Trust the Experts to Go the Distance.
HERALD What to expect at the library
X REDUCTION PROPERTY TA THE LEADER IN s seconds.
It only take Sign up today. aldnote mptrg.com/her at e lin on y Appl 266 or call 516.715.1 up, LLC ion Gro perty Tax Reduct Maidenbaum Pro NY 11516 et, Cedarhurst, 483 Chestnut Stre
Page 3
l Hablamos Españo
Vol. 32 No. 35 AUG. 28 - SEPT. 3, 2025
$1.00
130434 130 43519
Hard to Reach Savings?
_________________ BALDWIN ________________
177 Merrick Road, Oceansi de 516-764-0513 • www.da nceinnovationsinc.com
Mignella steps into new role Familiar face at district’s helm
“When I first started teaching, I never saw myself necessarily becoming an administraAnthony Mignella has offi- tor,” Mignella said in an interview with the Herald. “It was cially stepped into the role of superintendent of the Baldwin always about working with stuschool district, succeeding dents and other teachers and Shari Camhi, who retired this trying to create a culture of summer after more than a care and respect. That passion has stayed with me. I was very decade of leadership. F o r M i g n e l l a , 5 0 , t h e fortunate to have some doors open, and now appointment is the being here as culmination of a superintendent is career that began in really a magical the classroom more experience and a than 25 years ago. dream come true.” Originally from As assistant Bayside, Queens, he superintendent, earned a bachelor’s Mignella worked degree in biochemclosely with Camhi istry from Stony ANTHoNy on curriculum and Brook University instruction, helpand a master’s in MIGNEllA e d u c a t i o n f r o m Superintendent ing to expand Long Island UniverAdvanced Place sity’s C.W. Post camment courses, pus. He later completed an develop new robotics and engiadvanced graduate certificate neering classes, and increase in educational administration dual-enrollment opportunities. at Stony Brook and participat- That experience, he said, preed in the Strategic Data Project pared him for this next step. at Harvard University’s Center “One of the roles of the for Education Policy Research, superintendent is to make sure where he developed skills in that our Board of Education data-driven decision-making to priority goals — having a rigorimprove student outcomes. ous and relevant curriculum Before his appointment, he for all and preparing students served as Baldwin’s assistant for the future — are met,” superintendent for instruction Continued on page xx for nine years.
By HERNESTo GAlDAMEZ
hgaldamez@liherald.com
Tim Baker/Herald
Trio captivates country music fans The Castellows, a country music trio featuring sisters Eleanor, Lily and Powell Balkcom performed at Eisenhower Park on Aug. 14. Story, additional photos, Page 10.
Fire leaves four families displaced
Local barber leads GoFundMe to aid those impacted By HERNESTo GAlDAMEZ hgaldamez@liherald.com
A fast-moving fire on Grand Avenue Aug. 10 left four families displaced, forced three businesses to close, and damaged a church, prompting Baldwin barbershop owner Quentin Brown to launch a GoFundMe to assist those affected. Brown, who has run Q’s Quality Cutz, at 1963 Grand Ave., for more than 20 years, said he first learned about the fire through a phone call in the early-morning hours. “When I got there, I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “There’s a lot of damage. Part of me was emotionally displaced, like losing a family member.” A faulty electrical outlet caused the blaze, according to the Baldwin Fire Department, which spread through the second floor and
cockloft of the two-story building, displacing a total of nine residents, authorities said. About 100 firefighters from the Baldwin Fire Department and neighboring departments responded to help extinguish the blaze. The Red Cross assisted the displaced residents, and Brown has provided them with clothes and other essentials and has even taken several of them into his home temporarily. Brown said several young people lived in the apartments above his barbershop, adding that watching them lose their homes was heartbreaking. “A little 6-year-old boy looked at me and said, ‘I lost my bed.’ That affected me psychologically,” Brown said. In addition to temporarily shutting down Brown’s barbershop, the blaze also forced the Continued on page xx
I
lead with empathy, but I also have high expectations.