_________________ bellmore ________________
CoMMUNIty UPDAtE Infections as of June 21
8,267
Infections as of June 13 8,260
HERALD Pull Out
$1.00 $1.00
Vol. 24 No. 26
New group home for N. Merrick
Public water bill awaits signature
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JUNE 24 - 30, 2021
Incoming superintendent looks ahead years. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Central District was Earlier this year, the Bell- among the first districts on Long more-Merrick Central High Island to open for in-person School District announced that learning. Harrington recounted John DeTommaso, superinten- the reopening efforts, which dent for the past included meetings eight years, would be with a Reopening retiring on June 30. Committee as early Mike Harrington, as May of 2020. assistant superinten“The entire sumdent of curriculum mer was spent planand instruction, was ning for the reopenappointed to assume ing of school,” he DeTommaso’s role said. “We really starting July 1. believed that the In a recent interkids needed to be in view with the Herschool.” Mike harrington ald, Harrington said Reopening for full he looked forward to in-person instruchis new position — tion by the end of despite having some big shoes to last September was nerve-rackfill following DeTommaso. ing, but school officials believed “Mr. DeTommaso has been they were ready for the transiwonderful,” he said. “He’s left a tion, Harrington said, adding, mark here, a legacy.” “We knew we were prepared, Harrington, who has been in and we knew the teachers were the district since 2003, first prepared.” worked as a social studies teachAfter Central’s 2021-22 budget er in Island Trees before becom- passed last month, district offiing assistant principal at San- cials are planning some big ford H. Calhoun High School in changes. They will implement a North Merrick. After nine years 1:1 Chromebook initiative, which as principal of Wellington C. will supply every student in Mepham High School in North grades seven to 12 with ChromeBellmore, he took his current book laptops. job, which he has held for four Continued on page 5
By JoRDAN VAlloNE jvallone@liherald.com
Brian Ballweg/Herald
MEPhAM REPEAtED As Nassau County Class A softball champions and went on to defeat Miller Place last Saturday for its first-ever Long Island title.
Long Island champions! By toNy BEllIssIMo tbellissimo@liherald.com
A three-pronged pitching attack, a deep lineup and a defense that never stopped improving carried Mepham’s softball program to its greatest height this spring. The Pirates, who won their first-ever Nassau County title two years ago and were locked and loaded for 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic hit, are Long Island champions for the first time after defeating Miller Place, 1-0, last Saturday at Moriches Athletic Complex in the Class A matchup. Senior Dominique DeLutri blasted a homer over the fence in center in the top of
the sixth inning for the game’s only run. Her younger sister, freshman Giselle DeLutri, pitched the final four innings and allowed no hits after junior starter Gia Miccio gave up just one single in three innings of work. “I knew it was gone immediately off the bat,” Dominique said of her first-pitch long ball. “Rounding third base and seeing all my teammates waiting at home plate was an amazing feeling. Then Giselle closed it out. I’m so proud of her.” Giselle struck out seven of the 13 batters she faced, including two in the bottom of the fifth when the Panthers had a runner on third base with only one out.
“Incredible,” junior Alanna Morse said. “I thought we had some good hits throughout the game, but sometimes it’s that one big moment that puts us over the top. It can be any one of us at any time, and today it was Dominique.” With no state championships this year, Mepham finished the season with a record of 17-4. Seeded No. 2 in the Nassau Class A tournament, the Pirates swept fourth-seeded MacArthur in the best-ofthree finals last week to repeat as county champs. “We had seven seniors who didn’t get to play last year and only brought back one returning award winner from 2019,” coach Brenda Dolan said. “It Continued on page 16