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Friday, March 20, 2026
Vol. 3, No. 12
THE GATEWAY TO NASSAU COUNTY SERVING FLORAL PARK, BELLEROSE AND STEWART MANOR
Robotics teams compete in regional competition
Village presses county on Tulip Avenue safety improvements BY RIKKI MASSAND
The Robopandas team is pictured with Jack Chen during the FIRST Tech Challenge Long Island Regional Championship. Photo courtesy of the Sewanhaka Central High School District Sewanhaka Central High School District’s two robotics teams competed in the FIRST Tech Challenge Long Island Regional Championship on March 1. The Robopandas finished the event as finalists, placing third among 24 teams from Nassau and Suffolk counties. The team also earned the Think Award in recognition of their excellence in engineering documentation and the design process. Based
on their strong performance, the Robopandas qualified to compete in the Chicago Robotics Invitational Premier Event this July. The Bamboozlers finished ninth following the qualification rounds and received the Second Place Innovate Award, which recognizes creativity and excellence in engineering design. Additionally, robotics adviser Jack Chen was honored with
the Compass Award, a distinction within the FIRST Tech Challenge program that recognizes an outstanding mentor nominated directly by students for their guidance and support. Notably, Mr. Chen was nominated not only by Sewanhaka students, but also by students from other districts, reflecting the broad impact of his mentorship across the FIRST Robotics community.
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The Floral Park Chamber of Commerce held its March dinner meeting on Thursday, March 5th, at Swing the Teapot on Verbena Avenue. There, Village of Floral Park Deputy Mayor Dr. Lynn Pombonyo opened her municipal update by noting the working relationships local officials have developed with Nassau County Legislators John Giuffré (District 8), a practicing attorney with an office on Covert Avenue, and Scott P. Strauss (District 9). Recent meetings and discussions have focused on improving safety and pedestrian access along Tulip Avenue, a Nassau County-owned roadway. “One of the things the County did recently was for the entryway to the village on Tulip, north of the post office off Little Neck Parkway and Jericho Turnpike – you would have noticed that over a long time the lines weren’t painted. That painting was completed, and it’s a help. Then they have started to evaluate the timing of the traffic lights,” the deputy mayor explained. One of the most persistent issues raised by the Village and the Floral Park Police Department (FPPD) with Nas-
sau County has been drivers “blocking the box.” According to Dr. Pombonyo, the problem has become widespread for several reasons. “One reason is that people are just in a hurry and they move forward and get inside the box. The other problem has to do with engineering of the lights; we have a saying in the police department that first you need to engineer, then you need to educate and then you enforce. But right now what we are doing is enforcement with something that is not engineered correctly,” she told the Chamber audience. The deputy mayor noted that village officials directed the FPPD to conduct an enforcement “blitz,” issuing additional summonses for blocking the box. The initiative was supported by law enforcement and public safety grant funding to offset the added costs. However, she emphasized that enforcement alone is not a sustainable solution. “Blocking the box summonses are hard because sometimes you are getting into a lane and there is room to move but then someone decides to parallel park (on Tulip Avenue). All See page 8
International Knight at FP High School PAGE 6 Drama Club presents play at JLCS PAGE 10