of another tradition at the high school, the Lynbrook High School PTA prepared its annual Multicultural Luncheon for students and staff during the day, which included a variety of food representing the many cultures that make up the Lynbrook community.
Waverly Park Students Support Dr. King’s Dream
Fifth-graders at Waverly Park Elementary School celebrated the values of Martin Luther King Jr. in honor of his day of remembrance this month and day of service. Students read about Dr. King in the most recent Scholastic News Magazine and completed service projects to help others, just as Dr. King did.
Students in Amy Garfinkel’s class collected 25 blankets to donate to Urban Pathways to be distributed to those in need at the Ivan Shapiro House. Students in Shari Bowe’s class also decided to give back with their own project. The class donated 26 journals with pens and pencils to the Mary Brennan Inn, a volunteer-based organization that supports the hungry and homeless across Long Island. To give residents the chance to love writing, the students created a cover for the journals titled, “Martin Luther King Jr. had a Dream…What is Your Dream?”
Student Council Collects Toys for Hospital-Bound Children
Student council members at Lynbrook South Middle School collected more than 400 toys for the Little Saint Nick Foundation during the holiday season. The foundation, which organizes programs across the country to help ease the fear, anxiety and isolation of sick kids both in and out of hospitals, was created by Ray Mohler, a former student at South Middle School.
Ray visited the school to kickoff the toy drive in November. The student council hosts the toy drive each year to support the foundation and their mission, supplying toys for children in the hospitals during the holiday season and beyond.
“The students really did an amazing job and we are so proud of them,” said student council advisor Maureen McCartney.
ALS Ride for Life Founder Inspires Students to Make a Difference
For the past three years, the Marion Street Elementary School community has opened their hearts to helping find a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The school has partnered with ALS Ride for Life founder Chris Pendergast, who has been battling the disease since 1993. Mr. Pendergast visited Marion Street students on Dec. 10 with his caretaker Tiana Quintero and Ride for Life Board Member and volunteer Richard Iannuzzi, to educate students on ALS and share his inspiring story and mission.
The Ride for Life organization is a charity that serves the ALS community to raise research funds, support patients and families, raise awareness and provide ALS news and updates. Through two engaging presentations, Mr. Iannuzzi, who was also an educator for 34 years, spoke to students from grades 1-5 about what ALS is and how it affects the body, making muscles weak. He reinforced to the classes that it is a rare disease and that children do not get ALS. Unable to easily speak due to his disease, Mr. Pendergast chimed in during the presentations with a computer and had Quintero help share his thoughts. Students learned more about Mr. Pendergast’s life, including how he uses his wheelchair and that he used to be a teacher.
The students were encouraged to answer questions with many showing their knowledge of ALS. Mr. Iannuzzi discussed famed baseball player Lou Gehrig who had ALS and the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge which supported ALS research. He explained that right now there is no medicine or cure for the disease. Students learned that Mr. Pendergast wanted to ride his wheelchair across Long Island to educate the public and raise awareness. To showcase how his vision came to life, Mr. Iannuzzi presented a video about Ride for Life. The students watched in excitement as photos and clips of Pendergast and members of the Ride for Life crew were shown visiting different places, including Marion Street School. The inspiring video showcased the fight against ALS and the hope in finding a cure, to reinforce to students that they can make a difference. Showing his optimistic spirit, Mr. Pendergast, with the help of Ms. Quintero, left the students with hope.
“I hope you learned the most important lesson,” he told students. “Don't give up. Don’t let a problem make you quit.”
Horizon Students Crowned ESSPA Winners
For the third consecutive year, Lynbrook High School’s student newspaper, Horizon, received a Gold Award for Best All-Around Publication in the 2018 Empire State Scholastic Press Association awards program. Under the guidance of Horizon adviser Jessica Sanders, the 2017-2018 student staff members also proudly took home the Gold Award for Best New Publication for Horizon Online, the student newspaper’s newly launched website.
