_________________ BALDWIN ________________
HERALD Steele student is recognized
District program marks 25 years
A look at annual hybrid drill
Page 2
Page 9
Page 10
Vol. 32 No. 28
JUlY 10 - 16, 2025
$1.00
Cornell scholar honors teacher Sakiel Ruff, a Cornell graduate, names his high school mentor for national recognition “It’s an amazing feeling,” Soupios, who has taught in Baldwin for 20 years, said. When Sakiel Ruff moved “Teaching is a tough job, and from New Orleans to Baldwin you always wonder if you’re in the seventh grade, he was a making a difference. To hear shy yet smart student adjusting that someone you taught years ago still remembers the impact to a new community. That year, he landed in the you had — that’s something honors English class of Chris- special.” Soupios recalled that, in the topher Soupios, who would go on to teach him throughout seventh grade honors English high school — and class, Ruff delivered a ultimately become the memorable perforeducator Ruff creditmance of Atticus ed for shaping his acaFinch’s cour troom demic path. speech from “To Kill Ruff, who’s now a a Mockingbird.” graduating senior at “That was a turnCor nell University, ing point,” Soupios was named a Merrill said. “He was nerPresidential Scholar, SAkiEl RUff vous, but he pushed one of the school’s himself and really Baldwin highest honors. The started coming into award recognizes the his own.” top one percent of the senior Later, with Soupios, Ruff class not only for academic took AP seminar, a course that achievement, but also for lead- emphasizes research, presentaership and commitment to ser- tion and real-world problem vice. solving. As part of the program, Ruff “By then, he had grown out was invited to select a teacher of his shell and was thriving,” who had the most impact on his Soupios said. “He had this deep success — and he chose Soup- intellectual curiosity and was ios. The Baldwin High School always thinking about how to English teacher was invited to make the world a better place.” participate in a special convoca“When I got the notification tion honoring the scholars and saying that I received the their mentors at Cornell in May. ConTinued on page 8
By HERNESTo GAlDAMEZ
hgaldamez@liherald.com
Hernesto Galdamez/Herald
The Baldwin Lions Club, in collaboration with St. Christopher’s Church, helped distribute items donated by the community from July 3 through Monday.
Community rallies after blaze
Baldwin Lions Club and church lead donation drive By HERNESTo GAlDAMEZ hgaldamez@liherald.com
Less than a week after a fire tore through a Baldwin apartment building on Merrick Road, displacing more than 200 residents, hundreds of community members gathered at St. Christopher’s Church on July 3 to collect and distribute donations to families who lost everything. The grassroots relief effort — spearheaded by the Baldwin Lions Club in partnership with the church, and supported by local groups and volunteers — filled the lower church with thousands of donated items that included clothing, toiletries, toys and shoes. “I’m really overjoyed by the outpouring of generosity from the community,” Lions President Naresh Singh said. “It’s amazing to see how quickly everyone came together for these families.” The June 26 fire, which broke out just before 11:30 a.m. at a three-story apartment
building at 700 Merrick Road, near St. Christopher’s, gutted the upper floors and forced more than 140 people to evacuate. The building remains structurally unsafe, according to a sign that read ‘UNSAFE STRUCTURE DO NOT ENTER.” According to the Nassau County Fire Marshal’s Office, an electrical malfunction sparked the blaze. More than 150 firefighters from Baldwin and surrounding departments battled the fire. County Legislator Debra Mulé, who represents Baldwin in the Legislature and was on hand for the collection at St. Christopher’s, said the community’s response has been moving. “I had a fire myself eight years ago, so this is personal to me,” Mulé said. “The community was incredibly generous to me, and I want to pay that forward. I’m so grateful to the Lions Club and St. Christopher’s for stepping up.” Church officials said the scene last ConTinued on page 3
H
e’s the teacher I think of the most.