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HERALD A new voice on the board
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Vol. 33 No. 34
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New accessible playground set for Brookside “We really just want children to learn, play and thrive on the playground,” Mignella S t u d e n t s i n t h e t h i r d said. Brookside has separate recthrough fifth grades at Brookside Elementary School in reation areas for younger and Baldwin have been missing older elementary students. The something important during equipment for students in the recess — a playground of their third through fifth g rades, which Mignella said was donatown. The aging play area for the ed by parents more than a school’s older studecade a go, was dents was taken out decommissioned of service after after it became deteriorating equipfaulty and unsafe. ment raised safety After becoming concer ns, leaving superintendent, them without a dedMignella made it a icated place to priority to assess cl i m b, s l i d e a n d playgrounds across explore. the district and ScoTT M. DAVIS However, a Naswork with schools, Nassau County sau County grant is community memexpected to give legislator bers and PTAs to t h e m t h at s p a c e deter mine where back — this time with a new, improvements were needed. fully accessible playground “Brookside was definitely in designed to serve students of need,” he said. “That one playall abilities. ground had to be taken apart Nassau County Legislator because some of the equipment Scott M. Davis, who represents was faulty and not safe.” parts of Baldwin, secured a The new, fully accessible $150,000 Community Revitaliza- space will include age-approtion Project grant on July 27. priate climbing structures, Baldwin School District Super- slides, interactive play features, intendent Anthony Mignella shaded seating and gathering said the new equipment will areas. Mignella said the equipdirectly benefit roughly 250 ment is being designed so chilBrookside students. Continued on page 6
By AllYSoN FERRARI
aferrari@liherald.com
T
Courtesy Baldwin School District
Making wishes possible At the end of last school year, Baldwin Middle School students donated $15,000 raised through a fundraiser to Make-A-Wish, which also led to a new partnership training Baldwin school nurses to connect eligible children with wishes.
A field where everyone can play Liam’s Legacy seeks bringing inclusivity to Baldwin Park By AllYSoN FERRARI aferrari@liherald.com
Brian Driscoll hopes his 10-year-old son, Liam, will one day get to experience what other young athletes do. Liam, who uses a wheelchair and is nonverbal, loves sports — particularly the lights, music and excitement at the games. Liam was born with tetralogy of Fallot, a congenital heart defect that required open-heart surgery when he was 3 months old. At age 3 he was diagnosed with ATRX syndrome, a rare genetic condition. He also has permanent hearing loss, microcephaly and developmental delays. Liam is not yet able to sit independently, walk
or speak, but his father wants him to have the chance to come up to bat with music playing, hear his name announced, see himself on a scoreboard and listen to a crowd cheer him on. “Without the assistance of someone, he’s not able to do things on his own,” he said of Liam. “So there’s not much out there for him.” Driscoll, of Oceanside, the founder of the Liam’s Legacy Athletic Association, is working to build a fully accessible baseball field in Baldwin Park for children and young adults with physical, developmental, cognitive and sensory disabilities. The project is still in the planning stages and has not received formal approval, but Continued on page 16
he more accessible it is for everyone, the better it is.