Hosted annually by Syracuse University, the ESSPA awards program gives students across the state a chance to compete and showcase their talents through their school publications. During the awards program, Horizon staff members and contributors, including some 2018 graduates, also won a total of 14 individual honors, including six gold, one silver, two bronze and five honorable mention awards.
Gold Award:
Emily Bergin – News Writing
Brian Egan – Feature Writing
Jane Hoeflinger – News Writing
Helaina Rehs – Sports News
Christian Sarlo – Sports Feature
Pooja Shah – Picture Story Layout
Silver Award:
Terence Deegan – In-Depth Coverage
Bronze Award:
Josh Polansky – News Writing
Harrison Simon – Sports Feature
Honorable Mentions:
Marti Candel, Dustin Mandell and Djelza Pulitani – Picture Story Layout
Sam Cohen – News Writing
Lauren Hernandez - Review Writing Portfolio
Tess Rechtweg – Feature Writing
Horizon Staff – Front Page Design Portfolio
Congratulations, Horizon!
Kindness Rocks at West End School
With the guidance of advisors Lori Gus and Jackie McDougal, the West End Elementary School Student Council recently began working on a “Kindness Rocks” project and painted more than 400 rocks. The student council members will soon get the entire student body involved to decorate the rocks with inspirational pictures and messages. The rocks will then be scattered around the Lynbrook community to help spread kindness.
North Middle School Students Assemble for Those in Need
More than 40 members of Lynbrook North Middle School’s Community Service Club recently volunteered their time in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday by participating in the club’s annual table setting event to benefit the Mary Brennan Inn, a soup kitchen that serves Long Islanders in need.
Under the guidance of club advisor Donald Seibert, the students met after school to wrap utensils and in just two hours, were able to wrap between 2,500 and 3,000 settings. The utensils were donated by the student families and members of the PTA.
Great job, North Middle School!
South Middle School Bands Together for Unity Day (Video)
Click here to watch!
Going Gold for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
In honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month during September, students at West End Elementary School participated in the Solving Kids’ Cancer campaign “Lace Up For Kids.” To help raise awareness, Solving Kids’ Cancer, an organization that according to their website, “finds, funds and advocates for breakthrough treatment options to cure children with the most fatal pediatric cancers,” asked supporters to swap out their shoelaces with gold laces and share their photos on social media. With the color gold representing the month, the laces help raise awareness to support children battling cancer.
West End students and their families have made it their mission to raise awareness and donate to Solving Kids’ Cancer. With their support, the school recently received 500 pairs of gold shoelaces, generously donated by the organization. Students wore their laces at school and together, continued to raise money during the month toward this important cause.
.jpg?t=636752815552430000)
Students and Staff Stand As One For Patriot Day
Dressed in patriotic colors, Waverly Park Elementary School students and staff honored and remembered the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001 by partaking in patriotic activities and lessons and shining a light on unity and kindness on Sept. 7. Principal Allison Banhazl began the day with a special morning announcement which spotlighted Patriot Day, a day of remembrance, and recognized those who continue to serve to keep the nation safe each day.
“We come together today as a community to strengthen and show our commitment to the American spirit,” said Banhazl.
The school recited the Pledge of Allegiance which followed by a moment of silence to honor and remember the heroes lost. Students and staff then assembled in the hallway to form a human chain and sing “God Bless the USA,” a proud tradition at Waverly Park, which symbolizes unity and standing together. Throughout the day, classes visited the school lobby to help fill the school’s glass twin towers. Students were encouraged to drop a dime and a penny into the towers to commemorate the 9-11 date in history and make a wish for the world.
“I ask that you think about what you can do to make this world a better place,” Banhazl told students. “What small act of kindness can you contribute to our goal of having a world that is filled with peace, respect and tolerance for all? By treating others the way we want to be treated, you can make your mark on the world.”
In the classroom, students wrote on slips of red, white and blue paper their words of kindness. The slips of paper were later assembled together by the school’s student council to form an American flag, dedicated to America’s heroes.